Ch.93Unicorn Longsword

Shortly after Pierre, who had temporarily taken over as assistant in Corin’s absence, informed me that the weapon I had recently commissioned from Gretel was completed.

“Pierre, follow me.”

“Yes, Lord Alzar.”

There probably weren’t any urgent matters that needed immediate attention anyway. I decided to visit Gretel’s workshop right away, got up from my seat and started walking…

“…Miss Gretel?”

“Ah, yes! Please come in…!!”

I met Gretel who was waiting for me at the entrance of the workshop, and immediately proceeded inside… where I discovered the very ‘weapon’ I had commissioned.

The weapon made specifically for me, created using an ‘Alicorn’—a unicorn horn—and a ‘demon sword fragment’ that had shrunk after being purified by soaking in holy water.

“…Is this it?”

“Y-yes, yes…!! I did my absolute b-best to complete it…!!!”

The weapon commissioned for me resembles a Western longsword in its basic form.

The handle, carved directly from the demon sword fragment, has a relatively dark reddish color. The material isn’t exactly metal or bone… if I had to compare it to something, it would be closest to modern weapon-grade plastic.

In the center of the crossguard sits a gem emanating a unique magical energy, which serves to secure the handle—once part of a demon sword, however purified—and suppress its demonic properties.

…It also functions to seal the consciousness (demon) within the demon sword, which remains a potential danger despite being purified.

The handle is tightly wrapped with what appears to be leather straps, as is common with most cold weapons, preventing the hand from slipping and ensuring a secure grip.

Additionally, the pommel at the end of the handle is diamond-shaped, serving as a counterweight and blunt weapon. It also prevents the hand from slipping off the handle.

But the true value of this sword lies in its blade and body, which unlike the handle made from the processed demon sword fragment, uses the unicorn horn as its core material.

“It’s transparent. I like it.”

“I-I’m glad you approve…”

The blade, made by completely breaking down the unicorn horn to its primordial state before reforming it into a blade, has become so thin it’s transparent—expanding from a unicorn horn the size of a fist to the length of a longsword blade.

While unicorn horns naturally have some transparency, the fact that this blade is so clear you can see right through it is because of how incredibly thin it is.

If I had to compare it, it’s about as thin as a sheet of paper. So thin that one might wonder if it can even function as a blade. Yet for my skills, it’s a ‘perfect’ weapon that couldn’t be better suited.

“Lord Alzar. This might be presumptuous of me to ask… but may I speak?”

“What is it, Apprentice Pierre? Feel free to speak.”

“Yes! Well, this blade seems excessively thin… With my limited knowledge, I wonder if it can truly function as a weapon…”

“Ah, that concern.”

Pierre’s point was reasonable to hear.

No matter how good a weapon is, if the blade is only as thick as a sheet of paper, the question becomes how to compensate for this limitation.

But I had my own thoughts on the matter.

“First of all, this blade is more durable than you might think. Far beyond what it appears to be.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, as you can see.”

I flicked the blade with my finger—standing rigid despite being as thin as paper thanks to various magical enhancements—and smiled with satisfaction at how the sword was exactly as light yet sturdy as I had envisioned.

“A-are you pleased with it…?”

“Of course, Miss Gretel! You’ve created exactly what I wanted.”

While I did say this to Gretel, who had faithfully crafted this Unicorn Longsword (working title) exactly as I requested, I can state one fact with certainty.

Objectively speaking, this Unicorn Longsword is indeed a weapon full of flaws, no matter how one might try to dress it up.

The blade made from processed unicorn horn (alicorn) is so excessively thin—like a sheet of paper—that despite magical reinforcement of its durability, there are inevitable limitations.

Despite using an A-grade material like alicorn, its durability is only comparable to an ordinary rapier.

Thanks to magic, the blade doesn’t flop around and stands rigid, but aside from that, its durability is considered a flaw for a longsword.

Additionally, the blade’s extreme thinness results in a very light weapon, which is clearly a defect since a weapon’s weight is actually quite useful in increasing the mass of attacks.

No matter how sharp the edge, if the blade is too light, attacks become flimsy, which may seem minor but is actually quite disadvantageous in close combat.

But… these flaws don’t matter much.

“May I test it out back?”

“Yes! Oh, I’ll prepare some ‘scarecrows’ while we’re at it!”

“Yes, please do.”

From the very beginning when I commissioned it, I intended for the weapon to have these specific limitations, and the Unicorn Longsword has been crafted almost perfectly according to my specifications.

※ ※ ※

After requesting Gretel to prepare for weapon testing, I went to the backyard where I faced the ‘scarecrows’ I had encountered several times before.

These ‘scarecrows,’ created using a witch’s dark arts, are a type of familiar made of straw and cloth.

With their low intelligence and physical capabilities, they’re normally used for security purposes, but Gretel and I found a new purpose for them since they’re easy to make and can exhibit some movement.

“Let’s begin.”

“Yes! Then—[Move!]”

Specifically, as I’m doing now, they serve as training dummies.

These scarecrows, moving according to programmed magical algorithms, are so easy and cheap to make that it doesn’t matter if they’re destroyed. As long as there’s a mana supplier, they can show decent movement, making them good for safe sparring.

In other words, there’s no better opponent for safely testing something like I’m doing now.

The enemies are dozens of constructs made of wood, straw, and cloth. Since they’re so weak that I could easily tear them apart with my bare hands, I maintained just enough tension not to be careless as I drew my new weapon.

-Shing.

‘Ohhh…’

The refreshing flash of light as the blade was drawn from its basilisk scabbard, accompanied by a satisfying sound.

Looking as excited as a child receiving a gift, I lightly imbued the alicorn blade with aura and swung it at an approaching scarecrow…

-Slash!

Even though I swung the sword casually without much thought, the feeling transmitted through the alicorn blade was honestly so good that all other weapons I’d used before felt like trash in comparison.

‘If a custom weapon feels this good, I’ve been missing out all my life…!!’

Considering that special abilities are often difficult to use in actual combat, this sword was enchanted primarily to enhance the basic functions of a sword—durability and cutting power.

The sensation transmitted through this Unicorn Longsword, designed specifically to my preferences, was so exceptional that my hand trembled with excitement.

Clean, incredibly clean.

The slash from the blade’s tip cleanly cut through the enemy’s flesh, splitting it in half with virtually no resistance… the resistance felt was so low as to be almost non-existent.

To be frank, this sword could probably cut through rock like butter even without aura enhancement.

Of course, in exchange for this insane cutting power, it has the disadvantages of low durability and light weight, but these drawbacks are significantly diminished by my skill and strength.

Though it’s reached a somewhat confusing state with various factors at play, my original fighting style is closer to that of a technical swordsman anyway.

Thanks to this, I was able to cut down dozens of scarecrows rushing from all directions in less than 10 seconds, even with my aura withdrawn from the Unicorn Longsword, and I couldn’t help but be captivated by its overwhelming performance.

Since it’s focused on fundamentals, it’s turned out to be quite a plain weapon that’s difficult to describe properly, but when this weapon and I join forces, it feels like there’s no material we cannot cut through.

‘If I use this in actual combat…’

As I wielded this excellent weapon, I felt the ‘sword demon’ inside me starting to stir, but I quickly buried those feelings deep again.

However, what I couldn’t predict at the time was that the opportunity to use this weapon in actual combat would come much sooner than I had anticipated.