Chapter 12: Third condition (2)

Mind Crash. A spell that literally shatters the target’s mind into tiny pieces.

In reality, it is more of a dark or forbidden art than conventional magic, one of the most dangerous spells in the realm of soul magic.

If the target fails to resist this spell, their soul is instantly crushed, rendering them incapable of maintaining coherent thought.

The body remains alive, but the mind effectively dies, leaving them in a permanent vegetative state.

Even if the mind is destroyed, the means to recover it are extremely limited, making it a spell akin to a death sentence.

Sion cast this spell on the attendant before her without a hint of hesitation.

“Agh…”

Beryl’s pupils dilated, and the light in her eyes vanished.

Mind Crash is by no means an invincible spell.

If one possesses strong willpower, they can resist its invasive energy and suffer no ill effects.

And while Beryl was not lacking in mental fortitude, having lived a harsh life…

This time, she faced the wrong opponent. Before her stood the very man once known as the nightmare of the entire continent.

-Thud.

Like a marionette with its strings cut, her body crumpled to the floor, lifeless and limp, never to rise again.

Sion looked at the scene with a satisfied smile.

“Success.”

-“What are you doing!?!!?”

A furious shout from Exia came from behind. Naturally, she understood the implications of such a spell.

Even though Exia could be rather careless in her usual demeanor, she was, in essence, a holy sword. She would never tolerate harm to an innocent person.

-“Are you out of your mind!? How could you use such a vile spell on someone you’ve just met!?”

“Now, now. Calm down,” Sion replied, in stark contrast to Exia’s reaction, remaining as composed as ever.

“It’s not what you think. I’ve adjusted the output precisely.”

-“Adjusted… the output?”

“Yes. I left the parts responsible for cognition and thought processes intact, only destroying the memories related to herself.

She’ll wake up in about thirty minutes and be perfectly functional. All I broke were her memories.”

Sion shrugged.

“You know as well as I do that my ability to manipulate spells surpasses even Mana’s.

 In the realm of precise magical manipulation, no mage can compare to me.”

-“Well… that’s true, but…”

Exia spoke in a conflicted tone.

-“But why? Why did you erase her memories? What was so necessary about it…?”

“That’s the third condition I mentioned.”

-“The third condition?”

“Indeed.”

Sion held up three fingers confidently.

“After the amount of magical energy and creating the fake holy sword, the third condition… is ‘identity.’”

-“Identity…?”

Exia muttered, confused. Hearing this, Sion clicked her tongue.

“You fool, think about it. Let’s say I successfully turn you into a human.

You gain arms and legs, and you can move around freely. Who are you, then? How should you be perceived by the world and those around us?”

-“Ah…!”

At last, Exia understood what Sion was getting at.

The point was this. Becoming human through a polymorph spell was fine, it could be done anytime.

But in that state, she could no longer claim to be the ‘Holy Sword Exia.’ After all, she would no longer appear to be a sword.

Thus, she would need a new identity. One that wouldn’t cause discomfort while remaining close to the Hero.

“If I could have freely transformed you between human and sword form like Lier did in the past, I wouldn’t need to resort to this.

 You could have switched between forms as needed.

But Perfect Polymorph isn’t a spell that can be cast so easily. It requires a lengthy incantation and considerable preparation. Hiding the casting itself is impossible.”

Sion glanced at the collapsed Beryl.

“That’s why it was necessary—to provide a plausible identity for you to stay near me in human form… as a ‘personal attendant’.”

-“…..So, you intend to take her position and give it to me?”

“Precisely.”

-“…”

A brief silence followed.

Exia looked back and forth between Beryl and Sion before speaking slowly.

-“…Can’t you just return things to how they were?”

“Ha? Why?”

-“It’s strange for you to ask ‘why’… A complete stranger is getting hurt because of me!

If I knew this was how my wish would be fulfilled, I wouldn’t have asked in the first place.”

No matter how much she longed for a strawberry parfait or desired a human body, there had to be a limit to what could be allowed.

 Exia didn’t want to pursue her desires by ruining someone else’s life — after all, she was supposed to be a holy sword.

Hearing her words, Sion shrugged.

“Reversing it isn’t impossible…

It seems I didn’t explain enough. ‘Ruining a life’? That’s a complete misunderstanding.”

-“What else would you call it if not ruining her life…?”

“Here, take a look.”

Sion pulled something out of her pocket.

“What do you think this is?”

-“…?”

It was a small leather pouch filled with unknown objects.

“This is a pouch full of jewels. If exchanged, it would be worth about 500 to 600 thousand gold coins — approximately 5 to 6 billion won.

I’ve gathered it little by little over the past seven years through various means.”

-“So, what does that mean?”

“I plan to give this to the girl.”

With that, Sion strode over to the collapsed Beryl and carefully tied the pouch to her waist.

“Half a million gold is enough to live comfortably for a lifetime. Moreover, she’s physically and technically well-trained.

At the very least, she won’t live miserably as a destitute after being robbed by some petty thieves.”

-“….So, it’s like compensation for the damage?”

“It’s the least I could do since I’m taking her identity.”

Sion shrugged again.

“The letter I wrote earlier explains the situation.

 ‘I had no choice but to erase the memories related to yourself,’ ‘In return, I’ll provide you with 500,000 gold to live a prosperous life,’ and ‘Please refrain from digging into this matter any further, as it would only cause trouble for both sides.’

 I phrased it politely. As long as she follows that last piece of advice, there’s no reason she’d be worse off.”

“A life of servitude as someone’s attendant, versus a life of freedom, using 500,000 gold as she wishes — isn’t it clear which one is better?”

-“…Huh?”

Exia looked at Sion with a more puzzled expression.

-“Wait, if you have that much money, why bother erasing her memories in the first place?

You could just give her the money and convince her to live somewhere nice and peaceful. Isn’t that easier?”

“I considered that at first,” Sion admitted, shrugging.

“If only she hadn’t been a spy from the enemy nation, Espera.”

-“What?! A spy?”

“Yes.”

Sion said, glancing at the unconscious Beryl.

“Swapping identities is one thing, but you can never know what mission she’s been assigned to carry out from behind the scenes.

To properly impersonate her, you’d need to know how often she’s supposed to make reports or contact, and to whom. You’d have to mimic those patterns.”

“To find that out, I used a ‘Detect Thoughts’ spell… and discovered she’s a spy — a loyal one at that, deeply indebted to her previous master and without any intention of betrayal.”

Sion continued, “It complicated things. My initial plan was to bribe her, but that wasn’t possible with someone like her.

Moreover, reporting her to her superiors and requesting a replacement would take time, waiting for her to slip up and gathering evidence. So, as a backup plan…”

-“You chose memory destruction?”

“Exactly.”

Sion nodded.

“In the end, didn’t everything work out well?

 She would have been executed the moment she was caught by me, but instead, she’s been spared with just the loss of her memories and given enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her life.

I obtained a slot for you to fit into, and we now have a means to feed disinformation to Espera whenever we need to.

And you, of course, get to live in human form.”

Sion smiled.

“What do you think? Isn’t this a win-win for everyone involved?”

-“…”

After listening to Sion’s explanation, Exia finally understood the gist of her plan.

 What she aimed for, why she used such methods, and how she intended to deal with the aftermath.

She understood. But even so…

-“Sigh…”

“What’s with that reaction? I went all out for you, and you’re still not satisfied? This was quite a generous service from my end, you know.”

-“Well… I do appreciate that you tried to consider my position and hers in your own way, but…”

Exia trailed off, her voice sounding conflicted.

This was always the way with Sion’s methods — solutions that were not necessarily evil but couldn’t be called righteous either, forever stuck in a morally grey area.

Sion always maintained a clear distinction between what to protect and what to sacrifice, making decisions without hesitation.

Of course, she could admit that Shion’s approach was “rational,” as she claimed.

-“But still, it would’ve been nice if you had at least told me beforehand… Then, as the one involved, I could’ve thought it over myself.”

“Hm, fair point. I’ll take that into account next time,” Sion replied, turning her head.

Of course, Sion had anticipated that Exia would say that, which is why she hadn’t mentioned the third condition earlier.

She wanted to avoid triggering her sense of justice and hearing her say, “I won’t allow such a thing!”

There’s a saying — it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

“Conditional Casting, Greater Teleport. Condition: when the target regains consciousness.”

Sion muttered the spell, preparing for Beryl to be automatically teleported to a remote rural area as soon as she woke up.

She couldn’t send her immediately, of course, since it would be troublesome if she lost the jewels along the way.

That took care of one part of the situation.

“Now then.”

 Sion turned back toward Exia with a grin.

“Shall we finally begin the long-awaited transformation?”

-“….”

Exia watched her and sighed heavily.

-“Fine… Do whatever you want, Sion. The water’s already been spilled, and there’s no going back now.”

“You’re quite the cheeky one. Whose sake do you think I went through all this trouble for?

 If your magical resistance wasn’t unnecessarily high, I could have used a regular Polymorph spell to solve this. You bear some responsibility for how things turned out.”

-“Yeah, yeah, it’s all my fault. I’m sorry.”

Exia replied dismissively to Sion’s grumbling.

After all, it was true that Sion had gone to great lengths to fulfill her wish.

Considering that, Exia couldn’t entirely blame her for everything.

Exia had, after all, left the planning and execution to Sion regarding her transformation into a human.

‘Could he have planned even this far ahead, that sly man?’

Exia wondered. Of course, asking Sion directly would lead to denial, so there was no way to confirm.

“Now then, I’m about to start the incantation, so clear your mind and open yourself fully to the incoming magic, understood?”

-“Yes.”

Exia decided to stop thinking and quietly emptied her consciousness.

After all, even in a degraded state, Exia was still a holy sword crafted directly by the goddess.

Her powerful magical resistance was so high that even a Demon King like Sion found it hard to penetrate through conventional means.

To make this work, Sion had prepared various penetrating agents, and Exia herself needed to remain receptive and not resist the magic entering her.

If she followed the plan without any major unexpected developments, it should be fine… probably.

“Magic flowing through all things, rearrange yourself according to the words of the sun, moon, and stars.”

Sion chanted quietly but swiftly.

There was one possible variable: If this took too long, Isabella might burst in at any moment.

Sion had locked the door, but that reckless princess could break through the lock and barge in at any time.

If that happened, the sight in this room would be extremely difficult to explain.

So Sion shortened the incantation as much as possible without risking a failed casting.

“…In exchange for the above price, I ask — reborn as a completely new being by my will. Perfect Polymorph!”

The final words of Sion’s incantation echoed through the room in a clear and resonant voice.

At that moment, Exia’s form began to glow in a brilliant blue.

Every part of the sword dissolved into a mass of magical energy, glowing so brightly it was almost blinding.

As Sion blinked away the dazzling light, she saw—

“…”

“Good, it’s a success.”

Before her stood a familiar blonde girl in a maid outfit.

Her appearance, like a sunflower reaching up to the summer sky, drew all eyes to her.

If Sion’s current form was like the moon, the girl in front of her was like the sun — no subtle elegance or nobility, but instead, a radiant energy and vitality that seemed almost blinding.

Her appearance seemed to reflect her lively and somewhat flamboyant personality perfectly.

This was Exia’s human form, the one she had seen several times during their three years of travel together.

“Oh, it’s done! It’s a success! I’m finally back in this form after 500 years!!”

Exia, having confirmed her new form, jumped up and down in joy, forgetting all her earlier worries.

Watching her, Sion chuckled.

“Don’t jump around too much; you might disturb the room next door… Let’s say your new name will be ‘Iris.’

 From now on, when I call you Iris, you’ll know it refers to you. Understood?”

“Iris, huh? Got it!” Exia responded with a cheerful salute and a broad smile.

“Well, there are some parts I’m not too thrilled about, but I genuinely appreciate you giving me a body! Thanks for all your hard work!”

“It was just keeping a promise. No need to thank me.”

“Still, I’m grateful, so thank you.”

She laughed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Ah, I can’t wait to eat something! It’s been 500 years, and I’m already drooling just thinking about it!”

Exia couldn’t contain her excitement as she pranced around the room, eager to finally enjoy food again.

Sion watched her for a moment before speaking, a twisted smirk on her face.

“By the way, Iris.”

“Who’s… oh, that’s me, right? What is it?”

“How do you plan to address me from now on?”

“?”

Exia tilted her head in confusion.

“What do you mean? I guess I’ll call you Sien… Oh, wait, not Sien. Then… Sion?”

“Sion? As a mere servant, don’t you think it’s a bit presumptuous to use ‘Sion’?”

“Uh… then Sion-sama?”

Sion shook her head.

“Completely wrong. It’s disrespectful to refer to someone of higher status so casually. It’s proper to address them by their title or the nature of your relationship.”

“Title or relationship?”

“Exactly. For example, calling me ‘Hero’… or…”

Her smile widened.

“‘Master.’”

“…?!”

Exia’s face instantly turned pale.

“W-Wait… that’s a bit…”

“What’s a ‘bit’? Surely you don’t plan to be disrespectful to the ‘Hero’ in front of everyone, do you? You’d be fired on the spot and left with nothing, wandering the back alleys as a beggar.”

“H-Hnngh?!”

Exia shuddered at the thought. It was indeed a possible scenario. But, even so…!

“W-Wait! ‘Master’ is out of the question!”

“Really? I’m fine with ‘Hero,’ then.”

“That’s even worse!”

‘Master’ and ‘Hero’ were titles Exia had once used for Lier. Because of this, she felt it was inappropriate to bestow such titles on anyone else.

Those titles represented a respect that was only to be given to her rightful master.

With a forced, awkward smile, Exia pleaded, “How about just letting me call you Sion-sama…?”

“No.”

“?!”

Sion grinned mischievously.

“Why should I do that? Logically speaking, is there any reason why I should accommodate your preference?”

“Y-You…!!!”

Exia finally realized Sion’s cunning ploy.

This sneaky, conniving man… did he orchestrate everything just to make me call him ‘Master’ as a form of humiliation!?

“Oh? I have no idea what you’re talking about~ Got any proof?”

“Hey!!!”

Exia shouted, unable to contain her frustration. But Sion just laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

“So, what will it be? ‘Hero’ or ‘Master’—those are your only options. No other choice.”

“…!!”

Exia was caught in a deep internal struggle. Sion, with a teasing smile, watched her as she wrestled with the decision.

The answer was obvious. It was clear which option was more unbearable for Exia.

Finally, in a voice filled with defeat, she mumbled, “I’ll… call you Master…”

Of course, for Exia, a holy sword, the title ‘Hero’ held a special significance.

She had once given in to the temptation of strawberry parfait and declared Sion her Hero, but to continue doing so would be unbearable.

Enduring the humiliation of calling Sion ‘Master’ was the lesser of two evils.

Sion smiled.

“Good, I’ll respect your choice. Now, let’s hear you say it.”

“Now?!”

“Of course. You need to get used to it, or you might slip up at a critical moment.”

Sion sealed off any escape routes, gesturing for her to proceed.

“Come on, quickly.”

“Why are you hesitating? Say it.”

Exia’s face turned beet red with embarrassment.

Lowering her head, her hands trembled as she gripped her skirt. After a long moment of hesitation, tears welling up in her eyes, she finally whispered, “M-Master…”

Sion burst out laughing.

“Pffft—Ahahaha!!!”

“Hnngh! Aha, ahahaha!!! You, of all people—Exia, who’s never listened to anyone—calling me ‘Master’! Ahahahaha!!!”

“Shut up, you jerk!!!” Exia shouted, delivering a swift dropkick to Sion.