Chapter 600: The Wielder of the Holy Sword 

Upon hearing that the black creature could be defeated by means other than the Holy Sword, Sister-in-law Daniela visibly relaxed, the tension easing from her beautiful features at last.

She had clearly been deeply worried about the matter—far more than I had expected. It made me wonder if there was some particular reason behind her concern. The thought lingered in the back of my mind, quietly tugging at my curiosity.

Still unsettled, Sister-in-law Daniela seemed eager to learn more about the black creature. She turned once more toward Father and continued her questioning, her voice calm but carrying unmistakable anxiety beneath it.

“Can it be defeated with magic as well?”

“It can,” Father answered slowly, “but ordinary magic doesn’t appear to be especially effective against it.”

“Then… what kind of magic is effective?”

“It’s said that purification magic may work.”

“Purification magic…”

Sister-in-law Daniela lowered her gaze and fell into deep thought, her expression clouded with concern. Beside her, Alex-niisan gently stroked her back in reassurance.

The sight was almost picturesque.

No, more than that—it felt like watching an affectionate couple from a romance story. Honestly, I was a little jealous.

Well, they practically were one, so it wasn’t exactly strange.

Maybe I should learn from Alex-niisan. If Fabienne ever looked anxious like that, I ought to gently rub her back too.

…Though at the moment, Fabienne was wearing a rather stiff smile plastered across her face.

Hang in there, Fabienne.

After all, I had just obliterated that gigantic black tree with a single spell. She might have realized something from that display.

“Does purification magic truly exist?” Alex asked.

“Well… I wouldn’t say the possibility is zero,” Father replied ambiguously.

Father’s answer was deliberately vague. He was probably beginning to suspect that the magic I used had actually been purification magic.

But I had never once called it that.

As far as everyone else knew, it was simply an extraordinarily powerful fire spell.

“I heard it from Erwin-sama,” I said, trying to brighten the mood. “Apparently, the Holy Sword can destroy them in a single strike. So I don’t think there’s any need to worry so much.”

I had intended it as comforting news.

Unfortunately, it seemed I had stepped squarely onto forbidden ground.

Sister-in-law Daniela ’s face instantly darkened, her expression sinking like storm clouds gathering over a clear sky.

Father and Alex-niisan exchanged strained smiles filled with awkward resignation.

“So Julius didn’t know,” Daniela said softly. “The truth is… there’s currently no one in this kingdom capable of wielding the Holy Sword. At least, not right now.”

…What?

For a moment, my thoughts froze completely.

I had naturally assumed the Spencer Kingdom possessed its own Holy Sword wielder—someone like Erwin-sama who could step forward and eliminate threats whenever necessary.

Apparently, that wasn’t the case at all.

Judging from Sister-in-law Daniela ’s words, however, the Holy Sword itself certainly still existed within the kingdom.

“Does that mean the method of using the Holy Sword was never passed down?” I asked carefully.

“I don’t know the details myself,” Daniela replied with a small shake of her head. “Information regarding the Holy Sword is classified.”

Even Sister-in-law Daniela  was being kept in the dark about it.

Still, the fact that there was currently no wielder seemed to be fairly well known among the nobility. Father and Alex-niisan clearly already knew.

Could it be that the Lazar Empire on the neighboring continent was planning something because of this weakness?

What a rotten country.

I doubted I would ever be able to like them.

Maybe this was what Sister-in-law Daniela had truly been worried about. The black creatures themselves were certainly frightening, but perhaps she feared the Lazar Empire intended to exploit them to plunge the Spencer Kingdom into chaos.

“It’s understandable to be concerned about this matter,” Father said in a calm, measured tone, “but for now, we should wait for official information from the crown. If the marquis border house starts making noise on its own and rumors spread to other territories… it wouldn’t end as a mere misunderstanding.”

“You’re right,” Daniela answered quietly. “My apologies.”

“If any new information arrives, I’ll tell you. You have my word.”

Sister-in-law Daniela nodded obediently at Father’s reassurance.

And with that, the discussion finally came to an end.

Honestly, this was hardly the sort of topic we should have been discussing immediately after returning home.

Worse, the conversation had started because of me.

A heavy sense of guilt settled in my chest. I really needed to make up for this somehow.

…Though, from Father’s perspective, I was basically a walking disaster carrying one headache after another.

Restoring my reputation was probably going to take quite a while.

After that, the atmosphere gradually softened, and everyone began sharing stories about everything that had happened during our time apart.

At one point, the head chef came to ask about dinner preparations, and I took the opportunity to teach him how to prepare aged meat—a technique I had learned in the Raven Kingdom.

While I was at it, I also taught him the recipe for ginger pork.

The chef seemed absolutely delighted by both ideas and declared that he wanted to start experimenting immediately.

I couldn’t wait until the aged meat was ready.

Even Father looked unusually pleased while listening to the explanation. Well, it would make excellent food to accompany alcohol.

Meanwhile, it seemed the Heine Company had continued operating smoothly even during my absence.

Lately, Rosalia’s newly developed drying device had apparently become a massive hit, especially among women. It was receiving overwhelming support from female customers across the territory.

As a result, Rosalia’s reputation as a magic tool artisan was skyrocketing.

That was genuinely wonderful news.

At this rate, my own fame as a magic tool craftsman would gradually fade into the background—exactly as planned.

“It sounds like the royal court alchemists have been working very hard on the magic potions,” I said. “I should thank them later.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Father replied with a smile. “They’ve all been looking forward to your return.”

“In that case, I suppose I should teach them the recipe for the Purification Powder we developed in the Raven Kingdom as soon as possible.”

Without question, the people currently supporting the Heine Company’s magic potion division were the royal court alchemists dispatched to the Heine border territory.

And not only that—they were also handling the replenishment of the potions consumed by the knight order.

I was sure they were already receiving salaries from House Heine, but it still felt like they deserved additional benefits.

And naturally, the greatest benefit would be immediate access to the magic potion recipes I developed.

I could even teach them the little tricks behind the brewing process and methods for improving the formulas.

Oh, right.

While I was at it, I should probably teach them how to make Rapid-Growth as well.

As an easy-to-grow gardening product anyone could cultivate, it would probably spread quite nicely.