Kays Translations

Chapter 144: The Supreme Legendary Weapon

A new form of “Magic Shrink Refinement” using the magic sword and puppets.

At present, only Lucius is able to use this technique.

Receiving such intense magic power isn’t easy. It causes pain similar to the “Magic Expansion Refinement” that I went through repeatedly until I was ten, which expanded the magic core.

To distract himself from the nostalgic pain, Lucius began focusing his mind on the flow of circulating magic energy.

At first, Priena and Sai were worried, but after realizing there was no problem, they continued with their day—hanging laundry, singing morning hymns, and now sitting in the living room reading books. Sai, a priestess candidate, was at the desk, while Priena, wearing a mask, was lazily sprawled on a small sofa.

Meanwhile, Lucius, seated on the floor in a meditative posture, took a deep breath. Before he knew it, it was almost noon.

— Two hours seems to be my limit.

Even though he’s circulating the magic, the power gradually gets consumed through the magic sword and the puppet Sol. If his magic is completely depleted, he risks losing consciousness, so he must not use it all up.

Placing his hand on his knee, he stood up and sheathed the two magic swords.

“Finished already? Even for an expert, it’s usually only about ten minutes.” 

Priena remarked, still lying on the sofa.

“Yeah. If I don’t stop soon, my magic won’t recover in time for the evening hunt.”

“With all the ‘Sword Refinement’ you’re doing, training your magic, magic swords, and enhancing the Chiyou—how much do you think you can handle? Are you planning to defeat an empire by yourself?”

“Defeating a great nation alone is impossible. But I can at least change the tide of battle.”

“Good luck, Lucius. You’re the hero of the kingdom!” 

Priena waved her hand dramatically, as though it were someone else’s business.

“You’re also one of the three special-class mages in the kingdom, right? When we get back to the kingdom, you’re going to practice for at least an hour a day.”

“Ugh! No, absolutely not! I can’t handle the pain!”

She suddenly sat up, shaking her head vigorously.

Lucius grinned in response.

“You can choose: either do it yourself, or I’ll force you to with the mysterious artifact from the Orlean family.”

“You devil! Evil dragon! Barbaric god! Demon!”

“Ha ha, I haven’t contracted with a demon yet, though.”

Lucius shrugged off her complaints, sheathed his twin swords, and tied his shoelaces tightly.

“Well, I’m off.”

“Huh? What’s next?”

“I’m going to earn some money. Pallavis is taking me hunting.”

“Got it, good luck!”

Priena’s tone brightened immediately. Lucius had long since gotten used to her mood swings.

He figured that half of Priena’s cheerfulness and lightness was her natural temperament, and the other half was intentionally crafted. Only she knew her true feelings.

“Want to come along, Priena?”

“My magic style isn’t suited for slaying the magic eaters. I can’t really use it during the day, and it’s too destructive—it might break the magic equipment. Besides, Sai’s here.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Well, I’ll see you later. Take care of Sai.”

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead.”

This was Lucius’s fourth morning in the village. It felt like so much had happened in just three days.

— It’s full of new discoveries when you come to a foreign land.

As he walked through the bustling village, Lucius reflected on the strange but lively atmosphere. His destination was a plaza near the gates of *Musuu Village*. Pallavis, the leader of the spearmen, had left for the holy capital earlier this morning but had arranged to meet in the plaza around noon.

“Looks like the market here doesn’t differ much from the kingdom’s.”

As Lucius wandered through the market, examining the goods, he spotted a familiar face in front of a shop in one corner.

“Hey, Tylus.”

It was Pallavis’s son, Tyrus. Although he’s technically Pallavis’s nephew, it seemed they didn’t have the best of relationships, as Pallavis had adopted him as his son.

“Oh, Lucius onii-san!” 

Tyrus greeted with a beaming smile.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m looking at magic swords.”

“Magic swords?”

On a display table visible through the shop window, several magic weapons were elegantly arranged on silk. There was one magic sword, two magic spears, and a magic bow.

“…This is a pretty good magic sword.” 

Lucius observed.

His attention was piqued, and Chiyou in him responded faintly. He felt an interest he hadn’t experienced when seeing the magic weapons of the magic eaters.

“Do you understand!? I’m definitely going to save up money and buy this magic sword!”  

His eyes were shining with the innocence of a boy who dreams of owning an expensive instrument.

“Do you really understand what you’re talking about?”

A woman’s voice suddenly interrupted.  

“Huh?”  

Turning toward the voice, he saw a woman with a scowl leaning out from behind the open store door.  

She appeared to be in her early thirties.

“And you are?”  

“And who are you?”  

“Rita, nee-san. You’re the store owner, yet you’re acting like this? You’re gonna scare the customers away.”

It seemed like they were old acquaintances.

“Shut up, Tyrus. I only deal with people who know what they’re talking about.”

“Lucius onii-san here is the one who just started living with me. He’s a top-tier swordsman, just like Pallavis said.”

The woman named Rita, who seemed to be the store owner, gave Lucius a scrutinizing look.

“Come on in, I’ll see if what he’s saying is true.”

“Well, just a bit.”  

Lucius had originally planned to stop by a store that sold magic weapons. Since Tyrus was an acquaintance, it would make things easier.

Lucius and Tyrus entered the store.

The store wasn’t very large, but inside, there were magic swords, magic bows, magic staffs, magic spears, and magic shields displayed everywhere, from the walls to the shelves.

—Everything was genuine.

At the counter at the far back of the store stood the woman store owner, Rita.

“I’ll test if you really know what you’re talking about. Which magic sword is the best?”

Rita roughly pointed with her thumb to five magic swords hanging on the wall.

“The second one from the left.”

Lucius answered immediately.

He had already assessed the magic weapons as soon as he entered the store. There was no hesitation.

“…Really? You’re not just making a guess?”

Rita stared at Lucius’s expression, trying to read him, but the truth couldn’t be denied.

“Yeah, there’s no way I’d get this simple question wrong.”

—At least, not for someone like me.

Of course, Lucius didn’t actually know anything about magic weapons.

If it were something like the top-tier magic spear, Bone Shadow, he would be able to sense its quality, but he didn’t have the discerning eye to judge the finer details of similar items.

“…Correct. You really do have a good eye.”

“But the sword displayed out front, it’s the best one, right?”

“That one is a masterpiece.”

“A masterpiece? Does that mean it’s a really good weapon?”

“Huh? You don’t know the ranking of magic weapons?”

“Lucius, even with your eye for things…?”

Tyrus and Rita stared at him, wide-eyed.

“Yeah, well…”

“Listen up! A ‘masterpiece’ means—”

Rita explained briefly, and Tyrus, even though he wasn’t asked, gave a more detailed explanation.

To sum it up, the ranking of magic weapons seemed to go as follows:

– Supreme Masterpiece

– Masterpiece

– Good Masterpiece

– Masterpiece

– True Work

– Shallow Work

– Untouched Work

The magic core was evaluated in seven stages, so the Supreme Masterpiece could be roughly considered a special class.

—In other words, a ‘masterpiece’ would be roughly equivalent to a third-grade magic core.

If that was the case, it wasn’t too surprising that it was considered valuable.

“I see. So, a ‘masterpiece’ is the result of a skilled person training it over their lifetime, right?”

Rita shook her head, as if denying that interpretation.

“No, it’s the work of skilled people. Magic weapons are inherited and honed over several generations.”

“Several generations…?”

“Yes. By the way, your sword. I’ve been curious about it ever since we started talking. Show it to me.”

Rita waved her hand.

“This one?”  

Lucius unsheathed and handed over both of his magic swords.

“…So it’s a multi-blade set of weapons.”

Rita pulled the blade out of the sheath with curiosity, and then examined the blade by holding it up to the light.

“And it has an elemental spell technique… you sure have eccentric tastes.”

Rita sighed deeply, almost as if out of exhaustion. Tyrus, standing right next to her, seemed to mimic Lucius and began examining the magic sword as well. Tyrus might have a particular interest in the weapons themselves.

“You just had this made yesterday, right? It’s still an untouched work, isn’t it?”

It seemed likely that Tyrus had heard about it from Pallavis.

“Untouched? No, this is a Shallow Work.”

“That’s a lie! It was made yesterday, right? No matter how skilled someone is, it would take at least four months to turn an Untouched Work into a Shallow Work.”

—Four months?

Earlier, I compressed the magic as much as I could and continued sending it for about two hours.

If it’s at a lower concentration and only for a short period of time each day, it might take that long.

“What’s this?! Are you saying my eyes are wrong!?”

Rita shouted loudly, and Tyrus, who was standing right next to her, covered his ears with his hands.

“You’re so loud, Rita… Well, whatever. It’s not like shallow hits are rare. Most people stop at a good sword, but I want something beyond that.”

Tyrus glanced at the magic sword displayed behind the glass.

He had said something similar just earlier.

“Tylus, why do you want that magic sword?”

At Lucius’s casual question, Tyrus suddenly looked serious.

“I’ll… seal away my father. With my own hands.”

He clenched his small hands tightly. Tyrus’s biological father, Pallavis’s younger brother, had become a monster called magic eater and was said to be wandering in the abyss.

“I see…”

Lucius’s sad face made things a bit awkward. Tyrus suddenly glanced at the clock.

“Oh no, I have to go. If I’m late to the temple, I won’t get paid. Rita, make sure you don’t sell that magic sword to anyone. I’m almost there with the money.”

“Alright, alright. Hurry up and go.”

Tyrus rushed out through the door.

Rita, the female shopkeeper, watched his small back before returning the twin swords.

As Lucius strapped the swords to his waist, he spoke.

“By the way, do you have something better? I’m looking for any magic weapons.”

Lucius then cast a probing glance at Rita.

“…Do you have money?”

“I don’t have it now, but I think I can earn it.”

“Hoh, you seem confident in your skills. Wait here.”

Rita entered the back of the shop.

When she returned, she was holding a long stick wrapped in cloth.

She placed it on the counter and carefully unwrapped the cloth.

–A magic spear.

It emitted a sharp aura.

The spear blade, though narrow, was longer than a human arm, and its total length was about 2 meters.

It didn’t quite compare to the Bone Shadow, but it was surely a fine weapon.

“This is the Kazabaki, a good weapon, a fine craft. It was once wielded by the fourth-ranked spearman. This is the finest magic weapon we handle here.”

Indeed, even the great demon Chiyou seemed to show interest in it.

However, it wasn’t quite the strong desire that Lucius was looking for.

–I want to know the criteria for what Chiyou desires.

Previously, he had been strongly drawn to the Bone Shadow magic spear. Lucius would need to find something of equal quality.

“Rita, are you good at keeping secrets?”

“Huh? Of course. In this business, trust is everything. That’s why I choose my customers.”

Rita responded bluntly with provocative words.

“I see. In that case, do you know the rank of this magic spear?”

Lucius poured magic into it.

Though he had used up quite a bit with the Shrinking Magic just now, he should be able to muster at least one more try.

Suddenly, in his right hand, the Bone Shadow magic spear materialized.

It was a spear that had sealed a magic dragon for hundreds of years and contained the craftsmanship of the dwarves and the wisdom of the Orleance family.

He placed the spear on the counter.

“…What is this spear?”

Rita glared at the Bone Shadow magic spear.

Its presence was so strong that it made the Kazabaki spear beside it seem to fade.

“If this is a good weapon, then I suppose you also have a fine one, something even better.”

Rita’s eyes widened in response to Lucius’s words.

“No way… But… wait a minute!!”

Rita hurriedly ran to the back of the shop, tripping over her own luggage.

She returned, clutching several books, and began flipping through them with an intense urgency.

Book after book was discarded, and on the third one, she stopped abruptly.

Her hands flipped to a page where detailed descriptions, a timeline, and illustrations were drawn.

–An illustration of Bone Shadow.

Rita glared at Lucius with bloodshot eyes.

“Where did you get this?”

“I can’t say.”

It was necessary to reference the kingdom’s origin.

Rita gritted her teeth before speaking.

“This spear’s name is Bone Shadow. It was crafted from the bones of the underworld god, Vritra, and passed down through the ranks of the spear saints. It is a magic spear that was lost when the spear saints went missing after going to defeat a special-class monster from a neighboring country.”

“Is it the best of the best?” 

When the immortal magic dragon once attacked the kingdom and the dwarves, warriors from a republic that had close ties with the dwarves rushed to help. These warriors fought to the limit and sealed the magic dragon.

Lucius had won because he had obtained the anti-dragon spell techniques built by the Orleans family over hundreds of years, but if it had been just the Bone Shadow’s magic, there’s no way he could have won or even sealed it.

The warriors who fought in that holy war were likely very powerful, but Lucius hadn’t expected one of them to hold the greatest weapon.

It seemed that the republic and dwarves had once shared a close cooperation.

The magic weapons were crafted using the dwarven techniques. From what Damur, the dwarf leader, had said, it seemed that the dwarves had stayed in the republic for quite some time.

–Why did the dwarves leave this place?

Such questions flashed in Lucius’s mind, but he had to focus on the present, not the past.

“Can I buy this best of the best spear somewhere? Not necessarily from your shop, Rita.”

Rita glanced between the Kazabaki and the Bone Shadow, both the finest weapons in her store.

“It’s not something you can buy. The best weapons are passed down through generations of the Four Saints. They’re not cheap, not something you can buy with money.”

The Four Saints. Lucius had seen them just yesterday at the Varna Temple.

–So what Chiyou wants are magic weapons of the Four Saints caliber.

Even if Lucius ran through the woods, his interest wouldn’t be stirred.

As a final resort, Lucius could face off against the Four Saints and forcibly copy their magic weapons, but that would be risky.

Because fighting one-on-one and fighting many opponents are two completely different things.

The difference between a duel and a battlefield, so to speak.

If the opponents would stand in line and fight one by one, it would be manageable. As long as his magic and stamina held out, he could win. However, in a real battle, the enemy would disregard Lucius’s convenience, attacking him aggressively and using tactics to exploit his weaknesses.

Battles where the opponent can never retreat are especially troublesome.

The Four Saints and the holy warriors would fight with pride on the line.

“I see. Thank you,” 

Lucius said as he returned the Bone Shadow to its magic form.

“Bone Shadow doesn’t have any invisible magic, does it? Are you using teleportation or something?”

“I can’t say.”

“You’re a man full of secrets.”

“It’s better for you not to know, in case I cause you trouble. Anyway, I also have errands to run, so I’ll be going now.”

Lucius turned towards the exit.

“Yeah. If you ever want to know something, feel free to come back anytime.”

“Yes, thank you,” 

Lucius said as he exited the shop.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter