Chapter 685 - The Third Magic Sword
"—Aaaand? How've you been lately, Nia-chan? You've been getting a lot of attention because of your brother and you're back in the rankings, so you must be busy, right?"
"Uh, well, I've been gett—"
"You shouldn't push yourself too hard, you know? You can just give the public the runaround. Let's make the not-cute boys from the East stand at the forefront, and we girls can take it easy!"
"Wh-what, who are you talking ab—"
"Oh, by the way! I was holding back 'cause I figured you were super busy, but since we're here, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so can I ask you for a few commissions?"
"Ugh, seriously, you never let me get a word in…!!!"
"They sure get along."
"Is this really what you call 'getting along'…!"
It was the usual red and blue pair, but one of the colors had been swapped out for red and indigo.
As I watched Nia get completely overwhelmed, her lap occupied by the domineering little one, I let out a carefree comment, only to receive a glare and a tone that screamed, 'Help me already.'
Even if she looks at me like that, what can I do? Their connection seems to predate my involvement by a long shot, but it's pretty much like this every time they meet.
Ri-na isn't so bad, but Mi-na basically grabs Nia with the energy of 'I've found my soulmate!' and gets super clingy. It's a different direction from Sora, who goes into full-on little-sister mode, but Mi-na's super-close best-friend moves are inescapable.
And Nia-chan, despite having a proactive personality herself, tends to pull back when others come on strong. It was the same with Nonomi-chan-san—who dropped from the third to the fourth seat this season—she just lets herself get pushed around like a weak little creature.
I can tell she's troubled, but I can also tell she's not exactly hating it. Apparently, Nia also considers them friends, so it's probably fine to leave them be.
Apparently, their relationship started as artisan and client.
She said she made their outfits without injecting her personal 'quirks,' so it's no wonder I didn't notice until she told me. Mi-na and Ri-na's school-uniform-like outfits were, in fact, made by the [Milmarinus] herself.
—Anyway, putting the affectionate pair aside.
I pushed myself up from the wall and crossed the training room, which was filled with chilly air, toward the center. Waiting there were Ri-na, who was diligently helping with data collection just like last time, and my partner, attended by her new magic sword.
"Alright… from the looks of it, it doesn't seem as difficult to handle as the flame sword?"
"Yeah. It's well-behaved and reserved."
"Um, I don't think it's reserved at all…"
When I called out, I got one deadpan expression and one wry smile in return.
After several months of association, I've gotten slightly better at reading her, and that was probably Ri-na's idea of a joke. The third magic sword—the "ice sword" with its mountain of specs—has nothing reserved about it.
Ah, well, I guess compared to the first two, its 'simple firepower' is reserved.
"As for being 'well-behaved'… yes, that's true. It's lighter than not just the 'flame' but even the 'sand' sword."
As if to prove her words, a sword flew around its master… a sword that was just a blade, with no hilt or guard, the color of transparent white snow.
In a word, it was a sharp, palm-sized snowflake.
Unlike the flame sword, which she could only manage nine of at a time when she first acquired it at the Second Tier, Sora-san could freely control several hundred of these right from the start. Even after more than ten minutes of testing, she still looked completely at ease.
'Lighter' meant that the operational load for each one was extremely low.
"What's the max you think you can put out?"
"Max… umm…………………… About five thousand, maybe…?"
"Nghh."
And so, I asked out of curiosity, and the answer that came back was so utterly ridiculous that a strange laugh escaped me. Sora immediately started waving her hands in a panic.
"W-wait, that's just to produce them, you know?! There's no way I could control them all properly…!"
"…So you can just send them all flying with a 'whoosh.'"
"Maybe…!"
Ri-na's murmur only spurred Sora-san on in her attempts to appear human, but for someone who's been commanding a thousand blades for ages, it's a bit too late for that. Give it up, my dear partner.
"A-anyway…! I have to practice to master this ice one too, so…! Haru, you have to help me properly, okay!"
Whenever I say something that basically lumps her in with our side, Sora-san gets embarrassed and tries to brush it off, even though I don't mean to tease her.
I get it, so stop swinging around those hundred-odd ice swords. The room temperature is dropping steadily.
—Well, in the first place, now that the mighty [Cradle of Sword-Craft] has reached the Third Tier, a tier of odd numbers, and can do more, a review of how to operate it is essential.
So, that was the plan all along.
…But if there's one point of concern, it would be this.
"As the practice partner playing the virtual enemy, how long will my mental state hold up, knowing for a fact that I'll be endlessly beaten to a pulp…"
"…About two days?"
"Will it even last two days?"
"Do your best."
"B-Beaten… I wouldn't do something like that…!!!"
Haha, you jest.
As expected, my partner has obtained a magic sword that inherited its properties from Mi-na and Ri-na's 'ice,' just like the 'flame' one, and has now become a perfect counter to me. If I stand before her, it's inevitable that my spirit will be meticulously broken, no matter how I struggle.
Alright then, let's set the provisional mental endurance goal at two days.
While I'm at it, I might as well treat it as a way to forge my spirit and throw myself into training with gusto.
The red and blue ones? They're flirting endlessly by the wall.