kscans

Chapter 368 - Those Who Aim for the White Throne

After finishing lunch and parting ways with Arche, I logged back in. There were still thirty minutes until the meeting time, leaving me with a little extra, but I was embarrassed to admit I couldn't wait any longer.

Fortunately, my training regimen had long since passed the point where a little light movement would tire me out. I figured I'd kill some time and do some final tuning at the training grounds—

"—Whoops."

"Heh, ah…"

As I thought that and returned to the virtual world… I found my second visit to the Clan Room for the day already had a guest in its shared space.

Tetra was only interested in customizing his room, which was slowly turning into a suspicious laboratory, while Sora and I had been too busy with special training and the like to even think about it.

Thus, our castle, completely untouched by furniture or any other additions, was still a cavernous and truly lonely space.

The 'Room,' which apparently exists in a separate dimension, couldn't be exited to the 'outside,' but it did have windows that displayed a simulated landscape.

So, for now, the only visual comfort was the serene flower field and the vast azure sky, fitting for our clan's name. Once things settled down, I'd have to start making some changes—but that aside…

"Practicing in a place like this? I take it you're already feeling quite confident with your control."

"W-well, this was a result of considering that it has the same indestructible properties as the training grounds…"

She must have been aware that it was a bit… improper.

Sora averted her gaze shyly at my teasing and dispelled the flame sword, the Flam, that she had been levitating with a swing of the “wand” in her hand.

"Looks like you've got a perfect handle on that, too."

"Ehehe…"

Until recently, she would use a single “command sword” she’d created to control her magic swords. It wasn’t that the sword itself had any special effect; it was simply a prop she used to aid her mental control by striking a pose…

Unfortunately, the new power, the Flam, she'd gained when [Cradle of Sword-Craft (Cradle)] evolved to the Second Tier couldn't be used with her “command sword” as before.

The reason was simple—she couldn't hold it.

The slender sword, a mass of condensed thermal energy, didn't recklessly spew heat like a mischievous, blazing fire.

But creating dozens of them would generate enough heat to create a shimmering haze. In other words, it wasn't some special conceptual fire; it was just plain hot.

And that heat would burn even its master's skin on direct contact… Essentially, if Sora tried to grip it like a wand, she’d take damage as well.

One might suggest she just make the command sword out of “sand” like before, but it wasn't that simple either.

It had to do with a skill called `Attribute Conversion`, which appeared in the `Magic Sword Aptitude` tree following the evolution of [Cradle of Sword-Craft (Cradle)]—basically, it was impossible to handle two attributes simultaneously.

She couldn't use “sand” and “flame” at the same time without switching attributes each time. It was unclear how this might change in the future, but… I felt a mix of disappointment and relief.

The fact that her Anima, which had been barreling down the path of being ridiculously overpowered, now had a clear limitation… it felt more realistic, somehow.

Though if someone asked if that was really such a major limitation, I'd have to admit it wasn't—

In any case, that's how it was. For a time, Sora had practiced controlling the swords without a command sword, but it didn't go well, so she wanted an external substitute.

And so she had Kagura-san make this “wand.”

[Integral (Dawn's Lodging Staff)]—a short staff crafted by combining a mysterious, source-unknown piece of wood called [Thin Dawn Spirit Tree Fragment], which I received from Lux, with Sora's long-stored [Mycelial Ancient Wood].

Actually, I had also used that same material for the scabbard of my Rabbit Dagger. Thinking back, it was quite nostalgic; the first spoils we'd ever won together were finally both out in the open.

It was a compact twenty centimeters long and extremely slender. While not as delicate as a conductor's baton, its appearance was quite similar.

The gradient from the black handle to the whitish wood at the tip was a stylish piece that evoked the dawn, just as its name suggested.

…Incidentally, the “holster” Kagura-san tried to make her attach to her thigh was now worn on her slender waist, thanks to Sora's firm 'NO.'

She's wearing a knee-length skirt, after all. I think that's for the best, too.

No matter how much the system's protection in this world, Arcadia, prevents you from seeing anything, I'd probably be on the edge of my seat every time she drew the wand, so nervous I'd have an accident and die. I'm sure of it.

"—And as for you, Haru, have you gotten used to it?"

"Ah… honestly, it's iffy."

Sora sheathed her wand, and her gaze turned to my right hip. There, in a black leather scabbard matching the [Rabbit Dagger (Rabbit) Parabellum] on my back, rested a single straight sword.

It wasn't that I'd added another weapon type to my arsenal at this late stage… The true identity of this unnecessary dead weight was none other than my beloved sword, still in its rebellious phase.

It was [Everquartz (Sky-Soaring White Crystal Sword)], which had materialized a few days ago and refused to turn back.

"It feels so heavy at my hip. The sense of wrongness is insane."

"Ahaha… I guess you've never had to carry one before, have you?"

Not once, aside from the Rabbit Dagger, which is practically weightless… well, I guess I carried a few things back in the very first “forest.”

What in the world is wrong with my willful other half? It's not even in its usual semi-transparent, ethereal form; it's completely materialized, and I have no idea why.

To top it off, it gets rejected by my inventory, and it completely ignores my Construction skill's attempts to switch it out, as if that's its natural right. It's doing whatever it pleases.

I mean, you could materialize all along? Why didn't you disclose all your abilities to your master???

"…I don't know for sure, but I'm sure…"

Not content with just staying materialized, the problem child wouldn't even respond to requests for autonomous movement. Watching me tap the pommel of the sword, Sora smiled with a hint of amusement.

"It's saying, 'Use me,' I think."

"Ah, well… wait… this thing uses boku?"

"I-It's fine, isn't it? It's just an image, an image…!"

Teasing Sora back in retaliation, I let out a wry chuckle.

"Sheesh… you don't have to be so blatant about it."

It's not like I have any other choice but to use you, partner.

I know. This isn't just my revenge—it's our revenge. I won't forget. You can count on it.

"We still have a little time… Let's head to the training grounds. Someone else might be there."

"…Fufu, let's."

As Sora started walking with me, I realized I had never told her the details of the reckless, absurd 'grudge' I held with the White Throne from the past.

But my partner seemed to easily perceive my hidden feelings.

That's right. I'm looking forward to it. I've been waiting for it—for the moment I can slam this beloved sword, once a pickaxe, into the White Throne once again.