Vladiark (1)

"Then come to Hisperion as my guest retainer, Ian Greysel."

The proposal that the Heavenly Sword Lord, Darkan, gave to Ian.

"Come with me. As the guest of the Heavenly Sword Lord, you'll be treated appropriately. My estate will gladly become the cradle for the future you desire."

There was only one answer that Ian could give to this.

"... It is an immense honor to receive your favor, Heavenly Sword Lord."

It would be foolish to kick away the chance to become a guest retainer of Hisperion, and from the beginning, it wasn't an offer he could refuse anyway.

Wasn't this an offer made personally by the Heavenly Sword Lord—the master among all swordsmen and the great sovereign ruling over the continent's east?

As the child of a direct vassal, Ian had no choice but to follow.

If the lord calls, the vassal's child must simply obey.

'Still, it's by no means a bad opportunity.'

The only thing that made Ian uneasy was that he couldn't guess the intention behind the Heavenly Sword Lord inviting him as a guest retainer.

But becoming a guest retainer of Hisperion was a dream come true for swordsmen all over the world.

'It's more like a miraculous opportunity.'

First of all, if one became a guest retainer of Hisperion, a luxurious mansion would be provided—perfectly solving the housing issue.

On top of that, a monthly stipend for maintaining dignity and living costs would be given, which was a big help financially.

He could even ask an agent of Hisperion to introduce him to master weaponsmiths and elixir makers, and if he passed the review, he could even be given supreme martial arts secret manuals.

Becoming a guest retainer of Hisperion was—truly—no different from being admitted to heaven as a swordsman.

'There's just one thing—a price to pay: missions.'

Receiving kindness means incurring a debt of equal value.

Guest retainers were sometimes assigned difficult missions.

Of course, since the relationship between guest retainers and Hisperion was one based on goodwill, the missions didn't carry legal compulsion.

But if one repeatedly refused missions, not only would they have to leave their guestroom, but everything they had received so far would need to be returned under the label "loan return"—so in practice, it was almost compulsory.

'But even regarding that, I'm relatively free.'

Though Hisperion did assign difficult missions to guest retainers, Ian was only 14 years old.

What mission could they assign to a 14-year-old?

There were plenty of Swordmaster-level guest retainers waiting around—why bother with a child?

Even if, by some chance, they did assign him a mission, it couldn't possibly be that difficult for a 14-year-old.

Considering Ian had been a peak Swordmaster in his previous life, how hard could it even be?

The Heavenly Sword Lord's proposal to become a guest retainer of Hisperion was, from the start, something Ian couldn't refuse, but also had no reason to refuse.

"I will do my utmost to meet your gracious expectations, my lord."

"I like your quick and straightforward answer."

Darkan nodded in satisfaction.

"Well then, Ian. There's something I'd like to ask right away before we go to my residence."

"...?"

What's this?

He hadn't even gotten a bite of bread yet.

Right after becoming a guest retainer, he was getting a request.

"The artifact you summoned in the Sword Selection Ceremony. Show me your sword."

'Ah.'

It was only then that Ian could vaguely grasp the Heavenly Sword Lord's intentions.

'He didn't come to see me—he came to see my sword, Vladiark.'

* * *

"My sword is buried in the forest outside the city."

Ian immediately led the Heavenly Sword Lord to the forest.

Sophia and Kelbian followed behind Ian.

Hugo, on the other hand, simply lay flat on the floor, trembling in fear until everyone had left the mansion.

"This is the greatsword I received during the Sword Selection Ceremony."

Ian took Vladiark, which had been buried, and showed it to the Heavenly Sword Lord.

He didn't know what the lord sensed from this half-shattered, rusty greatsword to make him personally come and see it, but if the lord asked to see, he could only oblige.

Though, honestly, why did he want to see it?

Could it be that he recognized Vladiark's value?

Surely he wouldn't try to take it for himself?

If it was stolen, Ian would definitely take it back.

He'd even take away Dominating Dragon Fang while he was at it.

"Hmm..."

The Heavenly Sword Lord grasped Vladiark and inspected it.

"It's much heavier than it looks."

That was Darkan's first impression upon holding Vladiark.

"This isn't ordinary steel. Hmm. It's not adamantium, nor is it orichalcum. This is..."

Darkan stroked the blade's surface and examined it closely.

'What is this...?'

Even Darkan, who had seen hundreds of thousands of swords and thousands of types of steel in his lifetime, found the material of this blade unfamiliar.

'It's made from a material I don't know.'

The Heavenly Sword Lord pinched the blade of Vladiark delicately between his index finger and thumb.

'It's incredibly hard.'

The dense texture under his fingertips was unmistakable.

It seemed even harder than adamantium—the so-called indestructible steel.

'But it's not hard everywhere.'

Some parts looked like they would crumble like a cookie with the slightest pressure.

'Is it the mark of time? Still, in the past, it must have been a truly magnificent sword.'

The structure of the blade formed a perfect straight line, and the balance of the hilt was excellent.

'But the style is really unique.'

The Heavenly Sword Lord ran his fingers over the uneven surface of Vladiark's blade.

'Why was the blade made so uneven?'

Upon closer look, faint engravings resembling octopus tentacles appeared on the blade.

'Tentacles? No... It could also look like muscle fibers.'

It even looked like the entrails of a living creature.

'Such embossing would be difficult to engrave, and doesn't seem practical... It's hard to understand. Quite strange.'

Even for the Heavenly Sword Lord, well-versed in sword styles, this was something new.

He could confidently say there was no style like this anywhere in history or in the world.

'And it's this big.'

Even with it being snapped in half, it was bigger than an average person's torso.

'Material, style, weight, size, balance—not a single thing about it is ordinary. And most of all...'

The Dominating Dragon Fang at his waist was silently screaming.

As if warning its master, the Heavenly Sword Lord, to get away from that blade as soon as possible.

'It sends chills down my spine.'

On the outside, it looked like mere scrap metal, but the more he looked, the stranger and more mysterious it became.

The artisan who made this sword could be no ordinary smith, either.

At minimum, it must have been the work of someone at the level of legend—perhaps a masterpiece forged by a blacksmith who reached the realm of the gods.

'I should check its aura conductivity and amplification.'

How well did the sword accept aura?

And how much did it magnify the power of aura?

Arguably, these were the most important factors of any sword.

'Let's see...'

The Heavenly Sword Lord took Vladiark in both hands and channeled a stream of aura into it.

In that moment,

― Whuuuuuuuuuuuuush!

"Hm!?"

As soon as the mana circuit in the lord's hand opened, Vladiark began violently sucking in his aura.

'What is this?'

Darkan quickly tried to withdraw his aura by operating his core breathing techniques, but it was useless.

It felt like being trapped in an inescapable swamp or quicksand.

Darkan's aura was being helplessly sucked into Vladiark.

'It's like a starving beast.'

Darkan tried to take his hand off the hilt, but even that was difficult.

It was as if his hand had been bitten by a starving giant monster.

'I'll have to use some force to pull away.'

The Heavenly Sword Lord grinned roughly.

'Interesting.'

If he'd been alone, he would have thrown Vladiark away with full force to free himself, but if he tried that here, the area would be devastated as if struck by a meteorite.

His trusted subordinate Kelbian would be severely injured, Greysel's city would be destroyed, and young Ian and the girl would melt away in an instant as if hurled into the sun.

'I can't do something that insane.'

That left only one option.

'I'll have to sever my mana circuit.'

By practically tearing the mana circuit in his palm, he could separate Vladiark from his hand.

That was the best method available to the Heavenly Sword Lord at the moment.

'First—free my right hand.'

The Heavenly Sword Lord gripped the hilt tightly with his left hand and roughly tore his right hand away from it.

― Zzzt!

'That hurts.'

It felt as though the skin of his palm had been ripped away.

But there was no time to savor the pain.

'Hup!'

With his freed right hand, the Heavenly Sword Lord struck his own left hand at once.

― KLANG!

― THUD!

The black dragon gauntlet encasing his left hand shrieked and shattered, and at the same time, Vladiark, which had been stuck to his hand, fell to the ground.

'That smarts.'

The Heavenly Sword Lord opened and closed his fist and looked down at his left palm.

It was pitch-black with bruises.

"Amazing."

It had been a very long time since he'd suffered an injury since reaching the demigod's realm.

"H-Heavenly Sword Lord?"

Kelbian, who had watched the entire process, called out to his master with cold sweat.

"No need to worry."

The Heavenly Sword Lord waved it off lightly.

"Th-the mana circuit in your hand..."

"Yes. Even I didn't expect this."

For a swordsman holding a sword, the mana circuit in the palm of the hand was extremely important.

It seemed he wouldn't be able to channel aura into a sword for a while.

"I'll have to trouble my youngest daughter, then."

His youngest daughter, Yuria, possessed light aura that could heal mana circuits.

Had she not been around, he would have had to rest for quite a long time, and that would have been a hassle.

"Ian, I apologize for carelessly throwing your sword."

"N-no, not at all."

For the level of injury received, anyone else would have been rattled or angry, but the Heavenly Sword Lord was utterly calm, without the slightest agitation.

"It's certainly no ordinary blade. I nearly got devoured."

The lord picked up Vladiark from the ground again.

"H-Heavenly Sword Lord!?"

"It's fine. As long as I don't channel aura into it, it's safe."

The Heavenly Sword Lord brushed the dirt off Vladiark.

"Hm?"

And then he noticed an unusual point.

"The sword's shape... has changed?"

The blade was about half a span longer than before, the engravings on the surface more distinct.

The edge seemed a bit sharper; there were various other subtle changes throughout.

As if...

"The sword... seems to have grown after consuming my aura."

It was a truly mysterious and bizarre weapon.

There were countless more things to wonder about, but learning this much for now was likely the best he could do.

The Heavenly Sword Lord returned Vladiark to Ian without any lingering attachment.

"Take it. I've seen enough."

"..."

Ian received the sword in silence, bowing his head.

"A sword that devours aura and grows... Truly, something strange has come out of the Bladelake."

"Hm..."

Ian slowly inspected Vladiark, sinking into thought.

A sword that devours its wielder's aura?

The Grand Duke of Gluttony had wielded Vladiark effortlessly, imbuing it with enhance energy.

'So perhaps the Grand Duke of Gluttony could use it because he wielded demonic energy, not aura.'

Ian's expression hardened.

A sword into which one couldn't properly channel aura was, to a swordsman, no different from a useless chunk of brick.

If even the Heavenly Sword Lord couldn't use it properly, it meant that no matter how much Ian grew, he would never be able to wield Vladiark freely like the Grand Duke of Gluttony.

'This could be a disaster.'

He would have to test it at once.

Whether or not he was able to use Vladiark himself.

"Heavenly Sword Lord. May I ask a favor?"

"Hm?"

The Heavenly Sword Lord seemed surprised, perhaps not having expected a request from this side, and gazed at Ian with curious eyes.

"A favor? What is it?"

"I want to try infusing my own aura into this sword. If the same thing happens to me as to you, could you please help me let go of the sword?"

"What?"

The Heavenly Sword Lord immediately shook his head.

"No. Denied. It's far too dangerous. You could be crippled."

To take that risk with such a talented youth was unthinkable.

"Lord, please. I want to know if this sword chooses its master and devoured only your aura, or if it's simply a blade that indiscriminately devours all aura."

"Hm... You think it might be a sword with a will..."

The Heavenly Sword Lord looked tempted.

"There's that possibility, too. But even so—"

He shook his head again.

"Still, just because of the possibility, I cannot allow you—a child—to do something so dangerous."

"Even in the worst case, you have ways to help, don't you, my lord?"

If an arm was cut off, it could be reattached; if the mana circuit was torn, it could be regrown—the Heavenly Sword Lord possessed such power.

"Please, Heavenly Sword Lord."

"Hmm..."

The lord stroked his bristly beard, lost in thought.

If he could avoid it, he didn't want to allow it.

But, as the boy said, to find out if the sword was one that chose its master or was simply a monstrous blade devouring aura indiscriminately, Ian would need to try.

And on that side, he was pleading so earnestly...

"Are you sure? It will be quite painful."

"Not a problem at all."

The immediate, firm reply.

Ian looked at the Heavenly Sword Lord with unwavering determination.

"Huh."

At that, the Heavenly Sword Lord let out a low sound of admiration.

Normally, he would have dismissed it as youthful recklessness.

He would have thought the boy was merely underestimating pain.

But...

'That's not the gaze of someone his age.'

There wasn't the heat of youth in that gaze.

Instead, only a cold, refined resolve could be seen in his eyes.

As if a seasoned knight, hardened by hundreds of battles, was merely wearing the mask of a boy.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】