- Obtaining a Strange Sword
Index’s reaction actually made Rita less confident.
She carefully examined the strange Silver Orb once more, confirming that what she saw was exactly what she had described, then meekly asked in return.
“Yeah, is there a problem?”
Index turned to Cecilia and asked, “Your Highness, Fourth Princess, may I ask what you see?”
“I can’t really tell what that thing is,” Cecilia replied. “All I see is a misty haze in that spot. I can vaguely sense an object there, but I can’t say what it actually is.”
“What I see is not much different from what the Fourth Princess described,” Index explained. “This object was already here before I arrived, and I know nothing about it either. However, since His Majesty placed it deep in the treasury, there must be a reason.”
“What? You all can’t see it, and I’m the only one who can?” Rita scratched her head, and for a moment, the thought popped into her mind—like how dogs can see things humans can’t.
Wait! She wasn’t a dog!
Though, she wasn’t human either.
A dream demon! Right, it must be because she was a dream demon that she could see it.
“Can I take a look at it?” Rita pointed at the Silver Orb.
“Please, go ahead.”
No sooner had Index finished speaking than Rita reached out her hand to grab it. Even before she touched the glowing sphere, a burning sensation spread from her fingertips, as if she’d been scalded, forcing her to withdraw her hand.
“This thing even has an automatic defense function?”
“It doesn’t. But His Majesty’s treasury does. By the way, if you try to touch it, an Alarm will go off on my end,” Index said as she activated a magic circle, then shrugged. “Go ahead.”
Rita grasped the Silver Orb. The peculiar, colorful spots on its surface still flickered from time to time, catching Rita’s eye, but her attention was mostly on the sphere itself.
The feeling in her hand was somewhat like squeezing a stress ball—there was the coldness and solidity of metal, but also a sensation as fluid as liquid. It was quite a strange thing to hold.
Since even Index, the administrator here, knew nothing of its origins or purpose, Rita didn’t think she’d be able to figure it out herself.
All her focus was on the orb, completely unaware that Cecilia was giving her a thoughtful look as she observed both the object and Rita.
Rita squeezed it a few times, then prepared to put it back.
She’d come here today to find a suitable weapon, and this thing didn’t look much like one. Staring at it any longer felt like a waste of time.
Maybe… she should just choose that Siren Sword instead?
Just as Rita was thinking this, the Silver Orb in her hand suddenly began to elongate, and in the next instant, it turned into a sword.
“What did you do?” Index’s expression became extremely grave.
“I… I don’t know!” Rita held the sword, suddenly at a loss, then gave it a wave. “Wait, can you see what this is?”
“I can, it’s a sword,” Index answered. “But what I want to know is, how did you turn it into a sword?”
“How did I turn it into a sword?” Rita echoed the question. “I have no idea. I was just thinking about that sword, and then it just…”
Index figured Rita had just gotten lucky, so she asked, “May I take a look?”
Rita nodded and handed the sword over to Index. Index took it with both hands and studied it closely.
Rita didn’t know exactly what Index was looking for. She just noticed that Index summoned a few magic circles between her palms and bathed the sword in their light, her brows furrowing tighter and tighter.
After a long while, Index finally handed the sword back to Rita.
“I still can’t discover much about it, but as a sword, its quality is slightly above average in the entire treasury.”
Above average—that’s actually pretty impressive!
As a swordswoman, Rita could sense that this sword was special.
Even she, as dull as she might sometimes be, could tell that it became a sword probably because of her thoughts. Yet, when she tried to make it turn back into an orb or into something else, it strangely wouldn’t work.
If this were an anime or a novel, the protagonist would definitely claim this mysterious weapon on the spot and take it home to study. But Rita was hesitant.
She’d have to face Xingxian soon. Would choosing such an unknown weapon now really be a good idea?
Even in combat games, those skills or equipment that can endlessly stack stats require time to master. She doubted she’d be able to figure out the secrets of this weapon in just a few days, let alone use it to claim victory.
To play it safe, the Siren Sword would definitely be better.
“Rita, do you want to choose it?” Cecilia asked.
If she was honest, Rita did want it. Who wouldn’t want a weapon full of secrets like this?
“But if I choose it and can’t use it well… if I lose the duel in a few days, then…” Rita hesitated. “I don’t want to lose to that person. I don’t want to disappoint you, Lady Cecilia. That person is the one I must defeat.”
“Rita, your opponent is an Emblem Knight. Even if you lose, there’s no shame in that… Though I want to comfort you, as the person you sought to protect, I won’t interfere with your decision. Whether it’s a duel, the outcome, or weapon selection, do whatever you wish. Every step you take is irreversible, but since I chose you, I’ll share the consequences with you.”
“But…” Rita was still torn.
“By the way, when you challenged Xingxian to a duel, did you ask for my permission?” Cecilia narrowed her eyes, her smile turning ominously dark, making Rita shiver.
“I! I get it! I want this one! This is the one I want!”
Hugging her new, sometimes-striped and flickering sword, Rita left the treasury with Cecilia.
Just to be sure her choice was sound, Rita went to visit Promi and asked her to check out the sword.
However, she didn’t mention that the sword had started out as a Silver Orb.
After examining it, Promi gave the sword high praise.
“It’s an excellent sword. Even without any attributes, it’s a remarkable weapon. While I don’t sense any attributes or Enchantments, the sword contains an immense amount of magical power.”
Rita had originally planned to ask Promi to investigate further, but thinking about how even Index couldn’t find out anything, she gave up on the idea.
To defeat Xingxian, Rita would need to find a way to quickly improve her strength. The secrets of this sword could be uncovered later.
If Rita relied on her dream demon powers, even she wasn’t confident. If she restricted those powers, she’d be at an even greater loss.
For now, she could only count on two things: one, finding some ability in her online courses that could be used without revealing her identity—even if only partially effective, that would help. Otherwise, just relying on her dream demon body wouldn’t be enough.
The other was to quickly train herself to wield the power of her Emblem.
Right now, the Emblem felt like nothing more than an Experience Card. If she failed the upcoming test, she’d be finished.
No matter which path she chose, there was a more direct approach.
That was actual combat.
This was the second reason Rita sought out Promi.
After a long day, Rita returned to the palace, battered and bruised.
She was really exhausted today—she should rest early—
No, she should do some online courses before resting. She didn’t have much time left, and the abilities from those courses were a real boost to her strength. If she really reached the point of desperation, she’d need the ability to escape…
No, not just herself—she’d have to be able to escape with Cecilia, who might get implicated because of her identity.
If it came to that, she’d have to snatch Cecilia away, even if it meant kidnapping her. Who knew what Lilia would do if she left Cecilia behind?
As Rita was listening to Valfis’s voice painstakingly explain how to weave a magic circle using charm energy, someone knocked at her door.
Rita put aside her thoughts and went to open the door. Standing outside was a maid she recognized.
“The Fourth Princess asked me to pass on a message…”
A few minutes later, Rita arrived at Cecilia’s room. As soon as she entered, Cecilia immediately got up and came over.
Rita wasn’t sure if this was meant as a greeting, but Cecilia’s behavior was definitely unusual.
“I thought you’d come to see me when you got back,” Cecilia complained a little.
“I thought Lady Cecilia would already be resting. After accompanying me around for half the day, you must be tired.”
“That was in the morning.” Cecilia reached out and tapped Rita’s lips. “But I didn’t call you here to complain—quite the opposite, actually.”
“What?” Rita was puzzled.
“I wanted to tell you that I’m very happy you chose that sword.”