Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The Seal

At the same time as I felt suffocated, I somehow succeeded in shaking Sierra off.

If barely getting her to cling to my back could be called shaking her off, that is.

Perhaps Sierra had developed separation anxiety during the week, because she showed no sign of trying to leave me.

“What a deep bond. It is fascinating that a lump of demonic energy is attached to a person’s body... but can you perhaps make contact with her too...?”

“Yes... well, that happened.”

At my answer, Daidros cleared his throat once, muttered something like, “Is there even anything stranger anymore?” and then moved his steps.

“In any case... the object is what matters.”

Daidros said this while standing beside the completed cursed blade.

The cursed blade was wrapped in luxurious cloth.

With Sierra clinging to my back, I approached the cursed blade.

“You may not see it well, but... I paid quite a lot of attention to the aesthetic sense as well. I designed it to suit her, since she was from the East. This is the greatest masterpiece of my dragon life, ‘Cursed Blade Sierra.’”

Generally, the name of the soul inside became the name of the cursed blade.

Thus, Sierra became “Sierra,” and also a “cursed blade.”

Following Daidros’s words, I slowly removed the cloth covering Sierra, one layer at a time.

For some reason, I grew tense.

Was it because of all the effort until now?

Before long, the cursed blade revealed itself.

A black scabbard darker than a winter night.

Petals were embroidered onto the handle.

Finally, the jewel that had been attached to the pendant was embedded in the pommel of the cursed blade.

Even with a rough glance, it was of the highest quality.

“The storehouse of a gold dragon...”

I gently brushed my finger from the end of the scabbard to the handle.

Then Sierra’s body, clinging behind me, trembled.

[ D-Disciple, do not touch it with such an indecent hand... The cursed blade is now connected to me... ]

“Are you planning to stop me from even handling it, Master?”

I answered her indifferently.

I carefully lifted the cursed blade.

Holding the scabbard and handle, I checked the blade.

—Shing.

The edge was red, and the body of the blade was black, making a well-matched color combination.

When I left the cursed blade only partially drawn, I could feel unrefined demonic energy pouring out.

—Clack.

“Even just from hearing the sound of the blade brushing, I can tell sharpness dwells within it. The demonic energy also... feels powerful.”

I put the cursed blade back into the scabbard and said this to Daidros.

“To face that level of demonic energy head-on and still take no harm... The warm touch of a master...? Will you seal it right away? No, more importantly, do you know how?”

“Of course. As for the seal... I would like to do it right now. Is there a suitable place nearby?”

“Hmm. Where would be good...”

While Daidros and I were discussing the seal, Sierra on my back spoke to me.

[ What happens if you handle it without sealing it? I have no intention of harming my disciple. ]

“If you handle a cursed blade without sealing it, you will be slowly eroded by the demonic energy it releases. Demonic energy will accumulate inside your body. And eventually... you become a ‘yokai.’”

[ Yokai... So that was something that appeared because of cursed blades... ]

After hearing my explanation, Sierra’s voice sank. It seemed she had faced a yokai at some point.

“Yokai, what nostalgic fellows. There have not been many people running to me to make cursed blades these days. It must be the influence of vampiric iron. Those damn blood mages... They only think of nibbling away at the material for such beautiful works.”

Having roughly understood that Sierra and I were conversing, Daidros spat out harsh words.

Thanks to the lively blood mages, possession of vampiric iron was taboo.

However, the main material of cursed blades was also vampiric iron.

So should the act of making a cursed blade be considered breaking the law? I did not know the laws of each country on the continent in great detail.

In the game, one did not become wanted for carrying a cursed blade... so it was a part glossed over.

At the very least, as long as I did not go around announcing that the thing in my arms was a cursed blade, I thought nothing major would happen.

Since the game’s genre was fantasy, blades with unusual colors were everywhere. I also remembered that cursed blades came in various colors.

If it went through a proper seal, it would no longer emit demonic energy, so it would be difficult for others to identify it as a cursed blade.

Suddenly, Daidros, who had been tapping his finger against the wall, approached me.

“I thought of a decent place nearby for the seal.”

“Let’s go right away.”

Like that, we immediately left the mansion and walked.

The place we headed to while following Daidros was a vast field near the village.

I walked straight through the field after him.

In the center of the field, an enormous tree had taken root.

“With an old tree of this level, it must contain at least a little spiritual energy. It will help with the seal.”

Daidros, who had been stroking the tree, looked at me and said that.

[ Now that I have approached this tree, my mind feels a little at ease. I do not know what this ‘seal’ is, but it seems it will help. ]

After hearing Sierra’s words, I nodded.

Daidros tactfully stepped away.

Now, only Sierra and I remained around the old tree.

Perhaps because the sun was beginning to rise, bright light was falling over the night embroidered with stars.

I knelt before the old tree and drew the cursed blade Sierra in my hand.

Soon, powerful demonic energy poured out.

—Slash.

I cut my palm against the blade of the cursed sword.

Blood dripped from my deeply cut palm.

I made those drops of blood soak into the cursed blade. The vampiric iron that absorbed blood was still alive and well.

[ Why can I feel blood...? My body is growing hot... ]

Along with Sierra’s reaction, the cursed blade hummed. Before long, she floated into the air, her eyes closed.

I straightened my index and middle fingers, now covered in blood running down from my palm, and swept them along the body of the cursed blade.

With blood, I engraved that I was the master of the cursed blade.

Then I recited the words I had often seen in the game.

“I request a contract.”

The blade glowed with red light.

A massive amount of demonic energy surged.

“I will honor you and fulfill your wish. I ask that you become the strength of my true body.”

[ My wish is... ]

Sierra’s voice, now serious before I knew it, rang out. Knowledge and the process of the seal had flowed through her mind.

“Your wish is... to defeat ‘Sword Saint Chris’ with your swordsmanship.”

My heightened voice rode the wind blowing across the field.

It was the seal of the cursed blade, and also the process of a contract with the soul.

Since Sierra and I had already spoken together, I thought this process would be smooth.

Until I heard Sierra’s answer.

[ Wrong. ]

Sierra, floating before me, denied it while drawing her arm sideways.

I was extremely flustered by her sharp denial.

“Then what is it...”

However, the seal was still proceeding even now.

In this state, she should not be able to speak a lie.

Because demonic energy was wrapping around my whole body, the faster I ended this, the less burden there would be on my body.

I hurriedly gathered my bewilderment and continued the process.

“...Then what is your wish? I will devote myself to accomplishing it.”

At my question, Sierra was silent for a while.

Even though she was surely in a state of full concentration too.

[...Not leaving. ]

Soon, breaking the brief silence, Sierra spoke her wish.

Sierra’s wish was easy, if one wanted to call it easy.

Not leaving.

For me, there would be no reason to abandon the cursed blade or abandon her.

However, the fact that she sincerely wished for that was strange.

“Not leaving you. Is that truly enough?”

[ It is enough. ]

I felt a bead of sweat run from my forehead down my cheek.

I did not know why she wished for such a thing, but I had to finish the seal quickly.

“With this, I will bring it to a close.”

I felt Sierra’s demonic energy and the mana circulating within my body mix together.

The seal and contract of a cursed blade were powers similar to a mana oath.

The demonic energy that had entered my body slowly harmonized.

Her seal and the contract with her were being established.

“...”

Time passed, and I sensed that the demonic energy rising like heat haze had settled.

The seal was completely finished.

I put the cursed blade back into its scabbard.

—Clack.

The sound of the cursed blade being sheathed rang clearly across the field, and Sierra approached me.

[ You must keep it, understand? ]

Sierra had returned to her usual form.

“Haha... We did not discuss anything like this, did we?”

[ What can I do when my true heart was different? I had no choice but to answer that way. It seems that lies are not accepted in this process. ]

Sierra smiled bitterly.

“Why did it change...?”

As I said this, I tried to rise from my kneeling position, but my body staggered.

Because the seal had taken longer than expected, my stamina had been severely consumed.

—Soft.

Sierra supported my staggering body.

[ It did not change. My desire to defeat the Sword Saint, that bastard, is still the same....But perhaps the brief time I spent with you awakened a terrible thirst. ]

“A thirst...”

I comfortably leaned against Sierra and lay against her.

The weather was not cold, yet my body shivered.

[ I endured well for decades until now, but this short week... was especially difficult to endure. Even if the blacksmith noticed my existence, I could not converse with him... ]

I silently leaned against Sierra and listened to her lament.

Her body, which had been nothing but cold when she was inside the pendant, now held warm heat.

[ When the endless emptiness came to me again, having nowhere to lean... frightened me, unlike myself. I am sorry for becoming a poor master. ]

Sierra’s voice, ringing through my mind, was trembling.

Loneliness.

That emotion could sometimes be a terrifying thing, comparable to fear.

“Do not worry. The contract will definitely be kept. Of course, we will defeat the Sword Saint too.”

I held Sierra’s hand and spoke in a gentle voice. I did not think it would have a good influence if her mental state became unstable now that she had become a cursed blade.

The trembling conveyed through my hand gradually subsided.

Before long, Daidros, who had been watching from far away, walked over to us.

“Did the seal end well? It has truly been a long time since I watched the sealing of a cursed blade. It was a fine sight.”

Daidros said this to me with his arms crossed.

At Daidros’s question, I immediately checked my status window. There was nothing better for confirming success than this.

<​Zeto> Lv.18

Skills Owned

-Demon Swordsmanship Lv.8

-Sierra Style: Rebellion Against Heaven (Incomplete) Lv.2 - Effect of [Demon Swordsmanship] currently applied

-Keen Senses Lv.7

-Weakness Detection Lv.MAX - Effect of [Blindfold of Piercing Insight] currently applied

-Acupuncture Lv.3

Remaining Skill Points: 2

Items Equipped

-Blindfold of Piercing Insight [Legendary]

-Vibrant Silver Necklace [Rare]

-Bracelet Bearing Wishes [Epic]

-Cursed Blade “Sierra” [Bound]

Perhaps I had obtained experience from this seal, because I had risen two levels at once.

“Edward’s classes...”

It was unfortunate, but the Labyrinth would open soon, so that was a relief.

I saw Sierra Style: Rebellion Against Heaven, the swordsmanship Sierra had created, newly appeared beneath the Demon Swordsmanship skill.

The word Incomplete attached beside Rebellion Against Heaven seemed to mean the swordsmanship was not yet complete.

“Does Rebellion Against Heaven rise by one level every four levels of Demon Swordsmanship...?”

Skills obtained through Demon Swordsmanship could not have skill points invested into them directly.

When skill points were invested into Demon Swordsmanship, the level of that skill would rise along with it.

However, the degree to which the level rose depended on the power of the skill.

Sierra Style: Purple Moon, which I had previously obtained from Sierra in the game, had been one level per two levels of Demon Swordsmanship, but Rebellion Against Heaven was twice that.

That probably meant it was that much more powerful.

Reading down the status window, I confirmed the word Bound beside “Cursed Blade Sierra.”

“...It seems the seal ended properly.”

I erased the status window floating in the air and answered with the corners of my mouth raised high.

I had finally obtained the cursed blade I had wanted so much.

“By the way... that, um, posture looks strange no matter how I see it. Will you not get up now?”

Daidros, stroking his chin as he looked at me leaning against Sierra, said that.

“Shall I?”

[ No. My disciple must rest a little longer. ]

Following Sierra’s firm words, I decided to rest a little longer.

The cool wind blowing from beyond the field tickled the fine hairs on my skin.

When I looked at the sky, the stars that would soon be hidden by the sun were shining with all their strength until the very end.

“Is it because things went well, or because one burden has lifted?”

Today, for some reason, the world looked only peaceful.