Chapter 72: Nameless Sword

“Where is Lady Gabriella?”

She demanded.

Tina’s source of power had always been Elsa, but what did Gabriella have to do with it?

“She should have died long ago!”

The Saintess’s voice was almost a roar.

She could not accept it.

Were Elsa and Tina liars as well?

Holy Queen Simona’s occasional foolishness could be overlooked, and Philina’s disloyalty could be overlooked.

But Tina and Elsa—having joined the demons, were they also planning to deceive her in this way…

…?

Demons truly were a despicable bunch.

They were actually skilled at exploiting others’ sympathy to deceive them.

No…

In truth, humans were the same—birds of a feather.

All of them were willing to resort to any means for profit, all of them damned beings who sparked endless conflicts just for the position of Goddess.

Only one person was an exception.

“Lady Gabriella, this weapon—the Royal Knight Captain’s Sword—is a reward for your defense of the town! You should hurry and throw away that apprentice iron sword, or melt it down at a blacksmith for some money. Using that sword at the academy must have been hard on you.”

The knight stood before the young woman. 

The Royal Knight Captain’s Sword gleamed with golden-yellow light, shining brilliantly under the sun.

The honored young woman wore academy robes and had striking silver hair.

Faced with the knight’s question and suggestion, the young woman merely shook her head. 

“I don’t need this thing. Its level is too high. Please return it to the archbishop.”

“What?”

The knight clearly did not understand what the silver-haired young woman had said.

So she continued to explain.

“I can’t use it, and I don’t plan to in the future either.”

“…? This is the only one-star weapon in the entire world!”

“May I ask what Miss Gabriella means by ‘starting weapon’ and ‘experience’?”

The silver-haired young woman felt a slight headache and rubbed her temple.

“I wouldn’t understand even if I explained, so just say I don’t want this sword.”

The young woman thought for a moment, then suddenly grinned playfully as if remembering something.

“Just give me the equivalent in bounty money.”

“Ah, this…”

The knight nodded slightly and took his leave. 

Before going, he could not help but glance once more at the black iron sword in the young woman’s hand.

It looked like a piece of junk casually pulled from the armory in a knight training camp.

Only it had been polished to a bright shine by her, becoming somewhat scorching hot under the blazing sun.

“Only a starting weapon has challenge, you know.”

The young woman hugged it to her chest.

It shone with a luster no less brilliant than the expensive weapons on the surrounding armor racks.

The academy’s blacksmith did not offer specialized maintenance for such weapons, so the young woman often polished and cared for it herself.

Later, that iron sword severed the bodies of many demonic beasts and devils.

The demons invaded the small town where she lived, and the silver-haired young woman gripped the iron sword tightly, piercing the hearts of countless monsters.

In the young woman’s hands, the apprentice iron sword was like a divine artifact. 

Silver-white patterns entwined its plain blade.

Once possessed by pure silver-white power, milky-white floral patterns appeared on the sword body, making it instantly resemble a rare treasure.

Not long after, she participated in even more battles.

After the apprentice iron sword decapitated a large leader-class demon, the mountain-sized gigantic beast collapsed with a thud. 

A crack actually appeared on the side of the black iron sword deeply embedded in its flesh.

The young woman lost her footing and fell from the giant demon’s body.

The apprentice iron sword also tumbled down with the collapse, falling into a crevice between rocks.

What followed was a massive avalanche of the monster’s flesh and blood crashing down, smashing it into the deep soil and sending it plummeting into an unknown black stone fissure.

Who knows how much time passed.

The monster’s flesh was melted by holy fire. 

The army’s iron boots trampled the solid ground, burying it even more thoroughly.

The soldiers shouted the young woman’s name.

“Lady Gabriella has won!”

“My god, look—she actually did it. She’s just a little knight?”

“This is the legendary Titan Demon…”

“What exactly is Lady Gabriella’s weapon? It’s so beautiful, with patterns on it…”

The soldiers’ voices grew increasingly distant. 

Some crows circled in the sky, descending to the ground to peck at the remaining limbs and flesh. 

Their beaks struck the rocks with thump thump sounds.

Then even the crows’ voices vanished.

The sky gradually darkened. Clouds obscured the last rays of moonlight, and rain began to fall.

The rain washed away the mud, cleansing the corrupted matter in the rock crevice. 

Lightning once again illuminated the already damaged and damp sword body, where cracks were gradually spreading.

Who knows how much more time passed.

Sunlight pierced through the flying dust, shining on the rusty, mottled handle of the iron sword.

Without the silver-white patterns, this sword was no different from an ordinary apprentice iron sword.

It seemed to have been forgotten, becoming part of the battlefield’s wreckage.

It felt as if, in not too long, it would become part of the ruins, for people millions of years later to read and understand history.

But at that very moment—

A young woman’s voice came from the crevice. After the rocks were pried open, a pair of hands gently rested on the handle.

Warm, enchanting silver-white power surged into her body once more.

“Ehe~ I finally found you!”

“The only one in the world—an invaluable treasure~”

It was picked up again, the dust wiped away by slender hands, and hugged to her chest.

Gabriella had found her apprentice iron sword once more.

It was carried onto a carriage and returned to the familiar small town.

There was an ancient tree there.

Near the ancient tree was a hidden door leading underground. 

Several hundred meters deep was a narrow storage room.

“Gabriella, what on earth were you thinking, pouring all the power of the 【Fountain of Purity】 into this iron sword?!”

“Simona, you don’t understand. This is for sentimental value.”

“Sentimental? That’s a blessing capable of dispelling any curse. If you get cursed in the future… I still suggest you keep it with you.”

“But it can’t go to the battlefield anymore.”

The silver-haired young woman stroked the crack on the blade, then gently sealed it into a box.

“Later, I’ll give you a name, okay? Hmm, I haven’t thought of one yet. Anyway, it absolutely can’t be Apprentice Holy Sword. I still care a lot about the first time.”

And then came endless darkness.

This time, it was very, very long.

Longer than the last.

But the place was dry, and some unknown magic protected the apprentice iron sword, shielding it from corrosion.

Yet…

It was too long…

In the long wait, it grew numb. 

When it saw sunlight again, only one of the previous two young women remained.

The golden-haired young woman wore sacred robes, her eyes dim.

“Your master will never come to see you again. Now, I too have been corrupted by darkness.”

“But I never imagined you were actually a fairy attached to the weapon. Did Lady Gabriella foresee today long ago?”

“Yes… It’s been too long. In the final years before you were about to collapse, wake up and see the sun of the human world one last time.”

Only one person was an exception.

“The one and only in the world—unique.”

A rare blush appeared on the Saintess’s face.

But then her eyes became hollow. She suddenly recalled what Holy Queen Simona had once said to her.

“She is gone, but you can, like me, carry out the justice she believed in.”

“…Yes.”

“With the remaining years.”