Bubble, bubble—
As I uttered the name of Cheonryeo, the shadows beneath my feet began to boil like lava, as if responding to my call.
Soon after, a massive amount of mana was drained in chunks.
Sensing something unusual, I sharpened my gaze.
“Is the sword summoning beginning?”
But it felt like it was more than just that.
The amount of mana consumed was far too great for a simple sword summoning.
Was it because it was the first summoning?
Or perhaps the sword’s rank had increased?
As I pondered this, maintaining a subtle sense of caution, a black stream of water surged from the shadows.
The water, shooting up like a fountain, began to take shape before my eyes.
“Whoa.”
It reminded me of the SF movies I had seen before being possessed.
Although I had seen magic and used aura in this world, the sight of a black mass writhing and taking shape felt incredibly surreal.
Hmm, but how should I describe this?
This thing… “It’s starting to resemble a human figure, isn’t it?”
A small face, a slender neck, and elegant lines flowing down from the shoulders.
Below that, the curved lines from the narrow waist to the hips were clearly visible.
No matter how I looked at it, this was the figure of a woman.
What on earth is going on?
In my bewilderment, I stood there dumbfounded, waiting for the summoning to complete.
And after a while.
The figure of a woman, entirely covered in black, began to take on natural colors.
Under the hot afternoon sun, the woman in a black dress standing before me opened her mouth.
“Ta-da! How is it? Surprised?”
“…Could you be Cheonryeo?”
“That’s right. Thanks to you, my rank has increased, making this possible. Well, it’s not just because of the rank increase, though.”
Her lips curved softly upward.
With jet-black hair like silk and red eyes resembling mine, Cheonryeo spoke.
I looked at her, who had transformed from a sword into a beautiful woman, and slightly opened my mouth.
“This is quite surprising. She’s already capable of polymorphing?”
For an ego sword to transform into a human through polymorphing, it usually requires multiple awakenings.
Come to think of it, a tremendous amount of mana was drained right after I called her name.
Was that for polymorphing into a female form?
I admired Cheonryeo, who stood there with a triumphant expression.
A luxurious black dress with golden decorations, black hair flowing gracefully over slender shoulders, and blood-red eyes exuding a strong presence.
And to add, the mole on her chest was quite striking.
Her forehead was beautiful too.
“Hmph. Why are you staring so hard? Are you surprised by how pretty I am?”
“Shut up. I’m just surprised you can polymorph earlier than expected.”
“Hehe. I guess so? I didn’t expect to be able to transform into a female form this quickly either.”
Cheonryeo looked down at her body as she spoke.
Poking her own ample chest with her fingers, she swayed playfully.
Who would think of her as a sword seeing this perverted behavior?
I asked her what I was curious about.
“But your way of speaking and your current appearance are both very feminine. How is that possible?”
“Huh? What do you mean? I don’t quite understand.”
“I mean, you’re a sword, right? So how can you have such a feminine ego?”
“Ah, I see what you mean.”
Cheonryeo clapped her hands lightly, as if she understood.
Then, scratching her cheek, she continued.
“Well… I’m not entirely sure, but it’s probably because Duncan wanted to create an elegant sword when he made me.”
“An elegant sword, huh?”
“Yeah. Thinking about elegance while hammering away in front of a blazing forge. Isn’t that amazing?”
“I suppose so.”
I nodded as I listened to her.
Duncan Ironheart.
I had never doubted his skills as a blacksmith before, but he was truly remarkable.
To create an ego sword, one must be at that level, I guess.
As I imagined Duncan sweating in front of a sparking forge, Cheonryeo continued.
“Anyway, that’s what greatly influenced my ego to take on a feminine form. But you know…”
“What?”
“Well, it seems like the summoning is about to be released soon.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly?
It felt like only about five minutes had passed since the summoning.
The summoning time was absurdly short, but thinking about it, it made sense.
Polymorphing requires a significant amount of mana.
It’s not just a slight change in appearance but a complete transformation of form, something usually only dragons can manage.
Cheonryeo, who had just risen in rank and gained the ability to polymorph, couldn’t maintain the form for long.
Nodding in understanding, I watched as Cheonryeo began to dissipate into black smoke.
“Sigh… I wanted to stay longer.”
“You can summon me as a sword, right?”
“That’s true, but I prefer this form.”
“Will I have to wait until my mana replenishes to summon you in this female form again?”
“Yeah. But your mana is incredibly dense and abundant, so it shouldn’t take long. Maybe about a day?”
Cheonryeo spoke, mixing in subtle innuendos without getting tired of it.
Once a day, huh?
If her rank increases further, she might be able to maintain the summoning for a longer time.
It would be fun to fight alongside her in this form.
Just before she completely dissipated into smoke, Cheonryeo approached me and whispered in my ear.
“Ah, by the way, I found out something important.”
“Something important?”
“About my chest. It seems to be a mana pouch.”
“Huh?”
“So, the more mana I absorb and the higher my rank rises, the bigger my chest gets. Make sure to pour in lots of mana from now on, okay? Got it?”
Hehe—
Cheonryeo disappeared into smoke with a mischievous laugh.
I pressed my hand to my forehead, dizzy from the shocking information.
An ego sword whose chest grows as her rank increases?
What on earth is this?
Cheonma Sword, now with the new name Cheonryeo and the ability to take on a female form, was as capricious as ever.
“Phew. I didn’t even get to wield her properly. Should I summon her in sword form and continue training now?”
“Lord Behirit!”
“Liliana?”
After Cheonryeo returned to the shadows, I tried to clear my mind and focus, but Liliana came running from the training ground entrance.
Her light green hair and short skirt above her plump thighs fluttered in the wind.
It had been a while since I saw Liliana so flustered.
What’s going on?
Feeling puzzled, I turned to face her.
“Did something happen?”
“Well, a guest has arrived at the mansion entrance…”
“Stay calm. It’s natural for guests to come. Who is it?”
“It’s… the Chancellor.”
Liliana slightly bowed and caught her breath.
Wait, who did you say arrived?
If it’s the Academy Chancellor…
“…Endless?”
“Yes. I’ve only seen her once during the entrance ceremony, so I didn’t expect her to visit the mansion like this. It’s not because of my absence, is it?”
Liliana looked worried, not knowing what to do.
Indeed, why did she come all of a sudden?
It might be because of me, or perhaps, as Liliana suggested, she came to personally issue a warning to the genius mage who had been absent for so long.
Either way, I couldn’t just stay here. I patted Liliana’s shoulder and spoke.
“Let’s go. I’ll handle it.”
“Okay. I’ll come with you!”
Liliana replied, regaining her composure.
Don’t worry too much.
Endless might be a bit eccentric, but she’s a good person at heart.
Still, since it was my first time meeting her directly, I felt a bit nervous.
Along with that feeling, I moved to greet the ancient being who had existed for over 3,000 years, the Empire’s guardian dragon.
* * *
“Hehe. For the Grand Duke to welcome me so warmly. It’s quite an honor.”
“The honor is mine, to have the great guardian dragon of the Empire visit me.”
After returning from the training ground and some time had passed.
In the mansion’s reception room.
With Liliana, me, and Endless present, I sat on the sofa facing the blue dragon.
Though her visit was unexpected, she was a character who would join as a heroine as the original story progressed.
Feeling a bit excited but maintaining my composure, I observed Endless’s aura.
“She’s truly not human. Her mana seems even greater than Bahamut’s…”
Despite her beautiful appearance with sky-blue hair and eyes, the power Endless possessed was beyond extraordinary.
Even as she quietly sipped tea, the mana emanating from her tingled against my skin.
No matter how strong I was in the Empire, that was only among humans.
If I were to face Endless, how much of a chance would I have?
As I pondered this, her attire caught my eye.
“Hmm… What kind of outfit is that?”
A blue dress that barely covered her nipples.
The exposure was so extreme that her massive breasts were fully on display.
Not to mention the large horns on her head.
Were they sturdy enough to serve as handles?
I suppressed an erection by inhaling the scent of the tea.
[Oh my. What are you thinking about right now?]
“Just that the horns look sturdy.”
[Hehe. Lying isn’t good. Thinking about bedding a woman you just met? You’re quite the playboy, Master.]
“…”
This girl is really something.
I wasn’t thinking about bedding her, though.
First Hilda, now Cheonryeo, saying such things.
I might need to restrain myself a bit.
After a moment of reflection, I spoke to Endless.
“By the way, what brings you here? The Empire’s guardian dragon and the Academy Chancellor wouldn’t come without a reason.”
“Ah, well. I came to make a proposal.”
Endless looked straight at me as she spoke.
Her sky-blue eyes, filled with refreshing mana, seemed to pierce through me.
“Was it because of Liliana?”
It was a bit unexpected.
I thought it might be related to Liliana.
Liliana, who was sitting beside me, also looked surprised.
But a proposal?
What kind of proposal would make her come all the way here?
As both Liliana and I listened intently, Endless, who had been scrutinizing me, finally spoke.
“How about becoming a special visiting professor at the Academy?”