Chapter 126

〈 Chapter 127 〉 Relic Assignment (2)

*

Relics.

Among them, the 4-star and 5-star relics possess incredibly powerful abilities.

However, possessing one doesn’t guarantee that anyone will become strong.

“Ordinary people couldn’t even use them in the first place.”

Relics are fundamentally objects infused with God’s power.

For lower-grade relics, the power contained is minimal, allowing anyone to use them. But as the grade increases, the conditions required for the user become stringent.

In fact, for 4-star and 5-star relics, most of them cannot be used without having a specific stigma.

“Take for example the Rose Sword of the Reedval Family or the Royal Sword of the Leim Royal Family.”

Those two relics cannot be used at all without the respective family’s stigma.

And that was precisely where Yusera’s greatest problem as a knight lay.

“There are hardly any usable relics of the sword type.”

From a game perspective, it made sense since Yusera was originally designed as an archer character.

But this world isn’t a game.

So it’s safe to say that the Reedval family’s background hadn’t originally been focused on combat.

“That’s just how it is.”

In the end, if Yusera couldn’t use any relics above 4-stars, she’d have to find ones of lower grades.

Of course, she could use 3-star relics without much trouble, but unlike 2-star relics, which had many copies from Heinz, 3-star relics were already in short supply.

It would be impossible to receive a sufficient supply of those 3-star relics to use freely.

“So the target has to be the 2-star ones.”

And among the 2-star relics, excluding unique cases like the Relic Gravitas Replicant, there was one sword of a simple ‘grade’ that was closest to a 3-star.

That was the Sacred Replicant that Yusera had just shattered.

“The only problem is…”

The Sacred Replicant, being a versatile and decent 2-star relic, meant that most of the 101 blades had owners.

But she could probably overcome that issue as well.

This was the gamble to make it possible.

“Sacred Replicant isn’t limited to just 101 blades.”

It became clear.

Heinz Armanus’ expression stiffened for a moment.

“Just as I thought.”

I felt a bit sorry for Heinz.

This was likely a secret he’d been keeping.

But for Yusera’s sake, it was a necessity.

He tried to hide his shock and asked me.

“What does that mean? There are only 101 of the Sacred Replicants…”

It looked like he was trying to backpedal, but I’d already read his expression.

“Lord Heinz. I know everything already.”

It wasn’t a certainty born from Relic knowledge.

At first, it had only been a guess.

But I had enough conviction in that guess.

“The notion of there being exactly 101 swords was inherently contradictory.”

There have been humans who tried a hundred times, but no one has ever tried exactly 101 times.

“Especially since replicating divine swords served as a kind of proof for Heinz.”

That was similar to how the Relic had trained Allen Pleuk.

No matter how much he duplicated sacred relics, Heinz had never been able to create relics surpassing the level of 2 stars, and the sword known as the strongest was created to break that barrier.

Thus, unlike other replicant series, there existed as many swords as his countless replication attempts.

Attempting it a hundred times is certainly difficult, but not impossible.

And if there were a special motivation, then attempting it 101 times would also seem feasible.

Yet the hardest part is stopping at 101.

“Sacred Replicant. Surely there are more than 101.”

Therefore, I placed my bet.

And…

“Is it unavoidable?”

Heinz shook his head in resignation and replied.

“There are a total of 125. That’s the number of all Sacred Replicants I’ve created.”

The gamble hit its mark.

Yet that number was slightly unexpected.

“125?”

Compared to what I’d anticipated, that number seemed a bit low.

“That doesn’t differ from what people know. After all, my attempts after the 101st were made informally and secretly.”

Informally? Secretly?

Did someone like Heinz have a reason to go through that?

To my question, Heinz answered.

“I’ll reveal the truth here. My 125th attempt was successful, and I ultimately succeeded in creating a relic with a 3-star rank.”

That was the exact opposite of what I had expected.

“Truly a genius among geniuses.”

I had thought he’d be reluctant to reveal it since he’d failed all his attempts after the 101st.

“Thank you for being honest. And I apologize for being somewhat rude. Could I possibly know why you’ve kept this hidden until now?”

I bowed my head to show respect.

Heinz nodded and accepted my apology, then responded.

“Well, if I report that to the Church, they’ll just take it under the pretense of safekeeping.”

Ah.

That was a surprisingly trivial reason.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

“So now I just need to solidify the gamble?”

Even if it was true that there were more than 101 Sacred Replicants, it would be meaningless if they weren’t inherited.

I signaled Yusera with my eyes.

From here on out, it would be better for the one to inherit to step forward.

“Can you handle it?”

Instantly, Yusera got down on one knee.

While it wasn’t as proper as the form Elsie would have with her ‘court etiquette’ skill, I could clearly see her sincerity in that posture.

The Sacred Replicant was the final piece she needed for her goal of revitalizing the Order as a knight.

“Shall I step aside now?”

Yusera’s turn in the tournament was nearing the end.

After the graduation tournament concluded, there would be an official event for candidates and heroes to meet.

So I had to return to the Relic before that.

“Please, grant me the inheritance.”

I heard Yusera’s earnest voice behind me as I exited the arena.

“Well… Since everything’s already been exposed, it would be unreasonable for me to keep holding onto it. Looking back, it was futile to keep it in the first place.”

And I also heard Heinz’s voice, sounding a bit relieved.

“I will grant the inheritance of all 24 Sacred Replicants, excluding the 101, to Hero Candidate Yusera.”

24 wasn’t a lot, but it was certainly enough.

Moreover, unexpectedly, among those was one 3-star Sacred Replicant.

With this, I had achieved everything I planned for this graduation tournament.

“Wait, isn’t there still one small thing left?”

*

An unusual forfeit occurred during the graduation tournament.

As a result, a match between the hero candidates and a high-ranking hero took place.

The ripple effect generated by that match was quite large, and even now, people were buzzing about not only the tournament’s conclusion but also that story.

“How strong can Allen Pleuk be, to withstand that attack with a 1-star relic?”

“But the guy only blocked that attack. He didn’t even see an actual attack.”

“That may be true, but… I still think he’s stronger than you?”

Students lined up all around the arena.

The heroes had come down from the audience seats to interact with these students.

Among them, the one catching the most attention was Yusera.

“She was pretty amazing, huh?”

“And breaking the Sacred Replicant in front of Lord Heinz? Does she have no fear?”

Amidst the gathered heroes, Yusera was only wearing an awkward smile.

Naturally, they weren’t gathering around her to inherit her relic.

Their aim was to pull Yusera into their party.

“What do you say? Would you consider joining our party?”

“In fact, we have a spot for a knight open.”

However, Yusera had to turn down all those proposals.

She knew her swordsmanship wouldn’t fit into the role of an ordinary knight.

In the end, only a select few could maximize that.

“The Relic.”

She briefly glanced over at the dark-haired man she could see faintly beyond the heroes.

Personally, she hoped he would help her in this situation, but she also already knew that was unlikely.

Ultimately, it was a situation she had to navigate on her own.

“I’m sorry, but I decided to form a party with my fellow academy mates.”

Though that line was something he had told her to use in times of trouble, it seemed to work effectively.

“True, you’re still young, so you might value that more.”

“I understand, but remember: the service term for heroes is quite short.”

Since they were mostly also from the Hero Academy, they could empathize.

Among the comrades they’d done training drills with at the academy, there would naturally be bonds.

However, that didn’t mean they’d just back off.

“That’s fine. So where are you from, young lady?”

Yusera’s expression went pale.

*

‘How envious.’

Elsie thought as she watched Yusera.

In contrast to Yusera, she was in a situation where there wasn’t a single hero around her.

“Well, that’s to be expected.”

She hadn’t showcased any useful abilities like Optical Modulation during the tournament as per Allen’s directives.

Nevertheless, she desperately bit the opponent’s sword to win.

No one would have the courage to approach her after witnessing that.

“I expected it, but it still feels a bit lonely.”

Seeing Yusera surrounded by people only made her feel that way more.

“I guess I’ll have to suggest we go to the lake one last time after this.”

It’s definitely best to deal with stress through food.

The directives from Allen contributed to her current situation as well.

While she was thinking that, a voice calling her name made her turn her head.

“Elsie.”

“Long time no see, Master.”

Gwen nodded.

“Indeed. It’s almost been a year.”

In truth, they had exchanged glances in the audience seats earlier, but this was their first proper meeting, so she decided not to dwell on it.

However, a fair amount of silence lingered between them afterward.

Since it had been a while since they’d seen each other and Gwen was usually not very talkative, it felt a bit awkward.

“Your swordsmanship has improved quite a lot.”

Surprisingly, it was Gwen who broke the silence first.

“Hehe… If it’s someone other than you who’s praising me, it means I must’ve improved indeed. Though I still can’t catch up to you, Master.”

“That’s only natural.”

“However, in other ways, I think I’ve already surpassed you.”

“Huh?”

Elsie was wearing an expression of embarrassment for some reason.

Gwen, momentarily dazed, realized where Elsie’s eyes were directed.

“Elsie, you seem to be mistaken; I don’t have those kinds of feelings at all.”

“You looked pretty happy earlier, though?”

“Well, that’s…”

Elsie was indeed sharper than she expected.

“Sure, I felt good. But I’m not so hungry that I’d steal my student’s food. After all, the moment my precocity is unleashed, there will be lines of men waiting.”

“Hmm…”

“Well, not all men are alike. You’ll have to choose carefully. At least be kind, have a sense of justice, and have a decent appearance…”

To that, Elsie replied, “Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“Just… something I wanted to say to you as my master. You taught me, and you came to see me today as well.”

If it weren’t for her, she would surely have felt lonely.

From some point onwards, she had lost the ability to converse with anyone except the Divine Seat.

Though she couldn’t compare to Allen, Gwen was truly a precious person for her.

“Elsie.”

Gwen placed a hand atop her head.

Elsie’s height had grown a bit since then, and now Gwen had to stretch her arms up to reach her.

To an outsider, that sight could look quite comical.

“Gwen?”

“I hope you can find happiness before anyone else.”

“And you, Master?”

“Don’t worry; I will soon find my happiness as well. It’s just not my turn yet.”

Gwen smiled faintly.

“You’ve grown quite womanly, haven’t you? It must be thanks to that guy.”

Of course, moments earlier, Elsie was gnawing at a sword, but to Gwen’s eyes, she looked beautiful.

Yet knowing Elsie bore scars just as deep as her own, Gwen understood that she shouldn’t speak those words aloud, pushing them back within her.

“I do envy you.”

She removed her hand from Elsie’s head.

Then, turning away.

“Well then, let’s meet again.”

Gwen would be heading to the Central Sea System, a fact Elsie already knew through Allen.

After solving the issues of the Leim Kingdom with Allen, she would head that way, so their next meeting would happen then.

To Gwen, the only thing Elsie could say was.

“If there’s a problem with that guy, I might consider overlooking it.”

“What?”

“If it’s you, Master, I might just close one eye for a moment?”

Gwen’s cheeks slightly flushed.

“Wh-What are you…”

“Just kidding.”

“Elsie, there are jokes you can and cannot make…”

Elsie quickly changed the subject before Gwen could finish her thought.

“I’ll do my best to visit you as soon as possible.”

A swift change of topic.

Yet that line too was laden with sincerity.

In fact, that was probably what Elsie truly wanted to say.

Realizing this, Gwen composed herself again and replied calmly.

“Sure, I’ll be waiting for that day.”

*

‘Did Elsie just meet Gwen?’

Well, the two were quite close given how long they had been together.

Elsie had even said she was the second most important person after me.

Since it would be a while before they saw each other again, it would be better to say their farewells in advance.

“That aside, Yusera seems a bit troubled… but I don’t think I need to lend a hand.”

She should be capable enough to handle that by herself.

Above all, I had something I had to do as well.

It seemed that it was just about to start.

“Relic.”

It was Ludmilla.

*