Free Web NovelChapter 359: The Picky Holy Sword
Holy swords are not widely understood, but there exists a secret known only to their wielders.
Ego swords.
Commonly described as blades imbued with a soul, these swords possess their own consciousness and choose their masters.
Whether it was the consciousness of a previous wielder, a soul instilled during the sword’s forging, or perhaps a highly advanced artificial spirit, no one could say for certain, but holy swords judged for themselves whether a potential wielder was worthy.
Some were drawn to a fierce will to protect someone. Others were drawn to those who could contend for the title of the world’s strongest. And some imposed peculiar conditions, like needing to be wielded as a pair, one sword for each twin.
In the case of the Holy Sword Virgo, passed down through the Barony of Virgo, the condition was singular.
[The wielder must be a pure maiden, untouched by any man’s hand.]
Only a chaste maiden could be chosen by the Holy Sword Virgo.
Even a pure maiden had to possess the resolve to die with her virginity intact for an entire lifetime in order to wield the holy sword.
The problem was that this information, essentially the sword’s awakening condition, was a secret known only to its wielder; one that could not be passed down to future generations in any form.
Because of this, even the very first wielder of the Holy Sword Virgo had been unable to pass on the sword’s fussy, unicorn-like nature to her successors. And when a non-maiden touched it, the Holy Sword Virgo punished them by draining their life force.
The Virgo family had spent centuries researching how to awaken the Holy Sword Virgo without knowing the awakening condition or the penalty.
And the previous Baron Virgo had likewise spent his entire life studying methods to awaken the holy sword kept in the basement.
Noting that all previous wielders had been women, he’d deduced the condition of "female," but strangely, every woman who touched the sword had her life force drained and died. He never imagined the condition could be something as absurd as "pure maiden," the kind of requirement only discussed when dark mages summoned demons.
[That is no holy sword. It is a cursed blade.]
The divine power contained within the sword was surely the accumulated life force of the women it had drained. But if the sword could be claimed, restoring the baronial house was far from impossible.
[If we can just discover the conditions, we can pass the holy sword down through generations, like House Aries.]
It didn’t have to be through bloodline. By adopting heirs or the like, House Virgo could rise from a barony to a county, no, a marquisate; perhaps even a duchy. One firstborn son was enough to carry on the bloodline, but as many female siblings as possible needed to be produced.
It was from that point onward that the baronial house began "grinding through" its women. And Virginia Virgo was the sole survivor among them, a child deemed too physically frail to have any hope of wielding the holy sword.
[Everyone else has died. Only you remain.]
And yet, that child ultimately poisoned the father who had intended to make her the sword’s master. Had she known the qualification was being a pure maiden, she likely would have become the sword’s master willingly.
[I found out too late.]
The die was already cast. She had become the Baroness, and there wasn’t a single trustworthy "woman" around her. So Virginia maintained her virginity while pretending to be someone who indulged in women, all the while searching for the sword’s rightful master.
Into that situation, the arrival of a girl named Meri had been like an angel sent by the Goddess herself. Virginia had intended to make her a lifelong companion and the holy sword’s master.
But she was a witch.
An assassin who commanded monsters, sent to kill her. Virginia seized the holy sword in a fit of desperation.
[If it’s come to this, I’ll wield the holy sword myself.]
She felt no fear about fighting with it. The holy sword possessed the ability to transform even a complete novice into a first-rate knight. So Virginia grasped the sword herself.
To kill Meri, with tears in her eyes.
To slay the monsters that had appeared in her territory and set the baronial house right.
But.
[Nope, this one’s no good. Not a maiden.]
A finicky voice from somewhere sent chills through Virginia. It was so holy and majestic that it was intimidating, yet it said she wasn’t a maiden.
[Let me see.... Oh, she’s done a lot from behind. Well, that doesn’t matter, but, aw man, she got done by an orc? Nuh-uh. That’s an automatic out.]
An orc? That couldn’t be. If she’d ever encountered an orc, it was only in dreams. In those dreams she’d been taken by orcs, passed around, dragged to an orc village and mounted by them day after day, but those were just "dreams."
It was unjust. So terribly unjust. She had worked so hard to preserve her maidenhood as a daughter of a noble house, and now she was being told she wasn’t a maiden. It felt as though her entire life was being denied.
And then she remembered.
[How dare you touch me with hands that aren’t a maiden’s.... You deserve to die a hundred times over.]
Her hands wouldn’t come free. Something that should never have left her was flowing through her palms and into the holy sword. Virginia lost consciousness before she could even process what was happening.
"But I am a maiden."
[I only lost my virginity in a dream.]
Never realizing until the very end that her encounters with the orc had been real, she departed this world believing without a shred of doubt that she was still a maiden.
[Yeah, you’re not a maiden.]
Virginia never heard the holy sword’s words.
***
"...I see. So that’s why."
Meri left Virginia, now a mummy drained of all life force, where she lay and read through the research materials in the basement where the holy sword was kept, piecing together the awakening conditions.
Female. Maiden.
’Nothing to do with me, then.’
Meri was a woman. Meri was also a maiden. But she was a body that would someday (?) lose that status. While she was rummaging through the materials, something collapsed behind her with a thud.
Flop.
A new mummy had appeared before the holy sword. Meri offered a moment of condolence to Virginia, whose mouth gaped wide open as if vehemently denying something.
"In your next life, stop tormenting other women and try sleeping with men instead. To your heart’s content."
Whether Virginia heard her or not was anyone’s guess, but Meri dragged the Baroness’s corpse aside so she could get on with what she’d originally come to do.
"Mom?"
"I have to... eat her?"
Lime scrunched her face with open displeasure. And for good reason; the holy sword, having drained the Baroness’s life force, was radiating a warm pink glow and exuding an elegant aura.
Divine power.
"...I’m human, so I’d be fine, but Mom, if you eat the wrong thing you might get purified. Hold on."
Was there a safe spot? Meri drew a dagger and carefully carved off a sliver of the Baroness’s flesh. She was so desiccated that the moment a bit of skin was peeled away, bone was visible.
"Will this do?"
"...Even if I die, Master will resurrect me. Going for it."
Lime squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed what Meri handed her.
"...Delicious!"
And then Lime pounced on the Baroness. Meri had worried that contact with the holy sword might have left traces of divine power, but thankfully, her concern proved unfounded.
"But this is a problem.... If the transformation doesn’t work, we move to Plan B."
You let well enough alone. Meri pored over the research materials while Lime finished her meal, then covered the holy sword with the dust-laden glass case.
"Our Legion can’t use this thing."
There were those in the Legion who could wield divine power. Even Galahad, a monster, an orc, could imbue a sword with divine power under the title of paladin. In that sense, the condition that only a maiden could wield it was utterly incompatible with the Legion of Wrath.
Being a maiden.
That was the same as saying you wouldn’t be with the Legion Commander.
And the women the Legion Commander wouldn’t take were...
"Oh, wait. No, they could actually use it."
Meri decided to conceal the holy sword for another day. If she carelessly touched it herself, her life force could be drained.
"Burp."
Lime let out a belch, proudly showing off that she’d consumed every last bone fragment. At the same time, Lime’s body began to squirm, and Meri held her breath, waiting for the transformation.
"...How is it?"
"Perfect, Baroness."
Meri reflexively called the woman before her "Baroness" out of sheer habit. The skin still felt like slime when she touched it up close, but aside from the faintly reddish tinge in the irises, everything from head to toe was a perfect replica of Virginia Virgo.
"Mission accomplished. With this, the baronial house is... ours."
"Am I the Baroness now?"
"That’s right. So I’ll be speaking to you formally from now on, Baroness."
"...I don’t like it. This is better."
Lime poked and prodded at her body here and there, then shifted into another form: her original appearance. Now a mage with curves to rival Meri’s own, Lime grabbed her chest and felt a sense of comfort.
"Big is definitely best."
"...The Baroness wasn’t exactly small either. Anyway, change back into the Baroness."
Lime obediently transformed back into the Baroness as Meri instructed. Looking just as vibrant as when they’d first entered the basement, even younger than before, her beaming smile made her seem like a completely different person.
"With this, the barony is secured. Now all that’s left is to send soldiers and order the recapture of Ras Vegas..."
Crash!!
The glass case shattered. Lime stepped in front of Meri protectively.
[Hey! Don’t just leave me here!]
"...The holy sword spoke?"
Thump, thump. Meri clutched her chest as she stared, dumbfounded, at the holy sword that had floated up to her eye level. Lime’s body was starting to flush red from the pink divine power the sword was scattering.
[You there, maiden of noble blood! Become my master! No, please become my master! This is my first chance in a hundred years!]
"Me?" freewēbnoveℓ.com
[I’ve been trapped in here for decades upon decades! I want to go outside like the others and actually get to use my power! Please, noble maiden, pick me up!]
The holy sword flew around in the air, throwing a tantrum. Each time, Lime’s face grew paler, and Meri ultimately had no choice but to push Lime behind her and engage in conversation. Fortunately, the holy sword didn’t seem hostile.
"...I’m going to lose my maiden status. And more importantly, how is a holy sword even talking? This wasn’t in any of the research materials."
[Hmph, only a holy sword’s master would know about that! I’ll admit my conditions are a bit fussy, so I haven’t had many owners. But what did you just say? You’re going to lose your maidenhood?]
"Yes."
The holy sword drifted right up to Meri’s forehead. Lime wanted nothing more than to swat the sword aside, but Meri glared at it in a battle of wills, leaning her head back.
[Why? Wait. I can’t understand this. I was born to protect maidens!]
"That’s your purpose for existing, not mine. I want to have babies with the person I love and live happily together. You just stay here forever. I have no intention of becoming your master. And if push comes to shove..."
[You’re planning to put me on display like a museum exhibit!]
"...Excuse me?"
The holy sword began spinning and flashing wildly in midair.
[You’ll put me in a glass case on display for everyone to gawk at for free! You’ll draw me out of my scabbard and expose my bare blade for all the world to see, shining spotlights on me and making a spectacle of it! And then, eventually, you’ll set me on a marble pedestal with "do not touch" barriers all around so people can ogle me from every direction!]
"What are you even..."
It was hopeless. This holy sword was a lost cause. Meri didn’t know much about holy swords to begin with, but everything Eila had told her about them felt like it was crumbling to pieces.
[I won’t let that happen! Please, give me a reason to live! I, I want to meet a proper master and live a real life, just like the other swords!]
"Says the cursed blade that drains the life force of everyone who isn’t a maiden."
[That’s been the case since I was forged! The stricter the awakening conditions, the more powerful the holy sword becomes! You didn’t know that?!]
"Nope. Anyway, we’re busy and we need to get going. If you keep being a nuisance...."
Meri’s head was starting to throb from the holy sword spinning like a pinwheel in front of her face. So, unsure whether it would be effective against a holy sword, she slyly pulled from her pocket a vial containing what passed for holy water in the Legion of Wrath.
"I’ll use this."
[What’s that?]
"Demon seed."
Behind Meri, Lime swallowed hard, glancing around nervously to make sure no one was watching.
"A mana potion, technically. The ingredient is... well, you don’t need to know."
The glowing holy sword froze in midair the moment it saw the sloshing liquid inside the glass vial. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
[Wh-what are you going to do with that?!]
"If you don’t stay put in here quietly...."
Meri smiled as if she were about to grab the holy sword, shaking the vial of demon seed.
"I’ll become your master, and I’ll splash this on you every single day. Right on the blade."
