"What? Master, that's Sword Intent no matter how you look at it—so how has Kugssa not awakened hers yet…?"
"Quiet for a moment… let me process this."
She's manifesting Sword Intent… but hasn't awakened it?
No matter how I look at it, that should be impossible.
But… I'm sure of one thing—nothing is truly impossible in this world. If virtue itself exists, then anything is possible.
Hmm...
If I had to Speculate, there would be two possible reasons for this anomaly…
The first: she's walking the path of the Magical Sword.
The second: it's due to the Sacred Mana.
(Holy mana -> Sacred Mana)
Yeah...
I've created a genius monster with my own hands.
Damn it.
"Kugssa, I'm going to Analyze you. Don't resist it under any circumstances."
"Okay, Master Tel!"
⁂__
Name: Kugssa
Age: 11
Titles: ⟦Magical Swordswoman⟧ ⟦Saintess 'Inactive'⟧ ⟦Spacetime Disciple⟧ ⟦¿¿¿ of Fate⟧
Skills: 〔Blessing of Virtue〕 〔Blessing of Mana〕 〔Blessing of ¿¿¿¿〕 〔Swordsmanship〕 〔Sword Aura〕 〔Sword Intent 'Incomplete'〕 〔Sacred Magic〕 … +51
State: Anxious, Grateful, Happy, Unhinged.
⁂__
Hmm...
Hmmm...
HMMMMMMMM...
I swear, the cause of my death will be a brain aneurysm.
What the hell is with all these skills and titles???
No—before that, what the hell does Saintess mean?
Are you telling me… she really is Rasiel's successor????
Wait, no. Calm down. Analyze. Process this madness.
Spacetime Disciple? What the hell kind of class is that…
And Blessing of Mana? And I was stupidly wondering why she's such a genius…
Even I don't have that skill anymore!!!!!
Ugh...
My disciple, at the level of a legendary warrior, capable of erasing a continent from the map—without me even knowing…
'Don't pry into her privacy'—my as*!
If she loses control, she could wipe out millions without realizing it, you damn fool Telodeos.
'Ohhh I'm afraid of despair nananana'—shut up and get lost. Your disciple's power is catching up to yours while you're off wandering in fake dreams.
When will you come back to your senses?
Where is the ¿¿¿¿ who became the Demon King of Corruption?
Where is the ¿¿¿¿ who once stood as the brightest scientific mind?
Or has your will grown so weak you now run from the pain of losing someone dear?
Haaah...
"Kugssa…"
"Yes, Master Tel!"
I bonked her gently on the head.
"Ouch… why, Master?"
"Since when have you had all these skills?"
"I learned them from Maria and many kind people at the palace!!"
Kind people, my foot…
Clearly, they were pampering her, thinking she was some duchess from the Dark Continent.
"Does that mean I'm no longer fit to be your teacher, Kugssa?"
Kugssa was shocked—then burst into tears.
"I... I didn't mean it like that, Master… I just wanted to get stronger so I could help you… uwaaaa!"
Maybe I was harsh—but not harsh enough to make her cry like this…
Unless…
"Kugssa, what am I to you?"
"Master Tel is Master Tel. Master Tel is Kugssa's mom!"
…What?
"Pfft… ahem, sorry."
Even Maria found that funny.
Looks like I was right.
Kugssa's situation is more dangerous than I thought.
"Alright. Let's forget about that and focus on what matters…
Kugssa, your Sword Intent is not fully formed—but it's already stronger than that of a seasoned Swordmaster.
So never use it again until you've fully mastered it. Otherwise, it'll spiral out of control."
"But Master, how do I do that?"
"I'll teach you on the way. But first… wait for me a moment."
I headed toward the crater left behind by the empire's disappearance.
To take one last look at what I had done…
To etch it into my memory so I'd never forget.
It was a massive crater—breathtaking, awe-inspiring.
Calling it a mere pit didn't do it justice.
I should've called it The Abyss.
"When you gaze into the abyss… the abyss gazes also into you… hah."
I sat for a while, checking my body's condition.
It was abysmal.
Lethal poison in my organs, a devastating curse draining despair from my heart, both limbs nonfunctional, and my connection to my Mana Core severed.
Anyone else would've died a thousand times over.
...…
When I finished, I called for Maria to help me up, then floated back into the air.
"Where are we going now, Master?"
Maria asked with a sigh.
"Our next journey… is to the Dark Continent!"
At last, I'll see you again… Master.
[Darling… you have a notification from your strange skill~]
Chaotic Mana?
That damn thing comes and goes whenever it pleases…
Just wait until I fully control you—I'll wring you dry.
⁂__
⊕ The Black Wish ⊕
Due to one of your disciples receiving the Blessing of Great Mana…
And due to a major shift in your destiny…
A new skill has been unlocked.
Skill:〔Sacred Spirit Communion〕
Skill Preview — 〔Sacred Spirit Communion〕:
A skill exclusive to the Fairy Race, descendants of the Great Spirits.
Allows communion with Great Spirits and temporary use of racial Fairy skills.
⁂__
What!?
No, wait…
Skill Preview — 〔Blessing of Mana〕
⁂__
〔Blessing of Mana〕:
An extremely rare skill, bestowed only upon those beloved by Mana itself.
Allows full control over the seven elements: Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Light, and Darkness.
Even mastering just one of these can elevate one's power to rival the Sovereignty Lords.
-- Sub-skill: 〔Blessing of Sacred Mana〕
Obtaining this skill is deemed impossible, as it can only be granted by the proud Sacred Mana itself.
⁂__
Should I be thankful that Kugssa didn't receive the Sacred Mana variant…?
Or despair, knowing the regular Blessing of Mana is even more powerful than I thought…?
Just for a moment, I imagined this scenario:
Kugssa loses control, and in her fury, invokes the Blessing of Mana…
And then…
Gulp
…obliterates half the world.
Yeah… that's an apocalyptic scenario, in short!
—And to think, I just destroyed half a continent—
Now… Kugssa's a ticking time bomb, set to explode at any moment—all because of me.
Me…?
I'm half-dead. My body's stronger now, sure…
But I've lost an arm, a leg… and my Mana Core.
"You really are strong, Master! Even after all this time, your Sword Intent is still lingering in the air!"
Right, I forgot… without a Mana Core, my Sword Intent will keep leaking into the world until I find a fix…
Because I used it as a skill—and now I've no core to contain it.
In other words… wherever I go, I'll look like I'm declaring war just by walking, because my Sword Intent's leaking with every step…
I suppose it's true what they say—
A disciple is a mirror of their master.
And finally…
Maria, with no homeland or family, her motives still unclear to me…
What a troublesome team I've found myself in.
"Umm… Master, why are we going to the Dark Continent exactly?"
"What do you mean… Maria?"
What kind of question is that right now?
I thought she didn't know I had faked my identity as an Imperial teacher from the Dark Continent…
"Master Tel… please don't be angry with her! I'm the one who told her!"
"What?"
"Master Tel… Maria is my sister—the one I trust the most.
I couldn't lie to her any longer.
Please, Master Tel, don't be mad at her… she considers you her mother too!"
Cough cough—I really need to fix Kugssa's phrasing later…
But…
"Master… it's okay if you're mad…
I know you did it to protect Kugssa.
And don't worry, you and Kugssa… you're my only family.
Please believe in me!"
Maria's regretful expression—eyes brimming with tears…
Her face told me everything.
She's staking her life on those words.
If I can't trust my own disciple… then who can I trust?
And I'll never forget she's the last of Rasiel's beloveds.
"Maria!"
"Yes, Master!"
She understood instantly, kneeling before me.
With the last Mana in my arm, I summoned my sword from void storage.
⁂_______________________⁂
"In the name of the Future Virtue of Despair, and with the blessing of the Greed Virtue—
By my words, I, Ari Telodeos, accept Maria as my second disciple.
She shall bear my name and vow to fulfill her duty until death."
"I, Maria, from this day forward shall carry the name Ari given to me by my Master, the Virtue of Despair.
I swear to remain his disciple until death!"
⁂_______________________⁂
Then I baptized her with my sword, using the Authority of the Greed Virtue to unshackle her from the world's restraints—so she may grow stronger under my guidance.
〔Analyze〕
⁂__
Name: Maria
Age: 13
Titles: ⟦Fourth Princess⟧ ⟦High Witch⟧ ⟦Spacetime Disciple⟧
Mana: 5,490,000 / 40,000
Skills: 〔Blessing of Virtue〕 〔Blessing of Mana〕 〔Sevenfold Elemental Magic〕 〔Flames of Hell〕 〔Great Forest〕 … +12 other skills.
State: Happy, Proud, Unhinged, In Love with Her Master.
⁂__
What the hell…
Blessing of Mana—again???
And that weird Spacetime Disciple class again too!
But I think I noticed something else strange…
…Let's just pretend I didn't see it ._.