Remembering my time back in earth, there was a time where my friends and I went out on a trip. We came by a park on the next town and took photos there. When we got near a fountain, we got scolded by the guard for standing on it. But we got off the hook since we didn’t know it had a historical value.

***

Five days have passed since Teldarg’s visitation here in my mansion. Since then, I’ve been really busy.

Letters from Dalseriev Territory arrived to me. And when I said letters, it’s not just dozens but almost a hundred. They’re so many that they can fill a small treasure chest.

A lot of those letters are from rich merchants, barons with territories, and some earls. They’re either invitation for meetings, small parties, and to my surprise, marriage proposals. I really didn’t expect the last one.

When I ask Sora about it, he teased me for like, all day. But leaving jokes aside, I don’t know what he’s up to, but he wants me to ignore those and reply to the Earls and Barons with rejection letters. When I asked him about why, he told me that I already have Cherry and Matt who came from a bloodline of high prestige. Getting married to other women from high prestige would give me the possibility of losing my own house and succeed theirs which is considered bad.

Losing my own house means losing my money. Can’t let that happen.

On the business side, there are a lot of proposals that piqued my interest like: jewelry crafting, tapestry making, magic tool research and etc. I’d like to meet them once I get back, they might be good investments.

I also received a letter from Roldenrauf. Most of them are good news, except for the part in where our supply of Magic Cores from the Labyrinth City has been stolen. According to the reports, it seems that the supply caravan was ambushed by mountain bandits. Their affiliation is unknown, but according to the investigations of the local knights, they seem to be very organized so they’re likely to be part of a bigger group.

I’m not interested in these bandits but the cost of that caravan was nearly 3000 gold coins so I feel a bit mad about it. I wish the local knights do something about it.

Regarding that, I sent a reply to Roldenrauf to temporarily halt our buying of supplies of Magic Cores from the Labyrinth. I’d like to wait them off. Until then, we’ll find another supplier.

It took me a day to finish writing replies to the letters even with the help of my clones. So in the night, I dropped dead tired on the bed. The girls wanted some quality time, but I was too tired mentally so dozed off immediately. But the part where I wake up half-naked was quite a mystery.

Today, I’m here in a room that’s next to the kitchen. Sora, Cherry, and Matt are with me. They’re observing me creating new magic with [Rune Reading].

“So what are you trying to make again?”

“I’m trying to combine the two fragment’s powers along with my converted power. I’m interested in the outcome of the combination of >, > and > if ever they’re compatible with each other.”

While watching me combining the runes of the two mentioned magic, Sora asked me while making a worried expression.

“And what happens when they don’t?”

With the same expression, Matt also asked. But it seems that Cherry got the gist of it, probably because of her > ability, she’s full of anxiety.

“Judging from the power emitted by the magic, it’ll probably level the mansion just from the clash the two fragments. Maybe you shouldn’t continue that Key.”

“Come on everyone! Don’t be too paranoid, this is perfectly safe, probably.”

“Hah! You said something under your breath!”

This has happened before. Because I was too excited in making new magic using the ring, I ended up almost blowing up the whole mansion back in Dalseriev territory. Good thing I was able to stop myself before I did. But since that time, I put a failsafe in making new magic. It’s insurance if ever I fail. I hope I don’t end up using it though.

“I think I’m almost done.”

After parallel lining some runes that came from the magic index of both magic, I then carefully execute the output of the rune combination. Of course, I didn’t leave out the Elemental Fragment runes.

Since it’s a magic type where it needs something like a physical host, I put it back into my body. While activating it using my thoughts, I close my eyes and spread out my arms. Using a temporary command, I called it forth.

“>”

Like in Sci-Fi movies, a strong electromagnetic-like pulse was released from my body while glowing in violet, green, and blue lights like a nebula. The pulse was the sudden release of my mana in large quantities. It was so strong that it almost blows everyone to the wall.

When the torrent of mana coursing through my body has stabilized, the colorful clouds return to me forming a gear that’s similar to the > > and >. But since I’m the one wearing it, I really can’t see my full form yet.

Everyone came to me looking very amazed. They’re too amazed that their voices were stuck in their throats. Because of their reactions, I can’t help but get excited.

“How do I look?”

Before answering, Cherry gulped her saliva while touching my chest plate.

“Powerful… It’s like the magic itself is in perfect harmony that even the sensation of your rage became a pleasant feeling. The closer I come to you, the more protected I feel.”

Is she serious?

If it weren’t for the helmet, she could have seen me blushing right now. I can tell since I can feel my cheeks burning.

Next, Matt also touched my shoulder pads and slide down her fingers down to my hand.

“Amazing! Not only that it’s immune to my drain, it also cancels it out. W-what is this magic?”

And lastly, I look at Sora who’s crossing his arms while looking perplexed.

“What’s the matter Sora?”

“Something’s bothering me. It’s like I’ve seen that form before. Not here but… I think you should see it for yourself.”

I wonder what is it what he sees. It’s making me curious.

After I let Shell takeover the armor, which is pretty convenient, I stepped out of the armor using >.

To my surprise, what I see is something beyond my expectations.

“Why does it look like the combination of Artanis and Alarak’s armor from Starcraft?”

Yes, that’s right. It does look like that. However, even though it does look highly similar, it’s also very different.

First of all is the helmet. The front part looks like a V with an extra stroke in the middle which is confusing if it’s either being burned or blown or both. Either way, it does look pretty sick. The horns that are supposed to be in the sides from the > now are gone and now are on the back of the head like a deer’s. There are also baton-shaped extensions below the V which gives off an intimidating look.

Second is the back of the armor. Instead of wings that are supposed to be from >, six blade-like steel are fixed on floating on the back with two half circles connecting them. Three of them are spread to the top while the other three are straight down. It almost looks like a fleur-de-lis with a big hole in the center. When I look closely at them, they seem to have things that move similarly to a flower petal. I’m not going to activate them yet since we’re indoors.

Third is the chest plate which has drastically changed. Instead of only a few gems attached to them, it now has eight small gems that have the size of a thumb arranged in an octagon shape and a large gem that has the size of a fist in the center. Four gems are glowing in silvery red and are connected by a violet line towards the middle violet gem which is also glowing in violet forming a cross. The next gems are glowing in torques blue and are not connected to the middle gem. If they’re connected, it’ll probably make an X mark.

Last is the leg part. Instead of just having a thick armor and mobility enhancement things attached to the joints, they are now are upgraded with small thrusters for flight. They’re pretty sick.

“Shell, how many weapons can you equip right now?”

“Two on each form, Master.”

“How many forms does it have?”

“Only two. But both have aerodynamic capabilities.”

“All in all there are four. Flight ability is present. Equip the current form’s weapon.”

After putting some distance from us, Shell released violet colored claws from the arms like the >. There’s not much different so I told him to hide them away.

***

“Well, that’s that for now. I have something to discuss with everyone.”

After I finished analyzing my new magic, I gathered everyone in the living room including Sanjeet’s group. Well everyone aside from Jane, Ghena, and Lapis. They’re currently cooking lunch.

“Down!”

“Okay now, you behave yourself.”

And by the way, Marie is with me. She’s trying to get down from my lap to stand on her own. It’s not like she can stand on her own yet so I lightly reprimand her and put her on my lap properly.

I then took notice to the fact that everyone is looking at me with a warm gaze.

“What?”

“You actually look like a genuine father. It’s heartwarming.”

“Aren’t I already a father, Sora? Well anyway, you might be curious on why I’ve called for everyone so I’m just going to get straight to the point. Today, I’m going to the Golden Gala with the King’s invitation. It’s probably related to the Sacred Treasure, so if ever something bad happens to me, I want everyone here to go back to Dalseriev territory. You’re highest priority is my fiancées’ protection and my daughter here.”

When I said that, everyone became surprised. It’s probably because my request is too sudden and probably it’s too unreasonable for them.

And of course, the first one I expected to speak out first is Cherry.

“Wait a minute! You’re not bringing us with you? Are you going to a dangerous place by yourself!?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea Cherry. It’s not like I’m going there to die, I’m just making some safety measures so that you wouldn’t caught up with something dangerous. Also, I won’t be doing something that could get me killed. My death means your death too.”

“And probably mine too.”

Matt didn’t like getting left out so she pulled my cheek.

Them aside, Sanjeet’s group seems to be confused.

“What’s the matter, guys?”

Taking a step forward, Sanjeet speaks the group’s thought.

“I can understand you a bit, but the others don’t. They’re feeling confused because they don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

It seems that Sanjeet misinterpreted, Flo also steps forward.

“Uhm, sir, we don’t actually understand why you would let us leave you. Aren’t we supposed to be your protectors?”

Oh, so that’s what they’re worried about.

“Actually, everyone here is hired for one sole reason. I didn’t employ you to be my protectors. I employed you to protect my family. Even though I’m well aware that my fiancées are strong, I’m still not confident enough to leave them. And if you’re worried about my protection, don’t worry, I can protect my own.”

I’m thankful that they’re worried about me. It just makes me feel at ease that I manage to hire good people.

“Uhm…”

All of a sudden, Amly who was standing behind Verma tried to say something but couldn’t.

“What is it, Amly? Do you have something to say?”

“Uh… I-I just want you to be careful out there. You have fiancées and a daughter waiting for you here.”

“Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Since she’s already standing near my path, I patter her head while leaving.

“Okay, today’s the moment of truth.”

***

“So since they’ve approved of you taking the sword, all you have to do is to pull it out.”

“Y-yeah…”

When I got on the carriage that was going to pick me up, I didn’t expect to see the King of Berigious, Teldarg with me too. So during the journey to the Golden Gala, he was giving me barrage of questions about my Mithril mine.

Thankfully he changed the topic before I got annoyed. If he didn’t, I’d probably use magic to make myself temporarily deaf.

“So about this Immortal Sword of Giants, what power does it possess to become qualified as a Sacred Treasure?”

Since I’m going to use it in the future, might as well ask about it in advance.

“Qualifications? I’m sorry to disappoint you young lad, but even for us dwarves who have been guarding it for centuries, we also have no clue regarding its powers. But according to the previous wielders, it gave them the power enough to defeat a dragon.”

Dragons? Dragons exist? Wait, wait, wait! This is a fantasy world, of course there are dragons. The only fantasy creatures and beings that I’ve seen so far are Dungeons, gods’ power, and dwarves. And also those fire breathing hounds and my puppy Silver. I want to see a dragon!

“Well anyhow, this sword isn’t simply something you pull from a stone like the Lost Excalibur. This sword chooses its owner carefully since it does not simply bestow anyone its prided strength. To pull it out, you must prove your worth with your own strength.”

“It sounds like it’s pretty hard.”

When we passed through the shadow of the wall gate of the Golden Gala, I noticed some noises outside our carriage.

“No matter how many times this happen, I can still get impressed on how fast the word spreads.”

“Wait, what do you mean by that.”

Teldarg only muttered to himself, but I manage to hear it despite the noise.

As if answering to my bad premonition, Teldarg replied gleefully.

“I told everyone about you pulling the sword.”

“Why did you have to do that!?”

Oh come on! I hate the attention. I’m the type of person who can’t stand the crowd especially if I’m the main star. This makes me remember how I messed up my dance during prom. I feel sick!

“H-hey, are you alright young man?”

“I-I’m fine. I’m just bad with crowds.”

Since I look like I’m going to throw up, Teldarg became worried. He wanted to call it off, but I didn’t let him because I don’t want to delay it.

When we arrived to the place where the Sword is, I found out that it was actually in the center of the Golden Gala. I can tell since I could see the three gates from where I’m standing.

The center of the Golden Gala is a water fountain with a spherical design with water running from the top. The sphere itself is divided by spiraling lines from bottom to where the water is running down from. If you ask me, it really looks good considering the fact that this sphere is actually made out of gold said by Teldarg.

“HALT THE WATER MILL!”

All of a sudden, Teldarg called out to his people with an ear deafening yell. Because of that, everyone went into a state of panic.

I thought that there would be accidents, but they’re surprisingly organized like they’ve been rehearsing it for a long time. I could see everyone running in specific directions without receiving any instructions. It’s very impressive.

The water from the fountain slows down as the water from the canals gets drained away and the fountain raises itself forming spiral stairs.

After that, the sphere opened up in a spiral form like a flower while emitting golden light from the inside. I wonder what’s making it glow.

“The last time this was opened was roughly 30 years ago.”

“Was it my grandfather?”

“Yes. His case was rather a mysterious one. None of us Dwarves or the past king understood how he lifted the sword. And not only that, he made our guardian, Gardaruqa, bow to him without lifting a finger.”

Just what kind of person grandpa was? Not only he’s filthy rich, as a genius in magic arts, enemy of the gods, but also feared? I can’t tell if he’s either amazing or dangerous.

While I was thinking of that, I also notice three dwarves also climbing up the stairs behind me.

“Let me introduce you to the Three members of the Council. They’re Beld, Geral, and Ulrok. They’re the dwarves I trust the most and they have helped me in making decisions for our city’s prosperity.”

Shortening Teldarg’s very long introduction, Beld is in charge of their military affairs. His mustache is looks really cool since it’s braided to the end.

Second, Geral. His beard is the same as Teldarg that’s tied in three directions, but his skin is slightly lighter. Despite being a dwarf, he’s actually a magician like me. He’s in charge of their Mining Business. For some reason, I feel like he doesn’t like me even though I didn’t do anything.

Third is Ulrok. He’s a master blacksmith second to Teldarg. Despite being a smith, he’s into jewel crafting involving magic. He even has as shop that sells jewelries imbued with magical effects. I wonder if he does franchising.

Ulrok walked towards me and shook my hand.

“So you’re the grandson of Godfre ‘eh. You look like ‘em in his youth. Humans sure do surprise me with their similarities despite mixing blood with other races.”

Well, unlike us. You dwarves look exactly alike to me—that’s what would I want to say, but I can’t since it might insult them.

“Thank you, Sir Ulrok. A lot of people do say that I look exactly like him.”

After shaking my hand, he asked me something weird.

“Some random question, are ya interested in magic tools?”

“Even though I’m a magician, I’m very interested in them. Why do you ask?”

“I’m making new [Cursed Series] magic tools and jewelries. Ya interested in ‘em?”

Cursed? No thanks!

But I can’t say that to his face.

“Those are some interesting things. I’d like to see them some time.”

“Well ya welcome in my shop anytime. Just send me a notice so that I can prepare the best things for ya. Ya grandpa likes ‘em too, he always buys them and add them to his collection.”

While he was talking about his relationship with my grandpa, Teldarg elbowed me to get my attention so I tilted my body slightly towards him. For some reason, he’s whispering to me.

“The only reason Godfre buys his cursed items is because they’re terrible. I told him to buy it and seal it away to insure the safety of the public.”

So that explains why there’s so many cursed jewelries back home. Grandpa’s been buying them so that no one would get hurt. I better lock them away for good after I get back. Displaying them inside a glad box was a bad move grandpa.

“Looking at you makes my head hurt. You’re like a splitting image of him.”

All of a sudden, Geral threw some sharp words at me.

“Ah, I forgot to mention this young man. Geral here actually has a bad relationship with your grandpa.”

“Why?”

“Well, since they’re both magicians, they argue quite a lot. Even though it’s like that, they were once close friends. About the aforementioned Secret Contraption, they’re the ones who made it. However, it became the reason why they stopped being friends.”

Uhg! These kinds of things are the ones that I avoid the most. To think that there’ll be one that’s indirectly related to me… this is going to be troublesome.

As a sign of respect, I gave my hand to Geral.

“You and my grandfather might have a bad relationship, please don’t be too harsh to me. Though I might have not met my grandfather before, I think he was quite saddened losing such an amazing friend.”

“Hmp! Your flattery is useless. You’re 40 years too early to do that to me who has lived for almost 400 years.”

To think that I’d get looked down by a midget who’s genetically smaller than me… I’m half-pissed and half-amazed.

But I also can’t show any hostility here.

When we got to the top of the stairs, everyone stood outside the spiral formation on the floor except for me.

“You’re the only one that’s going to pull the sword. We’re standing here just to be witnesses.”

Well that’s true. What did I even expect?

While retorting to myself who thought that they’ll come with me, I went to the center of the circle where a sword’s handle was waiting.

“Okay, this is the moment of truth. I hope nothing crazy or stupid will happen like demons appearing to interrupt or gods falling down from the sky or something.”

Oops, my thoughts inadvertently jumped out of my mouth that Teldarg and the rest were taken aback.

Anyhow, when I got to the center, I look at the handle with an amazed expression.

Not only that the handle is made out of gold, it also has some nice engravings especially on the hilt. Looking closely, it’s like the blade is fused with the floor because I can’t see any crack or things that hints of the floor getting cut.

“This looks quite hard to pull out.”

Without using any chant, I put > on myself, > on my muscles, > and > on my bones. It might be overkill, but I have to make sure I pull it out no matter what.

So, I hold the handle with both hands and prepare to pull it out with great force.

I clench my hand tightly on the handle so that I prevent myself from slipping.

I took deep breaths to prepare myself.

And just like King Arthur pulled the sword, so did I.

Or should have been…

Accompanied with the sound of metal breaking, the handle separated from the floor, without the blade.

Everyone who witnessed it is in shock that their eyes could pop-out including me.

After all, probably because I used too much force,

“IT BROKE!?”