First of all, I made a greatsword.
Using plenty of silver transformed by mana and gold transformed by mana in the right ratio to create an alloy, and using gold transformed by mana for the joints… Hmm… It’s getting annoying calling it this way!
Just call the mana-transformed steel adamantium!! The mana-transformed silver mithril!! And the mana-transformed gold orichalcum!!!
Strictly speaking, they’re different metals, but since I made them, I’ll name them as I please! Who’s gonna say anything about it?!
Ahem. Anyway.
When you grip the sword completed with an alloy of mithril and orichalcum in both hands and channel a specific pattern of mana into the hilt…
Kiiing!
The metal of the blade quickly transforms, and starting from the hand holding the sword, a silvery armor is formed.
Armor covering the back of the hand, forearm, chest, shoulders, and hips is completed. Lastly, greaves that protect the shins, calves, and feet are added to finish things off.
Hmm. Good. It’s working properly. Especially the automatic transformation and attachment parts are perfect. All the trial and error paid off.
Moreover, after transformation, it locks firmly in place. You can’t take it off until you input the mana pattern to revert it to greatsword form.
Honestly, I’d love to cover the whole body in plate armor, but unfortunately, there wasn’t enough metal for that kind of armor.
This is the compromise I had to make. If I hadn’t compromised, the greatsword would’ve been even bigger.
I wanted to add finger armor, upper arm armor, thigh armor, and even a helmet, but alas…
Enough whining. I moved my body around to check the condition of the armor.
The part I focused on was movement after putting on the armor. Despite being made of metal plates, it doesn’t hinder movement at all.
Most major joints except the ankles are left exposed, which makes sense when you think about it. The joints covered by the armor were carefully designed not to interfere with movement.
I can rotate my wrists freely without any resistance, and the same goes for my ankles. Twisting my waist feels perfectly natural too.
Next is the strength test, but… the alloy of mithril and orichalcum mixed in the right proportions is honestly so strong that no other metal besides adamantium or orichalcum could scratch it.
Even if adamantium or orichalcum could leave a mark, the transformations restore everything, so essentially it has automatic repair functionality.
Should I add some other functions? Absorbing dark shards from monsters’ mana stones is a basic feature, absorbing mana too, and giving buffs to the user… Hmm… What else should I add?
Having the sword shoot fire or ice shards is… problematic because the mana absorption function interferes with that.
Well, this should be enough, right? It’s a bit disappointing not having a ranged attack option.
Still, this is already an excellent weapon.
Oh, that’s right. I made a slot for a black diamond but forgot to insert it.
I placed the black diamond in the slot on the chest part of the breastplate. Great. That’s done.
Now the black diamond will absorb and store mana and dark shards while embedded in this sword.
And the function to extract mana from the black diamond to enhance the user is also ready.
Think of it as a sort of battery.
I lightly swung the one-handed sword I was holding and took a look.
The one-handed sword, which serves as the core of the transformation, is quite sharp on its own.
Thanks to a thin layer of adamantium on the edge, it’s very light while maintaining incredible durability.
In this era where iron weapons are still rare, this sword deserves to be called legendary.
I channeled mana into the sword I was holding, and the linked silvery armor began transforming.
Reversing the process of equipping, the leg armor starts merging with the sword.
Next, the breastplate and shoulder armor attach, finishing with the forearm armor.
The sword reverts to its original greatsword form.
The only difference from before is the black diamond embedded slightly above the hilt in the middle of the blade.
The overall silver greatsword with hints of alchemical gold and faint golden tones looks more magnificent than I imagined.
Though with the black diamond embedded, it kinda looks like a demon-slaying sword. Hmm…
Eh, whatever!
So next is… the hero!
I can’t create someone qualified to be a hero, but I can verify if the person holding this sword possesses the necessary qualities.
For example, they must be good-hearted.
Possess outstanding talent.
Can’t let injustice go unchallenged.
Show no hesitation in saving others.
Be willing to sacrifice something precious for the greater good… though that might be going too far.
Also, I’ll include anyone I personally designate as a hero.
By the way, my designation has top priority, allowing me to override all other conditions – basically a backdoor.
It’s just a precaution! Surely there will be hero material out there somewhere? Though I prepared it just in case, I doubt I’ll need to use it!!
Anyway, roughly setting these conditions and only allowing those who pass all of them to wield the Sword of the Hero… sounds Arthurian, doesn’t it?
But who cares? There’s no King Arthur legend here, and Merlin doesn’t exist either.
If we need a hero, bring someone with heroic qualities to claim this sealed sword. If they pass the conditions, they can wield the sword; otherwise, they’re disqualified.
If someone initially qualified but changes over time… make it so they can’t wield the sword anymore.
It may seem harsh, but people do change after all.
Alright. Seems like the Sword of the Hero is roughly complete…
Ah, most important thing I forgot. What should I name this sword?
Excalibur, the most representative name? No, it’s used too often in fiction.
Gram? Balgung? Tyrfing? These are more like demon-slayer names.
Since it’s the hero’s sword, something with a bright image… hmm…
Ah, that’s right. There was a suitable name.
The god’s sword from Celtic mythology. Clao Solais.
The real pronunciation might be Clew Soliss, but Clao Solais sounds more familiar… yeah, let’s go with that.
And taking the name of its owner, Agathlam seems fitting for the armor form when the greatsword transforms. The armor color is shining silver too.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The boy and girl stood facing each other, swords in hand.
The boy’s sword was a massive greatsword with a black diamond embedded. Just looking at it radiated an extraordinary presence.
In contrast, the girl in the hood held a plain iron sword. Its thickness and length were completely ordinary, lacking any distinguishing features.
Judging by the extraordinary aura emanating from their weapons, the boy seemed destined to win overwhelmingly, but reality proved different.
“Haaa!”
The boy swung his greatsword down at the girl. A sleek strike unmatched by its size, carrying the momentum to cleave through solid steel.
It looked dangerously lethal, as if the girl would be split in two any moment, standing beneath the descending greatsword.
But the girl calmly extended her iron sword forward.
The fragile iron sword appeared ready to snap like a candle in the wind against the mighty greatsword strike, yet the girl’s skill defied such an outcome.
Just before impact, she subtly dropped it slightly to create an opening, then hooked onto the side of the greatsword with her iron sword and gently pushed it aside with minimal force.
Clang!!
The greatsword struck the ground without even grazing the girl’s collar.
“That’s enough.”
“Yeah. Good job.”
With the conclusion reached, the girl returned her iron sword to its scabbard, and the boy secured his greatsword behind his back, starting to loosen up his muscles.
His suddenly active muscles seemed surprised, feeling stiff.
“When will I become stronger?”
“You’re already strong.”
The boy couldn’t rejoice at the girl’s words.
Because he had never once defeated her, despite wielding the legendary Sword of the Hero. He couldn’t overcome her plain iron sword.
He just felt pitiful seeing himself.
He wanted to appear strong and cool in front of her, forgetting that he had just swung the greatsword in an attempt to impress moments ago.
“I’m just a bit stronger, that’s all.”
Unaware of the boy’s thoughts, the girl was subtly boasting.
“But… I don’t know if I can truly excel as a hero like this.”
“Don’t worry. You can do it.”
The boy spoke without confidence, but the girl replied with certainty.
“My judgment, and the sword’s choice, are not false. So don’t worry.”
“But…”
“If you lack confidence in yourself and can’t believe in yourself, believe in me. Believe in me who believes in you.”
“What does that even mean?”
The boy could only give an awkward laugh at the girl’s words.
A gentle breeze blew across the open space, cooling the sweat on the boy’s forehead. Enjoying the refreshing wind, his gaze stopped on the girl wearing the stifling hood.
“Isn’t that hood uncomfortable?”
“Not really.”
“Looks uncomfortable. Can’t you take it off?”
Shaking her head at the boy’s question.
“It’s not time to reveal my horns yet. If word gets out that I’ve appeared… While members of the Church of Life might understand, outsiders would be greatly shocked. It needs to remain a secret until the right time.”
After all, the appearance of the Dragon Priestess signifies a crisis approaching the world’s lifeforms.
– From the adventure records of a certain hero party.
