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Gilbert dedicated himself to recovering the Mana Road after returning from the punitive force.

Of course, “dedicated” doesn’t mean he was doing anything particularly special. In fact, while he called it dedication, the recovery of the Mana Road was entirely left to his regeneration. Even recovery through Sacred Power had a negative impact on the Mana Road, so all Gilbert could do was focus the scope of his regeneration on the Mana Road. To add a few more details, he stopped the grueling training he had been doing every day without fail.

However, stopping his training and observing the recovering Mana Road was quite meaningful. His body was a custom character designed for the concept of a seasoned veteran, but its performance and talent were real.

Gilbert’s body, which had begun to transcend the realm of superhumans, was growing even as the Mana Road recovered. Like muscles growing, the Mana Road widened and became more robust.

By the time the final assessment period arrived, Gilbert, having recovered his Mana Road, was certain of one thing. Even if he buffed himself to the max like when he faced the Monster Ogre, his Mana Road wouldn’t suffer the same damage as before. The damage to his Mana Road this time had become a significant opportunity for him.

Someone once said, “Pain that doesn’t kill me only makes me stronger.” That saying fit Gilbert perfectly now.

Realizing that his Mana Road had fully recovered, Gilbert visited the training facility for the first time in a while. While he aimed for a higher realm through meditation, he fundamentally loved physical training and missed the training he couldn’t do during his recovery period.

Some might call his training near-abusive asceticism, but that was all relative. His insane body accepted all that training as part of his daily routine.

As his physical stats increased, his body became less responsive to stimulation, so increasing the intensity of his training was similar to a gym-goer adding more weight for a challenge. The only difference was that Gilbert’s actions made one wonder if a human could even do such things, but he simply believed it was possible.

Having a high-performance body, he trained to the extreme, and that alone was reason enough to be immersed in physical training.

As the final assessment approached, cadets began to appear in the training facility, and Gilbert was deep in his training trance when a letter arrived from Gwendolyn.

– It’s complete.

The letter was more like a note with just one sentence. But as soon as Gilbert read it, he requested permission to go out and headed to Gwendolyn’s weapon shop.

The “completion” she mentioned clearly referred to the sword he had entrusted to her earlier.

A sword made from Tears of the Moon, black iron, and mithril, with an artificial spirit embedded in it. He thought it wouldn’t be too much to dream of wielding the ultimate sword.

In the game, combat revolved around colossal mechs, but this was reality, not a game. Since there were more moments without a mech than with one, personal armament held greater significance than tactical combat.

Not long ago, Gilbert had to face a colossal mech bare-handed, so he deeply understood the importance of equipment. While it’s said that a master swordsman isn’t bound by their sword, good equipment could create greater synergy.

Gilbert, filled with anticipation, arrived at Ensis. The thought of soon seeing the highest-grade sword, obtainable only by following a specific route in tactical combat, made his fists clench involuntarily.

– Creak

A note on the weapon shop’s door said it would be closed for a while due to work, but Gilbert ignored it. He had come here because Gwendolyn called him, so the note meant nothing to him.

The weapon shop, once filled with weapons, now had empty shelves. It seemed she hadn’t made any weapons for a while to focus on his request.

“Gwendolyn.”

“Ah, Lord Gilbert.”

At Gilbert’s call, Gwendolyn staggered out of the workshop with dark circles under her eyes.

Her appearance was hard to describe as anything but a mess. Dark circles reached below her chin, her face was smeared with soot, her hair was a tangled mess, and her clothes were stained with grease and grime.

But her eyes sparkled brightly, indicating that she was satisfied with the result. Gwendolyn, who never compromised on swords, must have called it “complete” for a reason.

“Is that the sword?”

“Yes, it’s no exaggeration to call it the masterpiece of my life. Honestly, even if you asked me to make it again, I couldn’t. Masterpieces are like that.”

Gwendolyn, smiling weakly, carefully handed the sword over with both hands.

Gilbert also took the sword with both hands and gripped the hilt. The moment he held it, something electric surged through him.

A shiver, perhaps?

Now he understood why she called it the masterpiece of her life. In the game, it was just about getting the highest stats, but in reality, the sensation was different.

– Shlick!

He drew the sword skillfully, but not a sound was heard. It showed how much his skill had improved, but it also spoke to the sword’s perfection.

The blade, made of black iron and mithril alloy, was as dark as a moonless night.

The width and length were similar to the longsword Gilbert usually used, and the balance was perfect, allowing him to adapt immediately after a few swings.

In the center of the crossguard was a round groove, likely the spot for the artificial spirit core he had requested from the start.

“Once you insert the artificial spirit there, the sword will resonate with it. While making the sword, I discovered that mixing mithril and Tears of the Moon creates a unique mana wavelength. I couldn’t fully experiment since I only had a generic artificial spirit core, but with a good one, the sword might gain special abilities.”

“Abilities?”

“Yes, unintentionally, when I inserted the generic core, it seemed to generate sword energy. It’s more about drawing out the artificial spirit’s abilities than the sword having inherent powers.”

“Is that possible?”

“If you’re asking if it’s possible, normally it wouldn’t be. That’s why I said I couldn’t make this sword again.”

“Impressive.”

“It’s all thanks to someone who supported me in making this sword.”

Gwendolyn smiled at Gilbert.

For her, the sword was a dream.

Giving the best sword to the best swordsman.

Having created a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece, her dream was half-fulfilled.

The rest was up to Gilbert, the sword’s owner, to become the greatest swordsman. But as she watched him draw the sword, she was certain.

Even without its special functions, the sword’s performance alone surpassed any other. However, its perfection was also its flaw.

The sword’s aura was so intense that it couldn’t be controlled. Even Gwendolyn, its creator, couldn’t control it. Its cutting power was so sharp that it felt dangerous.

But the moment the sword was in Gilbert’s hands, it calmed down as if it had a will of its own.

The chilling aura that once surrounded the sword was now gone, making it feel like an ordinary sword.

This meant Gilbert had perfect control over the sword.

Sometimes, cursed swords are created because swordsmen can’t fully control them. Swords drenched in unnecessary blood due to their overly sharp aura become cursed.

In that sense, Gwendolyn hesitated to give the sword to Gilbert, even after completing it.

She knew he had the potential to become a great swordsman, but controlling the sword immediately was a different matter.

But that worry was just proven unnecessary. He was already at a level where he could masterfully control the sword’s aura.

“This sword’s aura is sharper than usual. It could become a cursed sword.”

“Do you know about cursed swords, Lord Gilbert?”

“Yes.”

Back when he played the game, one of his exploits was creating cursed swords. He knew better than anyone that cursed energy was created when a sword with an uncontrolled aura achieved a thousand kills.

Gilbert gently ran his hand along the blade.

His current level was far beyond that of an ordinary swordsman. Even with a standard-issue sword, he had sliced a colossal mech in half. The sword’s deadly aura was nothing he couldn’t handle.

As he admired the smooth blade, he took out an artificial spirit core from his pocket. It was CT-777, which he had brought with him.

“An artificial spirit core? You had an artificial spirit?”

“I did. That’s why I placed the order with you in the first place.”

In truth, he knew about the sword’s special functions. He just couldn’t let Gwendolyn know he was already aware, so he pretended otherwise.

Gilbert took a deep breath and inserted CT-777’s core into the crossguard’s groove.

– Hum

The sword vibrated slightly, then flashed with a white light.

[CT-777 activated. Gil, is this a sword?]

CT-777, usually in standby mode, activated immediately upon being inserted into the crossguard and asked about its status. It seemed to have activated differently this time.

“Yes. It’s synced with the sword.”

[Beginning analysis.]

[The sword’s material is determined to be an alloy of black iron, mithril, and Tears of the Moon.]

[Confirming usable functions.]

[It’s not comparable to a colossal mech, but it’s an excellent sword.]

“Can you confirm the usable functions too?”

[Yes. Since we’re synced, I can analyze everything. Knight.]

“W-what?! You can talk to the artificial spirit like this?!”

Gwendolyn, startled, widened her eyes as Gilbert conversed with CT-777 as usual.

As a sword smith, she didn’t know much about artificial spirits, but she knew they couldn’t hold casual conversations like this.

Generic artificial spirits, and even modern ones, didn’t have such complex language systems.

But Gilbert was having a precise conversation with his artificial spirit. This was beyond her understanding.

“CT is a prototype artificial spirit created for the next generation. I got it by chance.”

“By chance? You can’t just get something like this by chance…”

[I’ll take that as a compliment.]

“This is insane!”

Gilbert smiled faintly at her shocked expression. This was why he kept CT-777’s existence hidden. He used it while keeping it as secret as possible.

CT-777, capable of growth, was steadily evolving based on the data it gathered with Gilbert. What was once just an excellent artificial spirit had now entered the ranks of super-artificial spirits, capable of everyday conversation.

Its development speed had increased after syncing with Fressia, and it might soon reach Fressia’s level of intelligence.

Sometimes, even Gilbert was surprised when CT-777 cracked jokes in its stiff tone.

“I’ll hear about the sword’s abilities later. CT.”

[Understood. Gil. Switching to standby mode.]

The light from the artificial spirit core faded. Gwendolyn, still calming her racing heart, finally understood what kind of sword she had made.

“So this is why you said I might be able to make an ego sword?”

“Exactly. With CT, I thought it was possible.”

“So the final ingredient was the artificial spirit. Honestly, being with you, Lord Gilbert, is never boring.”

“More importantly, you should rest. You look terrible.”

Gilbert, glancing at Gwendolyn’s disheveled state, suggested she rest. Gwendolyn suddenly felt the fatigue that had been building up. Having confirmed that her sword was the best, her work as a sword smith was done.

Now, all she had to do was watch the story her sword would write in Gilbert’s hands.

So now, it was time to catch up on the sleep she had missed.

“You’re right. I’ve been staying up late, and my head feels foggy.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

Gwendolyn watched Gilbert leave without hesitation. She didn’t know what story he would write, but one thing was certain.

Her sword would undoubtedly find its name in the annals of history.

As the sword smith who created it, waiting for that glorious moment would be a great blessing in her life.

 

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