[Demon Lord] Dino, the [Sleeping Ruler].
One of the oldest members of the [Ten Great Demon Lords] and one of the [Seven Angels of Origin], he normally acted like a lazy slacker, but the moment he got serious, he transformed into the undisputed "strongest swordsman in the world"—a [Fallen One].
Every time Walpurgis, the banquet of Demon Lords, was held, I was the one who brought the [Demon Lord]s together alongside Rain and Misery. Between that experience and the knowledge from my previous life, I was probably one of the people who knew him best.
Not just his personality, but where he usually stayed, the weapons he favored, even his personal fighting style.
Other than Guy and Dagruel, there probably wasn't a single [Demon Lord] who knew more about him than I did.
"..."
But this sword... this sword in my hand was the one thing I couldn't understand.
Among the three [God-grade] weapons Dino possessed, there had never been a [Fragarach]—and to begin with, this sword had never even appeared in the novel.
If I had to make a guess, there were only two things I could conclude.
First, [Fragarach] was a sword from myth, just like Dino's two beloved blades: the holy sword [Excalibur], the golden sword, and the demonic sword [Caliburn], the dark silver sword.
And second—
Dino, true to the name [Fragarach], [Avenger], was someone deeply tied to revenge.
That was all.
"...There's not enough information."
There was no answer to be found right now.
No matter how badly I wanted to know, there was practically no information at all. How was I supposed to figure everything out from nothing?
Of course, if I stormed into Damargania right now, where Dino should be, and asked him directly, maybe he'd tell me something.
But that would be an obvious blunder.
Dino was still part of the [Seven Angels of Origin], and Feldway was still active. If I approached him carelessly at this point, all I'd do was raise the [Aggressors]' guard.
It would mean that the precarious balancing act I'd maintained for hundreds of years to avoid provoking them might collapse from this one mistake.
"...So after going in circles, I'm back where I started."
As always, the conclusion returned to one thing.
Until we gathered enough strength to face the [Aggressors] head-on, I had to quietly prepare for that war from the shadows.
That was the minimum condition for finding any answers.
"..."
"That look says, 'All I ever get are more questions, and it's driving me crazy.'"
"...!"
At Guy's murmur, I lifted my gaze from [Fragarach], and found his red eyes watching me with open interest.
They were a little like Ria's, but darker, deeper, stained with a richer blood-red hue.
The eyes of a king who devoured the weak.
"You finally got your hands on a [God-grade] weapon, and you're still worrying first. Any other demon would have thrown those worries aside and been satisfied with gaining more power."
Before long, Guy's gaze shifted away from me and settled on the empty air in front of us.
Like someone sinking into old memories, he kept speaking.
"Don't start worrying so much about things that haven't even happened yet. Being prepared is good, but sometimes you worry too much for your own good."
His tone was clearly teasing, but his eyes remained serious.
Which meant this was his way of giving sincere advice.
"And if you've got that much energy to worry, then check the sword first. You may have a lot of questions, but it's still a [God-grade] weapon. It won't be something useless to you."
With that, Guy smoothly changed the subject.
...Come to think of it, I still hadn't analyzed [Fragarach] in detail.
"...Maybe... this sword itself is a clue to the [Mindscape]."
The thought flashed through my mind, and my actions moved even faster.
"...[Odin]. Analyze this sword for me. If there's anything suspicious about it, tell me immediately."
<Understood.>
As I waited, wondering whether the sword itself might hold some clue, [Odin]'s voice rang out before even a few minutes had passed.
<—Analysis of the demonic sword [Fragarach] is now complete.>
And then—
the abilities [Odin] reported for [Fragarach] were—
<Confirmed the demonic sword's inherent abilities: [Unerring Strike], [Compelled Answer], and [Accumulation].>
—so absurdly overpowered that even I had to be stunned.
<[Unerring Strike]: By the user's will, creates a sword wave that can never miss.>
The ultimate offensive power, enough to pierce even the defenses of [God-grade] armor.
<[Compelled Answer]: By the user's will, draws out the target's information and thoughts.>
On top of that, it had versatility on par with analysis-type [Skill]s.
<[Accumulation]: If the user falls into a berserk state, absorbs the emotion of rage.>
And it even came with a safety device to prevent rampage.
As a weapon, it was close to ideal.
"...Maybe it's because it's a sword from myth, but its performance is definitely the real deal."
In myth, [Fragarach] was also said to possess an attack that never missed and the power to force the truth from its opponent, so it made sense that this sword would have similar abilities.
"..."
"And with this sword... I can use Dwargo's fifth secret art too."
—Dwargo's Fifth Secret Art.
Until now, I had only used up to the fourth secret art, and the reason I had never used the fifth was simple.
"Because I didn't have a sword equal to [Overlord Black Star], or stronger."
Unlike the earlier secret arts, the fifth only revealed its true worth when used as a dual-sword technique.
In other words, it required a blade on the level of my [Overlord Black Star] and the other sword left behind by old Gran, the one King Gazel possessed, to function properly.
But I couldn't very well steal the sword of King Gazel, the national treasure of Dwargo, and it wasn't as though I absolutely needed the fifth secret art right away, so I had simply left it alone.
Old Gran had known that too, which was why he had only taught me the method for using it.
"But if I can use it, then I should."
The fifth secret art was the final destination of the earlier arts, and the very core of Dwargo swordsmanship.
The First Secret Art, Rock Emperor, removed the enemy's footing.
The Second Secret Art, Earth Blossom, created openings through sheer volume.
The Third Secret Art, Sword Lord, scattered the enemy's focus.
The Fourth Secret Art, Heavenly Star, sealed off all escape routes.
And the Fifth Secret Art finished them by cutting off their last breath.
All five secret arts together formed Dwargo's swordsmanship, a style that in some ways rivaled top-tier [Arts].
Which also meant I had gained one more trump card I could use.
"...I guess that means even if my worries increased, so did what I gained."
The swordsmanship old Gran taught me consumed less than [Arts] and could be used repeatedly, so for someone like me, who was weak in prolonged battles, it would become an extremely important weapon.
It seemed this wasn't all loss after all, and the weight in my chest eased a little.
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