1.
My lord...?
I didn’t know the precise definition of the word, but it definitely wasn’t something she should be saying to me.
Maybe she had been reminded of someone she used to serve, but I simply stared at her without saying much.
...She’s pretty.
Hehe.
If the Dawn Apostles had one thing in common, it was that you could easily spend five hours just looking at their faces.
Cordelia was no exception.
There were still some I hadn’t met yet...
But by now, I had a feeling the others would be similar.
"Anyway, let’s call that a yes. But you have to give me proper feedback."
[...But, Lionel, I looked into something just now.]
[Let’s talk about it a little later.]
Yeah, sure.
"I will never take this favor for granted."
Cordelia bowed her head again.
"I will treasure the equipment you lend me. I will relay all the usage feedback you requested... and separately from that, I will certainly repay this kindness."
"I haven’t even made it yet, though..."
"...I am grateful even for the offer alone."
Honestly, that was how it was.
I might be the one with the upper hand wherever I went, but in the end, I needed someone who could put the equipment to good use.
Like how a high five only makes a sound when there are two hands.
No matter how golden my hands were, I needed someone who could make them shine.
And if that person was Cordelia, the number one in the rankings, wasn’t that ideal?
Among people who could make my work shine, she was practically the best there was.
With that, our agreement—which reflected both our needs—was more or less concluded.
"There are a few things I need. First, you’ll need to send me all the equipment you used, along with that broken sword."
Putting the matter of payment aside, I should mention what I needed first.
Honestly, Cordelia didn’t seem like the kind of person who would lack money.
"And footage. I need footage of you fighting."
The real shame was that combat footage of most notable rankers was publicly available.
That was how I had come up with Seren’s equipment.
But Cordelia...
Other than old combat footage from her days as a Dawn Apostle, it seemed her side had controlled all information about her battles after she joined the Company.
I had asked Yuna to look for it, but it was the same.
There was nothing at all I could use as a reference.
There were barely even any photographs of her beyond promotional shots.
"...I think you can send it to Dolores."
Then she could pass it along to me.
Since they didn’t know I had the Tower system, directly watching it would give me better image quality than a crystal ball.
"Ah, it doesn’t have to be intense combat. Just your usual sword forms... or movements like that would be fine."
She was injured, so she needed to refrain from anything too strenuous.
It would be a problem if she pushed herself trying to do it properly for my sake.
"Understood. I’ll prepare it... and send it to you."
"When you’re feeling well. Consult with Camilla, too."
Nod.
Camilla nodded as well.
With a pretty doctor looking after her too, I figured there was no need to worry about this side of things.
"Then I’m counting on you."
"That is what I should be saying..."
Cordelia bowed again.
I was extremely unused to this whole conversation conducted in such reverent language.
So I took a step back at an appropriate moment.
I also needed to start mentally preparing for the crafting process.
"Take good care of yourself."
I figured the three of them had plenty to discuss, so I exchanged a glance with Dolores.
Dolores nodded to signal that it was fine.
Just as I was about to leave after saying goodbye...
"Um...!"
"Yeah?"
When I turned around, Cordelia was looking at me.
Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but...
"................ Please, I leave it in your hands."
"Ah... okay."
I nodded once more and left the drawing room.
Until the instant the door closed, Cordelia’s eyes remained fixed in my direction.
For some reason, she was gripping her left forearm tightly.
When I returned to Dolores’s bedroom, I lay down on the bed for a while.
To sort out my thoughts...
"Yuna, what was that about earlier?"
I remembered Yuna calling for me.
[Yeah, it’s nothing major, but something occurred to me, haha.]
[Lionel... do you know what it means in this world to bestow a sword on someone?]
How would I know?
You could say I knew almost nothing beyond smithing.
"Doesn’t it mean, like, ‘keep up the good work’?"
I had been deeply into subculture in my previous life, but nothing in particular came to mind.
[When the Imperial Family bestows a sword... it means they’re knighting the recipient.]
"Ah... that kind of thing?"
I got it.
I thought I had seen that sort of ceremony before, where they drew a sword and tapped someone on both shoulders with it.
It seemed this world had something similar.
[It’s even more serious among nobles. The head of a house can bestow a sword and make someone their knight...]
[The one receiving the sword swears loyalty... It’s like a closer, more binding relationship...?]
Hmm...
The Rosenfelt family had once been a baronial house.
Apparently, it was an old knightly family that had valued swordsmanship and loyalty for generations.
I didn’t know the details of how they had fallen, but let’s say a descendant of such a family lost her sword.
Then the person who could be said to have saved her life offered to give her a new sword...
...
Depending on how Cordelia interpreted it...
‘You who lost your family, I shall bestow a sword upon you. From this day forward, I am your lord... and you are my knight.’
‘Ah... y-yes...’
It did seem like it could come across that way.
[But you’re lending it to her, right...?]
"Who knows."
Because I was lending it, it didn’t have that meaning?
That was just playing with words.
I was going to make a sword with the expectation that Cordelia would use it anyway.
I would tailor it to fit that beautiful woman’s hand... make it so she could wield it as well as possible.
I had only called it a loan to give myself a justification for making it.
...There was no need to deceive myself by calling it a loan.
Let’s say I got it back. Who would I give it to?
I had never even imagined someone else using equipment I had made for a particular person in the first place.
"...Now that I think of it."
Why not sort through some materials?
Strike while the iron was hot.
I sprang to my feet and headed straight for the workshop.
2.
The balance of power was undergoing a drastic upheaval.
The Company’s strongest sword—
Cordelia Rosenfelt, a powerful figure in her own right—had failed the attempt on the 200th floor, suffered injuries, and then...
made the bold move of leaving the Company altogether.
The Company had lost its most powerful card.
Consequently, the situation had changed, and Seren’s climbing schedule, which had been prepared somewhat urgently, was naturally pushed back.
It had been a climb meant to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Company in the first place, so after the 200th floor had been failed... there was no reason to force the schedule.
On the contrary, after seeing the vanguard, Cordelia, get utterly wrecked, they needed to prepare even more thoroughly.
"...So you’re saying we currently have no way of knowing the cause of the failure."
"Yes, that is correct."
The issue was that there was no way to access footage of Cordelia’s attempt.
The Company would never willingly hand it over...
And even if they asked the person involved directly, they could not defy the Tower’s rules.
In the end, all they could do for now was...
‘Focus on honing my own martial prowess.’
Thus, somewhat tedious days came to Seren.
Of course, she did not neglect her training.
But after finishing her daily routine, things were different...
Click, clack, clack.
She locked the triple locking mechanism.
Still wearing the armor she had worn all day, she switched it to Mode Three.
Rustle...
The corners of Seren’s lips slowly curved up as she looked into the mirror.
Her hobby these days was standing before the mirror in this bikini—which she never grew tired of looking at—and taking pictures.
She was eagerly awaiting a vacation when she could stroll along an empty beach wearing this outfit.
"...As expected."
It suited her far too well... didn’t it?
Just how carefully had Master Cristiano studied her body?
‘Doesn’t he know my body better than I do...?’
Seren fiddled with the edge of the swimsuit...
Sniff.
She sniffed it for no particular reason, but the subtle vanilla scent had faded with time.
...
What confused her—what was strange, rather—was one thing.
That scent from then... had also come from the child Dolores was raising.
Now that the scent was gone, there was no way to compare them again and confirm it.
As she set the outfit down and rested...
Ding!
An utterly unexpected message appeared before her eyes.
[Cordelia Rosenfelt]
[Seren.]
...!
Her heart lurched.
Seren tightly gripped the swimsuit cover-up and frowned.
Cordelia Rosenfelt.
The opponent she had considered her lifelong rival.
They were companions, but no one would deny that they were also rivals.
Because they were both... swordswomen.
Of course, Seren was a woman capable of objectively assessing herself. Being rivals and being equally skilled were not synonymous...
Until now, she had been clearly outclassed.
It could be called a matter of ‘compatibility.’
Seren was a heavily armored knight who wielded a weighty greatsword, while Cordelia was a swordswoman capable of tremendous speed.
They had opposing styles: one defensive, the other offensive.
But...
‘Things are different now.’
Now she had equipment made for her by that person.
...She had the armor Cristiano had made for her.
Equipment that could withstand all of Cordelia’s movements... and let her realize the dreams she envisioned.
It did not slow her down even when worn. She no longer had to obsess over defense.
And as though she knew Seren’s feelings...
[Would you be willing to spar?]
Cordelia had asked for a spar.
"Right after recovering from her injuries..."
And she was asking Seren, of all people?
Seren lightly bit down on her molars.
Had Cordelia chosen her as someone to test whether her body had recovered?
Or did she still think Seren was someone she could defeat whenever she wanted?
Either way, it wounded her pride.
Perhaps it was an inferiority complex.
Yes... in truth, Seren held an inferiority complex toward Cordelia.
...
Tap.
[Come here.]
Seren accepted the spar.
Because this time... she intended to give Cordelia quite a surprise.
3.
Cordelia had a great deal to think about.
The footage she needed to send her benefactor...
What kind of display would help him make the sword?
He had said she did not need to overexert herself.
He had also said that merely showing the movements she usually made while wielding a sword would be enough, but...
She felt uneasy about ending it after showing only a few forms.
...
She hated doing anything halfheartedly.
That was why she could not simply grab anyone and cross swords with them.
She needed an opponent who could properly receive her sword.
Someone with whom she could exchange blows through swordsmanship alone, without overpowering them with raw strength...
There was only one swordswoman who met that condition.
‘Seren de Lumiere.’
The most ideal knight Cordelia knew.
Cordelia had claimed more victories, but that did not mean Seren had nothing to teach her.
If it was Seren, they could produce a sparring match her benefactor could use as a sufficient reference.
But...
‘Would she have time?’
They had seen each other once in the garden not long ago, but...
Seren was, after all, a knight serving the Imperial Family.
Cordelia felt a little guilty about asking her to make time for her personal circumstances.
After hesitating slightly, Cordelia sent a message.
[Seren.]
After quickly following up with her request for a spar, the reply arrived at once.
[Come here.]
Seren had readily accepted.
...
The stiffness around Cordelia’s mouth relaxed.
[Thank you. I’ll be there soon.]
After sending her reply, Cordelia picked up a practice sword.
The place Seren had told her to come to was the Dawn Apostles’ headquarters.
A sparring hall set up behind the garden.
Creak...
When she opened the door, a spacious sparring hall came into view...
Seren, who had arrived first, turned her head.
"You’re here. Is your body... all right?"
"It’s not bad."
"That’s good, then?"
After their brief greeting, Cordelia’s gaze fell upon Seren’s armor.
...
Good equipment.
Could it even be described merely as good equipment? She doubted it.
It was equipment that inspired awe.
The subtle mana flowing over its surface, and its structure, perfectly fused with Seren’s joints.
‘I can’t see an opening.’
It was a sensation she had never felt when facing Seren before.
‘We can get good footage.’
Perhaps she would experience defeat today.
But then...
"Do you recognize it?"
The corner of Seren’s lips rose.
"Yeah."
Would the sword her benefactor made also fit her hand like that...?
As Cordelia briefly entertained that thought, Seren asked with a puzzled expression.
"Cordelia, where’s your equipment?"
"I don’t have any."
...
"It all broke."
Seren’s eyes swept over Cordelia’s black dress.
What a provocative dress...
It was an outfit she had never once seen Cordelia wear in all her life.
And then...
"It’s fine. Seren, you can keep your equipment on."
...
And then...
"...What?"
Silence fell.
Cordelia could not understand why Seren was making that expression.
Just because Cordelia had no equipment did not mean Seren needed to take hers off too, did it?
Rather, armor that good would protect her from any unexpected injuries...
"It’s fine like this."
...
The amusement vanished entirely from Seren’s lips.
It was fine for her to face Seren in armor while she herself went bare-bodied?
Did Cordelia really think the difference between them was that vast?
"...Make it equal."
Rustle...
Seren’s armor withdrew, revealing the white dress she wore underneath.
After setting down the greatsword she had been holding, Seren headed to one side of the sparring hall...
Whoosh, tap.
She returned carrying a practice greatsword as well.
"Is that good enough?"
...
Cordelia slightly tilted her head and asked back.
"Would it be okay if I record this?"
"...Do whatever you want."
With permission granted, the preparations were complete.
Facing each other, Cordelia looked over Seren’s stance.
The familiar distance between her feet... and the height of her sword tip.
Just as Cordelia remembered from the many times they had crossed swords.
There was no difference in equipment, and both of them held practice weapons.
‘There’s no way I’ll lose.’
Seren had always used defensive swordsmanship; there was an innate difference in their compatibility.
What version of Cordelia did Seren remember?
Cordelia had continued to skirt death after that, breaking through the Tower’s front lines with shitty equipment.
Seren had not stood still in the meantime, either, but...
Surely the gap she remembered was not the same as the gap between them now.
Tap.
Cordelia steadied her breathing, then hurled herself forward.
Meanwhile, at Dolores’s estate.
Ding!
[Mama]: (Video)
[Mama]: Lionel, Cordelia’s footage has arrived.
"Oh?"
Already?
Lionel stopped what he was doing and opened the video that had been sent...
"...Oh dear."
In the footage, Seren was being overwhelmingly beaten by Cordelia.
He quickly realized why.
"...Why did she take off her armor?"
Wasn’t that why I made it for her?
...So she could overcome the limits she had been unable to surpass.
And his concern proved exactly right.
...
Without her armor... Seren was far too slow to keep up with Cordelia.
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