Chapter 225 Black Moon
――The next day, Fiona's days of cooking continued.
Fortunately, by keeping our promise to "cook together," I was able to help with the cooking, and Fiona's super-dimensional recipe was somehow stopped, so normal and delicious dishes were served at the table.
However, I was stuck eating snakes, turtles, and scorpions all by myself.
Well, compared to the disgusting meat chunks and iron-tasting wine, it was much better.
The snake was just a snake; it had a bit of a taste and a lot of bones, but it was still edible. It didn't require any potions, so it was just meat.
Surprisingly, the turtle was actually pretty good. It was served in a soup, and it was delicious enough that I wanted to eat it again. Lucia looked at me like I was a weirdo, so I forced her to try the soup, and her attitude changed completely; she was happy and said it was tasty.
The scorpion was deep-fried and sprinkled with salt, but it tasted and felt just like shrimp. No, not the meat, but the crispy shell of shrimp that had been grilled or fried.
The only thing I couldn't finish was the tiger's testicles.
Two whole ones were boiled and made into soup, but man, they were so smelly, just really stinky. I definitely think the cooking method was wrong. I mean, I don't even think it's supposed to be food.
Anyway.
Aside from me being forced to eat strange ingredients, it was a very peaceful dinner table. I couldn't eat the tiger's testicles, but I finished everything else. I was relieved that Fiona's cooking was normal for once.
However.
For some reason, I couldn't sleep from that day on. Even when I did sleep, I would wake up after an hour or 2, and after that, I just couldn't get sleepy again.
I wouldn't say I'm still tired, but I definitely feel energetic enough to want to run around the city completely naked.
"――UoooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
Late at night, even after running around the city with [Skywalk Rapid Flash], I still couldn't burn off my energy. So, I gave up on sleeping and decided to focus on making a wooden sword.
I spent almost the entire day completely focused, diving into my work.
Just 4 days after starting, I finished all the tasks!
I lined up the completed wooden swords and the weapons and armor made for specific people on the workbench for a final check.
These were a series of combined wooden swords and weapons made from 'Gravity Elemental Treant wood' and 'Elder Treant wood.'
I named it the "Black Moon."
Since the "Black Moon" series uses 'Gravity Elemental Treant,' it gets heavier when you channel aura through it, making it harder to handle. But it's much lighter than "Black-White," and everyone using it has better physical abilities than me. Once they get used to the difficulty of handling such heavy weapons, they should be able to swing them without needing to channel magical energy to lighten them.
And since I had some extra time, I decided to make some other wooden swords too.
These were made using the 'Attribute Treant wood' that I had gathered from the 4 families.
Since I had materials for all attributes, I was able to complete wooden swords for every attribute.
Here's the list:
From 'Fire Elemental Treant'――"Ruby"
From 'Water Elemental Treant'――"Sapphire"
From 'Wind Elemental Treant'――"Jadeite"
From the 'Earth Elemental Treant'――"Rock Iron"
From the 'Light Elemental Treant'――"Dawn"
From the 'Dark Elemental Treant'――"Night Sky"
From the 'Ice Elemental Treant'――"Silver"
From the 'Thunder Elemental Treant'――"Thunder God"
From the 'Gravity Elemental Treant'――"Black-White"
From the 'Holy Elemental Treant'――"Holy Relic"
I thought it would be hard to make something, but it wasn't difficult at all.
Compared to when I first completed "Silver," my control over aura has grown a lot. Even though there are materials with unique properties like the 'Gravity Elemental Treant,' it wasn't hard to process them.
"Well, I made them, but... I probably won't use anything except 'Black-White' much..."
In the fight against the [Evil God]――not just that, but basically "Black-White" has the best performance. Each attribute has its uses against enemies with weaknesses, and "Dawn" and "Thunder God" have the feature of fast aura flight, so I probably won't completely ignore them.
Also, in raid battles, "Holy Relic" seems like it will be quite useful.
However, if you ask whether these are essential, the answer is no.
I knew that from the start, but I still wanted to make them for a reason. I wanted to understand the properties of each material.
The thing is...
"I was hoping to somehow create a composite wooden sword that combines all 'Attribute Treants,' but I guess it was impossible..."
Yeah, I was trying to make a certain wooden sword.
It's the "strongest wooden sword I thought of," combining all the Attribute Treants and allowing me to use all the attributes freely.
I had this idea when I completed "Silver," but at the same time, I had a feeling that I probably couldn't make it.
The reason is that the materials I'm combining for the composite wooden swords "Silver Peak" and "Black Moon" are the "Elder Treant's core wood," which has no attributes.
Attributes are a state where magical energy or aura is specialized, so it's impossible for 2 or more attributes to fuse together. In other words, even if I combine multiple Attribute Treants into one sword, the auras that are dyed with different attributes will either repel each other or one aura's attribute will overwrite the other.
Therefore, using 2 or more Attribute Treants in a single sword is not only meaningless but will only weaken it.
Besides the fact that I can't complete a composite wooden sword with all attributes, I actually had one concern right now.
It's the "Black-White," which can withstand my ultimate technique, but I wonder if it will hold up when transformed into the "Platinum Sword" like I did in the fight with Logan.
I kind of understand that it's probably impossible, but I need to check before fighting the [Evil God].
If possible, I want the ultimate sword that can also withstand the transformation into the "Platinum Sword," but... for now, I didn't feel like I could make it.
It would be nice if there were higher-level materials than the "Attribute Treant's core wood."
Like the World Tree or the Divine Tree...
* * *
――And so, by the end of that day.
I quickly took the finished "Black Moon" series and went to the workshop of the "Wooden Sword Way," where I handed them over to Io.
The heavy attribute weapons were complete, but I told Io that I couldn't come by tomorrow due to some plans, and I asked him to take care of the rest.
The next day, after a night had passed.
Fiona, Lucia, and I had teleported early in the morning to a quiet area in the grasslands north of Necronia.
Our goal was to see if "Black-White" could withstand the transformation into the "Platinum Sword," and I wanted to hear Lucia's opinion. Since we had already run out of the 'core wood from the Gravity Elemental Treant,' we couldn't actually test it with "Black-White."
There was only one "Black-White," so I couldn't afford to break it.
So, I chose a deserted spot, took out "Black Radiance," and infused it with aura to transform it into the "Platinum Sword."
With a clear sound of "cling!", "Black Radiance" changed into a sword made of platinum light. In front of Fiona and Lucia, who were wide-eyed, I swung the sword.
At the same moment the sword vanished from my hand, an invisible slash quietly shot forward.
――Silence.
There was no impact at all.
Aside from the natural wind, there wasn't even a slight disturbance in the air.
"......Alright."
It seemed like I had succeeded. This itself had no real meaning, but I had sent out a slash that "didn't cut anything."
I suspect that the technique I used on Logan in the underground [Temple] required this skill.
Selecting what to cut means not cutting anything else.
If someone asked me what exactly I did, I would be at a loss. It's not something I can explain logically; it's a very instinctive technique. I think, before swinging the sword, I change the very nature of the sword itself.
This advanced technique should turn into a slash that cuts the magical energy I released at Logan.
――Well, putting that aside.
"How was it?"
I turned around and asked Lucia.
Lucia and Fiona stood there for a while, mouths agape in shock.
Eventually, Lucia was the first to snap back to reality and spoke up.
"...What did you just do?"
"Oh, that was――."
I explained that I had unleashed a slash without even cutting the air.
"Eh...? What is that...?"
Fiona murmured, looking very confused.
However, Lucia nodded as if she understood something. Then she began to explain.
"Well, from what Aaron just said, I think I get it. If it's in that state, I don't think even a sword made of Gravity Elemental Treant could withstand it."
"Hmm... Is there any material that could withstand it?"
"None."
Lucia stated firmly.
"Because, at the moment it shines platinum, the material that makes up the sword is already collapsing."
"...What do you mean?"
The "platinum sword" transformation is a trump card. I want to make sure I understand it properly. I asked Lucia to explain it in detail. No, I've never pretended to know more than I do.
"Probably, what we saw earlier was the sword's mass being turned into energy. But this energy isn't heat; it's something like Phenomenon Alteration Energy. It's not magical energy, but I think it has properties similar to aura."
"...Go on."
"If that was a conversion of the material's thermal energy, there should have been a huge explosion that could blow us all the way to Necronia. And that would be uncontrollable. But Aaron seemed to be controlling it."
"Hmm..."
"And if that was aura, then you shouldn't be able to unleash a 'slash that doesn't cut anything' like before. The same goes for a 'slash that only cuts magical energy.' Aura has the property of physically interacting with magical energy."
"That's true..."
"In other words, I think it's something like a mix between magical energy and aura. It consumes the mass of the sword, increases energy, and creates desired phenomena within the range of controllable energy... Maybe that's the True Identity of that technique."
"...So, even if it is 'Black-White', if it becomes a 'Platinum Sword', it will collapse?"
"...I've been saying that from the start."
Lucia shot me a glare with narrowed eyes.
Hey, do you really think I wasn't listening? That's a bit too much, don't you think?
"Lucia, I mostly understood from your explanation."
"......"
"Hey, stop looking at me like you don't believe a word of it. I mean, isn't it possible to do something like this?"
I explained what I thought might be possible after listening to Lucia's explanation.
After hearing all the stories, Lucia thought for a while, then looked up with wide eyes and said.
"I'm surprised. Aaron is rarely smart."
"Huh? Haha, what do you mean by that?"
"Are you trying to mess with me?"
"I mean it literally. But... I do think what Aaron said has some possibilities. However... I think it's much harder than just cutting magical energy."
"Well, that's true..."
I thought I might be able to create the ultimate sword, but it seems unlikely I'll finish it before I defeat the [Evil God].
At that point, I guess there's nothing we can do but give up.
But there was some good news. After listening to Lucia's explanation, I understood more about the "Platinum Sword," which helped me come up with various techniques.
I want to increase what I can do to be ready for unexpected situations.
――Anyway.
After that, we finished our checks, so we returned to Necronia using Lucia's teleportation magic.
* * *
Once we got home, I decided to make a spare wooden sword from the Attribute Treant and a backup of "Black Radiance," just in case. I don't know if what I thought of earlier will really work, but for that, or maybe for practice, I'll need spare wooden swords.
While I was holed up in the workshop again, it seemed Fiona and the others were going out somewhere.
When I asked if they were going to buy ingredients, for some reason, they gave me a vague answer.
Anyway, I saw them off and started making as many spare wooden swords as I could.
Time passed, and Fiona and the others returned just as the sky turned a reddish hue. It was pretty late for shopping, so I wondered if they had something else to do.
"Sorry for being late! I'll make dinner right away."
"Ah, that's fine. I'll help too."
Even though it was already evening and time was limited for cooking, I couldn't let her do it alone.
So, just like the past few days, I was about to head to the kitchen with Fiona when――
"Aaron."
"Hm? What's up, Lucia?"
Lucia called out to me, acting a bit different than usual.
I thought something was off as I looked at her. For some reason, Lucia seemed restless, maybe even flustered, and her face was red as if she was embarrassed.
"I, um, I think I'll stay over at Zephy (Zephyr-chan)'s house today."
"Huh? ...Well, I guess that's okay..."
What's going on all of a sudden? It was Lucia who had mentioned something about Fiona's protection.
I couldn't help but give her a puzzled look, and she quickly added as if making an excuse.
"I-I'll be back by around noon tomorrow!"
"O-Okay..."
"To put it another way, I won't be back until noon tomorrow!!"
"Ah, yeah, I get it..."
So, she meant I shouldn't let Fiona out of my sight until then. I should make sure to protect her.
"Got it. I'll take care of Fiona."
"Um... well, that's all I wanted to say...!!"
With that, Lucia disappeared using teleportation magic. She must have teleported to the Aron family's mansion.
After a few days of not being alone together, we finally had some time just the two of us. We cooked dinner, ate together, and took turns showering.
At the dinner table, I asked Fiona,
"By the way, where did you go today?"
She replied,
"I'll tell you later."
I wondered if it was something important, but after finishing dinner and taking our showers, it was almost time for bed.
"Maybe she just forgot to tell me...?"
I thought, but it didn't seem like something I should ask about again. I turned off the light in my room and lay down on my bed.
"Well, I can just ask her tomorrow..."
Just as I was about to close my eyes and sleep, there was a knock on the door.
"Aaron, are you still awake?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm awake."
"...Can I come in?"
"Yeah."
I sat up and positioned myself at the edge of the bed to respond.
The door opened with a click, and Fiona walked into the room. When the moonlight from the window illuminated her, I couldn't help but hold my breath.
(――――?)
Fiona had her hair down and was wearing a sheer baby doll nightie.
Of course, she never wore something like that when she went to bed.
As I stared in shock, Fiona turned her face away shyly and asked,
"...Can I sit next to you?"
I nodded almost reflexively, saying, "Uh, yeah."
Fiona sat down on my bed, and suddenly, a slightly sweet scent from her filled the air. For some reason――well, not really a reason, but I felt an unusual thirst.
Meanwhile, Fiona looked down a bit and started to speak.
"You asked where I went today, right?"
"Yeah, uh..."
"I'm sorry, Aaron."
"Uh, yeah... why are you apologizing?"
I almost nodded reflexively, but I managed to ask why she was sorry.
Then Fiona said those words awkwardly.
"I went to the orphanage where you lived today."
"――――!!"
"And I talked to the director there... about your past."
"...I see."
I already had a feeling about what she was going to say.
That what Fiona was about to talk about was going to be very serious and important.
And probably, she was worried that I would be upset because she looked into my past without asking.
That was half right.
At this point, my mind was already not calm.
Because――
(――――Wait, are we really going to have a serious talk like this!?)
Her outfit is too revealing for me to focus on the conversation!? What's with that see-through thing!?
My libido gauge has already gone off the charts!?
Do I really have to have a serious talk in this situation!?
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