第４４８堀：主役が脇役になる瞬間 (Part2)
"Yes. First, here is a decent one. Though I say 'decent,' it still cost five times as much as a holy sword."
With those words, I handed over the Shimazu Ichimonji.
He immediately drew the katana from its scabbard and inspected the blade.
"...Magnificent. You call this merely 'decent'? It certainly feels more powerful than that holy sword. It is packed with the souls of renowned knights and master smiths."
"I am glad to hear you are pleased. The name of this katana is the Shimazu Ichimonji."
"A peculiar name. Yet, I feel a lineage similar to the Nobutsuna. Very well, Shimazu Ichimonji. Become my strength."
*Phew.*
It seems I have satisfied him.
In that case, the next one should be fine as well.
"And this, sir, is the highest-grade katana."
"Hmm. Let me see it."
Nogosh-sama accepted the katana in the same manner and immediately drew it from its scabbard...
"..."
"..."
We could not tear our eyes away from the blade.
It is difficult to explain exactly how it differs, but that katana possessed something that undeniably held our gazes captive.
After all, even I, who am not particularly interested in swords, found myself thinking it was genuinely beautiful.
"Its name?"
"..."
"Princess Bitts. Return to your senses."
"..."
"I see. A katana of such caliber... I feel the remnants of divine power. It seems a proper conversation is impossible unless I return it to its scabbard."
I kept my eyes fixed on the blade until the very moment Nogosh-sama slid it back into its sheath.
"Princess Bitts. You have chosen a fine katana. A sword of such practical caliber that it could captivate a princess like you does not exist in many places."
"Yes. Thank you very much."
"Then, let me ask again. What is the name of this katana?"
"The name of that katana is the Dojigiri Yasutsuna. I chose it because I thought it might be related to the Nobutsuna you mentioned, Nogosh-sama. I suspect it is the origin of the name 'Nobutsuna.' The divinity I felt from it earlier confirmed my suspicion."
"I see. Yasutsuna, is it? It does indeed resemble Nobutsuna. Being a katana of this magnitude, that possibility is quite high. You have my thanks."
"Not at all. It is but a small token of gratitude for sheltering us."
"It is more than enough of a gift. I have received too much. If you have any problems, do not hesitate to tell me. With this katana, I shall cut through everything."
"I am grateful. However, as the invasion of Ranks has only just begun and the enemy is still fragile, I doubt we will need to trouble you, Nogosh-sama, this time."
"Is that so... That is a pity. I cannot test it in actual combat, then. Well, as I said, do not hesitate if something comes up."
"Yes. I shall rely on you then. Now, I must return to Ranks, as I am waiting for his report."
"Understood. Take care."
With that, I returned toward Ranks.
However, on the way back, my mind was filled with thoughts of katanas.
*It was so beautiful. I, too, should possess such a beautiful katana. Yes, beautiful things are fitting for someone like me.*
I have time, so until he returns, I shall try to order a few more katanas.
***
**Side: Luna**
*Zzzzt!!*
A sensation raced through my body.
"Huh? Static electricity? It's already autumn turning into winter, so I guess it's that time of year."
Maybe I should bring out the kotatsu and the mandarin oranges.
Well, for now, back to my manga...
Just as I thought that and reached for the stack of manga...
*Zzzzt-zzzt!!*
"Hwah!? D-did it discharge in mid-air!? No, wait? Is my ability failing to process it?"
This was the sensation of magic power trying to leave my body but failing to do so.
To put it simply, it’s like the feeling of needing to pass gas but not being able to.
"...Geez. What kind of error is this? Exceeding my ability, huh? Calling a sword via DP?"
I checked the error and found it was a duplication error during a DP exchange.
"Wait a minute... Ugh!? Dojigiri Yasutsuna!? What is Yuki thinking? There's no way I can duplicate that. That thing currently has the rough spirit of Shuten-doji sealed inside it. Why on earth... oh, wait, Taizo and the others are there, maybe they begged for it for research or something. Well, if I don't send it, he'll just nag me about not being able to send it via DP, and it’s not like it’s particularly harmful—at worst, your consciousness gets hijacked—so Yuki doesn't have to worry. Duplicating a rough spirit is time-consuming and a total pain, so I'll just send the real one. I can swap it for a duplicate later."
Having decided that, I transferred the real one from the Tokyo National Museum and placed a fake that only looked like it on the outside in its place.
"Alright, today is a holiday. Work can wait until tomorrow. When I'm off, I'm resting to the fullest!! I'm going to read every single volume!!"
*Yahoo!!* I'm going to read the whole series!
This concludes the announcement of the change in the boss for this chapter/arc.
Who is the boss, you ask?
Well, you can probably tell by now, right?