150: The thing about shock—it ain't always just one at a time.

You could tell the Seal Officer was on edge, the way consecutive传承-level seals kept appearing.

Don’t be surprised by anything, he seemed to say with his face.

So the ceremony went on, quiet and steady. A strange tension filled the room.

“Then... ‘Seal Aptitude Assessment.’ …!“

Genelis, who’d been set on this moment, grimaced.

Ah, yeah. I get it.

Something huge just came up, huh?

You could tell he barely kept himself together.

No doubt about it—this was the same kind of shock as when Leifan showed up.

“…This seal’s been recorded only once before, from the same era as the Bow Goddess and the Sage. Adventurers or knights might’ve heard the name.”

Adventurers or knights?

You don’t mean... Dragon Knights?!

No, that should be my dad’s, and it’s an insanely rare crest—but there must be a few around.

Hmm. Can’t think of any right now.

“Seal Officer. Teach me a crest suited to me.”

Raidock seemed to give up thinking in an instant.

“Hmm. The crest most suited to you. Its name is ‘Sword Saint’! Also known as ‘Sword Master’!”

“““!!!”””

Sword Saint!

I know that one!

The legendary crest said to have belonged to the one who devised techniques in swordsmanship!

The name Sword Master is lost to time, but its power is not.

So, if it existed around the same era as the Sage, it’s safe to assume they helped expand humanity’s reach.

Sage, Sword Saint, Bow Goddess.

So, in the usual stories, the Sage always stood out, but those powerful sigil-bearers must’ve been around at the same time.

Seems like Professor Javir reached the same idea. “Then the sigil manifestation conditions were probably tied to actual combat. But back then, humans… couldn’t have handled that kind of…” He muttered under his breath.

Still.

“Raidock. Sword Master fits you way too well.”

“Hey, Craft! You call me Bow Goddess, but why’s it Sword Master when it’s Raidock?!”

‘Cause it’s funny.

I don’t answer that. I say the other reason instead.

“Sword Saint’s cool, but Sword Master just… sounds cooler.”

“Yeah, yeah! Sword Saint’s cool too, Craft brother!”

“Mm-hmm!”

“Why’s it always me…?”

Soral sighs, but it's definitely the strongest emblem out there. Cheer up a little, why don’t you?

No, wait—playing it cool, just easing Raidock’s nerves…?

“The Sword Saint’s emblem lets you wield any weapon. Close combat’s better than ranged, but specifics? I can’t say. It’s the peak of weapon-based combat—lets you use countless techniques. Just can’t pull off those group-affecting moves, like the knights do.”

“Purely for solo fighting, then.”

“Maybe no teamwork skills, but that’s nothing new, right?”

Genelis gives a firm nod.

Same as before. Support and coordination? That’s been handled through training and experience. No worries at all about Raidock getting stronger.

“Now then, Raidock. You want this emblem?”

"Yeah. I’ll master this for sure."

Clenching my fist with resolve.

"Then! Emblem Shift. Its name is Sword Saint!"

The glow—it’s just as strong as mine, Leifan’s, Eva’s, and Solar’s!

A seal hiding power beyond ordinary!

Yet strangely, it felt natural on Raidock.

"...Unbelievable strength. With this emblem, I’ll protect everything this time for real!"

"You’ve protected everyone before, haven’t you?"

"No. I couldn’t protect you, Kyle. If Zaid hadn’t stepped in that day..."

The image of the mysterious eight-headed hydra surfaces.

True, that thing was deadly. If it had taken Kyle, he’d have been dead before we could even use the elixir.

Zaid was trained as a noble. Without him, it would’ve been instant death.

Back then, it was just bad luck piling up in the worst possible way.

Not just me—Kyle too. Everyone’s got something to reflect on. Raidock’s carrying more blame than he should.

“Raidock. We all learned from that, right?”

“Yeah. I know. That’s why it’s not regret. But if we’re ever in that same situation again, with this Sword Saint’s crest, we could save everyone. That’s what I’m thinking.”

Raidock raises his left hand, squinting against the light.

Just don’t drag the past around with you.

“Raidock. Don’t forget—me too, when that time comes.”

“Yeah. You’re right, Solar.”

“Hey!? I’m here too!? The Sage’s crest!? The传承!?”

“Haha. You two are both counted on.”

Raidock laughs it off, but Solar and Eva are glaring at each other.

…We’re gonna have trouble if we start fighting like this.

“Anyway, congratulations, Raidock. That crest suits you just fine.”

“I’ll show you I can handle it as well as Craft.”

I never thought I’d mastered the mark of the Twilight Alchemist. I’ll keep pushing, not letting Raidock get ahead of me.

We clasp hands—firm, quick—and the kids light up, leaping at us.

“Me too! Me too!”

“Hey, Ed! Don’t ruin the brotherhood!”

“Brotherhood… w-wait a second…”

“Azure-sister?”

“Nothing at all! Nothing at all!”

“Haha. Good, you guys too—punch out. Let’s swear we’ll grow strong together.”

“Really? Blue brother!”

“Of course.”

“Yay!”

Kids, Raidock’s whole crew, even me and Jitarou, Persia—we all bump fists.

And somehow, Maina was there too. Probably just wanted to be part of it.

No, Maina, you’re the one who gets protected, right?

“Alright. We swear—here and now—to grow strong, to protect Golden Dune, and this frontier lordship of ours!”

“““We swear!!”””

Kyle, who’d been staring at our oath with squinting eyes, stepped forward in front of everyone.

“With that, all ceremonies are complete. Genelis, thank you for your service.”

“Hmm. Indeed, it was a tiring day, shaken by shock. But far more valuable, as a Seal Officer, was what I gained. I must write to the other Seal Officers, urgently, with the new seal designs.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Genelis bowed, then hurried out of the classroom.

After watching him go, Kyle turned around, straightened his posture.

We all noticed. All of us, sensing something was coming, adjusted our collars and faced him squarely.

"Then, I’ll announce one more reward to you, Raidock and the others."

"“““Huh?!””"

The adventurers spoke in unison.

Yeah, right. Just the insignia aptitude test was more than enough reward already. None of them expected anything more.

The two rewards I’d recommended to Kyle were these.

"This is the reward I, as Marquis of the Elixir Frontiers, bestow upon you."

Kyle pointed at the weapons the adventurers carried.

"No way…!?"

Raidock seemed to realize it.

"Yes. The orichalcum gear we’ve been lending out until now—this time, I’m giving it to you outright as a reward."

"W-What?!"

Exactly.

We’d made the orichalcum gear, sure. But it could end up better than even the king’s weapons.

So we’d only ever lent it out, never given it away.

Of course, we’d made them submit reports on how it felt to use.

Raidock and the others stared, wide-eyed—knowing full well the reason.

“Wait!”

Bep, the priest, raised a hand, interrupting.

“Raidock, Solar, and the Cassper sisters—they might deserve a reward. But we? This is too much!”

Kyle shook his head at Bep’s flustered protest.

“No. Bep, Bardack, Morda. And Leifan, Jitarou too. They all stood up to the glow of orichalcum. More than that—they’re the kind of people I’ll need in my domain, from here on out.”

“Kyle… sir…”

“Sure, there are conditions. Just like with mithril weapons—no selling, no giving away, without my say-so. That way, you’ll never leave this land, will you?”

Kyle smiled, like a mischief-maker.

"Besides, I already have the king’s permission. If I say no now, my standing might take a hit."

Already smoothed the way, huh.

Say it’ll stain my record if I refuse? Then I can’t say no.

Seriously, Kyle’s a crafty one.

After scanning everyone, Raidock knelt before Kyle, as if representing the rest.

"Kyle-sama. We gratefully accept this splendid reward."

"Yes. Ah, as usual, please submit your reports to the Production Guild."

"Of course!"

And so, Raidock and his group secured their new emblem and the strongest orichalcum gear.

After that, it goes without saying that Raidock and Bep’s two parties would go on to shine.

◆

――About two months after the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

A massive ship was moored at the port built along the great river.

The massive bridge stretching from the port is visible too, but it’s a shame—it’s still not finished. It reaches out into the middle of the great river, but completion’s still a ways off.

Still, trade and information exchange with the other side of the river are urgent. After all, it’s a royal order from King Van…

So we’ve decided to get access to the small nations on the opposite bank as fast as possible, running this new project in parallel with the bridge’s construction.

That’s why we’re standing in front of this massive ship right now.

It’s larger than any galley or sailing ship, yet it has no sails at all.

Instead, what stands out are the enormous propellers on either side of the hull—look like giant waterwheels.

And yet, despite being entirely made of iron, the ship floats on the water.

There’s a smokestack on board, and thick white steam is pouring out of it in great billows.

“Finally finished, Professor Javir.”

"Indeed. This is thanks to Leifan, the Blacksmith King."

"Seriously? A steel ship floating on water? I can’t even believe my eyes."

"Hmph. This is basic alchemy. You’d do well to study it properly."

"Sorry!"

I blurt out an apology without thinking.

The professor sighs lightly, shrugs his shoulders.

"Thanks to the evaporation potion you made. I never thought just dropping it in water would expand it over a thousand times."

I remember what Professor Javir taught me.

Boiling water expands to about 1,700 times its original volume—though you need heat for that.

But the evaporation potion? It does roughly a thousandfold expansion at room temperature.

...Yeah. I’ve got the gist. I think. Probably.

Anyway, when water evaporates, it expands massively—enough to push a piston up and down!

I know the details!

Leifan called it a "steam engine."

Anyway, the only thing big enough to fit this massive steam engine is a ship.

That’s why this giant steamship was finished before the bridge.

We’re watching the test run, Kyle and me.

Seeing that huge ship push against the river’s current, our new goal clicks into place.

“Craft brother. It’s really happening now.”

“Yeah. We’re finally leaving the country.”

“Right. The crew’s still undecided… but our target is the small nations! Straight into the volatile region squeezed between the three great powers!”

“Yeah. Leave it to me!”

Staring at the steamship carving its path through the river and the glittering water, my heart races with the thrill of the unknown adventure ahead.

—— Chapter Five End ——

Chapter Five ends here.

I’ve got a bunch of stuff coming up, so updates might pause for a bit.

Just bear with me a little longer.