Flight magic lacks stability. There are a number of flying spells, but it is very difficult to maintain balance whether you are manipulating gravity or the wind.

It seems that it is difficult to move freely, even if it is only to levitate the body, and if you fail, you may crash, and many top mages are not good at flight magic.

This is the reason why flying tools and winged magical beasts that can be ridden are sold at high prices. In addition to the difficulty of flying yourself, the difficulty of flying a large number of people alone seems to jump even higher, and some countries have even trained mages specifically for flight magic.

On the other hand, my Lucia has acquired a number of spells that can be used for flight.
The control of posture and stability in the air is said to be closely related to the athleticism of the magician, but there is not much that is impossible for Lucia Roger of the "All things are possible", who has trained hard with a grimoire that reflects my longing for the sky. Maybe.

'Listen, hold on tight, Leader. Even though I got the hang of it with the air fugue, it's really, really hard to keep my balance.

'...... Ah, that thing with the kite. Lucia also thinks of interesting things, doesn't she?

'What? Oh my god!

By the way, I think there was a scene of flying on a kite in a story I read a long time ago. Maybe that's what inspired her to develop the technique?

It's ............ your sister.

I waited for Lucia to step over and put her on the back of the broomstick. But how are you able to ride such a thin stick? .......

I've only been on a broom a handful of times, but every time my butt hurts. Flying doesn't mean you're getting any lighter.

'...... Wouldn't it be better to fly a kite?

'Ah! Come on, get a grip!

Well, it would certainly be conspicuous if I were on a kite. She scolded me, so I grabbed Lucia tightly, and the broom slowly lifted off the ground.
I soon lost my footing. Because of the small ground area, my center of gravity is not stable even if I hold on tightly to my body. I don't know who first thought of riding a broomstick, but I can't say that I'm the one who struggled to make Lucia do it.

I could feel Lucia taking a deep breath through the arm that was firmly around her body. Then the broom accelerated. In an instant, she leaps out of the open window of the Clan Master's office.

All I could do was hold on tightly to Lucia's body as if I were hugging her. It had been difficult when I had been carried on Crus' Iron Horse during the Emperor's escort, but the speed of Lucia's broom was nothing compared to that.

A mage who can fly freely in the sky is so powerful that some countries have created a special department for it. The broom accelerated at once, and just before it hit the building in front of her, it changed direction and soared. The powerful G's that hit her body made her croak like a crushed frog.

Come to think of it, this is the first time I've ever been ridden on a broom in town. .......

'This, the control--'

Lucia, who was controlling the broom, shouted at me as I clung to it selflessly.

I'm not going to be able to do that. It's done! Because of the leader, my control precision is--'

'You're going too fast.

My vision takes a huge tumble. My senses can't quite keep up with that movement. I should have come on vacation in comfort.
I guess the reason I haven't been able to block G with my warding fingers is because I haven't reached the activation condition. Probably just barely. Well, it doesn't seem to do much good even if it does.

Your vision goes round and round. When I look down, I see countless tiny people pointing their fingers at Lucia, the witch who suddenly jumped out of the sky on a broomstick.
It's a big street in front of the Clan House, and carriages come and go frequently during the day, but now most of them have stopped and are looking at us.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for and how you can get it.

The broom accelerates further, leaving the attention behind at once. In the roaring wind, Lucia shouted.

'If you slow down! It's not stable! This! Unstable! In an upside-down position! Upside down! I can't be upside down! How much! How hard can it be?

The wind is too strong. I feel like I'm going faster than I used to. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea. It's a new discovery. But to think that it would come just in time to activate the warding fingers...

The wind pressure makes it difficult to even breathe. I don't know what's going on, but I talk to her.

'Lucia, you're quite good. ............?

And then Lucia disappears in an instant. No--it was me who disappeared.

My arm relaxed. By the time I realized this, I had already begun to fall.
My body tilts. My body is pulled to the ground instead of the wind that was tugging at me earlier. I'm-- helpless.



But I felt at peace. I'm used to falling, I even have a warding finger.





'? Why? What? !












Lucia, who is always calm, cries out breathlessly with a bloodthirsty expression.

'I don't get it!

'...... Nice catch!

'Please don't play games with me! Brother?

I can't say anything. I don't mean to joke around,......, but even though I'm exposing the abomination that is clinging to my sister, I'm stunned at my own lack of strength that I would still fall.
But that's just the way it is. I've fallen off the Iron Horse,......, and I'm sure my hand will come off if I go this fast.

But Lucia is still dependable. Crus was dependable too, but this sister is even more so. I'm proud to be her brother.


'I didn't think you'd be able to turn around and catch me as I fall. ...... You're pretty good.

...... Is it a juggling act? The way Lucia caught up with me as I was free-falling, screaming and catching me in mid-air with her right arm off the broom might go down in legend.


I'm getting used to the speed of my broom. The view of the Imperial City from above is so beautiful that you can't help but let go of your hand.

'I've gained another useless skill--'

'That ...... growth is an accumulation.'

I'm sorry. Reflect on that!

Well, if you put it that way, maybe I've gotten a little too used to going through death lines. No, I didn't go through it.
To prevent myself from falling again, I put more strength into my arms. I have to be careful not to pull my hair. .......

'Oh no, thank God. Hahahahaha ......'

'............ Next time, I'll ditch you.'

The next time, I'll abandon you. I've had her charge my treasure, and without her I'd have been useless by now. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's had a bad experience.

............ Let's not think about this any more.

What matters is not the past, but the future. As I looked ahead, bracing myself against the wind, something unbelievable came into my eyes.

I rubbed my eyes and looked again. I looked at the destination in the direction I was going - the place where the dojo opened by the Sword Saint should have existed.


'............ That's strange. Wasn't there a bigger building there?

'..................'

The Sword Saint Thorn Lowell is considered the strongest swordsman in the Imperial City. He is not a treasure hunter, but the skills he has cultivated throughout his life far surpass even high-level hunters when it comes to swordplay, and he is considered one of the best swordsmen of all time, east and west.
Naturally, he was highly regarded in Zebrudia, where martial arts were respected, and his authority was said to be comparable to that of a senior nobleman.

If I remember correctly, there was a dojo that was donated by the noblemen who were his students as a sign of respect for the Kensei , and it was one of the largest dojos in the surrounding countries. In the past, when I had just arrived in the Imperial Capital, I remember coming to see it with Luke, feeling a burning sensation, and shouting with joy.


But now there are no shadows or shapes--or maybe there are shadows and shapes.


'........................ was it dismantled? It was pretty new.'

'............'

The site of what should have been a huge training ground was now a pile of rubble. A number of onlookers and security knights surrounded it, buzzing about.

The building had not completely collapsed, and there were still some pillars and walls here and there, but it would take a long time to repair them. However, the most notable thing is the disappearance of the tallest spire in the center of the building, which was the landmark of the training ground.
No, it hasn't disappeared. It's not gone, but it's been lowered by about a third by eye measurement. It's not my imagination. The roof is gone and all I can do is laugh.


'Ha, ha, ha, ha, did they remodel it? Lucia, isn't it getting shorter? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.

'..................'


The dry laughter disappears in the sound of the wind.

You're kidding me! What? What do I have to do to make the tower shorter? Huh? Why isn't this big deal in the papers?
The destruction is clearly on a disaster scale. What's strange is that the rest of the building is intact?

If I had been looking at it from the ground, I probably wouldn't have noticed it, but the shortened cross-section looked like...


I put my hand on Lucia's stomach, who had become less and less talkative since a while ago.


'..................'

'Look at that, Lucia. It looks like you slashed it with a sword. That's ridiculous! What size sword is that? Come on, Lucia, say something. Lucia?'

'Brother ............, you idiot.'

Finally, Lucia answered in a quiet voice. Oh no ......, if I'm the cause of this, I may never be forgiven.

Have there been any victims? Who did it? Luke? Can money or getting down on your knees help? I didn't mean for any of this to happen.


I mean, why would a sword tear apart a training ground? Isn't that strange?



I want to run to ............,......, but I can't. I'm not sure what to do.
I've already seen a lot of unworthy things, but I have at least some pride.






''There are people gathering at the Dojo. It looks like Luke is there too, let's go down there.'



With Lucia firmly in my grasp, I move my head and point to the center of the half-destroyed dojo. You can see some shadows in the rubble, just as Lucia said.


'............ Lucia is very brave.

A training ground given by a senior nobleman should be a source of pride for the Sword Saint clan. Even if it was indirectly, you have ruined it, you do not know what they will say.

And what's more, Luke is a constant source of trouble for them. Luke is sincere about his strength and his skill with the sword, but he is not polite and has no interest in money or power.
Some of the students of the Sword Saint, which is said to have many noblemen, may not like him. This matter is like pouring oil on the fire.

Besides, there are an awful lot of students of Kensei . I'm acquainted with a few of them myself, but none of them are that close. Even if the Sword Sage himself forgives me, I'm not sure if the others will forgive me.

'? Whose fault is it, whose fault is it!

'............ No, no, no? No way. ...... Yes! I don't think the strongest swordsman in Zebrudia, with his mind, body, and spirit, would be defeated by a demon sword, would he?

'............'.

In the event that you have any questions regarding where and how to use the site, please contact us at ....... I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.













It was an oversight. As one of only a handful of direct disciples of the Sword Sage, Nadri couldn't help but want to cut his stomach and apologize right now for his disgusting behavior.



The cut off right arm, the creaking pain of flesh rushing through my body, the pain of the broken bones, they don't bother me at all compared to the urge.

The only thing that is barely stopping me from killing myself is--.


'Well, ............ that was the best night ever. It's a common theory that swordsmen controlled by magical swords are strong, but I never thought they would be strengthened to such an extent--'

'Ugh ............'.

This is because there is a man in front of me who is laughing hysterically even though his whole body is covered in dust.
You can't just cut your stomach in front of Luke Sykor, who is in a good mood and doesn't seem to take any offense to the fact that you brought this upon him.


The historic dojo, with its countless students, was half destroyed.
The gate, fence, and house, which had been so rugged and stern to look at, had collapsed, and no one looking at the scene could possibly believe that this scene had been created by a single sword.
The smell of blood still lingered in the air, even after it had been wiped away.

Normally, it would be difficult for a single sword to cause this much destruction. However, the sword sent by the Thousand Transformations wasn't just any sword.

There are several types of magic swords. There are those that give power in exchange for some kind of price, those that blatantly change their performance depending on the talent of the bearer, and there are even swords that choose their bearers and raise them to become top-notch swordsmen. The armor created by the advanced magical weapons civilization is not all that we can understand with modern common sense.

It was only after everything was over that Nadri realized that the sword he had brought in was one of the worst of the magical swords.

The moment he grasped the sword, which was so captivating just by looking at it, Nadri was overcome with a horrible sense of all-powerfulness, as if he owned the entire world, and an irresistible desire to wield it.

This urge, which is tens of thousands of times greater than the strange elation that every swordsman experiences when he first grasps a sword, took away everything else from Nadri.
In general, swordsmen are required not only to be skilled with their swords, but also to cultivate their minds. This is one of the reasons why Luke, who has a sort of paranoid passion for swordsmanship, is still not called the strongest.

Nadri should have realized this before he did. The moment he saw the blade, he should have felt an uncomfortable urge and been on high alert.
He should have restrained his impulses and disciplined himself for wanting to wield it. He should have been a role model for his students.

The desire for strength. Jealousy. Hatred. Self-esteem. A magical sword that lures its bearer into madness. A demonic sword attaches itself to the weak heart of man.

Demonic swords often boast a frightening sharpness, but this sword also boasted a frightening sharpness that belied its beautiful appearance.

With a light swing, it could cut the world. With the lightness of a feather, it sliced through the air, through everyone and everything, offering no resistance at all.
It was probably one of the sharpest of all the magic swords.
It felt as comfortable in my palm as if it were a part of me, as if it were a part of my body. No... at that moment, Nadri was indeed a part of the sword, and carving creatures was its reason for being.

If it weren't for the crazy Luke, who didn't even move his eyebrows when his brother suddenly slashed at him, and on the contrary tried to take his life, the other students who were there would have been wiped out.

Of course, if Luke hadn't brought the magic sword in the first place, the situation wouldn't have been like this.

Luke Sykor is a problem child. He is a genuine manslayer who has slayed quite a few people including his brothers and disciples, but he has never destroyed buildings.
It is unheard of for him to half-destroy a dojo and have the commotion spread to the outside world. I'm not going to be able to get away with it.

And the disgraceful behavior of the Sword Saint's direct disciple will lead to the disgrace of the Sword Saint's own reputation. This incident is Nadri's fault. I'm sure my master will forgive me, but that's not the point.


'Oh, no... you're so clever, Kry. This is what I've always wanted! The only thing that went wrong was that I didn't have a master to fight with, but--'

'How could you have ......! How could my master be possessed by a magical sword?


By the time dawn broke, the rest of the students who had fallen to their deaths had already been taken away for treatment. The only people gathered here now were those who had come after everything was over.
The puddles of blood have been wiped away, and some of the bodies have been removed.

The people who were in the dojo last night were all the best students of the dojo who had put a lot of effort into their training.


--But it wasn't because of Nadri's slaying that so many people were killed.



There is no magic sword that has already created the tragedy. It's been removed, wrapped in the cloth Luke brought. But the danger will become clearer as the experts investigate.
It would also reveal what kind of intentions the Thousand Transformations had for sending the sword.

Luke crossed his arms, looked down at Nadri who was sitting and breathing hard, and said in a high voice. Luke must have been wounded too, but there was no itch in his face.

'You don't have to look like that, Anthem can heal your arm! He's good at that kind of thing! We have a lot of people this time, so we can practice.

'That's not the point!

Light. It doesn't feel like you've killed dozens of people. So light that it's hard to believe you almost killed a few people.
And he didn't move an eyebrow when Nadri reprimanded him.

The gathered disciples looked at Luke and Nadri with grim expressions.
The reason why they don't complain outwardly is partly because they leave it to their master's judgment, but also because Luke is in a unique position among his students.

After all, he doesn't know how to talk. Despite his inability to speak, he is brilliant, loves the sword more than anyone else, and does not hesitate to kill or be killed.
He has many enemies and allies because of his greedy stance of seeking strength without yielding to power, and this is the biggest problem - he has always had the wildness to cut down all of his students and destroy the dojo, regardless of the magical sword.

If Nadri had been in the position of hearing about it after the fact, he would have likely just let it go as another outrageous act.

I've known Luke for several years now, and I already know his personality. This is a sword alien from the planet of swords. How can he continue to be angry with someone he can't communicate with from the bottom of his heart?


Even though his teacher has recently started to talk to the leader of the party, the "Thousand Transformations", instead of Luke himself...


It was Nadri's inexperience that got him into the sword. He can't face his family, his friends, his teacher.
But I can't let that be the end of it. I can't let it go without a word of complaint. No matter how shameful it may be...


'Tis all change. Let me tell you, I'm not talking to you anymore! I'm not talking to you anymore! I'm talking to your leader! I'll tell him exactly what he's got in mind when he sent me that sword! Listen to me, Luke! You may not know it, but it's against the law to send a dangerous magical sword to this country without saying a word! Don't tell me you don't know anything. Don't tell me you don't know anything! No matter what my master says, I will say it!

'Eh, calm down, Nadri. It's not Krai's fault. I asked him if there was anyone I could cut. And he gave it to me.


Who in the world would send a mind-eroding demon sword to someone who asked for someone to slay? In the first place, you're the one who's asking everyone!
Perhaps the excitement had opened up a wound, but a dull pain shot through my abdomen and I pressed down hard. My consciousness is fading, but not yet. I can't go to the doctor until I see how all this ends.




At the very least, I have to endure until the master who was summoned for this incident returns.


At that time, Luke, who had suddenly thrown his gaze into the air, shouted loudly and waved his hand.


'Oh, it's Cry! Hey, this way, this way!

What? What?



There are some things even level 8 hunters can do and some things they can't. Like Luke, what does the Ghost of Sorrows think of the law and common sense!

Just as I was about to stand up with all my might, scolding my heavy body, a strong wind suddenly blew. The wind pressure shattered his knees, which he had managed to move with all his strength, and he fell heavily on his buttocks.

The other students rushed to open the space.

As Nadri screams inaudibly at the numbing pain rushing from her buttocks, a girl with beautiful, out-of-this-world black hair strides down on a broom.

Her black hair was straight down to her waist, and her skin was spotlessly white. Her well-groomed, but somewhat unfriendly appearance convinced him that she had a clever mind.
Her black mage's robe was not glamorous, but the mysterious atmosphere suited her appearance perfectly.

No one flies on a broom. Unless it's in a fairy tale.

You forget to breathe, forget your pain, forget your anger. The students who had gathered there seemed to be in the same mood, at a loss for words at the sudden appearance of an unidentified girl.

In the sudden silence, Luke, the only one who hadn't changed, called out somewhat happily.

'What's up, Kry, you're here! You were already doing great. After I cut down one of them, the next one picked up the sword and attacked me, and the sword was really sharp...'!


'? Luke, Luke! What are you talking about, he's a man...'


That's impossible. Nadri's acquainted with the Many-Faced One. He followed Luke when he joined the Order, and we've met several times since then.
He is a man with black hair and eyes, with a gentle face at best, and an unremarkable face at worst. To begin with, his gender is different. Chika is a man! She's not a beautiful girl like this. The only thing they have in common is the color of their eyes and hair, and to call them common is an insult.

The students who had undergone intense training under the Sword Saint in order to train their minds, bodies, and souls were completely deflated. Some of them were even staring at his face openly.
Ability has its aptitude. There are women among the students of the Sword Sage, but they are few and far between, and most of them are as strong and powerful as Nadri and the others.

And sadly, protecting a weak and pretty girl mage was a dream that many swordsmen couldn't even speak of.


In front of his students, who were completely captivated by him, Luke blinked his eyes, frowned, and said.


'Hmm? Yeah, Lucia's Kry's sister. It's rare to see her on a broom, but ...... what's up, Lucia? Are you training?'

'............ Yes.'


............Sister, huh? That's impossible.


Before Nadri could believe his ears, a girl answered in a voice that sounded like the tinkling of a bell.
And then, from behind the broom, the source of all evil descended.