'Sharpen your spirit! It's a disgrace to our clan to be defeated by a magical sword!

The students are swinging their swords with all their might. The dojo of the Kensei clan. The claw marks left by the Demon Sword are still strong in the place, and there's more heat than ever.

The Sword Sage, Thorn Lowell, took one look at his students with a sharp gaze and looked down at the main source of the commotion beside him.

The magic sword was stuck deep into the pedestal, shining quietly in the sunlight.
It seems that while Nadri was wielding it, the sword was jet black as if to absorb everything, but now the body of the sword is glowing a suspicious crimson that disturbs people's minds.

Perhaps this is it.
With its mysterious glow, it deceives people and arouses madness in those who pick it up. A true demonic sword.

It's an unprecedented incident that Nadri, one of the most skilled of his students, became possessed by a demonic sword.

The Kensei clan has a special position in the Imperial Capital because of their skill. They have a number of disciples among the aristocracy of the Imperial City, and sometimes they rival the Knights.
Among the citizens, there are those who say that the Kensei clan is stronger than the Knights. If word had gotten out that one of their swordsmen had become possessed by a demon sword and gone on a rampage, the reputation of the clan would have fallen to the ground, and the power of the nation would have declined. There are not only allies in the clan, but also those who do not think well of them.

It is thanks to Sir Franz's swift action that this was only a minor incident. There was no way to hide the fact that the dojo had actually been destroyed, but a gag order was issued at the last minute.
It was never reported in the newspapers or other media. Even if rumors were started, the citizens would not be harmed, and if there was no evidence, it would not be seen as a problem.

Apparently, Sir Franz was asked to intercede with the sympathetic stone by the "Thousand Transformations". He was really an inedible man after delivering the sword himself.

And the reason why there were hardly any defections from the students who were the only ones who knew what was going on was because Thorn himself had proven his power.

In the first place, the Thorn school of swordsmanship is based on the training of the mind, technique, and body, and on the belief that one should not be drowned in power, but should be able to stand up to desperate situations, and to have a calm mind in any situation.
Even in light of this belief, Nadri was too immature.

It doesn't matter if the fault lies in the "many changes". In the first place, this is a disgraceful outcome for the head of the clan.
His disciples, whom he had taught and honed in mind, body and spirit, had been misled.

Put your hand on the hilt of the sword.
I've traveled the world to master the sword. He fought many powerful enemies, made many friends, and came to be known as the Sage of Swords.

This is the potential of man. Even a cursed demon sword cannot violate a mind sharpened like a sharp sword.
Thorn himself is still in the midst of his journey, but even so, he is able to ward off a demon sword like this.

He looks around at his students, each wielding a sword, and raises his voice.

'It is true that ...... this sword has a terrible power. It is a demonic sword that deceives its bearer and lures him to slaughter. But it is the weakness that lurks within you that the sword takes advantage of, and when you reach the point of clarity, the sword will not deceive you.

Therefore - Luke Sykor, who sought only the skill of the sword with a straightforward and crazy purity, was not deceived by the sword in his hands.

In the first place, a great sword is something that can deceive people's minds, big or small. When a man no longer loses his mind when he touches this sword, he has become worthy of being called a true swordsman, regardless of the skills he has honed or the achievements he has made.

The holy sword chooses its people, but the magic sword also chooses its people.

'If you think you are the one, you may challenge the Demon Sword at any time. I'll be there. When you overcome the temptation of this sword, you will reach a higher realm.

With a new and clear goal, the swordsmen of the school became more determined. The magic sword's mysterious glow certainly diminished any lingering fear.

At this rate, it would not be long before a swordsman would emerge who could defeat the Demon Sword.

A voice filled with spirit rang out. The injured Nadri, having finished his treatment, joined them, swinging his sword with all his might.

Then Luke, the only one swinging with a wooden sword, said.

'Master, .................. what are my trials?

'Luke, you ............ must learn to not cut.'

'I've already learned that from Kry, but ............ anyway, Master, I want to cut the strong ones!

I've been telling myself this for a while now. .......
I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to get the best out of it.

It's a great way to get the most out of your business.
It is very difficult to lead a disciple to the right path, even with the power of the Sword Saint.













'Mm......, so this is the benefit of injury......'

'It's a terrifying amplification value comparable to a magic wand of the highest level treasure ....... ............'

His assistant Anna's voice was a mixture of fear and excitement. Sage Cluster tapped his forehead with his index finger, knowing that Lucia's frequent stories about his brother were no joke.

The main professors of Zebuldia Academy of Magic were gathered in the auditorium. The restoration of the school buildings and wards had not yet been completed, but they had gathered after hearing of the new discoveries that had been made.

In the middle of the auditorium was a strange wand made entirely of black. But it wasn't just any wand.
Anyone with a modicum of knowledge of magic would have been able to see it. The whirlpool of magical power that the wand drew from the air - a rare phenomenon that only the very best of mages' wands could cause.

A good wand converges not only the magic of the wielder, but also the magic in the air and converts it into power, allowing the wand to manifest magic extremely efficiently.

The wand was made from the ashes of the black world tree that destroyed the academy in all directions.

It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your time and money.

'The Black World Tree............ information that it is an imitation of the World Tree is not wrong?

'Isn't the absorption of magic power a secondary effect? I'm not sure what to make of that. The world tree is rooted in the earth and takes a long time to accumulate a huge amount of magic power.

For a mage, a good wand that can dramatically increase the quality and frequency of magic is something that he or she wants to have.
In this day and age, good wands are extremely rare. The performance of a wand is greatly affected by the material, the skill of the maker, and the timing of its creation.
Above all, the wands produced by modern technology are far inferior to the wands generated as treasure. Most of the wands possessed by famous mages were almost one-of-a-kind treasures, and wands that rivaled the very few treasures that were produced were sold at terrible prices.

As you can see, most of the professors at the Zebrudia Academy of Magic already have a famous wand, but with the possibility of making a powerful wand lying right in front of them, it's no wonder they abandoned the reconstruction of the school building and gathered in the auditorium.

I've never heard of a substitute for the world tree, even though Sage has been working as a mage for much longer than he looks, and has the reputation of being immortal.


'I checked, and it seems that the staff that was brought in didn't go out of control at one point when a fellow mage of the Sword Saint touched it. Isn't it possible that it was buried in the storage of the Sword Sage for a long time, unused and lacking in magic power, causing it to run out of control?

'It was filled by the attack of Rosemary and the magicians of the academy. ...... It makes sense, but--'

I'm not sure what to make of that.

That's ridiculous. .............

The eyes of the professors of the academy were completely clouded before the great discovery of the century.
They hurriedly interrupted the story that was about to take a strange turn on its own while they remained silent.

'Wait, wait, no matter how many reasons there are, destroying the academy and endangering the imperial capital should not be forgiven.

'But Professor ...... Sage. The Empire has been surprisingly silent. In the first place, the [Thousand Transformations] just saved the Emperor's life the other day, and at the Martial Emperor Festival, they thwarted the plans of the [Nine-Tailed Shadow Fox]. It's too unfair to denounce it now. In the first place, it's a done deal.

It is true that ............ Sage also personally investigated, but he had to say that the activities of Senhen Wanhua were remarkable, even though Sage did not think much of the young man.
The number of his achievements would be forgiven even if the academy's argument was accepted and he was successfully denounced. One of the professors looked at Lucia, who was standing next to Sage with a resentful expression on her face, and said with a frown.



'And on top of that, he's Lucia's brother.'

'Brother-in-law, sir. Professor. And I, too, think he's a bit much.

Why is it that all the professors are on the side of the Thousand Transformations, but only my sister is on the side of the Sage?
It seems that Lucia is also having a lot of trouble. It's strange that she sounds like she's in love with him.

'I don't care if it's because of him or not! The problem is that fighting with him is a bad idea. If you're going to spend that kind of time, you might as well explore the new possibilities of this substitute. If it absorbs magic power and grows to a huge size, it may even regenerate indefinitely, depending on the conditions.

'If you can use materials comparable to the world tree ...... indefinitely, it will be a historic discovery.

Completely forgetting that the academy was half destroyed by a single runaway. Of course, now that Sage and the other professors are here, they can still handle the same situation, but it's not something to be optimistic about.
However, I don't think they will listen to me under the current circumstances. At that moment, one of the professors said to Sage, who was watching the situation with a half-hearted resignation.

'So, which laboratory will be in charge of the research on this staff?

The air was tense. It's a very interesting material to experiment with just by looking at its properties. Anyone involved in the study of magic will want it as much as they can get their hands on it.
Normally, the person who procured the wand should be in charge of it, but this time, the situation is what it is. All the mages in the academy have been mobilized to stop the wand from going out of control.

Is this going to be another long argument? As I felt a sharp pain in my head from the stress, the professor said something I didn't expect.

'You may have many arguments, but Lucia Rogers, who belongs to Professor Sage, is the sister of the "Thousand Transformations". Everyone knows that he made the grimoire for Lucia, and it's very likely that this staff was also entrusted to Lucia, so I think it's logical to leave it to Professor Sage's laboratory, don't you?

At those words, the professors all looked at Sage at once. However, no one seemed to object. On the contrary, they were even reluctantly agreeing with him.
What kind of intentions do the great masters of magic in the imperial capital have? No, ............ this is--.

I'm not sure what to make of it.

'............ I understand. I'm sure you'll be able to find a lot more information on this in the future.

'This is a great discovery that will go down in history. Take good care of it, Professor Sage.'

It's a collar. It was given to Sage, the only professor in the academy who wasn't completely comfortable with the situation, to keep him from doing anything unnecessary.
Of course, there must also be consideration for the "thousand changes". After all, there's no doubt that the young man cares for Lucia.

Looks like we're done here for this time. But I won't forgive you. For giving Lucia that strange grimoire and twisting the direction of her talent...

One of the professors called out to Lucia, who had been moping the whole time.

'Please give her my regards. My sister in law.

'It's my sister-in-law!

Lucia clenched her fists and shouted at the professor, who was two years older than her.