Spark!
Excalibur sparked as it refused to return to Modred.
Zapp! Zapp!
It wasn’t just once or twice. It repeatedly rejected Modred’s touch.
“W-why…”
Just when Modred had calmed down, she looked like she was about to cry again.
“Haah.”
Excalibur, that jerk.
Don’t you notice?
Sighing deeply, I gave the hilt a light tap.
“Tch! Can’t you behave yourself?”
Wuuung!
Excalibur wails as if it doesn’t want to go back, even returning some of the aura it sucked in, creating a peculiar cycle.
At that moment, when the cycle was complete, Excalibur felt like a part of my body, and all my senses began to sharpen as if I had just awakened from a long sleep.
I instinctively knew. Right now, I could do most of what I could think of with the sword.
This is an artificially formed divine sword union. It doesn’t mean I fully understand the sword or that I’ve gained some lofty enlightenment.
It’s more accurate to say the sword understands me and adjusts accordingly.
The hilt vibrated subtly, as if asking if I would really let it go.
Of course, I will.
“Hey! Are you not going to fall off soon? I don’t need you!”
-Wuuung! Wuuung!
Now sticking to me like glue, Excalibur seems absolutely unwilling to let go.
Modred and everyone else present stared agape at the scene.
Excalibur was the divine sword used by the first knight king, crafted with great care by the now-deceased knight god.
While it has broken and lost most of its power, it still contained numerous mighty abilities.
Given that the god of knights had died and most of his powers vanished, the value of Excalibur must be beyond imagination.
With the added symbolism of being the king’s sword, it was undoubtedly a priceless asset in Historia.
So why is Excalibur so clingy to me?
Naturally, it’s a baffling reaction. What is this, some web novel?
Of course, I know. Excalibur is a great sword, and wielding it would be a huge help in future endeavors.
Especially now, I feel it’s about time to swap weapons.
Up until the fourth floor, the Unicorn Dagger and Minotaur Greatsword were enough. But what about the fifth floor?
Well, if things go well, I can manage somehow. But what about the sixth floor? The front lines on the seventh floor? I plan to keep going further; what then?
If I have Excalibur, it would certainly be useful until I reach the very bottom of the labyrinth.
Who knows? I might even find a way to restore the broken blade while navigating the maze.
An obvious graduation weapon.
But it’s not my weapon.
“I have no intention of becoming the king of Historia.”
Wuuung-!
“Seriously! Will you calmly return to Modred before I toss you into the forge?!”
Wuuung!!
“What? You think you’re better than the weapon I’m using now? Ha! That’s hilarious!”
I scoffed and pulled out the Unicorn Dagger with my bare hands.
“Do you know what this is made of? Unicorn horn.”
Wuuung? Wuuung?
“Yeah. Of course, it’s a step down from you. Even the materials are different, and it has no consciousness, so it can’t support my battles.”
But the Unicorn Dagger has one remarkable advantage over Excalibur. That is…
“But this one is a maiden!”
…Wuuung?
Excalibur seemed to be taken aback. But that’s the truth.
Unicorns value purity to an extreme degree. To the point that their reproduction methods have changed.
Moreover, the horn used to make this Unicorn Dagger was said to have the highest purity, according to Eve.
It most likely has not touched anyone else’s hands, and the original unicorn likely lived a life of purity.
During the process of crafting the dagger, they mobilized a meister-class artisan and even the elders of the Mage Tower through Eve’s connections to avoid any contact.
On the other hand, what about Excalibur?
“It was fine when the first knight king wielded it. But how many kings have there been since then? You’ve gone through countless owners in the meantime.”
Wuu… Wuuung?
“Ha! Is that even important? It absolutely is! Using a sword that’s been handed down through generations… there’s probably some tale of ‘Your father was taught by me’ by now, right? Ugh, I feel sick.”
Wuuung! Wuuung!
“Of course, I never said that. But when you forcibly merged with me by returning my aura earlier, you acted like a pro at it! Who taught you that? Previous owners? The one before? No way, it must be even older! You unvirtuous thing!”
Wuuuuuuung!
Excalibur vibrated strongly as if it felt wronged, but that only made me feel worse.
After the Divine War, surely the concept of chastity must have changed, and there would be more queens by now… Surely, it didn’t play the part of a dildo, right?
Suddenly feeling sorrowful, I gripped the Unicorn Dagger tightly.
“Ahh! I’ve been sullied by this lewd sword…!”
Hwaaaak!
The Unicorn Dagger glowed brightly, as if to say not to worry.
Hmm. It seems I’m still within the boundaries of sympathy.
“You’re the only one, really!”
In my emotional moment, I swung the Unicorn Dagger around, only to have an entirely different kind of gaze directed at me.
“…Is this what the late king was worried about?”
“D-Do you mean sympathy?”
“Guards! We have an ungodly person here!”
The uproar among the followers of Historia. Conversely, Ellie and Benny silently bowed their heads.
What’s with that reaction, as if they’ve seen someone shameful?
While I was grumbling, Modred hesitantly opened her mouth.
“Th-then, you’re saying you don’t like Excalibur because it’s a sword used by the unvirtuous… I mean, by past kings?”
“Yes.”
“Why is that?”
“Because… since I’m the first, wouldn’t it make sense that my opponent should also be the first?”
“Erkh!”
For some reason, Ellie coughed awkwardly, her face flushed, but that didn’t seem too important.
“Of course, the biggest reason I can’t become the king of Historia.”
“…It’s not impossible, you know. You’ve received immense favor from the goddess, but you do carry royal blood. Plus, you’ve been chosen by Excalibur. If you wanted, it’s more than possible.”
“I don’t want to! More than that, if I became the king of Historia, the succession issue would become a huge mess.”
“Are you saying you already have a child… No, that can’t be.”
Modred shook her head while looking at the Unicorn Dagger still shining in my hand. After a moment of staring, I suddenly thrust the Unicorn Dagger toward her.
“Hey!”
“Yah!”
Did she think I was going to stab her with the sword? Modred shut her eyes tightly.
But I only brought the blade to her forehead.
Paaaah!
Not as strong as mine. But shining with a similar intensity to Ellie, the Unicorn Dagger shone.
“….”
“….”
In the moment’s silence, we stared at each other back and forth for quite a while before I spoke up.
“Modred, you’re a virgin, unlike Excalibur!”
“…Don’t call me ‘sister’ at a time like this, you brat!”
Modred’s voice trembled with embarrassment. She stammered and continued speaking.
“From the beginning, I should never have a child indiscriminately. I shouldn’t live a licentious life. My vow is to live for Historia. Therefore, having a partner should be done with careful consideration…”
“So how old are you?”
“….”
“Come on, how old are you, Modred?”
“…I’m 25, what’s wrong with that?”
“None? That seems pretty good? Ellie here is 28 and still…”
“Yona! Be quiet?! Why are you suddenly bringing that up?!”
Suddenly struck, Ellie hurriedly covered my mouth. In the process, she touched the Unicorn Dagger, making it glow again and requiring a second virgin badge.
“…Ah, no, Your Majesty.”
“Lady Ellie isn’t like me who plans to marry the country, so how can you…?”
“I’m not?!”
Ellie looked horrified. This time, I felt I might have gone too far and decided to support her.
“Exactly. Ellie isn’t like that. When I grow up, we’ll wait and exchange our firsts, okay?”
“…Lady Ellie?”
Modred glared coldly at Ellie, as if she were staring at a thief.
By the way, since my age seems to definitely be 15, there’s a 10-year gap between Modred and me.
Well, if I had a younger sibling who was 10 years younger, I would have found them cute.
But Modred only looks like she’s in her late teens.
It must be that her aging has slowed due to the aura.
Nodding inwardly, I intervened in the peculiar atmosphere between Ellie and Modred.
“Ahem. Anyway, it’s not that I already have a child and that the succession thing is complicated. The truth is, I promised that I would become the King of Elven Forest later on.”
“Could that power to manipulate thorn bushes be…?”
“Yep, it’s the power of the World Tree.”
“Indeed. That would certainly complicate matters, even before we get to the succession. …I can’t believe I have the audacity to say this, but may I add one more thing?”
“What is it?”
“Be careful of the former queen of the Elven Forest. She acts like she’s retired but is plotting all sorts of schemes in the shadows. After all, a knight must keep their distance from the treacherous.”
“Oh, Eve is a good person, so don’t worry!”
“….”
“I initially received this proposal from Eve too.”
“This brat…!”
Modred was furious. After my laughter at her fluttering aura subsided, I finally spoke up.
“Anyway, regardless, I can’t become the King of Historia. I don’t want to, and Excalibur isn’t my type either.”
Wuuung…
Excalibur seemed to be quietly sulking, perhaps trying to sneak in.
I threatened it by placing the Unicorn Dagger against my wrist.
“So you’ve seen how it is; let go already. Or I’ll just chop off my wrist.”
“What the…!”
“Yona?! Are you serious?!”
Wuuung…?
Modred and Ellie looked startled. Excalibur seemed to adopt a defiant attitude as if daring me to try.
I smiled sinisterly, spreading my arms wide open.
Thanks to the remaining duration of the sanctuary, I showed off my body overflowing with divine power.
“See this? This is a small sanctuary. I can easily cut off my wrist and just reattach it. Let’s see if you can stick around without any aura.”
Wuu, Wuu…
In the end, perhaps because it had given up, Excalibur fell from my hand with a distant cry.
I nudged it with my toe toward Modred. Finally, I reached out my empty hand to her.
“Now then, please take good care of me as your queen’s backup, sister.”
“…I understand.”
A smirk crossed Modred’s face as she grasped my hand.
As Excalibur fell from my hand, the surroundings shifted back from the lake to the round table.
Modred regained her former majesty from when she first saw me and began commanding her nearby knights.
“Lower the red banner of Avalon and raise the blue flag.”
The red flag of Avalon signifies a national criminal.
The blue flag opposite merely signifies a state guest.
Modred gazed at me with softened eyes.
“…It’s the day my long-lost brother returns.”
It was the first time she didn’t refer to me as ‘brat.’
