As I opened the box, there lay a dagger made from a unicorn’s horn.
A straight, pure white blade decorated with golden lines forming geometric patterns. Was it some sort of magic circle?
Next was the guard. This too, like the blade, was pure white but much less flashy. The only decoration was a transparent gem set in the center.
Finally, the handle. Wrapped in black leather, it looked quite deep in color and luxurious. Could it be leather from a rare monster, not just an ordinary animal?
To a thief’s eye, this weapon was certainly valuable enough to cause trouble if stolen later.
It was said to be made from three-star materials, which didn’t sound disappointing. …But I couldn’t help but feel.
“It looks a bit, you know, dead?”
When it was just a unicorn’s horn, it felt like it vibrated with some sort of life even though it was already severed from its body.
Perhaps that mysterious power judged the virginity of those it came into contact with.
But now, as a dagger, that feeling was completely gone.
As I frowned and tilted my head slightly, Eve gasped in astonishment.
“My goodness. I didn’t think you’d notice that. As Jonah said, this dagger is currently in a dormant state. To awaken it, a specific procedure is required.”
“I see. What do I need to do?”
“Blood.”
“Excuse me?”
“You want power? Then offer your blood. Pure blood of a virgin, that is.”
Sacrifice an innocent to awaken the magic sword (X)
Drop a single drop of blood to mark ownership (O)
“…”
I knew she was like this, but actually hearing her talk about wanting blood took me by surprise, and I had to reboot my mental translator.
Yeah, of course. It’s something you see often where a single drop of blood marks ownership and activates a spell.
I was quite familiar with it myself. This must be one of those kinds of magic.
Chuckling, I pulled out my existing dagger. I had taken care of it well, but it looked a bit pathetic next to the unicorn dagger.
Well, I guess I’ll sell this one later. How poetic that my last job involves cutting my own finger!
I smiled bitterly, and with the sharp part of the dagger, I lightly cut the tip of my index finger.
Splat!
The chilly blade pierced my skin… did I cut deeper than I thought?
Hot pain rose from my fingertip, covering the coldness of the blade. At the same time, drops of blood began to fall.
I felt like I was about to tear up, but no way was I going to cry over my own mistake.
That would be too embarrassing, even in this world.
So, while I tried to maintain a calm demeanor, it was Eve and the Lemon Apple duo who looked more surprised.
“J-Jonah?! There was no need to cut that deeply!”
“Bandage! Get a bandage, Jonah!”
“I used them all when we were playing tie-up yesterday! I’ll look for a potion!”
“Hey, it’s just a cut on my finger; it’s no big deal. …But what exactly is this tie-up game?”
What is that obscenely named game? It’s too distracting!
I wanted to sit them down and interrogate them about what that game involves, but for now, I had more urgent matters to address.
“By the way, I think I’ve dropped enough blood, but why is there no reaction, Eve?”
I had splattered the guard’s gem, the blade, and the handle with blood and still nothing!
…Could it be that I was tricked while I was asleep?
If that were the case, I’d need to find Ellie and make her take responsibility.
For a moment, as I pondered this, Eve answered in a fidgety voice.
“You don’t just sprinkle it around; you have to hold it first!”
“Aha?”
I instantly grasped the dagger. At that moment, a bright white light burst forth from the blade. It was so intense that I could barely keep my eyes open.
After a long moment of darkness, I carefully opened my eyes, and there was the dagger, now pristine white, as if it had never been splattered with blood at all.
“…Did it eat the blood? Is it a magic sword now?”
Buzz!
The dagger vibrated gently as if protesting my proclamation of it being a magic sword.
Upon closer inspection, the edges had become sharper, and the golden patterns on the blade pulsed rhythmically with light.
The gem in the guard flickered with a mix of white and pink energy, and the handle felt like it was sticking to me rather than vice versa.
It genuinely felt as if the dagger was alive.
Seeing that the binding was complete, Eve let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s done. Your wound should have healed by now; why don’t you check?”
“Eh? Oh, now that you mention it, it doesn’t hurt anymore?”
I held out my finger, which was completely healed, leaving only a trace of where the cut had been. Even that was disappearing fast!
“Hehe. How do you like it? Do you like your new power?”
I had sacrificed a bit of blood, so it should grant me suitable power (X)
I struggled a lot to make this, so give it high praise! (O)
“Of course! Who wouldn’t want healing abilities? Does it have any other powers? Can you tell me?”
With big eyes and a bright smile, I eagerly leaned forward. From Eve’s perspective, it probably felt like a dramatic alert coming from below.
This is sort of a service. I didn’t know what abilities it had, but the power emanating from the dagger felt extraordinary.
This couldn’t just be due to the high-quality materials. It had to be a result of a skilled blacksmith and a mage working together.
Even someone as well-connected as Eve wouldn’t do this for free just because I promised to visit often.
So I had to ask something in return.
Suddenly, Eve clutched her chest and staggered but quickly recovered and nodded.
“Of course, I’ll tell you. As you just saw, it has constant healing abilities. Essentially, it applies to the wearer, but if you want, you can heal others while holding the blade. There are some limitations, though.”
“That’s amazing! But what are the limitations?”
“The person receiving treatment must be pure.”
“?”
“Or they should be someone who has gone through a pure love story, have two or more children, and live happily… Honestly, I’m not quite sure about this part. Unicorns have always been rather mysterious beings… I mean, they went extinct long ago, so there isn’t much information left.”
Eve, who subtly hinted at her age, quickly changed the subject.
Showcasing the same quick wit that one would expect from someone who lived in the days when unicorns pierced the golden sun.
I pretended not to hear and waved at Lemon and Apple as they hurriedly returned the potions to the stands.
“Stop! We can’t do that!”
“No to human experimentation!”
“I’ll catch up with you guys in no time anyway… Ah, but if you come now, I can bite you with my teeth instead of the dagger. At least this way I probably won’t cut too deep, right?”
“…I’m closing my eyes!”
“Lemon! No skipping the line!”
“It’s not first-come, first-served, so take your time!”
As I stood up and said that, obedient Lemon and Apple lined up before me, looking all nervous.
It was a resounding success for the experimental results.
I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Lemon and Apple devouring the healing wounds with a candid enthusiasm before sitting back down, not at my original spot, but next to Eve.
“……”
Eve was giving Lemon and Apple a rather scary look. I nudged her side lightly with my elbow and asked,
“What’s the next effect?”
“Huh? Uhh?!”
I guess she didn’t realize I was sitting right next to her. Eve jolted as if shocked and twitched.
This was a bit amusing, like a fish out of water…
“My question, are you listening? What’s the next effect?”
“Yes, yes! Of course! The basic functions of the unicorn’s horn are all included.”
I made this incredible item (X)
It’s close. It’s small. It smells good. (O)
“The ability to determine experience level?”
“…That’s the most famous one, but there are many other powers. For example, it protects the user from various negative effects, purifies dirty things, and increases luck.”
“Luck…!”
Status resistance and self-cleaning abilities were nice too, but for a gacha enthusiast like me, luck was the most important.
“Last time you took the Lucky Strike, you really value luck, don’t you, Jonah?”
“Of course! In gambling, luck is everything!”
“……”
I flashed a grin at Eve, who was silently staring at me.
“If I discover treasures from the past or relics of dead gods in the labyrinth, I could make a fortune! I love money!”
“…Ah, so that’s what you meant by gambling.”
Come to think of it, being an adventurer is a life-threatening gamble in itself.
That acknowledged, I put a little more emphasis on luck (X)
Too bad. If I were a gambling addict, they would have needed clan power just to survive without me. (O)
???
Are you suggesting that the elves give me all their collected money and support me as a freeloader?
What a terrible thought, Eve…
I nearly blurted out an eagerness to put that plan into action but managed to restrain myself, thinking of all the things I still needed to do.
“…Since you mentioned the basic abilities, does that mean there are powers that aren’t in the unicorn’s horn?”
“You’re quick on the uptake. As a weapon, it has automatic recovery magic for convenience, automatic retrieval magic, and security magic cast onto it… but actually, those things are standard on expensive weapons, so the real deal comes next.”
“Ooh… What is it?”
“When you face sexually promiscuous individuals or evil entities, it can deliver a fatal blow.”
“What?!”
A virgin-slaying blade…?
I also noticed she mentioned ‘evil’ but that seemed less important.
I leaned closer to Eve, drawing our shoulders almost touching, and whispered into her long ear.
“What happens if I’m no longer a virgin…?”
“…Then the dagger will turn black and split into two. I suppose it could be called the Blight Dagger?”
Don’t worry, it won’t harm the user (X)
Can I expect something good from this? (O)
“……”
Maybe my mental translator broke.
In any case, that’s how it is.
