Even though we were heading for the Commercial Fleet, we were not currently in the harbor. We had to head to the Sheftent first and then take a fast boat to it.
(Master, Weena Rhyn is back)
『You’re right. Let’s show her our faces then』
(Nn)
From the Academy of Magic’s camp built next to the Sheftent, we could feel the presence of Weena Rhyn there.
We decided to give her a brief update on our investigation. We also asked Lovren to report to the Adventurer’s Guild while we returned to the camp.
In the tent, we saw Weena Rhyn sitting in a chair, concentrating on something. Romio and Zelos Reed seemed to be in the next tent.
『What is she doing? Her magic seems to be flowing in strange ways』
「There’s a spirit…」
She was apparently communicating with a spirit. Fran was about to turn on her heel, thinking it would be a bad idea to interrupt her, but then Weena Rhyn opened her eyes and called out to her.
「Fran, it’s fine」
「Are you sure?」
「Yeah. I didn’t do anything serious. I was just gathering information from the surrounding spirits」
I’ve heard that communicating with spirits was a challenge even for a skilled Spirit Magic User, but apparently, it was no big deal for Weena Rhyn.
「I got your message. You think Rhyn’s in Kiarazen?」
「I’m sorry, but I couldn’t find her」
『We went there again. But we didn’t get to see Rhyn, we also heard a rumor that there was a stall run by a mysterious girl』
After that, we reported to Weena Rhyn about our previous conversations with Rhyn and the circumstances of our encounter.
Maybe it was because the time had passed, she didn’t get so emotional at the mere mention of Rhyn’s name anymore. Thanks to this, we were able to talk calmly.
First of all, there was the time when we met her at a stall in Kiarazen. We told her about how at first, we only thought she was a blind girl, and how she could still see us.
「…She was running a food stall in town?」
「Nn. It was delicious. But why did Rhyn, a spirit, would do something like that?」
「I’d like to know that too」
「Even Weena Rhyn doesn’t know?」
「Yes, I don’t know…」
I could see the deep anguish on Weena Rhyn’s face as she muttered. She really didn’t seem to understand the reason for Rhyn’s actions.
「I really don’t know what she’s thinking… I guess we’ll have to get in contact with her after all. Well, that’s fine for now. Tell me the rest」
「Nn」
At Weena Rhyn’s urging, we talked about the next time we saw Rhyn again. We told her about her sudden appearance and the advice Rhyn had given us.
「Does Rhyn really have the power to see the future?」
「Yes, I’m sure of it. And spirits don’t lie unless they’re ordered to do so by their contractors. Her case is a little more special, though… But I don’t think she’s lying」
『So, if my soul adapts to the sword, it’ll be a tragedy for Fran…?』
「That’s what it’s gonna be」
『Hey, what do you think I should do then?』
She was a person who had lived for thousands of years. So maybe she could give me some advice.
To be honest, I wasn’t really expecting much, but Weena Rhyn put her hand on her chin and started thinking.
「Hmm… That’s a very difficult question. First, Master doesn’t want to go crazy. But in order not to go crazy, he has to adapt to being a sword」
『Yeah』
「However, if he becomes a sword, he will lose his human emotions. Moreover, a tragedy might befall on Fran」
『Yes』
「In other words, you have to adapt to the sword without going crazy, but you also have to keep your human heart」
『You think that’s possible?』
Weena Rhyn pondered my question.
「…Oh right. I’ve met intelligence weapons several times in the past. But most of them had gone crazy. However, their craziness was different from each other」
「Different?」
「One was in an irrational, manic-depressive state. It was in the type of state that would come to mind when you think of the word “crazy”. But what they all had in common was that they hated their sword bodies and were tired of living as swords. I guess it was that the ego of the human being could not accept its sword body」
Just like the Fanatics. He was the type who didn’t know what he was going to do next.
「Then, there was the type that didn’t feel like it had true sentience. Just like if you took away all emotions from a human being and gave them the ability to just answer questions」
Just like a machine, huh?
「Of course, an artificially created being is not uncommon. Golems with a conversational function are one example. However, if a being that was originally human is sealed in something, or if a being that has had its soul transferred without a way to help them to adapt then they would surely go crazy」
Announcer-san was originally created to support the sword, so she couldn’t be called crazy. That was because it was only natural for her to not go crazy.
But if I become like Announcer-san, I would surely go crazy.
『The former is when they’re too conscious of being human. They couldn’t adapt to the sword and went crazy. And the latter was when their adaptation to the sword advances too far』
「Yeah」
I was on the verge of becoming the latter. And I didn’t even notice it myself. It was scary.
「Thus, the existence of the only intelligence weapon that I have met that was not crazy becomes important. Now that I think about it, a sword and a person. I suppose both sides were balancing each other mentally」
「How did that sword manage to not get crazy?」
「…This was something I couldn’t say for sure. Still, there was one thing that made it different from the other swords, it was its bond with its wielder」
Weena Rhyn said that the swords that went crazy had passed through the hands of many different wielders and were regarded as powerful and rare.
However, the exceptional sword had been used by the same wielder ever since it was created, and had apparently formed a bond with that wielder as if they were partners.
「It was both a sword and a person. It was proud of itself and had accepted itself as a sword. I think that’s what sustained its soul」
『I see…』
A bond with the wielder. But what exactly should I do? Should I communicate more with Fran?
However, Fran smiled at me with a look of relief on her face.
「Then, Master will be fine」
『Eh?』
「Because we’re the greatest combination」
『Fran…』
「That’s why, Master will be fine」
Fran wasn’t talking in a comforting or wishful way, she seemed to really mean it. She was smiling, as if this problem was no longer dire.
When I saw her like that, I felt the frustration that had almost taken me over unknowingly disappear. If I’m with Fran, I’ll be fine. I should think that without any worries.
「If you’re afraid that you might go crazy, it might trigger an imbalance in your mind. I also think it’s better to be as optimistic as Fran, right? There’s no perfect way to deal with this, and I think it’s important to stay aware of it」
『…I see』
「Nn」
「As soon as you understand your problems and start struggling to do something about them, the future might change. Then the fate that Rhyn had mentioned may have already been averted」
Rhyn had said, 『There’s a high possibility that it will come true if we did nothing about it』. Indeed, the future could have been different once we understood the problem.
『But I don’t know if that’s enough to avoid the tragedy. We don’t even know when it will be coming in the first place』
Aside from the possibility that I might or might not be going crazy, what was the tragedy she mentioned? From Rhyn’s words, it seemed to be coming soon. However, the sense of time of beings who have lived for a long time was often different from ours.
I couldn’t deny the possibility that 10 or 20 years to us may feel like a day or two to Rhyn.
『Hey, where’s that intelligence weapon that didn’t go crazy, right now?』
I wasn’t sure if we would be able to make it in time for the tragedy Rhyn had told us about, but if we meet it, it might be able to give me some insight.
「Let’s see. I’ll let you know if you can figure out what’s the cause of the lake’s anomaly. What do you think?」
I didn’t think it was petty, and neither did Fran. The information was really valuable for us. But it was information that had nothing to do with the current incident. So Weena Rhyn had no obligation to give it to us without any compensation.
「We’ll definitely find out the cause of the anomaly!」
『Ou!』
Fran had been serious on our investigation so far. But she wasn’t in a hurry before. She was just doing what she could because her current employer, Weena Rhyn, had asked her to.
But now it became a case that was actually involving us. Fran’s motivation was clearly visible.
「I’m counting on you」
「Nn!」
Author-san note (or was it his editor, dunno XD):
The ability handed down in the Magnolia family has been revised from “Evil God’s Charms” to an ability called “Evil God’s Sacrament”, and a light explanation of it has been added.
To summarize, the Sacrament of the Evil God is an ability that absorbs Evil Spirits from evil people or pieces of Evil Gods and converts them into power.
The power of the three Gordician families, including the Magnolia family, was actually given to them by their ancestors from the Evil God.
