Chapter 47 Give the princess a little orthopedic shock! Explore the true name of the treasure!
The first day of school, which should have been a relaxed period of adjustment, was stirred up by an unexpected "reunion."
After the class's self-introductions were hastily concluded, Orikida Yuri announced their dismissal.
Arthur, Stella, and Kurogane Ikki returned to the dormitory building together.
Kurogane Ikki still walked at the forefront, looking preoccupied, his brows furrowed, his face as if steeped in bitterness.
Stella quietly slowed her pace, sidled up to Arthur, and lowered her voice.
"What exactly are you planning? The school selection battles can't be delayed indefinitely."
Hearing this, Arthur's lips curved into a playful smile.
"What, is the famous Vermillion student worried that she won't make the list?"
"Who, who's worried about that!"
Stella's cheeks flushed slightly, then she took a deep breath, trying to calm her heaving chest, which made her already impressive curves even more striking.
She glared indignantly at the always composed Arthur, about to speak, when a sudden commotion erupted ahead.
Arthur and Stella looked up simultaneously, only to see Kurogane Ikki, who had been walking ahead, now sitting on the ground.
A petite young girl was nestled tightly in his arms, her face filled with rapture, greedily sniffing his scent.
Stella: (⁄ ⁄ • ⁄ ω ⁄ • ⁄ ⁄)
The flushed princess trembled as she raised her hand, pointing at the closely embracing pair, her voice slightly distorted.
"Those, those two people... are they lovers?"
"But isn't that girl too young? Could it be... a loli-con!?"
As she spoke, she quickly pulled out her mobile terminal, seemingly intending to immediately order a pork cutlet rice set for Kurogane Ikki.
Arthur, quick-witted, grabbed Stella's hand as she was about to dial, a meaningful, mischievous smile on his face.
"Calm down, Vermillion student, let's first hear the 'suspect's' confession."
"Hey! How did I become a suspect!?"
Kurogane Ikki rubbed his aching scalp, protesting loudly, on the verge of tears.
"Shizuku is my sister! My biological sister! We haven't seen each other in years, I was shocked too, okay!"
Upon hearing this, Stella paused, looking at Arthur with a belly full of suspicion.
"Um... are Japan siblings usually... this close?"
Arthur chuckled helplessly: "Vermillion student, if I didn't know for sure you were a foreign princess, I would almost think you were deliberately telling dirty jokes."
Just then, Kurogane Shizuku, who had been immersed in her own world, seemed to finally come to her senses.
She slowly lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tenderness, gazing affectionately at her brother, Kurogane Ikki, whom she hadn't seen in years, and then—
She resolutely leaned in again, aiming directly for Ikki's lips!
Stella: Σ(っ °Д°;)っ
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly, and he unhurriedly pulled out his mobile terminal from his pocket, tapping his finger to search for the name "Shizuku."
...
Name: Kurogane Shizuku
Class: Hagun Academy, First Year, Class 4
Age: 15
Blazer Rank: B
Attack Power: D
Defense Power: B
Magic Power: C
Magic Control: A
Physical Ability: E
Luck: C
Innate Weapon: Yoishigure
...
Hmm! Indeed, the surname is Kurogane!
Arthur, a mysterious smile playing on his lips, looked down at the struggling Kurogane Ikki, his voice light, as if from beyond the clouds.
"Ikki-san, are you planning to go to the police station to file a report first? Or go to the hospital for an orthopedic specialist consultation now?"
Kurogane Ikki: (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
...
After a chaotic scene, Kurogane Ikki finally managed to explain the "deep sibling affection" farce.
Although Arthur and Stella's gazes at him were still filled with the scrutiny reserved for scumbags, clearly indicating a low level of trust in his explanation.
Arthur had a premonition that if he continued to dwell on this matter, it would likely consume the entire day, so he decisively withdrew and headed to the Chairwoman's office.
Shinguuji Kurono had been waiting for a long time; seeing Arthur enter, she skipped the pleasantries and directly handed him a thick stack of documents.
"All the admission reports for students from first to third year are here. Are you sure you want to re-screen all of them?"
Arthur took the weighty stack of documents, tidied them casually, and asked in return.
"Otherwise? Does the Chairwoman have a more convenient method?"
"Even among F-rank Blazers, a dark horse like Kurogane Ikki can emerge. Who dares to say there aren't other overlooked gems in Hagun Academy?"
Hearing this, Shinguuji Kurono's face flashed with an almost imperceptible hint of embarrassment, then she gestured for Arthur to help himself.
She, meanwhile, was happy to take it easy, serving as a mere background figure who only gave orders.
Arthur sat on the nearby sofa and first pulled out the files for himself, Stella, Kurogane Ikki, and Toudou Touka, placing them aside.
These individuals were already his planned core team members.
He slowly flipped through the documents in his hand, asking Shinguuji Kurono without looking up.
"How is the plan for adding IPS Regeneration Pods progressing?"
"I say, you boy—"
Shinguuji Kurono felt a faint throbbing in her temples again, and gritted her teeth.
"You couldn't possibly be treating IPS Regeneration Pods as some kind of discarded item found anywhere on the roadside, could you?"
How could IPS Regeneration Pods be easily obtained?
They were a top medical Miracle that the International Alliance had spent countless efforts and years of research to bring into existence.
Whether it was severed limbs, ruptured organs, or even fatal head trauma.
As long as the injured person had a breath left, the Regeneration Pod could complete the treatment in a very short time, without even leaving a scar.
"The International Alliance has always treated the resource allocation to its affiliated academies equally. My previous multiple applications were all rejected without exception."
Arthur looked up at Shinguuji Kurono, who wore a bitter expression, and helplessly spread his hands.
"If the number of Regeneration Pods cannot be guaranteed, the subsequent competition format must be adjusted, otherwise, it would be too harsh for core team members who need to fight continuously."
Shinguuji Kurono naturally understood this principle and could only continue to wave her hand with a pained expression.
"I understand. I will try to use my personal connections later; perhaps I can secure one or two more units."
Hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Arthur's eyes.
He hadn't expected this seemingly un-scheming Chairwoman to have such deep connections.
"Alright, then I'll leave this matter to you."
Saying that, he neatly gathered the remaining admission reports and stood up.
"There's one more thing, regarding intelligence on the other six academies."
"Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated. I don't want to step onto the field completely ignorant of the enemy's abilities."
After Arthur left, Shinguuji Kurono skillfully lit a cigarette, rotated her office chair, and turned her back to the door.
She gazed out at the swirling clouds through the window, her figure revealing an undeniable weariness and world-weariness.
Sigh—this B-rank Chairwoman, she's had enough of it!
...
Inside the Hagun Library.
Arthur opened an ancient book titled "Overview of Innate Weapons" and carefully studied its contents.
Admittedly, he was not a Blazer, and naturally had no so-called Innate Weapon.
However, the term 'Innate Weapon' was only officially established after the International Alliance was founded.
In the long years before that, people had given them many different names—
'Holy Sword', 'Demonic Bow', 'Cursed Tool', 'Noble Phantasm'...
As the materialization of the soul, it could respond to the wielder's heart, unleash all sorts of strange abilities, and faithfully reflect the wielder's essence.
The Hagun Academy library housed countless cultivation insights left behind by exceptionally gifted Blazers.
They generally believed that the human soul was not immutable.
If a Blazer encountered a major upheaval at a certain stage of his life, the symbol of his soul—
The Innate Weapon would also undergo a transformation accordingly.
After carefully comparing the records in several documents, Arthur slowly closed the book in his hand.
He made a grasping motion with his right hand, and the strange platinum longsword in its sheath appeared before him.
He gazed calmly at this extremely bizarre broadsword, where the sword and sheath seemed to be one, and murmured to himself.
"A sword-shaped Noble Phantasm that cannot be drawn... its true form, I should have realized long ago."
Unable to be drawn, perhaps it was a form of restraint, or perhaps, it was the prelude to some deeper ability.
Clang!
The sword body suddenly emitted a light hum, and the scabbard also trembled violently.
At this moment, the Noble Phantasm of unknown true name, having its core secret touched by Arthur, was responding in a unique way to its wielder's inquiry.