Lusian pushed mana into the sword, and Dainslein responded immediately, without the slightest resistance, as if it had been waiting for him from the very beginning. He felt it absorb everything completely, and a deep hum traveled through his arm until it reached his chest.
The blade slowly changed color, shifting from silver to black. It was not a shadow covering it, but something denser, something more absolute, as if light itself ceased to exist around it. The air surrounding it grew cold, filled with a strange pressure.
In front of him stood an obstacle made of solid stone, heavy and unyielding, something that should not have given way to anything ordinary. Yet Lusian did not prepare himself any further than necessary.
He did not need to.
He raised the sword and performed a single slash—short, precise, without any visible effort.
The blade passed through the stone as if it did not exist. There was no resistance, no sound, not even the sensation of something breaking. It simply gave way, splitting apart with absurd ease.
When the sword stopped, a clean opening remained, its edges darkened, as if something had erased the material rather than cut through it. The mana vanished from the blade, and it returned to its normal state, silent and harmless once again.
Lusian stared at it in silence.
"...What a sword."
He ran his fingers along the edge.
This was not an ordinary sword.
Any warrior could reinforce a weapon with mana. All they had to do was wrap the steel in energy to make it more durable, sharper, or more destructive.
The problem was that ordinary weapons were not made to withstand it.
A large portion of the mana simply dissipated.
It was like trying to carry water in a basket: no matter how much you poured in, part of it would always be lost.
That was why artifacts were so valuable.
The better the artifact, the less energy it wasted, and the longer a warrior could maintain their power without exhausting themselves.
Lusian looked at the blade again.
It was not simply a powerful sword.
It was a sword that wasted nothing.
At that moment, he understood why true artifacts were treated as national treasures.
It was not only about the amount of power they could unleash.
It was about how much of that power remained after being used.
An ordinary sword could allow a knight to deliver a strike capable of breaking a rock.
But after that single strike, his mana would be depleted.
Dainslein was different.
It did not take more.
It did not demand more.
It simply made better use of everything it received.
Lusian narrowed his eyes.
He had read that term in the game's records.
Ætherion.
Weapons that belonged more to legends than battlefields.
Lusian lowered the sword and allowed the sweat on his forehead to dry. Dainslein rested in his hand, still vibrating with a faint energy that seemed to respond to his pulse. He wiped himself with a towel and turned toward the courtyard gate, surprised to see a servant running toward him in a hurry.
—Lord Lusian —the man gasped—, Miss Emily Carter has arrived.
Lusian frowned, caught between surprise and slight irritation. Emily? Again?
He carefully put the sword away, as if afraid that any carelessness might break the delicate connection he was beginning to form with it. His muscles were still trembling from training, and a knot formed in his stomach at the thought of seeing her.
When he entered the main hall, he found Emily speaking with Sophia.
The young woman was laughing with a natural ease he had not seen during their first meeting. The stiffness from that morning at the temple had almost completely disappeared.
Emily was the first to notice him.
—Good morning, Lusian.
He responded with a slight bow.
—Lady Emily.
Then he turned his gaze toward his mother.
—I was not expecting a visit.
Sophia calmly placed her cup onto the saucer.
—I invited her.
Lusian raised an eyebrow slightly.
—Did something happen?
—Nothing at all.
The duchess smiled with that serenity that always made it impossible to guess her true intentions.
—I thought it would be a good idea for the two of you to see a little of the city.
Lusian remained silent.
The city...
It was not an unusual suggestion.
After all, they were engaged.
Even so, he felt there was something more behind it.
—And you? —he asked.
—I have work to attend to.
Sophia answered without hesitation.
Then she looked between Emily and her son.
A playful smile appeared on her lips.
—Besides... it would be rather strange for a mother to accompany two fiancés on a date.
Emily lowered her gaze with slight embarrassment.
Lusian, however, froze.
"A... date?"
He had never thought of calling it that.
Sophia noticed his expression and let out a soft laugh.
—Do not make that face. You will have to get used to it eventually.
Lusian sighed inwardly.
Now he understood.
From the beginning, this had been a carefully planned ambush by his mother.
And he had no escape route.
Emily looked up and smiled with a hint of uncertainty.
—If... if it makes you uncomfortable, we can do it another day.
Lusian shook his head calmly.
—No.
The answer came out before he had time to think about it.
The young woman seemed surprised.
So was he.
For a moment, he remembered everything that had happened the previous day.
The queen.
Andrew.
Elizabeth.
The memories that had surfaced without him searching for them.
His body had reacted before his mind more than once.
Maybe refusing to run from everything was not such a bad idea.
He looked at Emily again.
She waited for his answer without pressuring him.
Without demanding anything.
She simply waited.
Lusian let out a small sigh.
—We are already here. It would be a waste to cancel the outing.
Emily smiled.
It was not a dazzling smile.
It was a small one.
A relieved one.
Sophia watched the scene without saying a word.
The satisfaction on her face was enough to show that this was exactly what she had hoped for.
Not long after, they left the mansion.
Beside the carriage waited two knights from House Carter: William and Alejandro.
Both gave a respectful bow when they saw the duchess appear.
Before either of them could speak, Sophia addressed them.
—While Miss Carter remains under the protection of the Douglas Duchy, her safety will be the responsibility of our house.
William immediately lowered his head.
—Understood, Your Grace.
Alejandro took a second longer.
Only a second.
But Lusian noticed.
The young knight's fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword before slowly relaxing.
A small gesture.
Almost imperceptible.
But enough to reveal that those words were not easy for him to accept.
—...As you command, Your Grace.
His voice was firm.
Too controlled.
Emily noticed it as well.
Her expression changed slightly.
—Sir Alejandro.
The knight immediately looked up.
—Yes, Miss?
—I fully trust the word of Duchess Douglas.
Her tone remained gentle.
But there was a certainty that left no room for argument.
—I do not want to see that expression again.
Alejandro remained silent.
He held Emily's gaze for several seconds.
That was what hurt the most.
It was not an order.
It was not a reprimand.
It was disappointment.
And that expression weighed more than any blow.
Because Emily was not defending the Douglases.
She was reminding him of who he was supposed to be.
A knight.
Someone who could have doubts, even fear or resentment, but could not allow his emotions to control his actions.
For a moment, Alejandro seemed ready to respond.
But the words never came.
Finally, he lowered his head.
—My apologies.
Emily held his gaze for a few more seconds.
Only when she was certain he understood did she smile again.
—Thank you.
William let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
That scene seemed far too familiar.
Lusian watched silently.
So this was Alejandro.
The Fire Hero.
In his memories, he was an impulsive man, proud and impossible to break.
But now Lusian did not see the hero he knew.
He only saw a young knight trying to contain something he did not want to reveal.
Distrust.
Pain.
Perhaps even resentment.
And for the first time, Lusian understood something.
Knowing the story of the game did not mean knowing the people who lived inside it.
Emily opened the carriage door and turned her head toward him.
—Are you coming?
Lusian came out of his thoughts.
—Yes.
He climbed into the carriage while Alejandro remained motionless, watching them leave.
Only when the wheels began to move did the knight slowly look away.
William approached and patted him on the shoulder.
—Control yourself.
Alejandro slowly released the breath he had been holding.
—I am trying.
William glanced at him.
—Then try harder.
The young knight clenched his jaw.
Because he knew.
No matter how much he wanted to deny it...
House Carter could not afford to make a mistake.
Not in front of the Douglases.
Lusian followed a few seconds later.
As he sat across from Emily, he realized that his discomfort no longer came from a desire to escape.
It was simply...
He had never been on a date in either of his two lives.
Emily looked at him curiously.
—Shall we go?
Lusian smiled faintly.
A smile so small that even he wondered if he had actually made it.
—Let's go.
The carriage slowly began moving toward the center of the capital.