I Returned with the Cheat Holy Sword

Back in her dorm, Vespa Luciana stared blankly up at the ceiling.
Lately, her life had been extremely busy.

She continued to serve Lady Gray as always, diligently reviewed her magic lessons—which she now attended regularly—and studied for the regular assessment...
“…”
And yet, even amidst such a hectic schedule, what came to mind first was still the last thing that had happened.

That study group with the Young Lady and Carlyle.
She was replaying the scene in her head.
Gray keeping Carlyle close while they worked through various things together.

Or more accurately, gripping onto him as if she couldn’t stand to see him near anyone else.
Vespa had served the Young Lady for a long time, but she had never seen her so obsessed with anything to that degree.
And—

Seeing that, for some reason—
“…”
How to put it?

It made her uncomfortable.
She wasn’t sure if the feeling was directed at the Young Lady, or at Carlyle.
But what was certain was that watching the two of them like that ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) hadn’t made her feel good.

“...Ugh.”
Letting out a defeated noise, she shoved her head deep into the pillow.
Both the Young Lady and Carlyle were precious to her.

The Young Lady, of course, was the one she had served for the longest time. And Carlyle… was the first person in her life she had ever felt she could rely on.
Honestly, when she thought about it, it was strange.
She hadn’t known Carlyle for that long—but somewhere along the line, he had become important to her.
He’s a strange person.

When he was around, she felt safe.
Unlike her, who always stumbled through things one task at a time, he handled everything from start to finish with methodical, airtight precision.
She’d often been helped by him when dealing with Gray’s bizarre requests too, so the more time they spent together, the more trust she felt building.

And more than anything—
“…”
A faint blue mist gathered in front of Vespa.

He was the one who helped her recognize and develop the magical talent that no one had ever noticed in a mere maid like her.
Thanks to him, her relationship with the Young Lady had improved dramatically as well.
So—he was a good person. A precious person.

Just like Gray was precious to her.
But.
Why—

Why did it feel so suffocating to see two precious people together?
“…”
…What was this?

She didn’t know.
Honestly, she didn’t understand anything anymore.
Why she was feeling this way, what it meant...

With her head still buried in the pillow, Vespa groaned as her thoughts spiraled.
And after a long stretch of agonizing introspection, she came to a conclusion.
...I should just go to sleep!

With that final thought, Vespa threw the blanket over herself.
Yeah. Thinking too much about this kind of thing would only make her suffer.
Carlyle, well—

...For the time being, she’d have to be careful not to let these thoughts creep up.
She felt a little guilty about it, but maybe it was best to keep a bit of distance from Carlyle for now.
***

Some time ago, Headmaster Sior Whiteburn had asked Carlyle if he wanted to learn how to wield the Holy Sword.
He had agreed without hesitation—but sometimes, Carlyle found himself regretting that decision.
“—!”

Like now, for example.
When the mana coursing through his body suddenly surged like fire, making his entire frame burn up.
“Yeesh, you’re cooked through.”

“…”
Watching the steam rising off Carlyle’s entire body, the Headmaster chuckled and emptied his cup.
Then he picked up the nearby water jug and poured the whole thing directly over Carlyle’s head.

It might’ve looked degrading—but to Carlyle, it was a godsend.
His whole body felt like it was melting from the heat. Even that simple splash made things infinitely more bearable.
“I’m impressed you’re still holding on. Feels like a bomb’s going off inside you, doesn’t it?”

“I’ve trained with mana circuit construction before.”
“Yeah, but I doubt you’ve ever done it this recklessly.”
That was true.

Taking in the Hero’s mana through the Holy Sword was not something a normal human body could endure.
To push one’s body to the point that steam was literally rising from overloaded mana circuits—it wasn’t something you could achieve through standard methods.
If the Headmaster hadn’t been there to monitor him constantly and make minute adjustments, he probably would’ve broken down long ago.

...Still, if I can pull this off…
Constructing mana circuits was the most basic of all physical reinforcement training for Imperial knights.
It created the foundation for storing a constant reservoir of mana within the body.

And since it directly influenced the body, it had a huge impact on one’s constitution as well.
Most aspiring knights—especially those from noble families with the means—underwent this process from a young age using expensive tonics and secret techniques.
In that sense, Carlyle was incredibly lucky.

He was being guided by the previous Hero himself, using a sword that held incredibly high affinity with all types of mana.
[No doubt he’s got massive potential.]
Even the Holy Sword was impressed enough to say so.

[Not quite as good as the original wielder—me—but you could pull off a decent imitation.]
They said transferring the Hero’s mana through the Holy Sword resulted in significant loss.
That inefficiency was the reason why most of the Hero’s abilities were inaccessible to begin with.

So this training was more than just a power boost—it was expanding Carlyle’s potential ability range by a huge margin.
“Still, I didn’t think you’d actually follow through. Who just blindly does something this crazy because someone told them to?”
“…”

“There’s probably some kingdom out there using this as torture. I’m the one who told you to do it, but even I think you’re insane.”
…This geezer.
Carlyle gave the smirking Headmaster a narrow-eyed glare.

“Well, you’ve made it far enough.”
“Sir?”
As Carlyle knelt with the Holy Sword, the Headmaster placed a hand on his shoulder.

He could feel the Headmaster’s mana flooding into the circuits he had barely managed to forge in his body.
And then, a moment later—
“…Oh.”

Carlyle couldn’t help but let out a quiet gasp.
The Holy Sword, which had always maintained the form of a longsword, had changed—now it looked like a small shield, the kind you could strap to one arm.
“Remember that feeling. That’s how you’ll be able to replicate it.”

“How did you do that?”
“Blessed iron has the most complex mana response of any metal. With enough resonance, you can freely shift its form by imbuing it with mana.”
As he spoke, the form of the Holy Sword continued to change.

From a shield to a dagger, from a dagger to twin blades.
“Just being able to do this is enough to avoid suspicion. When people hear ‘Holy Sword,’ they picture a longsword by default.”
I invented this trick, by the way.

Carlyle nodded as the Headmaster smugly shrugged.
“How far can the form be changed?”
“Well… that depends on your mana control. A concrete mental image is key. Why don’t you get creative?”

Imagination.
He already had something in mind.
“Headmaster.”

“Yeah?”
“Would it be possible to shape the Holy Sword into something like… a human body?”
“…”

The Headmaster gave him a horrified look.
“…What are you planning? You got some weird fetish or something?”
“…No, nothing like that.”

“Ah, youth. So energetic. That’s nice—”
“I said no.”
…It took a while to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Well, I guess it’s possible. But it won’t be easy. That’s practically like creating an entire living being with mana. Even I couldn’t pull it off.”
“…I see.”
So then—giving the Hero a new physical body wasn’t something that could be done overnight.

If even the Headmaster said he couldn’t do it, maybe it was impossible altogether.
But—
...I’ll make it happen, no matter what.

[Is that really something to get so fired up over? Even the Headmaster says it’s too much.]
I just want to do it for Lady Hero.
[…Are you an idiot?]

It’d make my life easier.
[…]
Please, save the world with an actual body, Lady Hero.

[Shut the hell up.]
The Holy Sword had snapped.
Carlyle chuckled and rose to his feet.

Anyway—he had a clear objective now for this new skill.
He knew exactly why he needed to train his mana.
As he turned over those thoughts, the Headmaster shrugged again and asked,

“By the way, how’d you do on the written exam?”
“Well… I managed somehow.”
He’d scraped by—avoiding failure through sheer force of will and sleep deprivation.

“Good. The practical test’s going to be even tougher, though.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You and your friends will be taking a special format exam. I hope you find it entertaining.”

“…Why?”
“You should be grateful I’m letting you slide on all those missed classes. By the rules, you’d be expelled already.”
“…Thank you.”

“And besides, you and your friends need to be tested in real-world conditions.”
“Huh?”
“You’re always in the eye of the storm, Carlyle Belfast.”

“…”
“You’re a walking disaster magnet.”
“Could you stop saying ominous things, please?”

***
One day later—
Carlyle was feeling a renewed sense of respect for the Headmaster.

Ah, so this is why no one becomes a former Hero without earning the title first.
His insight into “disaster magnets” was disturbingly accurate.
Even just a few minutes into the test, Carlyle’s situation spoke for itself.

A dark forest. Danger oozing from every tree. Just him and Vespa, standing alone in the gloom.
“...Hehehe.”
Vespa scratched her cheek awkwardly as she stood in front of him.

She clearly wasn’t used to this kind of scenario either.
“Um, I think—”
She glanced around nervously.

“—we’ll probably have to stay together like this all night.”
“…”
“...And maybe even sleep together, uh, I mean—share a sleeping space, yes…”

“…”
“Is that... alright with you?”
Well—sure. That could happen.

Vespa wasn’t a weirdo or anything. And it wasn’t like staying close was all that hard.
As long as no boundaries were crossed, it was manageable.
But then—

System Message
▶ Event triggered: Subject ‘Vespa Luciana’
▶ Depending on outcome, Trait: ‘Archmage’s First Love’ will change!

“…”
Carlyle clamped his mouth shut as the message window—visibly ominous—floated into view.