Shion introduced the blades with an incredibly bright smile, saying they were the ones she had always wanted, but I could not quite manage a proper reaction.
Finding the same blades as the one I carry in a shop that also sells fakes…… you know?
「M’lord, what do you think? These are the blades I fell in love with at first sight and have wanted for so long! The pair of Yin-Yang Blades that I admired while stacking up job after job! This one is Yin-Yang Blade – Yang! And this one is Yin-Yang Blade – Yin!」
Ah, so it really is Yin-Yang Blade – Yin.
I had held onto a faint hope that it might be something else like Yin-Yang Blade Mk II, but……
There is no way the one with such incredible performance is the fake…… which means……
I have complicated feelings about this, but Shion, on the other hand, is hopping lightly in place with eyes sparkling like a boy longing for a trumpet, letting out dreamy sighs of 「Haa～……」. Her excitement is clearly through the roof.
Well…… she really has worked in all sorts of places.
She was in Yutopola, Roukaku, and the Empire, so she probably worked in the royal capital as well.
When I think that all the money she saved from working as a guide, dancer, and various other jobs was for buying these blades…… it hits me hard.
「The Yin-Yang Blades. Two blades that form a single set, named Yin and Yang. Yin-Yang Blade – Yin can cut spiritual bodies. Yin-Yang Blade – Yang has the ability to absorb spiritual bodies. So…… the pair costs 500 million, while a single blade is 300 million nohl. What will you do?」
300 million for one blade!? That is expensive!
Wait, they cost that much!?
I was using such an expensive weapon with my unskilled hands!? I feel so sorry!
More importantly, is it really okay for me to keep borrowing it from Hayato?
At this point I am seriously considering returning it…… but I doubt Hayato would accept it even if he knew the price……
「That is quite the harsh pricing…… In reality it would not go for that much……」
「There is no market price for one-of-a-kind items. Those who want them will still buy them. If you can appraise them properly, feel free to examine them as much as you like.」
「Well, there are probably others besides me who want them…… I know there is no set market price. I know exactly how much trouble that caused me…… And besides, even if I could appraise them, you would not let me hold them anyway……」
「Obviously. If just holding them was enough to tell, even an idiot could do it. That would not be appraisal at all.」
「That is true～」
Yeah, I probably would not be able to tell.
I can somehow tell with one of them even without holding it, but the other one is completely beyond me.
「Well, since I have never seen the real thing before, even if these were fakes I would not be able to tell the difference. The blade that caught my eye is this one…… so I will bet on my own luck!」
「……Are you sure?」
「Yes! Even the fakes in this shop still have decent performance! If it turns out to be fake, I can at least accept it! Besides, I think my luck is pretty good!」
Betting on luck…… Isn’t that just gambling?
She has worked so hard for this all this time, right?
Is that really okay, Shion? I do think she is living life to the fullest, but still……
「Also, I used to be his subordinate, so there is no way he would sell me a fake! Probably! Definitely!!!」
Ah, so there was some calculation behind it after all.
Though it feels like a very sweet and naive one.
Well…… after all, if there are only two in the world, at least one of them should be……
「……You look like you want to say something.」
「Ah…… well, that is……」
「I am not forbidding you from speaking. Feel free to say whatever you want.」
「Hmm…… I see. Then…… Shion. I cannot tell with one of them, but I think this one is a fake. Most likely, without a doubt.」
「Hou……」
「Eeeeh!? How can you tell!? Are you actually a blade maniac!? You did not use appraisal, right!? If you did, this place would make a really loud noise! You would get banned!」
No, because I already have one of them……
It is inside my magic storage right now……
So there really is some kind of barrier.
Well, since he is the vice-director of Yaoyorozu, he would be familiar with such tools. He is probably using something like that.
「By the way, which one do you think is the fake?」
「This one.」
「……Fuh. Correct. To be precise, both of them are fakes.」
Eeeeh…… Isn’t he being way too honest all of a sudden?
If he had said at least one was real, I would not have known the difference, so he might have been able to sell one for at least 300 million nohl……
「You have a good eye. You did not seem to be looking that carefully…… It does not appear to be a special skill of a drifter either. Could it be that you possess one? A Yin-Yang Blade.」
「Yes…… Just one of them, though……」
「Hou…… Sorry to ask, but would you let me see it?」
「That is fine…… but please do not swap it.」
「Do not worry, m’lord. This person is still a member of a national organization. He may be eccentric, but he is not a bad person!」
「That last part was unnecessary…… Still, I swear on fox shrine maiden-sama’s name that I have no intention of doing anything dishonest. I simply wish to see the real Yin-Yang Blade – Yin.」
Uhh…… hmm.
Since Shion is nodding too…… I guess it is fine.
I am not exactly a warrior, so the blade is not like my soul or other half or anything……
「……So this is the real Yin-Yang Blade – Yin.」
「If you would like, would you like to hold it yourself?」
「Oh, I would be grateful.」
After thanking me, Daikoku-san put on pure white gloves before carefully receiving the blade and handling it with great respect.
The faint smile on his face seemed to come purely from strong interest and curiosity, but seeing him smile while looking at the blade felt slightly intimidating.
「……Magnificent. The length, the curve, and the hamon…… every part is beautiful. Even though it has seen real combat, there is not a single chip on the edge. Is that thanks to the blade’s own function……?」
「Function?」
「You did not know? As I said earlier, both Yin-Yang Blades are blades that can cut spiritual bodies. Yin-Yang Blade – Yin has the power to sever the connections of spiritual bodies, while Yin-Yang Blade – Yang cannot sever connections but absorbs and stores the power of spiritual bodies when it wounds them. At the same time, the blade itself regenerates. That is the function of these blades.」
Heh…… I had no idea about that at all.
So that means it recovered during the fight with Hayato the other day?
「Hmn? No, first of all, what exactly is a spiritual body……?」
「A spiritual body is something like a soul. Every physical body has a spiritual body overlapping it. Normal death is the death of the physical body, and normally the spiritual body returns to the heavens at that time as well. However, in rare cases some kind of power intervenes and only the spiritual body remains. Most undead are spiritual bodies without a physical form. They are born by possessing something. Wraiths are masses of spiritual energy. Skeletons are spiritual bodies that have latched onto bones.」
Spirits…… so ghosts really do exist……
In this other world, ghosts really are a thing……
Since there are skeletons too, that makes sense……
「If your opponent is a spirit, this Yin-Yang Blade – Yin is invincible. It can slice through any spirit cleanly. With this blade, they would be unable to regenerate and would return to the heavens immediately.」
Ooh…… spirit-specialized……
I will definitely never have the chance to use it though!
This is a completely different world from my original one! Since it is another world, spirits are probably visible even without spiritual sight and they attack people! Scary!
「Ah…… now that I think about it, I have cut down several beings with this blade before…… Is that okay?」
A spiritual body is something like a soul, right? Cutting one…… that sounds like a very bad thing to do.
This is bad. I am getting really worried now.
I even slashed Sorte’s stomach a little bit before!?
「It is fine. As long as the opponent has a physical body, the spiritual body is constantly recovering. If you have used it before, you should remember that when someone is cut by Yin-Yang Blade – Yin, the wounded part becomes paralyzed and unable to move. That is because the spiritual body and physical body are temporarily separated. Once time passes and they can move again, it means the spiritual body has recovered.」
「I see…… Thank goodness……」
「By the way, I mentioned that Yin-Yang Blade – Yin can paralyze opponents by severing their spiritual body, but this is not a pure paralysis effect. It is the result of separating the spiritual body, so it completely ignores paralysis resistance and status ailment resistance.」
Ooh…… Now that he mentions it, even Hayato, who has extremely high resistance to all kinds of effects, was unable to move for several seconds.
That means…… it could probably stop even Makoto, who likely has every resistance imaginable, from moving.
If it can do that, it might be useful for stopping his rampages someday.
「I said that Yin-Yang Blade – Yang absorbs the power of spiritual bodies. It has the ability to store the absorbed power, and that stored power can be returned by stabbing with the tip of the blade. As for the amount, the cause is still unknown, but it seems to be determined by the wielder’s own magic power capacity.」
「Returned…… does that mean it can heal……?」
「Not exactly healing. It would be more accurate to say it raises one’s condition. Unlike Yin, the absorption effect of Yang is not strong enough to completely immobilize the target. However, if you first cut with Yin-Yang Blade – Yin to separate the spiritual body and then cut again with Yang, the effect increases.」
Ooh…… So the two blades together are much stronger.
But Yin-Yang Blade – Yang has to stab with the tip to return the power…… That sounds like it would take quite a bit of courage……
「The interesting thing about these blades is that when you pour magic power into them, they can cut spiritual bodies. In that state, they leave no wound on the physical body. Yet when clashing against other blades or things without spiritual bodies, they collide as if they have physical form. Strangely, when cutting spiritual bodies, they pass straight through armor and clothing……. Even now, we do not know how they were made or who the swordsmith was. A mysterious masterpiece…… Truly magnificent……」
Ooh, now that he mentions it, that is true……
Even though I slashed near Sorte’s stomach, her clothes were completely unharmed.
This person’s knowledge is amazing…… He really knows everything.
「Wow, I learned a lot. You are incredibly knowledgeable.」
「This guy is usually unsociable, but he becomes really talkative only when explaining weapons. Right? He is quite the eccentric, isn’t he?」
「……I simply shared the knowledge I have with a customer.」
Although he looked a bit miffed, Daikoku the vice-director’s interest remained fixed on Yin-Yang Blade – Yin. He carefully examined the tip, the guard, the curve, and everything else, occasionally letting out soft sounds of admiration.
He even deliberately cut his own finger to test the paralysis effect…… He must really love weapons.
I am gradually starting to understand that this person is not a bad man.
At the very least, he seems better than Darwin.
That guy looks dangerous at first glance!
「Fuu…… I am satisfied…… Thank you.」
「No, no. I only let you see it. On the contrary, I learned many things, so thank you.」
「No, just confirming that it is the real thing is more than enough for me. As thanks for showing me such a fine blade, allow me to return the favor.」
With those deep words, the shop owner went into the back of the store, probably an area restricted to authorized personnel only, and returned carrying a blade wrapped in cloth with both hands as if presenting something sacred.
He gently placed it on a wooden table and removed the covering……
「……This is the real Yin-Yang Blade – Yang.」
「Ooh……」
The real one makes its appearance……
There is no way this is going to end with “Actually, this was a fake too! Did you manage to tell?” right……?
「Still…… it really looks just like Yin-Yang Blade – Yin.」
The more I look, the more similar they are. If there is any difference, it would be the handle.
Yin-Yang Blade – Yang is primarily vermilion, while Yin-Yang Blade – Yin is deep indigo. They were probably made as contrasting pairs.
The blade is so beautifully polished it looks wet, clear enough to reflect my face like a mirror.
And yet it cannot cut physical bodies……
It has such artistic beauty that it could be called a display piece. If I displayed both blades in a room, I feel like anyone would instantly know I had won at life.
「It is a fine blade, is it not? The Yin-Yang Blades are two that form one. Looking at them like this makes it easy to understand.」
Indeed. Holding both Yin-Yang Blades together feels completely natural, like the completed form.
Also, aren’t the fakes way too similar?
If they got shuffled, I do not think I could tell them apart……
「……I will give it to you. Take it.」
「……Eh?」
What did he just say?
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