“What a wondrous experience.”
“However.”
“The fact that Knight Passing By would gender-bend into a beautiful girl is still too degrading.”
Rekulai got up from the bed and stretched. “Ha~”
He looked back again on that vague and strange dream from last night. Then it only took him 3 seconds to figure everything out; perhaps this was a fantasy about beautiful girls getting affectionate with each other that he had developed after gradually entering the main storyline.
“What a shame. A matter like this is better left to the protagonist, while a knight has his own ideals.”
“What knight, what ideals?! Hey, Rekulai, hurry up and review your lessons. In a few days you’re going to the Royal Capital Secret Realm to contract a sword!”
The door was kicked open, and Claire came in fiercely. She knew this boy’s usual habits: whenever she visited and made requests, he would stand her up. Rather than repeat such a plot, it was better to firmly tie down this bratty little brother who loved to run away every day.
“Well, good morning, sister.”
Claire wore no expression, imposing without anger, and a bit of gloom surfaced on her face. “Did you sleep in? Don’t you know what day is coming in a few days? If you don’t prepare your materials in advance and enter the Secret Realm carelessly, you’ll run into…”
“Has the servant finished making breakfast?” Rekulai showed a sunny and soothing smile.
“Are you listening to me?!”
His sister slightly knitted her willow brows, her crimson pupils sharply fixed on Rekulai. She wore a light green casual dress with lotus-leaf trim, white lace pantyhose on her lower body, the creamy stockings wrapping her small fair feet. At this moment she was stepping on Rekulai’s foot, pulling his collar with one hand, and pressing him backward with the other.
Rekulai, lacking support, fell back onto his bed, and his sister just sat down on his waist, pinning him beneath her. “Don’t you realize this will affect your future prospects? But none of that is the most important thing.”
“If you don’t prepare properly, what will you do if you get hurt in there? The dangers there are beyond your imagination. The Royal Capital Secret Realm has genuine monsters. Even the lowest-level monsters come in many kinds, so you can’t let your guard down.”
Feeling a warmth carrying weight press down on his waist, Rekulai stammered like a child who had done something wrong.
“Th-th-that… that…”
‘Good, the time has come to show my true trash nature. Speaking of which, that broken sword from yesterday can actually improve my precision in controlling magic power. The world of magic is truly wondrous.’
“Actually, yesterday I accidentally went to the Cellar at home and signed a contract with a cool weapon inside.”
“At home? The Cellar? Signed a contract?! You idiot!” Claire reached out both hands, pressed her forehead against Rekulai’s forehead, and said with a terrifying expression. “I stayed up for several nights without sleeping well just to write a guide for you!”
“And you actually did this to me!”
Sweat formed on Rekulai’s forehead, and he said, pretending to be calm. “There’s no helping it, okay? It really is cool.”
Claire got up and thought for a moment. “Speaking of which, our family does have a sharp sword passed down from Great-Grandfather. If it’s that sword, it might just barely do.”
Rekulai knew she meant the one he had thrown away yesterday. According to <Chloria Fantasy Land>, which was this world’s setting, people classified weapons with quality by star rating. Among them, 4-star was a level only reachable by the arcane swords preserved by many great powers through generations, while 5-star was something that appeared only once in a hundred years.
The 5-star swords that appeared in the story, as far as Rekulai had seen, were only the Star Breath held by the Elf Queen of the Elf Kingdom, Elushil, and the hero’s sword held by Phoenix Proud Heaven: the Crimson Flame Sword, Aurelian. And the ancient sword left by the ancient empire: the Frost Sword, Ashland.
Claire, by sheer accident, obtained in the Royal Capital Secret Realm the only 4-star contract sword left there by the previous Xinhui Holy Maiden, the Holy Light’s Servant, which should have belonged to the Xinhui Church’s arcane sword.
That was like hitting the jackpot, but even so, if one fished out a decent 3-star contract sword in there, then with enough effort and training, they would later be a hot recruitment target for the major Knights Orders.
In the Obero Kingdom, a nation known for its martial civilization, they would hold considerable status.
Even a slightly inferior 2-star sword was still superior to ordinary people.
But who would have thought this bratty little brother would run to the family Cellar and contract some collection sword dug up from who knows what land?
No, that wasn’t right.
Rekulai still had some judgment. Although this kid was usually dull, sometimes he was very shrewd.
“I remember that in Great-Grandfather’s generation, the kingdom granted Great-Grandfather a ceremonial sword.”
“If you contracted that one, it would barely be acceptable. Although it’s a ceremonial sword, it’s at least 2-star level.”
“Take it out and let me see.”
His sister comforted herself like that, then her tone softened. Perhaps this bratty little brother simply didn’t want to go to the Secret Realm and had chosen that ceremonial sword in advance out of self-abandonment. But who told him to be her little brother? She had just yelled at him so frighteningly; he must have been scared….
Rekulai rubbed his hair ends and awkwardly touched his nose.
“Actually, it’s not that either.”
“Not that either? You actually contracted a 1-star sword?!!” Forget it. In the future, I’ll be the one inheriting the title anyway. The family’s future depends on me. As your elder sister, I will definitely raise you into a reliable adult, even if you only have a 1-star.
Rekulai felt the flow of blood in his veins, as if refining the mana within it, and condensed the sword from inside his body to the outside.
A broken sword covered in cracks, its blade pitch-black and covered with rust, was revealed, making Rekulai involuntarily doubt life.
Can this really be used?
The girl looked at this sword that even a beggar would shake his head at, unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and a surge of anger rose from somewhere. Her gaze shifted to Rekulai’s face, where he was calmly keeping a smile, as if he did not care at all.
This doesn’t even have 1-star quality!
“You bastard, you actually…!”
“How could you do this?!” His sister punched Rekulai’s chest, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. “I prepared for this day for so long!”
Unable to bear the blow, Claire ran straight out of Rekulai’s room.
“A maiden’s pride, huh? That’s unavoidable.”
Facing his sister’s anger, Rekulai looked at everything calmly. “Ah, no. If I don’t run away, I’ll be beaten up by Father, Mother, and Sister all together.”
His tone became serious.
“Dealing with that would be super troublesome!”
“A dashing and handsome knight should go out and adventure! Yeah, that’s right. What a great idea!”
Rekulai started walking, intending to head out early.