As we rushed out, I scolded Gordius.
“Why did you add that function?”
“I thought it was worth the money... Since we were dealing with an evil spirit, I figured there should be a failsafe function in case the sword got out of control. But I specifically designed it so the propulsion would only activate by an external signal...”
“Oh, really...?”
“I thought it was a good idea, but I apologize, Professor. I will make reparations.”
Looking apologetic, Gordius pulled out a switch from his pocket. It looked like the propulsion system of the cursed sword could be controlled remotely, just like an RC car.
The idea was that if someone wielding the cursed sword went berserk, the rocket booster would force the sword to slam into the ground, rendering it unusable.
Click, click.
But it wasn’t working now. It seemed like the sword was jamming the signal with some kind of interference.
At first, I thought he was crazy for attaching boosters to the sword, but I had to admit, there was a logic to his madness. The problem was that the 1% inside the sword was the cause of the malfunction. If it had been an ordinary spirit, the safety mechanism might have worked just fine.
Yes, I guess it’s partly my fault for not giving clearer instructions. But if we’re ranking blame, the top spot goes to whoever made the barrier.
Aisha had mentioned before that the specifications of the barrier crafted by Willow Leaf Workshop were slightly off, but who knew that tiny oversight would lead to the cursed sword escaping?
I gritted my teeth as I watched the sword fly off into the distance. It was soaring far away. Was I really going to let that thing escape before my very eyes?
No way.
There was a propulsion system inside the sword that could be controlled remotely. If there was any channel for data to travel through, I could do something, just like how I remotely hijacked Rodeus during the Parish-Descent .
“Give me the switch!”
“Yes, Professor!”
If the sword was jamming the signal, I just needed to overpower the interference with a stronger signal.
I channeled my magic and launched it.
“Fly towards the ground, ‘Icarus’ !”
Beep!
The signal pierced through the interference, and the sword, which had been flying erratically in the air, suddenly fired its booster downward and began to plummet. The projected crash site was inside the academy!
Yuna gasped in horror.
“If a student grabs that thing, won’t it be a disaster?!”
“No, don’t worry. We sealed it properly. The fact that it flew off with the booster is proof. If the sword’s mind-control powers were still strong, it would’ve already taken over one of us. Maybe a random passerby like a farmer could fall under its influence, but...”
Who am I? I’m the professor of Advanced Countermeasures Against Illusions .
I’ve trained my students rigorously and in a fun way, so none of them would fall victim to mind-control apps while walking around.
I also taught them how to build mental barriers, and we did plenty of practice. I’m confident that the current generation of academy students has the highest resistance to hypnosis in history.
So I’m sure of it. They won’t succumb to the sword.
“If any of my students fall under the sword’s influence, I’ll strip them naked and spank them.”
That being said, there’s no reason to test the students unnecessarily. I used a voice amplification spell to broadcast a warning throughout the academy. I told them that the object falling from the sky was a cursed sword and that they should avoid contact and keep their distance.
When we arrived at the scene...
“Are you telling me... I can’t have any free time?!”
“Ack! The Lady has bestowed a blessing upon me!”
“How long are you going to keep following me?!”
“But, Lady, even in the bathroom, an assassin could appear! I’ll sacrifice my soul to... Gah!”
The moment we arrived, the White Lotus Lady was beating her followers with the flat of the sword.
“...Should we stop her?”
“...”
I had no response to Yuna’s question.
White Lotus Lady Hated the Academy
Although classes were fun, growing stronger was rewarding, and the thrill of leading people through challenges was exhilarating, despite all the joys...
“How dare you pass in front of the Lady without paying respect!”
“Lady, I took out a loan to buy some valuable medicinal herbs for you...”
“Where shall we go, Lady? I will accompany you to the ends of hell!”
“....”
She hated the academy because of these clingy followers. They ruined most of the fun. She didn’t even understand why they followed her so obsessively.
Today, the White Lotus Lady was having her morning tea time surrounded by her followers when something suddenly fell from the sky.
After reading the flow of magic, she decided there was no need to move. The object would land about three meters away from the tea table, so there was no reason to panic.
“Something’s falling! Everyone, protect the Lady!”
“Lady, I shall serve as a human shield!”
“No need. The trajectory of the sword is far off.”
The White Lotus Lady’s prediction was accurate. The longsword fell from the sky without hurting anyone and stuck into the ground with a soft thud .
There’s never a dull moment at this academy.
That propulsion system... The only one who would attach something like that to a perfectly good sword was Gordius. He must have been experimenting with another of his strange inventions, and it went wrong.
I should return it. The White Lotus Lady stood up and pulled the longsword from the ground.
“Lady! It could be dangerous!”
“It’s fine. This looks like something from Gordius, the magician. He’s eccentric, but he doesn’t make dangerous... Wait, what?”
Whisper, whisper.
A voice whispered from the sword, telling her to unleash her inner violence. It was a cursed sword.
The White Lotus Lady narrowed her eyes. Forging cursed swords was illegal and immoral. Gordius might have terrible taste in art, but he wasn’t the type to create something like this...
If he did make it, he needed a warning.
Crack!
She tightened her grip on the sword, instantly shutting down the whispers. After all, she hadn’t taken the Advanced Countermeasures Against Illusions course for nothing. The hypnosis power was relatively weak, so it was easy to crush the sword’s attempts.
At the same time, the voice of the crazy professor echoed throughout the area.
—“The object falling from the sky is a cursed sword! Stay away from it!”
So it wasn’t Gordius acting alone.
...Was this sword so dangerous that it warranted such a warning from the professor?
The followers around her began murmuring nervously. If the insane professor from the Tentacle Labyrinth
himself was issuing a warning, it must mean the Lady could lose her mind in an instant.No, this sword doesn’t seem that strong.
At that moment, a brilliant idea struck the White Lotus Lady’s keen mind.
This is... an opportunity to beat my followers, isn’t it?
She could blame the cursed sword. Any slightly unusual behavior could be excused... because of the sword’s influence. If she gained the image of a weak Lady overcome by a cursed sword, maybe her followers’ fanaticism would cool down. Perfect plan.
Her grip on the sword tightened.
“...”
“L-Lady...?”
Creak.
The White Lotus Lady pretended to be possessed by the sword. It was easy. All she had to do was let loose the flames of anger she’d been suppressing.
She glared at her followers with a fierce look, raising the sword high like an enraged chinchilla.
“You all...”
“L-Lady?! Are you alright...?!”
“Can’t you at least let me use the bathroom by myself──!!”
“The Lady is possessed by the cursed sword!!”
And so she began beating them.
She swung with all her pent-up frustration, delivering solid blows.
That’s the true story behind the White Lotus Lady’s Cursed Sword Possession Incident.
“I get it now.”
“She’s faking it.”
“...What?”
“She’s not possessed by the sword. Her pupils are clear, and she’s controlling her strength while hitting people... She’s just pretending.”
“Then I guess we won’t need to spank the Lady, huh, Mima? Disappointed?”
If I said yes, Yuli would probably offer to do it herself again. I’m starting to recognize her patterns. I’ve built up some resistance.
But Selvia hadn’t developed that immunity yet. She jumped up, her voice an octave higher.
“W-what kind of shameless talk is this?!”
“Do you call it shameless when lovers touch each other’s bodies? You’re still far behind, Selvia. You can’t afford to be picky about methods when you’re trailing behind.”
“Gah...!!”
“Stay beneath us, Selvia. Soon, the three of us will ascend to the next stage, becoming one...”
I was curious.
What does she mean by that? How would the three of us become one? We’re not even a duo yet... unless she’s talking about something else. What exactly is this next stage Yuli keeps mentioning...?
“—Does that intrigue you?”
Whoosh. Yuli whispered into my ear, her breath tickling me. I was overwhelmed by her intense aura, unable to move.
“...So you weren’t embarrassed after all.”
“It’s the power of training.”
Training? Lately, Yuna and Yuli have been disappearing at the same time, refusing to tell me where they’ve been going. Is this what they were doing?
“Aren’t we wasting time chatting here?! Brother, we need to take care of this mess!”
“Well... since we’ve confirmed it’s just an act, maybe we should let the Lady run wild a bit longer before retrieving the sword.”
I also had a firm hold on the control mechanism to prevent it from escaping further.
And to top it off...
“I have a feeling something entertaining is about to happen.”
“...Now that you mention it, where is Gordius?”
He’s underground.
I need to fix this.
More than just taking moral responsibility, it’s about the practical consequences. I had thought the propulsion system would be helpful, but the moment it caused an incident, my intentions became irrelevant.
A customer complaint had been lodged, and if I didn’t resolve it cleanly, my reputation would suffer. For someone like me, trust was as good as gold.
The compensation would... likely be substantial. My dream of a giant golem was slipping further away. That was inevitable. But how far it slipped depended on how hard I worked.
To reduce the amount of compensation, I had to at least resolve the cursed sword incident early on.
“ Mole Burrow .”
Gordius melted into the ground. It was a spell that allowed him to turn the earth he touched into water-like properties, literally swimming through the ground.
He approached the rampaging White Lotus Lady from below and suddenly shot up.
Whoosh!
“I’ll be taking that sword, Lady!”
“Wha—?!”
The ground exploded as Gordius emerged from below. He grabbed the hilt of the sword the White Lotus Lady was holding while gathering magic into his other hand.
That magic was intended for himself. Before the cursed sword could control his body, he planned to immobilize himself with the Earth Hand spell and knock himself out with a blow to the head.
That way, even if the sword possessed him, it wouldn’t be able to do anything.
But when Gordius grabbed the cursed sword, he was shocked at how weak the mental waves were. This level of output... couldn’t have controlled the White Lotus Lady?
At this level, it could be suppressed by pure magic alone.
“...”
“...”
Gordius stared at the White Lotus Lady. She averted her gaze. An awkward silence hung between them as the wind blew softly by.
He realized it. The White Lotus Lady had been faking being controlled by the cursed sword, just so she could beat her followers.
A strange pause lingered, and the murmurs of the gathered crowd grew louder. Was that miser also possessed by the sword? But he looks fine. So the Lady was possessed, but he wasn’t?
The White Lotus Lady blinked rapidly, signaling a deal. They exchanged a silent conversation.
—Take this secret to the grave, and clean up this situation. I was controlled by the sword, nothing more. I absolutely didn’t beat my followers in my right mind.
—What’s in it for me?
—I’ll appraise all the artwork in your collection. I know half of the pieces hanging in your dorm room are fakes.
—Deal.
The negotiation was complete. Gordius began swinging the cursed sword around in the air, awkwardly playing along.
“Y-you better give me research funding! Invest a massive amount of gold! If you don’t fund my research, I’ll cause terrible things to happen...”
“The magician from the Golden Tower has been possessed by the cursed sword! He’s finally gone mad with greed for research funding!”
“But unlike the Lady, shouldn’t we just beat him up to stop him?”
“The Lady’s body is precious, but he’s not.”
“...?”
While they had let the White Lotus Lady beat them up without resistance, there was no reason to treat a male magician with such kindness.
The crowd drew their weapons without hesitation.
A short while later.
The sword fight at the academy was put to an early end with a group beating by the brave students.