"The Sacred Sword over there and I are the highest-ranking spirits, with the attributes [Dark] and [Sword], so it's only natural that we can transform into humans."
Restia said this with a hint of pride.
And she had every reason to be proud.
Both in terms of size and strength.
As the sword of the former Demon King and the highest-ranking Dark-attribute spirit, her [Quality] was the highest among all spirits, and she was also a top-tier SSR.
However, Restia—despite her noble status—wore a strange expression at that moment.
Because…
The Sacred Sword over there felt extremely familiar.
It was the sword of the saint who had defeated the Demon King a thousand years ago—an SSR indistinguishable from herself.
"His Highness is truly amazing. He actually formed a contract with both me and that Sacred Sword. This is really an unbelievable situation. When I sensed that Sacred Sword, I was completely shocked."
Restia rested her head on Leon's shoulder. Her voice was soft and dreamy, giving people the impression of a beautiful, sorrowful, yet sharp-edged girl.
"I never expected the master to actually contract with a demonic sword. My power and performance as a sword are clearly superior to hers. The defeat of the Demon King proved that."
Est pointed at Restia expressionlessly.
"Master, please hurry up and cancel the contract with that Dark spirit. Just having Terminus Est as your sole weapon is enough. You don't need any other swords."
Est had a strong desire for exclusivity.
"Ara Ara That's really hurtful. We clearly have different priorities. You're a spirit with the [Sword] attribute, and I'm one with the [Dark] attribute. Naturally, you might be slightly stronger than me as a sword—but I have many additional abilities."
Restia crossed her arms, implying that the Demon King from thousands of years ago had never shown his true power.
She was a complete spirit, utterly different from the partially formed spirit of the Sacred Sword.
"I am the master's sword, and I am the only one who can be wielded by him."
"Oh? Then how about a competition to decide who the strongest spirit is? The loser will voluntarily give up the contract and return to the Spirit Realm."
"Fine. But I won't lose."
Seeing that the two girls were about to start fighting, Leon quickly intervened.
It wouldn't matter if it were anyone else, but the consequence of a fight between these two would be the loss of a good sword.
In that case, he wouldn't be able to fight with a magic sword in his left hand and a sacred sword in his right, and the strength of both would be cut in half.
Leon would not allow that to happen.
"Stop! You two, please calm down."
"Prince."
"Master."
"I want both of you!"
He held Restia's and Est's shoulders with his hands. Though they were clearly swords, their human bodies were extremely small and cute.
"I am neither a demon nor a saint—but also both—so all of you shall be my swords."
"Your Highness is truly greedy."
"I understand. Since the master says so, I'll coexist with this Dark spirit for now."
Sensing that Leon was stronger and braver than the users of previous generations, Restia and Est exchanged glances and stopped, agreeing to live peacefully—for the time being.
"But! My usage rate is 70%!"
"Huh?"
"Out of every ten summons by the master, seven will be mine. After all, I am the strongest sword… I'll reluctantly give the remaining three to that Dark spirit over there."
"Oh, I can't pretend I didn't hear that. What use is a Sacred Sword other than being a bit sharper and suppressing all negative attributes? I have many other abilities."
Seeing the two girls on the verge of fighting again,
Leon's eyelids twitched.
He simply covered both of their mouths with one hand.
"Alright, alright, stop, stop, stop. The usage rate is fifty-fifty. Otherwise, it's all together."
"Mmff!"
Est and Restia glared at each other and let out cold laughs. Watching the two of them continue to clash face-to-face, Leon felt completely at a loss.
What a pity.
It just so happened that these two were his contracted spirits; otherwise, he would have said, "Just fight already."
Speaking of his cursed charm—now even two swords were competing for his favor.
"I'm also shocked that you can transform into humans. Yes, but I like special things. Being able to do what others can't is a good thing."
"I just feel a little guilty when I think about having to use such cute girls like you to fight in the future."
Leon gently patted both of their heads.
Restia smiled softly. Est remained expressionless but nodded immediately.
"It doesn't matter. His Highness can do anything with me."
"Yes. I am the master's sword, and I can do whatever the master wants."
"Alright. Then after every battle from now on, I'll clean you both thoroughly and never let an enemy's blood remain on you for even a second."
Leon said this as a promise.
Est and Restia readily agreed.
He silently thought that he would need to store another batch of sword maintenance tools in his storage space.
[Well, I thought they could only be used as swords, but this really is the pinnacle of spirits. Excellent. Compared to dead and boring things, intelligent living beings are far more interesting.]
Leon was extremely satisfied.
No matter how good a dead object was, it still required its master's hands to fight—but Est and Restia were different.
Although the two girls could transform into swords, they were alive, independent, and loyal to Leon's will.
Capable of fighting on their own.
In other words, the former could only be operated manually, while the latter could be operated both manually and automatically.
Leon: "…Very good. I like smart girls."
And above all, it was impossible for a man not to like the fact that weapons could transform into cute girls.
A weapon that can destroy the world, or a weapon that can turn into a cute girl loyal to you—
Leon believed that 99% of people in this world would choose the second option. After all, what's the point of destroying the world?
Beautiful girls are the key to happiness!
"Master, may I make a request?"
"I also have a request."
Est and Restia spoke at the same time.
"Huh? Just ask for anything."
Leon blinked, not understanding why two swords needed to make requests. Should he prepare two scabbards himself?
"Master, if possible, I want to stay by your side like this. I don't want to return to the Spirit Realm."
"Me too. Compared to the boring Spirit Realm, staying close to His Highness is far more interesting."
"I thought it would be something serious. No problem—stay in this world as long as you like."
Leon agreed without hesitation.
It was just maintaining the summoning state indefinitely. With his magical power, that was no problem at all.
Leon thought to himself that, in the future, he would have two cute followers by his side.
(End of chapter)