Looking at the happy smile on that beautiful face, Luo Shu massaged his temples with a headache:
"Why has the conversation turned to marriage proposals?"
"Because Luo Shu said you wanted to form a relationship even closer than family."
Lacus covered her mouth with a light chuckle before clasping her hands behind her back:
"Doesn't that count as a proposal?"
Her face was full of innocent curiosity.
"..."
Luo Shu couldn't refute this, simply staring at her with dead fish eyes. After a long pause, he sighed:
"I strongly suspect you're deliberately changing the subject."
Hearing this, Lacus sighed instead: "Of all times to become dense..."
"Truly dense indeed." Kurumi Tokisaki nodded with deep understanding.
Shouldn't he be proposing right now? Had this idiot understood the situation or not?
Kurumi suddenly understood why in the future she'd experienced, Lacus had agreed to become Luo Shu's Familia. She'd probably mistaken it for a marriage proposal, hadn't she?
"What kind of riddle are you two playing at?"
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow, looking speechlessly between Lacus and Kurumi. Had these two just reached some unspoken agreement?
Kurumi glanced at him but didn't respond, instead turning to Lacus:
"You already understand the specifics, don't you?"
Lacus nodded gently: "A soul-binding contract that accidentally caused my death?"
"If your information is correct, then yes... likely due to an accident."
Hearing this, Luo Shu immediately looked over in confusion: "You've figured out the reason?"
Lacus turned her gaze to Luo Shu: "You must have seen it, Luo Shu – that Abyss Artefact kept in the basement of Café LycoReco at the operations department."
'There were plenty of Abyss Artefacts in Café LycoReco's basement... but if they were talking about the most special one...' Luo Shu frowned, speaking somewhat uncertainly:
"You mean... the Kusanagi Sword?"
At this point, Luo Shu recalled the information about the Kusanagi Sword.
[Artefact: Kusanagi Sword (Demigod Rank).]
[A Demigod Rank artefact containing vast amounts of Demon-Sealing Power, sufficient to seal a Demigod's divinity temporarily.]
[Primary Function: Activate the sword's Demon-Sealing Power to forcibly disable all Abyss Artefacts and even sorcerers within a certain range.]
[Primary Function 2: ????? (Requires unlocking ???)]
[Side Effects: 1. User must be female and maintain physical and spiritual purity. 2. While maintaining purity, the user can only wield the Demon-Sealing Power for 15 minutes. Exceeding this duration results in the user being sealed into the Kusanagi Sword, becoming its Soul Servant. 3. The Kusanagi Sword remains dormant below zero degrees Celsius. However, after 30 minutes, it will generate a Demon-Sealing field within a 30-metre radius, indiscriminately sealing everything except ice that enters this range.]
Thinking of this, Luo Shu couldn't help but frown.
The Demigod Rank Abyss Artefact, the Kusanagi Sword, which was specially used in Café LycoReco's basement to seal other Abyss Artefacts, was something Luo Shu considered extremely unique – both in terms of its grade and its functions.
After all, the Kusanagi Sword's negative effects were remarkably minimal, at least compared to other high-grade Abyss Artefacts Luo Shu had encountered.
Even Kirika Tachibana could casually wield it against Sharon without worrying about side effects.
This spoke volumes about how easy it was to use the Kusanagi Sword.
It hardly seemed like a Demigod Rank Abyss Artefact at all, more like some second-rate artefact.
"Yes, precisely the Kusanagi Sword."
Lacus nodded very slightly, then sighed softly:
"Actually, initially, the Kusanagi Sword couldn't even be used, let alone serve as auxiliary equipment for sealing other Abyss Artefacts."
"Merely touching the Kusanagi Sword would force a soul contract upon you, making it impossible to let go. Moreover, if held for over 15 minutes without the Sword Spirit's approval, one's soul would be devoured, becoming a spirit under its control."
Hearing this, Luo Shu immediately understood what Lacus was implying.
"You're saying you formed a contract with the Kusanagi Sword? Or reached some sort of agreement?"
Luo Shu looked at Lacus with grave concern, awaiting her answer.
He was now slightly worried that Lacus might have made some dangerous pact with the sword, like surrendering her soul after death.
Facing Luo Shu's anxious gaze, Lacus nodded gently and raised her right hand, revealing the gradually appearing red sword-shaped mark on her hand:
"Five years ago, through a special Abyss Artefact, I used... let's say unconventional methods to gain the Sword Spirit's approval and become its new master."
"This is why the Kusanagi Sword actively restrains its power, reducing its side effects during use."
"Of course, it's also because my body and soul can't support prolonged use of the Kusanagi Sword, nor can I even stay too close to it."
"So under normal circumstances, I store its blade beneath the operations department in Japan, only channelling the Sword Spirit's power."
Luo Shu fell silent for a moment. He wasn't actually clear what rank sorcerer Lacus was.
But judging from the information Kirika Tachibana and Meer had revealed, she probably hadn't reached Hero Rank, perhaps not even Elite Rank.
At that level, using a Demigod Rank Kusanagi Sword—even as its host—must be incredibly strenuous.
The gap between Demigods and those below was something Luo Shu had observed clearly from Kurumi Tokisaki after her promotion.
For someone of a rank below Demigod to wield Demigod power, the fact that Lacus hadn't exploded already made him think the Sword Spirit was being easy on her.
So Lacus deliberately kept the Kusanagi Sword in Japan while residing in America—likely to reduce the burden?
Though if that were the case... things became rather awkward.
With a peculiar expression, Luo Shu said:
"So you think the Familia contract triggered the Kusanagi Sword's resistance, causing the accident?"
"But does this world really have Sword Spirits that actively kill their masters?"
Hearing this, Lacus' expression turned slightly uncomfortable:
"To the Kusanagi Sword's Spirit, my body—though relatively healthy as a first-generation Adjuster—has always been seen as dead weight."
"Given the Sword Spirit's temperament, abandoning the body and only preserving the soul when facing danger might be what she considers the optimal solution..."
Though she phrased it as 'might', Lacus strongly suspected this was precisely the Sword Spirit's thinking.
But if the Kusanagi Sword deemed the threat unbeatable, forcing it to flee with just her soul—could Luo Shu's so-called contract really be ordinary?
Lacus' gaze gradually focused on Luo Shu's face.
"Why are you staring at me?" Luo Shu felt somewhat uneasy under her direct scrutiny.
Lacus curled her lips into a playful smile:
"Secrets should be exchanged for secrets, no?"
Her eyes curved mischievously as she teased:
"Now it's Luo Shu's turn to explain, isn't it?"
"What's a Familia? What's this contract? And exactly what is your relationship with Miss Tokisaki?"
"I'll listen carefully to every word."