Eugene was sitting upright in the center of the Lionhearts’ forest. The talkative Mer wasn’t with him right now.

The Lionheart family’s second mistress, Ancilla, was affluential in the high society of the capital Ceres. But many Lionheart knights didn’t respect her as much as they respected their more conspicuous Patriarch, Gilead. Still, she was well aware of what went on in high society and influenced the other members into making decisions in her favor even though she did not participate much in social parties. That was how she acquired the nickname ‘The Lioness of High Society.’  

However, the Lionheart family’s reputation was now in the gutter because of Eward.

To continue her reign over the high society, there was a lot of stuff Ancilla had to do, such as personally writing letters to the nobles and even attending parties that she had rarely attended before. Since there were some lowlifes who spoke badly of the Lionhearts at banquets or tea parties, Ancilla had to blackmail them in the name of gifts[1]. She also had to warn and, if needed, threaten the press to keep them from publishing any articles or tabloids about the Lionhearts.

To sum up, she was under a lot of stress. She usually had her own methods of relieving stress, like downing glasses of wine before going to bed or a good, hard jog before dawn in her training suit until she was out of breath.

These days, however, Ancilla had not needed any of her usual go-to stress-relieving tactics. Mer currently happened to be in the main estate — the very person with whom Ancilla could fulfill her fantasy and interact to get rid of regrets from her previous parenting. Ancilla realized that dressing, feeding, and adoring this little girl were just as effective, if not more, in relieving her stress.

Therefore, Mer was with Ancilla right now. In fact, Eugene couldn’t have let Mer stay by his side even if Ancilla hadn’t wished to spend time with her.

‘She might be negatively affected by this,’ Eugene thought.

When Eugene saw the Lightning Flame for the first time, Melkith warned him that Mer’s formula might get damaged while Eugene tried to make the Lightning Flame surrender. If Mer’s control formula got damaged, it was impossible for the current Eugene to restore it.

“…Hmm.” Eugene slightly changed his upright sitting position a couple of times as he got absorbed in his thoughts.

After the World Tree’s seedlings had been moved to the Lionhearts’ forest, they had rooted themselves in the ground and touched the leyline that was created by Vermouth hundreds of years ago.

Only a month had passed since then, but this forest had become lively and was now green all year round, just like Tempest and Melkith had said. Although the number of fairy trees hadn’t increased yet, and neither had the World Tree’s seedlings gotten any bigger… Eugene could feel the same amount of World Tree’s spirits as that of the elven sanctuary.

“They really don’t listen to me,” Eugene grumbled. He could only feel them; he still couldn’t control the World Tree’s Spirit. Even though he had already tried when the Lightning Flame blended into his body for the first time, those spirits continued to not answer Eugene’s calls.

‘I never counted on it, though.’ Eugene thought as he scratched his head.

He pulled out the Annihilation Hammer and the Demon Spear from the Cloak of Darkness. Despite the fact that they were used to fight the intense battle at Black Lion Castle, these two weapons were fortunately intact. There was not a single crack on them.

When Eugene tightly grabbed the Demon Spear, it squirmed like bulging veins. It had a curvy blade, similar to a sea wave, and was longer and sharper than most blades.

The Annihilation Hammer looked just like a giant hammer. The Demon Spear was too long and stood taller than Eugene, but the Annihilation Hammer matched Eugene’s height. However, it was heavy. Rather than using this giant hammer as a weapon, it would be better for Eugene to smash boulders in a mine.

In other words, the Annihilation Hammer and the Demon Spear were currently just weird-looking metal pieces. On top of that, these weapons were hard to handle. Eugene could only use these as a hammer and a spear. It was because their demonic energy and the Demon Kings’ remnants had been completely obliterated by the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword.

Eugene squinted in thought as he held the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer in both hands. Regardless of their states, he could still use them as weapons. Even after thorough analysis, he wasn’t sure what these weapons were made of, but he could infuse a lot of mana in them. However, that didn’t mean much. He could also infuse a lot of mana in Wynnyd and Azphel.

While Eugene infused mana into Annihilation Hammer and the Demon Spear, he could see the part of his Lightning Flame in his mana seep into them.

‘I can’t analyze their spell formulas.’

Eugene did check their formulas through Akasha. The Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer had formulas to recreate the Demon Kings’ ability, but the formulas didn’t exist separately. Rather than being engraved in the weapons, they were ‘melted’ into them, becoming one with their respective weapons. Therefore, he couldn’t modify or separate the formulas from the Spear or the Hammer.

‘I cannot even understand these formulas, so it’s not surprising.’

With ordinary mana, Eugene couldn’t recreate the lost ability of the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer. Would it be different if he used demonic energy? Yes, it probably would, but Eugene would never try to control demonic energy unless he went nuts.

Yet, there was some good news: Eugene saw a possibility of recreating the ability of the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer. And the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer turned out to be excellent catalysts.

Woosh!

The white flame rose up from Eugene. Then, holding the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer in each hand, Eugene focused on connecting his Cores and making them spin in a circle. When his Cores began to spin, Eugene’s flame became bigger, and the Lightning Flame sparked around him.

Oooo!

As if they were answering to the Ring Flame Formula, the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer howled. Eugene glared at the two weapons, feeling his stinging skin. The weapons weren’t taking away Eugene’s mana; instead, Eugene was practically shoving his mana into them. Eugene’s current mana was immense and pure, and no one would believe that he had only trained for seven years.

He was shoving that mana into the weapons to the point of scraping the bottom of his mana barrel. Wrapped around the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer, Eugene’s sword-force became so large that the fierce flame-like force couldn’t become any bigger. Under Eugene’s control, his force was condensed.

When Eugene poured his mana to the limit, his mana seeped into the weapons little by little, but this wasn’t surprising. For the past fifteen days, he had repeatedly done this whenever his mana was replenished. This forest was full of mana — the World Tree’s seedlings were here, and the leyline was close by. Even if Eugene used his mana to the brink of depletion, the efficient White Flame Formula helped Eugene recover his mana in less than half a day.

‘I think I’m almost there….’

Just when Eugene felt an ache from his Cores that were being depleted…

Crack!

…he could hear different sounds from the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer. The two weapons were originally black, but they started to turn white within the flames of the White Flame Formula. Small cracks spread on the surface of the weapons immediately after the weapons changed their colors. 

Crack…! Craaack!

The Lightning Flame in Eugene’s mana seeped in through the weapons’ cracks.

That wasn’t it. No matter how many times Eugene had called them previously, the World Tree’s spirits never approached Eugene, but those fog-like beings now came up to Eugene as if being attracted to him like magnets.

As the Lightning Flame sparked, the World Tree’s spirits blended themselves into the Flame, becoming a part of Eugene’s mana. Then again, Eugene’s mana seeped into the cracks of the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer.

Eugene watched everything as his consciousness clouded.

‘Should I stop?’ Eugene pondered.

Although the World Tree’s spirit had been added to his mana, the total amount of Eugene’s mana didn’t significantly increase. His Cores were already on the brink of getting depleted. If Eugene continued to infuse his mana into these two weapons, he might pass out from exhaustion or acquire a chronic injury in his Cores.

‘I’m not going to be fucked, ri…?’

Booom!

The Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer exploded. The explosions were sudden, but Eugene wasn’t flustered or let go of the two weapons as he hadn’t missed the telltale signs of those weapons’ mana flows exploding after they were distorted.

“Shit.” Eugene looked at his arms, crumpling up his face. Thankfully, his bones and muscles weren’t injured, but his skin was reddened and stung as if Eugene had acquired a slight burn.

Eugene’s Ring Flame and the Lightning Flame disappeared as the explosions subsided.  However, they weren’t technically gone. The cracks on the weapons were now filled up. The Lightning Flame inside Eugene’s mana was added to the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer, becoming one with the weapons. To put it shortly, the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer were connected to Eugene.

Grinning, Eugene held up the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer.

“…Hmm.” He began to utilize his mana as he kept on grinning.

Pzzz!

Even with little mana, he could form sword-force around the two weapons. With a big smile, Eugene looked at the Lightning Flame as it sparked around the weapons.

No, he shouldn’t be satisfied already.

‘I will first start with the Annihilation Hammer,’ Eugene thought. 

After putting down the Demon Spear, Eugene held up the Annihilation Hammer with both hands.

He first looked around to decide where he was going to swing it. Then, after choosing a suitable location, Eugene swung the Hammer downward.

Crack!

The strong air current created by the Hammer overwhelmed the nearby area. Eugene had done it. Of course, his Annihilation Hammer couldn’t be compared to the Demon King’s or Eward’s. Still, Eugene had successfully used the Annihilation Hammer’s ability without using demonic energy.

He was a bit dizzy, though. Although he had expected it, Eugene had to use a lot of his mana to use the Annihilation Hammer’s ability.

‘…It’s not burdensome. I can spare this much mana.’

He also had to take into account that he didn’t have much mana left in his Cores. The power of his Annihilation Hammer… had also weakened, but Eugene could still use the Hammer in combat.

‘It will become stronger over time.’

Next, Eugene picked up the Demon Spear. He calculated the coordinates to make the thorns rise, then thrust the Spear into the ground.

Replicating the successful activation of the Annihilation Hammer’s attack, this time, thorns rose up from the ground at the exact coordinates calculated by Eugene. However, the radius of the Forest was smaller than Dominic’s, and the arrangement of the thorns was also bad.

However, Eugene wasn’t disappointed. Since the Lightning Flame had been blended into the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer, their powers would keep growing significantly as he became stronger.

“…Hmm…” Eugene was about to put those two weapons inside the Cloak, but he had to stop.

When the weapons were halfway inside the Cloak, Eugene could feel that someone was fervently watching him. The fervor in the person’s eyes intensified when Eugene ignored them and put the weapons in. Unable to understand what was going on, Eugene pulled out the weapons a little bit, and the fervor in the gaze subsided slightly.

“…Why are you staring at me like that?” Eugene turned around, holding back his sighs.

From behind a faraway tree, Carmen Lionheart stuck out her head. She was gloomily watching Eugene with squinted eyes.

With a sour face, Eugene tilted his head in confusion. “…Um…. You are not suddenly going to reprimand me for owning the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer, right?”

He had told Carmen in advance about his owning the two weapons. Eugene had to tame the weapons in the forest, but it was impossible to fool Carmen’s eyes.

Carmen was grateful that Eugene had sorted out the incident at Black Lion Castle, and she had also checked that there wasn’t a single trace of demonic energy on both weapons. Therefore, she readily agreed to Eugene’s ownership of these two weapons, but why was she looking at him like that? Unable to understand her intention, Eugene just blinked.

Carmen walked out from behind the tree, clearing her throat. “…I heard an explosion.”

“Ah…well…that was because of me.”

“I felt a surprisingly immense amount of mana.”

“That was also—”

“You have just used ‘Pressure’ with the Annihilation Hammer and ‘Spear Forest’ with the Demon Spear…right?”

“Uhm… I told you before, I’m going to tame them so I can use….”

Before Eugene could finish, Carmen held out her right arm sideways. Due to her sudden movement, Eugene took a step back in surprise. To let Eugene see what she was doing,  Carmen revealed the thing in her right hand — a silver pocket watch.

“Form Change,” Carmen spoke quietly. 

Click!

Eugene could hear a low machine sound inside the pocket watch. When it opened, the clock’s hands turned, and its lid split apart.

Unable to say anything, Eugene just watched the whole thing happen. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say the watch was the essence of cutting-edge alchemical technologies. The pocket watch, which was as small as Carmen’s palm, split into pieces and extended itself, wrapping around Carmen’s right arm.

“This is my Heaven Genocide’s Destiny Form.”

Eugene silently listened to Carmen’s explanation.

“If anyone sees this arm… someone has to die.”

“…Do I have to die?” Eugene asked.

“Since I have no intention of dying, you will if we begin to play with fate,” Carmen said as she clenched her fists. Her sharp fingers were covered in silver metal.

Squeak.

“But I don’t fight to the death with my family,” she continued.

“…Is that so….” Eugene halfheartedly said.

“It’s a good thing for both of us. We won’t be adding another tragedy to the Lionheart family.”

Squeak, squeak.

Carmen continued to move her fingers. Since Eugene wasn’t sure what to say, he just looked at the Heaven Genocide in its Destiny Form wrapped around Carmen’s right arm. Eugene could feel the excitement rising deep inside when he looked at the metal gauntlet.

“What do you think?” Carmen asked suddenly.

“…Pardon?”

“I’m talking about my Heaven Genocide in Destiny Form.”

“…It’s cool,” Eugene answered halfheartedly again.

“I haven’t shown you — no, I can’t show you my Destiny Breaker. But to maximize Destiny Breaker’s power, I have to use it in Destiny Form.”

“Is that so….” 

“The Heaven Genocide has many forms aside from the Destiny Form. Don’t you wanna see them?”

“…I’m good….”

“I think we can have a good fight if I use my Heaven Genocide in Blaster Form and you use Pressure with the Annihilation Hammer. Well, we can’t actually have a battle, though.” Carmen lifted her arm sideways, looking genuinely disappointed.

Click!

When Eugene heard the machine noise again, the Heaven Genocide changed its form to be the pocket watch again.

“So, what do you think?” Carmen asked again.

“Didn’t you ask me that before?”

“I felt your previous answer wasn’t genuine.”

“…I really think it’s cool,” Eugene repeated.

“Do you want to have this?”

“Nope….”

“It’s understandable if you want to have this. This artifact is really cool, but I’m not going to lend it to you. I’m also not going to tell you how I got my hands on it or who made it. ”

“Right….”

“Aren’t you curious?” Carmen asked with a proud look. Judging from how she kept glancing at Eugene with her chest puffed out and shrugged, it seemed she desperately wanted to brag.

“…I’m curious.” Eugene obliged unenthusiastically.

“I found the Heaven Genocide through a coincidental encounter — no, a miracle…. Wow, it’s already been decades since I found it. I went through a magical experience when I was young. That’s all I can tell you,” Carmen spoke with a dazed look.

“Can’t you just tell the story to the end if you are going to tell me anyway?”

“I can’t. I can’t break the promise since promises are important.”

Click!

After closing the lid of the pocket watch, Carmen put it into her inner pocket.

“Your new weapons made the enthusiasm inside me spark. Don’t worry. I’m used to feeling enthusiastic in this way, and I can always control it.”

Eugene wasn’t worried about that from the start.

“However, be careful not to explode anything else. While I was running here, I saw a couple of elves collapse on the ground. Sir Signard was also about to come running here, thinking the village was under attack. So I stopped him,” Carmen warned Eugene.

“…Thank you,” Eugene bitterly answered. 

“Is your injured arm okay?”

“It just stings a little now. I will recover by tomorrow, even without any treatment.”

“You are being sloppy. Small injuries should also be treated fully. Besides, the Lionheart family is a warrior family. We have all kinds of healing potions, so don’t hesitate to use any kind of medicine to heal your injury.”

“Yes… I understand.”

“Let’s return.” Carmen turned back. As if it was natural for her to do so, she led the way as she and Eugene got out of the forest. Since Eugene had finished taming the Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer, he had no reason to stay in the forest any longer.

“You know. The Demon Spear and the Annihilation Hammer no longer resemble their original form. Do we still have to call them by those names?”

“Yea… Pardon?”

“Since they don’t hold demonic energy anymore, we can’t call them Demon Kings’ weapons now. Then would there be any reason to call them by those names?”

“I think it’s better to use the same name since it would be confusing….”

“What do you think of Gaia Crasher and Longinus?”

‘Then are they now Gaia Crasher Jigollath and Longinus Luentos?’ 

The question crossed Eugene’s mind.

“I like their original names.” Eugene swiftly shook his head. 

“Hmm…. The owners have the right to name their weapons, so I will just make suggestions. I won’t violate your rights.”

‘Does she think the names Gaia Crasher and Longinus are better? Really?’ Eugene seriously wondered.

“Master Eugene.”

Right before Carmen and Eugene exited the forest, they met Narissa, sitting down on the floor, and Lavera, helping Narissa stand up. When Carmen and Eugene saw the two elves, Carmen dramatically signaled Eugene with her eyes as she crossed her arms.

Narissa was the elf who collapsed to the ground, surprised by the sound of the explosions.

Did Carmen come this way on purpose to show Eugene what happened after the explosions? Eugene felt like he would never be able to understand what went on inside Carmen Lionheart’s head.

“I was going to find you, but I happened to run into you first,” Lavera spoke brightly with a nonchalant look.

“What’s up?” Eugene asked.

Narissa and Lavera were currently working as apprentice maids in the annex. Their shifts must be over already, but they were still wearing their Lionheart maids uniform.

“I have come to ask permission to go out tomorrow, sir,” Lavera calmly explained.

“Go out?”

“Yes, tomorrow happens to be my day off,” Lavera continued as she brushed the dirt off Narissa’s skirt. Every time Lavera brushed Narissa’s skirt, her body wobbled. It seemed Narissa hadn’t adjusted to her new prosthetic leg yet.

“Can I ask why you are going out?” Eugene asked.

“I have to receive my prosthetic eye,” Narissa spoke, pointing to her left eyepatch.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to downtown Ceres.” 

“Have you ever been there?”

“No, sir.”

Elves attracted people’s attention. Of course, the capital of the Kiehl Empire was safe, but there was always that ‘what if.’ Therefore, Eugene had previously set a ground rule: the elves had to be accompanied by at least one knight from the main house when they went out.

“Do you want any specific knight to guard you?”

“No, sir,” Lavera dryly answered, but Narissa kept poking Lavera’s waist, glancing at Eugene. No matter how many times Narissa poked Lavera, her expression remained the same.

“Then I will go with you,” Eugene casually said.

“…Would that be okay?” Lavera asked.

Narissa’s eyes lost focus for a moment. She didn’t expect Eugene to offer to be Lavera’s guard.

“Me, me too….”

“You don’t have a day off tomorrow, Narissa,” Lavera said coldly.

“If I just ask somebody to cover my shift….” Narissa suggested tentatively.  

“Head Servant Nina doesn’t like servants changing their shifts for personal reasons.” Lavera calmly reminded Narissa, so she couldn’t speak any further.

“What time shall we meet tomorrow?” Eugene asked.

“Any time will be fine with me,” Narissa answered.

“Then shall we go at around noon? I also haven’t gone out to downtown Ceres yet, but Mer knows many good restaurants.”

This was because Ancilla and Gerhard brought Mer out to tour the city whenever they could.

“…Yes, noon will be good.” Lavera calmly bowed her head.

1. ’A person is blackmailed by sending them gifts. Since, officially, the person receives a gift (and is outwardly good-natured), the recipient can’t say much. But, this gift can hide a blackmail note/ message, which is the true intention behind the gift ☜