"Heh heh heh... So you came after hearing that a grimoire had arrived?"
As I stepped into the Witch's Hideout, Lenoa greeted me with a laugh.
"The item?"
"Of course I have it. Here, a grimoire."
Lenoa took out a thick, worn book.
"By the way... hadn't you already read a grimoire and lost interest?"
"That's true, but I got curious all of a sudden."
[Sword Emperor of Nothingness] could project magic swords or create a single blade.
[Enhancement] could improve performance, but it couldn't make them not break so easily.
In the end, making the kind of magic sword I wanted—a sword that wouldn't break—had been impossible.
So I got curious.
If I used a grimoire, wouldn't I be able to find a clue to making a magic sword that wouldn't break?
"It doesn't matter if I fail anyway. I just have to use failure as a stepping-stone and reach my goal."
"I see. Then... that'll be 150 million valis."
"Here."
I handed over the money I'd prepared.
"So, are you going to read it right away?"
"No? I'm going to turn it into a magic sword."
"...What?"
"A grimoire created by someone whose mystery and magic have reached the extreme should make a fine magic sword."
Bellf's mood had sunk all the way down, and Tione, Tiona, and Lefiya were trying to lead Aiz around the festival to cheer her up.
The four of them wandered all over the place.
"Hyaa, this is fun~"
"Oh, right. Aiz, have you tried the Monsterphilia-flavored potato croquette?"
"Yeah."
After wandering around to their hearts' content, the four of them sat down on a bench near a fountain to rest for a while.
Rest was necessary if they wanted to keep having fun.
But then—
"Bwooooooo!!!"
"A monster!!!"
"Was the taming not perfect!?"
"Run for it, for now!"
A monster nearby lost its reason and began rampaging.
As high-level adventurers, they couldn't possibly ignore a situation like this, so the four immediately headed toward the source of the noise.
"What is that!?"
"For some reason, it looks like a flower..."
"A man-eating flower monster?"
When they reached the source, they found a writhing monster that looked like a man-eating flower.
"This thing barely takes any damage! Does anyone have a weapon?"
"I don't..."
"Then is Lefiya's magic all we've got?"
After discussing it while dodging the tendrils, the four immediately decided to buy time until Lefiya's magic was ready.
Tiona, Tione, and Aiz attacked while drawing its attention so Lefiya wouldn't be interrupted, and Lefiya immediately began chanting.
"A single ray of light to be freed, the bowstring woven from sacred wood, you are the peerless archer."
Just as the chant was nearing completion and the magic was about to be cast—
"...Huh?"
A tendril shot toward Lefiya's abdomen.
It had come too fast and too suddenly, and since the man-eating flower's attacks were ineffective against blunt-force strikes, Tiona, Tione, and Aiz, who had no weapons, couldn't stop the tendril as it lunged forward.
'Ah... so this is how I die.'
Perhaps sensing death, Lefiya squeezed her eyes shut just before the tendril reached her abdomen, and—
"[Rho Aias]."
"Eh?"
When an unexpected person blocked the tendril, she could only let out a dazed sound without meaning to.
"Bellf!"
"Honestly, this city always seems to have something going on."
While blocking the tendril, Bellf seriously considered leaving this city where trouble always seemed to break out.