Jobless Rising! ~I’ve Become a NEET. I Acquired Lewd Skills and Lived a Life of Sex in the Other World and in Japan. Before I Knew it, I Was Impregnating A Harem of Ladies?!~ - Chapter 61: The Empire’s Sacred Treasures

Chapter 61: The Empire’s Sacred Treasures

Well, I’ve made my resolve, but explaining it to these two wouldn’t make much sense.

I’ll talk to Cui-san about it later. For now, our conversation continued.

“Honestly, I don’t know what I can do, but if there’s something I can do, let me know.”

“Right… For now, even if we call you the prophesied hero, most people wouldn’t believe it. It’d just cause unnecessary trouble, so let’s keep it quiet.”

Erinabel seems convinced I’m the hero. Filmeria’s expression shows she believes it too.

“We don’t have solid proof to convince anyone you’re the hero. And if we did prove it, it’d spark a frenzy over you as a resource.”

“Indeed… Announcing Touya-sama as the hero now could backfire…”

Erinabel puts a hand to her chin, thinking deeply, then locks eyes with me.

“Alkrom leaving the capital likely means Prince Yugdovarn called him back… or so it’s speculated.”

“The younger prince?”

“Yes. And the reason for recalling someone as skilled as Alkrom—pure guesswork, but the rebels might be planning a move somewhere.”

Even with high overall ability, they’re short on manpower. For strategic operations, you’d want as many capable subordinates as possible.

“They probably won’t launch a big military operation right away. But we don’t know when they’ll move. Touya, while you’re in this world, I’ll train you in combat!”

“Ugh…”

“What’s with the ‘ugh’? The Fifth Seat herself is offering to train you! Most imperial knights would never get such an honor!”

Well… I can’t just do nothing as a retainer…

Plus, in this world, I’ve tangled with Alkrom, and in Japan, with Harakara. Training with the empire’s strongest knight-chan won’t be a waste.

(Man, I’ve really got both feet in a dangerous world now…!)

“I-I’ll…! Try using my magic beyond just prophecy…! I’ll start training in magic now…!”

Filmeria’s eyes shine with resolve. Man, those heterochromatic eyes are as captivating as ever…

“Wait, that’s it! That’s it!”

“W-What?”

“Magic! I wanna learn to use it too!”

I totally forgot…! I talked with Cui ages ago about wanting to use magic…!

“…I don’t sense any magic from Touya-sama.”

“Touya, in this world, those with magic awaken around age five.”

“But there are magic-infused stones, right? Can’t I use those to mimic magic or something?”

Cui once said stones might let me mimic magic…

Minato actually drew magic from stones to enhance her resonance technique. There’s gotta be a way…

“Magic stones? …It’s not impossible.”

“Oh!”

“But those who use them are mostly with the rebels.”

“Huh!?”

According to Erinabel, magic activated with stones is called False Magic.

Since most magic users are nobles, False Magic is seen as commoners mimicking nobles—a somewhat taboo skill.

“Even commoners with magic get some support. If they’re talented, they can become retainers or even nobles. False Magic is just people with no magic using stones to mimic it. It doesn’t enhance physical abilities either.”

False Magic also requires intuitive skill and talent. Some False Magic even surpasses noble magic.

But those skilled with stones grow frustrated when their abilities aren’t recognized.

“I see. So the younger prince actively recruits them.”

“Exactly. Even though it’s just False Magic.”

Erinabel clearly takes pride in her own magic, looking down on False Magic.

Makes sense. She wouldn’t be one of the empire’s strongest knights so young otherwise. And “False Magic” sounds like a discriminatory term.

“Well, I’ll find someone to teach me False Magic someday.”

Bummer… But! I won’t give up on using magic with my own hands! I just decided to grab everything I want!

“By the way, when I fought Alkrom, I saw Cerialis.”

“…Yes, I heard. The moment Cerialis appeared, Alkrom fled immediately, right?”

“Yeah. It was wild. I was right there but had no clue what happened.”

I recount the scene to Erinabel, who nods knowingly.

“Cerialis is only the second person in imperial history to wield the Light-Severing Holy Sword Elgram.”

“…Light-Severing Holy Sword Elgram? Cool name.”

“It’s one of the Illustrious Imperial Artifacts, weapons used by the original Twelve Radiant Generals. The Light-Severing Holy Sword Elgram was wielded by the hero from another world.”

“Whoa…!”

Talk about fantasy vibes…! It’s like the hot-blooded dreams I left behind in my chuunibyou days are surging back…!

“So Cerialis is a descendant of that hero…?”

“No records remain of the hero’s descendants. Cerialis’s family is noble and distantly related to royalty, so it’s possible, but not certain.”

“Hmm. So wielding an Illustrious Imperial Artifact doesn’t mean you’re a descendant of the original Twelve Radiant Generals.”

I assumed it’d be like Filmeria’s family, a continuing lineage…

Maybe the empire manages these weapons centrally? Erinabel answers my unasked question.

“The sword Alkrom used, the Mechanical Greatsword Raidel, is also an Illustrious Imperial Artifact.”

“What!?”

That crazy huge sword…! It had a story behind it? No wonder it looked cool…!

“My Golden Radiance Axe Arcmarudo is one too. But neither my family nor Alkrom’s were among the original Twelve Radiant Generals. Some Illustrious Imperial Artifacts are lost. Alkrom must’ve found Raidel somewhere.”

Some artifacts are state-managed, others privately held by nobles. Erinabel was lent hers when appointed to the Twelve Radiant Generals, to be returned upon retirement.

“My fighting style suits heavy, powerful weapons like axes.”

“Your combat style?”

“Partly. Also, boosting physical ability lets me swing heavy weapons effortlessly. Combine my strength with the axe’s weight, and I can blow away almost anything.”

Erinabel does wield a massive axe. It’s probably better for mowing down enemies than a sword.

“So, does your axe transform like Alkrom’s sword…?”

“Guh…! N-No, it doesn’t…!”

So some weapons transform, others don’t… Filmeria speaks up, looking a bit troubled.

“Touya-sama, all Illustrious Imperial Artifacts are said to have special powers. But whether those powers can be activated depends on the user. How or why they activate isn’t understood.”

“So…”

“Even if the powers don’t activate, they’re still usable as weapons. But transforming like Alkrom’s or unleashing light slashes like Cerialis-sama’s… those special abilities can’t be used.”

So Erinabel’s just using her axe as a regular weapon.

“Wait… So Cerialis activated that sword for the first time in a thousand years…!?”

“That’s what I said. The second wielder of the Light-Severing Holy Sword Elgram since the hero a thousand years ago. The empire’s strongest knight, First Seat of the Twelve Radiant Generals. Some say the rebels hesitate to go on the offensive because they fear Cerialis on the battlefield.”

That blonde miniskirt knight is way more incredible than I thought…

“Some even say Cerialis-sama might be the prophesied hero.”

…Yeah, I’m starting to think that too. Maybe I don’t need to stress so much as Cui’s contractor.