Even more frightening was the implication in Dark's words — that he could awaken sapience in other people's Magic Guide Spirits as well!
That was an entirely different level altogether!
Alvit took a deep breath and said, "Let me fix your bangs first."
A quarter of an hour later, Alvit looked at her treasure in the mirror with satisfaction, set down her tools, and said, "That'll do, I suppose."
Only then did Dark rise from his chair and say, "Let's find somewhere open."
Alvit nodded. "The training hall."
The Duke's manor's indoor training hall was large enough to fit two 120-by-80 arenas with room to spare.
When mother and son arrived, over a hundred maids were inside, sweating through their drills.
They didn't stop training just because the Duke had appeared — every sword swing and every punch still rang out with force.
Only when Alvit raised her hand and clapped three times did they all halt at once.
"Wait outside."
The maids filed out at once.
Moments later, the vast training hall held only the two of them.
Looking at the hall, empty to an almost absurd degree, Dark couldn't help but recall how he used to slack off during sword practice, and he shook his head.
If he'd actually worked hard back then, he might be able to arm-wrestle Diana on equal footing now.
But the past was the past. He was no longer a warrior or a swordsman — now he was an all-around Magic Guide Master!
"Mother, let's start with your Magic Beast."
Dark thought it over briefly, then pulled out the Major Sin Card with the mildest side effects from his card pouch — "Pride I."
"These emotion cards of mine are refined from my own traits and psychic power. They can't be duplicated."
Dark had already confirmed, through the professors' reactions, that these Major Sin Cards wouldn't make anyone think of the "Demon God."
So he pulled it out without hesitation.
After examining the appearance of "Pride I" closely, Alvit did as he'd suggested and summoned her Magic Beast first.
This wasn't the first time Dark had seen Alvit's Magic Beast, but before now, he hadn't even known the term "Magic Beast" existed.
And Alvit's Magic Beast bore no resemblance whatsoever to the one-star Magic Beasts he'd seen.
Mainly because it was enormous!
Amid a dazzling burst of summoning light, a massive white cat with a crystalline crest atop its head — a full three meters tall — leapt out with a "meow."
No matter how you looked at it, this Magic Guide Spirit didn't resemble a one-star creature at all; the aura it gave off was far too powerful for that rank.
Dark thought of Professor Kazel's Snow-Feathered Golden-Eyed Beast and asked curiously, "Mother, has this Magic Beast undergone a second Forging?"
Alvit nodded with a smile, gently stroking the huge cat's silky white fur. "That's right. This Imperial Cat has undergone a second Forging and is now a three-star Magic Guide Spirit."
Thinking of his own two Magic Beasts, Dark couldn't help but ask, "Is there a trick to a second Forging?"
"A trick, hmm..." Alvit considered for a moment. "Besides needing sufficiently compatible high-grade materials, I suppose you'd also need to awaken the Magic Guide Spirit's will to survive."
"Modern Magic Guide Masters generally believe Magic Guide Spirits are merely condensed magic power, fragile as life forms — but that's not actually true."
"If you can forge a bond with your Magic Guide Spirit, one that draws out a fierce will to keep existing, it won't so easily vanish during a second Forging."
Having said that, she added a warning: "Of course, even so, the failure rate for second Forgings remains extremely high. Unless you're certain of success, you'd best not attempt it."
"A bond of the heart — psychic power again?" Dark mulled it over for a moment, then looked up. "I'm going to begin!"
Alvit asked, "What changes occur once sapience is awakened?"
Dark said, "There will be a brief period of mental instability, but it won't last long."
"Good, then." Alvit nodded. "Go ahead."
So Dark picked up "Pride I" and performed a Normal Summon: "In the name of Dark Demon — Magic Guide Summon!"
Three seconds later, a dark-golden orb of light drifted lazily out from the face of "Pride I," floating toward the Imperial Cat like an oversized tadpole.
The Imperial Cat, whose intelligence level had clearly reached 3.0, displayed the playfulness of a real cat, raising one massive paw to bat at it.
But the dark-golden orb passed straight through its palm and quickly burrowed into its forehead.
The Imperial Cat froze in place instantly.
In its golden slit-pupiled eyes, once merely lively, something suddenly turned intensely alert.
Then its brow arched, and its already regal, king-like features took on a trace of true "imperial bearing"!
If even Dark could spot the difference, there was no way Alvit would miss it.
The astonishment in her heart refused to settle; she finally had confirmation that Dark hadn't been exaggerating.
And more than that — this process of "awakening sapience" was far, far too simple!
Perhaps all the complexity was concentrated entirely within Dark's "emotion card."
Much like how, after she'd developed the [Tri-Armed Transmutation Circle], refining Armament Cards had become especially effortless.
So amid her shock, a sense of pride welled up from deep within Alvit.
This emotion card that could awaken sapience was, without question, something that transcended the age!
If there was one shortfall, it was probably how widely it could be spread.
If Dark's emotion cards couldn't be duplicated, they'd never be able to transform the entire Magic Guide system the way Merlin's No. 1 Transmutation Circle once had.
That was somewhat regrettable.
But thinking it over, that might not be entirely a bad thing either.
If everyone could easily create intelligent life, the world would likely spiral out of control before long.
The development of Magic Guide technology was already moving far too fast as it was.
As Alvit pondered this, she reached out a hand toward the Imperial Cat.
But the cat, having only just gained sapience, didn't raise its paw the way she expected.
This made her frown slightly.
The Imperial Cat, made overly proud by "Pride I"'s influence, suddenly felt a chill run through it, and its long-furred body gave a hard shiver.
Its eyes changed in an instant, and it obediently placed its massive paw onto Alvit's palm.
Alvit curled her fingers, scratching at its paw pad, her brow relaxing quietly.
"How does it feel?" Dark asked.
Alvit narrowed her eyes. "Feels great. Does this emotion card of yours have a cooldown?"
Dark nodded. "Each one has a cooldown of about an hour. I still have... well, within the next hour I can still awaken the sapience of six more Magic Guide Spirits."
As for "Lust III"... he wasn't about to bring that one out and embarrass himself.
Alvit said, "Six is plenty. Let's awaken six more today, and leave the rest for another time."
Dark said, "Sure."
So Alvit very solemnly drew a special Magic Guide Spirit Card from her own card pouch.
Glancing at that card pouch, Dark couldn't help but recall the days when he was little and used to play with these Magic Guide Cards like ordinary playing cards...
"Ignorance really was bliss back then..."
Dark quietly wiped a bit of sweat.
Then, an almost divine aura suddenly caught his attention.
He turned his head instinctively and saw Alvit, using the most ordinary Normal Summon, swiftly summon a long spear!
At a single glance, Dark immediately realized this spear had to be the same type of Magic Guide Spirit as "Honedge."
Clearly, the ability to Weaponize wasn't unique to him.
Alvit's spear had a cross-shaped conical head, its shaft carved with cloud patterns, its tassel a blood-red so vivid it seemed almost decorative, and where it was gripped, a fiery phoenix soared — as beautiful as an ornament.
"This 'Undying Spirit Spear' was forged using a phoenix's tailbone as its core material. At first I meant to Forge it into an Armament, but partway through I found it wouldn't stay dead — it held a spark of fire-spirit within — so I changed course and made it into a Magic Guide Spirit instead."
Alvit gripped the shaft and swung it in a casual arc; the tassel suddenly burst into flame, forming a wheel of fire.
But the moment she drew the spear back, the flames instantly receded, returning to calm.
The marvel of the "Undying Spirit Spear" lay in the word "undying" itself — it could ceaselessly provide its holder with vitality, granting them the formidable ability of "rapid self-healing."
By comparison, its "spiritualized" form was actually somewhat flawed.
Alvit glanced at Dark, then poured magic power into the "Undying Spirit Spear," activating its "spiritualize" ability.
The spear's tassel then suddenly erupted into raging flame, engulfing the entire spear from end to end in an instant.
A phoenix's cry tore through the sky, and a firebird burst from the flames, circling once before dropping suddenly to the ground — transformed into a Magic Guide Spirit in the shape of a young girl!
Just looking at that Magic Guide Spirit, Dark couldn't help but show a look of surprise.
Because unlike "Honedge," who retained her four-star rank even after spiritualizing, this human-shaped Magic Guide Spirit had a faint aura — clearly only one or two stars!
Alvit looked at the Magic Guide Spirit named "Phoenix Maiden," a hint of anticipation showing on her fair face.
"As you can see, the 'Undying Spirit Spear' can transform into a daughter of the phoenix, but she isn't powerful — in some ways, she's actually quite weak."
"She's only two stars. Though her magic power is 1500 points, her attack and defense are both only 100 — very frail."
"And she only has two Ultimate Moves."
"One is 'Armament Form,' and the other is 'Undying Flame.'"
"The Ultimate Move 'Armament Form' lets her transform into the 'Undying Spirit Spear's' weapon form."
"And the Ultimate Move 'Undying Flame' grants her a ceaseless supply of magic power."
"As long as she isn't killed instantly, she can recover 100% of her magic power within a single second."
"That's a divine trait inherited from the phoenix."
"With this Ultimate Move, she can even stay out indefinitely without worrying about magic power depletion."
"But that's about all she's got."
"With no attack or defense to speak of, and a magic power cap of only 1500, Phoenix Maiden can't offer much help in battle."
"But once she has intelligence, she'll become something else entirely!"
Alvit turned to Dark, a touch of excitement in her voice. "I'll leave the rest to you!"
...
Dark nodded, his expression solemn, and selected a "Pride II" card to begin the summon.
As "Pride II" activated, dark-golden radiance flared out and bathed "Phoenix Maiden" in its glow.
Bathed in the light of Pride, Phoenix Maiden's once-blank, beautiful face gradually took on life; her phoenix eyes gained a cool, sharp edge, and her long fiery red hair stirred without wind, rippling like flame.
"It worked."
Dark withdrew "Pride II" and continued to study Phoenix Maiden.
He had already more or less guessed what Alvit had in mind.
A Phoenix Maiden with the Ultimate Move "Undying Flame" could generate magic power endlessly on her own. Once she gained sapience like a human, she could improve herself through study, just like the Vampire Young Lady.
Whether she became a mage or a Magic Guide Master, either path would suit her well.
And the magic power problem that was so difficult for the Vampire Young Lady to solve simply didn't exist for Phoenix Maiden at all.
"Looks like St. Marian's Academy will be getting another new student this year."
...
Following Phoenix Maiden, Alvit went on to summon five more Magic Guide Spirits in succession.
Among them were some at the second tier, and some at the fourth tier.
The last one she summoned, the "Divine Armor Knight," left an especially deep impression on him.
That "Divine Armor Knight" turned out to be a Ghost-type Undead Species!
It had no physical body — just a suit of silver armor, empty inside, mounted on a towering, ghastly-pale skeletal unicorn.
Its star rank was as high as eleven stars, and its Ultimate Move, "Soul Possession," let it merge with a Magic Guide Master's body, transforming them into a true "Divine Armor Knight"!
At that moment, the skeletal unicorn would also grow flesh and blood, becoming a truly living unicorn.
At Dark's insistence, Alvit gave a small demonstration, which left him utterly amazed.
There was no record of this "Divine Armor Knight" in any legend about the Valkyries, suggesting it must have been Forged only in recent years.
...
With all seven Magic Guide Spirits now possessing sapience, Alvit's excitement hadn't faded, but she didn't push for more.
In fact, she was being quite rational about it.
Once a Magic Guide Spirit gains sapience, it can have a huge advantage in certain situations — but not in every situation.
Because having sapience means having emotions and personality.
Anxiety, fear, arrogance — all sorts of factors like these could hurt performance in battle.
Whereas a Magic Guide Spirit without sapience could face death without any fear at all.
And when its master was in danger, it would obey orders absolutely, without hesitation.
Of course, the most important thing was this: if all of her Magic Guide Spirits suddenly gained sapience at once, the fact that Dark could easily grant sapience to other people's Magic Guide Spirits would no longer stay hidden.
So she decided that seven was enough for now.
...
After that, mother and son left the training hall taking only Phoenix Maiden with them, entrusting her temporarily to the care of Dark's Magic Guide Spirits.
Time flew by, and as dusk approached, music began to play in the banquet hall of the Duke's manor.
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