"Tia, since you're back, why not invite your teacher in for a bit?" At that moment, Tia's mom came out.
"Ah? Mom, I'm home," Tia greeted out of habit, then casually said, "Professor Waver, do you want to come in for a while?"
"No thanks. I used up a lot of mana tonight!" Waver waved his hand. "You should get some rest soon. Mrs. Marthe, you should head home too. I won't stay. Rider, let's go."
As Waver spoke, Alexander the Great drove the ox cart away.
Up in the sky, after leaving Tia's house—
"Kid, don't you think Tia's mom feels kind of strange?" Alexander the Great asked while riding on the cart.
"Huh? Strange how?" Waver looked puzzled.
"I don't know. Just feels weirder and weirder. The first time we followed you in spirit form to her house, nothing felt off—just an ordinary person. Even after she regained her Magus identity, I didn't notice anything odd. But this time… something feels strange," Alexander admitted, though he couldn't explain why.
"Just stop overthinking and get some rest," Waver said when he saw Alexander couldn't make any sense of it. "Don't talk nonsense."
Meanwhile, Tia was back in her room, getting ready to connect with the Holy Sword and truly link with its core.
"Master, I'll go with you," Lancelot said as he appeared.
"This is my own matter. You can wait here," Tia replied.
Lancelot shook his head. "Master, part of me is inside the Holy Sword now. To break its seal, both of us have to do it together."
Tia nodded at his words.
Having help wasn't bad. She had no idea what was inside the Holy Sword anyway.
Tia took the sword from Lancelot and sat cross-legged on the bed, placing the sword on her hands. She closed her eyes and let her mana flow into the sword, trying to find its core.
Lancelot sat across from her in the same position, putting his hands on the sword as well.
"Master, your mana is going the wrong way," Lancelot noticed and reminded her. She hadn't found the core yet.
After all, Lancelot had already used the sword to release its Noble Phantasm, so he had solved that part. Tia just hadn't done it herself yet. He spoke up to guide her.
But then Lancelot realized something—Tia seemed… asleep. Her steady breathing and faint snores showed that the moment she closed her eyes and sent her mana in, she fell asleep right away.
Lancelot had no idea why she fell asleep at a time like this, but either way, he had to help her link with the sword's core.
So Lancelot guided his own mana to pull Tia's along toward the sword's core, then placed her mana onto it.
As for the rest… that could wait until she woke up tomorrow. For now, just keeping the link was enough.
The next day, Tia woke up and realized she had fallen asleep sitting cross-legged, still holding the sword in her hands.
She scratched her head, confused, but decided to keep going and probe with her mana.
But the moment she sent her mana inside, her consciousness was pulled in too. Her awareness became a cluster of mana moving inside the sword.
She was startled at first, then realized this was probably what she needed to do. So she started heading in a certain direction. It was her first time here, but she somehow knew that was where the core must be.
After a while, Tia finally arrived.
Someone was already there.
Lancelot.
Yes, at this moment, Lancelot was holding Arondight in one hand and the holy sword in the other, turning into a true dual-wielder—double Sabers.
The moment Tia saw this, her mind instantly went wild: Lancelot has evolved! Did he just turn into Lancelot Kirito-lot? Maybe any second now he'll unleash a Starburst Stream. Or maybe he's now Lancelot the Protagonist X-lot, rushing forward with one holy sword, one Arondight, light bursting from behind, and finishing with something like a Starburst-style cross slash. Or could it be… Lancelot Musashi-lot?
"Master, focus. Connect with me on the inside. Right now, I am the core of the holy sword," Lancelot said seriously.
"Huh?" Tia blinked in surprise. "You're the core?"
"Sigh…" Lancelot let out a long breath. "Master, you really don't know what happened last night?"
"Huh?" Tia froze again. Lately she felt like she was always in shock.
"Last night…" Lancelot started explaining what happened.
It was actually simple. Last night, Lancelot kept watching Tia, and Tia's mana stayed linked to the core. But then, out of nowhere, the holy sword core seemed to throw a tantrum. It kicked Tia out and forcefully pulled Lancelot inside, merging him with the sword.
Lancelot didn't know why the holy sword did this, but there was no doubt—he was now the core.
Tia's lips twitched. This holy sword was acting really weird. What kind of mood swing was this?
Still, Tia did as Lancelot said. She stepped up to him, released her mana, and started channeling it into his body.
Soon, inside Lancelot's body, Tia saw another holy sword exactly the same as before. She immediately sent her mana out and grabbed it, then started pulling it out of him.
Wait! What am I doing? Why does this feel so familiar?
No way! What is this sword trying to pull? Did Grandpa Muramasa really make this holy sword!?
Lancelot stood still with his eyes closed, waiting for Tia… to draw the sword.
Seeing this, Tia knew she couldn't stop now. Soon, she completely pulled the sword out.
Right then, Tia's bedroom door swung open.
"Tia, your teacher is here again," her mom called out, then left.
(End of The Chapter)
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