The location Torin pointed out wasn't too far, but not exactly close either. It was nearer to the Empire's capital than the border.

For Leon, it would take about a week of nonstop flying to reach it, which wasn’t that far considering the Empire’s vast size.

After grabbing the map, Leon returned to the inn briefly. He wanted to leave the city as quickly as possible due to the auction, but there was something he needed to check first.

Once inside the orb, Leon retrieved the wooden sword he had won at the auction from his dimensional pouch.

The sword didn’t absorb any mana from the orb, likely because its seal had already been broken.

He placed the sword on the ground, and then pulled out another wooden sword from his dimensional pouch. This was the sword he had carried for a while. He placed it next to the one from the auction.

When he compared the two swords side by side, they looked identical.

‘It’s just a wooden sword, after all,’ Leon thought.

As that thought crossed his mind, both swords started vibrating simultaneously. As if to make their presence known, they emitted a strong vibration that pressed down on the surrounding air.

In an instant, the two swords shot up from the ground and merged into one.

“…”

Leon picked up the newly merged sword.

It didn’t seem to have changed much at first glance. It still looked like a plain, rough-hewn wooden sword.

But then, the surface of the sword began to shift.

The sword trembled slightly, almost as if it were alive, and Leon felt a faint resistance against his fingertips. An eerie, murderous aura seeped from it.

“Let go of it!” Kito shouted urgently.

Instinctively, Leon released the sword.

Crack-

As if an ancient seal had been broken, the wood grain of the sword began to crack, and a dark, crimson light seeped through the fissures. A dark, ominous energy radiated from the center of the sword, and blood-red lines etched themselves across its surface.

It didn’t fully transform into a metal sword, but its appearance remained that of a wooden sword. However, the aura it emitted was now completely different. Whereas before only Leon had known its hidden power, now it unmistakably radiated the aura of a cursed sword.

Crimson runes slowly appeared on the hilt of the sword, glowing ominously like an ancient cursed seal.

Leon hesitated, swallowing hard at the sight of the sword’s newly menacing appearance.

“Isn’t this... a cursed sword?” he asked.

“I knew it was, but…”

Leon stared blankly at the sword, which had suddenly become much more dangerous, and asked, "Is it safe to touch?"

“Let me check,” Kito replied, flapping her gray wings as she approached the sword.

Kito, who was smaller in her human form than the sword itself, reached out with her hand. The moment her hand touched the hilt—

Crackle-

A crimson spark surged from the sword, forcing Kito to withdraw her hand.

“It’s rejecting me.”

“What does that mean?” Leon asked.

“It means it doesn’t want to be touched... by me,” Kito muttered, casting a glance at Leon.

“Try touching it.”

“But you said it’s rejecting—"

“It seems to be choosing its owner. Since you’ve been the one using it all this time, you should at least give it a try.”

“You can’t force it to obey?”

“There’s no point in trying if it clearly doesn’t want to be held.”

Even as Leon was protesting, the red runes on the sword blinked, almost as if they were beckoning him to touch it.

“…It’s not dangerous, is it?”

“It won’t harm you. At worst, you’ll feel a slight sting. Don’t worry.”

Though Kito was still holding her hand from the shock, Leon trusted that she wouldn’t suggest anything that would harm him. Steeling himself, Leon approached the sword and carefully grabbed the hilt.

As soon as his hand made contact, the runes lit up brightly.

[You... I like you.]

A voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

[Let’s make a contract.]

The voice was playful and distinctly female, totally mismatched with the tense situation. The contrast caught Leon off guard, easing his tension slightly.

[Hurry up, there’s no time.]

The voice sounded impatient, but Leon wasn’t sure how to respond. He was still processing the fact that the sword was speaking to him.

[Just talk to me like you do with that familiar of yours.]

The voice meant like how Leon communicated with Kito through their mental link. He quickly gathered his thoughts.

[Like this?]

[Yes! Hurry! Infuse me with your essence—]

[Wait a minute. I’m not interested in making a contract with you right now.]

[What!?]

The sword seemed taken aback by Leon’s rejection, falling silent for a moment.

[We’ve had a good time together, haven’t we? You played with me, swung me around, and now you don’t want to take responsibility?]

[...]

There was something strange about the way this conversation was going. Leon felt a little lost for words.

[If you make a contract, you’ll be able to fully use my powers. I’m not even at my full potential yet.]

[Not at full potential?]

[There are still two more seals to break. I’ve only unlocked two so far.]

[How do we unlock the remaining seals?]

[Just like now. You need to gather two more of my fragments.]

[The wooden swords are fragments of you?]

[Yes!]

In that moment, Leon understood. The wooden swords weren’t just ordinary weapons; they were fragments of a cursed sword. If he gathered two more, he would unlock the sword’s full potential.

[Then I’ll think about the contract when the time comes.]

[Why! What have I done wrong?]

[It’s not that. I appreciate the help you’ve given me so far, but I can’t just rush into a contract.]

[You’ve enjoyed everything, but now you want to leave me?]

[Stop misunderstanding me.]

[You don’t know what it feels like to be abandoned.]

The voice turned sorrowful, as if the sword were playing the role of a tragic heroine. It sighed theatrically.

[I guess I’ll just go back to sleep then. Since you won’t make a contract, I have no choice. Until I awaken again, keep using me as you always have.]

[That’s fine?]

[Yes... Just make sure to feed me well. I need nourishment to wake up.]

[Feed you? Don’t tell me you mean... the cores of magicians?]

[Yes. Once the seals are fully broken, it won’t matter, but until then, I need the cores to wake up… Mmm... sleepy…]

The voice gradually faded into silence.

Leon let out a sigh and looked down at the sword. There was no doubt it was a cursed sword. The fact that it referred to magicians' cores as "food" showed just how dangerous it was. Despite the soft voice, it was a weapon not to be taken lightly.

"Did you talk to it?" Kito asked.

"Yeah… It wanted to form a contract, but I refused."

"So it was looking for an owner after all. Did it say anything else?"

Leon shook his head after a brief pause. There was no need to mention the strange conversation about being abandoned or the talk of contracts.

Kito frowned slightly, looking uncomfortable.

"Hmm, something about this doesn’t sit well with me."

"What do you mean?"

"It’s just a feeling. I think you made the right choice not to contract with it."

Leon placed the cursed sword back in his dimensional pouch and left the city.

His next destination was Astellia.

There was no need to rush, and he had nothing else to do for the week it would take him to fly there. With his mind wandering, his thoughts naturally turned to other matters.

‘Arpina… I’ll probably see Ria too. And I wonder what happened to Rowan.’

The last time he saw Rowan, he was heading to Meira with his mentor, Meln.

‘If they made it there… they’re probably dead by now.’

His old friends from the orphanage, and Rowan.

While Leon hadn't formed deep relationships since being thrust into this world, the thought of them still left him with a sense of unease.

‘If I ever gain the power to challenge Teneiron…’

As Leon flew on, he sensed a presence tailing him.

"Someone is following you," Kito’s voice lacked any real tension.

"I know."

Leon had anticipated this ever since he revealed his possession of over 100,000 mana stones at the auction. Initially, he wasn’t sure if the person was truly following him, but their consistent distance confirmed it.

Leon landed in the middle of a dense forest, where shadows stretched long between the tightly packed trees.

Shortly after, a tall figure descended the mountain slowly.

It was a very tall magician.

His level: early-stage magic.

Leon immediately recognized him as the same man who had competed with him for the wooden sword at the auction.

"You're too greedy," Leon muttered coldly.

At his words, the tall magician pushed back his hood.

His sharp features and fierce eyes gave him a menacing look. The man extended his hand toward Leon.

"I didn’t follow you for the reason you think."

Leon raised an eyebrow in confusion. He was genuinely puzzled. Given the magician’s level, it was doubtful he could gauge Leon’s true power, so why had he followed him? Did he have allies nearby?

Leon cast a long-range detection spell.

"Do you know the wooden sword’s abilities?" the man asked, interrupting Leon’s thoughts as he pulled something familiar from his dimensional pouch.

It was a third wooden sword.