"Sir! Sir! Can I try out the Super Strong Sword?"
"I'm busy right now, so I can't watch... Ask Lord Soga for permission."
"Yes!"

"Uncle! Uncle! Can I test the Super Strong Sword on the playground?"
"Go to the back mountain so no one gets hurt."
"Yes!"

That should mean I've got permission, right?
I can swing the Super Strong Sword?
Charlotte giggled, holding the Super Strong Sword, and dashed to the quiet back mountain.

"Wow..."

With a smooth motion, the Super Strong Sword was drawn from its makeshift leather sheath.
As the black blade revealed itself, a gasp escaped Charlotte's lips.

"Ugh!"

The Super Strong Sword was heavy.
No, it was extremely heavy.
I've lifted swords much bigger than this, but I felt like the Super Strong Sword was at least twice as heavy.

All other swords felt so light that they didn't even register as lifting anything.
Only now, with the Super Strong Sword, did I feel like I was holding something heavy.

"It's bigger than the knight's sword!"

Holding it like this, I could tell right away.
The Super Strong Sword was definitely bigger than Sir Silvia's longsword!
Charlotte felt a subtle sense of superiority as she raised the sword high.

Alright. I've practiced with wooden swords countless times before.
At first, Sir Silvia had a sullen expression, but...
As the days went by, she praised my form more often, didn't she?

"Um, uh, good job. Well, the mana control is actually more important. Um... good job. Yeah."

For the strict Sir Silvia to give praise!
It was clear that my skills had improved a lot!
As for mana control? I still had no clue about that.
Mana is something wizards use, and knights just swing their swords, right?

It seems like to use something like Sir Silvia's "Boom!" you have to be a wizard...
But I still prefer swords.

Charlotte closed her eyes, gripping the handle, which smelled faintly of wood.
Then came the moment she loved most: the downward slash.

"Wait? Something, something is being sucked out...!"

Charlotte's complexion turned pale.
That grandfather had called this a cursed sword.
So, could it be that it's the cursed sword that drains life force, just like in fairy tales?
The sensation of something being drained right now is really life force, right?

Trembling with a sense of crisis, Charlotte couldn't stop now.
If the captain of the guards pulled out the sword once, wouldn't she have to swing it left and right?

"Wait a minute. What's the name? What's the name!?"

Kugugugu.
The ground began to shake.
The sword trembled as if it was about to explode, and Charlotte's brain was working overtime.

Just like Sir Silvia's "Boom!" I would also do something amazing!
The first technique worthy of the Super Strong Sword!
A final strike, sacrificing my life force against the evil cursed sword!

For a downward slash, it would be like thunder...!

"Rumble!!!"

Boom!
The sword swung in an arc.
With a deafening noise that momentarily made my ears ring, a cloud of dust billowed up, obscuring Charlotte's vision.

All the strength drained from her body as she collapsed to the ground.
As the dust gradually settled, what entered Charlotte's eyes was an empty sky.

"Huh?"

An empty sky?
That's strange. This was supposed to be the back mountain, right?
Straining to turn her head, her overall field of vision cleared.

"Whoa..."

The back mountain had been split in half.
Cleanly, in two.
Aslan, who had rushed over, widened his eyes, and Silvia, who followed closely behind, dropped her jaw in shock.

"I'm so sorry, mister..."
"What the hell did you do?"
"I... accidentally split the mountain..."

"Silvia, retrieve the sword. Now!"
Aslan's voice thundered.

Rushing over, Silvia quickly retrieved the Super Strong Sword and placed it back in its sheath.

It was a sword that had split a mountain in one strike.
Fearing it might explode, Silvia trembled as she handled the sword, but she felt no ominous signs from it.

It was just an ordinary sword.
A rather heavy great sword containing a bit more mana residue than usual.
While Silvia was still bewildered, Aslan sighed and knelt in front of Charlotte.

'Mana depletion...'

Charlotte's muscles twitched, and her pulse was irregular.
Most critically, her pupils were flickering.
Even without sensing the mana, the clear symptoms of mana depletion were evident.

"Uncle..."
"Don't say anything. It must be really hard. For now, just breathe comfortably and focus on recovering."
"I'm sorry, uncle..."
"...?"

Charlotte struggled to catch her breath, biting her lips.
Seeing Charlotte, who always wore a cheerful and bright expression, show a different look, Aslan was taken aback.

Did something happen?

"I... I think this is my last..."
"What do you mean?"
"I have no strength left in my body..."
"You look that way."
"This is the last... but I don't know what to say... Hehe..."

Charlotte forced a smile.
Aslan frowned, completely lost.
What is this silly girl saying all of a sudden?

"Speak in a way I can understand."
"About Yulia... she may look like this, but she's a good girl... so please don't hate her too much, uncle... And about Yuli... I wanted to meet her, but... oh no, this is bad. Yuli might think I died because of you, uncle..."
"...?"
"I'll have to leave persuading Yuli to Yulia... Yeah. It can't be helped... Hehe. It was my mistake, uncle. I didn't know the Super Strong Sword drained life force... I should have let go of it sooner, but I stubbornly held on..."
"Charlotte, you weren't drained of life..."
"I don't have much time left... Thank you, uncle... And my rumbling... it's great, isn't it...?"

Swoosh.
Leaving behind a poignant line, Charlotte closed her eyes.
She seemed to find a peaceful rest, her body limp.

Holding Charlotte,
Aslan, who had been momentarily frozen, finally spoke.

"What nonsense is this?"

It was just mana depletion.
What is she talking about?
Is she dreaming of eating something as she looks so content, staring at the sleeping Charlotte? Aslan let out a deep sigh.

After placing the sleeping Charlotte in her bedroom,
I returned with Silvia to the site of the incident.

She had really split the mountain cleanly.
I was startled since it faced the capital, but fortunately, the power seemed to have diminished right after the mountain was split.
There was no damage to the imperial capital.
I had nearly found myself at the guillotine.

"Have you seen anything like this, Silvia?"
"No. I've never seen magic with this kind of power in person. They say there are wizards who could theoretically blow up an entire city..."

It's not impossible, but it certainly isn't normal.
If magic that could split a mountain in half was common, that would be a problem in itself.
Silvia closed her eyes for a moment, gently caressing the ground.

"Based on the mana residue... the total projected mana used is approximately 30 times my total mana reserve. This may not even be magic."
"Huh..."

I was left speechless.
Just pouring out a quarter of her mana created an explosion that shook the world.
So that strike that split the mountain in half was equivalent to 120 "Booms," or 30 times Silvia's power.

Now that I think about it, this Silvia was incredibly weak, wasn't she?
I thought she was in a position to hide her strength, but it turns out that's not the case.
She might be able to hide her strength her entire life.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Silvia. Why don't you just quit being a knight and become my secretary?"
"Why do you suddenly make such a suggestion?"
"You seem a bit washed up now."
"What...! I'm very useful, Lord Soga. Of course, I can't use such flashy magic, but if I have mana, destroying one or two buildings is nothing. Plus, I'm quite good at delicate work."
"Alright."
"I don't think anyone can match me in close combat. When the situation requires constant movement, mana usage is limited, and in those times, I can overpower anyone. As long as they're not a Swordmaster, I'm up for a fight. Really, I am, Lord Soga."
"I get it. Calm down, Silvia."
"So please... don't say to put down my sword... Even if it means becoming a slave to the Vermont family, I can't let go of my sword..."

I had just been joking around.
Before I knew it, Silvia was kneeling before me, bowing her head.
I could hear her swallowing tears every now and then.

'Is there a reason she can't put down her sword?'

I don't know the circumstances.
I only played up to Chapter 1.
But I'm not foolish enough to break the will of one of the few heroes in this game.

"Stop worrying about useless things. You'll have to wield your sword for me for the rest of your life. I'll make sure to utilize you properly."
"Huh... Yes!"

[Silvia's affection level has increased by 3.]

Silvia raised her head, smiling brightly.

[The Evil God, 'Carly,' claps in admiration.]

To see both Silvia and Carly touched at the same time.
That's something rare...
Silvia quickly regained her spirits and stood tall beside me again.

Noticing the tear streaks on her face, I tapped her cheek as a signal.
But she tilted her head and exclaimed "Ah!" before rubbing my cheek clean.
What a silly girl...
Thanks to her, dirt got smeared on my face.

"Your salary has been cut by 50%."
"Why!?"
"By the way, what are we going to do about this? We can't recover the mountain. Wait a minute."

As I rubbed my throbbing head in confusion,
a brilliant idea suddenly flashed in my mind.

'Is there really a need to restore it?'

The reason the Vermont territory was treated as a rural area was because of the rugged mountain range between it and the capital.
To travel from the capital to Vermont territory, one had to go around the mountain range for a long distance.
But that rugged mountain range had just been split in half.

"How about we pave a road there? A direct road to the capital."
"What!?"

The Vermont territory being on the outskirts was a story of just yesterday.

...

"Hmm, I'm sorry everyone... Goodbye..."
"How long are you planning to stay like that?"
"Huh? Yulia!? W-why are you here too?"

Charlotte, startled, opened her eyes wide.
That's strange. I thought I had died?
Facing Yulia, who was suppressing her laughter in front of me, Charlotte was stunned.

After Yulia held her belly, laughing for a long time,
she finally wiped her tears and calmed down.

"Oh, really. I thought you were really going to die."
"Ugh, huh?"
"Are you an idiot? You just experienced mana depletion. I guess you wouldn't know what mana depletion feels like unless you've used mana. I've been an experienced user for 18 hours longer than you, so I know well."
"Mana depletion...?"

Mana depletion.
So that means my life force wasn't drained?
I didn't die?
This isn't the afterlife?
Charlotte, feeling the strength returning to her body after a deep sleep, simultaneously thought,

"Ahhh!!!"

Embarrassed, she buried her face in the pillow.
Oh no! How am I supposed to face uncle again!!!