Viana sighed, “So that’s what happened, huh? Good grief, kid, will you ever not pull off some grand miracle? You’re making your peers, including Lucy here, look bad. Just what kind of prodigy god are you?”

  “So, there is actually merit to what he said about it being a mythical sword?” Lucy asked.

  She nodded, “There is, no one knows what truly goes into such reality-defying items. Though everything he theorized is accurate. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were some conditions he met, however, I do not believe it was him alone.” She nodded at Grandmaster, “I imagine the quality of the item also plays a major role in one being made. Even I was surprised by the things this dwarf had as material. Granted, even that as its limits, the real factor is his skills as a blacksmith. Sure, gods on average have better material, but crafting? Very few are better than certain mortals.”

  “So in other words,” Lucy said, “It’s a combination of materials, craftsmanship, and combined divine normal mana that makes a Mythic grade possible.”

  “To a degree,” Viana said, “As I said, no one knows the actual requirements, else there would be far more of them around. There are probably many contributing factors at play that we don’t know about. But the fact is, Ardonis did somehow turn a blade nearly on the level of Dietic, to Mythic. Perhaps he really is a fledgling Supreme god in the making, who knows? Wouldn’t surprise me with the borderline illogical things he has pulled off up to now. First surviving the process of combining his mana and becoming stronger for it, and now this.”

  He shrugged, “I’m just doing what feels right in the moment, it’s hard to explain. Like I feel this connection deep down and follow my gut of what happens next. But anyway, now that this discussion has come to a close, Grandmaster,” he said, turning to the old dwarf. “Is there a scabbard for this exceptional sword, or does that still need to be made?”

  “It is in the process. Come back in another two weeks. Though at this point, even I am unsure if it will be good enough for a blade like that,” he replied.

  Ardonis nodded, “I suppose we’ll just have to see then, I have no doubt it will match the quality of the sword perfectly either way. For now, I’ll leave the sword here with you.”

  He shook his head, “No, no, the sword is yours, boy. It may not be very fitting for such a blade, but I do have a temporary scabbard that can be used. If the sword doesn’t reject it, that is, I have no idea how something of that grade works if I am being honest. This entire discussion ‘as been beyond me.”

  He went over to the side and pulled out a scabbard from a box where many others were kept. It had a sleek design and looked as if it would fit the sword, if a bit big. “Try this one out, until the official scabbard is finished, I’m afraid I don’t have one that will truly fit it.”

  Ardonis took the scabbard from his hands and strapped it to the left side of his waist. Spinning the sword in his hand for a bit of flair, he sheathed the blade. There was a bit more wiggling than there should have been. And he could tell the sword was dissatisfied. He’d be lying if he said he weren’t himself. But as a temporary solution, it would work.

  He looked at the Grandmaster, who, by the disappointed look on his face, knew the truth. Ardonis smiled at him, “Granted, it isn’t the best scabbard for the weapon, it still works as a temporary. This is your masterpiece sword, right? Of course, your other scabbards wouldn’t hold up to it. I’ll be eagerly awaiting this sword’s true scabbard.”

  A fire was lit within the old dwarf who met the young god’s eyes, “Then I suppose it’s time I get back to work so that sword has a proper home, eh? Why not go out back for a bit and test it out? Practice with it. Because once the scabbard is complete, I want to see what you can do.”

  “If the Grandmaster wants the proper care of his true masterpiece sword, then it will be done,” he replied with a mock salute.

  Ardonis went to the back of the building with Lucy and Viana in tow. He unsheathed the sword, causing it to ring out around the area. “That blade truly is beautiful, Ardonis,” Viana said. “Even looking at it from afar is mesmerizing.”

  He looked at her with a bittersweet smile, “Well, I may have changed the appearance for it, but all I did was infuse and forge my mana into it. The rest is Grandmaster’s work.”

  “That doesn’t change the role you played in its current state, you didn’t simply change the appearance, you basically reforged it with your mana.”

  “Yeah, Ardonis, why do you think the old man was so shocked and surprised?” Lucy asked. “I may have been skeptical on the Mythic grade part, but even I understood that what you did was more than merely infusing it with mana.”

  He looked down at the sword and chuckled, “I suppose you’re right. Viana, mind putting up a barrier around the area? I know your subpool isn’t complete yet, but…”

  A moment later, a translucent bubble appeared above them and encircled the whole back area. “Complete or not, I can do at least this much.”

  He nodded and after taking a deep breath, began. The sword felt perfect in his hand, not too light, not too heavy. Each swing felt as if it were an extension of his body. He began to understand more and more of is father’s teachings on a much deeper level. He flowed from swing to swing, movement to movement, as if he were a flowing river.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  With a smirk, he began incorporating some magic, even if his subool wasn’t quite recovered from earlier. From engulfing the blade in a dark blue fire, to having it glow with a chill that could freeze even a fire elemental, to ethereal projections of the blade to extend the length and even make copies that floated around him. Then came the next things he wanted to try out.

  “Lucy, mind helping me with the next part?”

  “Sure, but what is it you need me to do?” she asked as she got up form where she was sitting.

  He smirked, “I want you to throw your most powerful offensive spell against the sword. I have a feeling that the result will be quite surprising.”

  She looked at him dubiously, before shrugging her shoulders and sighing, “If that’s what you want.”

  A bluish pink aura exploded around her, and her eyes glowed brightly. She aimed a hand at Ardonis, and a magic circle with runes on the edges that moved in a pattern appeared in front of her hand. A moment later, a large purplish pink beam shot out, a bit bigger than she had planned. Ardonis didn’t lose his smirk as he held the sword steady and sliced the beam in two.

  Only it didn’t continue passed him, and the sword seemed to absorb the beam. Or rather, it seemed to dispel the beam entirely from existence. When it ended, his smile widened, and both Lucy and Viana had wide eyes of shock. Ardonis laughed, “I knew it, I thought this sword would do something like that.”

  “… Ardonis,” Viana said slowly, “Does that sword have anti-magic properties to it?”

  He nodded, “I felt it when I was testing it out. It accepted my magic perfectly well and fine, but then I got an idea. If it so readily accepts my magic, would it do so with others? And through the bond, I felt a sense of dissatisfaction at the thought. Hence, the test against Lucy’s magic, and as it would seem, my magic is the only kind it accepts. Or rather, it overrides any other magic, at least if it is weaker than my own. I can’t say for sure about magic above mine like Milsa’s. Not yet anyway.”

  “That is so, completely ridiculous,” Lucy said, “Just how powerful is that sword? Don’t tell me, next it’ll surpass the magic immunity that certain creatures like that monkey have?”

  He chuckled, “No, I don’t think it’ll go that far, but don’t forget, part of the reason this sword was forged was so that we could deal with such threats. I don’t doubt that it will still do significant damage, I mean, if it has anti-magic properties like destroying other magic… it stands to reason it would be able to harm magic-immune creatures.”

  “I do see the logic in it, but it’s still so hard to believe that you have a sword like that, and kind of unfair too,” she pouted. “Not only did you get a powerup with combining your two manas, but you also managed to get a Mythic grade weapon? I’m starting to feel left behind here.”

  Her voice was playful, but he could tell she was truly worried. He took a breath and sheathed the sword before walking over to her and pulling her into his arms. “I will never leave you behind. Sure, I got a few unexpected advantages and seemingly unfair opportunities. But you have your own magic and skills, we just haven’t found the right opportunity for you to truly shine yet. Rest assured, I will help you any way I can and support you for whatever is necessary to increase your power.”

  “And if I don’t get such an opportunity? If this is as far as I go?”

  He shrugged, “I doubt that, we are barely even at the start of our three thousand-year journey. But to humor your little question, I can say one thing, nothing between us will change. You will be my first wife, and you will stay with me regardless of your power. You are Lucy Nep, not merely a Goddess of Arcane.”

  She giggled before backing away out of his embrace, “Thank you for that Ardonis, now I can do this with full confidence.”

  He was about to respond when she knelt down in front of him, making him raise a brow in confusion. “I, Lucy Nep, make this vow, pledge, and oath to Ardonis Clearweave. I will no longer pursue the objective of becoming the true God of Magic and instead give all of my support to you. My body, mind, soul, and being are yours to do with as you please and command as you please. I will forever and always be yours.”

  His eyes widened as he felt a powerful bond form between them that wasn’t there a moment ago. One of loyalty and subservience, “Lucy… do you have any idea what you just did?” he asked in complete shock.

  She nodded as she looked up into his eyes, “I have given my everything to you.”

  “It is far more than that, and I know you can feel it,” he said, on the brink of scolding her. “If I told you to kill yourself, you would have no choice but to comply. Not only that, every bit of power you gain, a portion of it will instead go to me. After what you just said… why? Doing this… I would never ask or want you to.”

  She nodded as she stood up and kissed him, “I know, you are far too great and kind of a person for something like this. That’s why I did things like this, I hope you can forgive me for being so selfish and forcing this upon you. As for what I said… I have to apologize for that as well. I know you and the type of person you are, but I had to make truly sure on the deepest level, so I tested you.”

  “And what about your own goal of becoming the true God of Magic? You’re just going to give that up?”

  She heaved a deep sigh, “I’ll be honest, Ardonis, even back before we left, I couldn’t say it was what I truly wanted. I just knew that I didn’t want to be separated from you, and over this past month, especially, I’ve had a lot of time to think. This was the conclusion that I always came to, I simply care more about you than anything else. And this is the path I chose for myself. I expected you to be at least a little angry over it, and flat out deny me taking such course. So I didn’t tell you what I had planned.”

  “Chasing power… I’ll leave that up to you, Mr. potential Supreme god. As long as you take care of me and fulfil my own 'needs'. And besides, I want to know what it’s like to settle down and be a mother. Even if such a thing is in the distant future, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

  He took a deep, calming breath, “I suppose there isn’t anything I can do at this point, the damage is already done. But you are right about one thing, I am mad that you pulled such a stunt behind my back. And considering what you said about needs… no dates, cuddles, or sex for the next month that we will be staying here. I’ll also only talk to you for an hour a day starting now.”

  Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open in shock. Viana, who had been watching the entire thing silently, burst into a fit of laughter.