Delta scurried over to Shino’s side and sat down obediently.
Shino reached out and patted her head.
“Master, can I see your weapon?” Delta asked excitedly.
“Sure.” Shino handed the Star Sword to Delta.
The moment her fingers closed around the hilt, an immense weight pulled at her arm.
Delta immediately flooded her body with mana, using every ounce of her physical strength to hold the blade steady.
It was useless.
The Star Sword plummeted, burying half of its length into the ground with a dull thud.
“Boss…
this thing is too heavy!” The Mist Dragon had assumed Shino was “slow” because of this sword, and it was right.
Shino had poured an enormous amount of effort into its creation.
It was a weapon forged from slime mana that had been tempered thousands of times; even Shadow’s ultimate move, “I Am Atomic,” wouldn’t be able to scratch the Star Sword.
Delta strained with all her might to pull the sword out of the earth, but it remained motionless.
Alpha and the others tried as well, but none could budge it.
The weapon wasn’t just heavy; it required a staggering amount of mana from the wielder.
Anyone with insufficient reserves would have their mana sucked dry the instant they touched it.
Only Shino and Cid possessed the capacity to wield such a thing.
After the demonstration, Shino and the Seven Shadows set about cleaning their new home.
Since it had been abandoned for centuries, the city was buried in dust.
Shino used his mana to create localized mini-cyclones, vacuuming up the grime.
In an instant, the majority of the palace was sparkling clean.
Once the work was finished, they enjoyed another family meal.
This time Shino did the cooking, and the consensus was unanimous.
“Lord Phantom is amazing!
Even his cooking is top-tier!” After dinner, Alpha suggested a sparring session: the seven of them against Shino.
Shino readily agreed.
Even while being swarmed by all seven girls at once, he managed to provide simultaneous instruction, pointing out the flaws in each of their combat styles.
In the end, not a single one of them managed to land a hit on him.
That night, Shino invited the Seven Shadows to look at the stars.
The eight of them climbed to the highest point of Alexandria–the top of the great watchtower.
The platform was spacious enough for everyone to lounge comfortably.
Eventually, the girls drifted off to sleep.
Shino didn’t wake them, but he noticed Alpha was still awake.
He walked over to stand beside her.
“Alpha, how is the intelligence gathering coming along?” “We’ve confirmed one major detail: the pinnacle of the Cult’s power is the ‘Knights of the Rounds.’ We’ve successfully located the base of the Tenth Seat.
Originally, I felt our strength wasn’t enough to crush a stronghold of that caliber…
but after seeing you in action today, my mind is at ease.” “As long as you are with us, we are invincible,” Alpha said, her golden hair fluttering in the breeze.
Bathed in the moonlight, she looked ethereally beautiful.
Just as Shino was about to say something, Alpha placed a finger over his lips to quiet him.
“Don’t say anything.
Don’t do anything.” She took a step back, turning her gaze back to the moon.
Shino, careful not to disturb the sleeping girls, returned to the center of the tower.
He used his mana to manifest a tent and blankets, ensuring no one would catch a cold in the night air.
The next day, Shino, Beta, and Gamma visited the Mitsugoshi Company.
Under Gamma’s leadership, the business had already achieved a modest scale.
For now, it functioned primarily as a bicycle specialty shop.
Magic swordsmen didn’t really need bicycles, but the world wasn’t made of just magic swordsmen–ordinary people were the vast majority.
For a commoner, a bicycle was a revolutionary tool.
Gamma wanted to expand the business, but she was limited by the lack of trustworthy personnel.
She had to maintain the status quo for the time being.
Even so, the shop brought in nearly a million Zeny daily.
After all, it was the only bicycle shop in the world.
Many had tried to copy the design, but they couldn’t figure out the freewheel mechanism–the ability to keep the bike moving forward even when the pedals were pushed backward or held still.
The knock-off versions required the pedals to spin constantly with the wheels, and their frames were so unstable that riders frequently lost balance and crashed.
Seeing the Mitsugoshi Company thriving put Shino’s mind at ease.
That night, he stayed at Gamma’s residence above the shop.
Beta and Gamma shared one bed while Shino took the other.
In the middle of the night, someone broke into the shop.
“Sigh…
that’s the seventh time this month,” Beta whispered with a weary sigh.
“Do they really never give up?” — CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Prince_of_Lan_Li Check out other works!