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Lily changed back to the red kimono. Although her body was a little sticky, she was at the critical moment of forging so she had to pay attention to the time. It was impossible for her to take a bath.

Moreover, even if Lily was able to take a bath, she might not necessarily be willing to take a bath.

“I don’t want to pursue pureness and cleanliness. I am a Blade Maiden and I am born to be charming. Even if there is something intriguing in that beauty, even if my clothes are a little damp, it’s all part of my charm. Pretending to be lofty can make you lose yourself.”

Lily left the neckline of the kimono open and the shoulders half-exposed. The split at the thigh of the kimono was pretty high too. It was to the point that the bright red kimono almost covered nothing.

There was no particular reason to wear it like this. It was just because Lily wanted to wear it this way.

“Nanako, your sacrifice won’t be in vain.” Lily closed her eyes as she breathed deeply.

“Sister Rinne… maybe the distance between Lily and you is still far but Lily will take another step closer to you. Wait for Lily to make a good sword and gain enough strength, then I will cross the vast wasteland and go to Heian-kyo to find a way to save you!”

“Sister Rinne, wait for me. Lily will come soon—”

Although Lily didn’t know how to read the runes on the sword, she understood their meaning deeply. Lily found the sword script corresponding to each rune in “The Record of Sword Sprite”. She fused these sword scripts together continuously, making a complete sword rune. The many aspects of the shape of the sword script had long been practiced by Lily. She had already memorized them by heart, drawing their shapes was nothing too difficult. The only difficulty was to merge them.

That’s what Lily had been trying to learn from master Moronobu these days.
Women couldn’t comprehend the Drawing Concept but Lily had comprehended it.

Lily’s hand was holding a thick brush but she was just standing there, not rushing to start. She was looking at the gradually cooling blade. It seemed that the arc of the sword was still undergoing a slight change. This change might have a slight impact on the effect of the sword script. Lily also had to take the changes in the arc after quenching into consideration.

When the Tamahagane she personally hammered was drenched in cold water, Lily could almost feel as if it had happened to herself.

She gazed at the azure luster but she could not see the sharpness and beauty of the sword.

She seemed to be waiting, listening…

The metal wave was formed by the subtle changes of the sword as if the sword was breathing!

Just like Nanako last night, this sword was not just a piece of iron, but another form of life with flesh and blood, heart and soul!
She gasped her brush a little harder.

“Now!”

Lily’s eyes flashed with determination. She put the thick brush directly into the mud and stirred it all over.¹ The small white hand picked up the big brush dripping with mud. The sleeves of her kimono were flying like butterflies.

“Swish—!”

Once an image was formed in mind, the brush would flow along naturally.

As soon as Lily’s white leg stepped on the table, the roughness of this action caused her skirt to rip apart. But Lily totally ignored it, she held her breath and concentrated. Starting from the tip of the sword, her wrist moved along the blade with fluid motions like that of a snake from top to bottom in a single breath!

Without any pause, she turned over the blade and supported herself by placing her hand on the table. Like a leaping horse, she tumbled to the other side of the table. The brush smeared with mud moved from the bottom to the top, twisting and drawing back to the sword point. Finally, she lifted the brush and linked the runes!

Taking a detailed look at the glowing script, it was soft yet firm, cultured yet forceful!
What’s more unbelievable was that the runes on both sides had completely linked up!

“Phew—!” Lily threw the brush away and lied on the platform as she gasped for the breath. Her face was flushed and her body couldn’t even stand up straight.

Just now, she completely held her breath, nearly exhausted all her energy and faint on the spot, all for this sword script.

It was a beautiful sword script that was both durable and long-lasting. Not only did it link up with the sword runes, but even Lily’s obsession had also been integrated within the script!

It was a success!

It was hard to imagine that a single stroke could make her so tired.

Seeing such a sword script was also a surprise to Ehiro, “Miss Kagami, although I have cooperated with many master of sword script, I haven’t seen such a drawing method. Just by looking at it, I can feel the deep obsession in the blade! Alright, just leave the next step to me!”²

Quenching was a crucial step in determining the life and death of a sword.

However, that was for an ordinary sword made of low-grade materials. With the Tamahagane and the skills of Ehiro, the possibility of fracture was very small. The most important thing was the degree of perfection that could be achieved after quenching.

Naturally, the end result was a fifth-grade sword. But whether it be of inferior grade, the middle grade, or the top grade depended upon the quenching step!

However, when Ehiro picked up the sword and approached the fire, she felt that the sword seemed to have life.

“What!?” Ehiro was also surprised. She seemed to have heard the sound of the sword!

“Wait… wait just a little longer…”³

It seemed that the sword was looking for the best temperature and timing for the quenching.

The slight trembling of the sword seemed to be calling the master, telling her:
“Do it now!”

Ehiro immediately put the sword into the fire!

At this time, she was sweating all over and all her attention was directed to the fire. She used her life-long experience and talent, waiting for the best time to take it out of the furnace!⁴

Ehiro and Lily looked at each other as they heard the sword’s cry almost at the same time.

“Rustle—!” Ehiro took the sword out of the flames and ran to the large tank filled with cold water at the quickest pace, but stopped.

This pause was the essence of Ehiro’s experience.
Her eyes brightened.

“Psst—” She immersed the whole sword in the water!

The incredible temperature immediately evaporated a large amount of water, filling the whole room with water vapor.

All of a sudden, the pattern on the sword’s body which was immersed in the water gave out a strange light, releasing incredibly high temperature again. The water in the tank began to boil.

“Boom!!” The water vapor formed a pillar surrounded by the transparent runes, which directly broke through the roof and soared into the night sky!⁵

1. Robinxen: The translation says mud….I don’t have time to question the translation. Thus the translation stays.
2. Robinxen: Continuing from my musing last chapter, I wonder what would happen if I was in such a situation. Would I treat it like some kind of ancent aria? Or maybe I would consider like a physics formula? A lot of modern Lovecraft inspired material loves to use quantum mechanics in place of the spiritual aspects, a sort of ‘law beyond laws’ to give it a terrifying sense of plausibility.
3. Robinxen: SWORD WAIFU?!
4. Robinxen: Four chapters in a row.
5. Robinxen: SWORD WAIFU! TRANSFORM!