Chapter 23. Demon Sword, setting off

After leaving the throne room, Mordred began to test his new sword in the training ground.

"Ha!"

Mordred sends out a downwards diagonal cut, slashing through a stone pillar while using Longsword of Light.

He then did the same thing while assisting the movement with Mana Burst.

His expression flashed with surprise. 'Oh, the balance is really good!'

Throughout his training and studying, Mordred gained a deeper understanding of swords.

The geometry of this blade was as such that it required slightly more force to begin gaining velocity in a strike, but once the blade began gaining momentum, it had a higher striking power than a regular sword thanks to the added mass of the leaf-shaped blade driving it forward during the slash. It was a master cleaver blade!

Using Mana Burst, Mordred could instantly accelerate his strike in the beginning, covering that weakness, but it remained true that this sword was just not as quick in launching [Longsword of Light] as thinner swords, even if it had more 'cutting power'.

However, the difference was minimal. The most important part was that Mordred could freely use Mana Burst with it and not worry about it breaking apart.

What this sword excelled at was cleaving things by relying on power rather than speed.

For his comprehensive combat strength, it was not ideal. He couldn't use Mana Burst on it together with Longsword of Light, only able to use Longsword of Light in conjunction with Mana Burst as Mana jet propulsion.

But for the Lightning God Style alone and the use of Mana Burst, it was perfect!

In the next strike, Mordred recklessly poured his Magic Power into Ascalon, creating a five-meter long blade of red thunder that surrounded his sword and extended its length.

"Ha!"

As he slashed out, the blade of energy cleaved the stone pillar in half and burned out a deep scar in the floor.

This attack looked very impressive.

But it wasn't without faults.

For once, the energy blade wasn't that fast. Longsword of Light was faster.

Additionally, it cost him so much Magic Power that it just wasn't worth it in a regular fight!

'For the same cost, I might have launched about a hundred Railguns instead…'

…

The next day was when Mordred would depart.

The King had heard of Mordred's plan to 'fly' to the Asura Kingdom and wanted to see him off personally, witnessing that scene.

Mordred, Julius, Hector, Sofia, Charlotte, King Lucius and two of his bodyguards gathered at the top of the Court Magician's tower.

When Mordred informed Sofia about his departure, the old Magician became angry at him and was reluctant to let him go, but Mordred remained so stubborn that she seemed to have realized she couldn't stop him by force and only blessed him on his journey, giving him a few valuable Magic Circle scrolls for safety.

Throughout all this, the news of Mordred traveling abroad only wasn't revealed to Benedicte, who still remained in the dark.

After reaching the top of the tower, what the group was greeted with was a strange stone sculpture.

If a person from Earth saw it, they would say it was a strange motorcycle for two people but without wheels. The front seat was higher and was fully covered, also having a handle, like a seat of a roller coaster, meanwhile the back seat had a leather saddle on top of it and allowed the person's legs to touch the ground.

At the side of it, there was its name painted in English with red paint: SABER.

"Your Highness, what is this?" Hector asked.

Mordred smiled and tapped his creation. "It's our transportation."

"Transportation? This?…"

The gathered people were all flabbergasted.

"Yeah, it's a speeder!"

The name was inspired by a Star Wars speeder – a flying motorcycle-like vehicle.

Mordred looked enthusiastic, but the other people were still confused.

Was that a joke? That thing was a stone sculpture! It neither had wings nor wheels! Just how could it be used for transportation?

Additionally, if it's meant for flight, then isn't it just too heavy if it's made from stone?

Mordred ignored those reactions. He told Hector, "Sir Hector, you can put our luggage at the front and tie it down."

He was not exactly constrained by space when creating that thing, so the speeder also had a boot at the front, covered by an aerodynamic hood.

Hector silently placed their baggage at the assigned position.

Mordred said, "Teacher, you will sit in the front. I need to be at the back to propel the speeder forward."

Following that, Mordred turned to Julius.

In front of him, Julius looked very reluctant and was frowning as if he was wronged. It was only recently when he learned that Mordred wanted him to stay in the palace, and he would not go with him. However, it was a direct order from the Prince, who was very serious about it, so he could only regretfully accept it.

Mordred gave him a key, saying, "Julius, I left two letters for Benedicte in my room. Give them to her after I leave."

"I understand…"

Mordred soon sat down at the back seat of the speeder. For his own safety, Albion was fully hidden inside his magic pouch rather than being placed somewhere else.

"Well, then! Everyone, step back a few steps!"

The people gathered slightly retreated at those words.

Mordred faintly smiled. Everyone still looked doubtful, but he would naturally not do anything without confidence and without preparations.

With everything set, he could begin!

Holding Ashen Sage in his hands, which now served as a handle of the speeder for the back seat, Mordred used Gravity Magic and created a Zero Gravity zone in a small area around himself.

When this happened, with just a small push of his legs, the entire stone speeder that might have weighed 2 tonnes began to float up as if it was a feather.

"Aaah!" Hector slightly panicked.

Meanwhile, the gathered people let out 'oohs' and 'aahs' of shock.

As the speeder continued floating up, Mordred observed the process while chuckling.

Naturally, because he created a Zero Gravity zone where he was, the weight of the speeder lost all meaning. That's why he made it from stone! The only way that he could easily and freely shape something was after all with the use of Earth Magic.

The alternative was carrying Hector on his back somehow, but with all the swords, staves, Albion and other things they wanted to bring with them, Mordred felt it would be more comfortable to create a speeder like this.

'As expected, in Zero-G there is no surface that Hector could use to push from, so he won't disrupt my balance even if he swings from side to side. Good! If there's a problem… I'll just use my feet with Mana Burst to make sure we don't spin.'

"I'm about to start the engine, brace yourself."

Of course, there was actually no engine to start. He was the engine.

After confirming that there would be no issues, Mordred activated Mana Burst, brewed energy in his body and then shot out a jet of red Magic Power from his back.

All of a sudden, the speeder shot forward, accelerating and beginning to fly through the sky at a fast speed.

"Aaaaah!..." Hector shouted out again.

A grin slowly grew on Mordred's lips, and he increased their speed more and more, making them turn into a red arrow.

The remaining people watched from the tower as the speeder left behind the horizon like a shooting star.

"He truly did it… The boy created a flying vehicle!" The King said in marvel.

Sofia smiled bitterly and explained, "Your Majesty… It isn't as much a flying vehicle as that boy using Gravity Magic on it. And after that… I have no idea what he did to make it fly forward, but it seemed to be some kind of shockwave. He calls it Magic Power Propulsion."

"Ah, so it's like that. The boy learned how to control gravity?"

The King Dragons were dragons that could control gravity, so the concept of it was not a secret. Even the King knew about Gravity Magic existing.

"He did. I have no idea how, but he did."

…

After Prince Mordred flew away on his creation, Julius came into his room with a melancholic expression. He felt as if he was abandoned by his lord.

Then on top of the desk he discovered three letters.

'Hm? Wasn't it supposed to just be two letters?'

Julius checked those letters and saw that two of them were addressed to Benedicte, but one of them was for him.

He broke off the seal and then opened that letter.

He read: "Julius, make sure there isn't anyone with you when you're reading this letter."

Seeing this, Julius slightly frowned and reflexively glanced around the empty room again, before returning to the letter.

"The reason I'm leaving you behind is because I have an important mission for you, something that I can only leave to a person I trust."

"Your mission is: after my 9th birthday, bring Benedicte, Charlotte and her son to the Asura Kingdom, escaping in secret. Our assigned meeting place will be the Adventurers' Guild in Ars. Next destination is the Magic City of Sharia."

'What…'

"I'm leaving you 100 gold coins in my drawer to cover the travel expenses and for your own use. I'm counting on you, Julius. -Mordred."

"PS: After reading this letter, immediately burn it."

The letter left Julius in a daze. 'Your Highness… Just what are you thinking?'

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AN: A few info dumps that I added to the chapters recently, so you would have missed them if read right after release.

AN1: Swordsmanship ranks are about technique and the advancement in that school, not about strength. A Sword God might still be Intermediate rank in Water God Style if he didn't practice it. MC's Battle Aura strength and physical capabilities are displayed in the form of stats instead (can look at the highest rank for his Battle Aura strength).

AN2: MC set himself 8 years old as the time frame of leaving Wyvern because then it would allow him to meet Eris before she meets Rudeus and begins becoming infatuated with him. When flying, he should reach Asura long before that point (up to 1 year earlier) and also be able to help Eris become even stronger than in canon.