Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I’m Going to Sleep

Chapter 73: Sword of the Hero (1)

Among the cards I can use, the one that would be most useful for hunting the powerful monsters scattered across the world is... unfortunately, humans.

Ah, excluding dragons. Those children have the strength to create monsters, but they are like blades that cannot be wielded carelessly.

If they run wild, the terrain would change, so they cannot be used recklessly. It's easy to cause a mess.

Excluding dragons... the race that follows my orders the best would be the lizardmen, but they are heavily influenced by their environment.

But if those children were freed from the constraints of the environment... then one of the restraints holding them back would be removed.

Lizardmen free from environmental constraints would likely push aside humans and become the new masters of the world!

They lay multiple eggs at a time, so their numbers are quite large. Their physical abilities are slightly weaker than giants, but they are still very strong and hardy.

And with their magic buffs, they would be a terrifying reptilian existence if they weren't inherently good-natured.

Their weakness is that they are heavily influenced by their environment, and they only prefer obsidian weapons. But that weapon preference is a trivial flaw, as they can kill beasts with their bare hands.

In any case, I can't remove the environmental constraints on the lizardmen... Even if it's just a temporary expedition, having them constantly roam and defeat monsters is unrealistic.

Elves or dwarves are basically hikikomori who don't want to leave their strongholds, and I can't guarantee they'll move according to my intentions, so they're out.

Maybe I could control them through Yggdrasil or Sagarmatha, but controlling them indirectly would be difficult.

Giants? Giants are blockheads. They're out of the question from the start. And like the lizardmen, they are heavily influenced by their environment.

Giants can't survive well outside of cold regions, and they consume a lot of food.

Their raw strength is certain, but... they're hard to control and I have no way to handle them.

Therefore, it ultimately comes down to beastmen or humans... and humans who can freely roam the world without much restriction would be the most convenient.

Unless it's a situation where they're constrained by national boundaries, in the current loose situation outside of city-states, traveling merchants and adventurers can move around without much difficulty.

So, wouldn't it be good to give powerful weapons to humans and have them defeat the monsters that are difficult to capture?

Of course, I'll hide the true purpose. If they only hear about collecting the fragments of darkness in the magical stones, it would sound like I'm trying to revive some ancient demon lord.

Let's see. I'll make a good sword and imbue it with various magic to enhance its performance, and even insert a black diamond so that it can absorb the fragments of darkness when it cuts down monsters.

Hmm, a specialized sword for defeating great monsters might be created.

Ah, but what happens if I extract the fragments of darkness from living monsters? I'll need to test that later.

And... hmm... should I also create a 'hero' to wield that sword?

No, 'create' sounds a bit strange. It's like I'm creating humans.

It would be better to say I'm establishing the position of a 'hero'.

If monsters continue to appear and grow stronger, they will pose a great threat to humans. So if I prepare a hero to defeat those monsters in my stead and protect the humans and subraces, wouldn't that be good?

Selecting a human with excellent qualities and character, and bestowing upon them the hero's sword from the Temple of Life, to have them travel the world and hunt monsters. Hmm... that doesn't sound too bad!

It could become a heroic tale!

And when there is no hero, the hero's sword can be kept at the Temple of Life. That way, I can collect the fragments of darkness from the magical stones they've gathered.

Sounds good. I'll do it this way.

Ah, come to think of it, the hero might need a supporter, right?

Hmm... should I attach a suitable one from the Temple of Life? Or maybe even a dragon wouldn't be a bad idea.

I could even join them myself if necessary. No, no, that won't do. I already have a lot to do, why would I join them? It doesn't seem like such a big task that I need to get involved.

Creator Dragon God, Goddess of Life, and all the other things you have to deal with - are you really going to add more work for yourself? Are you an idiot?! After all that hard work, are you going to do something stupid again?! Wake up! Me!!

Ahem. Let's think about the hero's supporter later. First, I need to make the hero's sword.

Let's see. First, I should think about the shape. Since it's the hero's weapon, it should be a sword, of course...

What about the size? A standard one-handed sword, or a big and beautiful two-handed sword. Both are appealing, so it's hard to choose.

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Or maybe a bastard sword that can be used with one or two hands... but that somehow doesn't feel right. The name itself doesn't sit well with me. A bastard sword?!

No, no, there's no reason why the sword has to be just one form. It can be a sword that changes shape.

At that moment, an image flashed through my mind.

A sword that starts as a huge greatsword, but then transforms into a thinner sword-like shape after the user equips armor.

If I do that... I can have both a two-handed sword and a one-handed sword. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?

Okay, let's make it. With this idea flowing, I can make it without hesitation! First, the materials.

What should I use? Silver imbued with magic? Or steel imbued with magic?

Silver imbued with magic can absorb magic, while steel imbued with magic can deflect it... hmm.

It's ambiguous. To enable the shape-changing, I'll need the magic to work, so I can't use steel... I guess I should use silver after all?

No, wait, I can use other metals too. Let me test it out first.

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I made several metals and imbued them with magic to see how they'd transform, but there weren't many usable ones.

The gold imbued with magic was quite useful though. The yellow color of the gold had become quite pale, turning into a golden-gray color. Its strength was slightly less than the black steel imbued with magic, but it was still quite durable.

It had the ability to absorb magic smoothly, similar to mithril, and had the advantage of being able to enhance the properties of other metals when mixed.

And the most important thing - the function I decided to use this magic-imbued gold for.

The magic-imbued gold had a strange property - it could remember and transform its shape using magic.

It's a kind of shape memory, but different from shape memory alloys that return to their original shape when heated.

After much trial and error, I found that this metal could remember its shape by imbuing it with magic.

I made it into an elongated rod shape and imbued it with a specific magic pattern. Then, after crumpling it up, I pushed the magic pattern back in, and it returned to the original rod shape.

The only downside is that it can only remember about three patterns, and the force to transform the shape isn't that strong - it can be stopped by simply pressing on it with your hand. But once the transformation is complete, it becomes sturdy again!

Well, it's only weak during the transformation process, so I shouldn't pass up using this amazing metal!

Alright, let's make it diligently.

I'm not sure how well I can utilize the transformation function, but if I keep trying, I'm sure I'll get some results.

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The Hero's Sword, Chloive Solais. Also known as the Sword of Light.

It is said to be the sacred sword wielded by the hero chosen by the Goddess of Life when great crises befall humanity.

The sword is said to have the ancient darkness sealed within it, and its power derived from the ancient darkness makes it especially effective against monsters.

Its basic form is a large two-handed sword, but it is famous for its ability to change shape to suit the user.

The transformed form is called the Agathlam, the silver-armored form, and it is said that the blade of the greatsword transforms into armor that protects the user.

In this armored state, the hero's sword greatly changes shape, becoming a thin one-handed sword, allowing the user to utilize more agile sword techniques.

Furthermore, the hero's sword has the ability to disassemble magic and convert it into pure magical power, which it can then absorb and use to enhance the user. This legendary weapon truly embodies the title of the ultimate weapon.

...

During the periods when a hero has not been designated, this sword is kept under strict seal at the Church of Life. However, it is said that the seal will be broken when the Dragon Priestess appears, signaling that a great crisis has befallen humanity.

Therefore, if one were to witness this sword again, it would mean that a grave crisis has come upon humanity. Even as the author of this book, I too would like to lay eyes on this sword once, but considering that its appearance signifies a threat to humanity, it is also a legendary weapon that I dare not wish to see.

Personally, I even attempted to request assistance from the Church of Life, but even the high priest of the Church of Life informed me that they are unaware of the whereabouts of this sword, which remains sealed. It is truly regrettable.

- Encyclopedia of Legendary Weapons

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T/N: Imagine all of those Isekai stories where the hero is summoned, but their true purpose is...