—
What was missing for forging the Shadowbane Sword for Treya?
This was the question that had been occupying Will’s mind.
Or rather…
What would it take for Princess Treya to look at the sword and imdiately feel the care and thought he had poured into it for her?
Treya’s swordsmanship ca from demonic origins—a fact widely known and even categorized as a form of “black magic.”
However, to this day, Will hadn’t fully understood how her swordsmanship worked. Even when he had asked Treya directly, her answer had been vague: “Just follow the voice in your heart, and it will work.”
Unfortunately, in the original story, Treya never obtained this power, so Will couldn’t rely on it to understand how demonic energy functioned.
From what he had observed, her sword shared a similar fate to Leah’s staff—it was highly prone to breaking. However, while Leah’s staff broke due to “overloading its capacity,” Treya’s sword seed to break because it lacked a proper vessel capable of withstanding demonic energy.
So…
What if he used the “heart” that Lucifa, the Empress of this demon-thed dungeon, had ntioned?
A heart is the organ that pumps blood throughout the body, and blood is often associated with magical circuits and energy flow.
And according to Lucifa herself: “It has great resistance and excellent black magic capacity.”
Without a doubt!
If he could obtain the heart of an Empress-level demon and infuse it into the blade…
It would surely be able to handle any amount of demonic energy Treya could channel into it.
He could already picture it—
Treya, frustrated by her lack of progress in training and anxious because he wasn’t by her side, would hold the sword in her hands and feel its unyielding strength. She would then look up, realizing that her support had always been there for her.
And in that mont, the darkness in her eyes would fade away…
Perfect. This plan was flawless!
He was a genius!
So…
He spoke without hesitation—
“I want your heart.”
…
The room on the 30th floor of the dungeon fell into a stunned silence.
Then, Lucifa’s loud scream shattered the quiet:
“Y-Y-Y-YOU WANT WHAT?!”
The once-proud Lucifa, who had been sitting confidently on her bed, scrambled backward in panic. Her legs, still wearing shoes, kicked against the bed as she retreated until she was pressed against the headboard.
She grabbed a pillow from beside her and hugged it tightly to her chest, her face flushed with embarrassnt. Even without mory-erasing magic, her series of movents happened so quickly it felt like teleportation to Will.
“Huh? Weren’t you the one promoting it to us? You said demon hearts are excellent materials. I want one to forge a sword. What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Will asked, genuinely confused.
“You… you ant an actual heart?!” Lucifa exhaled in relief, slowly lowering the pillow she had been clutching. She adjusted her jacket back over her shoulders, covering her arms again.
“Uh… if not a real heart, how else would I get one?” Will asked matter-of-factly. To him, a heart was simply an essential material—no different from the stone he had obtained from Ironfire Bastion.
“Idiot! I-I didn’t an my heart!” Lucifa stamred, her face turning red again.
“You’re unwilling to give it?” Will pressed.
“There are plenty of demons here! And so higher-ranking ones too… W-Why would you go straight for the Empress’s… heart?!”
If not an Empress’s heart…
Would it still be able to withstand Treya’s demonic energy?
Will considered this briefly. It might not work as well, but it was worth a try—there weren’t any other demon-thed dungeons in this world. To find more demon materials, he’d have to scour scattered dungeons.
“Alright then… a high-ranking demon’s heart will do,” Will conceded.
“You’re so casual about this! I… I can’t believe I thought soone ca here specifically for my heart. Turns out I was just flattering myself,” Lucifa muttered indignantly.
“Will you give it or not?” Will asked again.
“Who are you making this sword for? I could understand if it were for armor or sothing practical. But in human society, no one uses demonic weapons except for Entark’s First Demon Castle…”
“The Ninth Princess of Entark, Treya Entark,” Shuna interjected before Will could respond. She stepped forward, her arms crossed as she observed the conversation. “She’s also the sole inheritor of Entark swordsmanship.”
“Am I wrong?” Shuna added with a knowing smirk as she patted Will on the shoulder.
“P-Princess Treya…?!” Lucifa’s expression shifted to one of shock. She climbed off the bed in a hurry, taking two quick steps before leaping down.
“W-What’s wrong?” Will asked as Lucifa stood on tiptoes and leaned in close to examine his face from every angle.
“Now that I look closely… you really do look exactly like the person on that missing person notice!”
“Huh?”
“You’re the fiancé of the current Ninth Princess?! The one all the rumors are about? Treya Entark’s precious treasure? Her ‘white moonlight’? The fiancé she can’t stop thinking about even when you’re out gallivanting around? The one she misses so much she’s too anxious to participate in royal politics?!”
“W-W-W-W-WHAT?!”
“Will! That’s right—your na is Will! The youngest son of the Hysterm family! I can’t believe I’m eting you in person!” Lucifa exclaid, her eyes sparkling as she grabbed Will’s hands tightly.
Her expression was akin to soone eting a celebrity they’d only ever read about in tabloids.
“Ahem… shouldn’t you say you’re eting ‘in person’ instead of ‘alive’?” Will muttered as he instinctively took a step back.
What just happened?
What was with that avalanche of information she just dumped on him?
What did she an by Treya’s “precious treasure”?
What was this “white moonlight”? Okay, fine, that one might be true.
But what was this about Treya being so anxious over him that she couldn’t even participate in royal politics?
The first two made him sound like so pampered boy toy clinging to a princess. And that last one—what?!
“So? So? Is all of this true? Are you really soone who can make Princess Treya think about you even when you’re out gallivanting around?” Lucifa pressed eagerly.
“I…” Will hesitated. Should he address the “gallivanting” accusation first or clarify his relationship with Treya? “First of all, I’m not gallivanting.”
“Then who’s this dungeon ‘girlfriend’ wearing matching outfits with you?” Lucifa shot back, pointing at Shuna.
“Pfft.”
Shuna couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing, leaning against Will’s shoulder for support.
“Shuna! At least explain this!” Will groaned.
“Sorry! Hahaha… I just think these descriptions are so spot-on—even if they’re completely wrong. Hahaha… gallivanting… precious treasure…”
Ignoring Shuna’s laughter, Will turned his attention back to Lucifa. She had finally let go of his hands but was now circling him like she was inspecting so rare specin.
“I see now… no wonder you could say sothing like ‘I want your heart’ without batting an eye.”
This misunderstanding had spiraled out of control.
Will hadn’t anticipated that the missing person notice would lead to such bizarre assumptions.
“Wait a second,” Will said, narrowing his eyes at Lucifa. “You’re just a dungeon creature who rarely leaves your domain. Where did you even hear all this gossip?”
tln : gallivanting is go around from one place to another in the pursuit of pleasure or entertainnt.
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