Once Ludwig reached his former empty seat in the stadium and sat down, a familiar voice caught his attention. “Oh, you managed to survive so long. From what I heard, you did pretty great.”
Ludwig turned to see the same girl from before, the one who had tried to charm him. She was leaning casually against the railing, her smile sly and her eyes gleaming with mischief.
“Melissa, I told you, get your dirty claws off him. He’s my teammate!” Kaela shouted, her voice carrying across the stands.
Melissa held up both hands in mock surrender, her grin widening. “You don’t have to worry about me hunting him. Most would actually come to me willingly.” She brushed a hand over her chest, her tone dripping with playful arrogance. “After all, I do have a bigger personality—quite hospitable too.”
Ludwig turned his head away, not out of embarrassment, but simply because he wasn’t interested. Even if he were, he couldn’t—he was an undead, a skeleton. He lacked the… necessary components to satisfy such interests.
“I’d ask that you let me fight him first,” Haku said, his voice calm but firm as he sat next to Melissa. His eyes were locked on Ludwig, a spark of anticipation in his gaze. “I want to see his swordsmanship.”
Ludwig met Haku’s gaze, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “We’ll see,” he said, his tone neutral but with a hint of challenge. The final trial was about to begin, and Ludwig was ready. Whatever came next, he would face it head-on.
“He’s just a brute,” Bron added, his tone dripping with disdain as he leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. His sharp eyes flicked toward Ludwig, a smirk playing on his lips. “I doubt you’ll see any swordsmanship from him. He’s all brawn, no finesse.”
Ludwig felt a flicker of annoyance at Bron’s words, but he kept his expression neutral. He wasn’t one to rise to petty taunts, especially not from someone like Bron, whose arrogance seemed to know no bounds. Instead, Ludwig simply shrugged and held up the hilt of his broken scimitar, the blade shattered beyond repair. “I don’t think I’ll be able to show you anything,” Ludwig said, his voice calm but with a hint of resignation. “I lost my only sword.”
Haku, seated nearby, frowned at Ludwig’s words. His sharp, calculating eyes narrowed as he studied the broken weapon in Ludwig’s hand. “A swordsman who isn’t taking care of his weapon is hardly someone worth paying attention to,” Haku said, his tone cold and dismissive. “I’m disappointed.”
Ludwig sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Sure, sure,” he replied, his tone flat. It wasn’t his fault that the Djinn’s weapons were trash. He had done his best with what he had, but even the most well-maintained blade couldn’t withstand the kind of punishment he had put it through. Still, he didn’t feel the need to explain himself to Haku or Bron. They could think what they wanted.
Just as the tension between them began to simmer, a familiar voice cut through the air. “Ludwig!”
Ludwig turned to see Professor Joana approaching, a wrapped-up item cradled carefully in her hands. Her face was lit up with a wide smile, her eyes sparkling with pride as she spotted her student. “Ah, you made it!” she said, her voice warm and enthusiastic.
“Of course, professor,” Ludwig replied, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “What brings you here?”
Joana descended the stairs with a graceful ease, coming to stand beside Ludwig. She held out the wrapped item to him, her expression turning serious. “Your weapon is ready,” she said. “Erdna said it was a fine weapon to work on, it could reach the levels of a Masterpiece, but he was missing some key materials to further improve it. For now, use it as is, and once he obtains what he requires, he’ll further enhance it.”
Ludwig’s eyes widened slightly as he took the wrapped item from her hands. He could feel the weight of it, solid and reassuring, and he quickly began to unravel the cloth. As the wrapping fell away, he revealed the long chain and the shard, but there was something different about it now. The shard itself was attached to a sturdy-looking handle, transforming it into what appeared to be a one-handed scythe. A small spring-like mechanism connected the handle to the shard, and Ludwig’s curiosity was immediately piqued.
“Imbue it with mana and flick it,” Joana instructed, her voice filled with anticipation.
Ludwig did as she asked, and the moment he flicked the mechanism, the shard snapped up, transforming into a sword with the handle fixed tightly in place. The bottom of the handle had another lock-like feature that seemed to correspond to one of the Soul Shackle’s ends. Ludwig immediately understood what it was for and pushed the two ends together. The sword and the chain locked together seamlessly, forming a single, cohesive weapon.
“Hoo,” Haku said, his voice low and impressed as he observed the transformation. “Erdna, the Workshop master? He’s famous for his unusual weapons…” Haku’s eyes gleamed with interest as he leaned forward slightly. “Are you willing to sell that sword to me, Ludwig?”
Ludwig chuckled, shaking his head. “Brother, I haven’t even got to use it yet,” he said, his tone light but firm. He wasn’t about to part with a weapon that had just been handed to him, especially one crafted by someone as renowned as Erdna, The Imperial Craftsman.
Bron, however, wasn’t nearly as impressed. He frowned, his nose wrinkling in distaste as he eyed the weapon. “I don’t even see that as a weapon,” he said, his tone dismissive. “That’s just a chain attached to a sickle… are you weeding grass or something?”
Ludwig smirked, unfazed by Bron’s jab. “Maybe,” he said, his tone playful. He attached the brace on one end of the chain to his left arm, and the entire chain seemed to disappear inside it, leaving only the sword in his other hand. With a quick flick, the weapon transformed back into a one-handed scythe, the blade gleaming in the light.