While a truly tragic fate had befallen the wyvern, Hapty-san’s instruction proceeded without further incident. Watching her teach the girls how to break camp—specifically the proper way to extinguish a fire—it seemed the session was finally nearing its end.
Just as I expected, once the cleanup was finished, Hapty-san announced that she had covered the basics and suggested we wrap things up. However, there was something I had been personally curious about, so I decided to take the opportunity to speak up.
"Hapty-san, could I ask you something?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"It’s nothing major, but since Aoi-chan and Hina-chan did all the fighting today, I was wondering what your own combat style is like."
In the legends depicting the journey of the First Hero, Hapty was described as a versatile thief who mastered various weapons depending on the situation. However, there was one detail that caught my eye: the specialized circular pouch she wore at her waist. Its unique shape made me suspect it was where she kept her primary armament.
Actually, let me rephrase that. To be honest, I had a pretty good idea of what kind of weapon would fit in a pouch of that shape. Because I could visualize it, I really wanted to see the real thing.
"I specialize in skirmishing and throwing weapons," Hapty-san explained. "This is my main tool."
"...They're chakrams, aren't they?"
The item she pulled from her pouch was a bladed ring—a chakram. At first glance, they seemed difficult to handle, but I personally thought they were great. Fighting with chakrams just felt undeniably cool.
"They look like they’d be difficult to master," Aoi-chan remarked, clearly sharing my impression.
"Well, they certainly require some practice," Hapty-san replied with a wry smile. She raised an index finger... and then, wait, where did the chakram she was just holding go?
Just as the question crossed my mind, Hapty-san pointed toward a tree some distance away. My eyes followed her gesture just in time to hear the whistle of sliced air as a chakram severed a single branch. Before the wood could even hit the ground, five more chakrams streaked out, shredding the branch into splinters.
The weapons then flew back in a wide arc, settling perfectly into Hapty-san's hand—all six of them.
"Once you’re used to it, you can perform fine maneuvers like that," she said casually.
"That's incredible..."
It really was. Of course, I wouldn't have been surprised if Alice herself could pull off such a feat, but this time, she had likely slowed the weapons down intentionally. Even while playing the role of Hapty, she was a world-class powerhouse; if she had thrown them with her full magic power, there was no way I could have tracked the trajectory. The fact that I could see them at all meant she had adjusted her speed for our benefit, allowing us to witness a truly artistic, god-like display of skill.
"It’s amazing, but can those actually deal damage to strong monsters?" Hina asked.
"That's a good question, Hina. The short answer is that since I throw them reinforced with magic power, they could slice through Orichalcum like butter. But I understand why you’d wonder. Since you two were such fast learners and we finished early... I’ll give you a little extra lesson regarding weaponry."
Hapty-san pulled two swords from her Magic Box.
"Now, a pop quiz. If I were to swing this iron sword and this Orichalcum sword with the exact same motion, which one do you think would have the superior cutting edge?"
"...The Orichalcum one?"
"Most people think so. But the real answer is: it doesn't matter. Since the cutting edge is being reinforced by magic power, they’ll perform exactly the same. In fact, I could produce the same result with a wooden branch."
Her words reminded me of the time Alice had used a rolled-up piece of paper to slice Aoi-chan’s golem in half.
"You might think, 'Then why not just use a branch?' but there’s a catch. Even if the cutting power is the same, the durability is not. Or rather, there's a difference in how much magic power the material can withstand. If you pour enough magic into a branch to cut like Orichalcum, it might last for one swing if you're lucky. Most of the time, the branch would just shatter the moment you surged your power into it."
"I see..."
"However, that's only at my level," Hapty-san continued, stowing the swords. "For instance, if Aoi or Hina used them, neither of you has the technique or the capacity to pour in so much magic power that an Orichalcum weapon would fail. You could swing an iron sword without breaking it just fine. Buying an expensive Orichalcum weapon now would be a waste of money—a treasure left to rot. You have to choose equipment that matches your own strength."
She paused for a moment before moving on to the next point.
"Now, for armor, it's always best to buy the highest quality you can afford, regardless of your level. But based on what I just explained, the three of you should be able to guess why almost none of the world’s top-tier powerhouses carry weapons, right?"
"Because common weapons can't withstand the magic power they output?" I ventured.
"Exactly. It's more stable to manifest your own magic power into a weapon, even if the consumption is higher. However, there are exceptions. Though rare, masterpieces created by the legendary craftsman Crafty—those crowned with titles like 'Holy Sword' or 'Magic Sword'—can withstand even the magic power of a high-ranking Count-class. Some High-ranking Demons still use those."
A Holy Sword... that sounded familiar. Right, I was pretty sure the sword Alice gave to Lilia-san as a gift during the Six Kings Festival was the Holy Sword Excalibur.
"And the ultimate exception is the Phantasm King-sama, the only one among the Six Kings who consistently carries a weapon. I have no idea what those daggers are made of... but they are easily the strongest weapons in existence. After all, they can withstand the magic power of a Six King."
Hearing those words, I felt a slight, unusual sensation. It wasn't exactly a contradiction, but rather something rare. Alice—or rather, Hapty-san—seemed genuinely proud. It felt uncharacteristic for her to assert that her own tool was the "strongest" with such definitive certainty.
Perhaps those daggers were items she held very close to her heart.
Extra: Alice's Daggers
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Trick Jester A black and white dagger pair that Alice used during her time as The First Visitor. They were her father's Heart Tool and possessed the ability of Forced Teleportation. Because they were a Heart Tool, their durability was technically infinite so long as Alice's will remained unbroken. However, using a Heart Tool for defense or heavy combat causes significant mental strain and fatigue, so she only draws them when their specific ability is required.
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Dagger of the Stars The dagger Alice usually keeps in her waist holster. It was crafted entirely from the cores of the Seven Star Magic Beasts—creatures said to be birthed by the stars themselves. It possessed seven distinct abilities based on those beasts. While she was fond of its versatility and incredible strength, it eventually became unable to withstand the sheer density of Alice's magic power as she continued to grow after the decisive battle in the God Realm.
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Dagger of the Machine God Alice's current weapon of choice. She had originally only requested the raw materials, but Machina insisted that "the effort is the same anyway" and presented the finished daggers as a gift. Since they were made by Machina, who absolutely dotes on Alice, they are essentially a "cheat" item. Their primary trait is that they possess every single ability the wielder can imagine a weapon having. Whatever Alice can think of, the daggers can do. They can change shape at will and possess durability that cannot be scratched by anything short of an Omniscient and Omnipotent-class being. It is a weapon born of a somewhat yandere sentiment: "I will never let you have a reason to use any other weapon but this one." Since they were a gift from her best friend, Alice is quite attached to them, which led to her proud declaration of them being the strongest.