75 – Slicing Magic

Several days later, Tatsumi was in Giuseppe’s office like usual.

Today was one of the days that Giuseppe would teach Tatsumi magic, and while he was here, Tatsumi would ask about the cut-in-half jo.

Of course, the part about Calcedonia’s clothing being ripped off was the couple’s little secret.

While hearing the chain of events from Tatsumi, the old man fixedly stared at the broken jo in his hands.

“Hmmm, this is…very beautifully cut apart.”

The sliced edge of the jo shined like a polished gemstone. At least, a normal cross-section of a tree wouldn’t look like this.

Giuseppe’s eyes shined as if he was a child given a new toy.

“Also, Calsey thinks that this was caused by my magic…but, can the Heaven system really do this kind of thing?”

“That’s right…yes, just wait for a bit.”

Giuseppe stroked his long beard gone white with his age. He was facing the large bookshelf in his office, thinking about something.

Then, he pulled a book from one of the shelves, and flipped through the contents. Soon enough, he returned to Tatsumi with the book in hand.

“This, it’s this. According to this book, the weapon of Thiet Zamui, the original Heaven system mage, could cut through trees, boulders, and whatever else stood in his way.”

This book was probably one of the books Giuseppe collected back when he was interested in the Heaven system.

“Is the information trustworthy?”

“That’s unknown. This book was written a while after Thiet’s death, and many facts get distorted over time. However, Thiet’s main weapon still exists.”

“Huh, really? Is it here?”

“Nope, it’s unfortunately not here. The weapon is held by the Church of the Sun God Golaiva.”

The Grand Mage Thiet Zamui was alive around five centuries past. Even in modern Japan, many things from the past are still around, so it wasn’t surprising that the Grand Mage’s weapon still existed.

Furthermore, magic exists in this world. If magic is used, whether it be five centuries or a millenia, it’s unmistakably possible to preserve it.

“After Thiet Zamui’s death, nobody could use the weapon. Since Golaiva is also the God of War, it was offered to Golaiva’s Church. Though, since you also have the Heaven system, maybe you could also use the weapon.”

Giuseppe laughed happily, and Tatsumi’s interest in the weapon the Grand Mage left behind flared.

It was a weapon from myths. Tatsumi didn’t think that he could wield it, but he at least wanted to see it once.

“Now, back to the matter at hand. Is slicing possible with the Heaven system, was it?” Giuseppe once again began to talk.

Other than the book that Tatsumi just saw, there was another story about the Grand Mage cutting things.

And from that, Giuseppe believed that the Grand Mage had some sort of slicing power.

“To begin with, the weapon we just talked about isn’t a weapon that normally cuts. He must have had a magic that gave him the ability to slice.”

“What? The Grand Mage’s weapon isn’t a sword?”

The legendary weapon was also known as Trueslash, so Tatsumi had assumed that it was a sword, or at least a weapon with a blade.

However, from what Giuseppe just said, the weapon in question didn’t seem to be a bladed one.

“Yep, it isn’t a sword. On the contrary, people who don’t know any better wouldn’t think it was even a weapon. I suppose that it’ll be faster to show you than to give a long explanation. And the Partiarch of the Church of Golaiva, Bugarank, wants to see you, so he’ll definitely let us see the weapon!”

Giuseppe laughed happily, the same as ever.

After leaving Giuseppe’s office, Tatsumi was walking in the Church of Savaiv.

He was going to the templar’s training area to train with the other templars.

While on his way, a few junior priests doing chores came into his sight.

They were lugging a large amount of firewood somewhere.

Tatsumi looked at the junior priests with nostalgia.

As he was a full-fledged priest and a templar to top it off, he naturally wouldn’t be doing these chores anymore.

But, when he had just came to this church─no, when he had just came to this world, he spent a lot of time doing menial tasks like the junior priests in front of him.

“How are you doing, Bogart? I haven’t seen you since I stopped being a junior priest.”

Bogart’s role is to manage the other junior priests. Before he was promoted, he used to always meet with Bogart, but he hasn’t anymore.

It was impossible because of work currently, but he could catch up with Bogart next time there was an opportunity. Thinking that, Tatsumi continued walking.

Once again, his footsteps stopped.

“…Now that I think about it…”

Tatsumi remembered the time when he was a junior priest.

It was when Tatsumi was first made to chop the firewood.

It was, of course, his first time cutting firewood, but the wood was cut too quickly and too easily.

At that time, he thought it was the power he got from transmigrating, so he started to seriously train as a templar. And, after he got the sealing bracelet from Giuseppe, it became much harder to do the wood.

¹

At the time, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it, but now it was obviously strange.

The Heaven system of magic was specialized in movement; it represented the vastness of the heavens that only a Heaven-system user could easily travel across. Nonetheless, he easily cut apart the firewood without any troubles.

“…Could it be…?”

The slicing magic of the Heaven system. Maybe Tatsumi has had this power from the start.

Giuseppe was in his office after his lesson with Tatsumi was over.

Naturally, the patriarch of a major religion was a busy man. Being the meditator over internal conflicts, replying to requests from minor churches, and talks with influential believers that even the church can’t ignore.

In these busy days, the lessons with Tatsumi were a much-needed breather for him.

In the lesson, they talk casually. Stories from both their worlds entertained them both.

Moreover, Tatsumi was positive, and a good student. He learned well, and his talent sometimes even surprised Giuseppe.

“My son-in-law can really entertain me.”

Slouching in his office chair, Giuseppe thought of the previous exchange between him and his favorite disciple.

“The slicing magic of the Heaven system…I can’t help but be excited over if he can really master it.”

Many stories of the previous Heaven mage have been left behind.

However, those stories are dramatized, and are more exaggeration than real.

A story must be interesting to be a story, after all.

Still, Giuseppe had always thought that there was some type of slicing magic in the Heaven system, and Tatsumi could be his proof.

His excitement for Tatsumi was completely understandable.

As his teacher and his relative, Giuseppe awaited Tatsumi’s growth.

However, the patriarch’s secret fun came to an abrupt halt.

The royal palace had called for an emergency meeting of the four church leaders.

And in that meeting, the king and all who held major power within the nation discussed one thing.

A giant dragon was approaching the Kingdom of Largofiely.