The Replacement of the Sword Hero

Chapter Sixteen: Giant Swords

I led Naofumi to the dragon hourglass located in the clock tower of the church. A nun approached me with a greeting but stopped in shock upon seeing Naofumi and our companions.
"Sir Sword Hero, what is the meaning of this?" She asked. "Am I correct in my assumption that the man following you is the Shield Hero?"
I nodded. "That is correct. I have bought him here to register at the hourglass because he almost missed the last wave."
Naofumi frowned at my loud declaration but nodded along. "Yes, I heard the hourglass could tell me when the wave was coming, so I came to see it for myself."
"Well then, follow me." Said the nun brusquely, leading Naofumi and his companions in the direction of the hourglass. She must have alerted the other church members to our arrival, because shortly after, the high priest appeared.

"Greetings, sir Sword Hero, what business do you have here today?"
"I would like to reset the level of one of my companions." I said, gently pushing Fohl forwards.
The high priest looked down his nose at Fohl. "Hmm. A Hakuko..." He murmured disapprovingly. "Sword Hero, I must say I'm rather worried by the current situation. To see you keeping the company of the Shield Hero and the Hakuko makes me wonder if you are betraying the good faith of our church."
"May I speak to you privately?" I asked, motioning for my party members to remain where they were. I was escorted a short distance away by the high priest where we could talk without being overheard. "Where I come from, there is a saying: 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.' The two Hakuko in my party are the last living descendants of the former leader of Siltvelt, Tyran Fayon. I have made them both my slaves to use as political tools when I confront Siltvelt. That's why I want to reset his level so he cannot cause me any trouble."
The high priest smiled and accepted my explanation.
"And as for the Shield Hero, due to the unexpectedly early arrival of the wave, I decided to have him register with the hourglass to ensure he would not be left out again. He is no threat to us. Last night there was a duel between the Shield Hero and the Spear Hero... The Spear Hero blew him out of the arena, and I am confident that I am far stronger than the Spear Hero."

"Certainly, Sword Hero, I do not doubt your words. Right this way, we will reset your companion's level immediately."
My party was guided over to the hourglass after Naofumi had completed his registration and was shooed away by the nuns. Fohl was directed to stand in a magic circle on the floor as acolytes summoned by the high priest began to perform the ceremony.
"The one standing here before us has chosen to relinquish their own powers in order to walk a new path. Powers of the world! Grant them the chance to find that path!" The high priest spoke the words for the ritual and the magic circle on the floor glowed. "The ceremony is complete. We are always happy to help one of our own. Praise the Sword Hero." Said the high priest, making the symbol of the three legendary weapons in the air before him.

"How do you feel, Brother?" Atla asked as Fohl walked back to join the group.
"I'm fine." Fohl brushed off any concerns. "Can we leave this place now?"
I paid for the ceremony and we left the church. Naofumi was waiting outside with an annoyed expression.
"Can you believe they wouldn't give me any sand?"
"What?"
"They said they'd run out."
"Let me check... Sorry I don't have any left in my inventory." I searched but it appeared the sword had absorbed the entire amount in order to unlock the Dragon Hourglass Sand Sword. I thought about going back and demanding some, but that might raise further questions from the high priest.
"It doesn't matter." Said Naofumi. "It's no use to me until I reach level 50 anyway. I'll come back then. So what are your plans now?"
"I'll head over to the weapon store and pick up a sword I asked Erhard to make for me." I said. "But before that, there's something I wanted to ask you. This morning, Motoyasu was acting weird. He said he couldn't remember anything after challenging you to a duel last night. Do you know anything about that?"

Naofumi looked at me with interest and then laughed after hearing about Motoyasu's condition. "Amnesia." He said. "I powered up the Rucolu Punch Shield using the methods you told me about and it unlocked another effect: Amnesia."
I guess it makes sense. Alcohol induced amnesia.
"It also unlocked another skill too..." Naofumi said, looking somewhat embarrassed. "But it comes with a stupid chant."
"Show me!" I said. I was excited to see the results from powering up a shield that I had personally made.
"Well, I'll need some water to demonstrate it."
"First Water!" I said, summoning a sphere of water in the air between us. With the Crystal Powder Sword equipped, I could skip the lengthy invocation and say the spell name instantly.