Chapter 119: Stable Garbage

[Weapon: Imitation Hero's Sword -Unnamed]

[Quality: Garbage]

[Effect: Strength +1]

[Additional Effect: None]

…

It was a familiar panel that made Alice recall the time when she first drew the Hero's Sword.

However, what surprised Alice was that her right hand had evaluated the knife as an imitation of the Hero's Sword. Although the knife was small and unassuming, its name alone showed that it was something amazing.

Alice knew that the Hero's Sword was a Law-grade weapon. It was also precisely because it was a Law-grade weapon that anyone who failed to gain its recognition would suffer a backlash if they tried to wield it.

Evidently, the fact that Luna and Zauna had felt drowsy after picking up the knife showed that it wasn't actually a Garbage-quality weapon. Instead, the knife had successfully replicated the laws surrounding the Hero's Sword, and only people recognized by it could wield it.

"I saw this knife when I came here as well, but I didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that it was merely a fruit knife left behind by someone," Kristine's unreliable voice entered Alice's ears. "Is there something wrong with this knife?"

"This knife…is an imitation of the Hero's Sword. In other words, only those who had gained the creator's recognition can pick up this knife. Without the creator's recognition, you'll suffer the same side effects as when you are picking up the Hero's Sword," Alice said, deciding to share her discovery. "I'm guessing that this is a product Clyde made when he was exploring the laws… This guy really is something."

"Clyde? The only Demon King who managed to occupy the human realm?" Zauna was surprised when she heard Alice mentioning Clyde's name. As the only Demon King to have ever conquered the human realm, Clyde held significant fame in both the demon and human realms. Moreover, his fame in the human realm wasn't infamy, surprisingly. "You're saying that he made this knife? Also, what do you mean by laws? Is it the legal kind?"

"No, the laws I am talking about refer to the essence of this world. They are the theorems people take for granted. An example of laws is the Hero's and Demon King's existences. Laws are things that only God can create," Alice said before letting out a rueful sigh. Then, she returned the knife onto the workbench and continued, "My goal in coming here is this Psychokinesis Transcendence, and it is similarly one of Clyde Vapula's creations. It is a taboo that has touched upon the laws of this world."

"...There was such a taboo in existence?"

Zauna gasped when she heard Alice's words. Out of the three people and one soul in this room, she was the only normal person. As for the others, one was a transmigrator whose body was created by God, one was a former Demon King who had expelled the Demon King's Power from her body, and one was the soul of a former Hero.

"Yes, there is. It is an amazing taboo that can be of great use. Even if I fail to understand this taboo completely, just learning the basic mana manipulation methods involved will save me a lot of time when learning other spells," Alice said as she waved the magic book in her hand in front of Zauna. Then, she asked, "Do you want to try learning it? If you manage to learn it, other spells will be available at your fingertips."

"I'll pass. I know my standards," Zauna said, shaking her head. Since Psychokinesis Transcendence was a taboo, it definitely wasn't something the average person could learn. As an ordinary mortal, Zauna knew her limits. "But since this knife is an imitation of the Hero's Sword, are you not going to take it away?"

"No, there's no point in taking it away… Although this knife was created based on the laws surrounding the Hero's Sword, it doesn't have the power of a Hero's Sword. It might only have the law that prevents others from using it without permission," Alice said, shaking her head. "Moreover, Clyde has most likely died already. Without his recognition, nobody can use this knife."

But didn't you just pick it up without a problem? Zauna very much wanted to ask this question when she looked at Alice but eventually chose to keep quiet. At the same time, she also couldn't help but wonder, Could Alice be someone the Third Demon King recognizes?

Or maybe the Third Demon King had a specific type of person in mind when he created this knife, and Alice just so happens to match the criteria?

…Could the Third Demon King be a lolicon?

Ignorant of the fact that Clyde's image had plummeted in Zauna's mind, Alice kept Psychokinesis Transcendence away and asked Zauna:

"I'm just here for this book, so I'm done here. Did you make any other discoveries, Zauna?"

"No. The magician who owned this workshop probably took away most of the things here when they left, so there isn't anything noteworthy left here." After hearing Alice's words, Zauna temporarily set aside her malicious speculation of the Third Demon King and shook her head, saying, "As to why the owner left behind this knife and that magic book… I have no idea."

"Indeed. Anyone with a little bit of knowledge of magic should know the importance of Psychokinesis Transcendence. Yet, the owner of this magic workshop left the book here while taking away everything else from this place," Luna, who had been exploring the magic workshop together with Zauna previously, stated. "This seems a bit out of the ordinary."

"It is indeed strange. However, there should be no mistaking the authenticity of this book."

Alice also expressed her confusion in regards to this situation. Everything of value had already been removed from the magic workshop. The only things left were Psychokinesis Transcendence and an Imitation Hero's Sword suspected to be the Third Demon King's creation. This was indeed a bizarre situation.

However, it was a fact that the Psychokinesis Transcendence here was authentic. Kristine, the former Hero, could attest to that. Kristine had successfully mastered a portion of Psychokinesis Transcendence, so she could easily verify that the book's content was real.

"Clyde Vapula, huh…"

After exiting the magic workshop, Alice looked back and felt that the Third Demon King wasn't as simple as everyone thought.

Not only did Clyde invent a Law-grade taboo, but he even discovered the truth about the Demon King's Power. It was no exaggeration to say that Clyde was the most extraordinary Demon King out of all Demon Kings that had existed thus far. Most importantly, there was no clear indication that Clyde had died according to historical records. Instead, he had suddenly vanished from the world one day, and humans quickly reclaimed the territory he conquered.

For now, Alice's initial speculation was that Clyde might have suffered a backlash through his attempts at investigating the Demon King's Power. However, she still couldn't help but wonder if that really was the case.

When the Demon King's Power was expelled from Luna's body, it had indeed lingered around Luna for quite some time. However, it had only done so to verify whether Luna had indeed dropped her hatred for humanity. Meanwhile, after verifying that Luna was no longer suitable to be its host, the Demon King's Power had promptly left without doing anything to Luna.

So, did Clyde Vapula really die to the Demon King's Power?