The story of the black silk female knight

"Then you must have a Noble Phantasm sword... Why do you carry this sword with you? This sword doesn't seem to have anything special about it?"

"Because...because my Noble Phantasm sword is rather special."

Chiba Rui, who was being examined by Himika and Chiba Kusa, let out a soft moan before answering seriously:

"My Noble Phantasm sword is a sword of heart and soul, without a physical form... It can only unleash its power when it is attached to any object that I consider to be a sword... Although branches or sticks would also work, I still prefer to carry a normal sword with me as the vessel for my Noble Phantasm."

"I see……"

Valensa nodded, then said thoughtfully:

"But ordinary enchanted longswords cannot withstand the power of Noble Phantasms, nor can they withstand the intense battles of the Radiant Rank... So these longswords that you carry with you should be repaired or replaced frequently?"

"Yes."

Chiba Rui expressed her approval:

"Usually every now and then, or after a high-intensity battle, I would take the sword I carry with me to maintain and repair it, or even melt it down and reforge it."

"……Understood."

Valensa didn't ask any more questions, but continued to stare intently at the longsword in her hand.

Her intuition told her that the problem and the leak of information were most likely caused by this sword.

However, the sword appears to be without any problems on the outside, with no unusual energy flow, and even the enchantment on the blade has been dispelled by the purification spell... If this sword is indeed leaking information, how did it manage to do so?

...Valenza frowned and racked her brains, but could only think of one possibility.

It was an unbelievable possibility, but also the only possibility she could understand.

Let's check it out and see.

Thinking this, Valensa began rummaging through her storage space and soon pulled out something that looked like a canned beverage.

Chiba showed obvious surprise, while Chiba Rui and Himiko were just curious... Neither of them recognized what Valensa was holding.

Because it was a bomb—a bomb that could destroy any electronic device within range.

Chapter 5 Unraveling the Mystery, Approaching the Truth

This small EMP bomb, about the size of a hand grenade, had been in Valensa's artifact cloak's storage space for quite some time.

That was after Valensa first tasted the benefits of borrowing nuclear bombs from the US military, and then got a batch from Wei, intending to use them when she went to borrow nuclear bombs from the US military for the second time.

At that time, Valensa had not yet reached the Radiant Rank, and the US military was known for developing all sorts of advanced technologies—they could create superhumans like Exusiai, who was like a combination of Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey. They might even be able to develop some advanced technology weapons specifically for superhumans and capture Valensa.

Valensa prepared these EMP bombs from the cyberpunk world with the intention of using magic to defeat magic—no matter how advanced the US military's black technology is, burning all the chips can still be a countermeasure, right?

However, Valensa not only greatly increased her own strength, but also discovered a usable nuclear raw material vein in North Blade Bay on Sword Island, so she no longer needed to bully the US military in Mai Asakura's world... These little toys prepared for the US military naturally became warehouse keeper, and I never thought they would still be useful today.

Although this world is a civilization of cultivators whose main development direction is superhuman power, many high-level cultivators know about the concepts of the universe and other worlds, and have even heard of technological civilizations. There are still many ruins of the ancient Eve civilization on the planet, and those ruins also contain technological creations.

However, most high-level cultivators who know the concept of technological civilization only know it at that level, and are completely unaware of the specific functions of many technological creations.

Valencia once successfully deceived the mental perception of a Radiant-rank magic-based powerhouse using drones that emitted no magical fluctuations, allowing her to drop nuclear bombs into the camp of the beast army. Therefore, it's not impossible that someone could now use the same simple technological means to steal intelligence from a Sword Saint.

It was with this in mind that Valensa took out her small EMP bomb and used it on all of Chiba Rui's personal belongings.

Sure enough, a new discovery was made, and it was indeed the enchanted longsword.

When Valensa detonated the EMP bomb, she activated her senses to the maximum, constantly monitoring the changes in Chiba Rui's personal belongings. She discovered a very slight unusual sound coming from the hilt of the longsword, along with a faint change in temperature.

It's very similar to the phenomenon when electronic components short-circuit.

"found it!"

Valensa raised an eyebrow excitedly and immediately tried to pry open the hilt of the longsword.

But after a few attempts, she discovered that this sword truly lived up to its reputation as the Sword Saint's personal weapon; its sturdiness far surpassed that of ordinary enchanted longswords, and Valensa was unable to damage the hilt.

To be precise, it's impossible to destroy it as precisely as cutting tofu. Forcing it would likely destroy the entire hilt, along with the important evidence inside.

Valensa didn't try to do something she knew was difficult for herself. She told Himiko all her guesses and discoveries and asked her if there was any way to do it.

"That's simple."

Himika, as expected of a veteran powerhouse who has ruled the Four Islands Alliance for 700 years, touched the hilt of the sword with her glowing finger, and the hilt became transparent, revealing all its internal structure and material textures.

In the lower middle part of the hilt, a small button-like object can be clearly seen, which is quite conspicuous in the perspective view of the hilt.

"This is it!"

Having determined the target's location within the hilt, Valensa no longer worried about accidentally damaging it. She opened her mouth and began gnawing on the hilt like she was eating a sausage, quickly removing the small button.

Upon closer inspection, it can be found that there are indeed electronic chip components inside the small button, but they have been destroyed by EMP.

Valensa didn't know much about chips either, but with a little reasoning, she could easily figure out that the little button was some kind of spy device with functions such as location tracking and eavesdropping.

"Sister did not betray His Majesty after all; someone is plotting against her!"

Seeing that Valensa had finally proven Chiba Rui's innocence, Chiba Grass first burst into laughter through her tears, then gritted her teeth fiercely:

"If I catch that bastard, I'm going to use every interrogation technique I learned in ninja training and school on him! I won't stop even if he confesses!"

Clearly, Chiba Grass is somewhat afraid of her two older sisters, but she values ​​them even more... Chiba Rui almost died this time, which made Chiba Grass very angry.

Chiba Rui, however, remained quite calm.

"But it is also true that I have betrayed His Majesty's trust, and it is only right that I atone for my sins with my death."

"How to punish you is a matter for later; we'll discuss it after the summit."

Having fully regained her composure, Himika made the final statement:

"The most important thing right now is to find the person who stole the information... When was the last time this sword was reforged? Which workshop did you go to?"

"It was shortly after the battle against Xiao Yu."

Chiba Rui immediately replied:

“That battle severely damaged my sword, and it was beyond repair... So I sent it to the Vado Workshop for reforging... The chief craftsman at the Vado Workshop is my friend, and I have entrusted him with the maintenance and production of my weapons and equipment over the years... I have told His Majesty all of this.”

"The chief craftsman of the Vado Workshop?"

Himika must have actually heard of this person, for she frowned slightly:

“That guy seems to have become quite famous over the years. He’s a genius craftsman that our Four Islands Alliance only produces once every few decades… Why would he do such a thing? A craftsman of his caliber should be the biggest beneficiary of my policies. What reason would he have to betray me?”

"Craftsman... friend... friend... craftsman..."

On the other side, Valensa seemed to have found some clues from the fragments of her memory, repeating the two words softly several times, her eyes suddenly lighting up:

“I remember now! Miss Chiba Rui, last year, didn’t you give your craftsman friend a high-grade Mist Demon core to help you make jewelry?”

"Yes."

Chiba Rui nodded, but was quite surprised:

“How would Miss Valensa know about this? It was just a gift I gave to His Majesty…”

"...What? You haven't noticed yet?"

Valensa was even more surprised:

"Your craftsman friend actually switched the high-grade Mist Demon core with another gem. He used other gems to forge a Mist Demon core, made it into jewelry, and gave it to you. At the same time, he sold the real high-grade Mist Demon core to the Sage Tower."

The people who helped him smuggle the high-level mist demon core out of the Four Islands Alliance were the Morgan family, who were doing business here… On their return journey, they were nearly wiped out by a new type of high-level mist demon attack, but luckily they encountered our Fran fleet on their mission to America… Wait, the Morgan family?

As they talked, Valensa noticed a new clue and quickly asked Chiba Rui:

"When exactly did you take the sword to the workshop to be reforged? I need the exact date!"

"Yes……"

Chiba Rui immediately gave the exact date.

"As expected... it was four days after I handed that letter to the Morgan family."

Valensa stroked her chin with an expression of unsurprise:

"It seems that most of the truth has come to light... The fact that the craftsman entrusted such an important item as the core of a high-level monster to the Morgan family for transport is enough to prove that he has a deep connection with the Morgan family."

Our initial guess was correct—the earliest leak of information about the summit should have been America's Morgan family, who, for some reason...intentionally or unintentionally, told the craftsman about the summit.

So the craftsman immediately seized the opportunity, secretly installing a spy device in the hilt while reforging Miss Chiba Rui's personal sword, and also managed to ingratiate himself with the vanguard fleet of the Central Continent Empire... And all he did was perhaps not out of a desire for treason and personal gain, but rather for revenge.

"...Revenge? Why?"

Himika and Chiba Rui were both somewhat surprised, but remained calm:

“A craftsman with the reputation of genius receives all sorts of preferential policies and can serve the people I trust most... Such a person would have an absolutely limitless future in our country! What reason would he have to retaliate against us?”

"because……"

Valensa let out a long sigh:

“His real surname is Tsuchimikado… He is probably not taking revenge on this country, but on Your Majesty and the Chiba clan. Even this attack plan in which he was highly involved was simply to destroy Your Majesty’s reputation, which is why the attackers were disguised as Your Majesty’s people… And this just happens to be in line with the purpose of the Central Continent Empire’s vanguard fleet, so the two sides hit it off.”

"Tsuchimikado..."

This surname indeed caused Himika and Chiba Rui to change their expressions and fall silent for a moment.

The Tsuchimikado clan are descendants of the Sacred Gate Tsuchimikado clan who fled here years ago. Like the Chiba family, they are Himika's right-hand women, mainly responsible for various magical research and skilled in manipulating shikigami.

In order to solve the fog demon scourge once and for all, the last Tsuchimikado clan chief captured a high-level fog demon and began in-depth research, hoping to control the fog demon by controlling shikigami.

The research failed. The Tsuchimikado clan's mages not only failed to turn the Mist Demon into a shikigami, but they themselves became the Mist Demon's dogs, and even planned to take down the Four Islands Alliance in one fell swoop by working together from within and without.

Fortunately, Himika discovered it early and decisively led the Chiba clan ninjas to take action, wiping out the Tsuchimikado clan before Tsuchimikado and the Mist Demon could begin their conspiracy.

Objectively speaking, Himiko's actions were akin to a warrior cutting off his own arm, using the most decisive method to prevent the country from suffering greater losses, so there's nothing wrong with that.

However, from Tsuchimikado's perspective, this is indeed disheartening.

After all, the Tsuchimikado clan, like the Chiba clan, has always served as Himika's right-hand man without complaint.

Their final betrayal wasn't their own choice, but rather a result of their failure to enslave the Mist Demon, which then turned the tables and enslaved them instead... As a result, Himika never tried to save them, but instead led the Chiba ninjas to exterminate their clan.

No matter who it is, they can understand this from a moral standpoint, but they would absolutely find it unacceptable from an emotional standpoint.

Disappointment and despair are inevitable... If one's personality is slightly extreme, it wouldn't be surprising at all if one harbored hatred towards the country and wanted revenge.

Himika and the Chiba family must have understood this themselves... which is why they remained silent for a while after hearing that it was a descendant of Tsuchimikado who had done these things.

"Hey, don't waste time here... If you still have any doubts, why don't we just grab that bastard Tsuchimikado and ask him?"

Thousand-leaf clover seemed unable to bear the silence any longer and, eager to break the silence, rubbed its hands together and was the first to do so:

“Vado Workshop, right? Let’s go there now! Even if he can know what’s going on with my sister through that little thing and has already run away, it’s hard to erase all traces in such a hurry… We can definitely catch him! Maybe we can even follow the trail to find the vanguard fleet of the Central Continent Empire!”

This statement clearly makes a lot of sense, and both Himiko and Valensa agreed.

Ideally, Chiba Rui should go to the Vado Workshop to capture that Tsuchimikado craftsman herself, but Chiba Rui was just burned half to death by Himika's magic. Even though Valensa barely healed her body, the damage to her soul would prevent her from fighting for at least a few days, and she needs to recuperate properly.

Himika herself, after a brief hesitation, decided against personally taking action.

She entrusted the task of capturing the Tsuchimikado craftsmen to Valensa and Chiba, while she herself mobilized the ninja forces and navy of the Four Islands Alliance overnight... Once Valensa learned from the Tsuchimikado craftsmen the location of the Central Continent Empire's vanguard fleet, Himika would personally lead the army to attack.

After finalizing the action plan in a few words, Valensa once again carried the Thousand Leaf Grass and ran at supersonic speed across the sea, heading towards the Vado Workshop.

Vado Workshop is arguably the largest workshop in the Four Islands Alliance. It's located in Chuyun City. Valensa visited it during her last trip, and you can find it without Thousand Leaf Grass's directions.

While Valensa and her group were setting off, the Teido family also received orders from Himiko to send out a powerful member of the family, along with black-armored warriors, to blockade the Vado workshop, intending to capture the Tsuchimikado craftsmen before Valensa and her group arrived.

Unfortunately, we came up empty-handed.

The craftsman from Tsuchimikado had taken a long leave more than a month ago, saying he was going to stay at a friend's house outside the city for a few months at the friend's invitation.

After careful inquiry, it was discovered that the friend who invited the Tsuchimikado craftsmen to his home was none other than the village chief of the village that had just been silenced.

"...Now all the clues match up."

Valensa, having heard these things from the people of the Ditang family after arriving at the Vado workshop, sighed:

"The fact that the people of that village would cooperate with the vanguard fleet of the Central Continent Empire is most likely due to Tsuchimikado acting as a go-between... and the reason that village was so decisively silenced was probably to prevent Tsuchimikado's identity from being exposed."

As long as Tsuchimikado's identity remains undiscovered, the Central Continent Empire's vanguard fleet can keep track of His Majesty Himika's latest moves through that little toy on your sister's sword hilt... Even if the village annihilation arouses His Majesty's suspicion, it will still allow His Majesty to kill your sister, effectively crippling his own right-hand man... What a brilliant plan!

"It was indeed a vicious plan... Fortunately, you were here, my elder sister, and you exposed that bastard's trick of stealing information, so that my second sister's death was not in vain."

Thousand-Leaf Grass patted her chest, still shaken:

"So what do we do next, big sister?"

"...There's no other way, let's go back to Jade Island first."

Valensa was also very unwilling, but there was nothing she could do.