With the threat of imminent warfare looming over our heads, the Capital turned from the boisterous, vibrant and happy atmosphere to a more subdued, somber ce, the citizenry whispering amongst themselves about the uing conflict.


    Most were assured that we would win; it was simple fact that the Empire had more resources, more people, and a better army than all three Western Kingdomsbined.


    That wasn''t what people were worried about, though.


    Instead, the worry stemmed from the loss of life on our side; how many sons, daughters, lovers, fathers, mothers, and friends would die due to these human Kingdoms dering war?


    Who amongst those that you hold dear will remain alive if this war happens to be drawn out?


    That was what made the people worry, not knowing how strong the Kingdoms might be, nor how desperate they might be to keep this conflict growing.


    After all, the Kingdoms might just be a puppet for the countries further west, and should they find a way to profit off of the war, then the amount of bodies they will throw at our border could very well be indefinite.


    However, I wasn''t worried about that; I was more worried about what exactly we would be required to do when we were sent, and more importantly...


    Would the Sariel''s and Kameiel''s use this prime opportunity to move against the Asmodia''s?


    Not politically, but physically?


    After all, this would truly be a perfect time to have Jahi be ''cut down by an enemy soldier'', or for Leone or Anput to suffer the same fate.


    Me as well, since the unhinged Elves have disyed obvious interest in turning me into their personal pleasure doll.


    Because of that, I needed to prepare myself again, in ways I hadn''t before.


    The main one being my bloodlust; most likely, due to the path I''ve chosen, I won''t be on the front lines with Jahi and Anput, being able to defend their backs whilst they wade through therge amounts of humans sent our way.


    Most likely I''ll be left behind with Leone, guarding the Vampire as she remains with the Mages in the back, peppering the battlefield with her spells.


    My ce was by any of their sides, but the frustration in knowing that I couldn''t protect each of them was staring to eat away at me.


    So, I needed to find ways tobat my lust for bloodshed and keep that in check, to not cloud my mind like it has before.


    Which would likely be a near impossible task...


    ? Besides that, I wanted to take this opportunity to improve my enchanting skills as best I could, so that I could create protection charms for Jahi and Anput, as well as potentially upgrade their armor or weapons as best I could.


    To that effect, when I wasn''t taking care of chores and studying the History Books, I was practicing my enchantments, refining my mana control and ability to weave my mana onto an item.


    It had gotten to the point that I was altering my sleep schedule as much as I could, to squeeze everyst avable minute of my day to be as productive as I possibly could make it.


    The others had noticed this change and had joined me in it, understanding that we needed to be as prepared as possible for when we were eventually sent to the West.


    It could be a few weeks from now, or a few months from now, but either way we needed to prepare ourselves.


    With that in mind, each of us began to hone the skills that needed the most work; Jahi was out back practicing her magic, the asional golden sh illuminating the yard that Anput was dancing around in, her Ritual Circle sending earthen spikes randomly at her, forcing her to learn how to dodge better.


    Leone sat on her boulder, her eyes closed as she created and disassembled dozens of Ritual Circles, reforming them and improving each one a singr rune at a time.


    As for me, I sat off to the side, watching it all unfold before returning to the simple steel dagger before me, the shining steel de reflecting my appearance back at me.


    I felt confident now to attempt to enchant my weapon, but just in case I had bought this spare dagger to practice on before touching the perfectly weighted and bnced heavy dagger the Countess bought for me.


    Closing my eyes, I got a feel for my frigid mana before breathing out, focusing the entirety of my attention on the basic dagger below me.


    I had two enchantments in mind, and since steel was a durable enough metal, especially when forged with Ghoul Crystal, it should be capable of withstanding the pressure of two enchantments.


    The first was a rather simple one, but sometimes simplicity was key.


    Forming the runes needed, I took another deep breath as I began to push them onto the t of the de, the ethereal blue runes shimmering as they tried to weave themselves into the metal.


    This enchantment was a simple mana circuit, making it easier for the de to take in and release mana; this was key for the second enchantment to be truly viable against strong opponents, and it was also a good basic enchantment for when I coated the de in mana.


    The first of the four runes shone brightly on the de, signifying its sessful imntation.


    However, even with that first one done, I remained stoic, switching my attention to the next rune.


    Pushing it into the metal, I made sure the rune had a steady influx of mana, was stable, and that I didn''t rush the process, which resulted in-


    Smiling slightly, I moved onto the next rune when the second rune shed, just like the first.


    Continuing on, I managed to get the third and fourth runes onto the de with no problem, sessfully enchanting my first ever weapon.


    Again, it was a more basic enchantment then most, but still, you had to start somewhere, and for now...


    Letting my mana pour into the steel dagger, I grinned as I felt the de pull in some more Wind and Water Mana from the air around us, strengthening the ethereal blue glow around it, even after I stopped feeding it my own Ice Mana.


    It took around a minute for the de to lose the shining luster of the Ice Mana, and I had expected as much.


    Flipping it over, I prepared the second enchantment, but this one was moreplex; instead of just four basic runes, I needed to implement a Ritual Circle on its other side, which would allow me to cast magic without needing to draw my own Ritual Circle.


    It was a technique dubbed ''Instantaneous Casting'' in this world, since you usually have to use a second or two to create the spell you wish to cast.


    With this though, I could simply hold the dagger out and channel my mana into the dagger, activate the Ritual Circle, and cast a spell.


    Whilst it was moreplex than the mana circuit, this spell was a simple crescent de spell, summoning an elemental arc to cut through something.


    Simple, but lethal and swift.


    I had spent an hour running through dozens of differentbinations of the spell, and I had finally found the bestbination of over a dozen runes to make this spell fast, strong, sharp, and capable of being switched between Wind, Water, and Ice.


    With that almost perfected Ritual Circle in mind, I traced it out and shrunk its size, before I began the much harder, more tedious process of enchanting the de with a Ritual Circle.


    It was different from a single rune or string of runes; where I had been able to do one at a time, here I needed to do it all at once, which required dozens of times more control and concentration.


    However, control and concentration had be my strong points, and now...


    Channelling my mana steadily into theplex Ritual Circle, I pushed it down and started imbedding it into the steel dagger, the mana stitching itself into the metal and bing one entity.


    The first had taken around a minute per rune, but now...


    Sweat dripped down my brow as I continued to pour my mana into the de, each line of magical writing slowly but surely bing imbedded into the de.


    My mind began to numb from the constant outflowing mana, and my body grew weaker, but I persevered and continued on.


    Time lost all meaning as the Ritual Circle slowly became engraved on the steel, and I watched on with narrowed eyes as it eventually finished up.


    When it did, I blinked a few times as the world spun, swiftly steadying myself as I stared down at thepleted de, a system notification ringing in my mind.


    [Achievement Unlocked: First Enchanted Weapon]


    [First Enchanted Weapon: Host sessfully enchanted a weapon with runes and/or a Ritual Circle!


    Rewards: Xp (Grade Based), [Enchanter (Novice)] -> [Enchanter (Apprentice)]]


    [Achievement Grade: B- (10,000Xp)]


    Reading the lines of text on the screen before me, I nodded, before lifting the thin steel dagger, staring at the pale blue lines that were etched into its surface.


    Grinning at it, I nced up and saw that everyone was still training, unaware of what I had just done.


    cing the dagger before me, I took a deep breath and stared at the dagger, muttering "Hmm... what should I call you..?"


    Flurry?


    ce?


    No...


    Maybe something that belongs in a set?


    Like...


    w?


    First w?


    No, doesn''t sound that good...


    Hmm...


    "Fang?"


    Muttering it out loud, I tilted my head to the side as I repeated that.


    "My first ''Fang''? I did want to eventually have a set of daggers..."


    Stroking the hardened edge, I smiled softly as I nodded to myself.


    "You will be called ''First Fang'' for now... maybe I''ll name you properly in the future..."


    [Fang? Eh, could be worse...]


    Hearing the system, I pouted as I muttered "Well what other names could I give it that exists as a collective? Besides, dog, fang? They go together, no?"


    [I mean, sure... but... hah, whatever...]


    My pout deepened, and I lifted the de and continued to stroke its surface, enjoying the chilled metal.


    "Don''t listen to it, Fang..."


    I stared lovingly down at my first ever enchanted weapon, knowing that it would be something I woulde to treasure.


    ---


    Yeah, my creative juices aren''t flowing to hard right now, so if you have an idea for the beginning of Kat''s Dagger Collection, do let me know~!


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