Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 278: Discussion

"Has Your Highness Astrid noticed anything?"

After arriving in the reading room, Lyra briefly explained the origin of the sword and showed Astrid the glowing mark on her fingernail.

The result was that Astrid had been observing it for two or three minutes without letting go of her hand.

Hearing Lyra’s words, Astrid snapped out of her thoughts, her gaze shifting away from the pink fingernail and moving up along the girl’s slender index finger.

At that moment, Astrid realized a fact she had never paid much attention to before, Lyra’s hands were very beautiful, with ten long and slender fingers that were pleasing to the eye even without holding a sword.

The next second, Astrid composed herself and spoke lightly.

"I have indeed read related ancient texts before. In the history of the Valeria Empire, there is indeed a concept of weapons recognizing their masters."

"These divine weapons forged by skilled craftsmen resonate with their users based on compatibility. Some gain affinity from being bathed in the wielder’s blood over time, while others acquire metal memory from the long-term infusion of mental energy, allowing their users to wield them more efficiently."

"However... a case like yours is indeed the first..."

The pacing of the original novel was slow, with many hidden plot points, so even by the middle of the story, Astrid still didn’t understand the true origin of the Sword of Light in Lyra’s hand.

"According to Lyra, this sword should have a basic intelligence similar to elemental particles, and the barrier you entered earlier was likely created by a Spellcreator as a special trial for those who draw the sword."

As she spoke, Astrid put down Lyra’s hand, her fingertips lightly touching the sword-shaped glowing mark on the girl’s fingernail.

"Lyra, can you feel me touching you?"

Lyra nodded in response, her voice soft.

"Yes, I can."

Logically, fingernails aren’t skin, so they shouldn’t feel the sensation of touch, but at that moment, Lyra could sense the softness and warmth of Astrid’s fingertips through the glowing mark.

"Try to slowly summon it," Astrid said.

Receiving the other’s gaze, Lyra didn’t dwell on whether summoning the Sword of Light here would be discovered.

Not to mention that the reading room had a barrier, even if something unexpected happened, with Princess Astrid here, everything would be fine.

Mental energy quickly flowed toward her palm, and in that moment, Lyra sensed the Sword of Light.

The next second, a white light flashed from the glowing mark on her index finger, and the sword’s phantom gradually materialized in the real world.

In just two or three seconds, a slender knight’s sword appeared on the table between them.

Lyra looked at the longsword emitting a gentle white light, her thoughts swirling, and the sword’s glow soon faded, revealing its true form, identical to the one in the illusory prison.

One side was as white as jade, the other as clear as water, two completely different yet transparent sides.

Under Astrid’s gaze, Lyra slowly picked up the sword, and in that instant, she felt everything around her become incredibly clear, and the floating light elemental particles began to gather spontaneously.

"Its name is the Holy Immaculate Sword of Light."

Lyra infused the sword with mental energy, and the brilliant light reignited.

Astrid stared at the sword for a while, then slowly spoke. "What are the other functions you mentioned?"

"Ah... this..."

Lyra thought for a moment, and following the information in her mind, she tried to summon the Light Armor that accompanied the holy sword.

As Astrid expected, Lyra’s attempt failed. Just as two transparent shoulder plates appeared in the air, her mental energy couldn’t sustain them.

"This sword comes with its own armor, but I seem to lack the strength to summon it..."

Lyra answered softly, and the armor covering her rounded shoulders quickly dissipated.

"I might need to improve the quality of my mental energy or increase its total capacity to fully materialize the entire set of armor."

Lyra could sense that the Sword of Light likely wasn’t limited to just a one-handed sword form, or to put it more precisely, the sword was merely one of its external manifestations. Its true form might be just a glimpse of what she had seen in the fragmented memory.

That radiant light like the sun.

It’s just that she was still too weak and could only wield the holy sword in its basic form. More uses would require further exploration and familiarity.

Having just embarrassed herself in front of Princess Astrid, Lyra pursed her lips and thought of another function, taking a handkerchief from her bag.

"If the armor doesn’t work, this sword can also store objects."

As soon as she finished speaking, the silk handkerchief in Lyra’s hand disappeared, and her fingers relaxed, leaving her palm empty.

Noticing Astrid’s eyes lifting slightly, Lyra continued to channel mental energy and brought the handkerchief back into reality.

"A spatial storage artifact."

Astrid softly uttered the term, her crimson pupils still showing no fluctuation. Lyra blinked a few times, her delicate ankles wrapped in white stockings gently twisting together.

Why does it feel like... Princess Astrid isn’t surprised at all...

As if she already knew the sword could do this?

Spatial storage items were rare across the entire empire. Lyra had only seen Charlotte use a spatial ring to store things, and no other mage had a similar tool.

Even in the empire’s history, very few people were qualified to possess spatial storage items.

Suddenly recalling that it was Astrid who had invited her to the library today and even led her to the light magic section, Lyra had a flash of suspicion, her heart beating slightly faster.

Could it be that Princess Astrid already knew about the existence of the Sword of Light?

Noticing the change in Lyra’s expression and the probing look in her eyes, Astrid, who hadn’t been intentionally acting in front of her, realized her earlier reaction had been too calm.

She cleared her throat, furrowed her brows slightly to feign surprise, and spoke slowly.

"How large is the space?"

Lyra thought for a moment and gave an approximate example.

"The current size is probably similar to this reading room, but I feel like I haven’t fully unlocked that space."

In other words, the Sword of Light’s storage space wasn’t limited to this and might even exceed the largest spatial storage artifact in existence, the emperor’s scepter, a symbol of the empire’s supreme power.

Astrid gently stroked the Sword of Light, her nose exhaling slightly as she spoke with a hint of meaning.

"You’re so quick to reveal everything to me. Aren’t you afraid I might covet your sword?"

Even as an imperial princess, obtaining such a spatial storage artifact wouldn’t be easy for Astrid.

In the novel, Lyra had kept the Sword of Light’s storage function a closely guarded secret, rarely even revealing its true form when wielding it.

Hearing this, Lyra was stunned for a few seconds before responding.

"But we’re friends."

Even blood brothers could feud over inheritance, like Lucas and Alistair, let alone friends. After saying this, Lyra realized her response might seem naive to Astrid and quickly added.

"I trust Her Highness Astrid..."

Princess Astrid is so kind... she wouldn’t let this sword come between us...

And if Astrid really wanted it, Lyra might not insist on keeping it.

She had already given her heart away, let alone this sword she had stumbled upon...

Seeing Lyra lower her head, Astrid smiled softly, her voice gentle.

"I didn’t expect Lyra to trust me so much, but you’re right, I’m not really interested in this sword."

She wasn’t the so-called chosen heroine, nor did she have a high affinity for light elements. Plus, with the differences in temperament, she would likely be eliminated if she took the trial.

"But just because I’m not interested doesn’t mean others won’t be. Try not to reveal too much about this sword’s abilities before you grow stronger. Just use it as a slightly more powerful magic sword."

The Sword of Light had already recognized its master, so it was unlikely anyone else could claim it. But if someone with ill intentions got wind of it, Lyra could easily find herself in trouble.

A commoner with a treasure is guilty. Astrid couldn’t guarantee she would always be by Lyra’s side, so it was better to have more protective measures.

Understanding that Astrid was looking out for her, Lyra nodded obediently and replied with a soft "Okay."

"I understand, Your Highness Astrid."

She would familiarize herself with the sword as soon as possible, ensuring it didn’t shine as brightly as it did now.

With her thoughts interrupted by Astrid, Lyra no longer dwelled on her earlier suspicions.

Foreseeing the future was too mystical; it was probably just a coincidence, and she was overthinking it.

After all, the sword had been in the library for so long without anyone discovering it, and many high-level mages had come and gone. If the news had leaked, the Sword of Light, and even the book that contained it, would have been claimed long ago.

"Aside from this information, what else have you learned from the sword?" Astrid asked again.

These were the details she was most curious about, as they might reveal the truth behind the Sword of Light.

"There isn’t much else, mainly just its uses."

Lyra thought for a moment and told Astrid about the ball of light. Astrid pondered this but couldn’t connect it with the information she had gathered so far.

It seemed the sword’s level was higher than she had initially imagined.

"By the way, Lyra mentioned a trial earlier."

"Can you tell me in detail what happened inside?"

There might be more information hidden in the trial, and Astrid wanted to learn as much as possible.

Hearing the question, Lyra once again recalled her actions in the illusion, her pink lips parting slightly.

"This might take a while to explain..."

Astrid glanced at the clock and spoke gently.

"Then start from the beginning. I have plenty of time to listen."

.......

From the first illusion to the last, including her choices on the battlefield and her defense in the military court, Lyra’s explanation was concise yet focused.

After listening carefully, Astrid spoke with some surprise.

"So Lyra has become so clever now, even grasping the key points so well."

Such a smooth process of framing, had she accidentally corrupted the future Holy Light Knight?

Hearing this, Lyra bit her lip, her knees pressing together under the table, and quickly replied.

"I’m not that stupid..."

While she might not handle things as maturely as Astrid, she was now an adult, no longer the clueless girl who would panic at the slightest problem.

Astrid chuckled softly at this but didn’t continue the topic, instead turning her thoughts to the similarities between this trial and the original novel.

Compassion for the weak, courage to stand against tyranny, bravery in battle, and a willingness to sacrifice for one’s sense of justice.

It seemed the one who designed the trial wasn’t entirely inflexible. From Astrid’s perspective, she had thought Lyra’s speech in court might lead to the Sword of Light rejecting her, but it turned out she had worried for nothing.

That speech hadn’t led the trial to a bad outcome but instead earned Lyra the sword’s recognition.

Perhaps the concept of justice wasn’t what Astrid had initially thought, a standard answer requiring the trial-taker to act in a perfectly righteous manner.

"By the way, I actually appeared in Lyra’s illusion."

"According to earlier explanations, the characters in the illusion are shaped by your perceptions."

"Does that mean I’m important to Lyra?"

Astrid thought she had been quite aloof, yet in Lyra’s imagination, she was the one who actively visited the prison.

Was she really that warm-hearted?

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