Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 332 Since you asked so sincerely

Natsuki Subaru, tired of arguing with Lu Mingfei, put the large shield back into his storage space and tried to change the subject:

"Speaking of which, if you are really interested in 'qi', I might have a way."

"Ok?"

Lu Mingfei instantly became interested and stopped attacking his cultist identity with nonsense:
"any solution?"

"At once"

Natsuki Subaru scratched his head:
"A while ago, I found a faded sword behind the prison cave in Galid. At first, I didn't pay any attention to it because my attributes were completely unsuitable for it."

"Now that I think about it, the name of this thing seems to match this guy."

Natsuki Subaru pointed to the Bell Jewel Hunter on the ground, which had turned into a "lump," and continued:
"There is some connection."

As he spoke, under Lu Mingfei's gaze, a magnificent and elegant longsword of excellent quality appeared in Natsuki Subaru's hand.

This sword has a reddish-gold blade, and its material is very similar to that of the Forge Knight's armor—a metal that will never decay.

It is engraved with exquisite and intricate patterns, with a faint red glow flowing around it, as if it contains considerable power.

Lu Mingfei took the straight sword, weighed it lightly in his hand, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"This sword doesn't seem to have been designed for combat; it's more like a ceremonial artifact or decoration passed down through generations."

A passage of text naturally came to mind.

【Oher Sword】

The sword that was passed down from the small, destroyed kingdom of Ohel.

It has a reddish-gold blade and will never decay.

It can infuse the wearer's energy into it, allowing them to move freely.

Ohr's sword danced freely in the air.

Natsuki Subaru casually patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder and said nonchalantly:
"Why think so much? As long as it works and can kill monsters, who cares if it's a ritual object or a weapon?"

Lu Mingfei nodded, took a deep breath, and tried to concentrate on establishing a connection with the [Ohe Sword] in his hand.

He mobilized his inner energy and slowly poured it into the sword.

At first, there was no response.

But a few seconds later, the intricate red and gold patterns on the sword seemed to come alive, suddenly emitting a faint glow.

A deep humming sound came from the spine of the sword, as if the sword in the hand had been awakened from a long slumber and was tentatively whispering to its wielder.

Lu Mingfei could even feel an extremely subtle vibration coming from the sword hilt.

However, that's all.

No matter how hard he tried, how he attempted to depict the "freely dancing" scene with his mind, or how he activated his sensory power, the sword remained only in the "awakening" stage. It was as if there was an invisible membrane between them, making it impossible to truly touch the core, let alone make it fly and spin in the air as described, as if it were his own arm.

After reaching a certain critical point, the light receded rapidly like a tide, the low hum also stopped abruptly, and the sword returned to silence, transforming back into what was merely an exceptionally beautiful ancient relic.

The attempt failed.

"As expected..."

Lu Mingfei let out a long breath, beads of sweat even forming on his forehead; this attempt had taken a toll on his mental strength. But there was little discouragement in his eyes:
"The key lies in 'qi'. I am completely unfamiliar with how to use this power."

"But I guessed right, this is indeed a practice related to 'sensory perception,' seemingly connected to the inner laws of the people of the borderlands, emphasizing the rhythm and cycle of the soul, will, and body."

He was analyzing the situation, as if he were talking to Subaru Natsuki, or perhaps talking to himself.

A moment later, Lu Mingfei turned to look at Natsuki Subaru and brandished the sword in his hand:
"Then... I'll take this sword?"

"Take it, take it. This thing has been taking up my space for a long time, and it's an eyesore."

Natsuki Subaru waved his hand dismissively, as if he had just gotten rid of a burden:
"This fight yielded nothing of real value except for some runes. Consider this broken sword compensation for the mental anguish of almost being cleaved in two by that big guy."

Lu Mingfei didn't stand on ceremony and, with a thought, put away the [Ohe Sword].

Having resolved the weapon issue, his expression turned serious, and he asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time:
"Subaru, speaking of which... why were you in such a hurry to call me over? You... you're not really dead, are you?"

Natsuki Subaru's relaxed expression faded slightly. He shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the half-collapsed, dilapidated house next to him:

"I will not die."

"But that reclusive old businessman... he will."

He helped me many times. When I was wandering around this wilderness like a headless fly, he gave me my first Warm Stone, sold me my first map, and told me some basic information... although he always ripped me off with runes.

He was one of the few 'friends' in this godforsaken place with whom I could exchange even a few words.

I can't just stand by and watch him get dragged into this and die in front of me.

His tone was calm.

Lu Mingfei nodded thoughtfully, then posed a more in-depth question:
"I've always been curious about one thing."

Our 'resurrection' is essentially a 'reload and start over', right? Time will rewind to a specific point in time, and everything will start anew. Except for our own memories, everything else will be reset.

So... those locals in the border areas, like that old businessman from earlier, or... other people.

If they die, will they be resurrected with us after our 'return'? Or...?

Lu Mingfei didn't finish his sentence.

Natsuki Subaru stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing deeply, a complex emotion flashing across his face, seemingly surprised.

He turned his head and stared intently at Lu Mingfei, his brows furrowed.

"...Emiya, didn't he tell you any of this?"

But then, he clicked his tongue, as if he suddenly understood something, and his eyes dimmed for a moment.

"...That's true. For him, it wasn't a...pleasant memory."

From Natsuki Subaru's tone, Lu Mingfei vaguely sensed that Emiya Shirou also seemed to be burdened with a heavy past related to "death" and "loss".

Perhaps this is one of the driving forces that keeps him moving forward.

"Since you can ask such a question, it means that you don't have any 'companions' with you after you came to the border. I mean those real local companions who could die, who actually died in front of you... In a way, that's good news."

Then, Natsuki Subaru suddenly puffed out his chest, patted it hard, and said in a carefree manner:

"Alright! Since you've asked so sincerely, then let me, Subaru-senpai, give you a proper lesson and tell you one of the cruelest rules of this godforsaken place!"

(End of this chapter)