True to my expectations, the heroes came back up from the dungeon a week and a half after I returned.

Luckily, by this time, I have finished the items I was working on in the forge.

And, as the first weapons crafted by me after becoming a Demon Lord, I learned a few things. 

For one, I really need to remake my katana again.

Let me explain what happened, right?

Basically, I wanted to make a weapon for each of the heroes, based upon what I could see of their personalities and fighting styles.

While they were doing fine with the weapons they’d found here, a personalized weapon can do wonders for someone’s combat prowess. 

So, I went to make them weapons.

For Sarah, I made a long spear, knowing it to be her absolute favorite weapon, and the type of which she had used to lead armies to war. That one was the easiest to made, since I fashioned it from wood and metal. It’s tip took up about fifty centimeters of the spear’s length, overlapping slightly with the long wooden handle.

This was the first thing I had made for the heroes, and the one that taught me the most.

First, I found out that when considering a weapon using large amounts of wood in it’s construction, the density and power of any mana circuits I place in it will be just as powerful as something made completely out of metal. It’s like the weapon knows what it should be when it’s finished, and compensates accordingly. So, even though there was little metal in the spear, I was able to put a good number of circuits into it.

Two of the standard ones, sharpness and durability, and then flexibility, and an additional circuit I’d mostly stumbled upon a while back, while amplifies the spear wielder’s voice to a terrifying volume.

This would be a very useful ability in the hands of Sarah, since it would allow her to give commands more effectively on the battlefield, and it could be used as a potent weapon in and of itself, since it’s definitely capable of breaking eardrums.

A weapon worthy of a hero. I think.

I really don’t have a good handle on the value of things around me, nor whatever I make. So, I tend to undersell my blades somewhat. Who knows—maybe these are a little overpowered for the heroes at the moment. I certainly can’t tell.

Right, the other weapons.

Harving got a set of daggers, due to his role as more of an assassin type fighter, than anything else. They had a mana circuit that allowed them to return to their sheaths through a difficult bit of spacial magic, making them a handy set of throwing weapons.

Arthur got a shield. I don’t trust him with anything more at this point, thought I put a few good features into it, so that he would at least not feel left out.

I made Gaby a foil, with a circuit that would allow it to vibrate intensely, dealing more damage inside wounds. She’s the only one I’m somewhat unsure of, as far as what her preferred combat style is, since she tends to use so many.

Rust’s weapon was a little more difficult, since he uses a bow. In the end, I gave a piece of steel the same flexibility property found in Sarah’s spear, and was able to use some metal wire as the bowstring. It’s a bow that’s devastatingly powerful, but noticeably slow on the draw. I think Rust is going to have to grow into this bow, since it’s half again as tall as he is, and takes considerable strength to draw.

The last two weapons I made were definitely more difficult to decide on.

For Merlin and Selina, who are both mages, a blade wouldn’t be very suitable.

And, since I can only make blades, and the occasional shitty shield, I didn’t know what to do for them.

Then I remembered a particular type of blade, popular in a few different worlds in places were swords might be banned, or otherwise frowned upon.

So, what I ended up with was two different staffs, personalized to each of them.

One was a deceptively twisted looking and gnarled staff, with a polished knob at the top, and a barely noticeable seam near it, about fifteen centimeters from the top. This is where a longsword type blade had been secreted away, and the source of all the staff’s enchantments. I designed it so that the wielder—in this case being Merlin—would be able to use the blade easily, and channel spells through it.

As for Selina, her staff was more elegant, with little carved bits in it, and nearly straight, up until the top. It’s entire grey length was slender, and seemed to shimmer in the proper light. The top of it was lightly curved, and acted as a handle to the slender short sword inside.         

Both the staffs have mana circuits allowing them the use of any type of magic, along with enhancing the power of their chosen affinities. Additionally, these were very powerful mana circuits, and would greatly enhance their combat potential.

However, it was after making the staffs that I realized something, when testing them to see by how much it boosts their magic.

That was when I had found out that my mana circuits had changed since ascending to becoming a Demon Lord.

While they were the same size, and cosmetically no different—at least to me, the only one who can see them, as it were—They were now able to hold far more power, and had become much more efficient. This, of course, meant that the mana circuits I had put on the heroes’ weapons were nearly comparable in power to my current katana.

And their weapons were made of normal, if good quality steel, compared to the starsteel I had made Twilight and Nightfall out of. It was a scary thought, considering that if I were to reforge Nightfall, it would now be so much more powerful. 

But I wouldn’t do that just yet. While it is true that a powerful weapon can help your strength reach new heights, weapons at the level of the one’s I’ll be giving the heroes seem to be very rare in this world. Weapons at the level of a reforged Twilight would be the stuff of legends.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

That is, after I get back that one piece of it still within the labyrinth. I’ll reforge it after gaining back that portion of it, since I really liked the length of Twilight.

Anyway, my point is that I don’t need a stronger weapon at the moment. Nightfall nicely supplements my strength, and will work fine for the foreseeable future.

I had another reason for making custom weapons for the heroes, besides the fact that it’ll boost their combat potential, and make them stronger.

You see, before I had left for the whole Demon Lord thing, and was still teaching them, they had been beaten up by me each time we spared. I had even begun allowing Selina the use of her elemental magic, letting her attempt to bombard me with her spells in support of the other heroes—since it was clear that even adding her direct combat strength to the sparing sessions wouldn’t make them any different.

Given that they would suffer such a devastating defeat each time they fought me, it should be a given that their confidence and mentalities would suffer as a result. They began to despair of ever being able to beat me, and I had a feeling that they suffered against other opponents as a result.

I mean, there’s no way in hell they would be able to beat me now, but the weapons, piled atop the dungeon dive they had just done, would go a long way to repairing their confidence.

In fact, them going into the dungeon had done them more good that I would have thought possible.

I saw them again a day after they had come back up, during our normal lesson time. Immediately, I knew they had grown quite a bit stronger in the dungeon, leveling up from the experience of battling enemies, and growing closer as a team.

Most astonishing, was that I could actually see a little kernel of humility within Arthur’s eyes. Or, I was astonished until he opened his mouth again.

“I’m sure than now, we are much stronger than miss Kai! I can’t wait to trounce her in a sparing match!”

He didn’t realize that I could hear him from so far away.

He also didn’t realize that they have never really had a chance of beating me, ever. Especially with my growth rate. As soon as they would reach a level of power comparable to mine right now, I would already have greatly surpassed them.

It’s a little sad, considering that they should be the heroes summoned to kill Demon Lords like me, or even for the express purpose of fighting me.

Well, after Arthur said his piece, I made sure that he knew I had heard him, by glaring intensely.

He smiled back at me, toothily.

Oh boy.

I’m even more glad that I decided to just make him a shield now, and no sword.

Both Merlin and Selina looked at me curiously, noticing that there was more about me that was different this time. Selina didn’t say anything about it, likely drawing her own conclusions based on what she had observed over the past few weeks, while Merlin was more direct. 

“Something’s different about you again—Wherever did you go, Lady Kai, when you were not here?”

I smiled mysteriously, not giving away anything.

I had my bag slung over my shoulder, with all the weapons inside it.

I motioned for them to follow me to a set of stone tables, and opened the bag.

“So, I have some things for you guys. Think of them as gifts, for not giving up on the training so far.”

Of course, by telling them this, they would hopefully assume that more weapons would be forthcoming should they continue doing well with the training. I wouldn’t care to tell them otherwise should they assume wrongly.

I pulled out the weapons one by one, distributing them amongst the heroes.

As they ogled their new high-class armaments, or armor, in the case of Arthur’s shield, I stood off to the side, observing their reactions.

Say what you will about anything else I do, but when I work with metal, I do my best works.

Even that shield for Arthur—well, it’s likely one of the best shields on the continents at the moment. It was easy after I thought of it as simply being a very wide blade.

Selina figured out how to work her staff before Merlin, and marveled at the deadly sword that popped out of the smooth wood. Merlin saw this, and copied her.

The others were busy testing out the various functions of their new weapons, with Rust being a little disappointed that he was yet unable to draw the bow I had made.

He would have to continue using his old bow, until he had gotten enough strength to use the one I had made, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

Bows rely heavily on its wielder’s sense of accuracy and distance, rather that straight up skill. And, to get those senses, relentless practice is required. Giving him a powerful bow wouldn’t help the matter…well, I was going to say much, but I suppose it wouldn’t help it at all, since power doesn’t matter when you can’t hit your target.

The others were happy with what they got though, even Arthur.

But, after Sarah figured out the volume feature on her spear and nearly blasted everybody’s eardrums, and shattered a few nearby windows, I hastily brought them to the forest clearing so that they could test out their new toys.

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Author's Note:

Sorry it's been awhile. 

I've had no time to write, since I've been visiting family, and my days have been completely filled.

Things should settle down for a few days, but I'm not sure about after that, since I'll be back on the road.

I guess we'll just have to see how things play out.

—River.