The crimson princess

Pov Dia,

I took the sword Kurobei held out in front of me. It emitted an unpleasant noise and smelled like something burning.

Gabriel: "How can you not get hurt?"

Dia: "But I am in pain. This sword literally burns the skin of my hands every second, but I have a much higher pain tolerance than normal."

With me were my wife, Gabriel, our daughter, Hilarie, her best friend, Thalia—who is also the Knight of Sera—and finally Yasaka, who, thanks to her merging with the Ley Line, had finally gained her nine tails.

We were all gathered here because Kurobei had just finished the first piece of the first Longinus he was tasked with creating.

It was a magnificent sword that would serve as the base form of the Longinus. Only the armor was missing to complete its Balance Breaker.

Dia: "The name of this sword will be Bushinkôrinken."

Hilarie: "That seems pretty complicated to pronounce."

Dia: "I'm the one who came up with the shape and powers of the sword, so I get to choose the name. Besides, you're a kind girl destined to wield this Longinus."

She wasn't going to start complaining about details.

(Author's note: Just a quick reminder—the images of the Longinus and their Balance Breakers are available on Webnovel in an auxiliary chapter, so I won't describe their forms here.)

Hilarie: "Wait a minute, wasn't it supposed to be Mom who carried this artificial Longinus?"

Dia: "That was the original idea. I had designed this Longinus to court her. Then, a few hours later, you were born, and I decided to change my plan. This weapon is perfect for someone like you. With the mere beginnings of this Longinus, you'll punish devils who are too noisy."

Just being near this Longinus could kill a low-level devil or one with weak defences. Without my protective runes, Thalia would have died the moment the sword was revealed.

Gabriel: "It's still incredible that this sword is more a Holly Sword than Excalibur or Durandal. Even those two legendary swords don't emit this much sacred energy."

I swelled my chest, preparing to brag, but then I remembered it was Gabriel who helped me infuse sacred energy into the crystals used to make the sword.

Dia: "It's mostly thanks to you. Without your presence, I would never have managed to create something that emits so much sacred energy."

The power of a Seraph is truly incredible.

Gabriel: "I only helped you because this Longinus is for our daughter. Otherwise, I wouldn't assist in creating something that only our Heavenly Father is meant to do."

Dia: "The only reason He could do it is because He knew how to manipulate souls. It was very easy for Him to imbue Sacred Gears with a will. I, on the other hand, had to do extensive research to create an artificial soul capable of judging whether someone is worthy of wielding the Longinus and whether they can handle its power."

I finally handed the sword to Hilarie so she could test the Longinus that would soon belong to her.

Dia: "I must warn you to be very careful not to hurt Thalia with it because the chance of her losing her life is quite significant. But don't worry, I'll train you to handle the Longinus properly once I have the Longinus of Destruction."

Hilarie's hands kept shaking at the thought of accidentally killing her best friend simply because she hadn't mastered the sword.

The bond between them is incredibly strong. Hilarie would be willing to let Thalia guard her back, which is exceedingly rare. Apart from me, Rimuru, and Sera, she doesn't let anyone else—especially a devil—watch her back.

I'm pretty sure their relationship could eventually turn romantic, but Hilarie is far too reserved, and I suspect she'd overreact if she realized her feelings.

Dia: 'Don't worry, Thalia. I'll help you win my daughter's heart.'