“This place is called the Weapon Emporium,” Evelyn said, walking up the wide stairs in the middle of the open front lobby. “The first and second floors aren’t even worth looking at, but the third… fufu, that’s where the good stuff is.”

“Good, but also expensive nonetheless,” Finn said. “And for reference, I’m not rich by any means.”

That was a lie, but he figured there was no point in Evelyn knowing that he was in fact probably nearly as wealthy as she was.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be on my tab. Just think of it as… a gift of thanks for helping me.”

“I haven’t helped you yet, though,” Finn muttered.

“Ah, but you have,” Evelyn said with a soft giggle. “Back there, didn’t you play along with my act? That was more than help enough.”

“That’s…” Finn trailed off, not wanting to argue any further.

“Fufu… how cute. For a stoic person, you’re awfully considerate, you know?”

“… I will take that as a compliment.”

Evelyn smiled. “As you should. Now then, what kind of weapon would you prefer using?”

Finn glanced down at his fists. “I mean… I already have these two gauntlets that work just fine at close quarters… though perhaps having a weapon with a bit more range wouldn’t hurt, now that I’ve gotten my vision back.”

“So… like a bow or a gun, perhaps?” Evelyn tilted her head in thought, tapping her cheek with her own finger and resting that arm on her other, tucked beneath her voluptuous breasts.

Finn shook his head. “I don’t mean that far. Ivy can cover those ranges.”

“Ah… so a sword or a spear, correct?” A third voice suddenly interrupted, and Finn turned to see an elderly man walking towards them with a warm smile on his face. “Welcome, Lady Carmen. And this is…?”

“He is my boyfriend,” Evelyn said, tightly coiling her body around his arm like a snake once more, an alluring smile on her face.

“Oho? What a fine man he must be, then,” the old guy laughed, stroking his beard. “After all, you, Lady Carmen, are renowned for having high standards for men. In all these years, you have never married or even dated anyone. How jealous all the other men in the city must be! Especially Lorenzo, hoho…”

“Why, yes… we ran into him downstairs just earlier, actually. He was… displeased, to say the least. It made me smile.”

Finn figured Lorenzo must be the name of that guy wearing the pig mask, and his assassination target.

The old man sighed. “That man just does not know when to give it up. His lust is too strong, and will be the bane of him one day.”

“Indeed… one day,” Evelyn echoed wryly, shooting Finn a meaningful and enchanting wink.

“But in any case, sword and spears, correct?” The old man clapped his hands together and gave a bold laugh. “Follow me, friend. I have just the thing.”

Saying this, he turned around and began walking away. Finn glanced at Evelyn, still hugging his arm tightly.

“… Is he trustworthy?”

“Yes, he is a good friend of mine. When I was nothing but a poor woman who had everything but my daughter taken away from me, he helped bring me back to my feet and raise me into what you see today. He is like a father to me, in a way.”

“I see…”

Soon, Finn found himself inside a dark chamber of dim purple light. The source of said radiance was the glass display in the center of the room, holding what appeared to be a purple sword. However, it wasn’t any normal sword. It looked… dull.

Rather than having a pointed tip, this sword’s blade was shaped more like a rectangle. From the hilt, the edges were made of glowing blue light, until it transformed more and more into purple as it neared the tip. The sword emitted an ominous purple energy, centered around the blue eye just above the where the crossguard was meant to be but did not exist here.

“This is…?” Finn tilted his head slightly.

“Oh my… what a powerful sword that is,” Evelyn murmured to herself, shutting one eye thoughtfully. “I can sense its energy from the doorway.”

“Come closer, friend… you’ll see why I brought you here,” the old man said, welcoming Finn inside. Evelyn let go of his arm so he could move, and Finn did as told, stepping inside the room.

And the moment he did, his entire body lit up purple.

More accurately, his armor did.

“—?!”

Finn felt himself being pulled towards the sword and tried to move away, but to no avail. If he wanted to get out of this situation, he needed to take off his armor first. But in this panicked situation, there was no way that could happen…!

“Calm down, friend! Don’t resist the Voidheart’s force! Worry not, it won’t hurt you!”

“Tch…!” Finn was doubtful, but it’s not like he could resist anyway. He took a deep breath, and let the attraction force overtake his body.

Naturally, he was pulled to right in front of the sword, and the glass casing that surrounded it. He felt the eye embedded within the blade staring into his soul, and he didn’t like it.

“What is this…?”

“I noticed since first laying my sights on you,” the old man said with a smile, walking up beside Finn. “That armor you’re wearing… it has Voidheart energy in it, does it not?”

Finn nodded. “And… you mentioned the Voidheart’s force just now… does that mean, this sword…”

“Correct,” the old man said before he could even finish. “This sword here was made with raw Voidheart-infused metal, and draws on the power of the Void. As such, your armor was attracted to it.”

“Where is it from?” Finn asked, then turned his head back to the blade again. “And… what’s with the… eye?”

“That, I am not sure,” the old man said with a sigh. “Many people have tried to retrieve this sword in the past, but it rejected all of them, unleashing a deadly aura of Voidpower whenever someone tried touching it. But you, are different. With your Voidheart armor, retrieving this sword should be possible.”

“…” Finn narrowed his eyes at the single pupil embedded ominously within the blade.

‘Reject anyone who tried touching it, huh…? Does that mean… it’s sentient?’