"Well, I suppose you could say that... But what does this have to do with Orga Luxes?"
Roy looked at Claudia in confusion, genuinely unaware of any connection between the two.
Seeing that Roy truly didn't understand, Claudia took the time to explain carefully.
"Orga Luxes are different from ordinary Luxes. Orga weapons have a strong aversion to ability users—namely, Witches and Mages."
"Aversion...?"
"Yes. It's said that Orga Luxes possess something akin to consciousness and actively choose their wielders. However, nearly every Orga Lux despises Witches and Mages."
Luxes were energy weapons that used Manadyte as their core, gathering ambient mana particles to form blade-like weapons or energy projectiles.
Orga Luxes, on the other hand, used Manadyte Crystals—far purer than ordinary Manadyte—as their core. Not only did they possess an energy source far surpassing ordinary Manadyte, but they were also discovered to have special abilities similar to those of Witches and Mages.
The special abilities of Orga Luxes and those of Witches and Mages were mutually exclusive, making it impossible to use them simultaneously. As a result, Orga weapons generally harbored an aversion to ability users. Throughout history, only a handful of Genestella who were ability users had ever gained the recognition of an Orga Lux.
"According to records, there have been fewer than ten Genestella in Asterisk's history who were both ability users and capable of wielding an Orga Lux."
"So there were still ten, huh?"
Roy had an epiphany and visibly relaxed.
"Still ten..."
Claudia, on the other hand, was momentarily speechless.
Most people would have thought, "Only ten?" But Roy, true to his nature, went with, "There were still ten?" His optimism was truly something else.
"If there are historical records, then I should be able to apply for one, right?"
"You can, but lending out a Orga requires approval from the conglomerate. I can help, but the earliest we can get it done is tomorrow."
"That's fine. We don't have any matches for the next few days anyway, so there's no rush."
Roy spoke with complete ease.
The Festa schedule was divided into the first week's preliminary rounds and the second week's main tournament.
Out of the 256 participating teams, only 32 would survive the three rounds of preliminaries in the first week and advance to the main tournament in the second week to compete for the championship.
Among the three preliminary rounds, the first round had the most matches. Even with all eleven venues operating simultaneously, it would take four full days to complete them all.
Given Roy and Claudia's schedule, their second-round match wouldn't take place until the fifth day, leaving them with plenty of free time until then.
The next day.
Claudia worked quickly. As the student council president, the paperwork was essentially just a formality for her—all she needed to do was submit the documents and wait for the conglomerate's response. The timing depended entirely on her discretion.
"Fortunately, the conglomerate values your request. The approval came through shortly after I submitted it."
In the afternoon, Claudia led Roy to the underground level of the high school building—the domain of Seidoukan Academy's Equipment Bureau.
Though referred to as "underground," since Asterisk City was a massive artificial metropolis, this simply meant below the waterline. There wasn't a single window in sight, and researchers in white lab coats bustled about everywhere.
"Before we officially begin, I need to clarify some important points with you."
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
Roy adopted an earnest attitude, ready to receive instruction.
"As I mentioned yesterday, an Orga Lux is capable of choosing its own wielder. The metric used to determine compatibility is called the Adaptation Rate. Here at Seidoukan Academy, our rule is that only those with an Adaptation Rate of 80% or higher can borrow an Orga Lux."
Even after obtaining one, it doesn't mean you can keep using it indefinitely.
Since Orga Lux possess consciousness, they constantly monitor their wielders. If a wielder's performance fails to meet their standards, the Adaptation Rate will immediately drop. Should it fall below 80%, the academy will reclaim the weapon.
Moreover, Orga Lux are invaluable artifacts. Essentially, they are only loaned to students and remain property of the conglomerate, not the students themselves. If a student plans to leave or graduates from the academy, the weapon must be returned.
Of course, there are ways to transfer ownership from the conglomerate. The most common method is through a wish granted to the champion of a Festa. If a champion wishes to obtain ownership of their Orga Lux, the conglomerate will promptly transfer it to them.
However, whether they can keep it afterwards becomes their personal responsibility.
If an assassin steals the weapon and sells it back to the conglomerate, reverting ownership, the conglomerate bears no further obligation. No matter how much regret follows, they won't transfer ownership a second time.
Thus, there's considerable room for manipulation within these so-called wishes. It's best to think carefully before making one.
As Claudia explained all this, the two entered an elevator at the deepest part of the Equipment Bureau. After descending for over a minute, they arrived at a massive underground space resembling a training hall.
Despite being underwater, the ceiling was surprisingly high. One wall was lined with hexagonal patterns, while another had a glass section through which numerous men and women in white lab coats could be seen busily working—likely Equipment Bureau staff, judging by their ages.
"Come take a look. Which Orga Lux are you planning to borrow?"
Claudia walked to a corner of the room and operated a computer embedded in the hexagonal-patterned wall. Several large spatial windows promptly appeared.
"What's this?"
"A complete list of all Orga Lux currently held by Seidoukan Academy—22 in total. We have the highest number among the six institutes, though seven have already been loaned out."
"Seven out of twenty-two? That's not a very high loan rate."
"Ouch, that hits a sore spot. It's proof of Seidoukan's underperformance."
Claudia gave a wry smile.
Among the six institutes, Rewolf Black Institute has the highest loan rate for Orga Lux. This academy is extremely martial-oriented, actively encouraging students to engage in duels—a stark contrast to the rule-focused Saint Galahadworth. However, this martial culture has produced students with astonishing individual strength, allowing Rewolf to dominate the Gryps Festa and consistently rank at the top in overall performance every season.
Among the current top-ranked Festa competitors listed on Óðrerir, two of the top five hail from Rewolf Black Institute, showcasing the academy's formidable strength. However, Rewolf prioritizes Gryps strategies, making their presence rare in Phoenix and Gryps tournaments.
"Do you have any sword or blade weapons?"
"There are two Orga Lux weapons in sword categories. The serpent blade Ouroboros has already been loaned out and is currently wielded by the third-ranked 'Serpent King' Fadough O'Neil."
Claudia tapped several spatial windows, and soon only one remained before Roy.
"The other one is this Sword of the Black Furnace, Ser-Veresta. As one of the Four Colored Magic Swords, it's quite famous—its output surpasses most Orga Lux weapons. But it's notoriously temperamental. Since its forging, only two... or perhaps three people in all of Asterisk's history have gained its recognition. It's extremely difficult to master!"
***
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