Understandably, Nephis seemed doubtful of Sunny's outrageous claim. She looked at him silently for a few moments, then raised an eyebrow.
"But you are merely an Ascended... forgive me for being blunt. How can an Ascended create something that powerful?"
Sunny could see how she would question his ability to keep such a promise. However, he meant what he had said. Because he had been thinking of a way to achieve something like that for a long, long time.
He lingered for a moment, then sighed.
"It's easier than you think... not that any random Ascended would be able to, of course. But my way of creating Memories is rather unique, so I can do more than most. It... would be easier for me to show you. Would you mind following me?"
Nephis did not move, looking at him intently.
"I don't mind following, Master Sunless. But not yet."
He frowned a little.
"Not yet?"
She nodded slowly, her face still and motionless. Her voice sounded even:
"Yes, I…”
Nephis paused for a moment, then added stoically:
"Haven't finished my cake yet."
Sunny thought that he had heard her wrong.
'What?'
He blinked. But Nephis ignored his confused stare, picked up her spoon elegantly, and turned her attention to the piece of cherry cake.
She ate it unhurriedly, maintaining a composed expression. He couldn't tell if she enjoyed the taste or was simply reluctant to waste food. A couple of minutes later, Nephis put her spoon down, wiped her lips with a napkin, and nodded courteously.
"Thank you. How much do I owe you?"
Sunny slowly shook his head.
"No, no. It's... on the house."
What was going on in that head of hers? They had been talking about killing gods, and then paused... for cake?
Not that Sunny was complaining.
In fact, he would have enjoyed watching her eat an entire cake instead of just a small piece, if she wanted to.
Ten cakes, even... although that would be a bit costly...
"Shall we go, then?"
He stood up and guided her to the basement of the Marvelous Mimic. Unlike the day he had led Telle of White Feather to retrieve the [Belated Apology], though, Sunny headed for the back of the boutique.
Nephis followed him, looking around with a hint of curiosity. He explained helpfully:
"This is the Memory Boutique part of the Brilliant Emporium. As you might know, I don't advertise my ability to craft Memories, so most of the customers think of me as a merchant with a wide network of connections. They peruse our inventory here or commission us to search for a Memory that fits a set of custom parameters."
Nephis nodded.
"The interior is very tasteful. It suits you well."
'Huh?'
Sunny was not sure what she meant, but smiled in appreciation.
"Thank you. Most customers only ever see the boutique, but it's actually just the front side of the business. My workshop is beyond that door over there. And beyond this door is where I keep valuable materials."
As Sunny was opening the door, Nephis asked in her usual even tone:
"Can I ask why you are so reluctant to reveal your talent, Master Sunless?"
He lingered for a moment.
"You certainly can. There are many reasons, but mainly... I just don't like the great clans. Please don't take offense, Lady Nephis.”
She smiled faintly.
"I won't."
Sunny led her into the material storage, which was a vast hall drowning in darkness, with only a few lanterns illuminating its expanse. The lanterns were there for Aiko, who sometimes assisted him in crafting.
Nephis paused at the entrance.
The material storage was very different from the refined shopfront. The atmosphere here was cold and ominous... sinister, even. That was because it was full of monstrous remains, most of them belonging to truly harrowing Nightmare Creatures.
There were grotesque bones, hollowed-out carapaces of vile abominations, and odd artifacts of all kinds. The remains of the Winter Beast were here. Shards of frozen shadows were here, too, among other trophies Sunny had collected in the past four years.
He walked to the middle of the vast underground storage and turned to Nephis, pointing around.
"A powerful Memory has to be crafted from potent materials - otherwise, it won't survive the burden of its own enchantments. The remains of Nightmare Creatures are the most easily accessible source of such materials, albeit not the only source,"
Nephis looked around with subdued interest.
"...Have you chanced upon the remains of an Unholy abomination, then? Is that what gives you the confidence to claim that you can forge a godslaying sword?"
Sunny smiled and shook his head.
"No. Actually, what I wanted to show you is not the materials, but rather the storage itself. Have you noticed how large it is?"
Nephis nodded slowly, prompting Sunny to smile.