CH 22
“Okay, this is the last one.”
With that statement, I took out the last piece of armament from my bag via the [Stranger Box]. But when they saw it, their eyes widened in surprise.
“Eh, what’s that!?” Surprised, Tia asked.
“A straight sword without a blade … or rather a mithril stick? Hey Ed, how does this work?” Alexis asked.
I was holding a shiny silver sword … at least shaped like one. It was a mere square stick in the shape of a sword, but as it was, it could only be used to strike like a club.
“This… I can’t swing this around indoors, so why don’t we join Gonzo-sama and try it out?”
“Oh, that’s good! I want to use my sword more properly too!” Tia said.
“Hm, fine. Gonzo will find out about it soon enough anyway.”
“Well, that’s that then.”
We easily settled, and left the inn and walked around town. We followed the commotion out of town and found old man Gonzo screaming and swinging his fist right next to the town wall.
“There he is. Hey, Gonzo!” Tia called out to him.
“Mm? Oh, it’s you, guys! What’s going on?”
“Fufu~. Ed gave me a nice sword too, so I’m here to try it out!”
“Oh, yeah! Hey kid … No, Ed! This thing you gave me is really nice! It fits in my arm as if it were an extension of my own muscle!”
“Haha, that’s good to know.”
I knew it would be okay because it was built specifically for the old man by combining several banishment skills, but it was still a relief to get his approval first.
“Ed! Ed! Look! Water puffs and pours! Fire goes boom!”
“Hahaha, yeah.”
And beside the old man, Tia was also excitedly wielding the rapier I gave her. It was a picturesque scene of training, where she was applying spirit magic of various attributes and checking the response and effects, but to me, it looked like a child having fun.
“Well, I’ll give it a try too.”
“Oh, yes! How do you use that mithril stick?”
A mithril stick … No, it was not wrong, though. But it was the only time they would call my sword that.
“Fufuf~, Watch me … come out my wings, silver-winged sword!”
I raised the mithril rod …, or silver winged sword, and shouted, and a silver feather grew on one side of the blade. At the same time, the other side of the sword sharply reduced in volume, eventually transforming itself into a single-edged straight sword with six feathers.
“What is that!? That’s not fair! It’s so cool!” Tia exclaimed.
“No, it’s not unfair. It’s definitely cool, though. This sword can grow any number of feathers on one side of the blade like this so that the angle of the blade on the other side can be adjusted.” I said.
If the sword had six or so pieces, it was about the size of an ordinary sword, and if it grew to its maximum of 12 pieces, it would become a very thin blade, not far from a sword of thin life. If it reached that level, it would be able to cut through most things with a single sword stroke.
“Hmmm. I know it’s great, but why did you make it that way?” Tia asked.
“The thinner the blade, the more fragile it becomes. If the blade chips every time you cut a small fish, it will be difficult to repair it. You could use a spare sword for everyday use, but since you made it, you want to use it for everyday use, don’t you?” Alexis also questioned,
“Certainly!”
It would be a shame not to use this sword that I have poured my heart and soul into. Especially since it was just made, I needed to use it on a daily basis to get used to it, or I might not be able to use it to its full potential when the time comes.
“Ugh, I want to use this sword right now …, but not until the magic enchantment is done, right?”
“Ah. Unlike the one I gave to Gonzo-sama, Your rapier is made entirely of mithril. If you use it before you enchant it with magic to increase its durability, it will break rather easily, don’t you think?”
What was enhanced when silver became mithril was its affinity for magic, so even if the strength was slightly increased by the passage of magic power, its durability was not even close to that of iron. It won’t be a problem if it was used to cut through soft flesh, but if she went crazy and hit a bone, she would cry and wail.
“Ughhhh … E, Ed, can’t you do magic enchantments?”
“I can’t do it. I can’t use magic.”
“Ughhhhhhhh … Alexis-!”
Tia ran toward Alexis with a look on her face as if she had just been deprived of her favorite treat. Surely, she was probably going to ask him to introduce her to a highly respected enchanter. If there was still any reason not to enchant it at the appropriate store because she really want to use it right away, it should be fine to leave it alone.
“Well then, I guess I’ll try a test cut too.”
After looking away with a wry smile at Tia’s back as she ran towards Alexis, I took a fistful of coal from the [Stranger Box] and released it into the air. The coal rose about a meter higher than my head, and then gravity brought it down and… I cut it off with my silver-winged sword.
“Huff!”
There was a gurgling sound and the coal shattered. It was cutting at least, but … well, that was what a blade of normal thickness would do. I closely observed the blade in the area where it hit the coal, but there was no chipping of the blade.
“Good, good,. Then next time, …12.”
With the silver-winged sword in his hand, I activated [Master Smith] and sprouted a pair of wings on its back. Then the blade, thinned to its limit, shined like a mirror, and with just the slightest pry of the finger, it seemed as if it would crack.
“Nice … Huff!”
The newly extracted coal was thrown into the air again and slashed in the same way. This time, however, a high, clear sound was heard, and the coal was completely cut in half without a single small piece spilling out. I picked it up and slid my finger across the cross section, and it was smooth as if it had been carefully polished by a skilled craftsman.
“All right! This will cut at least steel. The important thing is that the blade is … ah, I knew it would be like this.”
As a compensation for the tremendous sharpness of the blade, the blade was so chipped that it could be seen at a glance …… or rather broken off. This was no longer about the swordsmanship, but the strength limit of the material, so there was nothing that could be done about it.
But that was to be expected. If all the feathers were recovered and returned to the mithril rod, and then the feathers appeared again, a beautiful blade without any chipping would be restored.
“The amount of mithril consumed is also in line with calculations … …, so even at its thinnest, it should be usable for about 10000 times. It’s not bad for a makeshift.”
“Huh?”
Alexis, who had been coming this way before I knew it, heard my muttering and let out a small voice. He picked up the piece of coal that had fallen at his feet and narrowed his sharp eyes slightly as he looked at the cross-section of the coal.
“It’s a brilliant cut. I didn’t realize that you, who have a sword skill that rivals mine, are also such a good blacksmith. … How many cards do you have hidden in your hand?”
“Haha, I’m not that great of a――”
“Ed. I’m a Hero.”
“…”
The quiet, yet forceful tone of his voice left me momentarily at a loss for words. That was something I’ve never been able to achieve in the end, because I just kept… on being banished and never made it to the end.
“My eyes are not blind, you know? If you can make even a sword this good in time …What kind of perfect sword are you aiming for?”
“Ah … yes, that’s right. A sword that can cut anything.”
“Hm, anyone can just say it, but it’s a tremendous goal that I don’t see coming to be realized. But you made it happen, didn’t you?”
“… Why do you think so?”
“Didn’t you say it yourself? A sword that boasts such sharpness was just ‘Makeshift’. If that’s the case, if you call it a prototype, or even a makeshift, you have already made a better sword than the one I have, haven’t you? You couldn’t complete it this time around because you didn’t have enough time or materials… Is that the reason?”
“… … either, I suppose. Because neither can be bought with money.”
Some of the materials needed to build the Sword of Thin Life were not available in this world. It would take a lot of time to make that hilt. I already knew how to make it, but for that reason, I also understood that there was no way to make it in this world.
“Well, … … hey, Ed. I have something to talk to you about. Can you come to my room tonight by yourself?”
“Is there something you want to tell me ….?”
“I have something I want to tell you … and you alone. Come visit me when everyone else has gone to bed. I’ll be waiting.”
“Y, Yes. ..?”
He said this with a troubled look on his face, which was unusual for the always aloof Alexis. Alexis walked away without waiting for my answer. I didn’t want him to look at me like that, I don’t have a hobby for that… I couldn’t even joke about such things.
“What the hell …?”
My mumbling, my head full of question marks, melted away in the wind and into the world without being heard by anyone.
With that statement, I took out the last piece of armament from my bag via the [Stranger Box]. But when they saw it, their eyes widened in surprise.
“Eh, what’s that!?” Surprised, Tia asked.
“A straight sword without a blade … or rather a mithril stick? Hey Ed, how does this work?” Alexis asked.
I was holding a shiny silver sword … at least shaped like one. It was a mere square stick in the shape of a sword, but as it was, it could only be used to strike like a club.
“This… I can’t swing this around indoors, so why don’t we join Gonzo-sama and try it out?”
“Oh, that’s good! I want to use my sword more properly too!” Tia said.
“Hm, fine. Gonzo will find out about it soon enough anyway.”
“Well, that’s that then.”
We easily settled, and left the inn and walked around town. We followed the commotion out of town and found old man Gonzo screaming and swinging his fist right next to the town wall.
“There he is. Hey, Gonzo!” Tia called out to him.
“Mm? Oh, it’s you, guys! What’s going on?”
“Fufu~. Ed gave me a nice sword too, so I’m here to try it out!”
“Oh, yeah! Hey kid … No, Ed! This thing you gave me is really nice! It fits in my arm as if it were an extension of my own muscle!”
“Haha, that’s good to know.”
I knew it would be okay because it was built specifically for the old man by combining several banishment skills, but it was still a relief to get his approval first.
“Ed! Ed! Look! Water puffs and pours! Fire goes boom!”
“Hahaha, yeah.”
And beside the old man, Tia was also excitedly wielding the rapier I gave her. It was a picturesque scene of training, where she was applying spirit magic of various attributes and checking the response and effects, but to me, it looked like a child having fun.
“Well, I’ll give it a try too.”
“Oh, yes! How do you use that mithril stick?”
A mithril stick … No, it was not wrong, though. But it was the only time they would call my sword that.
“Fufuf~, Watch me … come out my wings, silver-winged sword!”
I raised the mithril rod …, or silver winged sword, and shouted, and a silver feather grew on one side of the blade. At the same time, the other side of the sword sharply reduced in volume, eventually transforming itself into a single-edged straight sword with six feathers.
“What is that!? That’s not fair! It’s so cool!” Tia exclaimed.
“No, it’s not unfair. It’s definitely cool, though. This sword can grow any number of feathers on one side of the blade like this so that the angle of the blade on the other side can be adjusted.” I said.
If the sword had six or so pieces, it was about the size of an ordinary sword, and if it grew to its maximum of 12 pieces, it would become a very thin blade, not far from a sword of thin life. If it reached that level, it would be able to cut through most things with a single sword stroke.
“Hmmm. I know it’s great, but why did you make it that way?” Tia asked.
“The thinner the blade, the more fragile it becomes. If the blade chips every time you cut a small fish, it will be difficult to repair it. You could use a spare sword for everyday use, but since you made it, you want to use it for everyday use, don’t you?” Alexis also questioned,
“Certainly!”
It would be a shame not to use this sword that I have poured my heart and soul into. Especially since it was just made, I needed to use it on a daily basis to get used to it, or I might not be able to use it to its full potential when the time comes.
“Ugh, I want to use this sword right now …, but not until the magic enchantment is done, right?”
“Ah. Unlike the one I gave to Gonzo-sama, Your rapier is made entirely of mithril. If you use it before you enchant it with magic to increase its durability, it will break rather easily, don’t you think?”
What was enhanced when silver became mithril was its affinity for magic, so even if the strength was slightly increased by the passage of magic power, its durability was not even close to that of iron. It won’t be a problem if it was used to cut through soft flesh, but if she went crazy and hit a bone, she would cry and wail.
“Ughhhh … E, Ed, can’t you do magic enchantments?”
“I can’t do it. I can’t use magic.”
“Ughhhhhhhh … Alexis-!”
Tia ran toward Alexis with a look on her face as if she had just been deprived of her favorite treat. Surely, she was probably going to ask him to introduce her to a highly respected enchanter. If there was still any reason not to enchant it at the appropriate store because she really want to use it right away, it should be fine to leave it alone.
“Well then, I guess I’ll try a test cut too.”
After looking away with a wry smile at Tia’s back as she ran towards Alexis, I took a fistful of coal from the [Stranger Box] and released it into the air. The coal rose about a meter higher than my head, and then gravity brought it down and… I cut it off with my silver-winged sword.
“Huff!”
There was a gurgling sound and the coal shattered. It was cutting at least, but … well, that was what a blade of normal thickness would do. I closely observed the blade in the area where it hit the coal, but there was no chipping of the blade.
“Good, good,. Then next time, …12.”
With the silver-winged sword in his hand, I activated [Master Smith] and sprouted a pair of wings on its back. Then the blade, thinned to its limit, shined like a mirror, and with just the slightest pry of the finger, it seemed as if it would crack.
“Nice … Huff!”
The newly extracted coal was thrown into the air again and slashed in the same way. This time, however, a high, clear sound was heard, and the coal was completely cut in half without a single small piece spilling out. I picked it up and slid my finger across the cross section, and it was smooth as if it had been carefully polished by a skilled craftsman.
“All right! This will cut at least steel. The important thing is that the blade is … ah, I knew it would be like this.”
As a compensation for the tremendous sharpness of the blade, the blade was so chipped that it could be seen at a glance …… or rather broken off. This was no longer about the swordsmanship, but the strength limit of the material, so there was nothing that could be done about it.
But that was to be expected. If all the feathers were recovered and returned to the mithril rod, and then the feathers appeared again, a beautiful blade without any chipping would be restored.
“The amount of mithril consumed is also in line with calculations … …, so even at its thinnest, it should be usable for about 10000 times. It’s not bad for a makeshift.”
“Huh?”
Alexis, who had been coming this way before I knew it, heard my muttering and let out a small voice. He picked up the piece of coal that had fallen at his feet and narrowed his sharp eyes slightly as he looked at the cross-section of the coal.
“It’s a brilliant cut. I didn’t realize that you, who have a sword skill that rivals mine, are also such a good blacksmith. … How many cards do you have hidden in your hand?”
“Haha, I’m not that great of a――”
“Ed. I’m a Hero.”
“…”
The quiet, yet forceful tone of his voice left me momentarily at a loss for words. That was something I’ve never been able to achieve in the end, because I just kept… on being banished and never made it to the end.
“My eyes are not blind, you know? If you can make even a sword this good in time …What kind of perfect sword are you aiming for?”
“Ah … yes, that’s right. A sword that can cut anything.”
“Hm, anyone can just say it, but it’s a tremendous goal that I don’t see coming to be realized. But you made it happen, didn’t you?”
“… Why do you think so?”
“Didn’t you say it yourself? A sword that boasts such sharpness was just ‘Makeshift’. If that’s the case, if you call it a prototype, or even a makeshift, you have already made a better sword than the one I have, haven’t you? You couldn’t complete it this time around because you didn’t have enough time or materials… Is that the reason?”
“… … either, I suppose. Because neither can be bought with money.”
Some of the materials needed to build the Sword of Thin Life were not available in this world. It would take a lot of time to make that hilt. I already knew how to make it, but for that reason, I also understood that there was no way to make it in this world.
“Well, … … hey, Ed. I have something to talk to you about. Can you come to my room tonight by yourself?”
“Is there something you want to tell me ….?”
“I have something I want to tell you … and you alone. Come visit me when everyone else has gone to bed. I’ll be waiting.”
“Y, Yes. ..?”
He said this with a troubled look on his face, which was unusual for the always aloof Alexis. Alexis walked away without waiting for my answer. I didn’t want him to look at me like that, I don’t have a hobby for that… I couldn’t even joke about such things.
“What the hell …?”
My mumbling, my head full of question marks, melted away in the wind and into the world without being heard by anyone.
RECENTLY UPDATES
Eastern
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Josei
Urban