CH 82

Just like that, it took me until after noon to attach one side of the fragments together. I check the attached parts. There are glittering particle-like thing on it ―Liddy-san says that the magical power did not disintegrate, but it’s cut off at the joint part. I traced it with my finger, but I didn’t feel any seams. This means that this is not a seam on the material itself, but this part here is purely a magic break. It didn’t feel like that but it’s possible that it wasn’t completely joined on the inside.

If she continuously wields it in this state, some problems will occur eventually. It’s even been abused to the point of being turned into a few pieces so it will surely be abused again once it is repaired. It’s her weapon, and if something goes wrong with it, it’s likely to be fatal.

“Liddy-san, do you see this part here?”

I showed it to Liddy-san while pointing to the part that has just been joined. Liddy-san stared at it for a while, then before long,

“I see… The flow of magical power is cut off here.”

She muttered.

“Can you see it Rike?”

I passed the sword to Rike. Compared to Liddy-san, Rike spent more time checking it.

“I can see it somehow, but what stands out the most is the joint part that has been neatly attached.”

Then she returned the sword. I think it’s good if she can understand it somehow. I want her to grow this way. Needless to say, the other two is neither a blacksmith nor a magician. Even so, it seems that they can see a little, well, I’m not sure if it’s because of the nature of Mithril or because the two of them sometimes help with the blacksmithing work.

“Liddy-san, it’s no good if it is in this state, isn’t it?”

I don’t think it’s necessary to ask this, but it will be a different story if she says that as it was already broken once, it will only be used for ceremonies so it’s only necessary for it to have a good appearance.

“That’s right. I hope it will be restored as it was before as much as possible…”

“Right…”

I think of what to do with my arms crossed. If I hit it hard enough to a perfect level, it might stick together, but now I have to restore it back to the previous state. Well, if that’s the case, I think it would be better to pile up the fragments on top of the remaining part of the base, like “stacking and heating” to make a forged mass, and then stretch it from there. I’m confident that I can get it back to its original shape… I’ll be relying on my cheat and with this kind of power, it will probably be alright.

If that’s the case, the question now is whether Liddy-san will allow me to do that or not. The materials that make it up are exactly the same, but it will be almost as good as a new blade. Though the situation is the opposite of the Ship of Theseus, the essence of the question is basically the same, “Is it really the same thing?”

However, even if she says “just stick them together”, there is a high possibility that even the smallest fragment will not be recovered when it breaks. In the first place, it is impossible to completely “restore” a weapon in the literal sense. When I think about it, it is not so different from sticking or reattaching. The point is that the appearance can be completely restored, so the choice is either on its continuity as an object or on its performance.

I explained such things to Liddy-san. It is especially important to explain that the shape can be completely restored.

“In short, you have two options, stick the fragments together or to re-strike them. I guarantee that in both method, it will look exactly the same and it can be repaired.”

Liddy-san looks troubled as she listens to my words. Perhaps even if I try again, it will just be in time for two weeks. Unlike the time when I made the rapier, I can’t make the shape as I like, and the width of the blade is wider this time than that time, so it will take that much time.

However, I don’t know what other problems will take up some time, so if I want to make it in time, it’s best to start with it sooner. Of course, right now is the ideal time for that. That said, it’s not something that can be decided thoughtlessly because it is not possible to say “I can’t do it after all” right after re-striking it.

The sound of the charcoal burning softly on the fire bed echoed inside the workplace. Only that sound tells us that time has never stopped. We quietly waited for Liddy-san to make a decision.

Liddy-san was looking down all this time but she soon raised her face. With her eyebrows furrowed, she has this serious look on her face.

“Please strike it again.”

“There’s no turning back, is it okay with you?”

“Yes. Please do it. It will be better if I can use it as it was before.”

“Alright. Leave it to me.”

In contrast to Liddy-san’s rather distressed expression, I gave her a cheerful smile. Rike, Samia and Diana are also relieved.

“Well then, shall I resume?”

I tapped my cheeks and cheered out. If I can’t do a job that is not rejected by Liddy-san, the name of Eizou’s Workshop will be tarnished.

The shape of the sword itself is a standard longsword with no particular engraving on it. In order to keep track of the width, length and thickness of the blade, I brought in some timber from outside and assembled it into a sword puzzle with the same width, length, and thickness. I thought it would be easier to do it on this way.

I put the handle of the sword, to which the fragments were attached, into the fireplace and then I heat it. When the temperature had risen to a point at which it could be processed, I hammered the pieces together to form a square. It feels even harder than the rapier. It is important if there are any gaps left inside, so I hammer it firmly and carefully to put them together.

After several repetitions, from the middle of the sword, it looks like it has a small square board attached to it. I placed the pieces on the board to prevent it from collapsing. The pieces were then covered with straw rope and then I placed it in the fire bed to heat it. Unlike with steel, it is a little easier as I don’t have to worry about the oxide film at all.

I then removed the mithril from the fire bed when the outside of the mithril is slightly melted. I hammered the straw rope to remove any remaining embers and then I wait for a while to lower the temperature slightly. After that, I hit the mithril all together. As you might expect, it doesn’t feel like they are all put together in one go. As I mentioned before, the response I felt is still hard.

For several times, I repeated the process of heating, hammering then stretching and folding it back together, heat it again, hammer it once more, and then stretch it and fold it again. However, even with the use of my cheat, I still couldn’t get the feeling that it was completely put together. Before I know it, the sun is already tilting. This mithril work is going to take longer than I expected, and with that in mind, I told everyone I was done with today’s work and then I started preparing our dinner.