Kays Translations

Chapter 41: The Sword of Mass Production

As Eto and Willem returned to the research workshop after fulfilling their respective roles, they immediately resumed their experiments. First, they started with the reinforced refrigerator.

"Here, this is the external dimensions of the refrigerator."

"Thank you! Um... one size on each side, one size on the back, one size on the top and bottom. And the door... the front is the same as the back, but both sides and the top and bottom each need one size. Hmm, there are quite a few sizes, aren't there?"

"Hey, Isamu, it's okay if they're all the same thickness, right?"

"Yes, that's the plan."

"In that case, should we make a larger one and then cut it? With this level of hardness, it should be easy to cut, right?"

Eto's suggestion left Isamu wide-eyed.

"Indeed! That would be much faster! Eto, you're really something. I didn't think of that at all."

"Well, for mass production, it's probably better to have the correct size from the beginning, but for experiments, cutting it should save a lot of time, right?"

"Yes, that's true. I'll make a larger one that can be cut into the right size."

With this plan in mind, they created a magic circle for generating a large sheet of faux urethane and cut out the necessary materials in less than 30 minutes.

"Then I'll go and glue this one."

"Thank you! I’m counting on you."

Eto headed to the mansion's kitchen, carrying the cut faux urethane.

Next, Isamu began verifying the magic circle for sharpening. However, several issues arose.

"Where should I draw the magic circle on this thing?"

The original magic circle was quite small, and only the magic circle part remained, making it difficult to understand its full design. Additionally, since it was quite old, he wasn't sure about its material.

"Do we need to insert magic stones as well, of course?"

Willem comes to confirm.

Indeed, magic stones were essential, and they needed to figure out where to attach them. For multiple challenges, they had to come up with solutions one by one.

"First of all, the magic circle won't work if even a part of it disappears... It's not a good idea to write it on the blade, is it?"

"That's right. It's relatively strong, but it might wear off when it gets hit by a blade... And if it gets worn off while cutting, it would be dangerous."

"Yeah, it might even wear off if it rubs against the scabbard."

Since it was a weapon, it would naturally come into contact with the opponent's sword or shield. Writing on the blade and worrying about it disappearing when it clashes with something would be counterproductive to the actual battle.

After that, they pondered the implementation location while examining the sword from various angles, but no brilliant ideas came up.

"Hmm, this is a problem that won't have an immediate answer... And it might be better to consult with knights or professionals rather than amateurs like me. Yeah, let's postpone the consideration of the implementation location for now and focus on confirming the effect."

Unable to find an immediate solution to their problem, Isamu decided to draw the functional magic circle on the lower side of the blade, which was the easiest to implement. The activation circle was drawn on a separate part in the handle to ensure it wouldn't disappear when gripped. They embedded the earth magic stone in the center of the guard and attached the non-attribute magic stone for the activation circle to the pommel, completing the prototype of the enhanced sharpness sword.

"Wow, the magic stones are nicely embedded, and the pattern on the blade looks great, making it look like a magic sword... Or rather, it's undoubtedly a magic sword."

The finished sword had the appearance of a fantasy RPG-style magic sword.

"Well, it's more like a stone magic sword. I'm looking forward to seeing how much sharper it becomes."

Wilem, who had been watching the implementation process, was also excited.

Even in this different world, it seemed that the word "magic sword" had a certain romantic appeal to men.

"Yes, but I can't use a sword properly, so maybe we should get some help from the knights."

"That's right. But I can't use a sword properly, so I'll ask the knights for a little help."

Even with kitchen knives, I don't think an amateur would be able to accurately tell the difference when he swings a sword, so I'll head to the training ground to ask for help from a knight.

"Hello."

"Wow, it’s you Isamu-sama. It's rare to see you here."

After greeting the knight on guard at the entrance to the training grounds, he entered the area. The knights knew that Isamu was a wanderer and had heard about the goblin fight on his way home, so they all had a favorable impression of him.

"Nyaaaa~~~"

"Oh, Orihime-dono you’re here today as well! You're as lovely and beautiful as always!"

However, the popularity of Orihime, who had actually saved everyone in a tight spot, was unmatched. Being both strong and cute, she had become the idol of the Knight Order.

Even now, the knight was melting down when Orihime happened to follow Isamu and rubbed his feet with a single cry in greeting..

Seeing Liddell in the training grounds, Isamu approached him.

"Liddell-san! Do you have some time right now?"

"Ah, Isamu-dono. Yes, I've finished my afternoon training, so I have time."

"Great! I've made something like a magic sword, so I was wondering if you could help me test it."

Clank, clank, clank!!!

At Isamu’s casual words caused all the knights in the training grounds to turn to him in alarm. Their expressions were full of shock.

"Isamu-dono, I heard you say you made a magic sword just now, but did I hear it right?"

The leader, Diluc, who was sitting in the back of the station, called out to him with a surprised expression on his face.

“Ah, Diluc-san. Hello. I guess you could say it's a "mock'' of a magic sword...I found a functional circle that seemed to improve its sharpness, so I prototyped a magic tool based on the sword of the knights."

"A magic tool that increases a sword’s sharpness?"

“Did you just say you made a prototype?”

"That's definitely a magic sword."

In response to Isamu’s answer, the atmosphere in the training grounds became even more agitated.

"Isamu-dono, I'll take care of that test for you," 

Diluc said with a serious expression.

However, when Liddell heard this, he protested with an equally serious look.

"Captain, Isamu-dono entrusted this task to me. No matter how much you're the captain, I can't just back down."

"What are you saying? Isamu-dono's research belongs to the Klaufeldt family. It should be taken as a request by the Knight Order."

"If it's taken as a request by the Knight Order, then there's even more reason for me to do it, right? Fortunately, I've been training with Isamu-dono in magic, so we understand each other."

A dispute had erupted.

"Umm, either way is fine, but can we decide quickly?"

Isamu sincerely didn't mind either way, but both of them were standing their ground.

After about 10 more minutes of arguing, they finally settled on trying the sword together and headed to the training grounds, with almost all the knights following them, having heard the news.

"Ku! Why the heck am I on guard duty today!"

From the knight who was at the entrance, they could hear his grumbling. It seemed that the concept of a magic sword was a matter of great concern to the knights.

"The usage is simple. Since there's a magic stone in the pommel for activation, you can activate it just like any other magic tool. First, try cutting without activating it, and then try cutting with it activated."

"Understood."

"Got it."

After receiving a brief explanation from Isamu, Diluc and Liddell nodded.

"The one I just handed you is less effective than the sample magic circle, but I have no idea how much sharper it will be. Please be careful not to get hurt!”

This time, Isamu has prepared three levels of numerical values ​​that control the effect of increasing sharpness.

What he just passed is less than the default, and there are also default and more than default.

It's probably inversely proportional to the effect duration, so I'd like to see how much of a difference there is in order to make adjustments.

It seemed that Liddell would be the first to try.

Diluc, who had forced his way into the lineup using his authority as captain, didn't seem to mind the order as long as he could perform the test.

"You've drawn a magic circle on the blade. Yeah, it looks like a magic sword, and it's pretty cool."

"Since the effect disappears when it's worn off, I'd prefer to draw it somewhere else for the actual thing..."

"I see. Well, unless you're doing a clash, it's unlikely that what's drawn at the base will disappear."

"I see, that's how it works, huh? Well, I'll think about it some more. Oh, there's also an activation circle on the handle, which is wrapped with cloth to prevent it from being worn off. It might feel a bit thicker to grip due to that, but it's a prototype..."

"Well, that should be no problem at all. Yeah, the balance hasn't changed significantly, so let's proceed as is!"

Liddell practiced a few swings while switching between his right and left hands, then nodded slightly and walked to the target.

The Knight Order used a sturdy, oak-like cylindrical post with a wooden crossbeam measuring just under a meter that had been wrapped with cloth and straw to create a target.

Standing in front of the target, Liddell positioned his sword directly and stared at the target.

"Hyah!"

With a shout, he slashed diagonally from the upper right to the lower left.

With a sound similar to a "griiind," straw on the surface of the target burst apart, and the log beneath received a scratch.

Lowering the sword diagonally to the left, he then sliced upward, resulting in another "griiind" sound as the surface of the crossbeam was shaved off to a depth of about 3 centimeters.

"This sword seems to cut about here. If I try any harder, the sword might bend."

Liddell released his stance and turned around. Diluc, who had been watching with folded arms, also nodded in agreement, so there was no doubt about it.

"Now, I'll try activating the magic circle and cutting."

Liddell turned back to the target, placed his hand on the magic stone in the pommel, and activated the magic tool. The earth magic stone emitted a faint orange light, which traveled to the blade's magic circle, causing it to faintly glow.

“”"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"””

The sound of admiration didn't just come from Liddell in his stance but also from the knights who were watching.

After a couple more swings, Liddell performed another diagonal slash from the upper right to the lower left.

This time, there was a different sound— "zakku." The log's surface bore a deeper wound than before. The straw wrapped around it didn't scatter much.

Unlike the previous time, Liddell didn't follow up with an upward cut but kept his sword straight in an upper position.

He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, "Fuuuu."

"Hah!"

Then, with a shout filled with even more determination than the first time, he swung the sword straight down.

Gatssu!

A sound was heard as the sword was swung straight down without interruption.

After a moment, a series of crunching sounds occurred as the crossbeam snapped and fell at Liddell’s feet.

The situation was entirely unexpected, and there were a few seconds of silence. Then, suddenly, a small noise, almost like a growl, was heard, and it quickly turned into a full-blown explosion.

“”"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"””

“”"Amazing!!!"””

The exclamation reverberated through the training grounds and even shook the walls of the dormitories.

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