Chapter 43 – The Magic Spear and Countermeasures against Dead Copy

Unexpected events had occurred, but once the excitement began to wane, Isamu returned to the main topic.

“If this works equally well with thrusting, wouldn’t it be suitable for not just swords but also spears?”

“”!!””

Upon hearing Isamu’s casual remark, Diluc and Liddell instinctively exchanged glances.

“Certainly… This could be applied to spears as well.”

“Yeah. In group battles, the main weapon is a spear. Even if the effect is not as pronounced as with the sword, even a slight increase in power makes a huge difference.”

Except for chaotic or unexpected encounters, organized use of spears was the primary combat strategy in group battles. Spears had the advantage of striking from a distance, and in group combat, the basic moves were either thrusting or striking, making them easy to deploy.

“Though there are a few known weapons referred to as ‘magic spears,’ they are rarely used in group battles. If it were possible for Isamu-dono to mass-produce magic spears… it would change the concept of tactics.” 

“That’s right. The number of enemies you can take down with a single blow would increase, and it would also increase the likelihood of piercing through shields,” 

As the two pointed out, enhancing the effectiveness of weapons used in group combat would directly increase the military power of the organization. 

“…But regardless, ‘magic swords’ are still incredible.”

“Fufufufu, you’re right. The discussions about magic spears and magic swords are separate.”

After briefly discussing serious matters, they returned to the topic of magic swords.

“Isamu-dono, would you mind verifying whether this effect can be applied to spears, as you mentioned earlier? Also, we’d appreciate it if you could create magic swords as well,” 

Diluc strongly requested.

“Yes, I originally intended to create swords. It might take some time because I want to verify the duration of the effect,” 

“Hmm. If you’re going to verify it, then that means this prototype magic sword will be taken back…”

Diluc appeared visibly disappointed and reluctant to part with the mock magic sword. However, Liddell seized the opportunity to suggest a compromise.

“Isamu-dono, could we, perhaps, carry out the verification of the duration ourselves? We can record the time we use it and what we do during that time. This way, we can measure how long the effect of the magic stone lasts.”

“That would be sufficient. Can I ask you that favour? With that settled, I can begin experimenting with spears.” 

“”Leave it to us!””

Diluc and Liddell’s voices harmonized, and they exchanged secret glances.

(“You’ve outdone yourself, Liddell!!”) (“Hah!”)

It appeared as if adults had successfully obtained a toy. Nonetheless, the conversation continued.

“Alright, I’d appreciate your help. Oh, I almost forgot! I have two more swords with varying degrees of effect than the one you just tried. Could we include their verification to compare the sharpness and duration of the effects with the first one you tested?” 

Isamu explained and took two more mock magic swords from a bundle on his side.

“What?! There are more magic swords…” 

Diluc exclaimed in surprise at Isamu’s nonchalant revelation. Liddell widened his eyes in amazement.

“Yes, in theory, the effect of enhanced sharpness should be even higher with these. But please be cautious at first,” 

“Higher effects…?” Diluc asked, astonished.

“Yes, I have no idea how much the effects will differ. When I experimented with the magic stove, increasing the consumption of magic power didn’t necessarily significantly boost the effects. I expect a similar result here,” 

Isamu explained casually, as if he were talking about the right amount of seasoning in cooking. His words left the knights who were eavesdropping flabbergasted.

“Alright, please take care of it!”

With everything settled and without minding all the bewildered onlookers, Isamu waved his hand and left the assembly area.

A few seconds later, another storm of excitement swept through the knight order’s assembly area. Even though they had already been amazed by the magic sword, they were now presented with something even greater. There was no way they would not fight over it.

Diluc and Liddell had already experienced the magic sword, so at the moment, they became the targets of envy. They couldn’t even say “don’t fight over it.”

Ultimately, the comparison of the sharpness difference would have to be tested by the two of them. Afterward, the verification of the duration of the effects would be conducted by the entire knight order.

Thanks to the collective effort of the knights, the duration of the magic sword’s effects was completed the following day. It was conducted round the clock in 30-minute shifts, for a total of 24 hours.

The results showed that the one with the lowest effect, which had been tested first, had a duration of approximately 20 hours. The default version lasted for about 8 hours, while the one with double the stats lasted for approximately 2 hours. This incredible level of operating time, which amounted to almost 20 hours in a single day, clearly reflected the heightened spirits of the knight order.

Regarding sharpness, Isamu  received reports stating that the default setting of the mock magic swords wasn’t sharp enough to cut through the wooden beams cleanly. The highest setting, however, managed to cut through with some effort.

After discussions with Selfers, it was decided to mass-produce the mock magic swords with the longest operating time as the main weapons. The highest setting versions would be produced in limited quantities as a last resort. This decision was made due to the need for extended operational time during expeditions to battle against monsters and prolonged deployments on the battlefield.

However, the highest setting versions would still be produced as powerful trump cards in case they were needed for formidable monster encounters or emergencies.

On the other hand, Isamu, who entrusted the effect verification to the Knight Order, began the creation of mock magic spears promptly the next day. As the effect was straightforward, he easily succeeded in creating a prototype of the mock magic spears with minor adjustments to the effect range.

After another round of testing by the Knight Order, only the mock magic spears with the longest duration were selected for mass production.

Thus, following the festival atmosphere created by the Knight Order, the mass production of the mock magic swords and the adapted magic spears was decided.

Furthermore, concerns about their implementation location received improvements.

For the handles, they were designed to be divided vertically into two parts and inserted into the handle as if clamped together. For the blade, a shallow recess was created in the center of the blade without compromising its strength. Drawing the effect symbols within this recess made it more resistant to wearing away, and this design was adopted.

Furthermore…

“I see, so this is why it’s plated from above.”

As he looked at the completed and improved magic swords, Selfers expressed admiration.

“Yes. It appears that the symbols drawn with the magic stone powder within is recognized. So, even if you paint over it with something that doesn’t contain magic stones, it won’t interfere with the magic circle, making it ideal for concealing.”

What Isamu did was a simple security measure.

In the case of the magic stove, if someone attempted to imitate it and failed, the loss would be financial. However, when it came to weapons, the situation was different. If someone accurately imitated the magic circle, it could be replicated even if they didn’t understand its meaning. That’s why the system was in place to register and penalize the use of magic circles. Still, unless they were sold in large quantities, it was difficult to discover such imitations.

If they were captured by hostile forces or stolen, being imitated would be detrimental to their own security. Especially for the weapons they were planning to create this time, which were intended for internal use and not for sale, they did not plan to register the magic circles for the time being. Thus, a simple security measure was needed, which Isamu had considered from the beginning.

After consulting with Eto and Willem, Willem recalled the existence of a magic circle that seemed to be plated with gold. It was presumed that it was done by ancient rulers to enhance the appearance, but because it wouldn’t make sense if it compromised the functionality, they ran an experiment based on the assumption that it would still work even when plated. It turned out to be a great success.

To make it difficult to peel off, they plated it with an alloy of pseudo-silver and white magic silver, both of which were difficult to strip and provided extra protection. This way, even if someone tried to forcibly remove the plating, the magic circle itself would be damaged, making replication highly unlikely.

By the way, white magic silver was a type of mithril, a metal that had a pale greenish hue. Just hearing its name raised Isamu’s spirits, causing others to view him with slightly suspicious eyes.

“Well, with this, it should be difficult to replicate even if it’s stolen. I never expected you were going to such lengths… It never even crossed my mind. Thank you, Isamu-dono,” 

Selfers said, bowing deeply.

“No, no, the concept of mass-producing magic weapons isn’t very common, so it’s only natural. I’m glad there was a way to make it work. If it weren’t for Willem, the magic swords that we finally managed to create would have gone to waste,” 

Isamu replied with a wry smile.

However, the efforts paid off, and the mass deployment of the magic swords and adapted magic spears began. It was another avenue to significantly boost the Klaufeldt family’s combat strength.

By the way, due to plating the blade from above, the light at the moment of activation became difficult to see, and some knights were reportedly very disappointed about it. Or maybe not.

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