Side: Prim
The day after returning to Feel, we all went to Albert Workshop.
“Brought more women, have you? And you need Lapis Laz for them too, right?”
Ed said that the moment he saw Lydia and Ludia. Marina had a similar look on her face, and it wasn’t far off.
“Yeah. Do you have enough?”
“Lydia is a dual wielder, and Ludia is a fighting weapon user, right? We couldn’t have done this before, but thanks to the Ee-quipping you proposed, attaching them yourself is only a one-time thing. We can manage.”
The new magic, Ee-quipping, proposed by Yamato, allows instantaneous equipping. It takes a little effort to equip them yourself the first time, but once equipped, it’s magic, and it’s instantaneous, so that hassle is gone. Even full plate armor can be put on and taken off in an instant, so it’s quite a convenient magic.
“I know about Ee-quipping and Stuttering, and we use them too, but it was Yamato’s magic all along…?”
“As expected, or rather, outrageous… Guests are amazing, aren’t they…”
We had told Lydia and Ludia that Yamato was a guest. We were going to form a Raid party, and we weren’t hiding it in Feel anymore, so there was no choice but to tell them.
“What is Lapis Laz, anyway?”
Lydia tilted her head, but it was understandable that she wouldn’t know since we hadn’t explained it yet.
“It’s a metal that Ed made at Yamato’s suggestion. It’s a concept from Yamato’s world called Alloy, and its performance is comparable to Divine Metal, so any Hunter would want to use it.”
Marina revealed it so casually that Lydia and Ludia turned pale.
“W-Divine Metal!? What is that!!”
“You made that… Is it alright for us to use such amazing metal!?”
As expected, they had the same reaction as Meena and the others. It’s not a matter of whether it’s alright; it’s a privilege of the creator.
“So that’s why you let us choose our favorite designs for weapons and armor at breakfast…”
Lydia said with a tired face, and Ludia agreed. Meena, Flam, Raus, and Rebecca looked at them with sympathy, but there was no need to go that far.
“Originally, it started because Prim and I were having trouble. So we asked Ed to try it, and that’s how that Alloy was made.”
“You say it so lightly, but it’s not like making such metal is easy, is it? But if people knew you could make it, wouldn’t that cause a lot of trouble?”
Ludia’s question was valid. If word got out, Solemne would surely act. Retisencia would also act, but Retisencia’s Crafter’s Guild is scheduled to withdraw soon, and even if they knew, Craft Magic itself wouldn’t be usable, so there would be no one to refine it. Of course, it’s possible they could enslave crafters from other countries and force them to work, and Ed could be directly targeted, so we need to consider that carefully.
“That’s why Lapis Laz will not be publicly announced. If it is, it will be much later. Only Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron, which were created at the same time as Lapis Laz, will be announced.”
“Y-You’re saying there’s more besides Lapis Laz!?”
“Yeah. But these are like an upgraded version of Magic Silver and Crystal Silver, and Adamantine Steel, so if we spread them rapidly in Amister and Valentia, Solemne and Retisencia wouldn’t know what to do.”
Lapis Laz is an alloy of Magic Silver, Crystal Silver, and Adamantine Steel, and it seems to require quite a bit of Magic Power even when using Melting. However, Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron only require about half the Magic Power of Lapis Laz, so many crafters will be able to refine them using Melting, as Ed, Marina, Richard, and Talos all say. Furthermore, Amister is the source of Magic Silver and Crystal Silver, and Valentia is the source of Adamantine Steel. Valentia is also an island nation and the country furthest from Retisencia. Solemne is close, but there’s the issue of Crystal Silver, so their target would likely be Amister.
We also need to figure out how to protect Ed. Fortunately, there are ways.
“Also, regarding Ed’s safety, we’re thinking of using a Union to deter any threats.”
“Ah, that’s a good idea.”
Raid is a group formed solely by Hunters, while a Union is a group formed by members registered in different Guilds. Particularly if Hunters and Healers form a Union, they can receive treatment for injuries while traveling with peace of mind, so there are quite a few Healers who participate in Unions. However, it’s a bit tricky for Crafters; the higher the rank of a Crafter, the fewer there are. The reason is simple: the earnings of high-ranking Crafters are often comparable to those of Hunters of the same rank. Especially if they develop new technology and register it with the Crafter’s Guild, they receive usage fees from the Crafter’s Guild every month for about ten years, which alone can be quite lucrative. However, if the technology isn’t used, the income won’t be that high. Ed will be asked to publicly announce and register the manufacturing methods for Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron soon, and it’s certain to spread in Amister and Valentia, so he should receive a considerable amount every month. Therefore, Ed has no reason to join a Union, but considering the risk of being targeted by other countries, it might be safer for him to participate, even temporarily.
“I appreciate it, and if it’s you guys, I welcome it, but is it really okay?”
“Of course. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have proposed the alloy in the first place.”
Yamato proposed the alloy to Ed within days of meeting him. Normally, one would register it with the Crafter’s Guild and test it themselves, but he’s entrusting it to Ed with almost no conditions. There’s no doubt that Yamato trusts Ed. If it were anyone else, even the Crafter’s Master among them, Yamato probably wouldn’t have made the proposal.
“And of course, Marina too.”
“Me too?”
“You’re marrying Ed, so of course. If Fiana were to marry, I’d want her to participate too.”
Marina, who is marrying Ed, is naturally a target for protection, and it’s natural to consider Fiana as well.
“Thank you. I’d be happy to participate.”
Marina replied with a beaming smile. For now, they’ll be our exclusive crafters, but we intend to place proper orders and pay fair prices for the weapons and armor. Otherwise, they’d be kept in a state of stagnation.
“Then, after we finish placing our orders, shall we go to the Hunter’s Guild?”
“Right. The sooner, the better.”
We are Hunters, and Ed and Marina are Crafters, but Union registration is accepted by any Guild. However, it’s common for the Union Leader to be registered in the same Guild, so in this case, it will be the Hunter’s Guild. In fact, Yamato is the leader of Wing Crest, and the reason for forming a Union is to ensure the safety of Ed and Marina, so Yamato being the leader was decided from the start. Furthermore, since Yamato has evolved into an Ancient Human, he will also serve as the leader if the Hunter’s Guild organizes hunting parties or investigation teams. He’s only been a Hunter for about two weeks, so he’s undeniably lacking experience, and he’ll be able to use that as an excuse for a while, but in a few years, that excuse won’t work, so it’ll be a learning experience as a leader until then.
“Well then, let’s get the orders done first. Starting with the weapons for the two of them. Marina, please.”
“Yes, yes. Yamato, show me the Engraving Tool.”
“Ah. For Lydia’s twin swords, let’s start with these.”
Yamato produced the Engraving Tool, and Marina began drawing on paper. This scene has become familiar. Lydia is a dual wielder, so she’s choosing two swords. It’s normal for dual wielders to choose two identical swords, but Lydia has chosen different designs for her left and right swords. Both Lydia and Ludia were taught swordsmanship by their father initially, but Ludia found swordsmanship didn’t suit her and quickly switched to fighting weapons. Lydia was taught swordsmanship properly, but after constantly being compared to her father, Valentia’s strongest Dragon Knight, there was a time when she couldn’t bring herself to hold a sword. However, she couldn’t completely distance herself from swords, so in a fit of desperation, she started holding a sword in her left hand as well. Still, her ingrained movements couldn’t be easily changed, so her battle style became unbalanced for a dual wielder, with the right hand for offense and the left for defense. It’s not that she can’t defend with her left and attack with her right, but Lydia is different from a normal dual wielder; she’s closer to a swordsman or a knight.
“I heard you were a dual wielder, but the left-handed sword seems specialized for defense.”
“Yes. But I use it for offense as well, so please make the central blade a little longer.”
“Longer, you say… Like this?”
“Yes. This length would be easy to parry with, and since it’s wide, I don’t think it’ll be easily broken.”
I thought so too when I saw it at breakfast. It’s unusual for a blade to be split into three. It’s different from a spearhead, which has multiple prongs. Yamato said it was shaped to easily catch attacks and was used as a shield, and I think he’s right. Moreover, since the central blade is longer, it seems usable for regular attacks too.
“I don’t think there’s any worry about it breaking. And this is the other sword. It looks like the tip of a spear or an arrowhead, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t it be hard to pull out if you stabbed something with it?”
I thought so too. Arrowheads have barbs to prevent them from being easily pulled out. These barbs make it difficult to remove an embedded arrow, and even if the arrow breaks midway, the arrowhead remains embedded, continuing to deal damage to the monster. It’s a fate of archers that arrows often run out, and arrows made by archers are often makeshift and prioritize productivity, so they often lack barbs. It has a blade that looks very similar to an arrowhead, so if you stab it all the way to the hilt, it would be difficult to pull out, wouldn’t it? An arrow isn’t cheap, and it’s common sense for archers to retrieve usable arrows, but sometimes they can’t be retrieved. Wouldn’t a sword like that be difficult to use?
“That’s true, but you’re not going to stab it all the way to the hilt, are you?”
Yamato said that, and I realized he was right. It’s normal for arrowheads to be fully embedded, so I shouldn’t think of it in the same way.
“That’s true. Then, shall we try making Lydia’s twin swords like this?”
“Ah, for this blade, please make it about the length of a short sword.”
“Understood.”
The detailed design is yet to be finalized, but the general shape is decided. Next is Ludia.
“Ludia’s fighting weapon… this is also unusual. Well, if it were just gauntlets, they’d get damaged quickly and become unusable, so I think this would be easier to use.”
The gauntlet Ludia chose has three claws extending from the back of the hand. However, Ludia’s wish is to make these claws retractable using Magic Power. That way, the claws won’t get in the way, and she’ll be able to move more easily. The front of the clenched fist has thick armor, and this armor also has protrusions, so it’s clear that it has sufficient attack power on its own. By the way, “fighting weapon” is a term that refers to gauntlets and greaves for Martial Artists. Both are slightly larger than ordinary gauntlets and greaves, and they came to be called that way because Martial Artists attack directly.
“I see, so that’s why you want them to be retractable. I agree, otherwise the claws and protrusions would interfere with each other and they’d be unusable.”
“I like it too. So, it might be difficult, but can you do it?”
In the past, Ludia used Martial Artist gauntlets with thickened fist armor. Martial Artist gauntlets use feathers from bird-like monsters to soften impacts, but they are designed to be worn over ordinary gauntlets, making them more than a little larger. Therefore, her movements tend to be somewhat rough. However, the materials to be used this time include feathers from a Winger Drake. Even feathers from a Feather Drake are considered top-quality material for Martial Artists and are highly coveted, but using feathers from a Winger Drake signifies even higher impact absorption, and there’s no need for them to be bulky. The gauntlets themselves will also use Lapis Laz, making them lighter. Furthermore, since the gauntlets will be equipped using Ee-quipping, there will be no need to worry about the hassle of putting them on and taking them off. In the future, fighting weapons for Martial Artists will likely be based on the assumption of using Ee-quipping.
“It will be difficult, but with Craft Magic, we should be able to manage.”
Craft Magic is truly reliable.
“Then the greaves will also have a different shape than before.”
“Yeah. And these are from Yamato’s world, right? They’ll be difficult to master, but if you can, they’ll be extremely deadly.”
I think so too. After all, the greaves Ludia chose have blade-like wings, like a dragon’s wings, on the outer side of her shins.
“It’ll broaden our fighting range if we can deliver slashing attacks as well as blunt ones. Plus, with Ee-quipping, they can be removed quickly, so we won’t be wearing them around town.”
“I thought so too. It’ll be hard to master, but I chose these greaves because they seemed incredibly interesting.”
Certainly, if you can deliver slashing attacks with your feet, it would be quite powerful. However, there are no Martial Artists who use such greaves, so I think it would be a problem if no one could give advice when it comes time to use them. But I’m also requesting a spear that no one else uses with the Helios Orb, so in that sense, we’re even. I’m happy just to be able to use weapons with designs I like. But with this, Lydia’s twin swords and Ludia’s fighting weapon are decided. Next is the coat, and the basic design is already decided, so we just need to finalize the armor designs. After that, we need to buy my spear and Yamato’s sword.
