We finished packing up our camping gear, and in the morning, we confirmed Mylight’s condition and destroyed several Orc and Goblin settlements.
The Orc settlement was small, only a cluster led by a Giant Orc, but the Goblin settlement had spawned a Goblin Queen and Goblin Princesses, so there were many of them and they were bothersome to defeat.
We also hunted Feather Drakes, Wind Rocks encountered along the way, and their higher forms and rare species, then returned to Alka before lunch.
During that lunch, Raus and Reina approached me with a consultation about mage equipment.
As a mage myself, I was interested, and it seemed Mako felt the same way.
“If you want to be able to use them immediately, you could sew a dagger onto the coat or embed it into the Celestial Globe. But Mako, you don’t use a Celestial Globe, and since you have Hihishirokane, you’re not worried about close-quarters combat, right?”
“I can’t say I’m not worried at all, but I also have Spirit Dipper, and Agatholam can separate its feathers for similar uses, so I’m not too concerned about weapons. However, daggers can be used by non-mages too, so it wouldn’t hurt to attach one somewhere on the coat.”
While the number of Hunters called Mages is increasing, they still account for only about 10%, at most 20%, of the total. Furthermore, Celestial Globes are completely custom-made items.
Therefore, most Mages use staves, but staves, too, are not for close-quarters combat; they are intended to assist with magic.
Their fighting style, like that of Archers, is purely rear-guard support and attack. However, since many of them are physically weak, they are even less suited for close-quarters combat than Archers.
But if they cannot fight in close quarters, they will often become a hindrance during Raids.
Therefore, attaching daggers to Celestial Globes or coats would be a sufficient countermeasure.
“That’s a good idea. Daggers… maybe I should attach them to both the Celestial Globe and the coat.”
“Wouldn’t one be enough?”
“No, we also wanted to have daggers as auxiliary weapons, and Mages are unaccustomed to close-quarters combat. So, by preparing them as spares, I think we can reduce the risk.”
Indeed, I am not adept at close-quarters combat, so even if I used a dagger, I wouldn’t achieve much.
However, I might be able to create an opening to regain my stance, so having one would make a big difference compared to not having one.
Since I’m doing something I’m not used to, I might drop or have my dagger taken, or it might get broken, so the idea of preparing an extra one as a spare is understandable.
“Ah, so that’s what you mean by spare.”
“It’s certainly necessary. Furthermore, if we use Soarding, even a dagger can provide sufficient attacking power. So, if we get used to it, we might be able to use them for regular hunts.”
As Mina-san said, with Soarding, a new magic recently conjured by Yamato, we can dramatically increase attack power by wrapping elemental magic around the blade or tip, compensating for a dagger’s short reach and lack of power.
Blading, which we and Ancient Classes often use, can only be used by High Classes or higher.
While it is possible for Normal Classes to use similar magic as a Unique Magic, exerting power requires corresponding Mana consumption, leading to rapid depletion.
Thus, it is said that Soarding was created as a lower-tier version of Blading, with reduced power and Mana consumption.
Soarding has consistent power and Mana consumption, but it can manifest attribute blades the size of a short sword and increase the weapon’s strength and destructive power by about five times, making it easy for Normal Classes to use. My classmates often used it during Labyrinth training.
Moreover, it also increases Mana reinforcement by five times, so weapons don’t break easily, which is excellent.
Daggers are also useful in confined spaces where main weapons are difficult to wield, so they would be beneficial for those using polearms.
They can also be used for throwing, so considering that, a few daggers along with the Crest Defender Coat and Celestial Globe seem like a good idea.
“While they can be used for throwing, you can’t use Storage in a pinch, so placing one on your non-dominant arm or behind your waist would be safest, wouldn’t it?”
“If it’s behind your waist, you won’t be able to attach a storage bag, so wouldn’t it be safer on your non-dominant arm?”
“If you use a dedicated mirror sheath, you can prepare multiple, making them easier to use for throwing.”
Mirror sheaths, you say.
They are sheaths with mirroring applied. I recall Flam and Rebecca also had Mirror Quivers that held a large number of arrows.
This seems to be a sheath version of that, but arrows and daggers are quite different, so it shouldn’t be easy to make, right?
“Eh? Putting multiple daggers into a sheath, isn’t that dangerous when drawing them?”
“No, it’s fine. There are Hunters called Throwing Swordsmen, though they are few in number, and they often throw daggers. That’s why specialized Mirror Sheaths for Throwing Swordsmen are also available.”
Throwing Swordsmen are Hunters who primarily use daggers, excelling in both close-quarters combat and ranged attacks through throwing.
As a tactical drawback to throwing, a constant supply is needed, which incurs costs. However, by alternating between daggers for throwing and daggers for close combat, and using iron daggers for throwing, costs can be reduced. Furthermore, for users of Telekinetic Magic, manipulation and retrieval are easy, so expenses are lower than one might think.
The Mirror Sheath is what these Throwing Swordsmen use, capable of storing many daggers and designed to prevent accidental cuts when drawing them.
“I see. If you can use Telekinetic Magic, you can use them like Yamato’s Ice Edge Javelin, expanding your range of attack.”
“Even more so if you use them with Soarding.”
That’s certainly true.
The stars surrounding the Celestial Globe each have a different shape: Reina’s Griffith Light Star is a wing, Sir Yuri’s Elemental Castle is diamond-shaped, and my Gloria Star Orb is star-shaped.
The Starlight Orb I used previously was a perfect sphere, and it was also the first Celestial Globe, so they are called stars by analogy. If Soarding is used on these stars, the applications Reina and Yamato mentioned become possible.
However, not all Mages can fight in such ways, and it’s impossible for Throwing Swordsmen due to the nature of their weapons.
Therefore, Mirror Sheaths are used almost exclusively by Throwing Swordsmen.
“Huh? But didn’t weapons break easily when you evolved to High Class back in the day? So, when other weapons broke, did you retrieve them from those Mirror Sheaths?”
“No, to make a Mirror Sheath, you need at least an S-rank Magic Stone. Furthermore, depending on the magic applied and how it’s applied, it was only feasible for daggers. There are ones for long swords, but I believe those require at least a P-rank Magic Stone.”
“As for spears and axes, retrieving them from a sheath is impractical. I remember hearing it was faster to just retrieve them from Storage.”
Edward and Prim answered Aurora’s question. It seems that for these reasons, only Throwing Swordsmen used them.
However, I had never considered that there was an art to applying the magic beyond the magic itself.
Now, P-rank and even M-rank Magic Stones are easier to use, but they say no Hunters use them for Mirror Sheaths.
Even when using an M-rank Magic Stone, the only significant effect is an increase in storage capacity, and if it gets broken, it could result in a loss.
Indeed, regular weapons and sheaths can be broken, so Mirror Sheaths are no exception.
Moreover, if a Mirror Sheath is broken, all the daggers stored within are also destroyed, making it a complete loss depending on the monsters you’re facing.
That’s why Throwing Swordsmen don’t approach monsters too closely; they are swordsmen who *throw* swords.
“I see. Ah, that’s why they’re portable auxiliary weapons, and you can throw them in a pinch.”
“Precisely. Moreover, looking at Reina’s fighting style this morning, if she gets cornered in close combat, she could make an unexpected mistake even against a weaker opponent. If that’s the case against weaker opponents, it’s obvious what would happen against equally matched or stronger ones.”
Indeed.
This is not to say Reina’s fighting style was flawed, but it’s a common problem for Mages.
Even Mages who use staves use them to assist with magic, making them inferior as close-quarters weapons compared to swords, spears, or axes.
Still, it’s better that they can block attacks, but with Celestial Globes, they can’t even do that.
While they have magic like Telekinetic Magic and Barrier Magic, their defense can’t be easily broken even by stronger opponents, but since they aren’t blocking with their own strength, it could be considered more terrifying in a way.
However, even with daggers, if you strengthen them with a Mana Ring, you can block attacks yourself, and by using Soarding, you can give them one-hit-kill power.
Of course, you need to learn how to use daggers, but when your life is on the line, you shouldn’t begrudge that much effort.
“The problem is that we’re currently in the process of creating a prototype of the Crest Protector Coat. We’re using Hihishirokane and high-rank materials without restraint, and we intend to attach Mirror Sheaths and Flam and Rebecca’s Mirror Quivers directly. So, it will take some time to craft the daggers and further, to make the Mirror Sheaths.”
“Ah, I’ll do that. It’s for Reina’s sake, and Sir Yuri and Aria should also have them prepared quickly. I apologize that it will be a makeshift solution, but…”
Indeed, the Crafters were in the midst of tailoring a new coat called the Crest Protector Coat.
Using materials from the highest-rank monsters in the Krater Labyrinth, including Leviathans, without reservation, and employing Hihishirokane for the armor, along with high-rank gemstones as a supplement to Magic Stones, it’s certain to surpass the performance of the Crest Defender Coats we are currently using.
This requires considerable time for magic enchantment and tailoring, leaving the Crafters fully occupied.
Therefore, I had assumed that the production of Mirror Sheaths would either happen after the Crest Protector Coat production settled down or be integrated into the Crest Protector Coat from the beginning. However, Reina’s elder sister, Fiana, volunteered.
“From our perspective, even a makeshift solution is a great help.”
“Yes. While we are training for close-quarters combat, it is primarily geared towards humans. It’s impossible to defeat monsters with bare hands, even if they have evolved.”
It might not be impossible, but it’s something we’d rather not do.
So, if Fiana crafts them for us, as Sir Yuri says, it would be a great help.
“Big sister, you have Satsuki-chan to look after, are you sure it’s okay?”
“Yes, of course. Camellia also isn’t hunting since she’s pregnant, so she’s not only looking after Satsuki but also Saki-sama and the others. Besides, I’m the one who made the Mirror Quivers, so it won’t take too long if it’s just a makeshift one.”
So, Fiana was the one who crafted Flam and Rebecca’s Mirror Quivers.
“Eh? Camellia-oneesan also got pregnant?”
“Yes. We found out yesterday. She’s three months along.”
Camellia’s pregnancy was discovered yesterday.
She said it so casually that I almost missed it, but this will be Edward’s second child. Camellia, who grew up in an orphanage, is skilled at childcare and is well-liked by the children, including Saki-sama, and Fiana’s daughter, Satsuki-chan, is also attached to her.
Therefore, she can entrust the children to Camellia while she works.
“Camellia is pregnant too? That’s wonderful news.”
“In that case, we must celebrate tonight with some of our prized ingredients.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you very much.”
Camellia blushed a little, but she looked very happy.
If she’s three months pregnant now, her due date would be around February.
That would make her child the same age as Mina-san and Lyra-san’s children.
Their due date was in October, if I recall correctly.
Although not as many as last year, we seem to be having a baby boom again this year.
It’s a joyous occasion, and Alka will be livelier once again.
