Kousuke sighed inwardly as he felt the man in front of him staring with wide-open eyes.
He wished he could get used to it, but he still wasn’t accustomed to being treated specially by people he’d just met.
However, the fact that he couldn’t just approach them familiarly was a painful point for Kousuke.
Kousuke wasn’t forbidden from acting as Asura always said he should, but his tendency to read the mood prevented him from saying so.
As a result, he found himself agonizing every time something like this happened, which, in a way, was his own fault.
Setting aside Kousuke’s internal struggles, the discussion in the meeting room proceeded.
“—And so, this person is the one who brought us this proposal. What do you think? Surprised?”
Dales looked at Dakka with a face that suggested a successful prank.
Dakka, in turn, managed to force out a response.
“Surprised? You… there’s no way you could do this, right?”
After saying that, Dakka shot an awkward gaze towards Kousuke and Floria, then glared at Dales.
His expression clearly conveyed that he wanted to know why Kousuke hadn’t been told beforehand.
“Hahaha! But then it would be boring, wouldn’t it?”
To Dales’s bold declaration, Kousuke and Floria offered wry smiles, while Dakka could only groan.
Still, it was no wonder they calmed down relatively quickly after that, considering Dales had chosen them for their craft. Dakka regained his composure in about five minutes.
“Haa… fine. More importantly, shall we talk about the work? Or rather… shall we?”
Dakka, who had glanced at him before changing his wording, was met with a swift proposal from Kousuke.
“Ah. If using polite language is difficult, feel free to speak as you normally would. That would make things easier, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s appreciated, but is that really okay? You’re using polite language, but it feels like our positions are reversed…?”
As Dakka said that, his gaze shifted to Floria.
While Dales had explained that Kousuke was an Avatar, Floria was merely Kousuke’s companion, and he hadn’t even heard her name.
Dakka understood that, seeing her seated next to Kousuke, she was likely there to oversee him.
Floria smiled at Dakka, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Don’t mind me. It’s fine since Kousuke said so. More importantly, shall we discuss that item soon?”
Floria’s identity as the former Queen wasn’t something that had been discussed beforehand, but it had somehow become a situation where it was being kept hidden.
There was no particular meaning behind it, but it was undeniable that everyone except Dakka had a playful spirit about it.
“Indeed.”
In response to Floria’s words, Kousuke nodded and turned his gaze to Dales.
Receiving Kousuke’s gaze, Dales nodded once and then patted Dakka on the shoulder.
“Come on. How long are you going to hesitate? More importantly, is that matter possible?”
“…Ah. It’s certainly troublesome, but if done skillfully, we can create something unprecedented, that’s for sure.”
“Yes, that’s good.”
At Dakka’s reply, Kousuke beamed.
The reason Kousuke had gone out of his way to ask Dales to call the blacksmith Dakka was to create a certain weapon.
That weapon was a sword that combined a normal sword with a magic circle, essentially a magic sword.
The documents Kousuke had provided through Dales detailed the procedure for creating a magic sword.
Kousuke had told Dales to have him read the documents and then select someone reliable who could judge if it was possible to make.
And so, Dakka was the one chosen by Dales and brought to the management layer.
Kousuke had previously made a staff using a similar method for Shurein, but unfortunately, blacksmithing was too specialized a field for amateurs to dabble in.
As an Avatar who didn’t have to worry about lifespan, he might eventually acquire such skills, but it was impossible to create a good weapon immediately.
Therefore, he had specifically requested a craftsman who would be interested.
The fundamental creation method differed between the staff and the sword, and the sword, in particular, required specialized techniques.
Perhaps because technical matters were being discussed, Dakka became more accustomed to talking with Kousuke, and the conversation proceeded smoothly afterward.
Of course, even though it progressed smoothly, it was inevitable that some adjustments would be needed since the documents were created by Kousuke, who was unaccustomed to blacksmithing.
However, these were not issues that would halt the plan itself, and they could be resolved with modifications on the spot.
In the end, the discussion concluded in about two hours, and the plan proceeded without any issues.
***
Half a month later, with the sword being forged through Kousuke and Dakka’s collaboration.
The same faces from before gathered in the management layer’s meeting room, their expressions of surprise resting on a longsword placed on the table.
Dakka was surprised because Kousuke had performed the final adjustments, and he was unaware of how the sword had turned out.
“Even though I had a general idea of the finished product… it turned out like this.”
“Wow. The sword turned out so well that I kinda got carried away.”
Kousuke looked somewhat sheepish in front of the murmuring Dakka.
“Well, in that regard, I can’t exactly say I’m any different.”
Since things had progressed more smoothly than expected, Dakka got into the flow of things and got carried away while forging the sword.
As a result, it had become one of the best five swords in Dakka’s blacksmithing career.
Floria, watching the two creators with a sigh, turned to Dales.
“So, what do we do? I don’t think we can reveal this to the public, no matter how you look at it.”
“You think so as well?”
Dales responded with a disappointed expression and a sigh.
The sword before them was unlike any magic tool sword produced so far.
Normal magic tool weapons were made by adding magic circles to pre-made items to exhibit magical effects.
However, the sword created this time had magic circle effects integrated from the beginning, resulting in an overwhelmingly superior effect, especially in terms of efficiency.
Improved efficiency in magic power and the like allows for more actions from the user.
There were other minor improvements as well, but these were likely the points a user would significantly notice.
However, that alone wasn’t why Floria and Dales showed such reactions.
On top of its already improved efficiency, Kousuke had packed in various magic circles to their limits, boosting its performance to the verge of becoming a divine tool.
The reason it hadn’t become a divine tool, despite being made by Kousuke, was simply that it wasn’t designed to utilize divine power.
It was made to be usable with magic power alone.
Hearing Floria say it couldn’t be revealed, Dakka contorted his face.
“Hmm. Does that mean it can’t be sold?”
“No, that’s not quite right. If we were to put it up for auction, for instance, it would undoubtedly break the all-time record for the highest price.”
Dakka looked puzzled at Floria’s confident assertion.
“Then why?”
Dakka, being a blacksmith, fundamentally wanted his creations to be used.
That was the reason for his hesitation, but Kousuke calmed him down with a sigh.
“In a word, it would become a seed of strife. And, if things went badly, it could even lead to conflict between nations.”
“Guh.”
As if he hadn’t considered that, Dakka let out a low groan.
The sword created by the two possessed enough power to disrupt the balance between nations with just a single piece.
Dakka was aware of this as well, which caused him to become speechless.
Ultimately, the sword created this time was sealed by Kousuke, who then appeased and convinced Dakka to create something more restrained next time.
The collaborative sword has been completed.
The difference between a sword made with the intention of imbuing magic circles from the start and a sword with magic circles added to a pre-made item is like the difference between ready-made clothes and custom-ordered clothes.
