Chapter 43 - Artificial Magic Sword Creation (1st Attempt) – Dagger of the Demon King's Minion
The two of them went downstairs to the workshop on the first floor and prepared the dagger.
"Shall we begin?"
"I've been waiting for this moment..."
It sounded like the beginning of a grand destiny, but with Dahlia's magic enchantment, it would result in a very weak effect.
If multiple enchantments were successful on a single blade, it would be best to relay the process to Volf and have him consult a mage or an alchemist.
With that thought in mind, she handed him a deep navy-colored work uniform.
"You might get your clothes dirty, so please wear this."
"Is this your father's?"
"No, it wouldn’t fit you if it were my father’s."
"I’ll pay for it later."
"In that case, please help me with the heavy work. You helped me with the fridge, after all."
"Doesn’t it always end up being me who receives something?"
"That’s just your imagination. Once you put that on, please disassemble this dagger."
Volf seemed slightly dissatisfied, but when asked to disassemble the dagger, his expression returned to normal.
The dagger was disassembled into four parts: the blade, guard, handle, and sheath.
"Would you prefer the blade to be hardened and strengthened, or would you like it to have self-sharpening like a kitchen knife?”
"Since this dagger is fairly thick and strong, I think self-sharpening would be better."
As she asked, she placed an enchantment for self-sharpening on the lead-colored blade with her fingertips. It went in almost like a kitchen knife, but required more magic power. It might have been due to the thickness of the blade and the material.
"Should I use a water magic enchantment for cleaning on the guard, wind magic stones for speed enhancement on the handle, and weight reduction on the sheath?"
"Yeah, that sounds good."
"Then, I’ll get to work."
She reworked the guard to accommodate a small, specially processed water magic stone meant for magical tools, then cut the bottom part of the red handle and inserted a small wind magic stone.
After that, she flowed magic into each part and fixed them in place.
So far, the process had been smooth, but when she attempted to use a wind magic stone for weight reduction on the sheath, she stumbled.
Dahlia wasn’t skilled in weight reduction enchantment, so that might have been the cause.
It felt as though the magic was being repelled by the sheath itself.
"This is quite difficult..."
"Maybe it’s fine if we leave the sheath as it is. You’ve enchanted everything else, after all."
"That’s one option, but let me try a bit longer."
She changed the angle of the sheath and directed the magic toward the inside, where the blade would rest.
This time, despite continuously channeling the magic, it felt as though it was being endlessly swallowed up.
"Dahlia, it looks like the sheath is absorbing a lot of magic."
"That’s because I’m not using a magic stone. My magic alone is too weak, so it takes longer. Also, I’m not good at weight reduction."
Her father had been skilled at weight reduction enchantment. He would turn magical tools around in his hands while weaving a rainbow-hued glow from his fingertips.
"Oh, could it be..."
She moved the sheath while channeling her magic, wrapping it around the exterior in smooth, circular motions. The magic, resembling a ribbon, coiled around the brown sheath, covering it neatly.
"It seems that instead of having magic flowing in, I had to wrap it around."
"It’s really interesting to watch, but Dahlia, aren’t you getting tired?"
"I’m fine. But assembling it will require strength, so please help me with that."
She adjusted her magic once more, and finally, the weight reduction on the sheath was complete.
"The guard and handle are a little heavier with the small magic stones, and the sheath didn’t lighten as much as I hoped..."
"No, it’s fine. I think it’s fine as it is, it could even be a little heavier."
Volf said as he tried to fit the blade into the handle, tilting his head.
"The size shouldn’t have changed with the magic enchantment, right?"
"Right."
"Then, it probably just needs a little more force."
As the young man applied more strength, the blade bounced off the table and slid across, falling with a loud crash.
"Volf! Are you alright?!"
"Oh, I’m fine. I was just surprised by how lively it was."
He picked it up and tried again, but both parts repelled each other, preventing assembly.
Volf began applying body enhancement to try and force it together, but the handle made creaking sounds, so he stopped.
"I never thought I wouldn’t be able to assemble it..."
"Well, there’s probably a good reason no one has done it before. It won’t be easy."
Volf looked dejected, but such trial and error was nothing new in magical tool crafting.
"It’s like magic tools. It could be an issue with my magic, the compatibility of the enchantments, or the materials. We’ll have to consider all possibilities and take our time testing it."
"Magical tools and magic swords... making them is tough, huh? Looks like the path to making a magic sword has only just begun..."
Volf tried to summarize it dramatically, but it was, in fact, true.
"The sword itself can be enchanted, so I think it’ll be fine, but as for the magic enchantment compatibility... Oh, wasn’t it something like magic interference? The vice-captain mentioned it, saying it’s hard to use both body enhancement magic and water magic at the same time.”
"Repelled by magical interference..."
If magic interference was indeed the cause, perhaps inserting a material to block the magic between them might help.
"By the way, Volf, you said that black slimes are resistant to fire, water, and wind, and they’re hard to peel off, right?"
"...I think I did say that."
"It might be able to cut off the magic flow. Let’s try applying black slime powder to the exterior."
"Dahlia, let’s not do that! Let’s prioritize safety!"
For some reason, he suddenly stood up and stopped her.
"It’ll be fine. I’ll make sure the gloves are durable, and with you around, I’m not worried."
"...Alright. If anything happens, I’ll carry you to the church with all my strength."
She didn’t understand why he was assuming she would need to go to the church.
She had said she would wear gloves, yet the man in front of her seemed overly worried.
She put on the magic enchantment gloves and mixed black slime powder and medicinal liquid with a glass rod. Volf, who was watching intently, made her a bit uneasy, but she focused on the task.
She placed the black liquid into a silver bucket, then dipped the blade, guard, handle, and sheath into it, one by one. After that, she cast fixation magic on each part.
"Now that they’re fixed, try assembling it. If there’s still any resistance, stop."
She handed Volf her father’s work gloves and asked him to assemble the dagger.
"I think this time it might work..."
The dagger was assembled without issue.
It had a black blade, a black sheath, a black guard, and dark red handle.
It had a very demonic sword-like appearance.
"Somehow... doesn’t it look more like a demonic sword than a magic sword?"
"No, I think it looks cool, like something a demon king’s minion would carry."
Was that truly something to be called "cool," oh knight of the kingdom?
Also, it was Volf, not a demon king’s minion, who was about to wield it.
For a moment, she imagined Volf, equipped with a black sword and black armor, laughing menacingly a step beneath the demon king.
She couldn't help but think it surprisingly suited him—and she didn’t feel guilty about it.
"The cutting edge is decent, water comes out of it, and it picks up a good speed when swung. The sheath is nice and light. The enchantments are working well."
Volf skillfully handled the dagger, but something seemed off. A faint smoke was rising from his hands.
"...Volf, could you place the dagger on this silver plate and show me your gloves?"
"Huh? They look a bit frayed, don't they?"
"This might melt your hands if you’re not careful. I’ll bring over a small piece of meat."
She fetched a thin slice of meat from the fridge, about 2 centimeters thick, and placed it on the black blade.
The raw meat slowly melted on the black blade, and for about two minutes, the two of them silently watched.
The meat had completely turned into a red-black liquid.
It turned out to be a terribly disturbing sword.
"You’re definitely going to burn yourself... Let’s give up on this and try with a new dagger next time."
"No, if I wear strongly enchanted gloves, I can handle it. I can store it in a magic-sealing box for transport."
"That’s dangerous. What are you even going to use it for?"
An artificial magic sword that causes burns—what exactly was its purpose?
"For testing on monsters."
Volf said it firmly, with a smile.
"...I’ve just felt sympathy for monsters for the first time."
Getting slashed and then melted? That was simply too horrifying.
"This is too dangerous to move, so let’s put it in a magic-sealing box and call a mage to remove the magic. I’ll take the dagger to the disposal shop and have it melted down."
"Wouldn't it be better if I take it to the royal castle and have a mage dispose of it?"
"Volf, do you want to be called 'the one who brought a cursed magic sword to the royal castle'? Also, you’ll definitely be stopped at the gate during the luggage inspection, right?"
"Yeah, you're right..."
Despite his words, his eyes never left the black dagger. He might still want to test it on monsters.
"Dahlia, that... I know it's dangerous, but couldn’t we keep it in a magic-sealing box for a little while longer?"
"Huh? You want to keep this?"
"Yeah. Since it’s our very first magic sword, let’s keep it a little longer as a memento."
"I understand. But this is the first magic sword..."
It certainly had multiple magical enchantments, but as a magic sword, it still felt somewhat questionable.
As Dahlia pondered, Volf spoke with a boyish smile.
"Our first magic sword—its name should be 'Dagger of the Demon King's Minion,' right?"
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