Chapter 45 - Acquiring Survivability
"Young Master, I heard you’re feeling down. Well, I've heard that's just part of being a commander. But if you keep moping around like this, you won’t set a good example for the younger ones."
A voice suddenly called out from behind me. It was Master, who I had given free rein to visit me whenever he pleased.
"Master. That may be true, but I can’t see any light at the end of this tunnel. To me, it's the same as sending those who are like family to certain death."
"Well, Young Master, I’ve got some good news for you. Want to hear it?"
"What is it? If it’s a brilliant idea that could solve my immediate problems, I’m all ears."
"Yeah. Here, take a look at this."
Master placed a chunk of metal on the worktable in the smithing room. It gleamed with a dark luster, distinctly different from regular black steel. I could sense a faint aura of something like mana emanating from it. What is this?
"That’s the ingot you made, and it caught my attention. You mentioned you mixed various things into a black steel and crafted it into a knife."
"Yeah, that’s right. And?"
"You gave me the leftovers, didn’t you? One of my apprentices has a high-temperature furnace, so I used it for some experiments. And then, this came out. I tested all the samples you gave me. Each one had a different melting point, but they all ended up like this. And, Young Master, I know exactly what this is."
"What do you mean?"
"Take a look at these as well."
Two objects wrapped in cloth. One was rod-shaped, and the other was a curved plate. What could they be? Without a word, Master pulled back the cloth to reveal them—a sword longer than a standard blade and a piece of chest armor (breastplate) for light armor. Both were jet-black, adorned with tiny sparkling specks that glimmered like a river of heavens in the night sky.
"Both of these ended up as relic-class items (artifacts). There was something strange about the black steel you made, Young Master."
"...What is this?! Wait, strange? About my black steel? What are you talking about?"
"Well, to put it simply, this is what people call a magic sword and magic ore armor. The black steel you made had a surface texture similar to magic ore. You see, magic ore is only found deep inside a limited number of mines (mountains). It's rare and has many impurities, so to make even a single sword, you'd have to extract a significant amount. Magic ore ingots are so expensive that only a handful of master smiths can even touch them. Naturally, the amount circulating in the market is almost non-existent. Well, I’ve been a smith for a long time, and I’ve been called in to help with magic ore projects a few times. The strange thing is, although your black steel looked completely different, it felt identical to magic ore. That’s what caught my attention. Among the materials you mixed, didn’t you use crystal powder and magic powder?"
"Well... yes... They were easy to get and helped conduct mana."
"Without using magical flames, if you heat crystal powder and magic powder at high temperatures, they’ll melt. You know that, right? So, I used the high-temperature furnace to melt them into metal ingots. And guess what? They turned out just like the real thing (magic ore). In fact, the purity of your creation is higher. As an experiment, I forged a sword and a breastplate. These are the results. I haven’t engraved any runes (TL/N: Previously translated as magic circuit. Changed because the author provided an English term for 魔法術式) yet. You’re good at incantations, aren’t you? Care to give it a try?"
The items before me. A sword and armor with a black luster. The sword was razor-sharp and surprisingly light when lifted. Its balance was perfect for swinging. The chest plate, meant for light armor, had properly drilled holes for mounting. This... this is...
"Master, from your perspective, what kind of rune for incantation would be most useful in this region?"
"Your concern is the poor quality of your soldiers’ gear, right? Then for swords, something like Sharpening, and for armor, Toughness would be the natural choices. But how are you planning to channel mana into them? Traditionally, wielders of magic swords needed at least a viscount’s level of internal mana, didn’t they?"
"That’s true... For that..."
Various runes unfolded in my mind. A magic sword... could I even call this one? If I thought of it as a magitech tool that conducts mana exceptionally well... perhaps. Numerous ideas flashed through my mind, and all of them seemed to tell me, Yes, this will work.
"I believe I can make it work. Master, would it be possible to mass-produce these?"
"That depends on the supply of your material, Young Master. I can easily gather craftsmen for the job. In fact, if they get to work on something like this, many would probably volunteer their services without pay. But you’ll have to ensure the secrecy of the process, won’t you?"
"Yes, that’s true..."
"In that case, I’ll call on the most capable and diligent among my apprentices. You’ve already been granted permission to install a high-temperature furnace, so we’ll set it up here at the Fortress and start production."
"That would be great!!"
"I wanted to support your desire to protect your soldiers. Feeling a bit more hopeful now?"
"Yes, yes, absolutely. Master, I’m deeply grateful. This will greatly improve the survivability of our troops. Both the swords and armor will be a blessing for our infantry."
"I'm glad to hear that you're happy. Nooow then, we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s discuss the details—how much we can produce and how long it will take."
Master let out a hearty laugh. He cared, too. The people living in this frontier were constantly under threat from the dangers of the Demonic Forest. To gain the power to stand against it was a shared dream. He was willing to lend his skills for the sake of those who fought on the frontlines. That spirit—truly the spirit of a man of the frontier.
I suppressed the joy surging within me, threatening to make me leap for joy, and sat down with Master to iron out the details. The amount of black steel we would need immediately. Preparations for the high-temperature furnace to be installed in the Fortress. The number of blacksmiths to be assigned and their character. The types and quantities of equipment to be produced. We finalized the terms and put them into a contract, carefully written out on parchment.
This was a critical agreement between the commander of the guerrilla unit and a master smith. Every detail was meticulously discussed and documented, then put into action with sincerity and diligence. Master laughed and said, "You didn’t need to go to such lengths." But this was how I worked. I wanted every step to be taken seriously.
--- This was the way I do things.
―――― § ――――
The prototypes were completed in one of Master’s apprentices’ workshops. We managed to produce enough to equip Old Man and the fifth-year soldiers. While I intended to distribute them to the rest of the soldiers gradually, the preparations at the Fortress were not yet complete. However, Master was pushing the process forward with enthusiasm, and we were making steady progress. The high-temperature furnace would be installed in about two weeks, and another two weeks after that would be needed for producing the artificial magic ore and then the subsequent equipment.
Once we had a clear timeline, I decided to show Master’s sword to Old Man and the senior officers of the guerrilla unit.
I made some modifications to the design. I turned it into a magitech tool so that even those without internal mana could use it. I developed a special magic battery prototype and embedded it in the handle of the sword. By gripping it, the magic would activate; loosening the grip would stop it. The magic battery had a viscount-level capacity, limited by the available space in the hilt. Because of this, the Sharpening effect would only activate when needed.
As for the light armor, I upgraded the material for the chest and back plates. These had more space, so I installed magic batteries with count-level capacity. During operations, the Toughness effect would remain active as long as the armor was worn, and deactivate once removed.
After preparing all of this, I presented it to Old Man and other officers of the unit.
In my mind, I thought I had obtained good things, but now, I wonder how they would perceive them?
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