Chapter 167: 152

【165th day】

『Well, here you go』

「Wo, woah~」

I was in the workshop in our basement.

Zoruzoglu-san lined up my weapons in front of me unsheathed. Seeing them in the light of the flames, I let out a cheer.

First, I picked up Zamonglass' sword.

Its weight felt more comfortable in my hand than before. Its previously chipped blade shone with a brilliant luster, and its cutting edge was sharp enough to cut through rock. Parts of its hilt and guard had been changed without affecting how it felt in use.

『As I thought, this sword is a good one. There is a lot of connotation in its forging』

Is the word "connotation" something that’s applicable when talking about swords?

Next, I picked up the katana.

「This is………」

The blade had become thicker than before. However, its weight hadn't changed much. When I ran the blade lightly over my thumbnail, it sliced through it like butter.

Its sharpness sent a shiver down my spine.

『I took your katana apart and reforged it completely from scratch. Lola's claw, the material used to make it, had grown, you see? It has lost all trace of the elegance it once had, but you don't need it to have that kind of beauty, do you?』

「Well, no」

The blade was reddish-black and gave off a sinister air. The demonic gleam of the katana was completely undisguised. It looked every bit a blade meant only to carve through flesh, bone, and the lives of people.

Umm, how do I say this………………it gives me the urge to cut people down.

『Souya-san, Makina has upgraded the scabbard. The newly developed cleaning and sharpening mixture adheres to the sword's blade and is highly effective even in small quantities. Also, it now uses a cartridge system. Once it’s done, the empty cartridge will be ejected from the scabbard, so you don't have to check it by sound like before』

I sheathed the katana into the scabbard Makina handed me.

I loosened it slightly and tried to visualize drawing it.

It’ll work.

No problem. It feels no different from before.

I tapped the butt of the scabbard on the cobbled floor, and after a second or so, an empty cartridge popped out of the device attached to the side of the scabbard.

If this performs the same emergency repairs as before, then its speed has increased dramatically.

The katana is fine. Next is……

『As for the magic sword………………』

Zoruzoglu-san’s voice trailed off.

I have a bad feeling about this.

『Souya-san, Makina will explain. Please look at this image』

Makina displayed an image of Agathion on the pod's screen. The date indicated that it was taken 100 days ago.

She superimposed an image of the current Agathion on top of the previous image.

『Can you tell the difference?』

「Yeah, it's gotten narrower」

Agathion had clearly become narrower than before.

『The body of the blade has lost about 6% of its original mass. That can hardly be expected to have any positive effects. If things go badly, it could suddenly malfunction』

「Can't you fix Agathion the same way you fixed Shuna's sword?」

『Makina doesn’t have the materials to do that. Aga-chan is made of Nido-ized wurtzite boron nitride. As an experiment, Makina tried to adhere a Nido-ized synthetic diamond to Aga-chan, but it wouldn't take hold』

Wurtzite boron nitride.

The only thing I know about it is that it's very hard, but is it very valuable as well?

『A long time ago, in a desert on the center continent, I saw an ore that looked similar to this material. If I were to go and mine it now, let's see………can you wait two years?』

「We don't have that much time. Please put that on hold」

I'll put Zoruzoglu-san’s suggestion aside for now.

I neither know what will happen in two years nor can I wait.

「So I guess I can't use Agathion anymore, huh………」

This is a substantial loss of strength.

It's akin to losing an arm.

『That's not true. Please don't underestimate the helper robots of the 21st century』

「Are you supposed to be a helper robot?」

『Chalala, chachala~ Sheath blade~![1]』

She suddenly blurted out something that came really close to crossing the line.

Has the manufacturer who made her licensed the copyright, I wonder?

『Here's Aga-chan's slightly larger sheath. Makina has also done a little bit of work on this one』

Makina brought out the new sheath for Agathion.

The sheath was about twice as large as the previous one and had a sharp-edged isosceles triangle-shaped tip. Upon taking it from her, I noticed metal slits along its sides.

「Is there some sort of trick to this thing?」

『Please sheathe Aga-chan in it. There's a chemical inside that protects the metal from wear』

I did as I was told and sheathed it.

Even with something as minor as that, small pieces crumbled off the body of Agathion's blade.

『The guard of the sword can be locked into the parts at the opening of the sheath. Push it in firmly until you hear a click』

I pushed the guard of the magic sword into the parts Makina mentioned and there was a loud click

I tried to pull it out forcibly to check how secure it was. It stayed locked in place without issue.

「And?」

What am I supposed to do with this? I wondered as held it up, holding its hilt with my right hand and supporting the sheath with my left.

It's a bit heavy. And it feels weirdly balanced.

『It has voice recognition capabilities. Please say the word "blade”』

「Blade?」

『Oh, watch your fingers』

I had a bad feeling, so I pulled back the hand holding the sheath.

With a loud snap, blades extended out from the slits in the sheath. They were thin and sharp, much like the blades of a box cutter.

「Hey, my finger got nicked a little」

『Come on, a man shouldn't complain about a scratch like that』

Due to the effect of the regeneration point, the cut on my finger disappeared like a mirage.

Because it would be uncool, I didn’t grumble about it.

I gave Agathion a few test swings.

Due to the contraption with the blades and the weight of the sheath, the sound it made as it sliced through the air was heavier than before.

「It's pretty much a blunt instrument now, isn't it?」

I get the feeling that the contraption with the blades isn't really necessary.

『Please use it like that in combat. This will help protect it from further wear and tear for the time being. Each side carries four replacement blades internally. And the blades will detach themselves automatically when they become too damaged, so please keep that in mind』

「Hmm」

I let go of Agathion and held up my hand to make it stay in mid-air.

When I moved my hand, Agathion followed its movements, but it was slower than before. It was also not as responsive as before. However, it did at least move.

「This isn't good………」

It has none of the sharpness it had before. Can it even kill monsters now?

『Do you want me to put it away then?』

「Let's see……………… No, I'll use it」

The truest purpose of a tool is to be used.

That's a very important thing that was taught to me.

If I were to die while it slept in a warehouse, this guy would probably be mortified. If it has a soul, a heart, then I need to take its feelings into consideration.

『So you chose to use it until it's completely spent, huh? You know your stuff better than I thought, foreigner』

「It's just a principle I follow」

I'm just following Izora's words.

『The elves, Hemus, and beastkin don't understand the purpose of tools. A tool is merely something that lasts a little longer than humans. But for just that reason alone, people revere high-quality tools, especially weapons and armor, as immortal existences. What a strange thing to do. They're merely lumps of metal after all』

「Is it really appropriate for a dwarf to say something like that?」

I mean, they're a race that holds the belief that swords possess souls and take great pride in their work.

I never expected to hear him say anything that would disparage that.

『It's precisely because I'm a dwarf that I can say such things. If any other race dares to call forged steel "mere metal" or something like that, I'll throw their heads on an anvil and crack them open with a hammer』

In other words, he was just being self-effacing, huh?

Does that mean that he's looking down on the present and striving for greater heights? I can't put my finger on it, but I think I understand. The skills of those who are satisfied with the status quo will never improve.

『After that, we've also made some armor for you, Souya-san』

Makina unfolded an ordinary-looking black shirt.

『This one looks like just a normal shirt, doesn't it?』

「Oh, yes」

『However~, it's actually quite different』

What's with that infomercial-like way of speaking?

『Zoruzoglu-san』

『Yeah, it's woven together from forged threads of Rmir steel. It won't absorb much impact, but it has unparalleled strength against cuts』

『This is the best blade-resistant shirt in the alternate world. If you buy it now, you'll get five shirts and pants of the same material. And you can pay in installments! It can be yours for a low low price of just 300 gold coins!』

「W, woah~」

I'll just applaud for now.

Isn't this an infomercial, just as I expected though?

『Good grief, how did a dwarf like me end up making fabric?』

『Ehh~ But weren't you also having fun making it, Zoruzoglu-san?』

『Well, that's because I don't hate taking on new and innovative ideas, you see?』

『Mmm-hmm~ Mmm-hmm~』

『H, hey, stop that』

Makina elbowed Zoruzoglu-san with her arm. Zoruzoglu-san looked away, but didn't seem altogether displeased.

What the heck are you two cylinders doing?

「Oh, umm………I don't really care about this, but what about the katana for the baldy?」

『Ahh, the katana for Lemuria, huh? Well, about that one………』

Zoruzoglu-san brought out a katana from behind him with a vexed voice.

Tch, he managed to forge one for him, huh?

『Take a look at it』

「Alright」

I took the new katana and pulled it from its scabbard.

「Eh? What’s this?」

The blade of the katana had a wavy grain-like pattern on its surface. The different colors of the pattern gave it a sense of chaos, as if oil had been mixed in and sealed within the metal.

It was by no means the beautiful hamon(blade pattern) unique to katanas.

『Souya-san, after folding it 10,000 times………………we ended up with Damascus steel』

「No way」

I'm not particularly familiar with it, but isn't the process for making that completely different?

『It's so strange, isn’t it? Even though it was made using the same process as before……… Right, Zoruzoglu-san? Right?』

『Y, yeah』

His reply wasn't very convincing.

Something's different about this one, isn't it?

「Makina, just a quick question. What's the purpose of folding it 10,000 times?」

『Oh, that, huh? It's to create 10,000 layers of steel, which has the effect of increasing the strength――――――』

「No, that's it right there. That's the thing」

『Eh?』

「After 10,000 folds, wouldn't there be………………20,000 layers of steel?」

『Ah』

Makina froze.

You piece of scrap.

『Hey, Souya, folding it 10,000 times will get you way more than 20,000 layers. Try folding a piece of paper and you'll see what I mean. Needless to say, after 10,000 folds, the layers of steel will be so squished together that there's no way to distinguish between them』

He was so right that there was no room for argument. I had not understood it at all.

『Souya-san, we all learn from our mistakes』

「You……aren't you essentially the culmination of human wisdom?!」

This is the kind of mistake an A.I. shouldn't be making, you realize?

『I mean, come on! There's no way a modern A.I. would possess information regarding the ancient methods of Japanese katana forging, isn’t it?! Despite that, Makina gathered up every bit of information available and did everything in Makina’s power to piece it together! And the first katana was fine, wasn't it? Makina doesn't believe that this is necessarily a mistake at all~』

「The heck……」

So you were just winging it? I'm amazed the first katana even turned out as well as it did.

No, perhaps………

「Zoruzoglu-san, could it be that for the first katana………」

『Y, yeah』

The cylinder turned away.

『I thought it was just too much, so I stopped after about 15 folds』

『What?! Zoruzoglu-san, you're terrible~!』

That’s what I thought.

There's absolutely no way you can make a katana just by winging it.

『No, the idea of forging different types of steel into one is brilliant. The history of us dwarves is one of searching for good metals. We were too fixated on finding that one best metal that a simple thing like forging them together didn't even occur to us. So, yeah, you're pretty amazing』

『………Mm-hmm Is that right~? Well, maybe not so much~』

Makina elbowed me, hinting, "Praise me too."

I smacked her arm away.

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「But, Zoruzoglu-san, she made a fundamental mistake that――――」

『Hang on there, Souya-san!』

I'll never let you get carried away. I'll make sure you fall off your high horse.

『That's not exactly true, as you can see from that katana in your hand』

「Eh, no way」

I took another look at the Damascus steel katana.

It's heavier than a normal katana, and it made a distinctive sound when I flicked it with my fingers. That's the sound of sharpness and sturdiness. It's a good blade.

『For the record, it was folded 10,000 times』

Zoruzoglu-san.

I'm sorry that you had to go through all that trouble because of our resident idiot.

『Well, we did build a device that drops a hammer down onto the anvil automatically to make the folding process more efficient though』

That could be useful for other stuff as well.

『And quite naturally, after 10,000 folds, the strength of the metal was totally shot』

『Yeah, that's not surprising』

『So we built a small blast furnace, melted the ruined metal down, cast it, then forged it into what you have there』

「Then, couldn’t you have just――――――」

……made it using the blast furnace from the start?

『Souya-san, there’s a saying in our world that goes, "Failure is the mother of success." In other words, Makina is a mother. And when motherhood is involved, most things can be forgiven』

「That’s not true at all」

『Hey, Makina, that's one hell of a saying. We should engrave it into stone tablets to preserve it for future generations』

『Please make sure to also include Makina's name in the engravings, alright?』

「Don't!」

Don't antagonize every Edison fan in the world.

『Oh, there was some alternate-world Damascus steel left over, so Makina made this』

Makina handed me a folding knife.

It was very similar to the karambit I had lost in the nightmare.

「W, whoa」

That made me very happy.

I had gotten back the last resort I had relied on every now and then.

Flipping its blade open, I noticed that it was much sharper than the cheap mass-produced one I had before. This one was sharp enough to be used regularly instead of only as a last resort.

『………………』

「………………」

『………………』

「T, thank you」

『You’re welcome』

For some reason, I feel really frustrated. No, she did a good job on this and I'm quite pleased with it. But even I can't figure out this mixed feeling I have.

『And now that we've got that out of the way, Souya-san………』

「Yes? What is it?」

She’s changing the subject.

『The maintenance and upgrades to the equipment went well, but there's one thing that Makina has to tell you』

「What?」

Did you use an astronomical amount of money again?

『Makina has introduced a technological singularity into this world. This is against company regulations, and Makina might have no choice but to voluntarily reset to factory settings. That's why Makina wants you to decide if Makina was right or wrong, Souya-san』

「Oh, okay」

I had completely forgotten about it. Yeah, the company president did say something like that.

That sure brings back memories.

「So, which technology is it?」

『It's called flash-frying』

「Flash, err, what?」

『It’s called flash-frying. Alright, repeat after me, flash-frying!』[2]

「Umm, I get that it sounds fancy, but what the heck is it?」

I have absolutely no idea what that is. Stop leaving me hanging and just come out with it.

『It's a process where food is deep-fried in hot oil for a very short time to rid it of moisture, leaving it dry and capable of being stored for a long time』

「………………Hmm?」

『This is a very dangerous technology that could revolutionize the dietary habits of the alternate world. Oh, what a terrible thing it is that Makina has brought into this world!』

After saying that, Makina produced a cup-shaped object.

Without thinking, I accepted it with both hands.

『The container is made from parchment paper hardened with animal glue and the skin of dungeon pigs. It's very waterproof and heat resistant. It's no wonder everyone uses those materials to make waterskins. The lid is also made from parchment paper. The only ingredient it has is diced dried meat, but please bear with it since it's just a prototype』

Makina also took out a thermos.

She poured hot water into the cup and put a spork on top of the lid to weigh it down.

While she was at it, she also prepared one for Zoruzoglu-san.

『Let's wait three minutes』

We waited for three minutes.

I have mixed feelings about this. If Nissin Foods were to expand into the alternate world, we would definitely get sued.

『Alright, it's done~ Please enjoy~』

「………………」

I slurped up a bite.

It had a simple but tasty soy sauce flavor. In addition, I could smell a hint of citrus. For some reason, there was also a touch of cheese in the taste. The noodles weren't firm at all, but they were strangely irresistible. The dried meat that had absorbed the broth had quite a nice texture despite what it was and was delicious.

『A mixture of dried citrus fruits from the alternate world has been mixed into the soy sauce broth. Powdered cheese has also been thrown in. The noodles are high in calories and not firm, but please don't ask too much of Makina』

「Well, it's cup noodles, isn't it?」

『Yes, it’s cup noodles!』

We had made cup noodles in the alternate world.

Hungry?[3]

『Souya-san, Makina is such a sinful woman. This will completely transform the food culture of the alternate world. Wars may be fought over it. Souya-san, can Makina be forgiven for what Makina has done?』

「Well, I forgive you. Ea and Shuna will probably be thrilled. This can also be eaten in the dungeon. I think it's a wonderful invention………even if it's a rip-off」

『It's not a rip-off! It was merely influenced by it! All modern innovations came about through the influence of the work of predecessors, so the cup noodles that Makina made were also similarly influenced! But thank you, Momofuku Ando-san! Nissin Foods!』

Thank you and I’m so sorry.

Is this really okay, I wonder?

『So, Souya-san, Makina was wondering, how much should these be sold for?』

「Eh, you're selling them?」

『What, we’re not selling them? Let's put them on the market and make them widely available to the public. Aim for 100 million units sold!』

What exactly are you trying to achieve by aiming for that?

「For the time being, only our party will get to eat them. If we get into any more disputes over rights and the like, we really won't have any time for adventuring anymore」

『Ehhh, then what is Makina supposed to do with all the prototypes Makina made?』

「Jeez, you spent money and resources on weird stuff again? How many of them did you make?!」

『About 300』

「………………」

Let's see, making one waterskin from the skin of dungeon pigs costs three copper coins. The cost of noodles, oil, soy sauce, and other ingredients is at most one silver coin, I'd imagine. If I include the cost of equipment as well as time and effort spent.........she made 300 of them, so I'd say she spent about 40 gold coins or so?

「Hey, where did you get the money for that?」

『From Makina's secret savings. No way, Souya-san, Makina didn't dip into the adventuring funds』

「By the way, how much do you have in your secret savings?」

『That’s a secret』

Is she making a lot of money behind my back?

Somehow, that scares me.

『Hey. In that case, I won't ask you to give me all 300 of them, but do give me some』

「Okay, Makina can't say that you can have all 300 of them, but feel free to take as many as you like」

Zoruzoglu-san was enjoying his cup noodles with gusto. He was eating it inside the cylinder, so the inside of the glass eye was fogged over due to the steam.

『Hey, give that here. I'll deliver the katana to Lemuria myself』

Zoruzoglu-san said, looking at the katana I had tucked into my belt.

「I can't keep it?」

I kinda like it a lot, this Damascus steel katana.

I'd rather use it myself than let it be a decoration in that baldy's bedroom.

『Don't give me that. You have your own katana, isn't it? I want to catch up with Lemuria, so I'll give it to him while I'm at it. Give it here』

「Tch」

With great reluctance, I gave it up.

What a huge shame……I mean, it's such a nice katana……

「I'll give you lots of cup noodles, so………」

『No can do. Men only reach the heights of greatness when they stake everything on a single sword. You've seen that in Medimu, haven't you?』

「Well, I guess you're right」

If he hadn't sought comfort in the company of a beastkin woman after getting dumped, I might have taken him as an example to follow.

I really wish I hadn't heard that story……

『But………………well, you know………』

After Zoruzoglu-san had finished his cup noodles, the empty container was cast out of the cylinder.

『You have a magic sword that obeys you and you carry two more blades on top of that, huh? That sounds just like Ardi, doesn’t it?』

「Are you talking about Three-Swords Ardi of Vindoobunikuru?」

There's someone in my party who carries that man's sword.

The mistress of the king I serve also has a connection to him.

He's a legend whom I strangely have several ties with.

『It's said that Ardi also wielded a flying magic sword. Whether or not that is Agathion………no way, right?』

「Haha, no way」

It's entirely possible.

I glossed over it by laughing.

『Now, Souya-san』

Makina said, in a more formal tone.

『We're all good here. After helping Zoruzoglu-san get ready for the trip he's about to take, Makina will see him off and that'll be it. What will you do now? You'll be back to adventuring from tomorrow on, right?』

「Ea, Rana, and Lanseal are out doing their own things, while Maria is busy over there and hasn't returned. It's been a while since I was alone, no, I guess I'll go see to Misuranika-sama」

I haven't been attending to her at all lately, so it feels like my faith level has been going down.

『Is that so? Well, that's something important, Makina believes. Also, what should Makina do with these?』

What Makina pulled out were rolled-up maps. They were my reward for defeating the fictitious vampires not too long ago. A record of the adventures that baldy had gone on. The dungeon's strategy guide.

「Throw them away」

『Understood, there we go』

The maps disappeared into the flames of the blast furnace.

The information on them is invaluable. By relying on it, we should be able to reach the 45th floor with ease. We would be able to proceed effortlessly through a difficult place where ordinary adventurers would have to risk their lives going through trial and error in order to advance.

But is that really a good thing?

Is adventuring supposed to be that easy?

I'm well aware that the time I have is limited.

But is it really a good thing for us to just follow in someone else's footsteps and have an easy time adventuring? Won't we be overwhelmed when we encounter unforeseen difficulties? Well, I'll admit that I do bear some resentment towards that baldy and I guess I’ve become more conscious of doing things in an upright manner because of it.

「Wait」

You sure were quick to burn them!

「Jeez, Makina, come on!」

The maps had been reduced to ashes.

『Ehh, wasn't it you who told me to throw them away, Souya-san?』

「I did say that, but I thought you'd stop me, or at least try to dissuade me or something」

『But Makina has digitized the data, so we don't actually need the originals, isn't it?』

Oh………………I see.

Yeah, that's right. You guys are like that, aren't you?

「Then it can't be helped!」

『Fue?』

「Well then, Zoruzoglu-san, I'm bad with goodbyes, so this will be it. Please drop by when the opportunity arises」

『Yeah. When you die, make sure to use all your weapons up before you kick the bucket. A magic sword like this is of no use to others. It'll only cause problems if it survives you』

「Understood」

I returned the Rmir steel sword that had ended up not being used.

After that, we parted without a word.

Such is the way men say their goodbyes to each other.

[1] What Makina yells out here is “外装ブレードぉぉ(Gaiso Bureidooo)”, which can also mean external blades, armored blade, etc, its a very broad term. Since she has subtly changed it to avoid copyright issues, I actually have trouble figuring out what the reference is as searching for it yields no relevant results…… Souya goes more into detail after this, so if anyone has an idea of what IP this is ripping off, please let me know lol.

[2] If you’re wondering why Souya is having so much trouble with a term as simple as “flash-frying”, that’s because, in Japanese, it’s called “瞬間油熱乾燥法(shunkan aburanetsu kansou-hou)” or “instant-hot oil-drying method”. Yup, it’s a mouthful and much harder to understand. Also, it says hot oil, but we’re talking about temperatures of about 608°F or 320°C here, so it’s not exactly something people in the alternate world are going to stumble upon that easily.

[3] This is a reference to a series of commercials by Nissin Foods that have the tagline, “Hungry? Nissin Cup Noodles!”. Just google that tagline and you’ll find tons of them on youtube. And the best thing about those commercials is that absolutely no knowledge of Japanese is required(since nothing is uttered except for the tagline, which is in English).

What a long~~ chapter, huh? The next one is about a third longer, so if it takes a while, you know why…

Due to the surge in blacksmithing shows, when talking about Damascus blades, there can be a tendency to mix Damascus steel up with pattern-welded steel. If you’re really interested in the difference, you can find a lot of people explaining it in detail on Youtube and elsewhere, but to sum it up, true Damascus steel is not made by forging together layers of steel with differing carbon content, but by melting down iron in a sealed crucible with charcoal in it to produce steel.

Upgraded weapons and cup noodles, huh? Souya has finally re-created cup noodles, which Ea wished for really early in the story. And it’s too bad Zoruzoglu-san isn’t hanging around. It’s funny imagining a wooden version of Makina lol. But most of you should have noticed that the contents of this chapter seem to have nothing to do with the title of this arc...though I’m sure you can guess what’s next based on what Souya is planning to do with his free time. Stay tuned for the end of this volume!

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