Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku

10-41. Magic Metals

Satou’s here. Even a difficult job can become unexpectedly easy if you split it into smaller parts. Even the difficulty of a large-scale program can rapidly decrease when it’s cleverly split. Although, the hard part is cleverly splitting that into smaller bits isn’t it.

◇

"Whip~"

"Whipywhip nanodesu!"

Pochi and Tama are playing with the newly made whip swords in whip mode. The magic blades are divided by around five centimeters each, and it can go up to five meters long. Since they’re trial products for the practice this time, I’ve modified the magic circuits to prevent injuries from using them.

Pochi who’s unable to manage the whip sword finally finds her body wrapped in it. I won’t go as far as saying that it’s as expected, but it’s really like Pochi.

"H, help! Nanodesu."

"Hoitt."

She was struggling for a while, but then she gave up and asked for help. I touch the whip sword and pull out the magic power. Pochi is immediately set free of the binding.

"Thank you nanodesu!"

Pochi stretches her body while saying "U~n."

"Pochi~, like this!"

Tama manipulates two whip swords, entangle them on a tree’s branch, and climbs up the tree, and then from the top of the tree, she entwines a wooden bucket on the ground and pulls it up. Geez, she’s like a certain explorer from somewhere.

I’ll leave those swords for Tama and then give Pochi her true new equipment.

"Pochi might be more suited with this one."

"Amazing nodesu! It’s big nodesu!"

From the short sword that Pochi holds, a nearly-three meters long blade appears. It’s the same kind of magic as Magick Blade. It can cut well yet fragile. In addition, since it’s weightless, it can’t cut like a great sword. Someday I’ll construct an inertia control circuit on it to make it able to cut like a great sword.

I’ve not only made whip swords for the play. I also made various romance weapons like a lance with drill mechanism, rocket-punch like gauntlets, or a pile-bunker which is a shield with a pile-driver machine. Arisa was being continuously frolic about it, but everyone was puzzled when it was the time to use them in actual practice. Well, I guess that’s how it is. Simple is the best.

I present the drill blueprint with strengthened torque to Doa and Kiya couple. It probably won’t be too far off before their Golem Tank is equipped with a drill.

As for the other ones like the pile-bunker, since Shagnig the leprechaun asked only the pile-driver part, I turned it into a normal pile-driver and presented it to him.

I’ll make a Death Scythe and a katana with reversed blade next time.

◇

"Nevertheless, Satou-san really likes mithril don’t you."

"Rather than like, it’s because mithril is the only metal I have that’s suited for magic swords."

Lua-san who was watching the new equipments of Pochi and the others asked while wondering. I can’t use iron and lead since they diffuse magic power, while even though brass, copper, and silver can transmit magic power well, the good ones are too soft to be used for weapons. Bronze is hard, but it can’t transmit magic power as well as copper and silver. In the end, mithril is the only usable one from the process of elimination. Gold transmits magic power as good as mithril, but it’s even softer than copper and silver, and the cost is too high.

"Ara? If it’s the convenient Divine Metal (Orihalcon), you can make both weapons or armors from it you know?"

"Right. For sturdiness and heat-resistance, there’s Hihiirogane, and for weapons, I recommend True Iron (Adamantite) since it’s harder than Diamond although it’s quite heavy. There’s also the Magic Silver (True Silver) if you need to make magic tools."

I wonder what’s with this "If there’s no bread, let them eat cake" atmosphere.

The things that Aze-san and Lua-san casually brought up are the so-called legendary metals. I’ve only ever seen Hihiirogane as the blast furnace that’s used for refining mithril in the dwarf hometown.

"I will be receiving some Orihalcon from the Saga Empire’s hero, but I have no way of obtaining the other metals."

"You can just make it with alchemy."

W, what?!

I grasped both hands of Aze-san who casually said it and asked futher.

"You can make them with alchemy?"

"Yes, i-it’s simple you know? Orihalcon is made from copper, brass and also the philosopher’s stone--"

Waitaminute. Philosopher’s stone, that’s.

"Aze-san, I can’t exactly use the philosopher’s stones unreservedly."

"Didn’t we give you severals the other day."

I’ve already used them. I’ve used them for living armors and spare circuits of airships. I guess I’ll take it from the airships if I need it since taking it from living armor will reset the experience.

"Then I’ll give you another one."

"Is it alright? To give those so readily."

"I-it’s fine."

No wait, even if you cutely sulk like that.

"If Aze-sama says so, I think it’s really fine. Moreover, thanks to Satou-san’s deed, we have acquired 1000 philosopher’s stones from other clans."

"Ah, I forgot. When I said that Satou wished for philosopher’s stones during the high elf assembly, they shared some."

"They gave it since I said I wanted it?"

"Normally they wouldn’t. Although it doesn’t seem like you notice it yourself, you’ve done that much you know."

I bulldozed through it with magic in the end though, I feel quite embarrassed when they praise my own work like this.

Or rather, why do other clans have so much of those?

"A long time ago, Ifurueze people got addicted to the plaything of Furu Empire."

That plaything seemed to be an expensive magic tool, and they paid it with philosopher’s stones as the compensation. Not the courtesan beautiful women, but courtesan games huh.

It seemed they paid with several philosopher’s stones at a time, but most of their philosopher’s stones which had been stocked for several decades were embezzled. It seems there are various high elves huh. I’ll ask them to show me that plaything later. I’m very interested in it as a game developer myself.

"Although those philosopher’s stones were recovered in a thousand years time, we lost a lot during the war with the demon lord which cost us a light ship. Afterward, we used the extra philosopher’s stones to repair the broken light ships, so we didn’t have any saving."

I see.

However, Furu Empire huh. I feel like I’ve heard the name somewhere, turn out it’s the country which was using the money I got in large quantity from the dragon valley. Come to think of it, there were some unusual money too. I take one out and show it to the two as a material for our talk.

"Sa, Satou-san, that coin is?"

"Yes, it’s a thing called Crimson Treasure of Furu Empire that I had acquired before."

"Ara, how unusual."

I hand the Crimson Treasure to Lua-san while saying "It’s a beautiful money isn’t it?" The long-lived Aze-san appeared to know about it.

Lua-san holds the Crimson Treasure over the light and checks it from various angles. Lua-san let out a bombshell before I could say "Please take it with you if you like."

"This is a philosopher’s stone isn’t it?"

"That’s right."

Eh?!

Aze-san plainly answered Lua-san’s question.

"It’s not the philosopher’s stone itself, as it seems to have been processed a bit, but if you’re using it as catalyst, maybe it’s easier to use it just like that I think? If you want to turn it back into a philosopher’s stone, it should be possible by asking elders and wait a decade."

A decade huh, that’s really like a time span of long-lived elves.

"By any chance, magic tools can be made by using this money?"

"Yes, originally philosopher’s stone should be processed first in order to reinforce its magic power when it’s used as catalyst for making magic metals. I’ll teach you later if you want to know about it. I don’t remember it now, but it should be in the memory deposit of the world tree."

I decided to accept her kind offer. I accompany Aze-san to the world tree, and learn the way to use the Crimson Treasure and to make magic metals. The Aze-san inside the memory deposit is divinely beautiful like a demi-god that Leriril said back then, and she’s showing intelligence beyond human understanding. But well, if this was how Aze-san was during our first meeting, I probably would not fall for her even though I surely would think she was beautiful. Aze-san is someone who does "Awawa" after all.

As a compensation, or not, I gave around 1000 Crimson Treasures for the elf hometown since it looked like it would be useful for them. I feel slightly proud since I was able to see the surprised looks on the elders who hardly showed their expressions.

◇

First I made an anvil and a hammer made of adamantite. Next, I used those to forge orihalcon sword. The catalyst was used during this forging process, but since I had been inside Aze-san’s memory, I was able to successfully make the sword from the get go.

Even though I wasn’t too fired up, I ended up making a sword that was several level above the fairy sword in sharpness and endurance. The difference is this great just because I used different material and tools huh.

I’ll make another set of this anvil and hammer and then give it to Elder Dohar next time. He will surely be pleased. Of course together with all sorts of magic metals too.

I bring the experimental swords and intrude upon Arisa and Mia’s training.

"Uwah, that’s some gaudy sword."

"Gold."

"That’s a pretty sword."

"I made these, what do you think?"

I show the sword and also some accessories made from orihalcon to the three. There are around 10 kinds of accessories including necklaces with thin chain, earrings, hair ornaments, and rings. I’ve also made earrings that cover the ears which seem to be popular among the elves.

"Earrings."

"Ah, Mia is unfair. I want that too."

"No."

"Uu, you’re mean."

Unlike the two who’s fighting over it like little children, Arisa puts a ring on her finger ecstatically. Seems that it’s too big for her ring finger, it looks a bit inappropriate put on her index finger. I made that with Aze-san’s finger as the assumption, but looks like it’s a bit too big. I guess that size barely fits Lulu’s ring finger.

After promising Aze-san to make her earrings later, I go back to my original objective.

I put the orihalcon sword I’ve just made in the sword-shaped mold on the pedestal. I pour Blue Liquid on the same-shaped pedestal beside it.

Since the preparation is complete, I ask Mia to cast an original water magic [Circuit Formation: Type 021]. This magic guides the poured blue liquid on the pedestal to form the type 21 magic circuit. In exchange for the fact that it can’t be changed, the specialized magic can manipulate the blue liquid in micron precision, and form a very precise magic circuit.

"Arisa, please."

"Okkey."

Arisa also invokes an original space magic of the same type [Circuit Transfer: Type 021] chantlessly. Just like the name implies, this magic transfers the magic circuit that has been completed by Mia earlier to the orihalcon sword. Just like Mia’s spell, it only has the function to transfer a magic circuit with fixed shape into the placed sword. They’re magic which I have exclusively developed for the making of this magic sword.

Your brain needs to manipulate the image in micron meter if the magic is of general purpose, so it’s not really feasible. In fact, Trazayuya couldn’t come up with the solution for this problem when he was developing magic swords, he failed.

So, I thought of it in programmer-like approach. If it’s difficult to make it general purpose, then it shouldn’t be one. When I thought so, the two magics earlier were the result. In exchange for the limited function and condition to use it, it isn’t influenced by the magician’s ability. It might be what you call the shift from the world of craftsmen, to industrial.

I fill the completed sword with magic power.

The magic power smoothly spreads on the complex magic circuit. The magic circuit is activated, and then the registered magic is invoked.

Umu, it’s a success.

"Uwah, it’s a blue rose."

"Pretty."

"Yes, it’s really pretty."

Looks like it’s popular. When you fill this sword with magic power, thorns and small rose petals appear around the sword. The rose and the thorn can’t be touched since they’re just illusions, but they have an effect of making the opponent that are cut with them to be paralyzed or fainted. Moreover, if you recite the password, around a 10 meters long thorn will extend and bind the opponent. This technique art seems to be an ancient magic of the elves called [Sleeping Thorn]. The opponent that’s binded with it will feel the thorns, and fall asleep after having been paralyzed. Yet, the rose and the petals are merely decorations, so they don’t have any particular effect.

I presented this sword to Pochi’s teacher, Miss Portomea. Aze-san couldn’t use swords, and besides me, everyone else used short swords, a great sword, and a spear, no one used one-handed swords, so by first come first served, it became her.

Since she flaunted it too much, I ended up making a lot of magic swords with the same construction during our stay in Boruenan forest. It would be hard to make them all by forging, so I asked them the leniency for the swords to be made of bronze and of casted magic swords. This casted magic sword is a short sword size and makes red roses appear when you fill it with magic power.

For my companion use, I made the swords in short sword size and forged them from Orihalcon. There were also Arisa’s dagger and Lulu’s kitchen knife mixed among them for some reason.

The sashimis made with the orihalcon kitchen knife were delicious.