Chapter 8.29

Chapter 8.29

Nozomu, having witnessed the unusual sight of his childhood friend, looked at Lisa and the dwarf who seemed to be the owner of this workshop with a fishy expression on his face.

The dwarf's glare at Lisa was so severe that Lisa seemed to be scurrying away, her eyes swimming frantically in the opposite direction, as if to escape.

What had his childhood friend gotten herself into?

Nozomu stifled his sigh as he turned his attention to the person who might have caused the problem.

"Lisa, what on earth have you done? The Dwarf shopkeeper seems to be in an unusual state of anger."

"A-, anyway! Nozomu, what brings you to this deserted blacksmith shop?"

"Sorry for being so deserted! Looks like you haven't reflected on what you've done..."

Lissa tried to forcefully dodge Nozomu's question, but the dwarf was furious and began to look at Lisa with an even harsher gaze.

The dwarf is short even for an adult, standing no taller than Nozomu's chest to stomach height.

But the intimidation that radiated from his short stature was enough to make even Nozomu, who was not under his gaze, gasped.

Lisa, unable to bear Wandall's pressure, quickly hid behind Nozomu's back like a gust of wind.

"What have you done, Lisa?"

"Ummm, hehehehe..."

Lisa tried to cover up her embarrassment with a wry smile, but when Nozomu stared at her, she seemed to have given up and began to explain why she was there.

"This is my regular weapons store."

"Hee..."

According to Lisa, this dwarf is named Wandall Kaul, and he is one of the most skilled blacksmiths in this craftsmen's district.

However, his character is stubborn and obstinate with a full-blown craftsman's spirit, and he does not easily make weapons for his customers.

Many Dwarves tend to have difficult personalities, and Wandall is no exception.

In other words, Lissa was recognized by Wandall to the extent that he was willing to make a weapon for her.

Nevertheless, why was the dwarf in question so angry? Anri spoke up on behalf of Nozomu's question.

"Wandall-sa~n, what in the world has happened?"

"This clumsy bastard broke the new weapon I just made for her."

In response to Anri's question, Wandall presented Lisa's sword, which had been broken in half.

The broken sword was not only broken, but also cracked here and there on the blade and fused as if it had been heated to a high degree of temperature, making it a terrible sight at first glance.

What in the world had she done with it? Another question came to Nozomu's mind.

However, as a weapon, it would wear out if used, and it was inevitable that it would break in the process.

Certainly, the craftsman who made the weapon would not feel good about having his weapon destroyed, but weapons and armor are generally consumable items.

It is inevitable that they will eventually break.

"I understand your anger, but since it's a weapon, it can't help but break, can it?"

"I know that! The problem is that this clumsy bastard brings in a broken weapon once every three days!"

It seemed that Wandall was not angry at the broken weapons per se, but rather at the unusual frequency of them.

When Nozomu glanced at Lisa, who was hiding behind his back, she turned her gaze away and began whistling.

Seeing her reaction, Nozomu was also convinced that Wandall was telling the truth.

"What in the world could possibly cause a weapon to break that often?"

"Umm, well. I was practicing my [Niveei Magic Manipulation] for a bit, and I messed up... Well, it can't be helped! As Nozomu says, everything that has a form will eventually break!"

Tehe-pero.

Wandall's fist struck Lisa, who was smiling as if she was trying to play it off.

The fist, which was not unlike a Dwarf's short frame, swung down with an amazing leap and struck Lisa directly in the head.

"Ouucch~!"

"You idiot! You're making excuses for your inexperience and inability to handle the weapon!."

Lisa screamed in agony and Wandall exploded once again.

"Ugh, I felt bad for being so reckless, but I knew I had to step up to the challenge!"

According to Lisa, this unusual frequency of weapon destruction was the result of her intense experimentation with [Niveei Magic Manipulation].

When they asked her about the details of what was going on, she told them that she was trying to see if she could make the magic enhanced by [Niveei Magic Manipulation] concentrate more precisely.

Although Lisa originally excelled in firepower, but her penetration power when using [Niveei Magic Manipulation] could instantly reach S-rank.

It could be clearly seen from the fact that she made the final move when Nozomu went out of control before.

And since then, Lisa was trying to further hone her [Niveei Magic Manipulation].

She used Nozomu's [Phantom] and Irisdina's magic sword as reference.

And both [Phantom] and [Lunar Eclipse] required very precise control.

The fact that the improvement in control directly leads to the improvement in power is very convincing if one were to look at both Nozomu and Irisdina.

At the same time, that precision is an area that the current Lisa cannot reach, and Lisa's adventurous spirit was tingling at the thought of taking on such a challenge.

Nevertheless, Lisa's magical qualities are oriented more toward power than control. Therefore, it is difficult for her to make such an intricate magic sword like Irisdina's.

Then, what should she do?

After much consideration, Lisa decided to make up for the lack of control by drawing a formula for controlling magic power with ink to draw a formation on her own sword. She wanted to try to control the magic power by using the formation method, just like Tom had done.

However, despite the experiment, there was no way she could produce a high-quality product like Tom's, and the magical power she poured into the ink leaked out like water into a bottomless well.

Reluctantly, Lisa asked Tom to carve a portion of the control formula used by Tima, but this time, the control formula could not be activated.

Originally, Tom's newly created techniques, including the heterogeneous mixing techniques, were based on the premise that he had Tima's class of magic power.

Therefore, Lisa lacked the magic power required to activate the formula.

"Why didn't you carve a normal control technique there?"

"You see, the magic I am good at is weighted towards the fire attribute. Besides, I thought that the control technique for Tima-san would be more than strong enough to be used with [Niveei Magic Manipulation] ..."

There are many different types of magic control techniques, both traditional and modern.

From those that function as circuits for the activation of formation magic to those that are suitable for various attributes.

There are as many types as there are stars in the sky, including those that improve the efficiency of attribute conversion, improve output through magic power interaction, and even reinforce the techniques themselves.

Among them, the technique that Tom created for Tima is a custom-made technique made for her, who has aptitude for all four attributes.

The basis of the technique is a circular arrangement of magic control techniques suitable for each attribute, and then a special technique is engraved to complete the process.

In addition, in order to receive the enormous amount of Tima's attribute magic power, the strength of the magic control technique is second to none.

Of the four attributes of the magic control technique, the fire attribute was the one that Lisa asked Tom to engrave for her.

"After that, I thought I'd like to give it a try~..."

(I see, so that's her real intention...)

Seeing Lisa scratching her cheek and letting her gaze wander, Nozomu was reminiscing about his childhood.

His curious childhood friend had often gotten into all sorts of trouble after getting settled in the village, often calling it an adventure.

The biggest troublemaker in his hometown was undoubtedly Lisa.

After all, it was her curiosity that led Lisa to the Tima-exclusive control technique, and it was her outburst of adventurous spirit that made it difficult for her to back down.

In fact, Lisa was not one to give up due to lack of magic power; she would take out magic stone to supplement her lack of magic power.

Furthermore, she continuously used [Niveei Magic Manipulation]. As a result, it seemed that Lisa's sword could not withstand the amplified magic power and the power that kept doubling, and finally exploded.

"... Are you an idiot?"

"Wha~, even Nozomu. How cruel!"

Lisa protested at the words that came out of his mouth unintentionally, but as for Nozomu, he had no desire to cover for her at all in this matter.

To begin with, Tom's heterogeneous mixed technique is only possible with not only Tima-class magic power, but also with Feo's outstanding control of his beastly form.

Even so, the recoil from the activation of the technique was tremendous, to the point that the medium was damaged until it could not be reused.

Naturally, it is not a technique that can be controlled by Lisa alone.

What is even worse is that the current Lisa did not have the temperament to give up after a single failure, and continued with this reckless experiment, thinking that it was a good practice to push herself to her limits.

"Perhaps, are you using it during the Opening Festival?..."

"Of course not. I would not use a sword with such a technique on it! And the sword used in the experiment was a spare sword..."

While listening to Lisa's lame excuses, Nozomu looked at her broken sword again.

The sword was already completely ruined as a sword, looked so horrible, yet when he wiped the soot stained blade, he could see a shiny luster peeking out from the cracked and melted edge.

Although it was a spare weapon, the quality of the sword must have been as good as Lisa's personal sword.

(I bet that guy, Tom, thought he could get some good data, so he pompously and casually applied this technique...)

In summary, this tragedy was the result of Lisa's enthusiasm for adventure and Tom's enthusiasm for research running out of control.

"Haa, seriously..."

Nozomu let out a dismayed voice at his friends, who had recently been causing trouble following Feo.

"Lisa, I think this is indeed reckless."

"Well, If I think about it now, it is indeed too much... That said, I don't want to hear from you telling me I'm being reckless when it comes to training!"

"You're so noisy!"

"Gya~n!"

Wandall's fist struck Lisa again.

With a second bump on her head, Lisa was forced to plop down on the workshop floor again.

Nozomu, while sighing at the sight of Lisa, felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

When she was a child, her mother used to get angry with her after Lisa took Nozomu and the others on adventures.

At the same time, Lisa's appearance, which overlapped with scenes from the past, showed that the girl he was attracted to had truly recovered.

Nozomu let out a breath of relief in the back of his mind at the adventurous appearance of the girl he was once attracted to.

"Good grief ... So, what brings you here, boy?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow your furnace for a moment..."

As Wandall let out a sound of dismay at Lisa's behavior, he urged Nozomu to tell him what he had come to the store for.

Wandall, who had heard of Nozomu's intentions, clapped his hands as if he had just remembered something, and then turned his attention back to the sword Nozomu was holding.

“Ah, I've heard about it from Anri-jō-chan. I can lend it to you ... but on one condition."

"Condition?"

"Yes, I want you to show me the katana at your waist, [Mumei]. That is the condition."

At the unexpected condition, Nozomu couldn't help but put his hand on the katana that he carried at his waist.

[Mumei]. The beloved katana of Nozomu's master, Shino, and a well-known ex-demon sword in the East.

Although he was surprised when he heard about the unexpected origin of this precious katana, since Shino had already subdued it, Nozomu only felt that it was an extremely exceptional and cherished katana.

Nevertheless, there was no doubt that it was an extraordinary sword as it did not break even when Tiamat's power was poured into it.

It would be no surprise that dwarves, who are known as the metal-loving race, are also curious.

"Sounds good ..."

Nozomu removed his treasured katana from the sword belt at his waist and handed it to Wandall.

Pulling the presented katana from its sheath, the dwarven blacksmith examined the blade and sniffed it.

"What a nasty sword. I'm a bigot myself, but whoever made this katana is even more twisted than I am. He doesn't have the slightest consideration for the user. He makes the katana, and then does with it what he pleases, completely abandoning both the user and the katana itself."

“…………”

Nozomu was surprised to hear such a harsh comment about his treasured katana.

He had heard that it was a notorious katana, but he never anticipated that it was being criticized like this.

But it was neither the katana itself nor its bearer, but its creator, so even Nozomu couldn't say anything about it.

Ahead of Nozomu's subtle expression, Wandall sheathed the katana with a snap.

"...... Well, whatever. A promise is a promise. So, why did you insist on borrowing a furnace?"

"I wanted to make a gift for my benefactor... The person who saved my life told me that she wanted a bell that I made. So I was wondering if I could borrow a furnace that I could use to make it..."

After returning his katana to the sword belt at his waist, Nozomu showed Wandall the materials that he had prepared.

What Nozomu had prepared was a fistful of brass.

As a poor student, Nozomu could not afford to buy precious metals, and this was all he could afford.

Wandall took one look at the brass Nozomu had prepared and snorted...

"How many bells are you going to make?"

"Let's see, a dozen or so, including spares..."

After hearing that, Wandall quickly went to a shelf on the wall of the workshop.

He opened one of the shelves that occupied the entire wall of the workshop, pulled out a silver-colored lump of metal from inside, and threw it to Nozomu.

As he caught it, Nozomu saw a lump of metal that could fit in the palm of his hand and involuntarily twitched.

"I'll lend it to you for as long as you'll let me watch you make it. Besides, that waste is not a very good material. I'll give you this one as well, so just hurry up and get on with it."

“Wha~. Wandall-san, isn't this Mithril?…”

Lisa, who was peeking in next to Nozomu, also pointed to the metal on Nozomu's palm and tensed her face.

Mithril.

It is an extremely expensive magical metal, an excellent material for weapons and armor, and at the same time, because of its shiny silvery color, it is a material that appears in legends passed down throughout the continent as a metal known to destroy evil.

Wearing armor made of this material represents a kind of high status, and it is favored by knights, nobles, and mages who are skilled in their respective fields.

It also produces a very clear sound when struck, and although extremely rare, it has been used in percussion instruments.

However, it is not a metal that can be mined in large quantities, at least not for the purpose of making mere bells.

"Come on! Hurry up and do it!"

"Y-, yes!"

While the two were stunned, Wandall urged Nozomu in an angry voice and had him plunge the mithril into the furnace.

When the furnace temperature was raised, molten mithril flowed out from the exit of the furnace with a light like powdered snow.

The mithril that flowed out then stretched to form a thin sheet of steel, which was then stamped into a circular shape to form a pair of disks.

The disks are then heated to form a hemisphere, a ring is attached to one side using melted mithril, and a slit is made in the other side so that the sound can be produced.

Once the hemisphere mold is complete, a ball of mithril is inserted, and the hemispheres are welded together to form the rough shape of a bell.

Finally, the excess parts are shaved off with sandpaper, and the bell is complete.

In this way, Nozomu made a total of 12 bells out of mithril.

Wandor picked up one of the finished bells and tried ringing it.

*Ring, ring*

A clear, soothing tone echoed through the air.

"Hmm, it's somewhat well shaped, but there are subtle noises in the mix. As a product, no matter how hard you try to make it look good, it's still just below the average."

"Ahahaha..."

Nozomu's face twitched upon hearing the harsh comment.

For Nozomu, it was his best work ever, but for this dwarf, it was something he would have snickered at.

However, the other party was a blacksmith who had devoted his life to this field.

In a sense, it would be natural for Nozomu, who is only a novice craftsman, to have received such a low evaluation to the bell he had made.

Rather, it was enough for Nozomu just to be able to draw out the word "average" from it.

As Nozomu was about to wrap the finished bell in cloth, Lisa peeked over his back at the finished mithril bell.

"Hey, Nozomu. Is the person to whom you're going to give that bell to, Irisdina-san?"

"Well, yeah..."

"...Why?"

"Because she asked me to?"

"Hm~~m..."

Nozomu had a bad feeling about Lisa, whose voice echoed in his ear.

She was getting grumpy. She seemed upset. She looked sulky.

At the same time, a chill ran down his back and his heart began to beat faster.

Nozomu was reminded of his late master in Lisa's penetrating eyes.

"Hey, Nozomu, do you have time after this?"

"Eh? N-, no, I have some business to attend to..."

All right, let's get out of here. Nozomu decided to escape in one-tenth of a second. Wrapping the bell he had just made in a cloth, he hurriedly tried to leave the place.

But as if to stop him from escaping, Lisa's hand was placed on his shoulder from behind.

At the same time, Lisa's hand tightened, and a strange sound began to be heard from Nozomu's shoulder.

Nozomu involuntarily stiffened at the dull pain in his shoulder.

"I see! You have! Thank goodness. Well, go with me then. Wandall-san, I'll be back, and I'll need a new sword by then!"

"No, Lisa. As I said, I have an errand... -Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!"

"Oi, little girl! I want my money first!"

Wandall raised his arms angrily, but Lisa did not hear him at all.

She ran out of the workshop like the wind, dragging Nozomu's stiffened body with her.

The problem child disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Wandall had no place to put his upraised arm, so he had no choice but to sit down on a nearby chair.

"Seriously, that little girl..."

Wandall picked up a pipe that was close at hand and began to blow on it.

As he puffed and blew, a sweet aroma filled the workshop, and a cloud of white smoke rose to the ceiling and disappeared in a circular pattern in the air.

Watching him, Anri, who was left behind, seemed to be in a good mood, smiling.

“Fufu~, Wandall-san, I see you're quite fond of Lisa-san~."

"No, it's not like that. As far as I know, that little girl was very gloomy, but recently she has changed a lot, so I am just a little surprised. You seem to be the one who's really into that kid, don't you?"

The Lisa that Wandall knew was the one who had been trapped in the conflict with Nozomu.

Her swordsmanship was certainly outstanding among the young generation, and although Wandall had no disapproval of her being the one to use his hammer for, she was not a customer he wanted to get too involved with.

However, recently she has become more of an adventurous spirit and likes to take on new challenges, and is very much to Wandall's liking.

Indeed, he is fed up with the drastic increase in the frequency of breaking weapons, but the change in her personality is something he likes.

Wandall also somehow guessed that the bright and adventurous Lisa of today was the original Lisa, and that it was thanks to the boy by her side that she had been able to regain herself.

"Yes, Nozomu-kun, he's a good boy~. If it were possible, I would like to share a workplace with him as a teacher~~"

"Good grief, you're really getting into him. Well, I've seen that katana myself, so I have no doubts about that boy's skill."

A blacksmith of Wandall's caliber could accurately grasp the skill of the bearer just by looking at the weapon.

And the skill of the boy, seen by Wandall as a first-rate blacksmith, was more outstanding than any swordsman he had ever known.

The scratches left on the blade, the traces of pressure applied to the blade.

The cuts and marks on the blade, which are invisible to the untrained eye, speak eloquently of the high level of the bearer's skill.

"So, Wandall-san, how did you "see" Nozomu-kun~?"

What surprised Wandor most of all, however, was not Nozomu's skill.

It was a brief scene brought about by the "abilities" of this dwarf.

“…………”

Anri's gaze urged the dwarf to describe the scene he had glimpsed.

Wandall slowly opened his mouth once more, puffing on his pipe and recalling the time when he looked into the depths of [Mumei].

"You know, my ability is not that great, like being able to see through everything. It is merely a partial reflection of the past to the future, based on the relationship with the bearers and the creators that reside in the minerals used in the weapons. Therefore, I cannot say anything definite, and everything is fragmentary."

As a first-rate blacksmith, he has an ability. It is a special ability called [Rock Whispering]. This is a kind of divine ability to see into the future and past through minerals. Depending on the region, this ability is also known as "spirit possession", and in ancient times, the holder of such a power would serve as a priest during important ceremonies such as rites.

The reason Anri brought Nozomu to the store today was not only to fulfill his wish to make a bell, but also to have Wandall, who possesses the [Rock Whispering] ability, tell her what the future held for Nozomu.

She wanted to know about Nozomu's future, and what she could do to support him. Anri wanted to get a clear guideline

Of course, Wandall himself was also interested in Nozomu.

He, too, had been in Arcazam for a long time. He had heard rumors about a student who had gone on a rampage against the Hero of the Great Invasion at the Martial Arts Garden.

As a blacksmith, he couldn't help but be interested when he heard that the weapon he was carrying was a katana made by a legendary blacksmith of the East.

"But I can tell you this. They are exceptional. The maker of the weapon, the katana itself, and the bearer of the katana are all so vivid that I honestly don't even want to talk about them..."

However, when Wandall looked at Nozomu's katana out of curiosity, the thought that came to his mind was regret.

Wandall had been exposed to a variety of minerals and weapons from all ages and cultures, but Nozomu and his [Mumei] were so different that he himself could not put it into words.

When he saw Nozomu's katana, his impression could be summed up in one sentence: "It's as if he were bound in chains and kept sinking to the bottom of the sea."

The darkness was so thick and dark, his breath was so painful, and he felt as if his heart was constantly being squeezed in a vise. To be honest, Wandall himself wondered why he was able to suppress the expression on his face, which was about to tighten.

However, in the darkness, where there was nothing but darkness and pain, there was only one scene that vaguely came into view.

"The only thing I could see was a huge mansion covered in fresh blood and a silver-haired woman. And that little boy lying in front of it, covered in blood."

"And who's that silver-haired woman?"

"I couldn't see her face, but she was a young woman."

After Wandall told that much, he returned to the furnace and began swinging his hammer again.

There was fear and regret. However, it was also the fate of the blacksmith to be captivated by the madness contained in a blade that had reached its ultimate goal.

A katana that transformed like a kaleidoscope, resonating with the qualities and feelings of its bearer.

What kind of technique could produce such a weapon?

Even with his fear, the blade still shone like rainbow colors, arousing Wandall's curiosity and desire to forge.

I want to hammer iron. As if to demonstrate the dwarven smith's desire, the high-pitched sound began to ring out again in the workshop.

For a moment, Anri put her hand over her mouth in contemplation, but eventually left the workshop and returned to the academy at a quick pace.

Wandall took one look at the entrance to the store where Anri had left, and then turned his attention back to the flames of the furnace.

That day, the flames of the furnace and the sound of striking iron did not cease as night fell, and continued to echo through the craftsmen's district.