New chapter of Single Old Man is out (1/1chapter)

 

 

Lightweight Tent

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

Then, I was back at the workplace.

“Hmm, this is your merchant guild, Ossan?” (Rosso)

“Isn’t this more of a warehouse than a merchant guild?” (Blanche)

“If it were a merchant guild, they’d be selling stuff… There’s only a workshop here.” (Ao)

I brought along three young girls.

Life really is unpredictable. Once again, the three girls. The first is Rosso, with red twin tails and bikini armor, age seventeen. The second is Blanche, a nun in white robes with long white hair, also seventeen. The third is Ao, wearing a blue ninja outfit with short blue hair. Together, they form the S-Rank adventurer team Scarlet Camelia. Those ultra-strong kids came to my workplace… What is this?

Well, whatever. Since I’ve got the chance, I’ll try something that came to mind.

“Alright. It’ll take a bit of time though…” (Gentoku)

“Ah, then can we watch? I haven’t really seen a magic tool engineer at work before~” (Rosso)

“I am also quite interested.” (Blanche)

“…Me too.” (Ao)

They’re all beautiful girls with distinct personalities. It’s like they exist solely to be added to the protagonist’s harem in some isekai story. Well, whatever.

For then, I lightly sketched the blueprint… but the three of them were peering super closely.

“…Um.” (Blanche)

“Ossan, you’re good at drawing~” (Rosso)

“Your handwriting is very neat as well.” (Blanche)

“This… is a tent drawing?” (Ao)

Ugh, I can’t focus… Ahh, maybe I should prepare tea and snacks for situations like this.

Anyway, I quickly drew up the blueprint and headed to the material room to find something for the framework.

“Hmm, I want a flexible material… Aluminum or steel would be good, but I’m aiming for lightness… Alright, let’s go with this one.” (Gentoku)

I brought back a long, thin rod from the materials room.

Upon seeing it, Rosso said…

“That’s Duralumin Snake bone, right? That’s your material?” (Rosso)

“You can tell just by looking? Impressive. As expected of an adventurer.” (Gentoku)

“Well, I am S-Rank, after all~” (Rosso)

She puffs her chest… For a kid, they’re pretty big, huh.

I tried bending the bone.

“Yeah, nice elasticity.” (Gentoku)

“Duralumin Snake… A magical beast with a single long, flexible bone and no joints.” (Ao)

Ao said.

Exactly. The Duralumin Snake’s bones have no joints, yet they’re hard and flexible — a perfect material for a tent frame. It’s too brittle to use for weapons or shields… Usually it’s ground into powder and used in fields or made into Grandpa’s cane.

I channeled mana into my index finger and used fire magic. Flame burst out like a burner, lightly scorching the Duralumin Snake bone.

“Oh my, Ojii-sama… You have fire affinity?” (Blanche)

“More or less. Alright, now soak it in water…” (Gentoku)

I use earth magic to create a long, narrow “bucket” from processing clay, dry it with wind magic, and then fill it with water using water magic.

“““…Eh?””” (Rosso/Blanche/Ao)

“Alright, I’ll soak it a bit to soften it, then attach the tent shell… A material that repels water would be best. Oh, right.” (Gentoku)

I went to the materials room and brought back a bucket filled with Aqua Slime from a tank.

“Ugh… I hate this, but I’ll bear with it. Take this!” (Gentoku)

I plunged my hand into the slime and zapped it dead with lightning. This method didn’t damage the material and killed it in one shot.

“““…………””” (Rosso/Blanche/Ao)

“Okay. When Aqua Slimes die, they dissolve into a goo. And… what’s interesting about them is…” (Gentoku)

I tossed in the skin of a magical beast frog called a Wild Frog into the bucket. The skin absorbed the slime and turned a bluish color. I took it out and dried it with a warm breeze, mixing a bit of fire into wind magic, imagining something like a hairdryer.

“It’d be easier if I had an actual dryer… Maybe I’ll prototype one later.” (Gentoku)

Then, I took out the nicely softened Duralumin Snake bone, bent and shaped it, then attached the tip to the tail. I placed my hand on the connected part and zapped it with light to seal it. It was like the blue light dentists used when curing resin, that kind of hardening light.

“Alright, one down… I’ll make two more.” (Gentoku)

I swiftly made three rings using the Duralumin Snake bones. Then I combined them, folded them up, and completed the tent framework. All that was left was to cover the processed frame with the Wild Frog skin and shape it into a tent. It was quite heavy labor. Before I knew it, I was sweating, and it was already past noon.

I sewed the cover onto the frame, folded it, fastened it with a basic belt, added a handle to make it portable, and it was done.

“Phew, finished. So… what’s with the silence, everyone?” (Gentoku)

“…Ossan, just how many affinities do you have?” (Rosso)

“Eh? Ah…” (Gentoku)

A cold chill ran down my back.

C-crap… I was using magic like normal.

Let’s see… Fire, Water, Earth, Wind… Lightning, and even Light!! Damn, I got so into it I forgot to watch myself… I’ve only ever worked with Yeran in the Alexandrite Merchant Guild’s workshop, so I didn’t worry about it!!

As cold sweat trickles down, Blanche said…

“Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light… and something that killed an Aqua Slime. That’s amazing… just like a Kenja-sama (Sage).” (Blanche)

“Ah, no, well… Um, it’s complicated. Uh… please! Keep it secret!!” (Gentoku)

I bowed my head.

This is bad. If people find out I can use all elements plus lightning, it’ll be nothing but trouble!! Sandrone kept it secret, but these kids… W-will they?

“We saw something incredible… So, what do you two think?” (Rosso)

“I possess three affinities, but even I can’t switch between them so fluidly.” (Blanche)

“I have two… This feels like losing.” (Ao)

“Well, let’s not dwell on it. So, Ossan, what about the tent?” (Rosso)

“Ah, yeah.” (Gentoku)

I showed them the foldable pop-up tent. It was a circular bundle you could carry under one arm. I undid the belt and tossed it, *whump*, it instantly expanded into a tent big enough for three people to sleep in.

“““Ohhh!!””” (Rosso, Blanche, Ao)

“Pop-up tent. Foldable, and like this… bend it, fasten it with a belt. As you can see, Duralumin Snake bones are light, and Wild Frog skin soaked in Aqua Slime repels water. No problem even if it rains.” (Gentoku)

“Amazing!! Let me try!!” (Rosso)

Rosso tossed the folded tent, *whump*, and it instantly expanded again. Ao lay inside, and Blanche joined her.

“…Plenty of space for three.” (Ao)

“Indeed. Normally, we post a night watch when using tents, so it’s just two people, though.” (Blanche)

“Comfy to sleep in…” (Ao)

Looks like they like it. Phew… Making tools instead of magic devices is tough, but fun. I have experience as a repairman, including sewing and fixing broken tents, so that helped.

Rosso climbed in too, and the three of them happily giggled inside.

Kind of warms your heart, doesn’t it?

“Ossan, this is amazing!! So, how much?” (Rosso)

“Hm? Ah~… Right, it’s just a prototype. Give me feedback on how it feels to use, any issues you find. That info is payment enough.” (Gentoku)

“Eh, that’s all?” (Rosso)

“Yeah. You three use it, point out any flaws, and I’ll improve it. Once perfected, I’ll sell it as a product.” (Gentoku)

“…There are no flaws at this point.” (Ao)

Ao nodded seriously.

But you never know until it’s actually used.

“For now, just try using it for a while.” (Gentoku)

“…Got it!! Alright, Blanche, Ao, let’s go on an adventure with this!!” (Rosso)

“Yes!! Ufufu, Ojii-sama… I might have taken an interest in your magic.” (Blanche)

“I like this tent… I’ll buy it if it goes on sale.” (Ao)

“Then buy it from the Alexandrite Merchant Guild when the time comes.” (Gentoku)

And that’s how I made a pop-up tent. Turns out, you can make quite a lot using just materials from another world.

 

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)