New chapter of Single Old Man is out! (2/2 chapters)

 

 

Fate and Weapon Development

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

For the time being, I led the six people with tangled histories, along with Verde, to the workshop on the first floor.

I turned to Lind and asked…

“So, you are requesting me to develop a magical tool?” (Gentoku)

“Yes. Um, first, take a look at this.” (Lind)

She placed something heavy on the workbench with a metallic thud. What lay there was a pair of steel-colored gauntlets and ornate greaves extending up to the knees. However, both were broken. The gauntlet was cracked open, and the greave had fissures running along its surface.

“They’re broken.” (Gentoku)

“Yeah. You see, I’m the strongest adventurer in the Edelstein Kingdom when it comes to physical power, but there’s no gauntlet or greave in existence that can withstand my punches and kicks.” (Lind)

“No such thing exists?” (Gentoku)

“Exactly. Almost every blacksmith in this country says, ‘Impossible.’ Even the Dwarves of Dodofad clench their teeth and admit defeat. So, I’ve decided to stop relying on the hardness of weapons and instead turn to magical tools.” (Lind)

“Using magical tools?” (Gentoku)

“Yes. Magical weapons. You can add effects to increase hardness, right?” (Lind)

Feeling a sudden chill, I turned around and saw Blanche’s cheek twitching.

“The strongest power in the kingdom, you say?” (Blanche)

“Huh? What, Blanche, did you forget you lost to me?” (Lind)

“Have you forgotten that you lost to me as well?” (Blanche)

Their tones grew sharp, the tension palpable. Verde leaned close to whisper.

“Lind and Blanche both possess monstrous strength. Honestly, they’re evenly matched.” (Verde)

“I see. So that’s how it is.” (Gentoku)

Lind and Blanche stepped closer and extended their right hands toward each other.

“Shall we see who’s stronger this time?” (Lind)

“Oh my, are you prepared to get hurt?” (Blanche)

“You talk big.” (Lind)

Their hands locked together with a resounding clap.

“Wait, are you two seriously doing a test of strength!? What are you, professional wrestlers!?” (Gentoku)

With a loud crack, both of them poured power into their grip, their clasped hands trembling violently. I could hear the grinding of bones as they crushed each other’s palms. The intensity was overwhelming. I had seen professional wrestling before, but never a raw contest of power like this up close.

“You’ve gotten stronger, haven’t you?” (Lind)

“You as well.” (Blanche)

They smiled faintly at each other and pressed harder.

“Hey, stop it! That’s enough!” (Gentoku)

Though frightened, I stepped between them. Reluctantly, they loosened their grips.

“Consider yourself lucky to be alive.” (Blanche)

“That’s my line.” (Lind)

They released their hands and stepped back. I sighed deeply.

“Please, spare me next time.” (Gentoku)

“So, you want me to modify these gauntlets into magical tools?” (Gentoku)

“Yes. I’m not good at controlling mana, so I don’t like magical weapons, but having my equipment break every time I fight is getting annoying.” (Lind)

“Understood. You want them to be unbreakable.” (Gentoku)

I walked over to the reference shelves in the corner of the workshop and retrieved The Encyclopedia of Magical Character – Latest Edition.

This encyclopedia contained magical characters from single symbols to four-character compounds. By engraving combinations of these characters into a magic stone, one could create various effects. You might think that with this book, anyone could process a magic stone. But it’s not that simple.

For example, even if Rosso engraved the magical character for “Shake” into a stone, it would not react to her mana. Magical characters only manifest their effect when the engraver truly understands their meaning. As a Japanese person, I instinctively know that the kanji for “Flame” represents fire. But what if the symbol for “fire” were written in this world’s ancient or coded script? Even if I imitate it perfectly, the flame would not ignite.

Anyway, that’s enough explanation. Sorry for rambling.

“Hmm…” (Gentoku)

“Even you can’t do it, Oji-san?” (Lind)

“No. I can, but… how far should I go? Or rather, should I even be doing this?” (Gentoku)

“What do you mean?” (Lind)

“I think it’s possible. But I’m not sure this is something that should exist in the world.” (Gentoku)

“I don’t really get it, but try it anyway.” (Lind)

I decided to give it a try. I put on my welding visor and slipped on gloves made from Magma Lizard hide. With a snap of my fingers, I conjured a high-temperature flame at my fingertip. I welded the cracks in the gauntlet and then, with Lind’s permission, made two sockets for magic stones.

“About these gauntlets.” (Gentoku)

“Oh, you can have them. I just want to see your skill. If you can make a real magical weapon, I’ll commission you properly later.” (Lind)

So, this is just a trial run. That works well for me. If I could experiment freely, all the better.

“The repair looks ugly, but it’ll do. Now then, for the magic stones.” (Gentoku)

“I’m excited! Can I watch?” (Lind)

“Not yet. It’s still a secret.” (Gentoku)

“Boo, unfair.” (Lind)

For some reason, only Lind was talking. Rosso and Ao looked irritated, Ung ignored everyone, and Valen was quietly petting Daifuku while smiling. Verde, feeling awkward, moved closer to me.

“This atmosphere is unbearable.” (Verde)

“Haha. Lucky you, at least you don’t have any rivals here.” (Gentoku)

“That makes it worse! I feel left out!” (Verde)

I retrieved a ten-star magic stone from the safe, the ones Rosso and her team had brought back. They didn’t care about rankings, but I kept stones above nine stars locked up.

I engraved the characters and inserted the stone into the gauntlet.

“Alright, it’s done. I wish we could test it somewhere.” (Gentoku)

“Let’s go outside the city. It’s quick from the west gate!” (Lind)

Thus, we left the city to test my concept for a new type of magical weapon.

 

—

 

Ten minutes later, Rosso’s group, Valen’s group, Verde, and I stood together on the plains beyond the capital. It was an empty, wide expanse of land. I handed the gauntlet to Lind.

“Just so you know, this is my first time making something like this. Even if it works, I might refuse the job.” (Gentoku)

“Why?” (Lind)

“Sorry, I can’t say.” (Gentoku)

“Hmm? You’re not confident?” (Lind)

“Something like that.” (Gentoku)

If my assumption was correct, this might be something that should never exist.

“Use whatever method you want. Put it on and try to destroy it. Oh, and channel your mana into it.” (Gentoku)

“Sounds fun! All right, no holding back.” (Lind)

Lind donned the gauntlet and infused it with mana. The air trembled. Sensing danger, Verde stepped in front of me.

“Gentoku, Lind is a genius of Earth magic. I’ll protect you.” (Verde)

“O-okay.” (Gentoku)

The next instant, the ground exploded.

Lind slammed her fist into the earth, then unleashed a barrage of blows upon a nearby boulder. She thrust her right hand into the soil, tore up a mass of ground, hurled it, and leapt high to punch it midair.

Landing with a burst of acceleration, she drove her fist into the ground again.

“Uwoooooo!” (Gentoku)

A genuine earthquake shook the plain. The impact nearly knocked me over, but I clung to Verde’s shoulder and managed to stay upright. She had deflected falling rocks and debris with precision. The terrain had changed completely, as if a meteor had struck.

“Amazing.” (Gentoku)

“Incredible! No way! Oji-san, this is unbelievable!” (Lind)

Lind swung her arm, the gauntlet unscathed. My crude repair was still visible.

“I thought it would break in one hit, but it’s totally fine! What kind of magic stone did you use?” (Lind)

“Before that, try this.” (Gentoku)

I inserted another magic stone into the second socket and pointed at a rock nearby, large enough for me to carry.

“This time, you don’t need to go all out. Just hit that rock.” (Gentoku)

“It’ll break easily, you know?” (Lind)

“That’s fine. I want to see what this stone does.” (Gentoku)

“All right then.” (Lind)

Lind picked up the rock, tossed it lightly, spun her arm, and struck it. In that moment, the gauntlet detonated, and the rock disintegrated into dust.

“No way.” (Lind)

“As I thought.” (Gentoku)

“Whoa! That’s crazy! I only tapped it lightly, but it released about 40 percent of my full strength, and it even made a boom!” (Lind)

Even Rosso and the others were astonished.

I approached Lind, removed both magic stones, and channeled lightning into my hand to crush them into powder.

“Occhan!?” (Lind)

“It’s a failure. Sorry, but this is beyond me. Find another magical tool craftsman with greater skill.” (Gentoku)

“What? But it’s perfect!” (Lind)

“I’m sorry. I can’t accept this commission.” (Gentoku)

I refused her request, though I felt guilty seeing her confusion.

I pocketed the shattered remains of the stones.

 

—

 

The characters I had engraved were “Unbreakable” and “Explosion”.

I am afraid. If those magical characters are recorded, and another magical technician uses them to create weapons, they may become instruments of harm and death. That thought terrified me. There are magic beasts in this world. Adventurers fight and slay them. But there is no war.

If war were ever to come, and people began mass-producing such “weapons”, I would never forgive myself.

“Well, let’s go home. It’s time to feed Daifuku.” (Gentoku)

“…” (Rosso/Ao/Blanche/Verde/Lind/Ung)

With the six of them silently watching my back, I started walking.

“…Interesting.” (Valen)

I did not notice the keen, fascinated gaze of Valen that followed me.

 

—

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)