Volume 11 Chapter 2 Interlude： Spears And Shields
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
*Golerg’s perspective
My theory was spot on.
The armor and shield before me were everything a blacksmith like me could dream of, a real prideful creation.
The armor was crafted from crushed monster materials—hard horns, claws, and scales—mixed with mithril. This blend created a lightweight yet durable metal, refined in the smelting furnace.
Half the weight of steel but with a defense that’s 20% stronger than mithril, it could deflect a shot from Lady Aida’s giant musket, the Fairlater, at 300 meters.
Moreover, while a mithril armor is typically at equipment level 40, this armor is at a groundbreaking low level 10, just like steel.
Lowering the base armor’s level is my specialty, allowing more room for magic tools.
The Kent-specific armor commissioned by Lady Miriallia is not only easier to make than the previous Magic Armor of Darkness but also has over 20% more defense.
The new shield is designed to connect with Kent’s ‘Explode Gunlance’, and I’ve successfully incorporated a magic tool that deploys physical and magical barriers using the magic element generated during shooting.
The armor also has auxiliary magic tools like a simple healing device and a projector, and an absorbent for magic element, which means the armor’s abilities actually increase in areas rich with magic element.
Rosana’s unique [Hammer] Skill made it possible to wield a heavier, sturdier Demonium Steel hammer, which was the key to forging the matching hammer.
I thought it was theoretically possible, but processing monster materials required various preprocessing steps and couldn’t be pounded into a fine powder with enough force, so I hadn’t completed it.
However, Rosana masterfully pounded the materials into a fine powder with the Demonium Steel hammer, which was the main reason for our success this time.
The powdered monster materials, mixed with silver, were refined into white steel that was both light and strong, with flexibility.
Intentionally adding lower-rank monster materials seemed to be the trick that brought down the overall equipment level.
Mixing in lower-rank items and reducing the equipment level was confirmed through experimentation.
After using countless materials and silver, and conducting numerous experiments, we finally managed to craft something satisfactory.
”Mr. Golerg… we’ve finally finished. The armor and shield made with white steel for the Lord… They shimmer so beautifully with the silver.”
Rosana’s sister, Rosella, was wide-eyed with wonder at the finished armor and shield.
A former blacksmith herself, she was amazed by the performance of the armor and shield we had created.
”Yeah. We used a generous amount of special white steel that Lady Aida made, which can deflect bullets from a Fairlater gun at 300 meters. I think it will also show high defense and durability against impacts and cuts. We’re about to put it through the final test, a live-fire test, at Lady Aida’s place. Lady Aurelia will also test its resistance to cuts, and Rosana has already passed the durability test for impacts. If it passes the shooting test, I believe it will meet Lady Miriallia’s specifications.”
”Sister! Mr. Golerg’s theory is amazing! He created a new alloy by mixing monster materials with metal, something no one has ever done before!”
Rosana jumped at her older sister Rosella when she found her.
After staying in the workshop for days, looking a bit worn out but full of energy.
”Materials and metals were always seen as completely different… No one ever thought to combine them. I certainly never thought of it.”
”Well, I’m [Black], you know. To make good equipment, I must think hard. Without Rosana, this new alloy would just be a theory on paper.”
”Still, Mr. Golerg’s idea is incredible. Lord must be happy to have such a skilled blacksmith!”
Even though Rosella was a skilled jeweler herself, being praised by a girl who looked young enough to be my daughter felt oddly ticklish──maybe it was just age.
Watching the two young sisters celebrate brought back memories of my wife and children lost too soon.
Until now, work had kept those memories locked away, but their joy stirred feelings I thought were buried.
Suddenly, warm tears began to fall from my eyes.
The world in front of me started to blur.
”Mr. Golerg!? What’s wrong? Are you crying from happiness? Sister!? Mr. Golerg is crying!”
Rosana looked at me suspiciously, her face close to mine as I started to cry.
”No, no, not crying! Just got some dust in my eyes. Besides, you two need to steal more of my techniques!” He laughed.
Wiping my eyes pretending it was dust, I patted both their shoulders.
In that moment, a decision formed in my heart: to pass on all my skills and knowledge to Rosella and Rosana.
Saying that the [Darkness] Majin Clan man had dedicated his life to blacksmithing would sound noble, but really, I just couldn’t resist wanting to teach them as my apprentices.
”We’re still far from reaching Mr. Golerg’s level. Besides, I plan to make a living as a Jeweler rather than a Blacksmith. Rosana will definitely become better than me at Blacksmithing.”
”That’s true, but Rosella’s work as a Jeweler will definitely become part of her Blacksmithing duties. The fact that I keep getting requests to add Rosella’s decorations to my equipment proves it.”
”Mr. Golerg is right. Soon, people will say my sister’s decorations are the best in the South District… no, the whole Demon Continent! Even if I try to be fair, the decorations she makes catch everyone’s eye. They’re amazing.”
Rosana loves her sister Rosella’s decorations and always asks the quest givers to include her sister’s work on whatever equipment she finishes.
Even though ours is a half-public, half-private blacksmith shop, most of our customers are wealthy Hunters and Nobles, so many quest givers specifically request Rosella’s decorations.
”The silver steel we’ve finished shines more than pure silver and, with just a little polish, reflects your face like a clear mirror. Depending on Rosella’s decoration, it might even have artistic value. But remember, we also need it to work well for hunting monsters, so Rosana and I will make sure it’s functional.”
Rosella waved her hand as if to say that would never happen, but deep down, she knew that if her decorations were on the silver steel armor, it would definitely have artistic value.
”Anyway, it’s getting long… it’s about time to take it to Aida for testing. Rosella still has work left, and Rosana must be tired, so I’ll take it and handle the testing myself.”
They both shook their heads and declared they were leaving, but Rosana was exhausted from staying up all night, and Rosella had a backlog of work orders, so they half-Geassedly sent me off with Armor and a shield towards Estfort Castle where Aida’s workshop was located.
* * *
*Aida’s perspective
An unbelievable thing happened right before my eyes.
The metal plate developed by Golerg was sparkling with pretty colors, but my team’s hard work, the anti-Beast Monster gun Fairlater, was being repelled without a scratch at a distance of 300 meters.
”No way… My Fairlater can’t even leave a scratch… That’s just ridiculous…”
”Nonsense, that can’t be. The Physical Guard generated by the Magic Tool embedded in the metal plate is being broken through, and there are some dents on the surface. I think the expected defense is there, but I was hoping for a better result… We might need some fine-tuning during the expanded prototype stage.”
The black mist caused by the Fairlater’s gunfire cleared, and we retrieved the targeted metal plate to examine it together with Golerg and Josefine.
”This is serious. If Armor made from this metal plate, even Elitzina’s gunfire would only be a lucky hit. Well done for completing such a metal plate. If this technology leaks to other countries, the South District Margrave’s dominance will vanish instantly…”
As Josefine said, if Armor that could nullify the gunfire of the South District Margrave’s representative magical gun is completed, their military advantage would collapse. But more than that, I was shocked that my bullets were Uselessly repelled.
”I won’t sell this Armor made from the metal plate to anyone outside the South District Margrave army. I even got a strict message from Chancellor Lila. It’s locked as top-secret, just like Aida’s magical gun. That’s why only the 3 of us are here for today’s test. I heard that Lady Miriallia’s subordinates are guarding the test site.”
”I knew it. This technology is amazing… Chief Engineer Aida!?”
Shocked and dazed, Josefine shook me to get my attention.
”Oh, yes. If they made a big shield with this metal and Mr. Golerg added a Magic Tool, it would create an Iron Wall shield.”
”Oh? It’s not like you, Lady Aida, to say that an Iron Wall shield doesn’t exist. I’ll lend you this metal plate I made for testing, so why not come up with a gun that can shoot through it?”
While I was still in shock, Golerg threw out a challenge.
His words ignited my desire to develop a weapon that could blast apart his crazy metal plate, as a fellow technician.
”Mr. Golerg! I’m borrowing this! I will definitely shoot through it! I’ll prove my magic gun is the best!”
”Oh, nice! I thought you’d say that. I’ll keep improving and make a test armor, so look forward to it. Hahaha!”
With that, Golerg quickly left the shooting range.
After that, Josefine and I became obsessed, staying in the gun research lab to develop a magic gun that could shoot through the silver steel plate Golerg created.
* * *
”Chief Engineer Aida… Prototype No. 20… It’s no good… The initial speed is slower than Fairlater. Increasing the caliber and chamber size reduces the explosive power and penetration…”
As Josefine pressed the buttons, flames shot out from the prototype gun set on the shooting stand.
With a loud bang, black smoke filled the air, blocking our view.
It had already been about a week since Golerg left the metal plate.
”Prototype No. 21 is out of the question. It can’t even penetrate Physical Guard… It seems we need a certain weight for the bullet… Even a hard but light bullet gets bounced back…”
We prepared many prototypes with changes to the barrel diameter and bullet materials, but still, no prototype gun could pierce the silver steel.
”Chief Aida, this metal plate can’t be pierced by our bullets, right? Breaking through that Physical Guard is such a hassle. We use up all our thrust just to reach it, and then we can’t even damage the metal.”
Just as Josefine pointed out, the bullets fired from the magic gun were being protected by the Physical Guard. Each time the barrier was struck, the penetrating power diminished, until eventually, the bullets couldn’t even reach the metal plate.
”…Mr. Golerg said the Physical Guard stays active semi-permanently… but can’t we somehow stop it temporarily?”
”Chief Aida, is there no way to regain thrust after breaking through the barrier?”
”Then we’d have to mess with the bullets. Ideally, we could ignite the magic element stored in a separate chamber inside the bullet upon impact with the Physical Guard, giving us a second thrust. But this wouldn’t fit in our current magic guns. I think we’d need something like a grenade launcher, not a regular bullet.”
Josefine’s words sparked a new idea for a bullet, but the image in mind seemed impossible to fit in the calibers of Fairlater or Elitzina.
”Special ammunition, then… should we make a dedicated launcher? Something cylindrical would give us freedom with the caliber, and we could pack a lot more magic element as both propellant and explosive. Let’s modify the grenade launcher we attached to Elitzina.”
”Yeah, we’re kind of stuck when it comes to piercing with Fairlater…”
Back in the firearms lab, we dove into the work of materializing our newfound idea.
First was the bullet’s modification. This time, instead of just the tip flying, the whole bullet would be propelled. We created a 2-stage bullet that used refined liquid fire as the propellant and combined it with traditional magic element, giving it dual thrust.
The liquid for propulsion was found in many places in the territory.
It was a liquid that comes from refining burning water, and it burned very efficiently.
We named it ‘Fire Water.’
Especially when mixed with oxygen, it burned fiercely.
A test bullet with a funnel-like stabilizer at the back had good results, breaking through the Physical Guard.
To increase the bullet’s speed, the tip was changed to a cone shape to reduce air resistance.
The finished bullet was nearly ten times the size of Elitzina’s bullets.
The launcher for this bullet was designed to be portable, about a meter long and tube-shaped.
Since the bullet propelled itself, it was open at the back to prevent flames from getting trapped.
Looking at the completed prototype, doubts crept in about whether it could really pierce silver steel.
But after a week of thinking and staying up all night, the desire to shoot through the metal plate left by Golerg was strong.
”Josefine! Load the bullet!”
A request was made to Josefine, who was behind me, to load the bullet.
Josefine packed the prototype bullet into the launcher.
After finishing, she lightly tapped my shoulder to signal she was done.
”Chief Engineer Aida! Loading complete!”
”Alright! Here we go. All clear behind!”
Checking that no one was behind, the simple sight was aligned with the silver steel plate, and the trigger was pulled.
Whoosh!!
With the launch, the bullet powered by ‘Fire Water’ shot out.
It was faster than during the test, but still, it was like night and day compared to Fairlater.
When the bullet touched the Physical Guard created by the silver steel, the cone-shaped tip broke through the guard’s layers one after another with energy from the propeller.
”Go, go, go!! Break through!!”
As the propulsion energy from ‘Fire Water’ faded, the Physical Guard on the silver steel vanished like mist.
”Now! Please ignite properly!”
The projectile was designed to activate the magic element packed in the warhead right after it finished burning, and now that it had burned out, the warhead was supposed to launch.
Boom!!
The projectile, having lost its propulsion energy, successfully ignited the warhead as I planned, making a big hole in the shiny metal plate.
”Here it comes!!! Josefine! It really blew up, right?!”
Excited about the success, I threw away the launcher and hugged Josefine tightly.
She was also happy to see a hole in the seemingly impenetrable silver steel plate of the prototype.
”Aida, Chief Engineer! We did it! We shot through it… I bet Mr. Golerg will be jealous!”
”That’s true. But the prototype armor we’re delivering to Kent should have much better upgrades. I think it will be even tougher. We need to improve our weapon too.”
The joy of the experiment’s success was short-lived, as the thought of Golerg making further improvements crossed my mind.
…Need to increase accuracy more.
The shortcomings of this weapon were revealed in the follow-up test firing.
One was that, due to the amount of propellant, the range was limited to about 400 meters, and increasing the range further was the limit for a personal weapon.
The other was that the fired projectile was easily affected by the wind, resulting in accuracy lower than that of gunfire.
The overwhelming power to breach barriers was hard to give up, so I decided to keep working on improvements.
Three weeks passed since receiving the metal plate from Golerg, and Kent finally had a chance to visit the shooting range as part of his inspection.
* * *
*Kent’s perspective*
Preparation for the Beast King Tournament was progressing smoothly.
This time, there were many participants, so a preliminary round was being held, which normally wouldn’t happen, to select 15 teams for the main event.
I, as a representative of Elkisa, was exempt from the preliminaries, along with Aladdin from the Seventh Fang and Dihart from the Tenth Fang.
The preliminaries were going well, and the finalists would be decided soon, but as expected, the team led by Nokin had secured their spot in the main event with overwhelming strength, and the town was buzzing that they would rampage in the finals.
Among the less-known teams, the ‘Rootless Weed’ from the Garuda Clan’s Hunting Group also made it to the main selection, as did 2 teams from the ‘Golden Apostles’, with Hendric representing his own Garuda Clan members for some reason.
From our Hunting Group, 4 teams – Manon, Talia, Ines, and Lydiane – are participating.
They’ve picked members from ‘Black Bullet’ and ‘Red Valkyrie’ to join, and all 4 teams have qualified for the main selection.
Another notable team is Thelma’s, led by the ‘Silver Wolf’ Hunting Group Leader, who is Matthew’s wife.
They’ve got their tickets to the main selection too.
Among her team was Beatrice, who claimed to be a mere doppelganger to avoid recognition.
Yet, despite the South District being swarming with cunning succubi, only Beatrice seemed to be around.
Upon further inquiry, it turned out she had been bribed with lunch dessert vouchers to participate.
However, since Matthew and Thelma are her de facto foster parents, they decided not to scold her and let her do as she pleased.
The main selection event was set to start in a week.
Milly came to the shooting range near the castle to inspect a prototype of armor Golerg had crafted for her.
”Hey, there’s Aida and Josefine too. I haven’t seen you in a while since you’ve been holed up in the lab.”
”Sorry for Kent’s sake, but I’ve been busy with all sorts of research. Once I finish this batch, I’ll make sure to breed like crazy.”
Aida smiled with dark circles under her eyes, suggesting she had been up all night.
As a dedicated technician, Aida’s crafted firearms were magnificent, and I wanted to help with her research as well.
”Sure thing. I’ll breed so much you won’t be able to stand the next day.”
”Kent is still the same… I can’t compete with his lovey-dovey moments with his wife, but make sure to plant your seeds in Rosella and Rosana too. They’re going to be my prized daughters.”
A tough-looking Golerg smiled at me with a joking expression.
”Those 2 as Mr. Golerg’s daughters? Isn’t he quite wealthy?”
”Yeah, not as much as Kent, but I’ve made some good money. Plus, I have connections everywhere… I plan to introduce those 2 around soon. They’re the only ones who can carry on my skills. Luckily, I lost my wife and daughter young, and I don’t have any relatives, so there won’t be any inheritance disputes.”
Golerg expressed his intention to make them his successors.
I had already thought of letting them learn Golerg’s skills, but I never expected him to call them successors.
”If they want it, Mr. Golerg’s will is my wish…”
I decided to leave it up to the girls.
If they wanted to become his daughters and successors, I would let them have that freedom.
”Without their help, this armor and shield wouldn’t have been completed. Their skills are truly impressive.”
I heard from Milly that the newly developed silver steel couldn’t have been made without Rosana’s help, and that Rosella’s decorations are already piled up with orders, waiting to be delivered.
”If Mr. Golerg says that, then bringing them from Capital City was worth it.”
”Kent, Mr. Golerg. The preparations for the test are ready.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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