Ch.32Chapter 32 – You Can Fix This Too? (2)

The verification process of my abilities requested by the Chancellor of Glesius Academy.

It was to fix herself after she had been turned into a child due to the side effects of a rejuvenation elixir.

But, how am I supposed to fix that?

“With my ability, can I really fix something like that?”

I’ve fixed objects with my ability before, but never a person.

No, wait, can my ability even fix people? I don’t even know that myself?

“You said it yourself. An ability that can fix anything. Doesn’t that mean you can fix people too?”

The Chancellor asked me with a childlike face and an innocent expression.

And there was only one answer I could give to her question.

“Since I don’t really know the limits of my ability, I don’t think I can do that.”

“Huh? You don’t know the limits of your ability?”

The Chancellor heard my words and put on a serious expression.

Is not knowing the limits of my ability really such a serious matter?

When I looked at Shannon, she also had a serious look on her face.

“Um, is this really such a shocking thing?”

I don’t know much about these “abilities” that users receive as gifts from the gods.

So I can’t understand why they’re making such serious faces, and it’s frustrating.

“Sigh… what is this nonsense? It’s not like you’re from another world or something.”

“How strange. An ability user who doesn’t know the limits of their own ability.”

From the conversation between the Chancellor and Shannon, I was able to gather one piece of information.

‘It seems ability users instinctively know the limits of their abilities.’

Listening to their conversation, I closed my eyes and concentrated, trying to recall the limits of my ability.

But when I actually tried to think about the limits of my ability, I wasn’t sure where to draw the line.

‘If I can fix anything, what exactly does “fixing” encompass?’

Instead, I focused on the word “fix.” After all, it’s a word used quite frequently in daily life.

For example, fixing an object. This is the most basic application.

Beyond that, fixing a problem. Fixing an illness. Fixing a recipe. Fixing the content of a book. Fixing bugs in a program, and so on.

The word “fix” is used in so many different contexts.

‘Wait a minute. Does that mean I can fix anything as long as I believe I can fix it?’

Come to think of it, what happened when I struck that hard, dried-out bread with my hammer?

Didn’t hardness become softness, dryness became moistness, and toughness became chewiness?

I even remember the sawdust-like taste disappearing and being replaced with a savory flavor.

That means my ability to fix things somehow transforms the target into its “optimal” state.

Or perhaps things only get “fixed” when I set my mind to fixing them.

Setting aside all the complex thoughts, to put it as simply as possible…

‘It means I can use my ability to fix the side effects caused by the Chancellor’s rejuvenation elixir.’

Just as the Chancellor said, I can fix the problem that happened to her with my ability.

But, is it okay to hit a person with a hammer?

Just to be safe, I took out my hammer from the sack I always carry with me.

The old hammer I found at the place where I first met Epitrina.

I was still using the rusty hammer as is, except for replacing the handle that was too decayed and broken.

“Eh?”

“Oh my?”

The atmosphere became serious when I suddenly pulled out the hammer from my sack.

What’s going on? Do they think I’m going to kill someone with this hammer?

“Chancellor. This is absolutely not what you’re thinking.”

“Wh-what was I thinking? But why did you suddenly take out a hammer?”

“Huh? Didn’t you ask me to fix the side effects from taking the rejuvenation elixir?”

The Chancellor seemed not to understand why I had taken out my hammer.

Ah, maybe it’s because I didn’t explain how I use my ability?

“My ability is indeed one that can fix anything. However, to use it, I need to use this hammer.”

“H-how do you fix things with it?”

“It’s simple. I just need to strike the target I want to fix three times with the hammer while sincerely wanting to fix it.”

“…*gulp*.”

After hearing how I use my ability, the Chancellor and Shannon both audibly gulped.

The sound was so loud that I could hear it clearly even though I was standing a bit away from them.

“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt.”

I told them it wouldn’t hurt, thinking they might be hesitating because they were afraid of pain from the hammer.

It’s not like I hit things hard with it anyway.

“Th-that, um, no, it’s really okay! You don’t have to fix me!”

“But didn’t you say you wanted to verify my ability by fixing your side effects?”

I couldn’t understand why the Chancellor was backing away.

Wait, she was the one who first suggested verifying my ability, so why is she running away when I try to do just that?

“L-look. I’ll tap gently, so please stay still.”

I slowly approached the Chancellor, holding the hammer.

“Uh, uwaah! No! I said no! I don’t want anything painful!”

The Chancellor seemed frightened of me and started backing away with tears in her eyes.

“Waaah! Shannon! Save me! I don’t want to die!”

“Sigh.”

Shannon sighed at the Chancellor’s plea and stepped between us.

“I’m sorry. It seems the Chancellor was just joking out of boredom, but she’s quite shocked that you’re actually trying to verify your ability.”

“What?”

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at Shannon’s words as she blocked my path.

Wait, she was the one who suggested verifying my ability first, so why is she acting like this when I actually try to do it?

“But wait, I can fix the side effects, you know? I just need to tap three times with the hammer.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to mention this, but there’s actually another side effect of the rejuvenation elixir besides becoming too young.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

I was surprised again by what Shannon said.

Wait, it’s supposed to be a rejuvenation elixir? What kind of elixir has so many side effects?

“Actually, since taking the elixir, the Chancellor’s personality has changed to one that likes to play pranks, but the problem is that when the target of her prank takes it seriously, she gets flustered, becomes afraid, and bursts into tears.”

“Waaaaaah. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Hueeeeeng.”

“……”

I looked at the Chancellor crying “hueeeng” behind Shannon.

The Chancellor’s appearance was that of a child who had just graduated from elementary school.

Seeing such a young child crying like that made me feel somewhat sorry for her.

“Sigh, alright. If you ever want to fix the side effects later, come find me. I’ll fix it for real then.”

I sat down, putting the hammer back into my sack.

“Now, Chancellor. Stop crying!”

“Sniff, okay.”

Shannon seemed used to this, skillfully comforting the Chancellor.

The Chancellor, who had been shedding tears and snot, had her face wiped clean by Shannon with a handkerchief.

Only after the situation had calmed down somewhat could the conversation between the Chancellor and me resume.

“I-I’m sorry. I showed an unseemly side of myself, unbecoming of my seniority.”

“It’s fine. You said it’s a side effect of the elixir, so it can’t be helped.”

“Ahem. I’m not always like this, but the side effects seem to have gotten worse recently.”

“Is that so?”

I decided to just go along with the Chancellor’s excuse that the side effects had gotten worse.

I was feeling a bit mentally tired myself, so I didn’t want to press the issue.

“But why did you want to verify my ability in the first place?”

“Because it’s fascinating. An ability that can fix anything. If what you say is true, this would be the first and only ability of its kind ever discovered.”

As the conversation resumed, the Chancellor’s eyes lit up with interest.

The crybaby from earlier was gone, replaced by a curious young girl.

“Is that so? Then you could experience it firsthand…”

“Hmm, I might be able to handle it now.”

“Really? Then let’s test it right away!”

When the Chancellor showed a positive response to testing, I opened my sack and took out the hammer.

“Um, but that iron hammer is a bit scary! Can’t you use a different hammer?”

As I held the iron hammer in my hand, the Chancellor waved her hands, trying to stop me from using it.

“A different hammer?”

I asked the Chancellor if she had another hammer.

“Y-yes! Shannon, do you know where the low-impact hammer is?”

“Just a moment.”

The Chancellor asked Shannon about the location of something called a low-impact hammer, and Shannon rummaged through the Chancellor’s office before pulling out a rubber mallet from a pile of boxes.

“What is this?”

“This is what we call a low-impact hammer. It was made by dwarf craftsmen who are skilled in construction, for use in tile work…”

To summarize the Chancellor’s explanation, it was a rubber mallet used at tile work sites.

Apparently, the hammer head made of elastic material absorbs the impact so that the target doesn’t get damaged?

I took the rubber—no, low-impact hammer that Shannon handed me.

It was made by dwarves, she said, and though the handle was short, the hammer head was relatively light compared to other hammers, making it easy to wield.

“Now, I’ll proceed to treat the side effects of the rejuvenation elixir.”

“O-okay.”

“First, please close your eyes. When my ability activates, there’s a flash of light that might hurt your eyes if they’re open.”

The Chancellor tightly closed her eyes when I told her to.

I stood by her head and brought down the low-impact hammer I was holding.

—Puk!

A sound like hitting a sandbag echoed from the Chancellor’s head.

Without hesitation, I struck a second and third time.

—Puk! Puk!

The sound of tapping a sandbag echoed a couple more times, but nothing happened to the Chancellor’s body.

“Ugh, what’s going on? Why isn’t anything happening?”

“Huh? Why isn’t the ability activating?”

Just to check, I deliberately tore a piece of paper and struck it with the low-impact hammer, but nothing happened to the paper.

“What’s going on?”

So, just to be sure, I took out the iron hammer from my sack and struck the paper.

—Tak! Tak! Tak!

The cold iron hammer came down on the paper three times, and simultaneously, a faint glow appeared on the paper as the torn paper became whole again.

“It seems the ability doesn’t activate with the low-impact hammer.”

“Th-that means…”

Ignoring the Chancellor’s fearful gaze, I looked at the iron hammer in my hand.

What’s the difference between the two hammers?

The head of the low-impact hammer wasn’t made of iron, while this hammer’s head was made of iron.

And the hammer I used at Minister Bergen’s house also had a head made of iron.

“It looks like my ability only works with hammers that have iron heads?”

I tried to laugh it off awkwardly, but the Chancellor couldn’t do the same.

“I-I’ll just pass you on the verification! Even the low-impact hammer had quite a shock, but if I get hit on the head with an iron hammer, I might really die… I’d rather live with the side effects…”

In the end, I couldn’t solve the Chancellor’s side effects, but I was able to discover the only limitation of my ability.

‘The ability only manifests through an iron hammer with an iron head.’

This was the only limitation I currently knew about using my ability.

Or it might be the only condition for activating the ability.

“Shannon.”

“Yes?”

“Could you hold the Chancellor for me?”

“Eh?”

I asked Shannon to hold the Chancellor.

When a man takes out a hammer, he has to fix something, right?

Shannon looked at my face and then, with a determined expression, embraced the Chancellor from behind.

“Uh, uwah! Shannon! What are you doing?”

“Stay still, Chancellor. This is a golden opportunity to fix your side effects!”

“N-no! I said no! Help! Help!”

“It’s okay. I won’t hit hard, so don’t worry. Hup!”

While Shannon restrained the Chancellor, I approached her and struck the Chancellor’s head three times with the iron hammer in my hand.

As I had told the Chancellor, I didn’t use force, tapping her head with the hammer as if giving her a light knock.

—Kong! Kong! Kong!

A very mild sound echoed, and changes began to occur in the Chancellor’s body.

Shannon’s arms, which had been holding the Chancellor, naturally released as the Chancellor began to float in the air.

Then particles of light began to rush toward the Chancellor, and a clear glow, not the faint one from before, began to envelop her body.

“Oh!”

“Wh-what’s happening?”

A white light wrapped around the Chancellor’s body, and the glow surrounding her gradually increased in size.

The glow, which was initially the size of a small girl, changed to the size of an adult woman.

Then the light surrounding the Chancellor’s body disappeared in an instant, and the Chancellor, who had been floating in the air, gently descended to the ground as if nothing had happened.

The Chancellor who had looked like a young girl was no longer there.

“Ah, yes. This feeling. Not being trapped in a cramped cage, but being freely released. It’s been too long.”

The Chancellor standing here now possessed the figure of a perfectly mature woman.