Ch.734Delivery Error

I couldn’t hold back my laughter as I spent ten minutes agreeing with the Dwarf lady’s curses.

Only after we thoroughly insulted the wyvern—who according to Asha had become “offspring worse than earthworms, hunchbacks, and cockroaches combined”—could I finally bring up the reason for my visit.

“The Winter Armor and Red Dragon Sword? I already completed and sent those to you.”

“What?”

Already sent? What are you talking about, Asha?

“I never received them.”

I tilted my head in confusion. Considering the time I’d spent in the Dane city and the border region, if she had indeed completed and sent them as she claimed, I should have received them long ago.

“That’s impossible. It’s been three weeks already. There’s no way you wouldn’t have received them…”

Asha tilted her head in confusion as well.

Judging by her puzzled expression, she had definitely sent the items.

Then what happened?

…No way.

Could it be that some delivery person got greedy and ran off with them? Or perhaps they were killed in an unexpected accident during delivery?

If that’s the case, this is a serious problem…

And not just any problem. The Winter Armor was irreplaceable unless I skinned Oleg, who by now might have become king. As for the Red Dragon Sword, there was no way to obtain materials for it until another fire dragon appeared.

I still had one sword left from killing Orhan, but if both items were truly stolen, the loss would be immeasurable.

“I definitely sent them, truly I did.”

Asha continued in a rather flustered tone, clearly aware of the items’ value.

Perhaps she was worried I might demand compensation, which would essentially put her in a slave contract.

“I definitely, absolutely sent them with the knight who brought the order form. He asked me to deliver them to Haschal’s residence, so I sent them there as soon as they were completed.”

“My residence?”

“Yes. The faculty housing provided by the academy. You stay there when you’re not out somewhere, don’t you?”

Ah… right. That is my residence.

…Though no one would be there now.

I finally realized why Asha’s weapons hadn’t reached me.

Until I checked the faculty housing, I couldn’t be certain, but the reason they hadn’t arrived was probably…

“That’s true, but… maybe the knight meant the Golden Mansion? Isabella’s mansion that Leopold gave me.”

While the faculty housing is technically where I eat and sleep, the Golden Mansion is much better known publicly.

“Oh.”

Asha looked up at me blankly, as if just realizing her mistake.

—-

Whether my armor and sword were safely waiting at the faculty housing remained to be seen, but assuming they were there, Asha calmed down and began explaining the items while hammering black iron to make a prosthetic arm I could use for two weeks.

Perhaps because I mentioned I might face Nidhogg and fairy guardians, she threw aside the rule against sharing Dwarven core technology with others and began working immediately, promising to create the finest masterpiece.

“That Winter Armor is the last one. Rurik’s hide is all used up.”

As I thought, it’s all gone.

If I want another set, I’ll have to find Oleg later and ask him for a favor.

“I’ll just skin another one later. So, what’s different from before?”

“It’s lighter and stronger. I mixed the remaining dragon scales from forging three swords into the scale mail. Not only is the strength-to-weight ratio dramatically improved, but the fire resistance is also higher, so it should withstand considerable heat without problems.”

“That’s great. I was wondering what was going on when I saw it melt in my own flames. But… what good are intact scales if the leather completely burns away?”

Like when I fought Orhan in that fire pit—if Rurik’s hide burns away completely in high-temperature flames… I’d end up essentially naked with just a metal cape and skirt.

“Don’t worry about that. I wrapped the core leather parts that enable regeneration in dragon scales and made them into decorative buttons at the shoulders and waist. Even if all the leather burns away, you can open these scale decorations for immediate restoration.”

Asha smiled reassuringly.

Armor that restores when you open buttons—sounds cool, like a transformation.

“And… you mentioned you’ve been flying lately? So I shortened the scale mail skirt part to about thigh-length. If the scales covered down to the ankles, the weight would make the hem sag downward.”

Asha put down her hammer briefly and drew a picture to show me how she’d made it.

The overall design wasn’t much different from the previous armor, but as she said, the metal scales that used to reach the ankles had been significantly shortened, making it look like a long fur skirt with a short metal skirt layered over it.

“Looks good. It was a bit cumbersome when flying.”

I nodded with a smile.

“I’m glad you’re satisfied. That’s all the improvements to the armor. And here’s how the sword made from the fire dragon’s scales turned out.”

Asha drew another picture to show me.

“A 60cm curved blade designed for one-handed use, with an integrated hilt wrapped in Champion’s leather. The blade is narrow, but I increased the thickness of the spine to improve strength. Since you intended it as a consumable item, I eliminated all decorations. The ultimate in functional beauty.”

“I like how simple it looks.”

A gently curved blade with a hilt curved in the opposite direction, forming a thin S-shape. It was an elegant yet simple design that I really liked.

It wouldn’t withstand the Extinction Blade that took my left arm, so it was indeed just a consumable item.

After using up all three swords, I should ask her to remake the remaining Red Dragon Sword from Orhan in this style.

“There were some spell engravings on it… but they were destroyed when the sword broke, so unfortunately I couldn’t restore them. Thanks to the material’s properties, strength and fire resistance are guaranteed, but that’s all.”

“That’s enough.”

The spell engravings on the Red Dragon Sword were probably for the ability to absorb and breathe fire that Orhan showed me… a function I didn’t particularly need. It was just a downgraded version of my runes anyway.

“That’s good then. Now please sit somewhere comfortable and wait for a while. It will take about thirty minutes to complete the prosthetic.”

Asha nodded, pushed her safety goggles back on, and headed to the bellows.

Just a few months ago, she had completely automated processes like working the bellows, but since all her equipment was destroyed, she had to do everything by hand now. She’s having a tough time.

Not wanting to disturb Asha as she concentrated on crafting the prosthetic—checking the color and heat of the flames with a determined expression—I quietly walked to a sofa in the corner of the workshop, sat down, and smoked a cigarette.

—-

Thirty minutes passed.

“It’s done. Want to come try it on?”

Asha, her face covered in soot, called me over while holding a blackish metal left arm. I put out my cigarette and approached her to examine the completed prosthetic.

Made of black iron, it was quite heavy, with small pistons and gears intricately intertwined in the drive system, covered with black iron plates that made it look not much different from a human arm.

No, being black, it couldn’t be called a human arm. Let me correct myself. It looked not much different from the arm of a black race like Hush.

“It looks cleaner than I expected. I thought the mechanical parts would be sticking out or something.”

“I couldn’t make it too complex. It needs to fit inside the gauntlet you wear.”

Ah, that makes sense. If cylinders or pistons were protruding from the forearm, I wouldn’t be able to wear Frosting.

“Still, I included all the necessary functions. The expansion pressure of the biceps is transmitted to the drive system so you can freely bend the elbow, and I added pressure sensors in the palm so the fingers automatically curl when you press a sword hilt against it. I also installed dual hydraulic and steam pressure cylinders so it exerts greater strength as heat builds up.”

Asha started giving explanations that medieval people wouldn’t understand. Me? Of course I understood. Despite appearances, I grew up in a world far more civilized than anywhere in this world.

“So… I flex my forearm to bend it, it can grip a sword, and it gets stronger when it heats up, right?”

“Exactly! You catch on quick! I originally wanted to incorporate a shell cartridge shotgun or gunpowder-propelled pile bunker, but that gauntlet made it impossible.”

I see. That’s a shame. A prosthetic with a shotgun or pile bunker sounds incredibly cool just imagining it.

Though my punches are stronger anyway.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about… but thanks anyway. I’ll put it to good use.”

I thanked Asha and attached the black iron prosthetic to my empty forearm.

The attachment method was simple. I inserted what remained of my arm into the cylindrical hole at the end of the prosthetic, then tightened the clamps that ran from near the shoulder to the elbow.

“It fits perfectly. Let’s see… is this how it moves?”

After firmly securing the prosthetic to my forearm, I tested the functions Asha had described—flexing my arm to bend the elbow, pressing the palm to grip a sword hilt, and so on.

“This is pretty good.”

It was definitely a bit heavy, but more useful than I’d expected. So good that I thought I might make another one to bury with Orhan’s corpse and win Daughter of the Year.

Since it wasn’t a prosthetic connected to my nerves, I couldn’t freely move the wrist or fingers, which was a limitation…

But well, the joints themselves were perfectly implemented, so if necessary, I could force them to move using the power of Karma of Murder.

I placed a pile of gold coins in Asha’s hand with a satisfied smile.