Ch.735Fully Armed

“But, what are you making there?”

After handing over a pouch of gold coins with a bonus added to the price of the prosthetic arm and weapons, I pointed to something that had been bothering me. The metal pieces that were being diligently crafted before I entered the workshop.

A lance with complex machinery and a massive built-in cylinder, and a pair of mechanical arms that looked like they’d been torn from a colossus. Additionally, there were piles of flat triangular metal plates and cylindrical metal chunks.

“You’re going to kill Nidhogg, right? I’m coming with you. These are the equipment for that.”

Asha explained each component she had made with a murderous smile.

“This is a buster lance with the built-in gunpowder pile bunker I mentioned earlier, hydraulic sub-arms to handle the recoil, and propellant tanks and flight units to increase charging power. With this, I can easily pierce through that thing’s head.”

…I’ve thought this before, but she seems to take pleasure in explaining her creations. Whether it’s a racial characteristic or just an engineer—no, female engineer trait, I’m not sure.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to fire a cannon? You know, like that pillar-like cannon you used to pierce its body last time.”

It seems better to bombard it with what I heard was an 88mm anti-aircraft gun rather than engaging in dangerous close combat.

“That’s not enough!”

However, Asha seemed to have a different opinion. After hearing my words, she clenched her fists and declared with a passionate face:

“Mere bombardment won’t quench my anger. Unless I stab and beat it myself…!”

Uh… sure. If that’s what you want.

I suppose stabbing with a spear and punching does feel more satisfying than shooting from a distance.

—-

Asha’s vengeful spirit toward the enemy who took all her possessions was so fierce that I eventually had to promise to take her along on the dragon hunt.

Taking her meant conflict with the fairies was inevitable… but we’d clash with them anyway even if I didn’t bring her. Might as well increase our firepower.

She seemed interested only in revenge, even declaring she wouldn’t claim any share of the upper body if we managed to take down the dragon with her help.

She did say she wanted some bone fragments from the lower body that was currently being excavated, but that was her rightful claim since her bombardment had helped Demian overcome his crisis and gain a decisive chance.

Anyway, after that promise, I left Asha’s workshop and drove the carriage toward the professor’s residence.

“You’ve been very busy all day.”

The female knight sitting in the driver’s seat spoke softly.

Since I had sent Nigel, Leonore, and the entire party to the golden mansion for rest or training, the carriage was being driven by a regular knight from the Rose Cross Order.

A guide adventurer-turned-knight, Minea.

She wasn’t bad at driving carriages and seemed to have some talent for swordsmanship, so I had placed her as an apprentice in the Rose Cross Order. While I wasn’t paying attention, she had apparently been recognized as a regular knight.

“Yeah, I’ve been incredibly busy since returning.”

I nodded while lighting a cigarette. The palace, Eleonora’s mansion, back to the palace, the cathedral and Asha’s workshop, and now my residence.

How many places have I gone back and forth today?

Moreover, after checking if the weapons had properly arrived at the residence, I would have to return to the golden mansion.

“How are you doing these days? Is being a knight manageable?”

“I’m dying…”

Minea sighed with a dejected face. It wasn’t that she was exaggerating about being tired—her expression suggested she genuinely felt like even ten lives wouldn’t be enough.

“Stop exaggerating. Unlike the Imperial Knights, the Rose Cross Order isn’t actively deployed in wars, right? You’re not even called to eliminate monsters throughout the empire. At most, you just have to hunt monsters around my territory. Where else in the world could you find an easier position?”

I chuckled and blew cigarette smoke in her direction.

“That might be true for Master-level knights, but for a regular knight like me, monster subjugation itself is a life-threatening battle…”

It’s not particularly easy for Masters either. The monsters you face and the ones Master-level knights deal with are on completely different levels.

The monsters that regular knights subjugate are just ones that a single Master-level knight could easily handle, but you do it in groups of dozens to lynch them.

Unless you live a life completely removed from swordplay, what safer job could there be for someone who lives by the sword?

“Do you know what the mortality rate for adventurers is these days? If you had continued as a guide, you would have ended up in a monster’s stomach by now. Or a monster would have ended up in yours.”

Either outcome would be terrible. Personally, I think the latter would be worse. Wouldn’t it be better to become monster food than a monster’s mother?

“That’s why I continue working without retiring…”

Ha, well said.

It was quite amusing to see this woman, who used to stutter and tremble at the sight of me, now responding so articulately.

Perhaps rolling around with other knights had increased her courage.

“Right, so train hard and work diligently. It’s a confusing time in many ways, isn’t it? In times like these, if you don’t have the strength to protect yourself, you’ll eventually be weeded out or sacrificed.”

“Yes… I’ll keep that in mind…”

Though it didn’t seem like a welcome piece of advice for Minea, she probably knew well that it was the stark reality. Just look at how the system has completely fallen apart.

—-

The professor’s residence I finally arrived at was empty, as I had expected.

Though it wasn’t dusty or covered in cobwebs as if a cleaner occasionally visited, the cold air characteristic of an uninhabited house permeated the entire residence.

I parked the carriage in front of the house, went inside, and unwrapped the neatly packaged parcel placed on the reception room table.

‘As I thought. Here it is.’

[Fortunate indeed. The precious items weren’t stolen.]

‘Yeah, what would we have done if they weren’t here?’

I smiled looking down at the set of armor and three swords laid out on the unwrapped cloth.

The delivery error was confirmed.

The completed weapons had been delivered here instead of the golden mansion, so the knight in charge of the order probably didn’t even know they were finished and was just desperately waiting for the swords and armor to arrive at the golden mansion.

Meanwhile, with the major incident of the dragon appearing, they probably didn’t have time to worry about undelivered items afterward.

Well, they managed to capture Orhan without these, so it didn’t matter anymore.

I took off the temporary armor I had been wearing and put on the winter armor that gleamed with the luster and shine of a new product.

The metal scales protecting the shoulders and thighs, along with the metal plates for the arms and legs, had a dark red luster that looked luxurious, probably because dragon scales were mixed with the black iron. When I tested it by holding fire against it, not even a trace of soot appeared.

Thanks to the shortened scale armor skirt, it wasn’t cumbersome when moving my legs, while the fur skirt underneath maintained its ankle length, preserving a good appearance.

‘The fit is nice. Looks good too.’

[Indeed, it’s much lighter than before. The previous armor wasn’t particularly heavy either… but this feels almost like wearing just leather.]

As Asha had guaranteed, it was a much lighter and more comfortable armor than before.

Yet its strength was supposedly equal to or greater than before? At this point, it was no less impressive than the holy armor that Demian wore in the original work.

‘Now, let’s see about the swords…’

After putting on all the armor, I drew one of the curved swords from its metal scabbard and examined it carefully.

A one-handed curved sword perfect for wielding on horseback.

The sharp yet elegant curved blade emitted a mesmerizing red light befitting the scales of a fire dragon, and the hilt wrapped in the leather of a werebeast champion felt like it perfectly conformed to my palm just by holding it.

Now, how about its strength…

– Crack…!

The lightning of murder karma runs along the blade, putting intense stress on the sword. The red blade trembled slightly, emitting a humming vibration.

So it can handle Hwibek without any problem. Then—

– Crackle!

I add murder karma to the technique, stacking the power. Two layers. And then three.

The blade began to emit a creaking groan under the immense pressure, but despite stacking the Hwibek technique three times, it showed no signs of breaking.

It meant it could withstand a triple stack without issues.

‘Good, this is perfect.’

If it can withstand a triple stack of Hwibek, it should be able to manifest Myeolseong, the ultimate technique that stacks it five times and tears through even a hero’s karma.

Of course, this just means it can manifest the technique—if I actually used it in battle, the sword would break after one strike.

Well, I wasn’t expecting more than that anyway. Even when I used it with the massive demon-slaying sword, the blade was half-destroyed, so it’s impressive enough that this thin curved sword can withstand it at all.

With a satisfied smile, I sheathed the curved sword and bundled all three together, strapping them to my back.

Including Durandal at my waist, I was carrying four swords. It was slightly cumbersome but not uncomfortable.

It looked quite cool in the mirror too.

With three swords strapped diagonally across my back and long and short swords at both sides of my waist, I exuded a wild charm that evoked the image of a professional human butcher.