episode_0117

“I conducted research on press processing.”

“Okay, last time I said that it was difficult to use that method right away, right?”

“Yes. At that time, the boss said that high costs were expected due to problems with the frame and power to print the steel plate into the desired shape.”

I nodded to the researcher’s words, which brought back memories of that time.

The R&D headquarters regularly checks the performance of researchers, and there was also talk about press processing. However, that method could not be used at the time because there was a problem with the mold that used to print the steel plate.

There was no problem in making it once or twice, but if it was repeated a few times, the mold quickly became deformed. It was a form of pressing down on an iron plate with tremendous force, and in the process of deforming the iron plate due to that force, the mold was also deformed.

Moreover, the problem was that it was not possible to easily generate enough force to deform the steel plate. At the time, when testing a production method called press processing, more than five skeleton knights were mobilized to obtain the power to process iron plates into precise shapes. By mobilizing a small number of Skeleton Knights, they even temporarily brought in objects used to defend the territory.

So, previously, the press processing part was postponed to be implemented once a method was found. This was because it was considered a very good production method if only those two problems could be solved.

“Boss. By any chance, have you been able to resolve the problem that was at that time?”

And when I suddenly brought up the topic of press processing, the researcher decided that I had solved the problem. It was clear that he thought I wouldn’t bring it up again for no reason.

Of course, that thought wasn’t wrong. Because Death Knight could have solved all those problems.

“That’s right. To be exact, this guy solves that problem.”

“… … Are you talking about this orc?”

The researchers could not hide their surprise at the reference to Death Knight. It was clear that I was wondering what on earth oak had to do with press processing.

“This guy here is no ordinary orc. Death Knight. hmm… … . The analogy may not be right, but in some ways, you can think of it as a skeleton knight made of cloth.”

“You said it could be considered a Skeleton Knight, but wasn’t just a Skeleton Knight not enough last time?”

“That’s right. But Death Knight is different from Skeleton Knight. In terms of classification, a Skeleton Mage or Skeleton Knight is a mid-level undead, and a Death Knight is a high-level undead. The use of black magic and the power it can produce are different. In particular, unlike a skeleton that only has bones, it is full of muscles, so it is possible to generate more powerful force.”

Since he was a Death Knight who knew how to properly use dark magic, he would be able to handle many of the tasks that several Skeleton Knights had done on his own. In particular, as the power is good, it is clear that it will be enough to become a power source, which is one of the problems.

When I talked about that part, the researchers looked at the Death Knight as if they were very interested.

Thinking that it would be faster to demonstrate it in person rather than explain it in words, I immediately instructed the researchers to prepare.

“Do you still have the mold you used for testing last time?”

“It is there, but it hasn’t been repaired yet, so it’s still in a deformed state.”

“Since we are just testing right now, let’s use it in its modified state. Because it may be better to create something new from scratch for actual production.”

The researchers immediately started moving at my words. Since they were people who could indirectly control regular skeletons through Skeleton Mages, preparation did not take long. Except for the task of moving the mold when dozens of skeletons were put into production.

The mold was so heavy that the skeletons made a crackling sound of bones grinding, and it was firmly fixed to the equipment that had previously been made for testing purposes.

It was a type of equipment that processed steel plates by combining two solid metal molds into one. Of the two molds, the upper one moved vertically, and when it came into contact with the lower mold, the steel plate was processed. Depending on the mold being used, cutting or bending the steel plate is also an easy method, and this could be said to be the form proposed by the researcher.

Anyway, after finishing preparing the equipment, I immediately instructed the Death Knight to grab the mold and move it.

The Death Knight tightly grasped the handle attached to the gold bottle located at the top, and immediately engulfed his entire body in dark magic. It was a flow of dark magic that ordinary people could not feel, but it may have been because it was so powerful, but the researchers nearby could feel their bodies trembling. I felt like I was getting goosebumps.

However, the researchers who were sweeping the arms and shoulders seemed very surprised by the scene that followed.

“I can hear you!”

When the Death Knight held the mold alone and gave strength, the mold slowly rose into the air. The mold, fixed to metal rods filled with oil, gently floated toward the top.

Despite lifting an enormous weight, the Death Knight seemed to have no particular strength and looked at me asking what I should do now.

“Put the iron plate in.”

Seeing the death knight’s relaxed appearance, he immediately ordered a nearby skeleton to place an iron plate between the molds. It was so large and wide that a heavy iron plate was placed on top of the lower mold by skeletons.

After confirming that the iron plate was in place on the mold, I instructed the Death Knight to proceed with the next process.

“Apply black magic to the mold to make it hard and push it down.”

“Human, can I just press it?”

“Just press very hard.”

The Death Knight nodded as if he understood my instructions and immediately began to surround the mold with black magic, just as he had placed black magic on his own body.

Basically, when mana or black magic is coated on an object, it has the property of making the object very hard. To be precise, it had the hardness of coated mana and black magic intact.

The degree of hardness varies depending on the user’s skill in using mana or black magic, but in general, it is harder than iron plate. It was one of the reasons why soldiers were cut off with their armor intact by weapons wielded by knights filled with mana.

Anyway, the mold, which had become very hard after being coated with such black magic, was driven down towards the floor at high speed by the added strength and gravity of the Death Knight.

bang! The mold and mold came into contact with a sound, and the steel plate between them also deformed. And, when the Death Knight was asked to lift the mold again, the iron plate sandwiched between the mold was revealed.

Although it was cut, it was torn here and there, not in the desired shape.

“… … It’s a mess?”

“Well, if you cut it at that speed, the steel plate is bound to tear. Sir, in press processing, you must press with appropriate force and speed to achieve the best results. If you cut it like this, the mold will be greatly damaged.”

Of course, it was because he moved as I instructed. Since I had no idea there would be such a problem, I smiled awkwardly and quickly put away the torn iron plate. The iron pieces generated during the processing process were collected and sent back to the blast furnace, where they were roughly thrown away.

And while I was cleaning up the torn steel plates with the skeletons, the researchers were checking to see if there were any problems with the mold. However, even though there was an impact that tore the steel plate, there was no deformation in the mold.

Of course, this was possible because the Death Knight’s dark magic coated the mold as if to protect it.

Therefore, there was no problem in proceeding directly to the next task. An iron plate was placed under the still floating mold, and Death Knight made the mold move. Of course, this time I didn’t do it quickly. I pressed it gently, albeit at a slightly slower pace, but with strong force.

A sound was heard, and the mold pressed down on the iron plate at a slow speed. Afterwards, the two molds, which were pressed down by the Death Knight’s force, soon almost came into contact.

Deciding that the iron plate would have been processed sufficiently at this level, I immediately had the Death Knight lift the mold. Although it was an incredibly heavy mold, the Death Knight using black magic lifted it very lightly.

“Oh! Is it a success? It’s a bit unsightly because it uses a mold that was deformed in the first place, but it’s still a success.”

When the mold was lifted, the researchers, including me, immediately brightened up at the results we saw. Unlike the torn steel plate a little while ago, this time the result came out very neatly.

Originally, because the modified mold was used, the cut parts were slightly dented or undercut, but that was something that could have been done by making the mold properly. Even if you look at it right away, there were a few pieces that were cut out just fine.

It was a moment when I became convinced that if I only used properly made molds, I would be able to produce a huge amount of items quickly.

“Produce right from the mold. Focusing on the cutlery that we are currently selling the most. Oh, there are quite a lot of orders for armor from royalist nobles, so there are molds that fit the armor as well.”

Naturally, it was a very welcome situation for me, who had recently been receiving a lot of orders from royalist nobles. Therefore, researchers were immediately instructed to create molds that could produce the items.

Since there are quite a few parts that need attention to the mold, it was better for the researchers to make it themselves rather than instructing skeletons to make it. In particular, molds are items that can be made once and used over and over again, so it was only better for skilled researchers to make them in a meticulous manner.

“Ah, let’s increase the size of the mold itself to increase the amount that can be made at once. There is only one Death Knight right now, and it is difficult to make more. Instead, since there is room for power, it would be better to increase the size of production facilities.”

And, rather than producing on a pilot basis, we decided to build the equipment on a larger scale for full-scale production. Since we could only operate one unit, we were planning to expand production significantly by increasing the size.

As I watched the researchers moving busily as I intended, I turned my attention to the Death Knight who was still holding the mold.

“What do you think? Is it worth betting just now?”

“It feels good to use my strength. But can’t we use a little more force? It would be nice to use strong force like before.”

Seeing the Death Knight look strangely satisfied, I smiled.

It seemed like a feeling of relaxation as well as satisfaction, but in reality, the dark magic that the Death Knight used was not much. I felt like I could maintain it forever as long as I visited occasionally and refilled it.

“Thank goodness. Then, I will allow you to use more power, so please cooperate with the instructions of the humans and skeleton mage here.”

“I understand.”

The Death Knight nodded and wriggled his muscles as if he could use more strength.

To be honest, it was incomprehensible to me, but since there was nothing bad about me, I shrugged my shoulders and left the rest of the work to the researchers.

As time passed while listening to various explanations and preparing, it was time to return to the mansion. I had an appointment with someone who wanted to meet me at the mansion at noon.

I left everything to the researchers, even leaving the Death Knight in the blacksmith shop, and moved straight toward the mansion.