Chapter 27: Research Results
As I finished up my paperwork in the office of the royal palace, a report came in.
"I heard something about the Empire's weapons from the Research Division. It seems like the research is progressing well during this slow winter, which is great."
"Princess Sorerīna has been accompanying the Empire and the Knight Kingdom in their war, and she has brought back numerous Imperial weapons. It's a delightful achievement, even for me."
"There might be a war with the Rocha Kingdom, so we should have high expectations for reports that can help us create good weapons."
Accompanied by Alectem, I made my way to the Research Division.
When you think of research, you usually imagine people in white lab coats. However, the personnel in the Nonette Kingdom's Research Division were mostly blacksmiths and magicians, so they were clad in overalls and robes.
"What have you found out about the Empire's weapons?"
As soon as I opened my mouth, one of the blacksmiths handed me a dagger. The blade was made of bronze, without a guard, and had a simple design, clearly a prototype.
"Is this the research result?"
"Yes. We have succeeded in imbuing the mechanism of magical enhancement that allows the Imperial weapons to cut well."
Impressed, I accepted the dagger. As I did, the blade began to emit a faint light. The dagger was absorbing magic and manifesting it, even though I wasn't consciously channeling any magic myself.
This is convenient. Even soldiers without knowledge of magic can use it simply by gripping it.
Before me, a small iron rod about the size and thickness of a finger was presented. It seemed like they wanted me to slash it with the prototype dagger.
I held the iron rod in my left hand vertically and brought the blade of the prototype dagger against it.
"Alright, here we go."
As I pressed the dagger forcefully, the blade sank into the iron rod. Gradually, the blade started to cut into it.
The sensation was like pushing a knife into cold, solidified butter.
After about ten seconds, I finally managed to cut it in half.
"It's not as effective as the Empire's steel sword, but it's working properly."
With that evaluation, as I was about to return the dagger, I noticed that the magic was still active on the blade.
Since it would be dangerous to return it like this, I tried to stop the activation of magic by cutting off the supply of magical energy. However, it didn't work well.
By gripping the handle, I generated a force field that blocked and repelled magical energy using sacred arts, finally making the magic light disappear from the blade.
"Could it be that this dagger is designed in a way that the magical effect cannot be turned on or off?"
As I returned the dagger and asked the question, the blacksmith made a face as if he had been hit where it hurts.
"This is merely a prototype designed to enhance the cutting effect with magic. We prioritized the activation. If you only want to disable the blade's effect, you can simply release the handle or change the grip position."
Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that the handle of the blacksmith's weapon was quite far from its end.
"The activation condition for magic is to grip the location where the handle pin is, right?"
"As expected of Prince Milimos, you have a keen eye. This eye pin absorbs the user's magical power and conveys it to the magical pattern embedded in the blade."
While understanding the mechanism, there was something that bothered me.
"You mentioned earlier that it cannot be turned on or off because it has limited functionality, but what is the truth?"
When I inquired further, the blacksmith looked to his companions as if seeking help. Realizing that no one would take over for him, he sighed and began to explain.
"Prince Milimos is using a wooden bird as his emissary, so you're familiar with how the empire's magic is activated, right?"
"By allowing magical power to flow through certain patterns, magic manifests. It is called magic because it leads to peculiar phenomena."
"That's right. The wooden bird is made by carving a board that replicates the empire's patterns and placing it between the bird-shaped figure."
After finishing the explanation about the wooden surveillance bird, the blacksmith raised a small dagger in his hand.
"We attempted to make this sword using a similar method, but it was impossible."
"Why is that?"
"The empire's weapons are made of iron, while weapons in the Nonette Kingdom are made of bronze."
"Is it because the materials are different that you can't imitate it? But if you imitate the pattern, shouldn't the magic always activate?"
In response to my simple question, the blacksmith shook his head and took something from a nearby workbench.
It was a disassembled imperial sword.
"Please have a look. This sword doesn't have any apparent patterns resembling the route."
As I took it, it was indeed true that there were no apparent patterns resembling the route on the blade or the part that goes into the handle called the tang.
The only unfamiliar thing was the presence of a mysterious pattern on the tang. It resembled the cells of a stained onion that I had seen under a microscope when I was an elementary school student in my previous life. It was a pattern that consisted of small squares and crescent shapes densely packed together, somewhat resembling a type of blade pattern.
Upon closer observation, I noticed that small lines were also engraved, connecting the squares and crescent shapes or skipping over them.
"Could it be that this pattern..."
"As expected of Prince Milimos. You've noticed, haven't you? Yes, those patterns and the small engraved lines created by the steel become the route for magic. Among the empire's techniques that the Nonette Kingdom has secretly collected until now, this is a groundbreaking mechanism."
The blacksmith passionately explained the mechanism.
It is difficult to detect the fact that the pattern itself is a magical pathway, and even if you manage to detect it, without metallurgical technology, the same pattern cannot be created. Furthermore, even with the technology, by keeping the manufacturing method secret, other countries can be prevented from completely replicating imperial weapons.
"Alright, I understand. So, the pattern is incorporated into the magical pathway generated by the iron. But how did you manage to make it with bronze, even if it has limited functionality?"
"The advantage of bronze is that it is easy to work with. I replicated the sections with lines from this pattern. Like this."
He dismantles the handle of the prototype dagger and shows me the tang.
The bronze tang had a larger replica of the pattern found on imperial swords, carved into it.
Even though bronze is known for being easy to carve, it seems they were unable to mimic the same size as the pattern on the tang of the imperial magical sword.
"The size is different, but compared to the pattern on the imperial sword, it's been simplified quite a bit."
"We only kept the parts necessary for enhancing the sharpness of the blade through magic and removed the unnecessary parts. We've discovered the magic for sharpening the blade, so we're researching in the direction of analyzing what other hidden magics are present."
I calm down the agitated blacksmith and contemplate about the research with my arms crossed.
"So you've figured out the magic for enhancing the sharpness of the blade?"
"Yes, I have a perfect grasp of it. If we only add this function separately, it can be easily done."
"How easy is it?"
"Bronze weapons are easy to cast. We can dig the same pattern as this one into the mold, pour molten bronze into it, and then all that's left is attaching the handle and the rivets."
The problem lies in the inability to switch the function on and off.
"The activation condition is touching the rivet, right?"
"Yes, you need to touch it with your bare hand."
"Hmm? Imperial weapons should be usable even with gloves, right?"
"Well, the metal used for the rivet is a special one. Unfortunately, the metallurgical technology of the Kingdom of Nonette can only produce low-performance versions of it. That's why it becomes necessary to have direct contact with bare skin."
He apologizes with a look of regret, but this time it's a blessing in disguise.
"In that case, if you wear gloves, the magic won't activate. So, why not attach a leather cover to the handle and remove it when you want to activate the magic? That way, there's no need to forcibly turn it on or off."
"Well, that does seem like an additional step and a hassle."
"It's true that it's a bit of a hassle, but there are rumors that the Kingdom of Rocha has its eyes on the Kingdom of Nonette."
When mentioned the name of the country that we might be fighting against next, everyone in the research department wears a bitter expression.
"Is Rottcha the country with the best metallurgical technology on the eastern side?"
"Well, it's not like the Empire, which uses magic to enhance things, but the quality of their iron weapons is incredibly high, so we shouldn't underestimate them."
"Indeed. If it's a bronze weapon, it's practically useless in combat."
"I see. That's why we should promptly apply magical enhancements to the bronze weapons of Norette Kingdom, to make their edges sharper."
"That's right. Bronze weapons are easy to manufacture, and it's also easy to remelt and recast them later, so we won't have material shortages even if we produce them in advance."
I proudly presented my idea, but the faces of the research team remained stern.
"Prince Milimos, it's just the beginning of winter. If we were to use a large amount of the fuel stored in the royal castle to melt bronze, we might be unable to provide support in case of unexpected events, and the villagers might freeze to death."
"Ah, you're right. I didn't consider that."
Even though I've been living in this world for twelve years, I still unconsciously assume that heating is as abundant as it was in my previous life.
While crossing my arms, I pondered if there was a good solution and happened to notice a staff made by the Empire.
"I've got it. Let's ask the mages for help."
"Are you suggesting using magic flames to melt the materials? Mages don't have that much magical power."
"We don't need to produce everything at once. It's enough to start mass production little by little. Besides, the Empire's staffs have a function to enhance magical effects. A simple fire-lighting spell can turn into a large fireball, for example."
"By using the staff to conserve magical power, we can maintain firepower and eliminate the need for firewood. I see, it seems like a good plan."
The members of the research team discussed the feasibility and the number of items that could be produced in a day, considering the number of mages available in the Norette Kingdom's military.
"For now, we need to make a prototype. We should contact the manufacturing department of the army and the division of mages."
"I have connections with the manufacturing department. They have plenty of free time during the winter since they can't use the fuel properly. If we tell them this interesting story, they'll likely come with the bronze materials as a gift."
"I have acquaintances among the mages, so leave it to me. However, they might be hesitant to use it as fuel."
"If they start grumbling, just tell them it's Prince Milimos's order. They owe a debt of gratitude to Prince Milimos for his guidance, so they'll keep quiet immediately."
They turned their gaze to me, seeking permission. I granted them permission, explaining that enhancing weapon performance was an urgent matter, even though I was making excuses. As a matter of fact, I had become one of those mages, so once I finished my regular paperwork duties, I would have to participate in the production as well.