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| ← Ch.167 | Ch.169 → |
Rorono sidled up to Tiro and then attached the pile bunker to Tiro's body via a hide armor that was dedicated for the said task.
Tiro seemed to be immensely more massive than before. The metallic stake, even though it was loaded into the pile bunker, still seemed to be about the same size as her.
"Wow, Tiro-chan, you look so cool!"
Kuina's eyes glimmered as she looked at Tiro. It seemed like the weapon had tugged on her heartstrings.
"Guruu..."
On the other hand, Tiro had a complicated expression on her face.
Moreover, she was leaning into her right side, which seemed to suggest that it wasn't just an issue of weight, but of balance as well.
"If the [Talaria] was the opener, this is the main event. I present to you the [Motelius]. In terms of simply power, this will outperform even Kuina's shotgun. Moreover, this has the advantage of not consuming as much magic power. Each shot of the triple-barreled revolver uses Kuina's tail fur as battery to power the explosion magic which then triggers the blasting powder within, resulting in the metal stake to be pushed out with tremendous force."
Its appearance was intimidating. Its massiveness screamed of incredible power.
"It's meaningless to use a medium sized target to test its power, so let's use this: the damaged and core-less body of an Avalon-Ritter. It has been damaged in a previous battle and is scheduled to be melted down and repurposed, so it is the perfect test dummy."
When Rorono whistled, Mithril Golems serving as the help brought the said damaged body of an Avalon-Ritter.
"Rorono, are you seriously saying that this weapon can punch through even an Avalon-Ritter?"
"Mhm. In theory, it should be capable of such."
An Avalon-Ritter's body was made of Rorono's own mix of orichalcum alloy. Even an S rank monster would find it hard to pierce through its body.
"Now, Tiro, try using it. As for how, it's simple. Just channel a small amount of magic power into it, and the stake will shoot out."
"Tiro-chan, good luck. Kuina wants to see things go boom!"
Expectations in their eyes, Kuina and Rorono watched as Tiro walked closer to the Avalon-Ritter. Or rather, as Tiro hobbled closer.
"Kuun..."
While issuing another pity-inducing cry, Tiro pointed the barrel toward the target.
"Ahh, Tiro-chan, when using something with gunpowder, you should cover your ears before the thing goes boom! If you don't, it'll go ring ring in your head!"
Kuina gave a good advice for monsters like them who had excellent ears.
She demonstrated it by shutting her fox ears down. Tiro copied her and it was awfully adorable.
"Gau!"
And so, Tiro readjusted her aim and then poured magic power into the [Motelius]. When she did, a clinking sound was made and the stake was readied. In the moment after that, a roaring sound that shook the ground was made.
Like that, we saw the fired-off stake obliterate the Avalon-Ritter into many small pieces upon contact.
All it took was one hit. At such a tremendous power, I unintentionally dropped my jaw.
"It's far better than what I expected. I didn't imagine it would have this much power."
"Mhm, all are actually within calculations. It's thanks to the two enchantments that [Motelius] has. The first of which is [Hardening]. This is so that the whole thing can endure the overwhelming power it outputs. The other one is [Pulverization]. Normally, the moment the stake makes contact with the target, there will be a counteractive force that will try to repel the stake. However, [Pulverization] will convert that force into offensive power instead, making the attack even more powerful. Of course, the recoil that happens when firing the stake is also converted into attack power. With these, there is next to nothing that it can't pierce."
Rorono was being more talkative than usual, which wasn't so surprising given the unimaginable weapon she made. In terms of just attack power, it was almost unrivalled.
"Rorono-chan, that was amazing! Kuina really wants one now. The stake going boom really fits to how Kuina wants to fight: up close and personal!"
As ever, Kuina's preference leaned toward close-ranged battle.
"I'll think about it."
Rorono replied with an indifferent sounding tone, but her joy in the success of her creation was palpable.
Thinking Tiro would be pleased as well, I looked at her direction. When I did so, however, I found her limping in a swaying manner before finally falling down.
Her tongue was out and her eyes were rolling up. It was horrible.
"Kyaun! Kyaun! Kyan, kyan!"
Before any of us could get to her, she stood up and then trashed around. She kept rubbing the hide armor she was wearing into the ground in a desperate effort to remove the [Motelius].
"Tiro-chan!"
Kuina rushed over to Tiro's side and helped remove the armor.
"Kyankyan!"
Upon merely seeing Rorono's face, Tiro—now free of the weapon—hid behind Kuina while crying out loud. She was gravely frightened.
"What's wrong, Tiro-chan?"
"Kyuuun, gaugau, guruu"
Tiro complained so in a pained voice while Kuina repeatedly nodded in response.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh. Oh my, Tiro-chan, you poor thing."
"Garuu..."
"Okay, I'll let them know. You don't have to be afraid anymore. Kuina will make sure you don't have to anything you dislike anymore either."
After that, Kuina came over to our direction. Meanwhile, Tiro moved to a somewhat hidden area of the workshop.
"Oto-san, Rorono-chan. Tiro-chan says she doesn't want to use the [Motelius] anymore. She says she'd prefer using just the [Talaria]."
That much of a reaction was natural from that dangerous incident.
Looking like she wasn't satisfied with just that for an explanation, Rorono spoke.
"But why? It deals unbelievable damage, converts recoil and collision counterforces into more attack power, can be used even in the air due to the lack of recoil, and more. It should actually be an ideal weapon."
Just as she said, the [Motelius] did expertly satisfy those criteria.
It had immense firepower, boosted further by its enchantments, and was a competent choice even in sky where there was no foothold. Perhaps above all, it didn't use much of the user's own magic power.
Tiro who could teleport instantaneously and [Motelius] that could kill in one hit did seem to have excellent affinity.
"Well, you see... Tiro-chan says that it's too heavy for her. Plus, the weight is unevenly distributed, so it messes with her balance. And, even with her ears down, the sound of the explosion it made was too loud. She almost fainted. The smell of the gunpowder was unbearable too. What else? Ah, even though it was fired just once, the gun barrel got too hot that it felt like a searing iron was pressed against her stomach. She says that if she were to keep on using it, she'll go mad."
At a loss for words, Rorono fell to her knees.
...... well, I'm at a loss for words too. Who knew Tiro could put so much detailed and well-thought-out explanations into those guruu's of hers?
"... I have nothing to say in my defense. This has been a complete blunder. Honestly, I made this pile bunker because I was fascinated when I saw one in the anime that master has produced. I have made it more for myself than for Tiro's sake. For that, I have no right to call myself a master blacksmith."
I honestly couldn't blame her. Seeing the pile bunker would surely inspire one want to make it. Besides, even though it didn't fit Tiro's preferences, the fact of the matter was that Rorono still made a high-performance weapon.
"Everyone makes mistakes, Rorono-chan! The [Talaria] more than makes up for it!"
"Mhm. Then, I'm going to improve that to best I can. I have done a bad thing to Tiro. I won't make her go without desserts anymore. In fact, I'm even going to buy her a gigantic bone-in meat later."
One of the good things about Rorono was her ability to admit her faults immediately.
The [Motelius] wasn't a complete waste of time though.
"Ahem... Rorono, sure, Tiro didn't like the [Motelius], but it's far from useless. I was thinking it will be a good weapon for the Avalon-Ritters. Perhaps even turning their right arm into the [Motelius] itself. Wouldn't it be amazing if they close the distance with some kind of booster, and then deal the killing blow with the [Motelius]?"
"...... that will be incredibly cool. You truly are amazing, master. I'll begin modifying the [Motelius] to be compatible with the Burst Drive of the Avalon-Ritters right away. If successful, they might be able to defeat even Kuina in one shot."
"Why does the example enemy have to be Kuina!?"
Kuina's tail rose up in her protest.
Well, even as a joke, I could see why she wouldn't want to be the target of such a fiendish weapon.
"At any rate, given that we have found the best possible weapon for Tiro—that being the [Talaria]—I would consider this weapon testing session a huge success. Now, why don't the three of us go shopping and then eat back at the estate. I think a reward is in order for Tiro who had a tiring and awful day today, and for Rorono who worked hard to make these weapons. Let's go buy your favorite food."
"Guruu ♪"
"Giant prawns, please."
Before I knew it, Tiro was back with us again. Upon hearing the reward, she gave a hearty response.
Rorono too seemed to have recovered and even suggested her own favorite.
Meanwhile, Kuina—being the only one to not receive a reward—looked a tiny bit crestfallen. Of course, if ever we came across a food stall that sold delicious-looking food, I intended to buy some for her. Like that, we headed to the city to shop.
Nevertheless, that surely was unexpected. To think that the [Talaria]—a mish-mash of already existing techniques and technologies—would be loved by Tiro while the [Motelius]—Rorono's highly anticipated masterpiece—would be a total flop.
No matter though. The [Motelius] would still play an integral role, just that it would be as the Avalon-Ritters' decisive weapon instead.
Most of all, thanks to this failure, Rorono had learned an invaluable lesson.
Once again, Avalon had grown stronger. Just imagining how much stronger we could become in half a year's time was enough to put a smile on my face.
TL Note: The Talaria (wikipedia link) are those winged sandals worn by Hephaestus in Greek mythology. As for the Motelius (モーテリウス), I don't know what it is a reference of. If you have any idea, feel free to comment.
| ← Ch. 167 | Ch. 169 → |