Isekai Nonbiri Nouka-Novel

Chapter 198 – Winter, Magical Tools, and Shield

Winter has come.

Cold.

However, inside my house is warm.

Also this year, it seems like a lot of spiderlings decided to spend their time in my mansion.

I think Zabuton can spend winter in my mansion too but I don’t want to force her.

See you again in spring.

Kuro, Yuki.

You may play outside if you want.

You want to wear something?

How about just staying in the kotatsu?

But make sure you thoroughly wash your feet first before going in the kotatsu….ara, they’re washing already.

Keep your head out and don’t crawl into the kotatsu.

It’s the usual winter scenery. The pups are patiently waiting for their turn.

Didn’t I made those kotatsu for you?

Why aren’t you using it?

Even if I’m not using a kotatsu….you don’t have to wait for me to use it before you do.

I talk with Loo about magical tools.

According to her, there are quite a few tools that have magic sealed unto them.

And the upper class monopolize them.

The commoners will never have a chance of even touching a magical tool.

Is that so?

That’s disappointing.

When I was thinking….

「The dragon king and ancestor-sama brought gifts for the baby, right?」

…..

That reminds me, I had the chance of getting a “dungeon augite” before.

Was there something like that again?

What I’m asking for is something like a stove or a refrigerator.

When we were using the camping carriage, I thought some things like those will be convenient.

「There are magical tools that can generate fire and there are also those that can generate water…..but it will be hard to find something that can be used for cooking.」

「Is that so?」

「The basic of magical tool is that it can only do one thing. For example, a tool that can generate fire can produce a constant amount of firepower for a certain period of time. You can’t use it for cooking since you can’t adjust the firepower.」

「Really? But the “dungeon augite” that I received from Dors can do a lot of things.」

「That one is an exception. It is a legendary item.」

「Is that so?」

「Yeah.」

「And I loaned it to the lamias….」

「It can’t be helped since you have no way of using it.」

She’s right.

After listening to her, I realized that magical tools have limited use.

But it can be pretty useful in things where it is needed.

Because of that, let’s use the magical tools of Big Tree Village….

But they are mostly for offensive and defensive magics….

What now?

It can only do one thing, and now you’re telling me that they can’t even do what I want?

I can’t find anything that I can use.

「There’s no other way. Since it has come to this, why don’t we ask someone who can make it?」

「What kind of magical tool do you want?」

「A stove. One that can be used for cooking.」

「Didn’t I just said that you can’t adjust the firepower? You can’t cook anything with the same temperature, right?」

「Not really. We just need to make multiple heat source at the right amount of distance from each other. Temperature adjustment will be done by using other heat sources.」

「Multiple?」

「Yeah. The concept is similar to musical instruments, we only need to arrange multiple magical tools by their firepower.」

「That’s …amazing!」

「But I’m sure someone has already thought of that, right?」

「Magical tool creation does not only needs money but it also needs precious materials to make. No one will be able to make one with one of those two missing. And to use it for cooking, that’s simply a unique way of thinking.」

「Is that so?」

「Yeah. In fact, cooking is …something that is very common in this village but not so common outside.」

That reminds me of the custom of this world.

「In addition, it would be much cheaper to hire a chef and give him the usual cooking tools that making a magical tool for cooking.」

「Ah…indeed.」

「Are you dissatisfied with the current mansion? Is this really necessary?」

「This is kind of embarrassing to say but …let’s not talk about food yet, don’t you think it would be nice if you could drink hot tea while riding a carriage? 」

「The carriage …will burn. 」

…..certainly.

「Maa, I’ll do my best cause husband wants it. Let me take my memo first.」

「Hnn?」

「What kind of magical tool do you want?」

「Right, it’s ….eh?」

Aside from being a famous mage and well-known pharmacist, Loo is also a celebrity in making magical tool.

The name and number of materials needed are written on the memo she gave me.

「I think you can get them at Goroun Company. And I will also have to disassemble some of the magical tools in the village.」

「Got it.」

Thank you in advance.

I’m concentrating on the wood in front of me.

Currently, according to my schedule, there is something I should make.

I made one of them in a dash.

I’m shaping it now.

I’m carving it to the supposed to be the final product.

That’s it.

I made a wooden, 1 meter shield.

Good.

Really good.

「Here it is.」

I handed it to the mountain elf sitting beside me.

She put a belt inside the shield.

She also put a knob and it is now complete.

The knob is not fixed so you can adjust the way you hold it according to your will.

And that is its most basic feature.

「So, what are you planning to do?」

I asked the mountain elf.

「We’re thinking of putting something like a transformation gimmick that will change the size of the shield.」

「Won’t that make it vulnerable?」

「If it can deflect an enemy attack once, that is enough.」

「But won’t it be too heavy?」

「Drilling holes will lighten it.」

「I see.」

I made the second shield.

This shield looks like the first one.

The difference is that it is twice as thick.

It is also a little heavier than the first one.

But it’s not like it’s impossible to wield.

The mountain elf installed belts and knob.

And put another thinner belt on the knob.

The thinner belt became the adjuster.

「Let’s try it out.」

It is winter and is cold outside but it is still manageable.

There are even some people walking outside.

The lizardman Daga and the beastkin Gulf.

They were sparring in the hall of my mansion but they were scolded by Ann and were thrown outside.

We called the two of them to try it out.

Daga holds the shield while Gulf will attack him with sword.

「May I seriously attack?」

「What do you think, Daga?」

「Of course.」

「Then, do it seriously. Daga, I want you to receive it with the shield but don’t rely on it too much.」

「Why?」

「There’s a possibility of the shield being brittle.」

「That’s scary.」

「This is an experiment for the shield so it will be over as soon as the shield is broken. Don’t forget that.」

By the way, I taught Daga about the gimmicks but I did not teach them to Gulf.

Start of the experiment.

Daga evades first and deflects some of Gulf’s attack using the shield.

It looks like there is no problem.

Gulf’s attack speed is getting faster.

The number of times Daga evades is reduced and the number of times he needs to use the shield has increased.

However, Daga was not unilaterally attacked, he also sometimes counter using the shield.

Gulf always managed to evade them but he finally received damage.

And it’s not like he was hurt that much.

Gulf then attacks like a surging wave.

There is no chance for Daga to counter using the shield.

Because of Gulf’s attack, the shield was slightly flipped.

Daga moved his body out of the shield from Gulf’s point of view.

From there, he swung it down.

The spectators, me and the dark elf, thought of it at the same time.

Now!

Daga might have thought so too.

He activated the gimmick at the best timing.

Three crescent blades popped out of the edge of the shield at three points.

One of the blades caught Gulf’s sword.

It surprised Gulf.

Daga even shouted.

In the shield is a mechanism. There is a gear placed at the center of the shield and rotating it will cause the interlocking blades to extend outside the shield.

It is not a complicated gimmick.

Though it is only for a moment, it should have widened the defensive area of the shield.

That went well.

However, Daga unexpectedly did not understand the widened area that much.

One of the crescent blades stab Daga’s thigh.

「Sorry, are you okay?」

I and the mountain elf apologized to Daga.

Hurry up and call Flora for healing.

After Daga’s treatment, it is time to hear their impression.

「That’s surprising.」

That’s Gulf’s honest opinion.

If this is an ordinary match, that is unacceptable but it will be really effective in actual combat.

Daga felt the same.

「I did not get what you mean about expansion but seeing it now, it is quite interesting. Also, can you use metal instead of wooden blade?」

「But the weight.」

「I think it’s light enough?」

「Really?」

I give it to Gulf.

「This is totally lighter than an iron shield. I think it is still usable even if the weight is doubled.」

I see.

Aside from those, I asked if they have any other opinion.

「It troubles me a bit at the start but I want to do something with the smooth surface of the shield. It is easy to peep at your enemy using it but it is unsuitable if your enemy decided to attack in waves.」

「Ah, that’s what I thought that’s why I attacked that way. But I can only attacked like that because I’m not worried about my sword breaking because of being stuck somewhere.」

「Is that so? And I thought it the smoother the shield is, the better.」

「There are races who uses shields like that…. When you attacked them with your shield, your sword will slipped the way they want it.」

「But you need to have the right strength to withstand the impact first before you can do that.」

This has become a learning session.

「Then, do you want anything to be carved on the surface of the shield.」

「Please, but you don’t need to make something hard like you usually do. For example…. Just carve anything you find convenient to carve.」

I did not intend to be good at carving but am I recognized to be such?

「I also want the edge of the shield to be reversed. Just like the slipping of the sword we’re discussing earlier, it can be used to hook the sword.」

Okay okay, after hearing their impression, we return to the workshop.

Remodeling.

The proposal of making the blade made of iron is not bad but that is something I can’t do right now so let’s put it on hold.

I carved the surface of the shield.

According to my imagination, it can be used to intimidate opponent so I carved an angry dragon on the surface of the shield.

The mountain elf improved her gimmick.

There was an opinion saying that the places where the blades appeared were so narrow.

She remodeled it so that six crescent blades will pop out instead.

Complete.

A shield carved with an angry dragon with six crescent blades.

Daga bows.

「What are you doing?」

「Please bestow it to me. I will master it.」

…….

This is for the ghost knight who’s defending the hot spring….

「Please.」

….

No.

This is for the ghost knight.

The crescent blades are also wooden.

I decided to bestow Daga another one but with iron blades.

「Eh? I can request what kind of carving I want? I-I’ll think about it.」

Next to the troubled Daga, Gulf was also thinking if it would be better to have a shield.

As for the first shield …ah, there’s a possibility that the ghost knight will dislike the gimmick.

I never thought about that.

Let’s be prepared to return it to normal just in case.