Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku

8-13. The Viscount and the Scroll Workshop

Satou’s here. Sometimes I miss my students day where I get my speed and capacity cut down during programming using integrated development environment because I’m doing it while reading mnemonic binary conversion list.

I don’t want to go back to that time though. Technology must progress after all.

◇

Hooked nose, wrinkled brow, well-cared mustache, and properly swept-back deep blond hair. I can feel strong will from his eyes overflowing with vigor.

Is he really the brother of Toruma?

I can see Toruma’s father standing beside him. He looks somewhat old, you wouldn’t think that he’s still 34 years old.

"Thank you for saving Toruma."

It’s weird. Even though I’m being thanked, it feels like being scolded by my boss.

That was Toruma’s brother, viscount Hosaris Shimen.

"I’m sorry, Satou-dono, my brother can only talk like this."

"How rude. Toruma, what’s wrong with the way I talk."

His words itself are normal, but the way Hosaris talks feels like a stubborn master who’s scolding his poor pupils. In fact, I can feel Arisa radiating drooling-like presence. I can’t help but feel that she’s leaking gleaming aura that’s unusual.

My biggest concern, that is the permission to visit the workshop, is given without problem.

I’m also alloted to the the first in line, though maximum priority is impossible, for the promised matter about scrolls as compensation for Toruma’s dagger.

"Is that so, you’ve got into troubles with his highness Sharlick, sir Pendragon, you have to be careful. His highness tends to easily settle disputes with violence."

According to Hosaris-shi, the prince is also regarded as a troublemaker in the royal capital. About 10 years ago, he laid his hands on the daughter of a lord who had been decided to marry (someone else), in no time at all, one earl territory was on the verge of rebelling against Shiga kingdom. This matter was also the reason for the cancellation of the engagement between lady Ringrande and the prince.

Originally he should have been confined in a remote monastery, or rather a royal villa away under the pretense of recuperating from sickness, but he could be forgiven if he succeed as a holy knight due to his excellent swordsmanship. The bad rumor didn’t die out even after he had become a holy knight, but it seemed that he hadn’t caused any big problem like he did with the territory lord before.

How could they gave that kind of human a holy sword.

◇

"So then, the ink made from the dew on the fireflies lily~"

"We certainly will be able to operate the bestowal stand with precision using that ink, but how much do you think it is."

"But aren’t Dragon Scales and Drill Powder that Jung-san’s mentioned impossible to get~"

I can hear people’s voices beyond the open door on the hallway.

They’re probably the scroll craftsmen whom Hosaris-shi has called.

"Master, welcome back."

"Hosaris-sama, welcome back!"

An obese middle-aged man to the point of overweight, and a freckled bespectacled little girl with short ash blond hair welcomed us in the room. The woman who’s a gnome isn’t beautiful by any measures, but she can’t be called ugly either.

"The one here is Jung, the workshop manager. Despite his looks, he’s the expert of scroll-making in Shiga kingdom. The girl over there is Natalina. When it comes to creativity, she’s the best in the workshop. They will meet sir Pendragon’s expectation without fail."

Creative, in other words, she produces strange scrolls that won’t sell, and use money like they’re growing on trees for the sake of inventions. She’s certainly suited for my purpose.

After introducing the two, Hosaris-shi leaves the room followed by Toruma. He’s entered the room just to greet them, so there is no problem.

◇

I show list of scrolls that I want to Jung-san for him to confirm their feasibilities, but the ones that contain advanced level magic aren’t possible after all.

Moreover, they won’t accept magic that are used by criminals, and spy like [Fake Patch], and [Unlock].

The crime related things are no good even though the battle related ones are okay huh.

And yet, [Through Eyes], and [Mana String] that can be used to open lock depending on its usage are alright.

In order to create a particular scroll, the person who finishes the scroll has to be able to use that particular magic skill, so [Gravity], [Shadow], [Mind], and [Ghost] magic are impossible.

’Then, you can make [Space] magic?’ is my expectation, but it seems the they can only make [Space], and [Destruction] scrolls at only elementary level.

As for holy magic scrolls, they can’t be made mainly due to religious reason. It’s technically possible huh.

"Hey, chevalier-sama. I understand that you’re a collector, but even if you use the magic in this list, none of them will produce any good result you know? Is it really okay?"

"Natalina, use polite speech a bit better."

"Eh~ I’m using it properly right? Chevalier-sama."

"They’re a bit broken, but I’m an upstart myself, so if it’s difficult for you to use polite speech, it’s alright to use normal speech."

When she hears that, Natalina-san says, "You sure? Yay." while banzai-ing, and Jung-san knocks her head.

I promise that I won’t complain even if the effects of the spells line-up in the list turn out weak. They have half of the spells in stock, so half of the request are complete.

"These are some strange spells aren’t these? They’re easy but it’s awfully inefficient. I don’t think they’re at elementary levels, but it’ll be hard to use them due to the long chants."

The spells in this world are like [Spaghetti Source] seen in programming. They’re like assemblers in the era where there are only powerless CPU long ago, interwoven like puzzles. That’s why it was extremely hard to analyze them, to the point that I was suspicious that it was deliberately obfuscated.

Therefore, when I was making my own spell, I modularized the spells into functions in accordance to the paradigm of structured programming. As the result, the spells had became extremely readable, but it also introduced disadvantages; the chanting became longer, and increased MP consumption. The traditional spells have probably been optimized after going through long years.

"You can’t make them into scrolls?"

"Ah, that thing is alright. They’re a bit strange, but it doesn’t seem like they’re deviated from nature magic, so it feels like I can somehow do it."

Natalia-san used poor polite speech until the end, probably because Jung-san was glaring at her.

"Then Chevalier-sama. Since it’ll need some times to prepare the stocks, would you like to look at the workshop in the meantime?"

"Yes, by all means."

I take Arisa along to visit the workshop. The workshop is in the basement of the viscount’s mansion site, there are many guards who are on the lookout vigilantly. All the guards are higher than level 20, and they have skills that are composed for spy prevention like [Sharp Eyes], and [Surveillance].

The workshops are divided into numerous small rooms for handling specific processes. Therefore, there are only a few people who knows the entire process. It looks inefficient, but since it’s important to hide the technology, it’s quite thorough.

It seems that the scroll’s papers are made in another place, their appraisal results describe them as [Scroll Blank Sheet, Second]. From the two’s conversation, I understand that the ink needs fine powder made from magic cores. The reason why the viscount went to the royal capital was to purchase magic cores with high purities. Looks like you’ll need magic cores from level 30 or higher monsters to create intermediate level scrolls. When they show me the cores for the manufacturing, the red tinges on it looks a bit deeper in color compared to the cores from armored newt back then.

"We make inks in this room."

Jung-san slightly opens the door to show the inside, looks like they can’t let me enter. They’re making [Ink for Scroll, Shell] here. I understand the materials in general, but one of them is [Ink for Scroll, Second]. This is quite tough.

Even though it’s called making scroll, they need more than just writing the spells in the exclusive paper, many processes are required. For that reason, I have to wait 2-4 days for the readily-made ones, and add 1-2 days in the case of order-made ones.

The spells that are in stocks are as follow:

Nature Magic: Flexible Shield (Intermediate)

Nature Magic: Flexible Armor (Intermediate)

Nature Magic: Through Eyes (Intermediate)

Nature Magic: Mana Transfer (Intermediate)

Nature Magic: Mana Drain (Intermediate)

Nature Magic: Break Magic (Intermediate)

Nature Magic: Magic Hand (Intermediate)

Nature Magic: Magic String

Earth Magic: Polish

Earth Magic: Mould

Water Magic: Remove Poison (Intermediate)

Water Magic: Aqua Heal (Intermediate)

Water Magic: Water Heal

Wind Magic: Canopy

They’re mostly sample products without recipient. It seems the oldest one is from over 100 years ago.

They’re one gold coins for three elementary level scrolls, and two gold coins for one intermediate level ones. The original ones were going to cost me three gold coins, but since I permitted them to copy the spell, it became one gold coin instead.

These kinds of negotiations are Arisa’s forte, but when I considered that she would firmly demand sexual harassment as her rewards, I thought that it’d be better if I just paid them more.

Even though there are plain magic like [Polish], and [Mould], among the stocks, I’m happy. With this, I won’t need to create sand mould or wood model for casting.

I was looking for multiple small shield magic that Raka used during the fight against the demon in Gururian city--I was taught that it’s called [Multi Mana Scale]--in the stocks, but I couldn’t find it.

I consulted to them if they could make it, but since it seemed to be an advance level nature magic, it was not possible. It’s unfortunate.

They told me the anecdote that it was originally developed to reproduce the multi small shields the wild boar king used in nature magic, but I couldn’t say to them that it needed more work as compared to the real thing that I had seen. Or maybe, it could be equal if the skill level is high?

The order-made ones are as follows:

Nature Magic: Light Stun (Original)

Nature Magic: Remote Stun (Original)

Nature Magic: Sound Record (Original)

Nature Magic: Photo (Original)

Nature Magic: Magick Sword (Original)

Water Magic: Liquid Control (Original)

Wind Magic: Air Control (Original)

Lighting Magic: Electronic Control (Original)

Fire Magic: Fireworks (Original)

Light Magic: Fireworks Illusion (Original)

Space Magic: Clairvoyance

Space Magic: Clairhearing

Space Magic: Telephone

Life Magic: Soft Wash

Life Magic: Dry

Life Magic: Bandage

I’ve limited the power of stun type magic for inter-personal matters. The recording and photography are for recording and taking photo during the sightseeing. The control type ones are for when I’m making magic tools. The other ones than these are too plain and minor that they don’t usually make them in scrolls.

The through eyes is not for making clothes look to be transparent. I’d have thought so if I was in my teens, but its use is for observing the states of things during creation of magic swords.

Magick Sword is a magic that produces a transparent straight swords. The idea came to me after I saw the painting of Yamato-san in the museum. Transparent swords are truly fantasy-like.

In reality, magick sword was supposed to be an intermediate magic, but it seemed that it had touched Natalia-san’s heartstring, it was treated like the other original magic.

In the end, the matter about scrolls that were slightly over my budget at hand was balanced out.

When the workshop tour is over, Jung-san tells me about the expected date for the completion of the scrolls. Since the person who can use space magic just happens to be present, the [Clairvoyance], [Clairhearing], and [Telephone] can be done in three days, while [Air Control] will be done in five days. The other magic are after those. The people who can use life magic are particularly in vacation for the tournament, so the work will start after the tournament has ended.

When we were going home, it was hard to take away Nana who had remained with Mayuna-chan.