Chapter 338: Like a Platypus's Claws (2)
Chapter 338: Like a Platypus's Claws (2)
"It is... finished!"
With those words, Fay collapsed backward as if her strength had completely failed her.
Seeing that she was bound to fall, I rushed over and caught her small frame from behind.
"Good work, Senior Fay."
"Hehehe. It was worth the struggle."
Nestled in my arms, Fay’s giddy gaze drifted to the side. There stood a shelf piled with various types of equipment.
There were weapons like staffs and wands, as well as accessories like brooches and necklaces.
They were all different types of gear, but they shared one thing in common: every single one of them radiated an extraordinary aura.
"Junior... could you help me move the gear to the bed? I need to explain their functions at least once, but my legs have no strength... I think I stood for too long."
"That’s the least I can do."
After stashing the equipment into my inventory, I scooped Fay up, supporting her back and the crooks of her knees.
Lifted into a princess carry, Fay let out a playful squeal.
"Hya! I thought you were going to give me a piggyback ride!"
"Would you prefer that?"
"No? I like this. I get to admire my Junior's handsome face."
"Then I'll admire Senior Fay's..."
"My chest?"
"I was going to say your eyes, which are spinning from exhaustion."
"So? You're not going to look at my chest?"
"...Of course I will."
"Hehe. Look all you want. And don't forget, once we're back, it'll be your turn to show me something."
Just what is she planning to make me do...?
Knowing Fay’s eccentricities, a shiver ran down my spine, but on second thought, the "play" she suggested was usually never that bad.
Well, that’s one more reason to finish this quickly and get back.
With a smirk, I headed toward the room where the rest of the party was staying. As soon as I entered, I laid Fay down on the bed and emptied the equipment onto a nearby table.
The party members watched the scene with sparkling eyes. They must have realized at a glance that these were armaments that couldn't be bought with any amount of money.
Fay, staring blankly at the ceiling, began to speak in a voice that had grown rapidly drowsy.
"I'll explain Junior's gear first. See that long black staff? That’s your weapon."
"Oh..."
I picked up the staff, which was long enough to be mistaken for a short spear.
It had a sleek luster, though I couldn't tell what ore had been used. A strange pulsation emanated from it, making it feel almost alive.
...Actually, describing it like that feels a bit weird.
A large, beautiful, hard, and pulsating magic stick.
I suppose the trauma of Fay once saying she’d make me a dildo staff is still haunting me like PTSD.
While I shook my head to clear away the useless thoughts, Fay tilted her head slightly to look at me.
"The overall design is similar to the staff you're using now. However, the materials and efficiency have been drastically improved."
"If it's like the one I'm using now... does that mean it resonates with me?"
"Yeah. I used a branch of the World Tree as the core and connected artificial slime to it like nerves. The finish is an alloy made by mixing the scales and horns I scraped off you. If you pour mana into it, it'll automatically resonate and authorize you as the owner."
"Ah..."
It was a staff created by taking only the best parts of Fay’s various experiments.
From the processing of materials to the structural design, I could feel Fay’s experience deeply embedded within it.
With a racing heart, I channeled mana into the staff. As if it had been waiting, the weapon gave a slight quiver.
Wuuuung—
I felt as if nerves were extending from my hand to become one with the staff. In fact, the alloy coating it was technically part of my own body to begin with.
The moment that amplified sense of unity delved into the staff and connected with the World Tree branch hidden in its deepest core—
"Whoa."
The surrounding mana began to stir.
I hadn't even drawn much mana, yet it began to resonate with the ambient mana of the area on its own.
No matter how much my Lintblum Breathing Technique had reached a level where I could resonate as naturally as breathing, this was abnormal.
There was only one way this was possible. It meant the mana amplification rate—the chronic issue with Fay’s equipment—had skyrocketed to an insane degree.
I gripped the staff, which already felt as familiar as a limb, swung it through the air, and repeatedly cast and canceled simple low-grade spells before finally speaking.
"This is insane."
"Hehet. It better be. Yeah. Look who made it. Of course it is."
Fay snickered with her usual creepy laugh. Normally, it might have been a bit off-putting, but... right now, she couldn't look more beautiful.
It was far sturdier than before, possessed superior mana conductivity, and had an overwhelmingly higher amplification rate.
Until now, I had increased the power of my magic by utilizing resonance or by crudely shoving massive amounts of mana into it.
But now, I could fire off magic—even high magic—that was amplified once more by the power of the staff.
With this, I could sweep away any number of monsters, no matter how many swarmed me.
I spent a moment admiring the staff with moved eyes until the snickering Fay tilted her head again.
"There’s one more. Your cloak got a bit damaged during the fight with the Imperial Consort, right? So I just went ahead and made a robe."
"A robe?"
"Yeah. I used the largest and toughest leaf among those given by the Lord of Cyclic Life. I didn't have enough time to create a proper design like the staff, so I just processed the shape and did the finishing. If I had more time, I would've enchanted it with various spells..."
Fay let out a deep sigh of regret. However, in my eyes, it didn't seem like something to be so disappointed about.
The design was black with purple lines as accents. Although it didn't look like a leaf at all, the moment I draped it over my shoulders, I couldn't help but realize: this was indeed a leaf of the World Tree.
The strange sensation enveloping my body was incredibly similar to what I had felt in the Sanctuary of Life in the World Tree's upper layer.
"Like I said, I just changed the shape of the leaf into a robe and spread a thin layer of artificial slime on the front and back, then made an outer shell by mixing your scales and World Tree bark half-and-half."
"I just need to put mana into this too, right?"
"Yeah. Basically, it increases your overall recovery speed and has a slight mana amplification effect. It also has physical and magical defense... though it won't be that impressive normally. Instead, the moment you focus, it moves on its own and hardens."
"So it provides concentrated defense by responding to my will."
"You're quick on the uptake. Exactly."
Following Fay’s instructions, I first channeled mana to imprint my ownership. For a moment, I felt a sense of displacement as if my body were floating, but soon, a familiar sense of unity covered everything.
After taking a couple of deep breaths in that state, I concentrated on my right side and raised my arm high.
Flap.
The robe moved on its own, covering my entire body like a curtain. When I tapped it lightly, I could feel it had hardened more than most steel plates.
It would be perfect for situations where a single shield isn't enough, or when there isn't even enough time to deploy a shield.
To be honest, the robe I used before was focused on stealth and perception distortion, so it was starting to feel a bit lackluster for actual combat.
During battles, I had seen quite a bit of success by suddenly turning invisible to catch enemies off guard... but that was a trick that only worked against mediocre opponents.
It was about time it stopped being effective, so having something that directly aided in combat like this was much more useful. The performance itself was definitely top-notch as well.
Thus, I decided to translate my current feelings directly into words.
"Senior Fay, you're a genius! You're the best! You're pretty, you've got a big chest, you're great at alchemy, and you're even the future Duchess... You have everything except height!"
"Ahem. Don't flatter me so much. ...Wait? Was that flattery?"
Fay, who had been beaming, tilted her head in confusion, but soon shook it and continued.
"Anyway, this equipment was possible thanks to my alchemy, but more so because the materials were good. Since I made them with a clone and not my main body, the power contained within is lower... but essentially, they're made from parts of a god, just like your dagger, right? If I had left it to the Lord of Clashing Steel as the Lord of Cyclic Life suggested, something even better might have come out."
Fay gave a bitter smile, saying that a divine object might have been produced.
Since Clashing Steel is also recovering in his sanctuary, he wouldn't have been able to make it himself... but his high priest lives on this land.
A skilled craftsman who had even received plenty of Authorities related to production. Perhaps, as Fay said, they might have created a divine object. However...
"Even so, it would have just been a low-grade divine object."
"...What do you mean 'even so'? It's a divine object. It's called that because it can't be made by human strength alone."
"The things I'm trying to face aren't humans, they're gods. A low-grade divine object might work well against a Bishop or an Archbishop. But beyond that, the story changes."
Fiona was an outlier; Cardinal-level beings are essentially avatars of the Evil God rather than humans. In many ways, they transcend humanity.
That’s when the efficiency of the Shining Lion Dagger starts to drop. They are monsters that won't die in one or two hits even if an additional critical hit lands.
Or they are things so heavily corrupted that they are judged as monsters rather than cultists, preventing the guaranteed critical hit from even triggering.
Against such foes, rather than insisting on a divine object, it's more effective to just blast them with high magic or any equivalent firepower.
It was the same when Iona defeated her enemy and younger sister, Ayla.
Since even high magic is just endured if it's mediocre, she finished it with a sort of ultimate move called Tepes, which grows stronger by absorbing the power of the pierced enemy.
"Unless it's something like the Holy Sword used by the first Hero, mediocre divine objects are meaningless."
"...Then doesn't that mean my equipment is equally meaningless?"
"No. Senior Fay's equipment is different."
There are many craftsmen who can make a staff with a higher amplification rate or a sharper sword than what Fay makes.
Anyone who has received the title of Meister, signifying the best craftsman, would be capable of it.
"But among them, there is no one who makes a weapon I can trust."
There is no perfect weapon in this world. No matter how great a weapon is, it will break when it meets a stronger opponent.
In fact, how many famous swords were shattered during the War of the Gods?
But Fay’s weapons are different.
I don't know if it's because they are armaments made with alchemy that pursues an impossible perfection, or if it's just Fay’s personal inclination.
But Fay’s weapons don't break easily, and even if they do, they have never betrayed my expectations.
Their inherent performance is good, but more than that, they focus on bringing out the user's skill to the maximum. They are armaments with special effects that generally cannot be created.
That is the impression I got from looking at Fay’s work.
"A weapon made specifically for me by a craftsman who knows me well, one that will never betray me even in the most desperate situations. Is there anything more important than that?"
"Ah..."
"Above all, Senior Fay, you're going to become even more amazing. As fast as I grow, or even faster. Someday, you might make a staff even more incredible than the Chairman's staff we saw before. So, do you understand?"
"Understand what...?"
"You're my exclusive, Senior Fay. When I say it has to be you, I'm not just being polite."
"......"
Fay’s face turned beet red as she stammered. Soon, she punched her innocent pillow several times before jumping to her feet.
"M-Move aside, Junior! I have to explain the other people's gear too, and we're out of time!"
As she spoke, Fay was smiling so brightly her mouth practically reached her ears.
Well... the fact that she looked like a crazed ghost because of her disheveled hair and gaunt complexion from staying up all night is a secret.