Lesert Industries (2)
The monster that stood perfectly still with its cane planted in the ground, severing everything around it in two.
People who held a grudge against it would number in the mountains.
"First, let's erase these inscriptions."
"How do you plan to erase them?"
"The metal parts are hard to reuse anyway, so I'll laser over the lettering and scrap them."
"Do that."
They say ignorance is bliss.
Sometimes there is information better left from spreading.
Just as I had never told Usher Hayes the full truth of the incident.
Most problems would be solved by time.
Only when they weren't would it be my turn to move.
"I owe you in more ways than one."
"Not at all. It wasn't that difficult. And… all sorts of things happen in the city."
"Once this is settled, drinks are on me."
"The letters are gone. Now to check the interior."
Wilson overlaid new shapes onto the parts where the letters had been engraved. The fact that something had been cut into the metal remained much the same, but the shapes of the letters themselves had become unrecognizable.
After that he gathered them all in one place and fed the remaining components into a certain device.
Ziiing—
Accompanied by a rough mechanical whine, a red beam swept across the disassembled handle. As the projection of the scanned sections appeared on the device's display, various characters overlaid themselves across the screen.
Zing. Ziiing.
Wilson studied the screen, operated the device a few more times, then pulled the handle back out.
"Most of the parts are still intact. Repairing them shouldn't be difficult."
"Good."
"The problem is the blade itself. Forging metal into a sword is something I can't do on my own."
"Then……"
"I know someone. We'll leave it with them."
I agreed with Wilson. Looking around at the equipment nearby, nothing suggested metal forming was possible here. As he said, it would be better to get help from a specialist.
Wilson pulled out tools from nearby and touched up the remaining parts a little more.
"We'll head to another facility close by. There are still plenty of people in the city who prefer cold weapons."
"Like the owner of this sword."
"Haha, true enough."
"No problem dropping in unannounced?"
"Should be fine. He's a friend who usually takes my requests pretty well."
Apparently the finishing work was done; Wilson opened a bag and carefully placed the handle inside.
Click.
The bag's lock engaged and a blue light came on.
Now it was time to move so a new blade could be forged for the ruined sword.
Somewhere on the grounds of Lesert Industries sat a metal workshop.
Heat hit you the moment you stepped inside. True to the name "workshop," it specialized in custom commissions rather than large-scale production.
The daggers Spinel carried had been made here as well.
At a table in one corner of that workshop, Wilson was speaking with a technician named Kerry.
"You want a sword made to these specs?"
Kerry pointed a finger at the drawings and numbers Wilson had written on the paper.
In contrast to Wilson in his research coat, Kerry wore thick gloves and an apron.
At Kerry's words, Wilson pulled out another sheet from beside him.
"I'd like a mana circuit like this engraved on the inside. Once the sword is finished, I plan to pour coating solution over the circuit."
"Not hard. But what's it for?"
"Researching a new product."
"Even if you put this out as a new product… I'm not sure it'll sell. If it were a gift, maybe."
Kerry seemed to have caught on to some degree, but he was choosing to play dumb and let it slide. Wilson's claim that they were close friends did not appear to be a lie.
Kerry folded the papers on the desk and tucked them into his coat.
Perhaps something far better than what I had told the Sword Saint would come out of this.
"Will it take long?"
"Not too long. Come pick it up around tomorrow."
"Faster than I expected."
"In the old days it would've taken forever. This is only possible because it's now."
Having sorted the blueprints, Kerry moved off to handle his backlog of work.
Most of the preparations for the repair seemed finished. The sword would be ready by the end of the week at the latest; all that remained was to wait for completion.
I was thinking that as I started packing up when the sound of the workshop door opening came from behind me.
"So you really were here."
Thud. Thud.
Accompanied by heavy footsteps, a powerfully built man entered the workshop.
The golden-haired man bore, on his right shoulder, the emblem of a sword piercing a wing—the mark that identified a member of the Knighttail Knights.
Wilson seemed to know him; he greeted the man warmly.
"Long time no see, Helio."
"Wilson. I went to your lab and they said you were here. I came to leave my armor for repair. Is this gentleman a prior guest?"
"He helped me once during a sample recovery. I brought him along for a tour as well."
"Saving a complete stranger isn't easy. A rare and excellent person."
The man called Helio smiled as he looked at me.
Helio. A familiar name.
If it was a Helio belonging to the Knighttail Knights, only one came to mind.
Helio approached, pulled out the chair in front of him, and sat down right beside Wilson. With only three seats at the round table, it was a position that could also be called right next to me.
"But without your armor, are you taking a short break from guarding the young lady?"
"If it isn't a subjugation, the temporary set from last time is enough. More than that, the young lady is not someone who would simply sit still."
The Flash Knight, Helio Nightline.
A figure of considerable weight within War City.
He was a 5th-circle Chain Lightning user and also an executive of the Knighttail Knights.
His Chain Lightning circulated a massive volume of current within a set range. Helio used that to operate a mechanical suit of armor that required enormous electrical power.
Unless one planned to haul around an oversized battery, it was equipment only Helio could use inside the city.
"This is Helio. A member of the Knighttail Knights, and the one charged with Miss Bel's protection."
Once Helio finished speaking, Wilson introduced him to me.
An information merchant who sold secrets and a self-styled knight.
Not exactly a matching pair.
The one small mercy was that the man named Helio before me truly deserved the title of knight. If I had to evaluate the rest of the Knighttail Knights' membership, the only word that came out was "well…"
"The Flash Knight of Knighttail. I've heard of you."
"Even within Knighttail, he is one who truly deserves to be called a knight. I think very highly of him."
"Wilson, flattery. What is your name?"
"Information merchant, Percival Smith."
At the words "information merchant," Helio's brow furrowed.
I had expected that reaction, but it was a conversation in which I had no choice but to reveal my identity. The man opposite me was the bodyguard of a Lesert executive. Approaching the information brokers who flooded the city would not be difficult for him. Any lie I told here would eventually come to light.
"An information merchant. Not a profession I like seeing inside."
"Don't get the wrong idea. The information I handle is all about mages or wanted criminals."
"If you saved Wilson, I'll choose to trust you. Controlled zones are off-limits to you anyway."
With that, Helio rose from his seat. I had no reason to linger in the workshop either, so I stood right after him.
At our attitudes, only Wilson beside us wore an awkward expression. From his perspective there was no malice, yet people called information merchants were beings unwelcome by nature from the moment they were born.
Still, what could I do?
All I possessed was information about the future.
Helio, now on his feet, took out a key and handed it to Wilson.
"Wilson. The key needed to unlock the device."
"Ah… understood. Which function is having trouble?"
"The built-in display lags from time to time."
"I'll examine the condition first and contact you."
"I'll wait for your call."
The workshop door opened and Helio stepped outside. Wilson likewise pocketed the key Helio had given him and began walking to leave the workshop.
I followed Wilson out of the workshop and asked the man walking ahead of me,
"Wilson. Something I'm curious about."
"What is it?"
"The Flash Knight left his repairs with you. Aren't there any number of excellent engineers at Lesert?"
"Ah. No grand reason. I designed Helio's armor."
Helio ranked among the very top even within the Knighttail Knights. And the one who had designed that Helio's armor was none other than Wilson.
I hadn't known, and now Wilson suddenly looked impressive.
Only then did I finally grasp what kind of person I had formed a connection with.