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What, Failure to Transition!? Volume 6 Interlude 1
🕑 Added 2023-10-26 04:09:34 +0000 UTCInterlude 1 – Sam Smith, The Alchemical Blacksmith
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When the monster stampede had ended and Misato’s brother Fumiya’s problems had settled down to some extent, TOKOROTEN continued on with their regular adventuring duties.
Immediately after the end of the supermassive monster subjugation, Yoichi collected the corpses of the monsters he had defeated with modern weapons, as well as the scattered ammunition and bullet casings.
His collected monster materials would be enough to live on up to his grandchildren’s generation, but the Adventurers’ Guild did not have enough money to convert it into cash all at once, and if they were forced to do so, they would be forced to pay it out in small increments.
So, instead of pocketing all of it, Yoichi and the team decided to donate some of it. This money was then used to reward the adventurers who participated in the monster stampede, as well as using them as a lump sum for the knights and civilians who suffered casualties and damage.
“What’s the matter, left your feet at home?”
“Kuh…!”
Yoichi held the dagger in the opposite direction, and just as he was about to step in, Celestin kicked his foot away.
Yoichi sensed this just in time and managed to stay on his feet and avoid the fall, but he lost his balance a little.
“Hoh? Hmph!”
With an impressed smile on his face, Celestin immediately reached out and lightly poked Yoichi’s left shoulder with his finger.
“Whoah!”
It was only slight pressure, like a light nudge, but as Yoichi’s body was about to collapse, it struck at the perfect time and place, and just like that, his center of gravity suddenly shifted backward.
“Guhh…!”
Yoichi used the momentum of the fall to roll backward and get some distance between him and Celestin.
“…! He’s gone!”
The opponent became out of sight for a moment because of this, but Yoichi reconfirmed his position and intentions with [Appraisal+]. Then, while finishing his backward roll and moving a step forward, twisting his body to the left while at the same time raising his torso, he tried to thrust out the dagger he had switched to his dominant hand.
This stab was meant to hit Celestin, who was about to circle him from his blind spot and launch a follow-up attack. But almost as soon as Yoichi stepped in, his shoulder and the back of his elbow were grabbed firmly, preventing him from moving.
“Again…?!”
[Appraisal+] would have predicted the action, but yet another utterly different action stopped the movement.
This is possible because Celestin predicts Yoichi’s movements by observing his slight muscle movements and reacts before he even thinks about them. As a result, Yoichi often misses the predictions made by [Appraisal+], which also changes in that flash of a second.
“Alright, that’s enough for today.”
Celestin’s hand relaxed, and at the same time, Yoichi drew his dagger and jumped lightly.
“Your moves are pretty good. It’s good to see you growing up so fast.”
With these words, Yoichi released his stance and placed the dagger at his waist.
Yoichi has started carrying a dagger in case he is suddenly unable to use his skills, as he was on that unfortunate day.
“Whew… Thank you for your teachings, sir.”
“You’re welcome. Keep this up, and you’ll be a good fighter in no time.”
With that, the training with Celestin that has been taking place regularly these days has come to an end.
“By the way, Yoichi. Please go to the Smith Workshop after this. I’ve already spoken to Sam about it.”
“Smith’s workshop?”
“It’s the workshop of Sam Smith, the alchemical blacksmith. I’ve commissioned a modification to that dagger.”
“Ah.”
After hearing this, Yoichi remembered.
The knife he received from Celestin is a special kind of weapon that can increase its weight by pouring mana into it.
However, although Yoichi possesses almost inexhaustible amounts of mana, he is unable to use it to its full potential because he is unable to utilize it on his own.
Therefore, it has recently been suggested that the dagger he was using be given an effect such as absorbing mana in his body.
“By the way, the Smith Workshop is not in the commercial district but in the lower district. Alana knows where it is, but… she isn’t here now, isn’t she?”
“Yes, she took Karin and Misato to the Jana Forest…”
While Yoichi was training, TOKOROTEN often operated without him.
After the stampede, the monster presence in Jana Forest became so low that it seemed as if they had disappeared completely.
That doesn’t mean it’s no longer necessary to keep an eye on the forest, so all quests have become exploration quests, and adventurers are rewarded simply for going into the forest and returning.
Now, more than a month after the end of the outbreak, monsters are finally starting to appear in the forest.
According to the investigation, there are no significant changes in the locations of the monsters, so the habitat distribution map will not be significantly rewritten between before and after the monster stampede.
Earlier, Yoichi had asked Alana if she was okay with him not being able to accompany her.
“Hm… Well, I used to act alone before, so… I also have Misato and Karin at my side now, and I’m already grateful for that. Besides, if Mister Yoichi is with us… then… you know…”
Fighting monsters makes them excited, and when the battle is over, their excitement often turns into sexual arousal.
And when that happens, they will usually reach out to Yoichi, prolonging their stay in the forest even more.
But even when there are no monsters, there are times when they get into it to kill time, so it can’t be said that the excitement brought by the battle was the only reason.
(Even if I’m not there, they’ll still get excited, won’t they? Maybe, right now, the women are… with each other? Haaa… haaa…)
“Hey, what’s with the goofball face? You, are you imagining my cute little Alana in an indecent appearance right now? If that’s the case, let me give you a second beating!”
“Huh!? Ah, no, I would never do such a thing…”
“Hmm, is that so… eh, whatever. As for the location of the Smith Workshop, you can ask them at the reception desk.”
“Ah, yes. Then, I’ll be leaving now.”
〇●〇●
After hearing the location of the Smith Workshop at the reception desk, Yoichi moved from the commercial district where the Adventurer’s Guild was located to the lower-level district where the general public lived.
Using the address given by the receptionist as a reference, he used [Appraisal+] to find the way and arrived safely at his destination.
The Smith Workshop was located in a quiet residential area with many upscale houses in the lower district.
It’s a rustic building made of stone, and the plot is quite large.
It’s like a house and a workshop combined into one.
As Yoichi walked along the street, he came closer to the workshop, but he couldn’t hear any sounds of work being done, which he found it odd.
“It’s pretty quiet… have they left again? Uwaa!?”
As soon as he stepped through the open gate fence and into the workshop grounds, the sounds of roaring flames and clanging metal jumped into his ears.
“I see. Of course, they’ll be using magic or something to block out the sounds.”
Otherwise, it would be impossible to run a blacksmithing workshop in a quiet residential area.
“Uhm, is anyone there!”
Yoichi called out from what appeared to be the entrance to the workshop, but there was no response.
It probably wasn’t reaching because of the noise.
As he looked around to see what was going on, a small handbell caught his eye,
[If you need anything, please use this.]
Along with a note.
“For now, shall I ring it?”
Yoichi held the handbell and shook it slightly, and a clear ringing sound echoed around the area.
The sound wasn’t loud by any means, but it strangely felt like it was echoing far away.
“…No response?”
There is no doubt that the fact that it is placed here means that it is a doorbell-like tool.
However, the sound of metal hitting at the back of the workshop continues intermittently without any intention of stopping.
“I’ll wait a bit, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll come back.”
After a while of thinking this, the metallic sound ceased.
Then, a person appeared from the back of the workshop.
“Oh, I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I just couldn’t stop midway.”
It was a small person with short, bright, light blue hair.
She was dressed in a short white tank top, an equally white miniskirt, black tights covering her legs, and short leather boots, and her exposed arms and stomach were sheer white.
Added to them the blue half-apron and other decorations, and they’re just the right amount of accent.
Large goggles hid her eyes, but underneath, they revealed a well-formed nose and thin lips.
“Do you need something for me?”
As she said this, she lifted her goggles to reveal pale blue eyes that matched her hair and crisp, thin eyebrows.
Yes. Despite her androgynous features and body shape, Yoichi assumed this person was a woman because of the way she wore a miniskirt and the way her slightly protruding breasts pushed up her tank top.
“Excuse me, my name is Yoichi. I was introduced by the guild mas- Mister Celestin to come here.”
“Mister Celestin… Ah, Cessy! So you’re the rumored lady killer he’s been talking about.”
“Ces- pfft―― cough… no, that lady killer thing… I’m not…”
As she said this, the corners of her lips shifted upwards, and she gave Yoichi an interested look.
Meanwhile, Yoichi almost burst out laughing at the “Cessy” but still tried his best to ask a question while avoiding the curious stares.
“Um, is the owner of the workshop here?”
“Yes, she’s here, right in front of you.”
“Eh?”
“Eh?”
They both made a stupid sound at the woman’s answer and Yoichi’s reaction to it.
“Uhm, this is Smith Workshop, right?”
“That’s right?”
“Eh, but…”
“Ah, so that’s what you mean. Well, people often get it wrong at first.”
The woman pointed to herself with her thumb and gave a big smile as she gave an introduction.
“My name is Samantha. Sam is my nickname.”
“Huh? Then…”
“Yes. The Alchemical Blacksmith Sam Smith is me.”
Sam let out these words and puffed out her small chest in pride.
〇●〇●
“I see. So this fellow has an effect of absorbing the mana of its user…”
Sam spoke in marvel as she inspected the dagger Yoichi had given her.
Its shape is a thick, single-edged blade similar to a survival knife, and the blade length is about 20 cm.
The gravitite dagger that Yoichi received from Celestin is already heavy at this size, weighing about 10 kg, but by pouring magical energy into it, he can increase its weight to about 100 kg.
“But how can you carry that with your slender arms?”
The dagger was as heavy as a heavy dumbbell, but Sam handled it like a standard survival knife, much to Yoichi’s wonder.
By the way, Yoichi’s tone towards Sam was polite at first, since she was a famous alchemical blacksmith, but since Sam didn’t like it, he became more casual.
“Fufun. I have dwarven blood in my veins.”
As for Sam’s parents, her father is a dwarf, and her mother an elf.
So Sam has inherited the characteristics of both: a dwarf who is good at processing ores containing metals and has excellent physical strength and an elf who is good at handling magic. This has enabled her to become an alchemical blacksmith, a rare occupation in this world that combines alchemy and blacksmithing techniques into one.
As for mineral processing, it isn’t easy to find magic that everyone can use, and it is generally processed using physical methods or magic that depends heavily on an individual’s talent and skill.
Those who process minerals using physical methods are called blacksmiths, and those who process them using magic are called alchemists – at least in this world.
Then there are also a few people like Sam, who have excellent physical strength and are also good at using magic.
“Hey, how do you normally hold this dagger?”
“Um, I guess I hold it backward like this, or I hold it flat like this.”
Yoichi holds up the dagger and strikes a few poses after Sam gives it back.
“I see… can you lend that to me for a little bit?”
After handing the dagger back, Sam took a pen from the workbench and made a round mark at the part a few centimeters from the base of the hilt, on the back of the blade where the finger can reach, at the border between the handguard and the hilt, and on the pommel.
“Can you put your thumb here and here?”
Yoichi picks up the dagger and tries.
“Ah. Just moving your thumb a little will be fine.”
“Like this?”
“Yep, just like that. Let’s see, so if I carve a formation there… ah, can you adjust the amount of mana that can be put in?”
“Hmm, probably not possible.”
“Then I should make it so that it keeps absorbing magic power as long as it is touched, and stops when I let go, yes?”
Just like that, the processing policy has been decided.
“Then I’ll keep it for a while.”
Once again, Sam put the dagger she had received from Yoichi on the workbench and turned to face the man,
“By the way, let me see it.”
Along with a suspicious smile appearing on her lips.
“You seem to be packing some interesting weapons in there.”
“Ah, um, that’s… you know…”
“Come on, show it to me.”
Sam then held out her hand and looked at Yoichi, and when he looked at her pupils, there seemed to be little flames blazing furiously in them.
“I can’t help it then. But first….”
After Yoichi’s warning to never to tell anyone what she had seen or heard about the modern weapons he had, Sam put her hand on her chest and knelt on one knee in front of Yoichi.
“I swear on the blood of my father and mother that I will keep this secret.”
“Um… yeah, if you say so.”
Since ancient times, both elves and dwarves have valued bloodlines.
Even in modern times, when humans interbred with many different races, the act of swearing on one’s own blood was still considered the greatest oath.
――After confirming its legitimacy with [Appraisal+], Yoichi decided to grant Sam’s wish.
“Ehehe, thanks!”
Yoichi looked up, and when he saw the happy smile on Sam’s face, he blushed for a moment, but as if to cover up the beating of his heart, he took out a revolver from the [Infinite Storage+].
Of course, with the chamber empty to prevent accidental discharge.
“Ooooh! That’s some strangely-shaped weapon indeed!”
Sam studied the revolver like a child given a toy and started playing with it.
When she was done looking at it, she handed it back to Yoichi.
“Hey, try it out. I want to know how it works.”
In the backyard of the Smith Workshop, there was a small open space where people could test the quality of their weapons.
There, Sam prepared a golem to use as a target for testing long-range weapons such as bows and arrows.
“Is this distance alright?”
“Yep. That’s good enough.”
The distance to the target is approximately 10 meters.
This is about the same distance as a typical shooting range in the original world.
“Okay, do it.”
Yoichi, who was being stared at with glowing expectations, took a .44 caliber bullet from his [Infinite Storage+] and loaded it into the chamber with a slightly wry smile.
He snapped the cylinder back, aimed the gun at the target, cocked the gun, and put his finger on the trigger.
Yoichi predicted the trajectory with [Appraisal+] and adjusted the angle to hit the target, then looked at Sam.
“It makes a loud noise, so cover your ears.”
“Ah, yes. I understand.”
Sam’s face was a little stiff, perhaps because she was nervous, but when she heard Yoichi’s words, she hastily covered her ears with both hands.
After confirming this, Yoichi turned his attention back to the target, and Sam followed his gaze.
――Bang!
The lead bullet released with a roar and hit the clay target golem in the next instant, shattering its head.
“Wow… Amazing!!”
Sam, who jumped up and down happily saying that, looked up at Yoichi with eyes full of curiosity and anticipation.
“Hey, hey! What happened to it that it made it go like that?”
“Ah, uhm.”
Yoichi pulled out a new bullet and showed it to Sam.
“This is called a bullet, but there’s a chemical in its butt called the primer that explodes on impact…”
Remembering that gunpowder is not well known in this world, where the concept of magic exists, Yoichi continued his explanation.
“You are supposed to put this in here… see this?”
In order to prevent outbursts, he continued his explanation without actually loading the bullet into the cylinder.
“Mm-hmm.”
“And then you snap this thing back in here…”
The cylinder that had been tilted to show its contents is returned to the main body.
“Oho…”
“Then you pull this thing like this.”
Then, he pulls the firing hammer with his thumb.
“Yes Yes…”
――Click!!
“Wow!?”
“That’s how a hammer hits the butt of the bullet with the chemical in it, causing it to explode.”
“Hooooooo!”
“Then the impact causes the bullet to go through this tube and fly out the other end.”
“I see!!”
When Yoichi hands him the bullet, Sam looks at it happily from different angles, but then her expression clouds over, and she tilts her head to the side.
“That’s strange…”
“What is?”
“Well, for this to hit the target at such speed, the output is too weak…”
“That’s right…”
“Ah! This is not mixed with mana at all? Eh, how?”
In this world, every object has mana in it, making even a simple twig as hard as titanium.
But in Yoichi’s world, there is no such thing as mana.
As a result, the materials in Yoichi’s world are much weaker than those in this world, whether in terms of strength, durability, or power.
“You could tell just by looking at it?”
“I’m an alchemical blacksmith, remember? And as a smith, I am good at [Material Appraisal].”
Sam puffs out her chest, but soon, her expression changes, and she returns to observing the bullet.
“Hmm… The reason it’s two separate parts is… I see, it leaves a kind of shell, and only the contents fly away. But why bother to… without mana? It would be more powerful if it were made normally…”
Sam’s words made Yoichi think of something.
“Hey, Sam.”
“Hmm?”
“Would Sam be able to make something like this?”
After receiving Yoichi’s question, Sam looked at the bullet again from different angles.
Finally, after putting one hand over her mouth and staring at the alien ammunition in her other hand for a while, the pretty alchemist-blacksmith looked up and smiled.
“Yes, I can.”
〇●〇●
The hammer made a hollow click.
“…Failed again?”
The prototype bullet did not fire from Yoichi’s revolver, and Sam’s shoulders slumped in dismay.
Yoichi had spent the last few days in the Smith Workshop making bullets from this world’s material.
If this is successful, the power of his guns in this other world should increase dramatically.
Though he was sorry for Alana and the others, Yoichi decided to concentrate on this rather than helping them with the guild requests at the moment.
For the time being, it was decided to have the full metal jacket of the bullet made first for the .44-caliber revolver used in the test firing, as it had a simple structure.
The materials are the same copper alloy and lead as in the original world.
“Let’s see, first of all, we need lead… about this much.”
The required amount is extracted from a large lump of lead, which then forms small grains in Sam’s palm.
“And the shape is …… like this, and so on….”
The uneven lumps are gradually shaped into a semi-ellipsoid.
By the way, Sam uses magic to create and form bullets, which would typically require a number of machine tools based on advanced science and technology in Yoichi’s world.
This kind of metalworking magic is generally called alchemy in this world.
“Oooh. But are you sure you don’t need to wham wham with a hammer or something, you know, like a blacksmith does?”
“I’ll do it if I have to, but that’s not what this is about, is it?”
Apparently, it is more efficient to use alchemy alone for tasks such as casting and compressing.
“The problem is gunpowder, right?”
In this world, where magic has been divided into sorcery and wizardry and where current technology and weapons are made with these as the center, the utilization of gunpowder, which is weaker and more inefficient, is minimal.
As there was no way to obtain something that wasn’t utilized, they had to replace it with something else.
“This magic stone powder doesn’t burn by itself, right?”
“Even if you turn it into powder, a magic stone is still a magic stone.”
What Sam came up with as a replacement was magic stone powder, which is made by pulverizing magic stones.
The magic stone that resides in the hearts of monsters is a precious source of energy in this world.
It is the fuel for magic tools, which are basically the equivalent of household appliances and gadgets in this world.
Sam decided to use this powdered magic stone as a substitute for gunpowder.
However, although a magic stone is pure magic power solidified, it is not something that ignites into a fire.
In order to extract the energy from the magic stone and make it manifest in some form, some kind of wizardry magic must be imbued into the apparatus.
So Sam devised a mechanism to engrave a magic circle with an explosive effect into the underside of the bullet and which only activates from the impact of the hammer, aka a magic primer.
The energy source for the explosion is none other than the magic stone powder packed into the bullet.
“Okay! It’s okay this time… it’s supposed to work!”
“Gotcha. Then…”
Yoichi wiped the sweat from his forehead as he took the offered bullet and loaded it into his revolver.
Then he pointed the muzzle of the gun at a translucent rectangular object.
This is a substance made from slime material that has physical resistance and shock-absorbing effects and was used for test cuts and the like. But now it has been redesigned to be used for test firing bullets.
In other words, this time, the target was this world’s version of ballistic gel.
“Here I go.”
Yoichi put his finger on the trigger.
But immediately after, an alarm sounded in his head.
《Warning. There is a risk of explosion.》
For Yoichi, who mainly used guns, accidentally firing or jamming could be fatal, so he had set his [Appraisal+] to give a warning when there was a possibility of this happening.
“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you shooting?”
“Ah. That’s because this thing’s going to explode if I shoot it like this.”
“Explode?”
“I think the gun itself probably can’t withstand the force of the bullet.”
“Ah, I see… But how do you know that without even firing it?”
About that, well… ah.”
The moment Sam returned the answer to this question, Yoichi realized that he had made a mistake.
“Wait. If you already know it with that alone, we don’t need to go to the trouble of test-firing it every time, no?”
“…yes, that’s right.”
“Ahahaha…”
Sam laughed weakly at Yoichi’s answer as he shrugged his shoulders.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Sigh. It’s fine. It’s been fun so far.”
Sam, too, lets out a breath and stretches her body.
“I see. Now that I think about it carefully, that’s true…”
If the power of the bullet increases while the power of the gun remains the same, it would be natural for the gun to be unable to bear its power.
“In that case, Let’s make one for the body!”
“……Can it be done?”
“Hmph, of course!”
Sam arched her flat chest in response to Yoichi’s question.
“Then I’ll apologize in advance for the trouble, but please do me this favor.”
“What the hell? So formal out of the blue again? But it’s not bothering me, really. Or rather, this is more fun than I expected! Ah, but…”
Sam said, laughing happily, but suddenly, her face turned serious as if she had just thought of something.
“Don’t skimp me on the rewards, okay?”
“Oh, of course.”
Yoichi let out a slightly wry smile as Sam winked at him with a somewhat mischievous smile.
Since receiving a humongous reward for his contributions to the monster stampede, putting money into perspective was already an unnecessary action for Yoichi.
“Now then… now that we’ve settled on that…”
After a short stretch, Sam began to take off her half-apron and other blue trinkets on her body.
“Hey, hey, what’s this all of a sudden?’“
“Hmm? Ah, if you also have magic tools or accessories in your person, you better take them off, too.”
As she said this, Sam sat down on a table of unknown purpose lying nearby, put her hand under the hem of her miniskirt, and began to remove her black pantyhose.
“Hmm, I can’t get them off properly… oh well. Hey. Pull this away from me.”
Sam suggested this after she had half removed her tights, a little irritated that they were sticking to her sweaty skin.
From here, Yoichi showed his annoyance.
“Uhm, can you at least tell me what’s going on?”
Yoichi hadn’t noticed it while she was immersed in her work, but it goes without saying that Sam is a woman.
While it was still okay when she took off her accessories, he couldn’t help but notice it when she took off her tights.
In fact, the moment Yoichi caught a glimpse of her buttocks, which were better shaped than he had expected, and her black panties behind her lifted skirt, he felt a familiar blood rush to his lower body.
“What? What are you hesitating for? Come on, help me here!”
According to Sam, the clothes she had just taken off had the effect of regulating temperature and humidity, as well as preventing sparks from flying around.
“Then wouldn’t it be more dangerous if you take them off?”
“It is dangerous. But what we’re going to do now is necessary to develop a new magic tool.”
“Because?”
“Still don’t get it? When you wear magic tools, you have to consider their compatibility, or else their effects might cause interference with each other. The same principle applies to the creation of magic tools – and you have to remove the unnecessary equipment to avoid this. This is common sense for alchemists! Do you understand now?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then hurry up, come on!”
“Yes, yes.”
Yoichi replies in a slightly blunt manner to hide his inner nervousness as he hooks his fingers through Sam’s pantyhose, which have come halfway down to her knees, and pulls them down.
A sweet and sour smell wafted from the sweaty white legs that were slowly being exposed.
“Mm, that’s enough.”
When he had undressed entirely one of her legs and the other down to the ankle, Yoichi let go of his hand.
“Now, it’s your turn. Take off your clothes, too.”
“O-ohkay.”
Yoichi’s underwear is made in Japan, but his clothes worn over it were bought from Kathryn’s shop, so it’s possible that they have some kind of magical effect.
Yoichi quickly took off these clothes and put them away, then took out the work clothes he had bought in Japan and put them on instead.
It wasn’t that he wasn’t reluctant to undress in front of a woman – he was no longer that immature to feel embarrassed to be seen in his underwear, but instead, he was more sorry that she had to see his naked body – but Sam didn’t seem to mind, so Yoichi changed quickly without worrying too much about it.
“Huh? Is that [Storage]? Then can you put mine in as well? Of course, just this time.”
“Oh, okay.”
As she said this, Yoichi was given the pair of pantyhose and other items that still had some of Sam’s body heat. Although he was a little flustered, he obediently put them into the [Infinite Storage+].
In addition, Sam closed the windows and doors, used a unique air conditioning magic tool installed in the workshop to “purify” the inside of the workshop, and then turned it off.
This seems to be a measure to prevent impurities from being mixed in when developing magic tools.
“Preparations are complete! Now let’s get started!”
Sam put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest as she cheerfully declared, a small amount of sweat already forming on her forehead.
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