The Saintess 5

  Sad news. The saintess completely fell for the game room’s rat races. That saintess is surprisingly a worldly person, huh.

  Until the day before yesterday, she would take a rest or visit the village chief (me) whenever she died, but recently—


  “Goshujin-sama~, the saintess’ here again~?”


  “… I don’t want to see her. Alright, tell her I’m already asleep and that she should go back. Moreover, I gave you this order while sleep-talking. I repeat, I gave you this order while sleep-talking.”


  “Waa~, amazin’ sleep-talkin`… There’s no mistakin’ yer alseep since yer sleep talkin’ like that!”


  I sent her away yesterday. Well, Ichika brought the saintess along to the game room in order to pacify her grumbles.

  The result of that? “It’s still resting since I’m not moving around,” she said and started playing. Turning into a prisoner of the rat race, she started holding onto her betting tickets for the race just like the other gambling adventurers.

  “Bibibi! Let’s go, Bibibi! It’s my order! Ahh no, no! Why are you going the wrong way!?”


  “It’s no good, Saintess-sama. Bibibi has only ever won once. Bibibi’s fails are pretty famous.”


  “Really!? No wonder the return was so high…”


  By the way, the one time was to revive someone on the brink of ruin after falling to a series of losses.

  I place items in the dungeon. The villager adventurers collect items from the dungeon, exchanging them for cash. After they cash out, I collect a moderate amount of it back through their gambling. The money I collect is turned into DP used to prepare more items for the dungeon. It’s a good system. I even get extra DP for them staying here.

  Well, the saintess that came today had that sort of feeling about her.

  “Five hundred gold coins, second-class land, and we’ll award you the rights to rat races. How about that?”


  “I refuse… Ah, the race is starting soon. I wonder if Onsoku is racing today?”


  She gave her concession a bit frank, that saintess is quick when it comes to things related to the race. Eh? You’re already heading back? Really? Please, take care.

  … Amazing, Rat-donos. You guys truly are amazing subordinates. Please, hold back on winning and do your best in exploiting everyone.

  Right, maybe I’ll use some dice to have her owe me next time she comes to intrude? Just like Hero Wataru.

  *

  That day, there was another visitor besides the saintess when I was lounging about in my room. It was the blacksmith, Kantra.

  When I went to the dining room after inviting him in, Kantra was waiting with an iron sword.

  “Ooi Kehma-dono! Check this out!”


  “Nn? What, were you able to make a magic sword?”


  “Fufufu, well this is a step towards it. This is thanks to me getting advice from Kehma-dono… I name it: Sword of Light!”


  The sword that Kantra brought, its pommel was a light magic tool.

  … It feels like he added a flashlight under the blade. Why’s it shining there?

  “Rather, my advice… I thought you we were just talking about tamers, how’d that turn into a magic tool?”


  “Ah, I still gotta try that out but…. there’re no good tamers around here. So I joined the idea with a magic tool instead.”


  “A magic tool instead of a monster, huh?”


  “That’s right! You knew? I tried making a magic sword by using cutting edge research to add magic tools to swords. But the endurance of the sword naturally goes down with making it like that and alchemists would be needed to make the sword in the first place. But with this method I just add the sword to a magic tool pommel made by an alchemist, so the blacksmith-made blade can be maintained to keep its strength! It’s revolutionary!”


  That’s revolutionary? Japanese people would just be like, “Well, let’s try throwing it onto that.”


  Nerune, who was serving tables just then and heard that said, spoke.

  “Isn’t it more convenient just keeping magic tools as magic tools~, swords as swords~?”


  “… Ah—”


  Kantra’s speech ended.

  “T-that’s also true. What Nerune-dono says is reasonable. Uumu, I thought it was ground-breaking though.”


  Umm, sorry for our kid. But a sword of light could blind opponents if used properly, maybe it’s a good idea to try adding various things?

  “More importantly, how did you get the magic tool? You were talking about an alchemist or something earlier, but did you make it yourself?”


  “Hmm? Ah, yeah. I can make simple magic tools. They’re no magic swords though, dungeon-made ones have better performance.”


  Was there a skill like that? Rather, you could make it with your skills as a blacksmith?

  “If you don’t mind, could you teach me how to make them? I want to make some.”


  “What, you’re interested? Hmm… it’s not really that good to spread it around, but it’ll be alright if it’s Kehma-dono, I’m in your debt.”


  “Yeah, I got it.”


  “… Then, how about we go somewhere else? The forge should be better, it has tools too.”


  Because of that, it was decided that I would learn how to make magic tools from Kantra.

  If I apply how to make magic tools to making golems, I might even be able to make a [Golem That Can Use Magic]. I’m a bit pumped here.

  I headed over Kantra’s blacksmith shop. I brought Nerune along as well since it was related to magic.

  Kantra easily gave the OK when I asked if it’d be alright to teach Nerune as well, so her eyes started sparkling just by listening in from the side. But really, I thought you weren’t supposed to spread it around…? Kantra is a dwarf that can’t say no when asked, huh?

  When we arrived at the workshop, Kantra tool out pens, iron plates, and a few various tools from a locker and placed them on the table.

  “Magic tools, as you know, are tools that demonstrate their effect by being filled with magical power. Making them isn’t that hard so long as you understand what makes its core. Well, this guy is it.”


  Kantra held up a magic stone.

  “A magic stone, isn’t that the energy that operates magic tools?”


  “Yeah. However, the main material that makes magic tools are magic stones. For example, a magic stone that comes from a water-type monster can be easily made into a water-type magic tool.”


  Saying that, Kantra ran his pen across the magic stone. When I took a closer look, the tip of that pen had written something onto the magic stone.

  “The effect can be strengthened by drawing special figures. Draw them powerfully.”


  Then, he completely covered the magic stone with a geometric shape that looked like a triangle combined with a square.

  After that, he marked out the same formation about ten centimeters away in each direction on the iron plate. He carved out minute images and characters seemingly at random…


  “This one here, it’s the shape that represents water-type.”


  He’s doing some amazing free-hand here, oi. After that—


  “This one’s especially important. The trick for it’s to draw it all at once really fast.”


  He pointed at a portion of letters, telling me to not make a mistake in the lettering… Ooh, I can read the letters he put:

  [Pour Water]

  [Convert Magical Power]

  [Magic Stone Absorption]

  Fuu, that’s Translation Function-san for you.

  “Well, if you draw the magic formation, it’ll dissolve the magic stone here. Watch.”


  When Kantra placed the magic stone onto the magic formation, the magic stone melted into it.

  The instant that it finished melting, the formation shone with blue light. It seemed like it entered a state where it was ready to be used. When he put a magic stone meant to be used for energy onto the formation, water came out from the place it was specified to.

  If this is built into a tool, it turns into a magic tool. Kantra quickly turned it into a pitcher with skilled hands. He completed the magic tool [Pitcher of Spring Water].

  It took around ten minutes start to finish. It was over in the blink of an eye.

  “See, easy yeah?”


  Kantra spoke with a smile.

  —I don’t get it!!