Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga

Chapter 655

The escort knights were riding lizards outside, and the dragon… Let’s just call them a coachman and a carriage. Anyway, while I volunteered to be a coachman, the dragon commander Miwood, who rode with me, explained to me step by step about the magic that could be applied to armor.

The first thing that struck me as I listened to his explanation was the realization that I had been living without any interest in real enchanted equipment.

Actually, if I were to make my own excuses, it would be that I didn’t have a chance to buy proper equipment. It was only recently that my money exploded, and even then, after I had that much money, I had to move around everywhere without having time to use it.

“Do you have the idea that relying on magical tools will make you weak?”

Why did Yongjang, who was trying to keep the conversation as quiet as possible, ask such a question? When the question ‘Am I being a bother for no reason…?’ flashed across his face for a moment, I closed my eyes without realizing it.

It was sad that I had to appeal to my own ignorance to deny this, but thanks to that, I was able to hear many stories and came to the conclusion that I most likely did not need enchanted equipment. I never thought that even I, who was willing to use any enchantment that had high general-purpose utility, would come to this conclusion, but it was true.

Surprisingly, there was no enchantment that I could use with confidence.

There are various enchantments, just like good items in the game. However, enchantments are ultimately expressed in the form of engraving magic into an item and making it always work, so if the equipment is damaged, there is a high probability that it will be damaged as well.

It means that there is a chance that you could have an unfortunate incident where you wear armor that is no different from a lump of metal and run around with a spell that makes you lighter, and then get crushed when the spell is destroyed. When I think about the battles I will have to fight in the future, it would be better to just buy a separate consumable magic tool rather than risk that kind of risk with armor that I always have on my body.

After hearing this explanation, I realized belatedly that the gauntlet was not a magical device with enchantments, but rather a structure closer to a mechanical device.

I thought it was an enchantment because it activated the barrier until the last moment even though it was damaged to some extent, but it was said that it was possible because it was not an ordinary prototype but a military equipment corresponding to the Empire’s technology demonstration.

Of course, it is impossible to make it overnight, and above all, such technology cannot be arbitrarily disclosed to individuals. Even if they are warriors, since it is an item that contains the technological prowess of a nation, it requires a lot of discussion before being handed over. This was the explanation of General Miwood.

Who would have thought that something I thought was a personal favor from the Marquis of Bende had such a huge secret?

I was feeling sad that it would be hard to obtain such an item again, but I thought that since it had saved my life many times, I should give the Marquis a gift of gratitude when I had the chance, and I was feeling regretful. Then, General Miwood, who was watching me like that, stroked his chin and fell into a brief thought.

“As I told you before, this is a technology that should not be made known or leaked arbitrarily… but in this case, since it was already received as a gift once, the technology may be considered an exception.”

“Yes? Is that true?”

“Haha, my memory is fading as I get older… but I vaguely remember it because it was a very interesting study that took place when new technicians participated. I know that the technology used in the gauntlet has been developed into a different form from the original and has recently been put into actual combat. If the Empire agrees, there will be no problem.”

Since it was an item that was powered by magic anyway, it would have been discarded without any value, and since it was someone who had already received it as a gift once, the story of General Miwood that it would have potential was like a drop of rain in a drought.

I sighed in relief and quietly pondered if there was anything else useful, and then General Miwood, who had been smiling at me, paused for a moment and asked a question.

“But… did that really help? As you already know, it’s an extremely inefficient item that even the Ete warriors couldn’t use….”

It seems like the information didn’t reach me because I’ve never publicly revealed that I use magic power. I briefly thought about it and answered with a smile while looking at General Miwood, who seemed to be extremely skeptical, going beyond simply asking, to the point of saying, ‘Why bother when there’s something better…?’

“Yes, thanks to Ephaga-nim’s protection, I can use magic power. So it turned out to be a pretty good item for me.”

“Oh… That’s good news.”

Whether the dragon revealed his identity to the dwarves or not, whether they were allies or enemies, the information that I was using magic would not be a variable. It would be useless to hide a fact that anyone could know anyway.

And as if to prove my prediction, General Miwood heard the answer and continued speaking with his eyes that were already brimming with energy.

“In fact, the early forms of equipment we make in cooperation with the Empire are largely based on magical power. The powerful performance of artifacts made during the time when the ancient dragon race ruled the continent all came from magical power. Among them, there were quite a few technologies that were eventually abandoned because they could not convert the spells into mana…”

···Maybe it will be of great help to you, warrior.·

As he said, General Miwood did not explain any more about enchantment.

Although I can’t say I completely understood his intentions, it seems that my equipment was already decided in his head to be something similar to a gauntlet.

◈

It was very pleasant to travel to the warriors’ workshop.

Even with the well-maintained roads and reliable vehicles, I don’t know how I could ever feel the car swaying from side to side, even though it was clearly being driven by a quadruped lizard.

The workshop of the warriors that I encountered that way was… much different from what I had expected.

It’s rare for my predictions to come true these days, but I could see it in Mr. Balkun’s workshop, and I could not have imagined that there would be no furnace or chimney, which I had seen often on my way here.

“Everyone, please stop what you are doing and gather around. The warrior of Itisel has arrived.”

Even inside the workshop, there was no sound of hammering, so even if General Miwood raised his voice a little, he could focus everyone’s attention.

“Huh? You came surprisingly quickly?”

“That’s something that happened. I’ll tell you the details later, so for now, talk to the warrior first. I think I’ll be quite busy.”

“Hmm?”

After finishing his speech with a laugh and no explanation, which was embarrassing, General Miwood was supported by Yong-i and headed up the stairs to the second floor. The heads of the generals who were watching his back with various gazes naturally turned to me.

People wearing glasses, people with three braids in their beards, people with one braid, people with one eye missing, etc. I was used to being the center of attention, but the way they looked at me was a little unique.

“You still seem young… but you’ve put in a lot of effort?”

“Unlike the warriors of the empire, you seem to be very familiar with actual combat. You are good at improvising. Can you throw an axe?”

“What are those earrings?”

Their gaze was more accurately described as ‘analyzing’ rather than simply ‘seeing’.

I thought they would mainly talk about personality tests since they said they would decide after seeing each other in person, but I didn’t even have time to panic because it was completely different. Even though I don’t know what they’re doing, they just stand there and look at me with their ridiculous eyes that examine my habits, and they continue to ask me questions.

I couldn’t stand the attitude of someone who seemed to have already decided to start working, so I had to ask a question.

“So this is what it means to face someone and decide?”

“Hmm? Isn’t that obvious? You can’t dress someone up without even knowing who they’re going to wear. They must have passed the character and conduct tests, so they came here. This is all we can do.”

“Huh? You passed?”

When on earth? With what? Even the knights who followed behind couldn’t hide their doubts, while the warriors just waved their hands and answered indifferently as if it was nothing.

“Don’t worry about it, that’s just the way it is. When you become a representative, you gain some kind of divine power, and your ability to see people disappears like a ghost. You must have heard empty words like, “We make the decisions.” But if that’s the case, why would you elect a representative?”

“···Are you trying to make me do something annoying for you?”

“Ha! That’s not exactly wrong. You’re a warrior I like.”

The dwarves suddenly burst into laughter as if they had heard a funny joke, but from my perspective, who had come here very tense because of the dragon and was sure that they might get involved in something else, I was just dumbfounded.

“Even for a human, it’s quite large, so I can’t just measure it. You idiot! Stop thinking about drawing a diagram and bring me a chair!”

“Don’t just stay still. Raise your arm so I can measure it.”

“Do you only use swords? It looks like you mainly use two-handed swordsmanship. How about a shield that doesn’t require you to use your hands? If you use an aggressive swordsmanship with a one-sided stance like yours, it would be quite useful.”

And I began to lose my mind amidst the questions and demands that the warriors, who were busy in an instant without any consideration for me, were pouring out like a wave.