Volume 2 Snippet 2.2

Volume 2 Snippet 2.2

2. Spirit Silk and et cetera.

Olt was the head of the Lamballes household, one of the three main dukes of Farlane, and at present he was awfully displeased. However, his ill humor wasn’t directed at the royal family nor had he been treated negatively within the country. His management of the recently purged noble’s territory was also going well. The kingdom’s established tariffs that had supposedly been halved were actually soaring. To put it bluntly, his circumstances were providing him quite the smooth sailing.

But why was he upset? Well that was because despite all of his success there was just one thing that wasn’t going well.

「…You made a mistake again? 」

「Yes. I’m very sorry.」

「Geez. Just what in the hell are you doing? 」

The matter that was spoiling his mood was the aftermath of the Katarina Revolt, which had resulted in the royal family acquiring a large amount of Spirit Silk, a legendary raw material.

Having said that, it wasn’t like he was devising an outrageous plan involving the Spirit Silk. No, the reason was that he sensed an impending crisis at the fact that the royal family had practically handed over enough Spirit Silk to weave a one-tenth hectare all to the Azuma workshop.

However, it wasn’t like he felt that the members of the Azuma workshop were dangerous, the fact of the matter was that he couldn’t stand how well the royal family and the Azuma workshop had gotten along. Then there was also the fact that Hiroshi was never seen processing the Spirit Silk; it only made his suspicion grow. But the main reason was that in order to no longer depend on the Azuma workshop he had been bent on experimenting with various processing methods.

However…

「The Hunter Tree weaving machine was no good huh…」

「If we keep this up soon we won’t have any Spirit Silk left to process.」

「Tch, I guess that’s to be expected of the legendary Spirit Silk huh…」

They had gaudily failed at loading the Spirit Silk into the weaving machine. Normally, if one inserted thread into a regular weaving machine it wouldn’t instantly separate and scatter like spaghetti-like strips. The texture would also become smooth and in no way would it be sharp enough to cut one’s finger at the simplest touch, as had been the case with the Spirit Silk. It was all very infuriating.

「We’ve even having difficulty cutting the thread.」

「How about the Demon Shears? Did they work? 」

「All I can say is that thread is relentless.」

So it wasn’t just the weaving machine that was having trouble. The fact that the thread couldn’t even be cut meant that the methods at hand were useless.

「Each time we try to cut it the shears’ blades are dulled. We can’t keep this up, it’s not like we have an infinite supply of blades.」

「I see. Do you have any other ideas? 」

「If we go at it again with a frontal attack we’ll just end up wasting more of Spirit Silk don’t you think? 」

「Then how about an idea that doesn’t involve a frontal attack? 」

「Well, how about having Lord Felnork or Lord Douga use the Prince’s demon iron sword to cut through the thread? 」

Lord Lamballes furrowed his brows at the craftsman’s proposal. This idea was possibly more bothersome than allowing Hiroshi to weave the thread. However, he still had no reason to think that, therefore he could do nothing but display a grave face.

「Besides, even if we did manage to complete the cloth there’s still another issue.」

「How’re we going to stitch it, right? 」

「Yes. If we could just stitch it and make it into a finished manufactured product then there wouldn’t be anything unusual about our circumstances.」

「If you can’t cut it with shears then perhaps would it be too much to hope for you to fashion up a needle out of demon iron and sever it like that? 」

「Given the current circumstances I imagine that would be impossible.」

The duke knit his brows further at the craftsman’s grim reply. He couldn’t accept anything other than triumphantly processing the Spirit Silk through his own means. If he couldn’t he wouldn’t accept it. He couldn’t accept it but…

「It seems that processing the material in one go is out of the question huh? 」

「Sir, please accept my utmost apologies.」

「No, I’m not blaming you. To tell you the truth we all underestimated the legendary material. We should’ve anticipated this level of difficulty.」

「But, you won’t accept the notion that it’s impossible.」

「Obviously. That’s why we’re going to find something that possesses similar qualities to the Spirit Silk, weave it into a cloth, and start from there.」

If they continued experimenting with the genuine material they weren’t going to get anywhere. First they had to pave the way to a successful method.

「Something with similar qualities? What is there? 」

「If we’re talking about texture then there’s spider silk, if we’re talking about strength then it’s got to be metal thread right? 」

「Metal, huh. With the current technology how thin can you make it? 」

「About as thin as a leaf’s stem.」

「Then, make the metal thread as thin as you can until you’re able to weave it into a cloth. That way it will help you devise new techniques without wasting any more material. Strive to your heart’s content.」

「Understood.」

The technical officer received the duke’s order and hurried off to develop the thread. With their current tools they would not be able to succeed in processing the Spirit Silk but they could develop a wire with high tensile strength. They would succeed in enhancing the current processing technology for every fiber, from metal to typical raw materials, into the best of the world. In this world they would be remembered as the pioneers of textile development.

And yet despite all of their hard work the Duke of Lamballes still had to rely on Prince Layotte and ultimately was not able to process the spirit thread. Therefore his failed endeavor remains a secret to be contained here.

「So it’s impossible? 」

「I can only tell you that with our current machinery it’s futile.」

Meanwhile at the Castle of Wulls, Layotte nodded without a flicker of disappointment at the words of his invited guest, a master weaver from a foreign country who was known as the best in the world.

「To be clear, are you sure you’re unable to spin this thread? 」

「If I had specialized machinery for the task then I can only guarantee that I’ll do my best.」

「I see. I knew I should expect as much from a legendary material, but this one in particular seems to be causing quite the hardship.」

「I am truly sorry…」

「No, I merely wanted to check. I had no intention of reproaching anyone based on the results.」

As he was much obliged to the master, Layotte could do nothing but speak words of forbearance while wearing a wry smile. In the first place, if this group couldn’t spin the thread but could process it then Hiroshi must’ve sewn some clothing long ago. As long as Hiroshi couldn’t process it then there was no reason to think that this group could.

Incidentally, regarding the weaving master’s ability and prestige, if one were to exclude Hiroshi and his team then he would be the world’s most skillful master. The reason was that he didn’t possess any magical abilities nor was he capable of enchantment; therefore he had no ability to deal with the Spirit Silk. If one were to request of him a regular spider thread then his work would be of the same quality as one made by Mio without using enchantment.

For starters, if a human with the ability to process the thread existed then one wouldn’t be able to call the Spirit Silk legendary.

「Having said that, it’s a waste to demand of you to come all this way only to ask you a question and be told it’s impossible, so I’d like to ask you to serve as guidance for the castle’s artisans.」

「I’ve no problem with that but wouldn’t it be a wiser decision for you to ask that of the one who weaved this cloth? 」

「That guy isn’t in Wulls. Besides, compared to you, one who has years of experience, he is so young that it makes one question just how the hell did he manage to master that technique. His youth would only be a distraction for the castle’s artisans.」

「I see… 」

「Furthermore, his level is far too isolated. He calmly asks one to address him not as an artisan but as an imperial court wizard, yet he is unable to estimate the ability of his disciples. There wouldn’t be much of a problem if he were to teach amateurs, but if he were to teach the artisans of the castle, who have attained a certain level of proficiency, he would be unsuitable for the task.

The more the master listened the more he found it difficult to imagine what kind of person this Hiroshi was. He could not help doubting whether the Hiroshi Layotte was speaking to him about was an actual person or not. In reality, Layotte’s explanation was strictly incorrect. Although it was true that he wasn’t suited for instructing experts there were other reasons. From his point of view the difference between what the experts of this world could do and couldn’t do was far too warped, but the main reason was that they were already set in their way of doing things so he hadn’t the slightest idea how to remedy that problem.

「Well, in the meantime do what you can.」

「Alright.」

「You’ll be shown around so first head to the weaving area.」

「Understood.」

The master was guided toward the weaving area by a civil official and there, he was astonished by the machinery and the artisans’ talents. Since these people were in charge of sewing the royal family and priests’ clothing it was a given that they were competent. After witnessing this the master realized that the issue with the Spirit Silk was truly a big deal after all.

「What magnificent skill.」

「No, I still believe that we’re inferior compared to you.」

The master and the artisan each weaved a cloth and presented them to one another. Both clothes had a decidedly top quality texture; the best in this world. The master’s cloth, in particular, was of such a quality that one couldn’t tell from the texture, robustness, nor the hue that it was made from jute.

「You have this much skill yet you’re unable to weave the Spirit Silk.」

「It’s unfortunate but we don’t have the necessary machinery.」

「The one who made this thread said that as well.」

「Then isn’t the machinery the main obstacle？」

A court lady had been listening to the two top artisans’ conversation and had directed her idea into a question.

「If that thread is similar to silk then how about instead of weaving it into a cloth weave it into lace?」

At the court lady’s question, the two artisans momentarily pondered. When weaving a cloth one had to fortify the spool of thread’s wick. However, if one were to prepare a tenacious knitting needle and request the lace experts then, possibly…

「The problem is what the lace is going be used for.」

「I’m not a specialist in clothing but I think that if one doesn’t attach lace to something worthwhile then the clothing will be overshadowed by the lace.」

「As expected this is a very difficult matter…」

Everyone present sighed in agreement. Preferably, one could take advantage of the material’s strength and perhaps attach the lace to the inner lining of armor.

「…At any rate, we need to put in the time to research all that we can.」

「You’re right. Let’s do our best.」

While encouraging each other they promised to meet again to show each other’s greatest masterpieces and departed for the day. Later, when a month had not even passed the master took in the sight of the Spirit Silk and held it in his hands for the first time; in that moment his pride and confidence crumbled like none of the other artisans had imagined.

Now, why hadn’t Hiroshi made lace….?

「Is weaving it into lace impossible? 」

「Well technically speakin’ it is possible but we just can’t think of a way to use it is all. 」

「Certainly. When I think about lace the first thing that pops into my head are handkerchiefs and underwear.」

「Can ya please not talk ‘bout underwear? It gives me goose bumps just thinkin’ ‘bout that texture on my skin.」

The reason as to why remains a secret to be solely contained here.