CH 9

Chapter 9 – Intermission: Events In Then Empire

── After Thor was sent to the Demon Territory, in the duke’s house──

“Butler-dono? The palace has asked about repairment of the magic sword.”

A few days after Thor was sent to the Demon Lord’s territory, the butler who serves Duke Regus received a report from his subordinate.

The butler and the guard captain are the confidants of the Duke Regus.

They cooperated with the Duke in sending Thor as a sacrifice to the Demon territory.

The Duke is in a good mood these days.

He was also happy as his butler, but ──

“A magic sword repairment? Did we ever get such a request?”

“Did you forget about it? Wasn’t it a request to repair the magic sword that the princess will use? “

“Oh, I remember now. I’m sure I sent it in for repairs through the government office.”

Finally remembering, the butler nodded.

Alchemists’ position in the empire is low.

Therefore, as much as possible, aristocrats try to make requests through the government office, regardless if they know an alchemist or not.

The magic sword used by the princess was also sent for repair using the same procedure.

“OK, I’ll go check.”

With that said, the butler in black hurried to the government office.

“What? You can’t repair it!?”

“Yes, we brought it to the alchemist’s workshop, but we were refused. “

The director of the government office replied.

“But the document says, ‘Repairs are up to 80% complete.'”

“That is……”

The director awkwardly averted his eyes,

“Actually, my staff secretly fixed the magic sword with their [Alchemy] skill.”

“What?”

“Our department’s budget is being reduced year by year. We try to do what we can do on-site without using the budget. Of course, we have the permission of the upper echelons.”

“Okay, then call the person here.”

“He’s not here anymore.”

“It’s foolish to let go of such a person! Can you not even keep tabs on a person!?”

“No, no … I didn’t let go of such a person.”

“Shut up! Who is that person!!”

“Its Thor Canaan-dono?”

The director murmured.

“No, Canaan was his mother’s surname. Now that he’s back in the duke’s house he should be called Thor Regus instead?”

“…”

“That person is pretty good, he checked each item one by one and made necessary repairs to the ones he found broken.”

“What? I haven’t received such a report!?”

“Do you remember that it was the Duke’s family who told me not to write down his records?”

The director of the government office shook his.

“[Don’t put Thor Regus’s name. Keep his work and achievements out of the eyes of the Duke and other aristocrats.] That’s why I couldn’t report or record his work. “

“… Gununu”

“Didn’t Thor return to the Duke’s family? If you directly ask …”

“Uu, SHUT UP! Don’t talk about aristocratic circumstances!!”

“── Hiiii!?”

The butler in black stomped on the ground and shouted.

Facing the menacing look, the face of the director of the government office turns deep blue.

“Don’t mention Thor Regus! He’s a taboo in the Duke’s family. Got it? Don’t mention that name again!!”

“I, I understand. Then, what about the magic sword?”

“I’ll ask the alchemist’s workshop myself. That should do it!”

“But the alchemist says that it’s impossible to fix.”

“It must have been a low-levelled workshop.”

The Duke’s Butler picked up the magic sword.

It was a double-edged sword that shined silver. However, a part of the blade, that was near the guard, was chipped. About the size of a little fingernail.

But according to records, the crack seems to have reached the center of the blade.

(Are they saying that Thor Regus fixed it up to this point? )

Then, there is no way that other alchemists can’t fix it.

I’m 100% certain that Thor Regus was a poor alchemist. The purpose, of course, is to restore it and get the Duke’s attention. Such a foolish thing to do.

While he was trying, his fate has already been decided.

With that in mind, the Duke’s Butler nodded.

He pretended not to notice the cold sweat on his forehead.

Duke Regus, the Guard captain, and the butler himself ridiculed at his incompetence, and Thor Regus, who was exiled from the empire, must be incompetent.

If he is capable and has special powers──

(Didn’t we mess up!!)

As if to shake off the thought that arose, the butler shook his head

“Okay, let’s forget about what happened about this magic sword.”

The Duke’s Butler told Thor Regus’s boss,

“The authority to repair this magic sword is with the Duke’s house. I’ll go ask the best alchemist in the Royal Capital. Forget about this magic sword completely. Got it? And never say the name Thor Regus ever again!! “

Then the Duke’s butler quickly left the building.

The next day:

The Duke’s Butler with the magic sword in hand visited the alchemist’s workshop.

He called the alchemist, the master of the workshop, and placed the magic sword in front of him.

Meanwhile, the alchemist and all those in the workshop bowed deeply.

Naturally. Everyone in the empire aims to be the “strongest.”

Alchemists that have no power to fight, should bow down to the name of Duke Regus.

With that in mind, the butler handed the alchemist the magic sword.

“… You can’t repair it?”

“I’m sorry, this is too much for us.”

──The alchemist, the owner of the workshop, shook his head flatly

“Is there such an absurd thing! This is probably the largest workshop in the royal capital!”

“Repairing a magic sword is difficult. Please take a look.”

The alchemist placed a silver longsword on a cloth laid on the table.

The longsword had a complex pattern on the handle that seemed to faintly shine.

The alchemist points to the blade,

“As you can see there was a crack here. It looks like it’s completely filled in but there are still little cracks, right? “

“I’m telling you to fix it!”

“A magic sword is not so easy to fix.”

The old alchemist sighs.

“If it’s an ordinary sword, a blacksmith can fix it easily. But this is a magic sword. We have to add attributes such as “Fire” and “Earth” to the metal that makes up the blade. “

“… U, umu”

“That’s why repairing it requires the [Alchemy] skill. We have to create metal that has the same attributes as the original metal of the sword. So that they would accept and connect together.

“If you know how to do it then why don’t you do it!?”

“There is no alchemist with that skill in the empire.”

“……Not even one?”

“It existed in the hero’s era, but there are no longer any. Alchemists have become blacksmiths’ subordinates, and their magic sword restoration skills have been lost. When I was a kid I used to say that without nurturing alchemist talents, many items from the hero’s era have been lost.

With a distant eye, the alchemist said.

Then, he turned his eyes to the magic sword,

“It looks like someone has already partially repaired this magic sword. Then, why not ask the person in charge of it to continue? “

“… Uuu”

The butler in black mumbled.

The alchemist is stroking the back of the magic sword’s blade with his fingertips.

He had a fascinated expression.

“This restoration technique is really amazing. The document states that there was a crack up to the center of the blade, but it has been repaired to the point that there are almost no traces of the crack. The fragmented part and the other parts are all completely connected. Amazing…”

With that said, the alchemist raised his face.

“Please. Can you introduce me to the person who has fixed this? Please tell me how to contact him. With this kind of technique, the empire will develop further ── “

“S, Shut up!”

The butler shouted.

There was no way he could introduce him to Thor that went to the Demon Territory.

It’s not possible to get him back either.

The Duke also said, “He’s as good as dead”

He would be killed by demons or demi-humans in the demon territory, or be executed when he causes trouble.

“Okay. Fix it. Isn’t it just a chip in the blade?”

“As I said, I can’t repair it back to its original form. “

“The Duke Regus says that it’s fine if it looks the same!”

It was true

The butler was told by the Duke, “I will leave it to you, as long as it looks the same, it’s fine.”

Besides, this magic sword is only used for a ceremony.

It is certainly used by Her Royal Highness, but it’s not used to subdue monsters.

If it looks good, it should be fine.

“Is it possible just fix it on the surface?”

“Isn’t it necessary for it to be perfect as a magic sword?”

“That’s it”

“But if I synthesize another material on, there is going to be a problem with its strength.”

“This is used for ceremonies. Only a few of the magic swords can draw out the power used in the Hero’s era. The sword shouldn’t be burdened.”

The butler was staring at an old alchemist.

“Or are you going to decline the Duke’s request?”

“… If you go that far, I have no choice but to accept it.”

The alchemist sighed again.

“But, please write a contract that says that it was the Duke’s house that requested it to be only fixed on the surface “

“Contract?”

“I don’t want to be responsible for this.”

“… I understand.”

It couldn’t help it.

This magic sword needs to be repaired this month.

While telling himself that, the duke’s butler signed the contract.