Chapter 40

"Alright, Rody, I'll leave it to you to imbue the magic sword with the spell."

In front of the red-hot iron, Dian said,

"What kind of magic would you like?"

"Hmm, fire, of course! When it comes to magic, fire is the best. It can also be used in forging."

"Understood."

If that's the case, I should imbue it with fire-based magic. The lower-level spell 'Fireball' would be easy, but since this is a sword made by Dian, it should be able to handle a higher-level spell like 'Blazing Fireball.'

"The spell 'Blazing Fireball' consists of fourteen sections, but it can be compressed to two. However, I can't tell if it will integrate well until I try... How many times will the folding process be repeated?"

"Five times. Any more and the sword won't hold up."

There's no choice but to give it a try.

First, I'll apply the magic marrow liquid with half a section of the spell to the red-hot iron.

The red iron glows brightly as the spell integrates.

The boiling point of the magic marrow liquid is high, so it won't evaporate.

"---! The sword!"

A dry crack sounds.

Looking closely, a deep crack has formed at the base of the red-hot iron.

Damn, even half a section was too strong.

"This one's no good. We'll have to start over."

"…I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Blacksmithing doesn't always go smoothly. I have plenty of patience. Let's get back to it!"

I melt the broken iron again and repeat the same process.

I hammer it out and try to imbue it with the spell—but no matter how many times I try, it fails.

The sword keeps breaking when I try to imbue it with the spell.

Thinking it might be too much, I try dividing the spell into thirds, but it still doesn't work.

Even when I lower the spell to 'Fireball,' it still breaks.

It seems we've hit a dead end.

I look at the broken sword and slump my shoulders.

"Hmm, this is difficult..."

"Making a magic sword isn't easy. Don't get discouraged, Rody."

Dian pats my shoulder with a smile.

He looks intimidating, but he has a broad heart.

"The spell you're trying to imbue, Rody, contains a significant amount of information... I've seen magic sword production before, but your spell is about ten times more complex than other enchanters. When a magic sword with such a spell is completed... hehe, I can't wait!"

He grins and mutters to himself.

Is he trying to pressure me?

Ugh, I need to complete it as soon as possible...

"…Huh?"

I suddenly notice something about the magic marrow liquid.

Compared to what I made before, this one seems to have a different color.

Grimo seems to have noticed it too.

"Master Lloyd, this one isn't very pure. It's probably been diluted."

"Hmm, let's break it down."

I pour the magic marrow liquid into a small container and cast the 'Purity Increase' spell.

This spell increases the purity of a liquid and can break down mixtures into their components.

The liquid emits a faint light and begins to rotate.

"What are you doing, Rody?"

"Just watch."

After a while, the liquid separates into layers, and particles accumulate at the bottom.

Not only red particles, but also brown and black ones.

It seems to have been diluted. Moreover, it doesn't seem to be made primarily from red magic powder.

"The core of a powerful monster, red magic powder, is made by grinding it into a powder, but this doesn't seem to be the case."

"Powerful monster cores aren't easy to come by. They probably used the cores of weaker monsters instead. The quality is much lower, but it's sufficient for enchanting. However, it's a bit too much for making a magic sword."

"Wow, you know a lot, Grimo."

"I was a somewhat well-known blacksmith in the demon world. Hehe."

Grimo grins proudly.

His knowledge of blacksmithing is helpful.

In any case, the low purity of the red magic powder is a problem.

If the purity is low, the spell will be unstable when activated, and it's more likely to go out of control if it doesn't manifest correctly.

I should have kept the magic marrow liquid I made before.

"What's wrong? Is the magic marrow liquid bad?"

"It seems so. The purity is insufficient..."

"Hmm, now that you mention it, I remember seeing a special magic marrow liquid used in magic sword production before. It seems we need that... I tried anyway, but it didn't work. Hahaha."

It seems Dian had a hunch.

He should have mentioned it earlier.

"Well, there's no choice. I'll ask my master in Bartlam if he can spare some. Or I could check with the Adventurer's Guild for stock, or even put out a call for it... Either way, the chances are slim. Until we get it, we'll have to pause the work. Sorry, Rody, we'll resume when we get it."

Dian sighs regretfully.

Adventurers, huh.

Maybe there's a chance. Alright, I'll try to do something about it too.