Chapter 46

Returning to the castle, I immediately headed to Dian's workshop.

"Hey, it's Rody. I haven't seen you around lately. Where have you been?"

"Sorry. Actually, I came to get this."

Saying that, I showed Dian the dungeon core I had obtained.

"This is... a monster's core! The purity is impeccable... I don't know where you got it from, but well done! I tried everything to get one, but I had to give up... Damn, you did it, Rody!"

Dian patted my back enthusiastically, which hurt.

"Let's hurry and make the magic sword."

"Huh, right... You're already more excited about the magic sword than I am. As your brother and a blacksmith, I feel a bit left out. The master would be disappointed."

Dian was muttering something.

It doesn't matter, but I want to start making the magic sword.

"What are you doing, Master?"

"I'm not your master! Call me Dian!"

He was asking me to change the way I addressed him again.

I'm getting confused.

Besides, it's too much to call my brother by his first name.

"Y-Yes. Dian-nii."

"...Damn, that's fine."

Dian looked a bit unhappy, but he seemed to accept this way of addressing him.

Then the magic sword making began.

We already had the recipe. With the materials gathered, we just needed to follow the steps.

We proceeded carefully and patiently.

And then—

"It's done...!"

The longsword on the anvil was the magic sword we had created together.

It looked rugged, but it was a beautifully crafted weapon.

The blade, shining silver, had a faint tinge of red.

It looked almost identical to the magic swords I had seen before.

"Great job."

"Yeah, it is. We should give it a name. How about 'Dirod,' combining our names?"

Dian stroked the sword happily.

The name doesn't matter much, but if he likes it, that's fine.

"That's a good name. It sounds really cool."

"Heh, yeah, yeah. ...Thanks to you, Rody. I'm really grateful."

Tears welled up in Dian's eyes, moved by the fulfillment of his wish.

He must be happy that it can cast magic. Yeah, I understand.

"Let's test it out!"

"Sure. Let's go outside!"

Dian and I headed to the shooting range used for practicing magic and other skills.

It was a vast space, about a hundred and fifty meters square, where the castle's mages were practicing their magic.

Albert, who was among them, noticed us and walked over.

"Hey, Dian, and Roid. What's up?"

"Hehe, we finally finished the magic sword, Al-bro."

"Wow! That's amazing!"

"Thanks to Rody. Of course, I'm grateful to you for introducing us, Al-bro."

"Right, right. ...Even with Dian's help, to complete a magic sword so quickly, Roid's talent is truly remarkable. And he still has room to grow. He's a formidable younger brother. Hehehehehe."

Albert was muttering something and staring at me intently.

I just want to get on with it.

"So, you're going to test it?"

"Of course, Al-bro will watch, right?"

"Of course. I'll watch from the best seat... Hey, get the targets ready."

Albert had his subordinates prepare the targets.

Dian gripped the magic sword, and a red light enveloped the blade.

The magic circuit embedded in the sword activates when the owner holds it, responding to their magic power. When swung with intent, the circuits link and activate, releasing the 'Blazing Fireball' stored in the blade.

It seems the circuits are working well so far, but we can't be too confident yet.

We watched Dian's every move with bated breath.

"Here goes...! Roar, Dirod, incinerate the enemy!"

With a shout, Dian swung the magic sword.

Flames erupted in the air and shot forward.

Whoosh! The blazing flames flew straight toward the target.

The flames scorched the grass, the air, and the target, then disappeared into the distance.

Wow, it worked.

The 'Blazing Fireball' activated as I had programmed it.

As I felt satisfied with the result, the two people next to me were stunned.

"What the hell was that!? It blew the target away and kept going until it was out of sight!? That's not normal magic...! What kind of magic did Rody put in...?"

"Unbelievable power...! I can't believe it, but did he embed a high-level magic spell...? No, I've never seen a magic sword like this... What's going on...!?"

They were so shocked that their mouths were wide open.

Oh no, the power was a bit too high. I need to cover it up somehow.

"W-Wow. That's incredible power. Maybe the sword Dian-nii made and my magic just really clicked?"

I tried to cover it up, but it might have sounded a bit forced.

Everything has a compatibility factor.

The same applies to magic swords; the same magic circuit can produce different results depending on the compatibility with the user.

"Yeah, I've heard that before! The quality of a magic sword depends entirely on the compatibility between the blacksmith and the mage! So the reason this magic sword turned out so well is—Dian and Rody are the perfect team!"

Thank goodness. Dian seemed to accept it.

Just as I was relieved, I noticed Albert narrowing his eyes.

"Wait a minute."

Darn, it didn't work. Albert, who is knowledgeable about magic, can't be fooled so easily.

I resigned myself and closed my eyes.

"That's not acceptable. I should be the one with the best compatibility with Roid."

"Ugh..."

Dian sounded dissatisfied, and I almost fell over.

Albert was competing in a strange way.

I don't understand, but at least I managed to cover it up.

Next time, I'll use a weaker magic circuit.