Chapter 65 - The Wielder, The Weaver
"Do you know anything about Terror Armaments?"
"Nope!"
My immediate, crisp reply was met with a wry smile from Kagura-san. "Figured as much."
"The 'Terror' isn't the 'terror' of fear, but the 'teller' as in a storyteller. To put it simply, it's like a player-craftable [Anima]... in other words, a growth weapon."
"An Anima... seriously?"
What the heck is that? If it was something similar, you'd think I would've seen it pop up when I was researching Anima, but I had no memory of such information.
"It's no surprise you wouldn't know about it just from a little digging. It's a piece of content that's almost never talked about, treated as if it practically doesn't exist."
"Hmm...? If it's a relative of Anima, you'd think it would show up when searching for 'irreversible elements.'"
Whether it was Anima or the inability to respec stats, I was pretty confident I'd done a thorough sweep of the internet for that kind of information.
"It's not a matter of being irreversible; it's a problem that comes before that, because you can't get your hands on one in the first place."
Ah, I see. So because it's something a beginner normally couldn't obtain, it isn't listed in any guides for new players—
"—Since Arcadia's service began, only four players have ever managed to obtain a Terror Armament."
"Fou—..."
Why? I mean, what?
"When a new one is reported, it's a huge festival, but otherwise, nobody willingly talks about a 'powerful weapon you can't obtain.' They know that unfulfilled desire just turns into jealousy—"
"Wai—whoa whoa, hold on, stop, stop!"
I get the point, but none of that matters right now. My top priority was a swift confirmation of the facts—in other words,
"This. Terror. Yes?"
"The material for one, yes."
—Hooooooooooooly...
"—ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!"
"Whoa, you scared me! Don't just start shouting, though I guess I can't blame you."
As I threw my head back and roared at the ceiling, my tension skyrocketing, the Mako who'd delivered the unexpectedly good news let out an exasperated sigh.
"Hang on, calm down! Is it confirmed? Are you sure? Can you tell just from the material? Please tell me you're not going to come back later and say 'oops, my bad,' because seriously, what's the deal, give me the details!"
"Hey, you're too close, too loud, and too annoying! I get how you feel, but now it's your turn to calm down!"
Oops, I seem to have lost my composure. To vent my pent-up excitement, I shoved the remaining snake fries into my mouth and washed them down with some vaguely-named, mystery-flavored carbonated water.
...Yup, the overwhelming weirdness of not feeling the least bit full even after chugging a mouthful. Okay, I'm calm now.
"My apologies... but I'd really like an answer. What's the verdict?"
"Jeez—A Mako can tell even from the material stage. No, we have to be able to tell. In a way, a Terror Armament holds immense value for the creator, even more so than the wielder... We can't afford to overlook it."
Hmm. I'd gotten her seal of approval, which was definitely grounds for a real-life victory roar and fist pump, but I tilted my head as Kagura-san started talking about something I didn't quite understand.
"For the creator... so for a Mako, like you, Kagura-san?"
"For me too, of course. As I said before, only four players have ever obtained a Terror Armament. Some of those were acquired as complete weapons, unlike this, but even if there's no creation process, a Mako is involved in the enhancement process—and what's important is that any Mako involved in the creation or enhancement of a Terror Armament receives a special privilege."
...It was rare for her to be so dramatic with her words. In fact, the expression on her face right now was more serious than I had ever seen.
Her tension was infectious, and I found myself swallowing nervously as I silently prompted my (provisional) exclusive Mako to continue.
"The unique title [Weaver of Legends]—that is the honor bestowed upon a Mako who successfully forms a contract with a Terror Armament wielder. And the effect granted by that title is..."
"Th-The effect is...?"
Given how Kagura-san was acting... the effect of this unique title, which could make a veteran player like her this intense, must be some kind of outrageous benefit beyond anything a newcomer like me could even imagine—
"You can carve your name into your creations."
"Well, that's an out-of-this-world benefit in a completely different way, I guess?"
Then again, if a title that only a few people have obtained in three years granted some cheat-like bonus to item performance, it would probably cause riots.
"Wait, you can't normally put the creator's name on things?"
"You can physically carve it into an item. But since there are plenty of ways to trace the lettering, it doesn't serve as proof of creation, and there are a fair number of players who don't want someone else's name carved into their personal gear. A signature is just for self-satisfaction, so it's only really popular among master artisan Mako who have established themselves as a brand."
"Huh, so the title's effect is..."
"Items created by a Mako with the [Weaver of Legends] title will have their name systematically inscribed. Specifically, the player's name is listed at the bottom of the item description. If you tap the name, you even get a bonus feature that introduces you to their profile, like who they are and which Terror Armament they were involved with."
Wouldn't people who don't want a name carved on their stuff still hate that?
"Sure, some people might not want the name of some small-time artisan engraved on their things, but there aren't many who would complain about receiving the signature of a master craftsman who was skilled—and lucky—enough to get their hands on a Terror Armament."
"Ah... yeah, I guess that's true."
It feels like it would bring good luck.
"It's more than just good luck. We're talking about the name of a master craftsman of which there are only four... or five, with one more... in this entire virtual world. Even if it's a mass-produced item, that creation will carry an exceptional value as a one-of-a-kind brand."
Of course, if they started handing out signed items left and right, the value and prestige would plummet—as Kagura-san concluded, I nodded along in understanding. It seems you can choose whether or not to inscribe the name during production, but honestly, if it were me, I'd definitely ask for it.
"Now then... let's get to the main topic."
Seeing that I had understood about Terror Armaments—or more accurately, the benefits bestowed upon the Mako involved in their creation—she cut to the chase.
"This situation... do you correctly understand who has the upper hand here?"
"Oh yeah, perfectly."
She'd explained it so thoroughly. Even if I had zero game knowledge or online gaming experience, anyone with a bit of common sense would understand.
In this situation, I was in the overwhelmingly superior position.
Given the outrageous rarity and the immense value generated just by being involved in its creation, it was a situation where the client clearly got to 'choose' the artisan. In other words, this wasn't me asking an artisan for a favor, but a case where artisans would be begging, "please, let me do it"...
"...This might be mean to say, but you could have just played dumb and gone along with it, right?"
"I'm hoping to have a long relationship with you. Besides, deceiving a client is a disgrace I couldn't bear as an artisan."
Damn, she's so cool... Seriously, her words are so suave I think I'm falling for her.
"Well, I say that, but if I actually did something like that, I'd just get found out later and be ruined. For me, showing sincerity and earning your gratitude now is a better investment for the future."
Man, winking mischievously like that is just unfair...
"So... what will you do?"
What will I do—the choice was none other than whether or not to entrust it to her.
"My clan, [Mirage Workshop], is one of the two great artisan clans in the western nation of Vestol. And I'm one of the more prominent members, so I have a fair bit of influence, both vertically and horizontally—if you want, I can put you in touch with an artisan 'above' me."
"...Seriously?"
The word escaped my lips unconsciously.
But it wasn't a voice of expectation, like, "Really? You'd do that?" It was one of astonishment, like, "You'd really go that far? Seriously?"
As she said, if she wanted to show the utmost sincerity in this situation, that was the only way. I understood that.
But if our positions were reversed, I didn't have the confidence to say the same thing she just did.
To say it so straightforwardly, so earnestly, without a hint of hesitation... even if this was all an act, I felt like it wouldn't be unreasonable for me to raise the white flag now.
"Well, for me, that was the plan from the start, so..."
"This is a Terror Armament we're talking about, after all. If I bring this to them, both our clan master, renowned as the 'Finest,' and that self-proclaimed rival of his from next door at [Scorching Arm] would jump at the chance, not just with a 'yes,' but by throwing tons of money at..."
"Well then, my exclusive Mako, I'll be in your care."
"you... huh..., ..."
I'd ask about those intriguing words like 'Finest' and 'Scorching Arm' some other time. My casually interjected words seemed to stop Kagura-san in her tracks, and she stared at me intently.
"...Knowing your personality, I honestly thought you'd say that."
"Well, yeah."
"Let me tell you, the performance of a Terror Armament also depends on the Mako's skill. You're guaranteed a certain minimum quality befitting its rarity, but there's still a chance it could end up as a half-baked item."
"Hmm."
"I have confidence and pride in my skills. But, as an artisan, I acknowledge that there are more people 'above' me than I can count on both hands."
"I see."
"I'm telling you I'll introduce you to the ones I believe are the absolute best—and even with that, you're saying you'll ask me?"
Her more natural way of speaking was starting to peek through again, but now didn't feel like the time to point it out.
Meeting her dead-serious gaze with a casual smile, I tapped away at a window with one hand... A few seconds later, two identical system windows appeared before both me and Kagura-san.
—Do you want to entrust [Withered Fragment of the God-Wedge Armor] to Player: Kagura?
"I owe you one, too—well, that aside, I'd rather have the name of a trustworthy artisan who's looked out for me than some random craftsman, you know?"
"...!"
Oh, a new expression. I've never seen that one before. Worth acting cool for, heheh.
"...Are you really sure?"
"A man never goes back on his word."
I struck a pose, half-joking. Her fingertips, which seemed to be trembling slightly, tapped the 'accept' option on the trade window.
The two windows closed with a soft sound. Through the now-vanished translucent curtain—I thought I saw something ignite and blaze within the Mako's eyes.
"Haru-kun."
"Yup."
"Your order?"
"A weapon would be nice. All my current ones are totaled... If possible, a beefy one that utilizes its size and weight."
"Slashing type? Or striking type?"
"Hmm... Slashing, I think. [Angalta, God-Wedge Sword-King]'s weapon was a greatsword, so I'll go in that direction."
"Understood."
She nodded in acknowledgment, but her eyes seemed to be looking past me... past this place entirely.
A long silence stretched on for ten seconds, twenty, a minute, then two—before she stood up with such force she nearly kicked her chair over.
"Give me three days."
"Uh, ah, roger."
"I'll contact you. When it's finished. From me. Here again."
"Right, yeah, okay."
Her mind was probably already completely engrossed in the design. After spitting out those fragmented words, Kagura-san walked towards the shop's door with a somewhat unsteady gait.
As I watched her go, completely taken aback, she spun around at the last moment.
"—I'll do my absolute best! Haru-kun, you're really... the greatest!!"
How many new expressions had I seen from her today?
With a smile that burst like a firework, Kagura-san bounced out the door.
".............................."
I watched her go, speechless, not even given a chance to react.
"Polite language... was that her true self...? A pure, polite, and well-mannered lady...?"
Still unconsciously confused, I raised the empty cup to my lips with a serious face.
"Am I the greatest?"
My brain fried by a type of gap moe I couldn't put into words, I muttered something stupid to myself.
By the way, while her overall impression is that of a strong-willed "big sister," I will note here the fact that if you look closely at just her face, it is boyish and on the cute side. Please accept this offering (?).
For the reason that I do not like to describe appearances in long, drawn-out prose, I have kept the descriptions of the characters' appearances brief so far. However, I have started to think that a little more detailed information would be better, so I plan to post character introductions when the first chapter section comes to a close.
As for the main character, the only description he has is something like "average-looking," poor thing.
- I have been ranked 5th in the monthly genre rankings. Thank you for all the bookmarks and ratings. They are truly, truly encouraging!