Winter had arrived.
It was freezing outside, but inside the house, it was nice and warm.
It looked like several dozen of Zabuton's Children would be spending the winter inside the mansion again this year. I thought it would be nice if Zabuton joined them, but I couldn't exactly force her. I’ll see her again in the spring.
"Kuro, Yuki. You two can go play outside if you want, you know."
They had fur, after all. I wondered if it was really healthy for them to spend all their time in my kotatsu.
"Make sure you wash your feet before you get in... Oh, looks like you already did. And keep your heads out; don't crawl all the way under the quilt."
With Kuro’s offspring waiting in line for their turn, it was the usual winter scene. I had made a separate kotatsu just for the wolves, hadn't I? Apparently, they were using that one too, but they were still fixated on mine. I really wished they wouldn't treat sitting in my kotatsu as a mark of high status.
I sat down with Lu to discuss magic items. According to her, there were a fair number of tools imbued with magic in the world, but they were almost exclusively monopolized by the upper class. Ordinary people never even had the chance to touch one.
That was a shame. Or so I thought, until Lu spoke up.
"The Dragon King and the Progenitor have brought several over as souvenirs or gifts for the babies, haven't they?"
...Now that she mentioned it, I remembered receiving a Labyrinth Shining Stone, an item for dungeon management. It turned out there were other things like that tucked away.
What I was looking for was something like a stove or a refrigerator. I had realized how useful they would be while I was building the camping carriage.
"There are magic items that create fire or produce water," Lu explained, "but using them for cooking would be difficult."
"Why is that?"
"Basically, magic can only perform one specific function. Magic items are the same. For example, a fire-starting tool can only output a fixed amount of heat for a set duration. You can't adjust the temperature, so it's not really practical for cooking."
"Really? But the Labyrinth Shining Stone I got from Dos can do all sorts of things, right?"
"That is an absolute exception among exceptions. It's a legendary-class artifact."
"Was it that special?"
"Yes, it was."
"I already lent it out to the Lamia Race, though..."
"Well, there's no point in just letting it sit in storage. If they're putting it to use, it's fine."
That was true. As I listened further, I gathered that magic items were generally only useful in very specific, limited situations—though in those moments, they were incredibly helpful.
As for the magic items we had here in the Village of the Great Tree, almost all of them were designed for either attack or defense magic. I suppose if a tool can only do one thing, those are the most logical functions to choose. Unfortunately, nothing I wanted existed.
"I guess there's no choice. Should I commission someone who can make them?"
"What kind of magic items are you going to ask for?" Lu asked.
"Like I said, something for cooking."
"But I told you, they can't be adjusted. You can't cook if the heat is always the same, right?"
"Not necessarily. I can manage by adjusting the distance from the heat source. And if that’s not enough, I could just line several of them up."
"Line them up?"
"Yeah. Like a musical instrument. I’ll just line up several magic items that each have a slightly different heat output."
"That’s... certainly an extravagant idea."
"I figured someone would have thought of it already."
"Magic items require rare materials, not just money. No one would be so wasteful. Besides, the very idea of using magic for something like cooking is just bizarre to most people."
"Is it?"
"Yes. To be honest, while we do a lot of elaborate cooking in this village, people on the outside don't usually put that much effort into it."
Now that she mentioned it, I recalled that being the case.
"Besides," Lu added, "if you're going to spend that much on magic items for a kitchen, it's much cheaper to just hire a chef and give them ordinary tools."
"Ah... you have a point."
"You aren't dissatisfied with the mansion's kitchen, are you? Do you really need them that badly?"
"When you put it that way, it's hard to justify... but wouldn't it be nice to have hot tea inside the carriage while we're traveling, even if it's not for full-scale cooking?"
"Drinking hot tea in a moving carriage? You'll just end up getting burned."
...Point taken.
"Well, since it’s something you want, I’ll see what I can do. I'll write a list of what I need, and you can take care of it."
"Hm?"
"You wanted magic items, right?"
It turned out that Lu wasn't just a genius in magic and pharmacy; she was also a famous magic item crafter. She handed me a memo detailing the names and quantities of various materials.
"I think you can find these through the Goroun Company. Also, I’m going to have to dismantle a few of the magic items we have in the village."
"Understood. I'll leave it to you."
With that settled, I headed to the workshop and focused my mind in front of a block of wood. I had a schedule of things I needed to make, and I decided to finish one of them in a single burst of inspiration.
I wasn't the one imposing a shape on the wood. I was simply helping the wood become the shape it wanted to be. That was all there was to it.
The result was a round shield, about one meter in diameter. It looked good.
"Here."
I handed the finished shield to a Mountain Elf who was waiting nearby. She attached a leather belt to the inner side and fixed a handle to it. The handle wasn't bolted directly to the wood so that its position could be adjusted later. This was the base model.
"So, what's next?" I asked.
"How about we incorporate a transformation gimmick so the shield's size can change?" the Mountain Elf suggested.
"Won't that make it too fragile?"
"As long as it blocks an enemy's attack once, isn't that enough?"
"Weight might be an issue."
"We can drill holes to lighten it."
"I see."
I set to work on a second shield. It looked similar to the first, but it was twice as thick. It was heavier, but not so heavy that it couldn't be wielded.
The Mountain Elf attached the belt and handle, then added a thinner cord to the grip. This cord acted as the trigger.
"I want to test it out."
It was a cold winter day, but not so cold that we couldn't move. In fact, there were people already exerting themselves: Daga the Lizardman and Galf the Beastman. They had been practicing their swordplay in the mansion’s hall until Ann, the head maid, glared them out of the house.
I called them over to help with the experiment. Daga took the shield, while Galf prepared to attack with his sword.
"Can I really go all out?" Galf asked.
"Are you okay with that, Daga?"
"Of course."
"Then do it for real. Daga, use the shield to defend, but don't trust it blindly."
"What do you mean?"
"There’s a chance the shield might just shatter."
"That’s a terrifying thought."
"This is an experiment, after all. If the shield breaks, we're done. Keep that in mind."
I had explained the gimmick to Daga, but I kept Galf in the dark.
The experiment began. At first, Daga simply parried or blocked Galf's strikes normally. There didn't seem to be any structural issues. Galf’s attacks grew faster and faster, and Daga found himself dodging less and blocking more. However, Daga wasn't just defending; he occasionally shoved back with the shield.
Galf dodged the counters, but eventually, a shield bash caught him off guard and he took a hit. That seemed to flip a switch in him. Galf launched a relentless flurry of blows, leaving Daga no room to counter.
Galf’s strike knocked the shield slightly aside. Seeing an opening in Daga’s stance, Galf swung his sword down toward the exposed gap.
The Mountain Elf and I watched intently. Now!
Daga felt it too. He triggered the gimmick at the perfect moment.
Three wooden crescent blades snapped out from the rim of the shield. One of them caught Galf’s descending blade perfectly.
Galf gasped in surprise. Daga, however, let out a scream of pain.
The mechanism was simple: a gear in the center of the shield rotated, pushing the connected blades outward. I had intended for it to momentarily expand the defensive surface area. In that regard, it worked perfectly.
The problem was that Daga didn't fully grasp the new dimensions of the expanded shield. One of the crescent blades had accidentally gouged into his own thigh, which he had stepped forward with.
"I'm so sorry! Are you all right?"
The Mountain Elf and I rushed over to apologize. I quickly called for Flora to apply healing magic. Once Daga was patched up, I asked for their feedback.
"I was definitely surprised," Galf said honestly. "It might not fly in a formal tournament, but it could be incredibly effective in a real life-or-death fight."
Daga agreed. "Since it was my first time, I didn't realize how far the blades would extend, but it's a very interesting concept. Could we make the blades out of iron instead of wood?"
"Weight is the concern there," I replied.
"I think it's plenty light enough as it is," Daga said.
"Really?"
I let Galf hold it. "Compared to a standard iron shield, this is feather-light. I could still use it even if it was twice as heavy."
That was good to know. I asked if they had any other suggestions.
"I noticed something," Daga said. "I'd like a bit more grip or texture on the surface of the shield. It's so smooth that swords slide right off. That makes it easy to parry, but it's hard to actually knock the opponent's weapon back."
"Yeah, I felt that while I was attacking," Galf added. "Since I didn't have to worry about my blade getting caught and snapping, I could just wail on him with everything I had."
"Is that so? I thought a smooth surface was better."
"Some races prefer that," Daga explained, "but when you're braced like this and an attack hits, if the sword slides inward, it ends up hitting your legs."
"Of course, if the sword doesn't slide, the shield takes the full impact, so you need more arm strength to hold your ground," Galf noted.
This was very educational.
"So, for now, do you just need some protrusions on the surface?"
"Yes. But it doesn't have to be anything ugly. For instance... just the kind of carving work you're so good at, Village Head."
I didn't think of myself as being particularly famous for my carvings, but apparently, that was how people saw me.
"Also, I’d like a 'return' or a rim on the edge of the shield," Daga added. "That would help stop a sliding sword, and I could use it to hook the opponent's weapon as well."
I took their notes to heart and headed back to the workshop to make some adjustments.
The idea for iron blades was good, but I couldn't do that immediately, so I put it on hold. Instead, I focused on the surface. To make it more intimidating, I carved a detailed image of a roaring dragon.
Meanwhile, the Mountain Elf worked on improving the mechanism. We decided that three blades left too many gaps in the defense, so we redesigned it to deploy six blades instead.
Finally, the new version was finished: a shield featuring a fierce dragon carving that could sprout six crescent blades.
Daga immediately bowed his head. "Village Head, what's wrong?"
"Please, let me have this one. I will master its use!"
...Wait, I had originally intended this for the Death Knight who guards the hot springs.
"Please!"
...No. This one was definitely for the Death Knight. Besides, the blades were still wooden. I promised Daga I would make him a custom version with iron blades later.
"Really? And can I request a specific carving? I... I'll have to think about what I want!"
As Daga went off to ponder his design, Galf stood by his side, looking thoughtful. He was probably starting to think he wanted a shield for himself too.
Wait, I just realized... the Death Knight might not actually like a shield with a weird gimmick. I should probably finish the first, simpler shield with the same carvings and a proper rim, just in case. It was better to be prepared.