Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 25

Chapter 25
  “Also, it’s quite the unique Clawsolas, isn’t it? The armament is a spear-shaped ‘Lightning Armament’ mounted on top of the rear cooling unit, and a saber… and is that distorted strong arm also included as a weapon?”
  
  “Fufu, I’ll give you the Belphegor’s instruction manual later, but that thing extends.”
  
  Apparently, the thick, strong arm seems to be in a folded state, and it can be deployed and extended during battle. However, hearing that, I can’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
  
  “As you can imagine, it’s sickening because of the sensory sharing. It was the worst when I tested it during the performance evaluation.”
  
  Looking at the elite knight who added that comment with a weary expression, I turned my gaze to Nina and urged her to mediate.
  
  “He is Aynst Remberg, Knight Captain of Zephyrus Domain.”
  “Knight Captain?”
  
  When I reflexively asked back, intrigued by the unfamiliar term, Vice-Captain Raizes, who was beside me, interjected.
  
  “He’s a Knight Commander in the home country, Knight King Claude.”
  
  “I see… Please take care of us during our stay, Aynst-dono.”
  “Certainly, Knight King-dono.”
  
  Nodding to the middle-aged Knight Captain who bowed politely, I looked up at the uniquely shaped Clawsolas again and asked him, whom I had just met.
  
  “During the performance evaluation, what did you find concerning about this Clawsolas?”
  
  “There are many things… but I’d say it’s so fast that it’s rather difficult to handle, and the back Burst Mechanism is dangerous.”
  
  “Well, I’ve made improvements and readjustments, and lowered the output, so we’ve confirmed stable operation even in thorough additional tests.”
  
  Nina confidently folded her arms and turned her back, causing her ample bosom to jut out, making me wonder where to look. The surrounding knights and engineers seemed to feel the same, as everyone subtly averted their gaze.
  
  “Is something wrong?”
  
  “No, don’t mind me.”
  “Ugh~, I’m so jealous.”
  
  For some reason, Revia seems to be feeling down as she fumbles with her own chest, but I ignore it and confirm about the Burst Mechanism or whatever it’s called.
  
  “Simply put… it’s a device that amplifies pure magical power and intentionally causes it to explode, using that to propel the Clawsolas. It’s designed to be used in conjunction with the auxiliary armament ‘Thunder Spear’.”
  
  “It sounds convenient, but it seems like it would consume a lot of magical power.”
  “… You’re perceptive. It can only be used a limited number of times in battle.”
  
  With a slightly bitter expression, Nina insisted that it would be a revolutionary technology if improved. I listened to her for a while, and at a good point, I mentioned the remaining Clawsolas that I was scheduled to receive.
  
  “Oh, the second generation general-purpose Clawsolas, Begalta, is that one.”
  
  The ash-gray Clawsolas fixed to the left wall that she pointed to had a well-balanced shape and was characterized by its jet-black chest armor.
  
  At first glance, it gave the impression of being more toned overall than the first-generation Clawsolas.
  
  “That’s my older brother’s and my new Clawsolas… I feel a sense of functional beauty in it.”
  
  “Thank you, dear young lady. As it’s a general-purpose model, I aimed for a well-organized form, so I’m happy to hear you say that.”
  
  According to Nina, who was pleased with Eleia’s words, the second-generation Clawsolas was originally designed with an emphasis on agility, and its mobility seems to be higher than that of conventional models.
  
  In addition, it was designed to be able to launch a mithril alloy wire anchor from its left arm using the aforementioned magical explosion technology, and retract it with a winding machine built into the rear cooling unit.
  
  “The development concept was a non-explosive projectile weapon that could be used for multiple purposes. If we could secure saltpeter stably, it wouldn’t be a necessary armament.”
  
  “May I ask you a few questions, Nina-kyou?”
  “You are…”
  
  This time, the roles were reversed, and Lady White Fox’s beautiful emerald eyes turned towards me, seeking an introduction.
  
  “I am Lloyd Lunavadis, a Lizel Knight who will be receiving the Begalta.”
  
  “It’s a pleasure to meet you…”
  “I’ve heard rumors that you’re a skilled knight.”
  
  The handsome man with well-defined features and the beautiful lady exchanged elegant greetings.
  
  “So, do you have any questions?”
  
  “Regarding the wire anchor on the Clawsolas’ left arm, if the material is mithril alloy, would it be possible to channel magical power through it and activate magic at the tip?”
  
  Covering her mouth with one hand at the unexpected question, Nina hesitated and muttered to herself before turning to Lloyd and conveying the results of her mental calculations.
  
  “It’s possible, but the power would be reduced, making it meaningless. The mithril content in the wire is only less than 10%, and the purpose is simply to increase its strength.”
  
  That answer suggests that if it were a high-purity mithril wire, it would be possible to use magic at the tip after launching it. However, it would be a specification unsuitable for a general-purpose Clawsolas designed for mass production.
  
  “Well, I suppose lightning magic would have some effect, but only enough to temporarily stiffen the Clawsolas’ artificial muscles and dull its movements.”
  
  She, being scholarly, probably doesn’t consider it an effective means of attack. However, for a warrior who stakes everything on a single strike, even a small opening can be an opportunity for victory. If Lloyd, whose partner is his sister who handles lightning attribute magic, uses it well, it might be effective.
  
  After making an additional request to Nina, the developer, to change the armament to two swords, a large and a small one, he expressed his gratitude and concluded the conversation.
  
  “Now then… We’ll do the Magic Core exchange and Mage registration according to aptitude tomorrow. I guess that’s about it. It’s a good time, so shall we have dinner?”
  
  Following the young lady who turned around as if there was nothing more to do here, we were led by the escort knights commanded by Aynst and returned to the stableyard where the delegation we had brought with us was waiting.
  
  While we were checking the Clawsolas, it had been decided between Zephyrus Domain officials and Cavalry Captain Aldo that we would borrow the barracks, which were mostly empty due to the troop dispatch.
  
  After receiving that report, as they said we would have dinner at a restaurant in town, we also selected a few squires from the cavalry as escorts and were led out to the main street…
  
  
  
  
  ★Clawsolas Information: Belphegor
  
  A second-generation customized Clawsolas with asymmetrical left and right arms. The basic design was initially based on the Begalta. However, Nina Valer, who was stressed from developing the new generation Clawsolas, went on a rampage and redrew the blueprints and designed it from scratch. Therefore, it’s not actually a modified Clawsolas, but a one-of-a-kind state-of-the-art Clawsolas.
  
  The left arm is thick and large, and the folded double-structured arm becomes one. It can be instantaneously extended by a launch mechanism that utilizes localized amplification and explosion of magical power. The same mechanism is also installed near the rear cooling unit, acting as an acceleration device.
  
  The armaments are a spear-shaped crushing armament “Thunder Spear” connected to an attachment on the back, a magic-forged saber created by the Zephyrus Domain blacksmiths using human-wave tactics, and an arm shield attached to the right arm.
  
  
  ★Clawsolas Information: Begalta
  
  A giant knight with an ash-gray body that is somewhat more refined than the somewhat bulky first-generation Clawsolas. The chest armor is painted jet-black, which is Nina Valer’s, the designer’s, preference.
  
  That aside, the second-generation design philosophy is to reduce overall waste and improve mobility, so there is an exquisite balance between armor strength and agility.
  
  A characteristic feature is the low-purity mithril alloy wire anchor launched from the left arm using an application of Burst technology. By weaving artificial muscle fibers, the barbs at the tip can be extended and retracted. The standard armament is a magic-forged longsword, but Lloyd’s Clawsolas will be a dual-wielding type with a shortsword added.