I asked Alistair about her prediction that I might have something to do with the discarded divine sword, Cherubim, but she wasn’t completely sure about it either .
“Either way, let’s make restoration our top priority for now . Soon I’ll finish repairing the external components . And then I’ll start working on what’s inside . ”
『What do you do to restore the inside?』
“That’s where a divine blacksmith can truly utilize their skills . Just leave it to me . Just, it will take a lot of time to analyze and repair, so be prepared for that, okay?”
『I understand . 』
“As for you, Fran… Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything you can do to help even if you just watch . ”
“It’s fine . I will just keep watching . ”
Fran replied in the same way as before, facing Alistair with a look of determination that displayed her intention that she would not move away from his spot even if just for an inch .
“Woof!”
Urushi also sat down in a well-mannered position beside her and looked at Alistair .
“Suit yourself . ”
Alistair muttered and said nothing more . Then she turned her back to Fran and the others as she faced me .
“Well then, let’s get started . Well, there’s nothing for Master to do though . Your job is to stay put . ”
『All right . 』
“Fuhahaha!!”
『What’s the matter?』
“I never thought I’d see the day where I’d be repairing a sword and telling it to not move . ”
After laughing lightly at that, Alistair held up her hand above me with a serious expression .
“Eye of Analysis…!”
It was the same appraisal type skill that she used when we first met earlier . She began to observe me carefully with her magic-laden eyes . They were several degrees more serious and keener than they had been the first time round .
“…”
“…”
Complete silence engulfed the room . Neither Alistair, Fran and Urushi uttered a single word at all . Alistair needed her full attention to carry out her task and Fran and the others, understanding that, did their best to not disrupt that concentration . The only thing they had in common was the seriousness of each other’s expressions .
The only sounds in the silvery room were the sounds of two people and one animal breathing .
“…”
“…”
After a while, actually I stopped keeping track of how long we’ve been at it . Alistair’s forehead was covered in beads of sweat . She had been concentrating her magical power for a long time, analyzing me . The exhaustion she should be going through right now was too large for me to imagine seeing how quiet the situation was .
Fran was still watching her work, not moving even slightly .
“Fuuuu~”
And then, after finally finishing her analysis, Alistair slowly looked up and exhaled . I could see the fatigue draining colour away from her face .
『Is it over?』
“Mhm . I’m sorry . ”
Suddenly Alistair apologized .
Eh? What? What… happened? Why are you apologizing?
『I- Is it possible that I can’t be repaired?』
“No, you can be repaired . Let’s be clear on that . However, even after so much time has passed, I still couldn’t complete the analysis . I’d like to apologize for that first . ”
『But it’s not like you didn’t come up with anything at all, right?』
“Well… kind of . I’ve gathered all the information I need to make the necessary repairs without any problems . ”
Then, it’s fine . It would have been nice to know what’s going on, but my current priority is to repair myself . No . I was too impatient .
“In the meantime, I’ll explain the results of my analysis while I start with the repairs . ”
『I’ll leave it to you . 』
Alistair began taking out multiple potion-like objects again and started to concoct something next to me . It seems that the magical medicine prepared for repairs was made and customized according to the sword to be repaired . Not only does this mean that Alistair’s skills in blacksmithing was top-notch, but she was also quite adept in alchemy .
Alistair, who has finished mixing the concoction, poured it onto my sword blade . A second later, I felt something well up from inside my body .
It wasn’t a bad feeling though . It’s a warm and gentle feeling, completely opposite of the intense, dark one I had when I was under the control of the mad demonization . I could feel that soft, fluffy comfort spreading all over my body .
“Okay, the repair of the magic circuit has begun . How are you feeling?”
『Somehow, it feels good . It’s like soaking in a hot bath . 』
“That is quite an interesting expression . You are most definitely a person before . I don’t know if I will ever have this opportunity again in the future to hear thoughts directly from the sword, but this is very interesting!”
When Fran saw Alistair smiling and muttering excitedly, she felt that a huge burden in her chest had been lifted . Then, Fran asked Alistair with an expectant look in her eyes .
“With this, will Master finally heal?”
“No, not yet . This potion is just going to close up a big wound in the magic circuit . The next step is to close up the more delicate and deep wounds . This is the most difficult job I’ve been tasked with since I last created a divine sword! I’ll finally be able to go all out again and prove my abilities!”
I don’t know how she’ll do it, but I could guess that it was going to be a very difficult and intricate process . I’m glad Alistair was willing to do this, but I also think it’s going to take a while .
Even so, you have made a divine sword huh .
She IS a divine blacksmith, so I guess I might say, it’s expected of her, but hearing her say of her past work herself brings a different kind of surprise . I’m getting an awesome blacksmith to fix me up, huh .
However, after hearing Alistair’s outburst, Fran fell back down into her chair again, looking dejected as she probably understood that my restoration was likely to be a long way off .
“I see . ”
“Well, don’t look so gloomy . It will take some time, but Master will certainly get back on his own feet . ”
“Really?”
“Let’s bet on it with divine swords!!”
I know you’re trying to tell me that it’s a sure thing to succeed, but betting with divine swords… .
Does that mean… If she fails to repair me, do we get a divine sword? That meant that for Fran, the more you fail, the better the sword you will give her…… . . ??
“I don’t need it . Instead, return Master to his original condition . ”
『Fran!』
Good girl! As expected of Fran!
“I know . I’ll definitely fix it . Well, returning it to the original… That’s the problem . ”
『What?』
“No, don’t worry about it . Let’s just focus on fixing it now . ”
『?? I understand…』
“That said, it will take a little longer for the potion to finish repairing the damage to the magic circuits . And while we wait for that, I’ll tell you what I found out earlier .
“Hmm!”
『Please do . 』
I know I said earlier that restoration was my top priority, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know!
“Oh, I think Master can at least use telepathic communication now, right?”
What? For real?
『Aa- Aa, test test . Can you hear me Fran?』
“Hmm! I can hear you!”
Oh, I can really use it now! And it no longer causes pain .
It felt a little laggy or slow to activate when I used it, but it was enough for conversation . I’m really getting better . Once again, I felt that I was really getting better, and I was moved by it .
“Did you say you have two persons in you?”
『Yes . The announcer and the mysterious voice . 』
“Let’s start by talking about this Announcer-san thing . ”
『Oh』
“Hmm . ”
Fran had a plain reaction to this revelation . I suppose it’s because she has heard of the announcer, but she has never spoken to him in person .
“It is severely damaged, but there is certainly an area that is deeply connected to the sword . It is similar to a nerve that stretches out its branches and leaves all over the interior of the sword . It is specialized in analyzing information and other stuff, moreover originally it is made for the host or in this case, it was made for Master . It was made in a way so it’s capable of assisting the host . ”
『Assisting? So I still have notification settings for leveling up?』
I don’t think there’s that big of a difference between before and after Mr . Announcer’s success in releasing the potential limit . But that was only scratching the surface of the story, apparently .
“No, that’s not all . Originally, it was supposed to assist in the activation of skills and assist in calculations . ”
『So you’re saying that he had the ability to help you activate skills and magic?』
“Ah . But unfortunately before we realized the benefit, that part was damaged . It was originally an ability that Master needed after you level up more . ”
Alistair said that it was for me – or in this case, in terms of the sword’s ability – is an ability that was reserved for when I level up more . If Announcer-san had been fully prepared and had that ability to support him, he might not have been injured from overuse of his abilities like he was in this case . On the contrary, if the ability was intact he could have warned me when he was nearing his limit .
But if it wasn’t for his success and sacrifice, we would have been defeated by Lich on the floating island . Therefore I won’t say words of regret .
『So will Announcer-san heal?』
“I am afraid it would not heal . It’s a miracle that there are even some remnants of Cherubim lasting to this day . There’s nothing we can do to fix it if it’s broken this badly . ”
Unfortunately, if Alistair said she can’t do it, then she really can’t .
『Is that so……』
“There’s only so much I can do to prevent the residue of Cherubim disappearing or get any worse, such as reinforcing it . ”
『I understand…』
If you think about it, Announcer-san did a lot for me during my early days . It distracted me from my loneliness, and I’ve gained a lot of knowledge from it . If the only thing I could do was help it avoid from completely disappearing, I would be grateful enough for that .
『Please take care of Announcer-san . 』
