"......Wouldn’t it lose its original speed due to friction between pulling the sword out of the scabbard?”
While it may look cool and impressive at first glance, it's actually the ultimate in inefficiency.
You lose a lot of kinetic energy between drawing the sword from the scabbard.
This is why the techniques we call baldo and iaido are not practical.
In fact, it specializes in assassination by catching the opponent off guard and then drawing and swinging.
"Ah. Don't worry about that. It's frictionless."
With that, Eldin slid the drawn sword back into its scabbard.
Surprisingly, the sword went in easily without any friction with the sheath.
"To make it frictionless, I've applied a tiny magnetic force to the space between the scabbard and the blade. It's called magnetic levitation, and it maximizes the acceleration from the steam blast."
Eldin explains that the magnetic force isn't that strong, so there's no repulsion, just an empty space between the scabbard and the blade.In other words, the scabbard is not so much a scabbard as it is a runway that allows the sword to be swung quickly.
It was a very strange sword, a mixture of magic and science.
"What do you think? Do you like it?"
"......."
Osian didn't answer Eldin's question.
He merely stared at the sword, his face expressionless, unsure of what to think.
‘What is it? Does he not like something?’
Eldin broke out in a cold sweat at the strange pressure Osian was exuding.
He'd shown him his sword, but maybe that was too much.
Maybe he'd be angry that he'd been insulted.
But that wasn't what he felt inside.
‘......That's cool.’
A real, usable sword drawing technique.
It even combines science and magic from a different era.
It was a conglomeration of elements that stirred up a lot of romance.
The knight's physical body was just as pleased.
A new sword for a new age.
It wasn't so much that it was a sword, but rather that my hands were itching to wield it.
'But I won't be able to.’
It would be futile.
Osian's body can swing a sword faster than the acceleration gained from a burst of low-compression steam, so that feature was useless.
If he were to buy one, it would be more for display than for use.
"I just want a sturdy sword with no other features."
Osian said, suppressing his disappointment.
Eldin, whose tension melted away at the words, smiled broadly and nodded.
"Ah. So you're a pureblood, too?"
"Pure blood?"
"Didn't you know? Pure, unadulterated cold-bloodedness. That's what they call a pureblood nowadays. It's half admiration, half mockery."
"I see I'm not the only one who uses pureblood weapons."
"I told you, this place specializes in them. The fancy ones over there are customized for new customers, and my specialty is more of a pureblood weapon."
As he spoke, Eldin studied Osian's height, the distance between his shoulders, and the length of his arms.
Still, his mouth never stopped talking.
"This city is filled with all sorts of weirdos. There are those who use 'swords' like you, but none who use 'pure-blooded swords' like you, and they usually fall into one of two categories: they're either just a show-off, or they're incredibly skilled."
Eldin nodded slightly as he finished his measurements.
"In that sense, you, who have come to me to forge a pureblood weapon, must be one of the latter."
"......."
Eldin seemed to regard this as the latter.
Osian didn't reply, but his gaze conveyed the sense that it was important.
Eldin shrugged and asked.
"Anything else you want for the sword?"
"Nothing. Like I said, as long as it's sturdy, that's all that matters."
"Well, don't worry. I'll make you a sturdy one that won't break."
"How am I going to pay you?"
"Five million up front, the rest upon completion."
Eldin spoke as if he were being charitable.
"That's quite a price for a pureblood."
Osian asked, and Eldin gave him a ‘what?’ stare.
"I told you, it'll make it sturdy. The ingredients are not ordinary, of course, but don't worry too much. It's really not that bad."
Eldin's words were filled with an unnerving confidence as he smirked and beat his fist against his chest.
It was hard to trust him as a stranger, but the reputation he had built up over his years in this position would not be for nothing.
"Oh, come to think of it, there's one thing I'd like you to do."
"Oh. What is it?"
"Can you use a metal that is impervious to magnetism?"
"Magnetism?"
Why?
Eldin's expression changed instantly.
"Wait.......was you the one who recently kicked the crap out of that Blood Brotherhood?"
"Has that news gotten this far already?"
"I've got a lot of customers who'll spread the word if I just stand there and swing a hammer."
Eldin was a fairly well-known craftsman, so naturally, his main clientele was people with money.
In Tirna, having a lot of money is directly related to being an outstanding person.
In that sense, Eldin was the quickest to hear rumors that others didn't.
"Well, even those customers say it's mostly a rumor, but some have said it's a serious possibility, and there are even sightings."
"Do you really believe the rumors?"
"I didn't at first, either, but the way you've been acting, it's not entirely out of the question."
Eldin crossed his arms and studied Osian.
A man full of majesty, charisma, and something indescribable.
His eyes are the color of the night sky, and you can't tell what he's thinking.
Even for an Elf whose aesthetic standards have been transcended, this man is considered handsome.
A man of such mystery cannot be ordinary.
"This sword could not possibly be broken......."
"Tesla Arms, quite a curious thing."
Even as he spoke, his voice was almost nonchalant.
Eldin's face fell when he heard that.
"Fascinating? That's not something to be taken lightly! It's a specially crafted item that was created by the military using all of the latest science and magic, and you're just going to call it fascinating?"
Eldin had a bit of a tinkerer's temperament, as evidenced by his pounding on the steel.
For him, the Tesla Arms were something to be admired, something that no individual craftsman could afford to build, something that was made on a budget.
Contrary to Eldin's sentiments, Osian asked in disbelief.
"For something so precious, it was taken away so easily."
"No, that's how great the Blood Brotherhood is!"
With that, there was only one thing Osian could say back.
"I beat that Blood Brotherhood bastard."
"......."
Eldin could only shake his head, unable to refute this part.
"Okay, okay. So you want something that's immune to magnetism, right?"
"Is that possible?"
"Yes, it is possible. There's a reagent that can be processed to create a non-magnetic coating on the outside of the blade. It's not something you can do for expendable bullets, but it might work for a sword that's meant to last."
"Anything else I should be aware of?"
"The coating will deteriorate with use, but it can be refreshed periodically. It'll chip every time, but given your skill, it won't matter."
"Then I'll take it."
Osian paid Eldin the promised advance.
"How long will it take to make it?"
"It won't take long, you're in luck. This is the off-season, when I'm not booked up. It should only take three days."
"Well, I'll come back then."
*
After the meeting with Eldin, Osian left the workshop with Diolan.
"Amazing."
Diolan said when they were some distance away from the workshop.
Osian stared at him.
"What is surprising?"
"Eldin's demeanor."
When Osian still stared at him in confusion, Diolan made an ahh sound.
"You really don't know anything about this city."
"Is that a problem?"
"No. As long as you're good, it doesn't matter. But back to the subject at hand, Eldin, he's not normally such a friendly elf. He has a very dirty temper."
"Dirty?"
Osian thought of Eldin.
Aside from being dirty, there was nothing wrong with his demeanor.
If anything, he was flamboyant, which he liked.
‘Definitely.’
If he thought about it, every single elf NPC in the games he played had a broken personality.
That's why players always clicked their tongues when they saw them, calling them 'filthy khans'.
But not Eldin.
"Not everyone is like that. Eldin is a craftsman, and he has a lot of pride. No matter how much money you have, he won't make a weapon for someone who isn't good enough."
"Is it that bad?"
"Sure, he'll sell them, but they're commonplace, and Eldin's custom orders are different. He doesn't usually bother with anyone who isn't completely proven. I can't believe he'd take you on, though. It's a real testament to your credentials."
"Good thing you introduced me to such a place."
Diolan chuckled mischievously at Osian's point.
"There are no craftsmen like Eldin in the world who make such things in the first place, and this is just an added bonus."
"So that answers your question?"
"Of course. Congratulations. You're Eldin's new favorite customer."
It didn't seem like much to celebrate, but Osian decided to take it in stride.
"Still, seven million upfront for a sword is certainly expensive."
It had been five million, but the antimagnetic coating had been added to the price, making it seven million.
Diolan's eyes widened at that.
"What? Seven million?"
"Why is that? Is it because it's too expensive?"
"What are you talking about? On the contrary. Eldin offered to make me a weapon for such a ridiculous price?"
"A pureblood longsword shouldn't be that expensive to make."
"You don't know what you're talking about. Eldin doesn't make weapons for just anyone, and when he does, he charges exorbitant prices. The one I'm using right now cost me 50 million up front."
"Fifty million? Is it a pureblood weapon?"
"No, and there's no guarantee that pure blood is cheaper. Rumor has it that someone tried to get Eldin to make a pure blood weapon, but he gave up after Eldin charged a hundred million up front. Eldin don't compromise on price for pure blood weapons."
A hundred million.
"Isn't it possible that they wanted unusually expensive materials?"
"Eldin always uses only the finest materials, whether the other party requests them or not."
"Still, it's bound to be less expensive than modern weapons, isn't it?"
"Weapons made by elves are called Elvenborn, right? An Elvenborn pureblood weapon is strong in its own right, and depending on the user, it's not as vulnerable to modern weapons. The price varies for only one reason: whether Eldin likes the person who will wield it or not, that's all."
In other words, the type of weapon doesn't affect the price at all.
Diolan stuck his tongue out.
"For your information, no one has ever paid less than ten million as an advanced payment, at least not that I know of."
The elf was such a skilled craftsman.
So much has changed in this world.
*
After finishing with the weapon, Osian returned to his quarters.
The silent room was pitch black, as if the darkness itself had come.
The light from the gas lamps outside the window refused to enter the room, as if blocked by something.
Something is wrong.
Just as he thought that, a flash of white flashed in the pupils of his eyes, a star-like light.
"We have an uninvited guest."
Osian stared at the shadow sitting at the table adjacent to the window.
The shadow glanced over, as if waiting for him and Osian instinctively realized that this was a powerful man, at the same time, he realized who it was.
"I thought the Brotherhood was called the Brotherhood and the leader was the eldest brother, but it turns out you're the eldest sister."
At those words, a shadowy figure with long, flowing hair greeted him with a twinkle in its red eyes.
"Hello."