Apparently, this canyon and the Town of Departed Spirits was often used by the new recruits of the knights for their training. Schieber-san has been frequenting this route since his days as a new recruit and continued to use it even when he started teaching, so he knew it like the back of his hand.
“There’s a more open area just a little further up. It’s a bit early for lunch, but the road will take a turn for the worse after that, so let’s use that area for a break.” [Schieber]
“Alright.” [Ryouma]
“By the way, Ryouma, I see that your equipment today is different. They don’t look like mass-produced stuff. Did you have them custom made?” [Reinbach]
“Yes. Actually, I have jobs other than my adventurer work, and fortunately, they’ve been quite a blessing, so I’ve requested for equipment that utilizes slime material to be developed.” [Ryouma]
I’ve been getting craftsmen to make my slime equipment through Darson-san from the Tigger’s Arms Store, but it’s been further enhanced since spring.
We’ve been using sticky slime threads to make my stab-proof vest, but now, we’re incorporating the fiber slime’s threads, which is made from whatever the fiber slimes consumes, and the threads of the spider slime, which it uses to make its nest just like a spider. Another noteworthy change is the increase in the variety of slime threads that could be used as material, such as the wire slime that could transform its body to resemble a metal thread.
My employment as the duke’s specialist also contributed by making it so that the people cooperating with me were now considered ‘research collaborators’. The craftsman that made my armor even became completely exclusive along with their workshop.
When I asked the craftsman why, he just said that it would be a good experience since he had a lot of young craftsmen with him, but the biggest reason was as expected money. It was more profitable to cater exclusively to me than to compete in the mass-produced market that had a lot of competitors.
Money wasn’t everything, of course, but it sure made everything smoother.
“This set I’m wearing is one of the new products they developed. It’s a kind of armor known as Cloth Armor. It prioritizes mobility and is flexible despite its durability. It’s made with the spider slime thread as its base material.” [Ryouma]
It’s durable enough that it can be used as work clothes on its own, and it’s flexible enough that it doesn’t get in the way of the joints. I had an athletic jersey in mind when thinking of the comfortability of the armor, so it looks more or less the same too.
On top of that, stab-proof cushioning, made by overlapping a cloth woven from sticky slime thread with cushioning, were placed in key areas to further heighten its defensive capabilities. In our experiments, blades and arrows without ki strengthening failed to penetrate even when shot from point blank. The armor also mitigated some of the impact.
Although its characteristics as an armor haven’t changed much, it’s a complete upgrade compared to the previous model.
“I see. I thought it was because I broke your breastplate that you weren’t wearing it.” [Schieber]
“If anything, it was a good opportunity for me to change armor. I don’t know if I’m just frugal, but I found it a waste to change my armor since I could still use the old model. By the way, I’m not wearing it right now, but I have a vest-type and a jacket-type armor too.” [Ryouma]
These could be equipped with metal plates or fiber-glass reinforced plastics, which could be made by using the fiber slime’s fiberglass and mixing it with a hardening liquid sheet.
We fed the fiber slime various materials, such as the fluff slime’s fluff, and we found out that the fiber slime could melt down even metals and transform them in to threads. Though time and ingredients will be needed in order to produce the desired product, there is no doubt that this trait of the fiber slime will have a wide scope of application.
“In our tests, not even large C Rank monsters could penetrate, though of course, given time they’ll eventually be able to damage.” [Ryouma]
“That’s not bad for light armor.” [Remilie]
It was then that Remilie-san showed interest.
“I can tell from the way you walk that it’s easy to move in. Can I get one of those if I place an order?” [Remilie]
“It’s not yet being sold to the public, but yes. You’re friends with Reinbach-sama, and as a former royal court magician, you’re plenty trustworthy. I can only give the perspective of a male client, so I’m sure you’ll be a great help if you provide your impressions as well.
I have some fabric and spares, so if you’d like, you can examine them during our break. You can damage them and try out various things too if you’d like.” [Ryouma]
“In that case, I won’t hold back. I’m going to become an adventurer again too, so I was thinking of getting some new equipment anyway.” [Remilie]
“Huh? Remilie-san, you’re going to be an adventurer again? You were an adventurer?” [Ryouma]
“Yeah, a little, before I became a royal court magician. Schieber-chan says he’s going to become an adventurer, so I figured I’d accompany him for awhile. I don’t have any plans anyway.” [Remilie]
“That sounds like it’ll turn out to be something amazing.” [Ryouma]
The former knight commander and the former royal court magician… Either one of them is skilled enough to be of service to the country, yet they’re going to work together. They might just become the strongest party in the entire nation.
“Hmm~ I don’t know about that. My history as a royal court magician would probably get me an A Rank, but I’m not really planning on taking it that seriously . At most, I’m just going to kill some time. In the first place, I haven’t been an adventurer in a long time, so I’m going to need to recover my senses first…” [Remilie]
“Regardless, just having you around will be a huge help. Your personality aside, there’s no denying your abilities.” [Schieber]
“He’s the kind of person that says things like that, and I’m worried about sending an old man out on his own, so I’ll be doing things in moderation.” [Remilie]
“I acknowledge I’m an old man, but――” [Schieber]
Before Schieber-san could finish what he was about to say, Remilie-san sent a glare full of killing intent his way. It wasn’t meant for me, but with me standing in between them, it felt like I was the one being glared at.
“――*Cough, excuse me. Ah, I can see it now. We’ll rest there.” [Schieber]
Schieber-san coughed and forcefully changed the topic, then made his way deeper into the canyon.
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