It’s Not Going Well

“…This isn’t going well…”

“Has it ever gone well for you?”

“…Not very often.”

Orphe burst out laughing, but for Kikori, this was genuinely a problem.

For the time being, he needed to get back first, but—

“It’s dooone!”

A voice like that came from beyond the wall.

It shouldn’t have been that long since then, Kikori thought in surprise, and when he turned his eyes toward the earthen wall, three fairies came flying from the other side.

“Ta-dah!”

“It’s time for the unveiling!”

“Right!”

The earthen wall crumbled, and a human-shaped figure could be seen beyond it.

No, not a human figure. It was…

“Armor, and axes?”

That was right. It was a clay mannequin dressed in equipment made to fit Kikori’s size.

First, a breastplate and shoulder guards. The design looked a little vicious somehow, but was the ornamented thing that looked like a mana stone based on the original berserk mail?

Then there were armguards and gauntlets, waist armor and leg armor. That part was fine.

“This helmet…”

“Dragon!”

“Dragon-like!”

“Right!”

That was right, it had a helmet with a design that even Kikori could recognize as a “dragon.”

The front was left wide open, so it did not look like it would block his vision, but…

And there were two one-handed axes.

They had probably used Kikori’s original equipment as a reference; it looked like something that should not have been possible to make in such a short time.

And yet. Somehow, he felt a strange sense of intimidation from it.

“This is amazing… thank you.”

“Right?”

“As expected, we’re on a whole different level from humans.”

“Right.”

“So, well, it really does seem amazing, but… does it have some kind of ability?”

“Mana absorption, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Right.”

Well, there was no downside to it being amazing.

Kikori approached the armor and touched it.

…Nothing in particular happened.

Relieved, Kikori started putting on the armor.

Then when he finally picked up the axes… they slipped into the gauntlets with a shrrk.

“Huh!?”

“Yes! You got surprised!”

“That part gave us a hard time!”

“Right!”

The fairies clapped each other’s hands, cheering, but Kikori wanted an explanation.

He lightly tapped at the gauntlets, wondering what to do, but the axes did not come out.

Then Orphe, who had been staring closely at the armor, pointed and said, “There.”

“Huh? Where?”

“Umm… probably like this. Clench your hand—”

“O-Okay.”

“And focus on making mana flow into your hand.”

“…Composite enchantment spells won’t work for that, right?”

“As if they would.”

“So they won’t, huh…”

Even being told to make mana flow, how was he supposed to do that?

(…Could I manage it if I applied the sensation from when I use enchantment spells?)

That sensation of power flowing through his whole body, but only into his fingertips.

He took a deep breath and concentrated on his fingertips… and he could tell that something was flowing into them.

Then something sparked sharply in his hands.

In Kikori’s two hands were the axes that had vanished earlier.