The OP Lich is a Returnee

Chapter 113 – Designs

Oesau was more than happy to work on my ideas. Which was good, because I could see ways that their breakthrough would be far more useful to me than an inferior Daywalker enchantment. Sure, the initial hardware they showed off was interesting, but most of the spells that I might use from a specialized device upon the wrist I already had a focus for, or could do with my own spellwork.

However, the true benefit of the specialized CAD, at least in my case, was the increased mana efficiency the device offered. My mana pool was all the oceans on Earth compared to the neighborhood pool that was my apprentices, or the tiny puddle that the majority of the population had. I could afford some sloppiness and inefficiency in throwing it about, especially with my level of control. But I had not forgotten the fight against the shadow dragon or the constructs guarding the Seal of Shadow. That was a foe that ill-matched my talents, and I had suffered for it, spending several days and nights in constant combat.

And that was just with Shadow! Oh, Life and Wind had been easy enough for me, but that was because my skills matched well against those individual guardians. They were living beings, after all, and even if the Life guardian was tough to wear down, the outcome was never in doubt. In both cases, however, it was my defenses, not my offensive capabilities, which made victory certain. Neither guardian could pierce my defenses, and so victory was mine.

But the shadow dragon had been able to fight back, both against me, and my undead dragon. They had been able to wound me, and my pet. And they were intelligent enough to know how to actively draw upon the mana sealed there to bolster themselves, and heal their wounds. Neither the Life Hydra nor the Vorpal Bunny were intelligent enough to actively use the mana they guarded in its defense, and that was why those fights were so much easier for me. The Shadow Dragon, though, had pressed me, but I would not have been pressed so hard if I was able to more efficiently use my spells.

Naturally, the general CAD wasn’t an option for me, not until they managed to work through the accuracy issues. However, the specialized CADs? Those had promise, if one was clever. And I was very clever, if I said so myself.

There was one spell I could put on the existing hardware, which I could use now. I just needed the existing bracelet, and markers which I could place on individuals. Programming an emergency teleport spell, which would take every marked individual with me as I teleported to my castle would be some interesting programming, but I had the mana to power such a spell, especially with a CAD’s efficiency.

Naturally, I did not need a CAD to do a teleport for me. I was more than capable of the feat, considering I’d done just that to get to Tokyo from Lisbon. However, this was a case where the preset variables of a CAD’s programming were far more of a boon than a hindrance. Having the coordinates of the target location locked in, and having a distinct marker to target, instead of having to actively include people in the spell? That would make it faster and easier to use than if I were doing it myself.

Thankfully, the black bracelet CAD was quickly reprogrammed, and I was able to get a few dozen ‘spell tags’, which I could have those I wished to protect keep on their person while we were breaching the seal. Oesau gave me his device and the tags for ‘field testing and product review’ with a smile. He also promised that he would get to work immediately on the prototypes for the other item I asked for. The programming for those things wouldn’t be too difficult, but they would require custom hardware.

However, once the prototypes for that second design were field tested, and any flaws made evident, then they could be replicated and mass-produced. The movies they were based on were old, coming out before I was born, but they still had a devoted following. The design would definitely sell, once they were properly refined.

“With you helping to program the spellwork, Akagawa, I think we are most of the way there. I think we can piece most of it together with hardware that we have on hand, even if we have to make custom form factors to house them. It is the programming that is doing the heavy lifting, here. But are you sure? As you know, the only adjustments you’ll be able to make with the finished product will be how much mana you pump into things. I can design in some buffers to handle random surges, but if you push too much, it will overload.”

“At which point it either becomes useless, or a bomb, yes,” I nodded. “But so long as I don’t push too far…”

“Yes, yes. I’ll have the prototypes done as soon as possible. Koyama’s traveling with you, right? I’ll send him a message when the prototypes are ready. Shouldn’t be more than a week, maybe two.”

“Excellent. I’ll be sure to give you all the data I can on how it works, Doctor. See you soon!”

As I was wheeling my way out of the Phantomline office, I was surprised to see, of all people, my father, walking my way. “Otou-sama! I did not expect to see you today!”

“Yes, my daughter, I am as surprised as you are. Though perhaps it is for the best. The British government has been in contact with our branch in the UK, and they are asking about a potential weapons deal, to arm some of their soldiers with melee weaponry. They said it was inspired, in part, by one of your soldiers who was on loan to them?”

“Ah, you must mean Sergeant Major Aesys. I know that he provided some recommendations to the British Army for upgrades to their current armories, to try and get ahead of the shifting realities of war, but I have not had the time to get a full report from him. Anything troubling in their requests?”

“They were all from a science-fiction wargame.”

“Ah, I can see where your concerns might arise,” I said, smiling. “But father, just think about how the world has changed due to fantasy stories that, forty years ago, you would have rightly said had no place out of anime or chūnibyōdelusions? Why shouldn’t the fans of science fiction get their time to shine?”

“Perhaps I am just getting too old for this?”

“Nonsense, father. You are still in excellent physical condition, and your mind is as sharp as ever. And, if you are so adaptable as to accept your daughter coming home as the living dead, I know you will not let this defeat you.”

Her father sighed, and smiled down at her. “Thank you, Kaori. Truly. Now, would you help your old man make sense of what these weapons the British want are, and whether it even makes sense to suggest them to our developers?”

“Of course. What did they suggest?” Her father responded by showing her an email on his phone. The specifications were… interesting, to say the least.

“Well, some of these are easily workable, and could be mass-produced, similar to how the Shield Charms are produced. The ‘power sword’ and ‘power axe’, for instance, would be normal blades, imbued with toughness and with an enchantment of sharpness upon them. At least for mass-produced versions. A master-crafted blade, done by a true artisan, would be tougher, and able to hold an enchantment that truly would use the wielder’s mana to make it a monomolecular edge. So, swords for the rank and file could be made on a line, while the officers get theirs specially made, for instance.

“These ‘thunder hammers’ are the same. The Double-Crush enchantment is a simple one for enhancing the striking power of bludgeoning weapons, and can be made to run off the user’s mana easily enough. That’s another one that could definitely be done without much issue.”

I paused, and said, “But these ‘power fists’ and ‘lightning claws’? That is where you’ll start running into problems. Without significant bodily enhancement to begin with, or, at the very least, actual power armor, the weapons just simply aren’t feasible. Sure, the power fist could be done, but trying to actually fight with the thing for more than one or two punches in half an hour would be exhausting without the frame to support all that weight, so far out on the ‘levers’ of the body.

“The lightning claws have the opposite problem, but with the same cause. It is the same reason why having claws like Wolverine from those old X-men comics is stupid, unless you have enhanced strength and durability to compensate for it. Every time you slash at anything hard, you’ll be torquing your writs pretty heavily, even if it is just a bladed gauntlet you’re wearing. The physics just don’t line up with the force vectors to make that anything but a pain to deal with.”

My father sighed. “And I assume you saved the one they were most interested in for last on purpose?”

I chuckled. “Well, I can’t deny the appeal. I wasn’t even into that kind of fiction, before we were taken, and even I knew what a chainsword was. But having studied weaponry, and crafting, in the other world, while I’m sure the mechanics could be made, and even a basic Sharpness enchantment would be easily possible for a mass-production run, without power armor or an enhanced physiology, the physics of the situation again come into play. Any motor strong enough to force the blades to rotate and saw through armor plate would cause the weapon to rip itself out of the wielder’s hand unless they were supersoldiers or in power armor.”

“Thank you, Kaori. With that in mind, I can have our workers focus on making the sword, axe, and hammer. Do you have suggestions on the precise style of weaponry? You know more about these things than I do, I am ashamed to admit.”

“There is no shame in this, father. I know these things, because I was forced to know them, or be destroyed. Was it not you that told me that ignorance was not shameful, but remaining ignorant was? You are taking your own advice, and asking, to learn.”

My father made as though he were wiping away a tear. “Ah, my daughter has grown up so much. It is such a shame she had to become an anime protagonist before that could happen, though.”

“Otou-san!” I fake pouted at him, but he just laughed, and I had to smile. “Fine. With the hammer, some one-handed design. Something that you could use with a shield, or with another weapon in the off-hand, to counter the disadvantages of a hafted weapon. Base it off historical models, and build from there. It won’t look as flashy as something from the wargame, but it will be functional, and that is more important by far.”

“For the swords, one-handed or two-handed weapons would probably be best. I know in the game the blade is typically based off either an arming sword or a longsword, but since the weapon will primarily be for slashing, instead of thrusting, a cutlass, cavalry saber, kukri, or wakizashi would all be acceptable choices for a one-handed variety, while the scimitar, flamberge, zweihander, or katana would be good choices for a two-handed or hand-and-a-half weapon. It really depends on whether or not they will be using a physical shield, or just the shield charms. Axes are much the same, actually.”

“You think physical shields would be useful, as well as the shield charms?”

“Depends on their role. Hmm. Actually, the most versatile choice would be a weapon that could be used in one hand or two. And if you created a bracer that could deploy a physical shield when mana was sent through it, activating reinforcement magic as it did so, you could easily switch between fighting styles as necessity dictated. However, having a ‘heavy weapon’ option, like a two-handed dane axe, or massive zweihander would be useful for certain roles.”

“I understand. Now, with all that business out of the way, how are you, Kaori? Really. Even you have to be a bit shaken after taking an explosion like what happened in the Azores to the face.”

“If it weren’t for my experience in the other world, or if it had caught me by surprise, that explosion just might have been enough to kill me. Well, only for a while. At the very least, I would have needed to rebuild my body from scratch, but so long as my phylactery remains intact, I may be destroyed, but I cannot permanently die.

“But I cannot falter now. There are still five more seals that need my attention. If nothing is done about them, then the consequences will be dire. And I will not let my cute little niece grow up in such a world. She will have a better life than I had. I will make sure that she is old and happy before she meets death, or I will grab Enma by the throat and make him give her back.”

“Just promise me, when this is done, you will take some time for yourself, yes?”

“Of course, Otou-san.”