A week to prepare for the audience with the King.
　During that time, there's little I can do.

　I'll just go about my life as normal, taking care to cause as little trouble as possible - that's all.

　Of course, it won't be completely the same as before.

　The swords that used mithril were to be removed from the storefront for a time, and the three members of the Silverwing Knights were to come in their place in the name of surveillance.

　Well, as far as I'm concerned, it's not particularly inconvenient, and it's not any different from spending time normally, so it's not much of a problem.

I'm not going to be able to get a good idea of what to do with it, but I'm going to be able to get a good idea of what to do with it.

　I had just finished cleaning up the store after today's business, when I heard some kind of violent metal bumping coming from the back of the store.

　I wondered about it and went out the back door.

　I soon found out what was causing it.
　Sakura and Garnett were cutting each other to pieces in the back of my shop, wielding swords and swords.

　Of course, it was obvious that they weren't really fighting.

'Oh, Luke. Good job.

　Sylvia, who was crouched near the back door, looked up at me and smiled at me.

'What are these guys doing?'
When Garnett muttered, 'I'm so bored that my body is going to become dull,' Sakura heard him say something like, 'Well then, please come with me to train. Sakura heard that and said, 'Well then, please come and join me in my training.
I see.

　I can see the scene in my mind's eye.
　I think I can even hear the conversations that were going on.

　It's quite serious for training, but since they both seem to be enjoying themselves, there's no need to stop them.

　At that rate, the weapons are going to be damaged in no time at all, but if it happens, we just need to [repair] them.

''For now, I'll just do what I have to do.
Is it to be done?　Oh, are you asking for a request from a nobleman by any chance?
I came up with a new way to make it at work. I've got to make a prototype before I forget.

　Felix had referred me to a favored nobleman.
　I had decided to take it.

It's just a matter of getting the sword out of the base, so the quickest way to get the stone of the base and the iron of the sword to stick together completely is the quickest way to do it. The question is how to make it happen: ......

　I hold the knife I brought from the shop in one hand and pick up the larger stone that was lying around with my other hand.

'I've confirmed that I can do the [synthesis] of the knife and the stone without any problems. The rest of the time, if I can apply that guy and keep the two apart, I'll be able to .......

　Thrusting the tip of the knife against the surface of the stone, he pushed the blade into the stone little by little while applying the magic of the 【Restoration】 skill just like when he was doing 【Synthesis】.

　Then the cutting edge was swallowed into the stone as if it was being dipped into the clay.

''Eh?　What's going on here?
''It's an application of [Restoration] and [Synthesis]. The part where the knife and the stone overlap should be in the same state as when it was synthesized normally. In other words, it's 【Fusion】.

　I don't understand the principles in detail either.

　A rough theory comes to mind, but I didn't have the confidence to explain it properly to Sylvia.

　In short, is it like stopping 【Restoration】 and 【Synthesis】 at the halfway point, will it be conveyed as I imagined?

　The knife and the stone should be fused locally - or fused together and stuck ...... as one.

'This is the first time I've actually tried it, but it works surprisingly well. The only other use I can think of for it is as a magic trick, though.

　Just then, Sakura and Garnett stopped their training and began to take a short pause.

'Garnet. Let's see if you can get out of this one for a moment.
Hmm?　Ugh, what is this? It's disgusting.
It's okay. Can't you just pull it out with everything you've got?

　While muttering, "I don't know what that means," Garnett grabbed the knife and stone and pulled as hard as he could.

''Ngggg!　Konnyaro: ......!
Oh, you made it.
How's that for ......!

　The moment Garnett got pissed off and put all his strength into it, the blade of the knife snapped off with a high-pitched sound.

'Pull out ......!　I ain't ....... It's broken.
'It looks like the principle of leverage has worked on the joint. Well, since the client's order is for a 'sword that can't be pulled off', you don't have to think about the pattern of breaking and removing the sword blade.

　It's impossible to prevent that completely.

　From what Felix had told me, the client's nobleman was the type who would enjoy such resourcefulness as breaking and removing swords and shattering pedestals.

　Then, well, I don't mind if we deliver it in this specification for now.

"I mean, White Wolf. The audience is only three days away, how can they accept such a stupid job? You're not nervous or anything.
'Of course I do. These things are a great distraction.

　He's on a cloud when he's the king, but to adventurers, including me, he's more than just a sovereign, he's a great one.

　Because of that...

'Lord Luke, Lord Garnett. What kind of man is the monarch of this country? I can't help but wonder if I'm unfamiliar with that part of the world.

　Come to think of it, Westland is an unfamiliar foreign country to Sakura, an Eastern man.

　It's not surprising that they are not familiar with the domestic situation.

''King Alfred is the man who unified most of Westland in the twenty years between his accession and today.

　Unusually, Garnett began to answer a question from Sakura in a serious tone of voice.

　In exact figures, about seventy-five percent of the area traditionally called Westland - that much is said to have come under the control of a single king.

　And because of the ongoing expansion, no one knows how far it will eventually reach.

''Westland was originally the name of the area around here, but a few years ago, it was also named the 'Kingdom of Westland'. I guess that's because the days of mob rule are almost over, and one king now rules most of it.
I see. ...... So you're the champion of the warring states.

　Sakura is nodding with a satisfied face.

　I'm not as familiar with the situation in the east as I am with the situation in the east, but I wonder if something similar happened over there as well.

I've learned from my grandmother that it was the current king who popularized the gold and silver coins that everyone is using. Grandma praised him for making it easier for us to do business.

　This time Sylvia added an explanation from an economic point of view.

　A total of six types of coins, large and small, each of gold, silver and copper.
　Before this system was instituted, the lords of each region had to weigh the coins they created as they pleased and check their value as precious metals before using them.

　As Sylvia's grandmother had said, the country's economic power was said to have increased dramatically thanks to the reliable monetary system.

　I don't know much about such things, so I'm just hearing from others.

I don't know much about such things, so I'm just speaking from other people's point of view.

　Garnett, like a knight, from a military standpoint.
　Sylvia, like an innkeeper's daughter, has an economic aspect.

　Then I'll have to talk like an adventurer.

"As a matter of fact, King Alfred used to be an adventurer.
My God!
'A long time ago, the leader of one of the powerful forces at the time said that he would make the one who brought back an artifact that was lying deep in a certain dungeon his successor. And for succeeding in doing so, you're ...... to the king.

　To the uninitiated, this is an incredible story, but it's a true story approved by the royal court.

　There are many adventurers who have achieved high social status, but I can assure you that there is absolutely no better example of this.

''Is it true, Garnett-dono?
''Yeah. Of course, they were ridiculed a lot at the time, but they managed to get to where they are now by using their strength. And don't call me "Tono", it's a pain in the ass. You can talk like a normal person.
"Mmm. ...... Okay, not ....... I understand, Garnett. If you want to be treated like a friend.
Good job. You look good in that one.

　It seems that swordsmen and knights are becoming friends in some way that has nothing to do with me.

　That's really quite a good thing, but personally, I was becoming rather less and less concerned about that.

　The tension that had been fading as a result of discussing what was great about King Alfred was coming back.

'...... Mr. Luke?　You don't look good, are you okay?
"After all this time, I know it's a little late, but I feel like I'm about to meet an amazing person. ...... I hope I don't get knocked down on the day.

　There were only three days left until the audience.

　Whether or not they would be able to survive the audience was becoming a much more important issue than the judgment that would be handed down.