Published: January 17, 2026
Hearing Radavesta’s words, I hurriedly canceled boarding the ship.
“W-What was wrong with it? Is there something odd about the pattern?”
I asked rapidly, but she shook her head.
“No, the pattern should be fine. There’s no difference in the groove depth either.”
“Eh… Since we made them the same size, there shouldn’t be any misalignment there either…”
Listening to Radavesta, I instinctively sat cross-legged on the pier and pondered. The size and pattern are fine. The groove depth is fine. Then, what else could be the problem?
“Hmm…”
As I racked my brain, I saw Rosso and Panamera quietly waiting patiently. Apparently, they were remaining silent to help me concentrate.
“Ah, everyone, please go on the ship and observe.”
Feeling uneasy standing while being waited on, I encouraged them to board. Rosso frowned in confusion, raising his eyebrows.
“Hmm? But aren’t you going to rebuild the ship now?”
He asked, and I shook my head.
“No, first we need to identify the cause. Besides, the problem is only with the exterior… so the ship itself can still be used as is.”
“Oh, I see. In that case, I shall take everyone aboard.”
Rosso, considerate as always, cheerfully led everyone to board. Watching them, Panamera also walked over to me.
“Can I come aboard too?”
“Yes, please do. As long as you don’t go too deep, there won’t be any problem. Later, we’ll actually operate the ship as well.”
“Oh, I’m looking forward to it.”
With a light step, Panamera boarded the ship. Seems she was simply excited about the ship. Wait, didn’t she board last time too? Was she really that fond of ships?
While watching everyone board, Havel approached.
“Lord Van.”
“Hm?”
I looked up when he called my name. Havel held a ship model in one hand and pointed to the bottom part.
“This section—are the angles correct?”
“Angles? I think they’re about the same…”
“Exactly the same? Like with swords, even a slight difference in angle changes cutting ability entirely. Strength is the same.”
He asked again. Angles. Now that I think about it, we hadn’t thoroughly discussed angles when Radavesta checked. But since I had made multiple models and had them checked, the angles should be correct…
Just then, Radavesta folded her arms and hummed.
“…No, the angles should be fine. After making the small ship, the shape was fixed and became consistent.”
She answered while looking down thoughtfully. Hearing that the shape was the same was a huge relief. After all, the original sample no longer exists. If we had to remake it by tweaking the angle bit by bit, it might take over a year to complete.
While thinking this, Havel said expressionlessly,
“Then the problem must be with the materials. Even water’s impact bends wood. Iron also changes slightly. In some cases, it even twists. Mithril might vibrate, but…”
“T-That’s true…”
Havel’s words made me nod in agreement. If the problem was material, it was understandable since we hadn’t investigated that part yet. From a distance, it should be a mithril-based material. Also, since there was no rust, it must be a rust-resistant metal like gold, silver, platinum, or mithril. Thus, it’s definitely not iron.
But then I realized the worst possibility.
“…Could it be an alloy?”
“……Yes.”
Even Havel looked grim. Yet, he agreed firmly—truly a veteran craftsman.
“…There are infinite possible alloys. The types and proportions of mixed materials vary widely. And then there’s heat treatment—how high the temperature is raised during mixing, whether cooled quickly or slowly. Testing all those factors one by one will be quite troublesome.”
Havel sighed deeply. Indeed. I’d heard that stainless steel is a famous alloy, but even that has many varieties. Including failed alloys, the number would be enormous.
“…It’s more than just troublesome, huh?”
“…Well, since it needs to resonate with water, checking whether it’s hard or soft might help. Judging by the color, it’s mainly mithril. If anything’s mixed in, it’s probably silver. So, we just need to experiment with proportions.”