mesbooks Chapter 474 - 474: DSMW [474]
Chapter 474 - 474: DSMW [474]
Ren: "Wow, it's burning really fiercely."Luca: "Mm-hmm!"
Viel: "That's because the factory was full of machine oil, so it burns especially well."
Krista: "At least now there won't be any clues left at the crime scene. There's no way it'll be traced back to us."
Miles: "That's true… wait, no it isn't! We're the ones who didn't find any clues at all!"
Standing before the roaring inferno that consumed the factory, Miles couldn't help but complain.
After accidentally triggering the 'failsafe,' the abandoned factory had indeed been blown to pieces, just as Viel had said.
Now, whether it was other decks sleeping within the factory, or secrets about Aisha that might have existed there, everything had been swallowed by the sea of flames.
"I thought I might get a chance to run into a Synchro-killer Meklord."
The rumors Vice Principal Orcus had mentioned about the battle ten years ago on the back mountain, involving Meklords.
Come to think of it, Krista had only just asked Vice Principal Orcus about the abandoned factory on the back mountain, and the factory had been blown up right after. There was no way those two things weren't connected.
Now, all they could do was hope that Vice Principal Orcus could keep his mouth shut and wouldn't casually talk about this.
Since there was no way to continue investigating the abandoned factory, what Miles needed to do next was simple.
"It's about time to repair my body, isn't it, Viel?"
At the moment, young Miles's body was still being held in Ren's arms, and the person involved looked completely unwilling to let go.
"Ren, you must be tired. It's about time to switch with me," Krista suggested.
"No, I'm not tired at all. If anything, I could keep this up forever, for a lifetime!"
It was probably best to ignore those two for now.
Viel said, "Whether it's repair or synthesis, it can't be done here. Let's head back to the Magic Workshop first."
"What, do we really have to go back to another ruin just to work?"
Miles didn't see any fundamental difference between working next to a factory that was currently burning and working next to a Witch Workshop that had already burned down. Weren't both just ruins?
The bratty loli Viel crossed her arms indignantly. "Miles, you wouldn't seriously think I only have one workshop, would you?"
"Don't tell me…" Miles raised an eyebrow in surprise.
This possibility genuinely hadn't occurred to him at all.
"You can actually afford to run two of those money-losing places?"
Running a single Magic Workshop with zero customers had already left Viel nearly destitute. If she was still opening branches on top of that…
All Miles could say was that her business sense was truly otherworldly.
"A crafty rabbit has three burrows. I'm that crafty rabbit~"
No, you're just a bratty loli.
Following Viel's lead, the group arrived at another corner of the slums.
Miles had thought the previous Magic Workshop was already shabby enough to count as a 'workshop.'
Now it seemed his perspective had been far too limited.
Could the building in front of them even be called a workshop?
"This is basically a warehouse."
"Yep, it's a warehouse," Viel admitted bluntly.
"I usually use it as storage, but all the basic equipment is here. It's perfect as a temporary emergency site. And the extra materials can also be used to refine your body."
"Refine my body? Don't talk about someone else's body like it's a piece of game equipment."
Viel smiled faintly. "From my perspective, flesh is just another kind of equipment."
The warehouse-workshop was cramped, yet it perfectly embodied the saying that even a sparrow may be small, but it has all its organs.
Even the high-tier Magic Directory that Miles had assumed was destroyed in the ruins had been relocated here by Viel.
It really did look like she could complete the final synthesis of his body here.
Still, there was one thing Miles was worried about.
"Viel, your injury. Are you really okay?"
He didn't press further, but the bandages wrapped around Viel's arm were clearly from when the Magic Workshop had been destroyed.
Even though she spoke as if bodies were just equipment to her, seeing Viel injured still made Miles worry.
He worried that if her arm was hurt, the body synthesis work might not be precise enough.
After all, he had paid for this!
Well, not yet.
"If I say it's fine, then it's fine."
For once, Viel's usually flippant expression looked genuinely serious.
"Don't try to doubt a professional craftsman's work ethic. If I take a job, I'll do it to absolute perfection!"
"From the moment the materials were insufficient, it already stopped being perfect," Miles retorted.
"Quit nitpicking! Limited materials are what really show a craftsman's skill! Besides, I'm just in charge of directing. The one who actually does the hands-on work…"
As she spoke, Viel confidently patted the card case hanging at her waist.
"…"
What followed was an inexplicable moment of silence.
"Viel?"
"It's gone! It's missing!"
After fumbling around for a while as if she'd lost something important, Viel's expression gradually lost its composure.
"What's missing?"
"My craftsman's assistant. Witchcrafter Schmietta is gone!"
"Witchcrafter?"
The familiar name made Miles reach for the card case strapped to Aisha's smooth thigh.
"Could it be… this card?"
[Witchcrafter Schmietta]
A girl monster that had violated the Spirit Continent's card-binding rules and been left behind in the workshop ruins.
"Why is Schmietta with Miles?!"
"That's what I want to ask. Why was the card left in the ruins?"
Viel hurriedly took the card from Miles. The moment her fingertips infused it with magic, the card seemed unable to wait any longer and immediately materialized.
A slender red-haired girl appeared, shouldering a massive craftsman's hammer nearly as tall as she was. Her cheeks were puffed out in irritation, making her look both cute and amusing.
"That's so unfair, boss! You actually forgot your most important assistant in the ruins. If Miles hadn't picked me up, I might've been done for!"
"Ahem, let me introduce her properly," Viel coughed lightly, awkwardly changing the subject.
"Witchcrafter Schmietta handles most of the 'manufacturing' work. That includes forging your body, Miles. She hammered it out herself."
"Huh? Body synthesis is… hammered out?"
Miles stared in astonishment at the red-haired girl monster he'd picked up earlier, and at the massive hammer whose presence was impossible to ignore.
Schmietta flashed Miles a dazzling smile, then raised her arm, flexed her biceps, and struck a powerful pose.
"You picked me up, Miles, so let me repay that favor by pouring everything into my forging hammer! I promise this synthesis will be my masterpiece!"
...
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