Finally, the prosthetic arm sent from the Dwarf Republic has arrived. Especially this time, it was crafted with special care by the dwarves, and Cluna even participated directly to help out.
It’s the combination of the strongest Elf and Dwarves. I could only think of it as a masterpiece. Cluna had a slightly disappointed expression, but she didn’t say anything.
And at last, it was time to install the prosthetic arm on my own. I looked around. Before I knew it, the members who had heard the news were gathered in front of me.
In fact, I had already predicted this. Maybe it’s because I’ve been through similar situations repeatedly. I could now somewhat gauge the movements. At least they didn’t ditch their watch duty to come here.
Ruby was nowhere to be seen. From my memory, it was probably Ruby standing guard at the entrance at this hour. I nodded. At least she was keeping her duty intact.
“Aren’t you all busy with something?”
“The Commander’s prosthetic arm is more important.”
“Teachers are more important, though.”
“Of course, no doubt about it.”
Various reactions popped out. Should I be happy about this, or sad? Let’s think positively. It’s a good sign that the members are worried about me.
At the very least, it proves that I’ve gained some reputation in this group. I looked at Cluna. It was time to stop the idle chatter and quickly try attaching the prosthetic to my arm.
And at the same moment, I was able to spot Cluna, who was embracing my prosthetic arm, wearing an ecstatic expression. What’s that? Why is she acting like that? I felt a little flustered and said.
“Cluna?”
“I’m s-sorry, Commander.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“I’ll attach it right away.”
With her face blushing, I instinctively felt a threat. Then Cluna began to attach the prosthetic arm she was holding onto my arm. Magic for nerve restoration.
The basic premise of this magic is root regeneration magic. It connects a fake nerve bundle to the dwarf prosthetic and my arm, allowing it to move directly.
Of course, magical power is continuously consumed, but that’s fine as long as I keep recharging it. Fortunately, the efficiency of the dwarven prosthetic isn’t bad, so the magical power consumption isn’t too high.
“Replacing a severed arm with a prosthetic isn’t easy.”
“Is that so? When a regular arm gets severed, don’t they usually use a prosthetic?”
“No, usually they find a healer to reattach it.”
“I-I see. I hadn’t thought about that.”
“Even if the arm is completely lost, it’s rare to find someone skilled enough in magic to attach a prosthetic.”
That was undeniable. Unless it’s a magician at Cluna’s level, one can’t expect to install a magical prosthetic like this. But simply slapping on a dwarven prosthetic isn’t…
I’ve heard the performance isn’t up to par. It’s functional for daily life but might falter in battle. From that perspective, I was quite lucky.
“Thank you, Cluna.”
“Don’t mention it. If it’s for the Commander.”
“…I appreciate that.”
And finally, Cluna went into action. The nerve bundles were wriggling in green from the surface of the prosthetic she was holding. I clicked my tongue at the sight.
Of course, I knew I couldn’t help it. But looking at that, I couldn’t help but lose my appetite. Especially since it was going to be attached to me…
But denying it wouldn’t bring any answers, so I closed my eyes and accepted the installation of the prosthetic. As Cluna began her incantation, a cold something clung to my shoulder.
It was just a weird feeling. If I had to explain it, it felt like an octopus that had just crawled out of the water clinging to my shoulder. In other words, it felt dirtier than I expected.
“It’s done.”
“Damn… it feels really strange.”
“The foreign sensation is unavoidable. You’ll just have to get used to it.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
At Cluna’s diagnosis, I sighed. Still, having my arm back was definitely good news. I cautiously moved my arm. Surprisingly smooth.
“And the sound isn’t too bad either.”
“It’s a special prosthetic. I supervised its creation to ensure minimal discomfort for daily life and battle.”
“Thank you, Cluna. I owe you a big one.”
“No, Commander. We are the ones indebted to you. So, please don’t say such things.”
“Then let’s rely on each other.”
The dwarven prosthetic was better than I imagined. Excluding the foreign sensation from my shoulder, it felt almost like my actual arm, and there were no weird noises.
If it made any noise like a mechanical arm from a movie, it would have been incredibly stressful for me. I let out a sigh of relief.
“So this is the dwarven prosthetic!”
“Phew, it’s wonderful. Better than I expected!”
“Of course, the teacher suits everything.”
“Flattery’s a bit much.”
Since I was the commander, it seemed everyone had sweet words for me. I guess this must feel like being the CEO of a small company. I knew they weren’t being sincere but…
Surprisingly enough, it didn’t feel bad. However, I had no intention of pretending to ignore their flattery. After all, there were plenty of tasks to attend to. I slowly started moving my arm.
“I guess I need to test its functionality.”
“Hmm! For sure, a sparring match is the best way to test performance!”
“I’ll fight!”
“No! I’m doing it!”
“It’s my duty to serve the teacher.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, the atmosphere heated up wildly. They wanted to have a spar to test the performance of my prosthetic. The problem was deciding the opponent. I tilted my head at that.
They said they would test the performance, but nobody had mentioned sparring. I was going to quietly sit down and handle the duties of the Royal Knights for the test.
*
“Looks like I need to test the operation.”
No sooner had the commander’s words left her mouth than they instinctively started eyeing each other. This is the first time the commander would fight with her prosthetic on. In other words, it was a chance to take the commander’s first fight.
Of course, it sounded a bit strange, but it wasn’t important to them at that moment. The first one to act would be the one to have the commander, and that’s all they thought about.
Surprisingly, the first to act was Bayard. Usually, he’s known for being slow, but at times like this, he was unexpectedly quick. Clara clicked her tongue at that sight.
“No! I’m doing it!”
“It’s my duty to serve the teacher.”
Of course, Helia wouldn’t just sit by and watch. She had given up a lot until now. But at least she wasn’t going to give up the commander’s first battle.
“Given the commander’s skill, it’s only right that I step in.”
Meanwhile, Yuren nonchalantly spouted words that would shock the commander. In reality, the commander had a blank expression, but cold sweat suddenly began to bead on her forehead.
At that moment, Clara quickly thought to herself. What are my strengths? What can I appeal to the commander? Clara opened her mouth.
“First off, Bayard and Yuren can’t fight.”
“Why would you say that?”
“R-Right! I have a right to fight too!”
“Are you really asking that without knowing?”
Clara’s tactic was to first eliminate her competition. Making the first elimination sound plausible was key. The first targets were Yuren and Bayard.
“You two are just mindlessly powerful. If something goes wrong, it could negatively affect the commander.”
“Hmm.”
“Th-That’s…”
With somewhat plausible reasoning, Yuren and Bayard showed dejection. While the dwarven prosthetic wouldn’t shatter easily, considering their strength, it wasn’t impossible.
Let alone the fact that the commander was experiencing her first battle with the prosthetic. It didn’t make sense to fight against people who were just muscleheads. She attacked them with that logic.
Though they were usually unyielding, when it came to the commander, there was bound to be hesitation, and Clara used that to make them back down.
“What about me, then?”
“Well, Helia is fine, but would the commander really fight you, Helia?”
“What?”
Helia’s red pupils flared. The veins on her neck hinted at her rage. However, Clara didn’t flinch. She smiled and said.
“If it’s her own student, the commander will surely be lenient, just like watching a children’s play!”
“You little…!!!”
“Are you really getting angry? The commander is right here!”
In that instant, Helia’s rage, which had flared up, was extinguished. Instead, the corners of her mouth twitched. She probably thought she’d have to hold back because the commander was present.
And that assumption was spot on.
Clara smiled at the commander. Ruby was on duty, and with her mother’s conscience, she wouldn’t participate. Thus, by the process of elimination, the only ones left were me and Clara.
“Commander! Let’s spar!”
“Y-Yeah. If you insist.”
“Nice!!!”
Laughing, Clara dashed towards the commander. Then she naturally linked arms with her. Though there were scorching glares from behind, Clara didn’t care.
There was no reason to worry about the ugly jealousy of the losers.
After all, there was no reason to be concerned about a date with the commander.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.