Vol 2 Chapter 1 – Outfitting My Wife’s Armaments with Dendrobium

“Hmm…”

I was in my private room—what used to be Yumeba’s room in House Saionji’s mansion, now the couple’s bedroom—groaning at the sight of a single sword.

This sword was something I’d received as payment when a weapon shop owner in the hot spring district of the Holy Nation of Yulg had asked me how to make swords. I’d demonstrated some half-remembered knowledge, and he’d apparently spent sleepless nights forging them. Among the considerable pile of blades he’d produced, this was the one Yumeba had carefully selected.

Though, to hear the shop owner tell it, this sword was a failed piece. He’d been confused when Yumeba chose it.

But apparently, Yumeba hadn’t settled for it just because she could get it for free. According to her, she’d assessed the balance, how easily it drew from the scabbard, and the absence of warping in the blade before choosing it.

On the other hand, the sword had the fatal defect of being brittle in terms of strength as a blade, and its cutting edge was dull.

Since Yumeba had been swinging swords since early childhood and collected swords and blades, making this one part of her collection shouldn’t be a problem, but…

(Having something Yumeba carries be defective… that’s not right.)

At the very least, I couldn’t seem to accept it.

So I was thinking about whether I could engrave it with inscriptions and somehow strengthen it.

Inscription magic is usually capable of imparting only a single effect to a single item.

If you tried to engrave two inscriptions on a single item and obtain two effects, even the most skilled inscription mage would have a success rate below twenty percent.

Moreover, even if successful, in most cases the two inscriptions would interfere with each other, weakening the effects until less than half the performance could be extracted.

If it were three, it would become a national treasure, and no modern inscription mage could succeed unless a miracle occurred, but…

“First, hardening for reinforced durability. Though, since swords need both hard and flexible parts to get sharpness and flexibility, I should harden only the blade edge. I’ll also need to reinforce the sharpness of the cutting edge. And in case the edge chips, I’d want a self-repair function so it automatically heals when imbued with magical power.”

What I was attempting was an inscription with at least three effects.

However, I wasn’t using inscription magic—I was using inscription magic.

With magic that understood the meaning of inscriptions and could control them with precision, three effects weren’t impossible.

“That said, hardening, cutting, and self-repair only on the edge is pretty difficult…”

Even with precise control possible, engraving inscriptions only on the blade—the actual cutting part—meant I needed to engrave three inscriptions in a space less than one millimeter without them interfering with each other.

“I won’t need a microscope, but I’ll need a high-performance magnifying lens.”

Before using inscription magic, I decided to develop a new spell as preparation.

My long-range vision spell, True Eyes, cuts away distant scenery and links it with my map magic, World Map, displaying it in my right eye. What I developed this time was an optical magic that allowed magnification and reduction of a target.

A spell that creates a lens with light to magnify or reduce nearby objects and view them.

Using this, I successfully engraved three inscriptions on the sword. But when I tried activating the inscription magic by channeling magical power to test it…

“Huh?”

The scabbard containing the blade fell to the floor with a soft sound.

Of course, I hadn’t done anything, and I hadn’t even drawn the blade from its sheath.

So why did the scabbard fall? It was because…

“…It’s cut.”

The cutting effect imparted to the sword had been activated and sliced through the scabbard merely touching it.

“Eh? W-Wait a minute?”

I don’t remember channeling that much magical power, and I wasn’t planning to make it this sharp. How did this happen?

As a test, I pulled out a random piece of metal—an iron block—from my dimensional storage item box, placed it on the floor, and set the sword down on it with the blade facing downward, but…

“No way…”

It fell with a soft sound and then sank into the floor.

Naturally, the iron block was cut clean in two.

“I’ve accidentally created a dangerous weapon.”

The cutting edge became so sharp it’s now a danger even to the wielder.

An unskilled user would probably cut off their own hands and feet.

“This is bad. Yumeba-san’s going to be angry with me.”

I, who had taken Yumeba’s collection out without permission and strengthened it, hugged my head and crouched down.

“…For now, since it’s dangerous, I should repair the scabbard and harden it thoroughly.”

I meticulously engraved hardening inscriptions into the scabbard to an excessive degree, repaired the cut floor, and waited for Yumeba to return.

“Lio. What were you thinking?”

“…I’m sorry.”

When Yumeba returned—she’d been called out by the Imperial Guard today—I apologized straightforwardly, but the response I got was exasperated.

“It’s not that I’m angry, but why is it that I go out for a bit and come back to find that an ordinary sword has become a national treasure?”

“I… I thought you might be happy…”

“That sword was perfectly usable the way it was.”

“…I’m sorry.”

It seems that wasn’t a judgment I, an amateur, should have made on my own.

“I’m saying this again, but I’m not angry.”

Even as she said this, Yumeba took the sword in a hip-level stance, flicked a copper coin with her finger into the air—all I could see was Yumeba’s hand blur slightly.

Then something fell to the floor in pieces, and…

“…Huh?”

It took me a moment to understand that those were the remains of the copper coin, finely sliced.

“That’s quite a cutting edge. The old sword couldn’t have managed this.”

“……”

I don’t think even an ordinary person could do this much, even with a better sword.

“Plus, the balance is still the same as before, the ease of drawing from the scabbard hasn’t changed, and there’s no warping in the blade.”

“Um… so?”

“I’d say it’s become the ideal sword as you could possibly imagine♪”

Ah, so she really wasn’t angry.

Yumeba-san was smiling.

“With this, I could cut iron and copper of course, and if things go well, I might even be able to cut mithril.”

“For real?”

Mithril is a rare metal unique to this world, not found on Earth. Not only is it extremely hard, but it also has high resistance to magic.

It’s a metal that’s extremely difficult to work with, and it’s said that mithril weapons can’t be scratched under ordinary circumstances.

Yet Yumeba-san says she might be able to cut it.

(Truly, giving a demon an ogre—or in this case, giving a powerful woman an even more powerful weapon.)

“Lio? Just now, didn’t you think something rude?”

“N-N-No, I wasn’t thinking anything at all!”

Her intuition remains too sharp; I can’t afford careless thoughts.

“But carrying three of them is a bit bulky.”

Yumeba seemed to like the sword I’d strengthened and said she’d use it regularly, but it’s true she carries a lot of weapons.

First, there’s the beloved sword she uses normally.

Then there’s the holy sword passed down through generations of House Saionji.

Finally, there’s the long sword I strengthened.

It’s not like she’s some pirate hunter; three is probably too many.

“Hmm…”

I think about what I can do for my beloved wife.

Ideally, it would be if Yumeba could also use a dimensional storage item box, but realistically, it would take too much time to teach her spatial magic, the pinnacle of this world’s sorcery, starting from now.

So then…

“A ring… would be in the way when swinging swords, so maybe I could make a bracelet with a simple spatial storage attached to it.”

“You can make something like that?!”

When I casually mentioned the idea, Yumeba’s interest was far greater than expected.

“I want it, I want it, I want it! I’ve been jealous of your dimensional storage item box forever!”

“W-Well, I don’t think I can do unlimited capacity or stop time inside or anything, but if that’s okay…”

“I don’t care!”

Pushed hard by Yumeba’s enthusiastic response, I made a rash promise.

◇◇◇

First, I needed to prepare a base bracelet.

If that turned out unsatisfactory, all the work engraving inscriptions afterward would be wasted.

“Hmm… I want something that fits my arm better and isn’t in the way.”

I’d made a bracelet that was as stylish as possible, but apparently, since it would get in the way when swinging swords, she wanted a more compact type.

Following Yumeba’s requests multiple times, I refined and adjusted it until the bracelet was complete.

“This feels nice. I can wear this normally without it being in the way.”

Once I got Yumeba’s approval, I immediately began the work of engraving inscriptions into the bracelet.

The work was difficult.

My dimensional storage item box was linked to a room in my subconscious from back when it was magic, so the things I stored were organized and could be retrieved freely.

But the simple spatial storage I’d imparted to the bracelet was fine for putting things in, but taking things out required sticking your hand inside and feeling around blindly.

That wouldn’t satisfy Yumeba’s desire to draw a weapon instantly in an emergency.

For now, I marked her weapons with labels and created a system where if she spoke a keyword command, the weapon she desired would automatically appear in her hand, but…

“Number one, come out.”

At Yumeba’s words, her beloved sword appeared from the bracelet into her hand.

“Number one, store. Number three, come out.”

Furthermore, at Yumeba’s command, her beloved sword disappeared into the bracelet and the long sword appeared in her hand.

“Hey, Lio. Can’t you make it come out faster?”

“…I’ll modify it.”

Though it seemed to be working well, the appearance and storage speeds apparently didn’t satisfy Yumeba.

I increased the appearance and storage speeds to the maximum according to Yumeba’s demands and further refined the appearance location so the weapons would fit perfectly into her hand.

“This is great!”

Finally, it seemed Yumeba was satisfied with the result, but…

“Say, Yumeba-san, what are you planning to do with all those weapons?”

“Let’s register these too and store them in the bracelet♪”

Well, I ended up having to put all of Yumeba’s weapon collection into the bracelet with appearance and storage settings.

Since they all had attachments and meaningful memories, she wouldn’t compromise on a single one, so it was quite difficult.

◇◇◇

“Oh! While I’m at it, let’s not just store weapons—armor too!”

“Uhhh…”

I’d gone through all the trouble of setting up the bracelet for Yumeba, and now additional requests came in.

“Pl-ea-se♡”

“Dammit. Even though I know it’s manipulative… my wife’s too cute.”

“~♪”

In the end, I ended up working hard after being made an appeal to by Yumeba.

Unlike weapons, armor required precisely setting the appearance position from the bracelet.

At first, I used a wooden doll with the same build as Yumeba for repeated experiments.

There must never be any chance of armor embedding itself into Yumeba’s body.

I repeated experiments over and over, disassembled the armor as much as possible, and made detailed settings for each piece.

Of course, I had Yumeba’s cooperation too, putting on and taking off armor repeatedly…

“Lio’s such a pervert♪”

“…Well, it’s a benefit of the job.”

In the process, I got to enjoy seeing Yumeba naked many times.

Even if I see her every night, seeing her in daylight is still fresh.

After registering the Imperial Guard’s armor, House Saionji’s formal dress armor, and a few casual clothes and undergarments, I finished the settings.

“Here I go. Equip Dress Form: Eins!”

Since I couldn’t think of an appropriate keyword command, the armor ones ended up in German, but at that command, Yumeba’s everyday clothes transformed into the Imperial Guard’s armor.

“This looks good. Next: Equip Dress Form: Zwei!”

Next, the Imperial Guard’s armor changed to House Saionji’s formal dress armor.

“…Perfect. The hard work paid off.”

To make absolutely sure no one but me ever sees Yumeba naked, the currently equipped armor stores into the bracelet and designated equipment equips with no time lag.

This setting was truly difficult to achieve.

I did make sure the settings would work fine even at moderate speeds, but obviously if Yumeba moved at full speed, it couldn’t keep up, so in that case a lock would activate and prevent operation.

“…Unequip Purge.”

Finally, Yumeba spoke an optional keyword command—and became clad in sexy lingerie.

This was a keyword command designated for use only in front of me.

“Thanks for your hard work, Lio♡”

“…..”

Before I knew it, night had fallen, and it was about time for us as a married couple.

“~♡”

Yumeba gave plenty of rewards to the me who’d worked hard.

I know I’m simple-minded, but it’s because of this that I can do my best every day.

◇◇◇

After the bracelet was completed, Yumeba began going out carrying only her beloved sword.

In reality, the bracelet contained what could be called an entire armory of weapons and armor, but that’s something unknowable unless someone knows the bracelet’s function.

“That’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Ehehe. Isn’t it great~?”

Yumeba was bragging about it constantly to her mother, Yukina-san, the current head of House Saionji.

Which meant that if she bragged about it to Yukina-san…

“I want one too, you know~. Chira chira.“

“…..”

Yukina-san was literally making sound effects with her mouth while directing her gaze at me.

I really wanted Yumeba to display House Saionji’s possessiveness at times like this, but…

“?”

I learned for the first time that what Yumeba wants to monopolize is just me personally—her possessiveness doesn’t extend to the things I create.

Yes, I ended up making a bracelet for Yukina-san too.

Since I excluded the armor settings since I’d have to see her naked many times for that, her bracelet still ended up holding a weapons collection that rivaled Yumeba’s.

Are the women of House Saionji weapon fanatics or something?

◇◇◇

Yumeba gallops on horseback and, as she passes by targets positioned along the route, pierces and shatters them with a spear she’d drawn from the bracelet.

Furthermore, without slowing the horse’s pace, she instantaneously stores the spear, draws a bow, nocks an arrow, and fires it, neatly piercing a target set in the distance.

Well, since Yumeba has a side as a knight, she naturally rides horses well, and she’d undergone training with spears and bows for mounted combat.

This test was to see if weapons stored in the bracelet could be used even while mounted, but…

“Not bad. I was never good with spears since they’re heavy, but with this bracelet, I can draw them only when needed, so I’ve lost my disadvantage.”

“Ah, yes.”

She’s already using it with a level of skill exceeding my expectations.

Drawing a spear from the bracelet for just a moment to use it in an attack, then storing it before it becomes cumbersome—I’d never even imagined that kind of usage.

“Since we have this, want to take a trip somewhere on horseback, just the two of us?”

“…I can’t ride horses.”

While this world does have saddles and stirrups and such horse gear, the previous issue is that as a discarded prince, I was never allowed to participate in horseback riding training, so I’ve never ridden a horse.

“Then… I’ll teach you♪”

“…..”

I’m not fooled.

Yumeba’s smiling, but that’s not her smile when she’s thinking I’m adorable—that’s the smile of S-Yumeba-san, the one who used to put me through hellish training!

She’s planning to bully me again for the first time in a while!

“Oh, I just remembered something I need to do…”

Emilio fled.

“Come now♪”

But she cut off my escape route.

Dammit. If it were back when we were childhood friends, fine, but when the other party is my wife, I can’t escape.

If I tried to escape forcibly anyway, the house I return to is the same, and the room I live in is also the same!

To cut to the conclusion, I became able to ride a horse in a single day.

If you count being draped limp over the horse’s back and carried as “riding” that is!

At night, my cute wife makes up for it, I swear!

◇◇◇

I hadn’t forgotten, but the current Empire is bound by a five-year ceasefire treaty with neighboring countries. Yet a country plans to break that treaty and invade the Empire.

Well, the fact that Yukina-san brought that information means the Emperor and upper leadership obviously already know about it, so there’s no need for us to panic.

They’re keeping us within the Empire rather than allowing us to continue our honeymoon, so the invasion army will definitely come. But we should assume the countermeasures are already perfect.

Though I don’t know if the Empire’s “perfect” countermeasures are actually perfect.

“But waiting for an enemy you don’t know when will arrive is a pain.”

“It is. I wonder when we can resume our honeymoon.”

Yumeba-san hadn’t given up on continuing the honeymoon yet.

Well, neither have I, honestly.

“That said, we can’t exactly attack them ourselves either.”

“House Saionji can’t take part in a war of aggression, after all.”

House Saionji is ultimately the protector of the Empire, not the Empire’s sword.

At least officially, we’re committed to defensive action, so we can’t make preemptive strikes.

This is the sort of highly political issue.

“Setting House Saionji aside, what about the Imperial Army?”

The inability to make preemptive strikes is ultimately House Saionji’s problem. If the Imperial Army has solid information that the enemy’s coming to attack, they can make a preemptive strike without being accused of breaking the treaty by other nations.

“They’re still busy rebuilding from the previous war.”

“…That’s unreliable.”

I’d thought the Empire was supposed to be a more powerful nation.