The first thing I heard was a quiet, amazed voice.
It was a husky man's voice, but it had a gentle resonance to it. I—Karasu—rubbed my slightly opened eyelids and looked in the direction of the voice.
There stood an old man, probably a healer, wearing a white coat. His hair was already half white, but his back was straight, and he was carefully examining my wounds.
"This is terrible all over. A magical outburst, was it? Honestly... if you wrap bandages this haphazardly, even what can be healed won't be."
He frowned as he unwound the tattered bandages on my arm. My skin was burned like a burn in places, and there were scrapes and lacerations here and there. The scorch marks were clearly visible on my clothes as well.
"I just let my guard down a little."
A misfire of the sniper rifle Eclipse—such a blunder was a first for me.
"This must have been painful. The burns are quite deep, and it seems like even the muscles are slightly damaged. If you rest properly, you'll make a full recovery, but you can't overdo it for a while."
The old man cast a healing spell evenly over my body, then spread a healing ointment on the palm of his hand. A cool, soothing sensation permeated my skin.
I felt the pain ease considerably, but I looked away and endured it.
"Now, really, don't push yourself. Change the bandages once a day, and don't do any strenuous exercise until then. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I understand."
That's what I answered, but in my heart, I had no intention of resting as he said. I have a prey that I must deal with urgently. If I miss the opportunity, I may never get another chance.
With such uneasy thoughts in my mind, I paid the medical bill and turned my back on the healer.
◇
The next morning, I—Karasu—came to the weapon shop. The purpose, of course, was to request the repair of that important sniper rifle, Eclipse.
The shop, located on the outskirts of town, had a somewhat soot-covered exterior with a rusty sign hanging from it, and at first glance, it looked like an old blacksmith. But I had heard from the underworld that the best craftsman in town was here.
I pushed open the door and the sound of metal hammering echoed. Behind the counter, a middle-aged man with a sturdy physique—the craftsman—was holding a steel hammer.
"I have a request. I want you to fix this."
I took the shattered pieces of Eclipse out of the bag and showed them to him. The old man looked astonished and picked up the shattered parts as if pinching them.
"...This is a magic gun, isn't it? And it's been crafted with quite elaborate workmanship... but this isn't just a disassembly issue. Did an explosion occur?"
"Yes, a magical outburst. It's a sniper rifle called Eclipse... can you fix it?"
The old man frowned with a bitter expression. He was observing with a hmm, but his expression had a shadow that didn't seem promising.
"Most of these parts are too deformed. And most of the parts with magical engravings have burned off. Repairing it... honestly, you'd be better off buying a new one."
...I thought so. I knew it too. With it broken to this extent, it wouldn't be enough to just replace the parts. I'd have to buy a completely new one.
"We have the same model of Eclipse in stock. However, it's brand new, and if you're particular about the original feel, you'll need to make quite a few fine adjustments after all... what do you want to do?"
I involuntarily narrowed my eyes and cast my gaze towards the shelves. There, several sniper rifles with seemingly similar shapes were leaning against the wall.
The model name "Eclipse" was engraved largely, and the characteristic long barrel, among other things, had a common design with the one I had used.
But, of course, the details would be different from my previous individual.
The meshing of the action, the trigger pull, the adjustment of the magical engravings, etc.—even though it's a model that's mass-produced to some extent, it's not perfectly unified.
The performance inevitably changes subtly due to the craftsman's finishing habits and the way the engravings are made.
"...Is it possible to take it home immediately?"
"Well..., to adjust the magical engravings and do some fine tuning, I'd like to have a few days. ...Well, if you're in such a hurry, there's also the option of just finishing the bare minimum structure and handing it over, but as a sniper rifle, it would only have so-so performance."
At the old man's words, I almost let out a sigh.
Ideally, I want an Eclipse that's exactly the same as before. Otherwise, the success rate of sniping will decrease.
But, if I don't have an Eclipse in my hands as soon as possible, Setsu's assassination will...
... Perhaps, I should have it handed over with a simple assembly first, carry out Setsu's assassination, and then ask for a full-scale tuning... that kind of arrangement might be possible.
After all, Setsu is just a low-level adventurer who can only do odd jobs. It won't be a problem even in an incomplete state.
While constructing several plans in my head, I looked at the old man's face.
"I understand. First, finish it to the extent that it doesn't hinder sniping today, with the bare minimum. I'd like to request additional fine adjustments at a later date. I'm willing to pay well."
"You must be in a great hurry. ... Well, alright. I'll put my craftsman's pride on the line and won't make it a strange one. It'll be a considerable amount, but is that alright?"
"That's alright."
As I said that, I took a small bag of coins from my pocket and placed it on the table.
The clear sound of metal touching metal. The old man widened his eyes in surprise, but soon grinned.
"This is more than enough as a down payment. Alright, I'll get started right away. Based on the Eclipse parts on the shelf... well, I'll adjust the meshing and stuff while listening to your preferences."
"That's helpful. Please hurry as much as possible."
When I pressed him, the old man gripped the hammer again, saying "Leave it to me," and took out a tool with a clank. There was also equipment that looked like a magic furnace in the back of the workshop, where he would perform magic processing.
In this way, I managed to get a tentatively assembled Eclipse.
◆
As promised, the old man finished the Eclipse in a usable condition with the bare minimum by the evening.
Even so, this expense is too painful. I've already wasted three months' worth of food expenses on this matter.
Although it started with my own mistake, I can't help but feel frustrated with the man Setsu.
Immediately, I took out the newly prepared Eclipse and was doing the final adjustments in the forest.
Aiming at a target hundreds of meters away, I adjusted the sensation.
The magic bullet consumes a considerable amount of magic, so you can't fire it repeatedly, so I carefully and steadily adjust the sensation.
"That's about it."
After trying a few shots, I was able to hit the target consistently. Of course, I'm not doing anything as foolish as a misfire.
I could refine it even more, but the target is Setsu, who can only do odd jobs, so this is good enough.
"Setsu, wash your neck and wait. I'll get you for sure next time."
Saying that, I strengthened my resolve.
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