Who Was It Who Overdid It?

Author: Iwashi-zukushi
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n3388fm/45/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

Some time flowed after that, and it was a week after I had conferred with Nora.
Yes, only a week later.

“Doctor Asha, most of it is done.”
“You cannot be serious!?”

At Nora’s words I found myself raising my voice.
Because what I had asked for this time was not merely complicated—it was quite something!?

But… when it comes to making things, Nora is not one to lie…

“What is that for a greeting.
You don’t believe what I made?”
“No, that I already believe. I know well there is no mistake either.”
“Hehe, right, right? What I make has no mistake, does it?”

She had been in a slightly sulky tone, and the moment I spoke my trust plainly she started getting shy.
…Wait? She ought to be the older sister in years; is it not unfair for her to be this cute?
Damn, as expected of dwarves, to display a cheat even in a place like this!

…I am sorry, I am just easy to moe for, I am truly sorry.

At any rate.
I was led by Nora toward the factory.

 

Yes. I had expected it.
It was so much as expected that only a dry laugh came out.

“Who said to do this much for me!?”
“Eh, by the time I noticed it had become like this.”

This, this is why dwarves!!

I have lost count of how many times.
Beside the sixth factory of the chemical plant, there was a presence one could only call a seventh factory.
Ah~… this really makes me think of starting an industrial revolution…

At any rate. Standing here struck dumb will not start the talk. And so we went in.
And even one step in, it was well clear.
If dwarves and giant-kin team up, they are cheats in earnest.
What and how would let one make something of this scale in such a short time…

“How were you able to make this in a week?”
“Well, when I said it was Doctor Asha’s request, quite a few gathered, you know?”
“Ah, yes, is that so…”

Embarrassing. Shy-making. I wanted a hole to crawl into and dance.
I papered over that mood with a noh-mask of an expression as I confirmed they were moving.

With a tremendous goun goun of sound, timber was being crushed by rotating blades.
Then, once it had been crushed to a somewhat uniform fineness, with a gogagagaga of sound it was put into a large kettle and boiled at high temperature and high pressure in aqueous sodium hydroxide.
This part, too, owed much to Lady Dominas’s cooperation.
Resins and various other things were dissolved in the aqueous sodium hydroxide, and only the fibrous matter was taken out.
This they bleach with aqueous sodium hypochlorite and make white.
The resin components taken at this time ought to be usable as fuel as well. If Kira desiccates them.
After that they add a little hydrochloric acid and adjust the pH.

Then they mix a paste component into the resulting liquid in which the fibers have dissolved, and spray it onto a fine-meshed screen.
In this liquid, pine resin and glue are mixed as well, components that can be used as an anti-bleed agent.

That special-blend liquid is laid evenly onto the screen.
…To the eye it looks truly uniform… this, too, is dwarf quality, then…
Or rather, more than anything.

“…Say, how can you make a screen this fine-meshed with thread this thin…?”
“Ah, I have an acquaintance who is an Arachne. That one puts out the thread, and we wove it together.”
“I see. …I see?? Something, something is odd…”

I found myself muttering so.

An Arachne is a monster with a spider’s lower body and a woman’s upper body.
Being a spider, of course, she can spit thread.
Thread composed of animal protein. …It may have properties close to silk.
And one might think it would be sticky, but not particularly; she can put out thread of high adhesiveness and thread that is not, freely, they say.
Come to think of it, ordinary spiders as well use highly adhesive weft and less adhesive warp separately.

…Wait. If we can form a connection with the Arachne people, perhaps various things become possible.

“Say, Nora, could you introduce me to the Arachne next time?”
“Of course, I don’t mind. …Have you thought of something again?”
“No, still really only at the level of a passing thought, you know?”

Yes, if this can be done I think we will take another step…
There is a lot I will have to experiment on, so I can only say it is still uncertain.
But there is one thing that can be confirmed relatively easily.

“I don’t mind that, so if you’re going to make something, mix me in too?”
“Ah, yes, of course. Or rather, related to that I would like a slightly unusual needle made.”
“Heh, fine. I’ll make you a handmade one, why not.”

She agreed at once, with a thoroughly smiling face.
Nora really loves making things, I suppose.
Especially, she seems to like the challenge of making something new.
Perhaps it is because of that temperament that she can be a leader of the dwarves.

At any rate, if we have the needle, and can procure Arachne thread as well… we can experiment on whether it is all right to suture with.
This I can do easily using my own body, and once confirmed it can be used at once, so it is quite large.
…If Kira or Gerda, or Nora who would make it, found out, I would surely be scolded terribly.
No, probably Dorothea and the Demon King and Lady Grace, and Elma and Chris would be angry as well… perhaps Nasti and Lady Dominas too.
…Wait. Perhaps I, just now, am quite happy??
No, I will restrain myself after all; I will take care, of myself.

Thinking that, we went on to the next process.

“…I ordered it, but… why is it squeezing this smoothly?”
“Ah, this part we had a fair bit of trouble with, you know. Too much pressure is no good, too little is no good.”

She talks as if it is nothing, but…
The fibers spread on the screen have the moisture wrung out by rollers.
Smoothly, as if there is no resistance at all, and yet sufficiently wrung.
How one can make adjustments this fine, I have no idea at all.

After that they dry it further with a giant dryer combining flame stones and wind-crying stones.
I thought of asking Kira for this process, but I did not want to put still more load on her…
Well, apparently they have made it so it can be connected to the central drying room where Kira is, if one wishes.
Or rather, what is a central drying room.

At any rate, after drying they put it through rollers several times and stretch it flat and uniform.
Originally they would have done coating and the like after this, but for now we had what we wanted in quality.
They wind it onto a huge roller, let it rest a little, cut it to the size to be used, and complete!

“Uwah… it really is done, paper…”
“Well, I think it came out well, even for me. As expected, there is no mistake in what Doctor Asha says.”
“No, no, it is because there is no mistake in what you and the others make, Nora.”

So we poked each other in the ribs, tsun tsun, with grinning, smug faces.
Of course, compared with the fine paper of modern society it is still rough.
Even so, paper far smoother and more sleek than parchment, white and beautiful and glossy, had been made.
At this rate, in a form that looked as if it could be mass-produced at a tremendous pace.

Well, but the greatest contributor is, you see…

“But, equipment this automated… why is it being run by two cyclopes…?”
“Well, they really are strong, you know, it helps.”
“I do not think it is at the level of strong!?”

Yes. These facilities were moving by the power of only two cyclopes turning the gears, guri guri.
It is true they have power on the order of a power shovel.
That does not mean being able to run this many processes without problem is not strange!?
Do dwarf-made gears have extremely little resistance!?

No, gorillas and orangutans are said to have a grip of 500 kg, chimpanzees even 300 kg, and with a body the size of a cyclops they might be able to put out force in units of tons, but still…

But when I saw them watching the paper being made, looking as if they were enjoying it, glad… as if they loved it, I could not say anything gauche.
Contrary to their look, they are very gentle, and perhaps they like this sort of work.
At least, the two working here now certainly are so.
…They were so earnest and so happy I even thought they were a little cute.

“Good fellows, aren’t they?”

Noticing my gaze, perhaps, Nora asked that.
I could only nod back at once, kokun.

“If those people are the ones making it, there is surely no mistake, is there.”
“Ah, I will put my stamp on that as well.
But, provisionally, you have to confirm whether there really is no mistake, don’t you?”

Winking, Nora took out a pen and ink.
…Yes, this face, I feel a confidence that there is hardly even a need to confirm?
Even without writing I can tell it is smooth.
But I also want to confirm it properly.

So I borrowed the pen and tried writing, sara sara.
Yes, it truly writes sara sara, and there is almost no bleed. This does not lose to fine paper!
And besides, we ought to have been able to adjust it weakly alkaline, so aging deterioration ought to be held down as well!
If it is acidic, it apparently falls to pieces in about thirty years.

“This is already perfect. It is more than what I wanted!”

I praised it without reserve. No, really, I think so without any discount.
Nora was watching me write characters in high spirits, but.
She suddenly went quiet and looked away.

“Hm, Nora, what is it?”
“No, what, you see… you have no awareness, do you?”

A sound as if she sniffled, gusu.
Eh, wait, did I do something!?
As I hurriedly worried, Nora patted me, peshi peshi, with a troubled, shy face.
Why, I cannot make it out.

I had only written, To my dear Nora, and the dwarves, the giant-kin, and all my friends, with heartfelt thanks and love…