Berserk: The Prophet

Chapter 193 Prosthetic Hand

"...because my steward in Crest wrote back saying that His Majesty the King has been bedridden for several days. I'm afraid..."

The atmosphere in the meeting room immediately became tense, and everyone realized the seriousness of the situation.

Who is the mastermind behind this? What are their motives? The answer seems to be within reach, but the identity of the murderer remains a mystery.

"Moreover, the composition of that gunpowder is more refined than that of any other family, only slightly inferior to that of Pence. Such a large quantity of precious strategic materials can obviously only be obtained by a few prominent families in the capital, Crest."

As Grand Duke Casarian finished speaking, everyone in the conference room fell silent. Only then did they realize that the Kingdom of Barkley was probably really... about to change.

......

After the meeting, everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, but as they were all Duke Casarian's most trusted confidants, they all went back to prepare for what might happen in the future.

Trunks frowned as he pondered his future path. No matter how the situation changed, he had to protect himself and those around him. He was no longer the carefree young man who roamed the world with his sword.

On his shoulders also lay the heavy responsibility of the Holy Dragon Knights and the Demiares family.

Even with a severed arm, he must strengthen his abilities in other areas and his political skills, while also gathering more intelligence.

In the days that followed, Trunks trained his remaining right arm even more diligently, for for him, the best weapon left was the greatsword.

He also used his connections and resources to secretly investigate clues that might be related to the mastermind behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, Trunks didn't forget to stay in touch with his other partners and discuss countermeasures. They knew that only by uniting could they survive the storm to come.

......

With Fertness's continuous improvements, the first-generation wooden mechanical arm was finally completed. In order to make the prosthesis more usable in daily life, he specially made small metal gears and steel balls in some joints to adapt to the various movements of the forearm.

Fertenas has tested the performance of the robotic arm. He tried to use it to pick up various items and found that it was very natural to operate and could even perform some delicate movements.

For example, the prosthesis automatically grips when the lines of the ulna and radius are perpendicular to the ground, and automatically releases when the lines are parallel to the ground. This is naturally due to the structure that combines slender steel bones and tiny rivets, allowing for reciprocating motion.

However, Fetnas was not satisfied with this. He knew that simply being able to use it was not enough; the robotic arm had to have sufficient strength and durability.

Therefore, he decided to conduct more rigorous tests on the robotic arm, exposing it to various harsh environments, including high temperatures, low temperatures, and humidity.

Even in order to deal with emergencies, a delicate small spring is specially installed on the inside to activate the grappling hook inside the arm, so as to fix the body in case of danger.

After a series of tests, the robotic arm remained stable and reliable, and Fertnas smiled with satisfaction. He knew that his efforts had finally paid off.

"How is it? Is it ready?" Green looked at Fetnas's work with great interest.

“Hmm, I think it’s about right.” Fertnas stretched his mechanical arm. “It feels pretty good, but Trunks needs to get used to it for a while before we can adjust the details.”

“Your hands are truly skillful, Fetnas. Trunks will be very happy with this mechanical arm!” Green also looked at the prosthetic arm with disbelief. At least in his eyes, it was nothing short of a miracle that such a delicate thing could be made from wood and tiny mechanical components in this era.

Upon hearing this, Fetnas smiled and nodded, a hint of anticipation in his deep blue eyes.

"Let's hurry up and tell Trunks this good news!" Green said excitedly.

"Hmm!" Fetnas's voice was filled with undisguised joy as he took the oak-shelled mechanical arm and went outside with Grimm to search for Trunks.

......

The two, with their mechanical arms, wandered around the mansion before arriving at Trunks' training grounds. Trunks was wielding a greatsword with one hand, his clothes soaked with sweat.

"Trunks, Fetnas has a gift for you!!" Green shouted, waving at Trunks. "Huh...huh?!" Two suspicious blushes appeared on Fetnas's face.

Trunks lowered the greatsword he was wielding upon hearing the sound and turned to look at them.

"What is it?" Trunks wiped the sweat off his body with his right hand, looked at Green and his introverted brother as usual, and strode toward them.

Fertennas was still in a daze when Green subtly reminded him with a gesture. Fertennas quickly snapped out of it, stepped forward, and raised the mechanical arm in his hand. "This is for you, Trunks...brother."

"A gift for me?" Trunks' eyes flashed with surprise. He stepped forward and carefully examined the exquisite prosthetic limb.

"This...this is wonderful!" Trunks couldn't help but exclaim, his amber eyes shining like jewels in the sunlight. Like a child suddenly receiving a beloved gift, his expression radiated joy and delight.

"Thank you, Fetnas." Trunks crouched down and rubbed Fetnas's head with his right hand. It was the first time he had heard Fetnas call him brother.

Previously, the child would hide whenever he saw him, or stay behind Duke Casarian and secretly observe him.

"No...it's alright, we...we're brothers..."

"Uh, let me put a prosthetic hand on you first."

Fertennas, flustered and incoherent, hurriedly installed the mechanical arm on Trunks and explained how to use it.

“This is truly a remarkable invention, Fertnas,” Trunks exclaimed.

Fetnas smiled and nodded, handing the mechanical arm to Trunks. "I made it with Ryan. Try it out and see if it meets your needs."

Trunks took the robotic arm, put it on, and tried it out a few times. Although he was a little clumsy at first, he quickly got used to it and was pleasantly surprised because the robotic arm's flexibility and adaptability were almost indistinguishable from a real hand.

“That’s fantastic!” Trunks exclaimed excitedly. “With this, I can… perform even better than I am now.”

Trunks paused for a moment. Although he could not return to his former peak level, at least... he would not have to put all the burden of combat on one arm.

However, Fertennas clearly noticed Trunks' subtle change in emotion. "Brother..." Fertennas called softly, a hint of concern in his eyes, "You will definitely be able to return to your previous state."

Trunks forced a smile, patted Fetnas on the head, and said, "Well, I believe in your skills. However, I'll need some time to get used to it."

“Yes, I believe you can do it. I will continue to improve your arm.” Fertnas nodded vigorously, as if making a promise to Trunks.

“Thank you, Fetnas, Ryan,” Trunks said sincerely.

Fettnas and Green exchanged a smile, their hearts filled with a sense of accomplishment.

At the very least, having this robotic arm will make Trunks' life much more convenient.

In the days that followed, Trunks gradually mastered the skills of using the robotic arm through continuous training.

Fertnes observed quietly from the side, offering suggestions from time to time, as well as timely adjustments and improvements to the prosthesis.

The relationship between the two brothers also went from strangers to close friends. Fettnas was no longer as afraid of Trunks as before, which made Green very happy.

......

Finally, during a training session, Trunks displayed astonishing skill. He skillfully used the mechanical arm in conjunction with his own abilities to easily shatter the training puppet.

“See that, Fertennas?” Trunks said to him with a smile. “I did it.”

"Trunks is amazing!!" Fertnas ran over excitedly, his eyes shining with pride.

"The robotic arm has really been a great help to me," Trunks said with emotion.

“Of course, look who made it for you.” Fetnas said proudly.

"Haha, thank you, Fetnas." Trunks ruffled Fetnas's hair.

"...We're brothers, aren't we?"

All of this naturally did not escape the eyes of Duke Casarian. He stroked his beard, thinking that everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction.