Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Repair Request (3)
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"...Ken! For the first time in a while, I feel like I woke up the most refreshed today!"
"...That's a relief."
Those were Rafne's words as she opened her eyes, her hair a mess of bedhead and pillow marks.
In contrast, I was greeting a sluggish morning, feeling like dark circles had settled under my eyes.
"This has to be because I slept with you, Ken. It's the Ken Fine Stein effect!"
Rafne looked delighted, having slept deeply, and was full of energy from the morning.
She'd had trouble sleeping lately, so she must have been thrilled to finally get some solid rest.
"Um... Ken, I sleep so much better when I'm with you..."
Then Rafne gave me a pleading look.
"Can we sleep together again tonight?"
"Sorry, if we keep sleeping together until today, I won't be able to live a normal life."
"...Hiiing."
Don't look so disappointed, Rafne.
I have to stay alive if we're going to keep sleeping together, right?
If we slept together again tonight, I'd probably smash my own head with my work hammer from sleep deprivation.
'Already here?'
After washing up and eating breakfast, I glanced out the window and saw a single bundle sitting there.
It was probably the materials I'd ordered yesterday.
'...To gather all this in just one night.'
Annet must be pretty desperate.
Inside the bundle were orichalcum, dragon bone, pure gold, and several massive golden spirit stones.
Sure enough, there was a reason she told me to name any price for the repairs.
I couldn't even imagine how much this one bundle had cost.
'And she even included extras so we're not short...'
The risk of failure falls on me too, but the real problem would be on Annet's side.
She wanted this repair to succeed more than anyone.
Of course, I needed it to succeed perfectly if I wanted that Full Moon Necklace.
"Ken... Aren't you going to head out? You'll be late to the academy..."
Rafne asked me, still sitting at the workbench even after finishing breakfast.
She seemed hesitant and cautious, hoping I wouldn't go but worried about me being late.
"I'm taking the day off from the academy today."
Repairing the Thunder Spear might take more than a day.
So I'd decided to skip the academy and Siegfried's morning training for the day.
"Huh? R-Really?"
Rafne's disappointed expression brightened with surprise at my words.
"Yay! This is the happiest I've been in ages! Thanks, Ken...!"
She hugged me tight and started jumping around.
She was that thrilled?
At this rate, I was starting to think skipping the academy once in a while might not be so bad.
'Alright, let's start with the big stuff.'
I placed the shattered Thunder Spear Aspetra on the workbench.
Thankfully, thanks to Annet's generous support, I could afford a few failures.
First, recalling the know-how I'd gained from endlessly repairing weapons the day before, I examined the Thunder Spear.
One thing I'd learned from all those repairs.
It was easier to tackle the largest damaged area first, then fix the minor bits.
The Thunder Spear's biggest damaged part.
It was the long sealing spear core at its center.
That core was split clean in half.
'Gotta replace the spear core first.'
Fortunately, the most vital part of this legendary item—the crystal orb embedded in the spearhead—was unscathed.
This orb, said to hold the power of thunder, was completely intact without a scratch.
There'd be no fixing it if that broke.
Made from the heart of a thunder dragon, this crystal held an immense amount of energy on its own.
Of course, that's why its durability was insane—practically impossible to break on purpose.
Since the crystal was fine, I could finish the Thunder Spear repair just by replacing the broken parts.
So first, I separated the damaged spear core from the blade.
I could have tried reattaching the split halves some other way.
But Annet demanded a perfect restoration.
The only option for the halved spear core was to make a new one from the same material.
Fortunately, the spear core's structure was simple enough that I could replicate it with my current skill.
However...
'...This design volume is insane.'
The problem was the staggering array of rune inscriptions etched into that spear core.
The designs were on the level of complex circuits, indirectly showing just how extraordinary this spear was.
'This won't wrap up in a couple hours...'
I didn't have to design it myself—just copy it exactly—so it wasn't impossible.
But it would demand tremendous focus and time.
'...Alright, let's give it a shot!'
I immediately started processing the dragon bone that would form the new spear core.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Rafne had been sitting there for hours now, watching Ken engrave the runes.
'...It's already been five hours.'
Ken was immersed in the work with incredible focus, not budging an inch.
Watching him the whole time, Rafne thought to herself.
'...He's so cool.'
His serious expression, the intense focus in his eyes.
The meticulous work that had him sweating—it was impressive even to Rafne, who knew nothing about crafting.
Rafne found herself captivated by Ken's absorbed demeanor.
She'd always enjoyed watching him work, but...
Today, seeing him so devoted to his task made her heart race in a way she couldn't ignore.
She assisted from the side as best she could without disturbing him, losing track of time as she gazed at him.
'...Why didn't I notice this side of him before?'
Her pounding heart.
And the painful memories hidden within.
Rafne recalled how, a year ago, she'd ignored and bullied Ken.
"...Ugh."
That memory was a dark past she wanted to erase from her current self.
It filled her with regret and pain every time it surfaced.
But it always came back unbidden when her guard was down.
Ken's terrified, trembling face as he looked at her.
The way he'd been hurt by her words and actions.
His shaking shoulders came to mind.
Even closing her eyes and shaking her head couldn't dispel the scene—it tormented her.
'Does Ken... still think about that time too?'
Gazing at his profile as he worked diligently, Rafne clutched her churning chest.
What surfaced was the dream from last night.
Not just last night.
Every time she had the nightmare, it was the same one.
Ken, furious and accusatory about her past, glaring at her with rage-filled eyes.
Then Ken opening the door and walking out.
The dream always ended with her alone.
'...I'm such a selfish person.'
It was her fault, and his reaction was justified, but the sadness boiled down to being left alone.
She was terrified of Ken leaving her side.
That's why she kept shamelessly clinging to him, begging him to stay close.
Rafne's chest often ached with guilt like this.
"...Phew! Done!"
Utterly oblivious, Ken wiped the sweat from his forehead and finished crafting the spear core.
"Oh, Rafne. The sealant over there..."
"U-Uuu..."
"...R-Rafne?"
Ken, lost in his focus and unaware of the time, turned and panicked at the sight of Rafne crying.
"Sniff, oh, no. ...Hic, sorry, Ken. The sealant, right?"
'I-Is she okay?'
She was crying, but she could communicate properly, so he decided not to worry too much.
Rafne was a crybaby anyway, and it was probably nothing serious.
Ken brushed it off lightly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ '...Just assemble this, and it's done!'
I'd lost track of how long I'd been repairing the Thunder Spear.
Time had flown by, the sun had set, and night had fallen.
I'd spent a full day on this spear alone.
The rune design transfer on the spear core had eaten up the most time, as expected.
There were materials wasted from a few mistakes.
But I'd done it.
All that was left was replacing the cracked blade.
I carefully assembled the processed orichalcum blade.
Hammered the joints into place.
Meticulously smoothed any misalignments.
The moment the final sanding was done...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ High-rank weapon repair completed. Bonus experience points awarded for new achievement. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Item Creation proficiency has reached its maximum. Related skill levels have increased. Item Creation – Repair LV 4, Material Identification LV 2 "I... I did it...!"
I held up the Thunder Spear, gleaming like new, along with the status window floating before my eyes.
“Ahh, what a heartfelt moment…!”
I'd skipped meals and worked for over ten hours straight.
My eyes were dry, my hands trembling.
But the fatigue melted away, washed clean by accomplishment.
It wasn't something I'd created from scratch, but a work touched by my own hands.
The satisfaction of having repaired it was reward enough for sacrificing the day.
The initial junk-like wreckage was gone.
The Thunder Spear now looked every bit the divine weapon it was.
Faint yellow lightning, unique to the spear, flickered over its pristine form.
"K-Ken! Are you crying? Are you okay? D-Does something hurt?"
"Ugh, no. These are tears of joy."
"Oh, uh, I-I mean..."
Rafne, who'd been watching from the side.
She seemed flustered by my teary, reddened nose at the sight of the completed spear.
No, it wasn't sadness—it was emotion.
But Rafne, unsure what to do,
"I-It's okay. Don't cry, Ken."
Just like I'd done for her, she pulled me into her arms and stroked my head.
"R-Rafne...? I told you, this isn't sadness...?"
"...Really?"
She must have thought back to her own usual crying fits and wanted to comfort me.
Even after clearing up the misunderstanding, Rafne held me in her arms for a while longer.
"Next time... if something really sad happens, I'll be there for you."
Her touch felt gentler than usual.
Was it related to why she'd been crying earlier...?
In this embarrassing situation, the heat at the tip of my nose spread across my face.
'...Huh?'
As I blushed under Rafne's touch,
Another status window appeared before my eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Perfect repair success of the divine Thunder Spear Aspetra. Weapon information saved to category. '...Thunder Spear info in the category? ...That means.'
A thought flashed by, making my head ring.
I can make it...?
This legendary item that hadn't even appeared in the game...?
With the sudden status message, my eyes fell on the remnants of the weapon repair.
There were ample Aspetra materials, provided generously at Annet's expense.
'No, but there's no core crystal orb...'
Having the weapon info in the category meant I could craft it with the right materials.
But the most crucial part—the thunder dragon heart crystal.
A crystal made from that heart wasn't something money alone could buy.
'...Still, just maybe.'
The "what if" swirled in my mind.
It was the same theory as when I made the Goddess's Pendant.
'If I use a substitute...'
And what caught my eye was the massive golden spirit stone.
These spirit stones, used throughout the spear core as mana sources, shared the same nature as the thunder dragon crystal—pure energy.
Of course, in terms of output, they were worlds apart.
But still.
'Worth a shot.'
With my thoughts settled, I picked up the work hammer again.
"Eh, Ken...? Isn't it done?"
"Sorry, Rafne. Gonna impose on you for one more day."
"Wh-What...?"
The sensation from repairing the Thunder Spear was still fresh.
I wanted to try before the feel faded from my hands.
Leaving the bewildered Rafne behind, I began processing dragon bone for another spear core.