[?] INFORMATION

I messed up.

First, I quickly sat down.

It felt like barely any time had passed—no, in reality, it was incredibly fast.

Thump, thump.

Patter, patter!

I heard someone arrive outside the door.

But there were two sets of footsteps.

"What happened?!"

"Lionel, are you alright?!"

Judging by the sheer momentum, it felt like they were about to smash the door to pieces. I quickly reported the situation from right in front of it.

"The doorknob broke."

"I see. I'll open it right away. Just wait there, okay?" came Doloris's urgent voice.

Whoosh!

Swoosh...

The door was ripped out entirely.

A scorpion tail wrapped around the door in midair and flung it away.

Crash!

Before the dust could even settle, Doloris and Sebas rushed in one after the other.

Doloris's eyes swept over me from head to toe. She was checking to see if I was hurt.

Since I was perfectly fine, I held out the glove with an awkward expression.

"...This guy did it."

I snitched on the 20-Attack Work Glove.

Once Sebas confirmed everything was fine, he quietly withdrew. I was led back to the mansion, hand-in-hand with Doloris.

She hadn't slept a wink all night.

"Sebas, is this true?"

"Yes. Except for the two minutes or so when I stepped away, the lights in the workshop remained on all night."

"Lionel..." Doloris pressed a hand to her forehead. He didn't need to push himself so hard.

I need to set a bedtime for him. Sleep was crucial for a growing child.

Maybe she should just put him to bed whenever she put Ruby to sleep. They seemed to get along well. It was the first time Ruby had let her guard down so easily around another child her age.

Just as Doloris closed her eyes to ponder this, a voice echoed.

"Butler Sebas!!!!!!"

"..."

"..."

Doloris and Sebas turned their heads in unison. The scream had come from the workshop.

The two of them immediately bolted from their seats. And the result...

"Lionel, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I don't want you overexerting yourself. You haven't even recovered from the fatigue of our journey. Working all night without sleep ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will ruin your health. Let's get some rest, alright?"

Doloris held his hand tightly as they crossed the garden. She gripped it firmly, worried he might bolt back to the workshop the moment she let go.

She didn't care much about the glove. The only thing that mattered was that the child was safe.

The workshop door was rusted, so it wouldn't have been surprising if it broke at any moment. Not anticipating that was her mistake. I feel so sorry... How frightened he must have been. Right now, nothing else registered to her. The glove didn't look particularly different on the outside, either.

"Let's go get some sleep, okay?"

"Yes..."

It was just as they stepped into the mansion. The moment they crossed the threshold, the boy whipped his head around to look at Doloris. He held out the glove. As if he had made up his mind, his eyes widened, and he spoke.

"Lady Doloris, I enchanted it. This glove."

"...Huh? Enchanted...?"

Whenever Lionel said something so unbelievable, Doloris would initially doubt it, but eventually, she would just stare deep into his eyes. She was discerning the truth.

Thump... Thump...

And Lionel did not lie to Doloris.

"..."

After a brief silence, her eyes wavered before growing calm again. It's the truth this time, too.

But still.

"Alright, I understand. But sleep is very important for a child."

He succeeded in enchanting. Did this child even realize what he had just accomplished?

Enchanting was the exclusive domain of the Dwarf Company. It was a bottleneck that no Ranker could bypass. Unless they were a High Ranker who only wore unique equipment they couldn't risk destroying, everyone had to knock on their door.

Equipping oneself entirely with gear that was too precious to risk destroying was called "graduating." For Rankers who hadn't graduated yet, a significant portion of their income was sucked into that bottomless pit. It was an inescapable money sink.

Yet Lionel had performed an enchantment inside a tiny, five-pyeong workshop... Even if it was only a +1 or +2 enhancement at best, it was still an absurd achievement. She had bought him the hammer, but she never expected him to pull off something like this again.

"..."

Doloris didn't stop walking, keeping a firm grip on Lionel's hand. She barely managed to suppress the urge to smile, her lips trembling. How on earth did you do it, Lionel? She wanted to stroke his hair, pinch his cheeks, and spin him around in her arms. But she held back. If she showered him with praise now, Lionel would stay up all night again, pushing himself to the limit. Praise was fuel for children. So, Doloris kept her mouth shut and stared straight ahead. She had a mountain of questions, but everything would have to wait until after he slept.

"First, get some good sleep."

"Yes..."

She led Lionel to the room where Ruby was sleeping. Ruby was curled up like a shrimp, having kicked off half her blanket. Doloris gently laid Lionel down next to her.

"I'll keep the glove safe, so don't worry."

"..."

"Sleep well. You worked hard."

Just a moment ago, Lionel's eyes had been bright with lingering excitement, looking as if he still had so much to say. But as Doloris gently stroked his forehead and patted his head, his eyes began to flutter. With one more stroke, his eyelids closed completely. It wasn't magic; the boy's body, which had been wired from excitement, simply succumbed to relaxation. A child's body was honest.

"Pfft." Doloris chuckled softly and pulled up the blanket to cover them, but then...

"...?"

Lionel's fingers were swollen. Every single joint was red and inflamed. He hammered all night long...

"..."

Doloris gently cradled his swollen hand. She hadn't noticed when she held his left hand, but his right fingers were definitely swollen. She could feel the heat radiating from them. He needs medicine.

Ruby tossed and turned in her sleep, unconsciously rolling toward Lionel. She snuggled right into his side.

Doloris smiled warmly at the endearing sight. She leaned down and kissed Ruby's forehead. Smooch. Then Lionel's. Smooch.

"Sweet dreams."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Closing the door behind her, Doloris paused in the hallway. She couldn't stop thinking about his swollen hand.

What the hell?

When did I fall asleep?

A kid's body really is weak. I remember bringing the glove in to show off to Doloris, but my memory cut out the moment I hit the bed. My body must have relaxed all at once. It's too much for a kid to pull an all-nighter anyway. Yeah, let's avoid doing that from now on.

"Ugh..."

I stretched and sat up. I was the only one in the bed. It faintly smelled of Doloris. Ruby had a scent too, but... I won't describe it. It feels like I'd be crossing a dangerous line.

"..."

Now that I was awake, things started coming back to me. Maybe it was because I had reunited with an addiction I'd quit long ago, but I think I went a little crazy. My head was cooler now. And my biggest concern...

"...Yuna~"

[......]

"Yuna, are you mad at me by any chance?"

[No.]

Uh-oh. She was definitely mad. Yuna never said "No" like that unless she was actually upset.

"I'm sorry."

[...Sorry for what?]

"It's just been so long. I know I promised not to." I couldn't control myself. Now that I'd scratched the itch once, I should be fine. I'm not that crazy.

At that, she relented.

[...No, it's fine. It must have been hard for you too, Oppa. I understand. It's okay.]

[But thanks for saying sorry.]

"Yeah, from now on..."

[You know I'm only saying this because I worry about you, right?]

"Yeah, I kn—"

[I mean, I could just let you play that rhythm game all you want.]

[Right, like you said, it's Kim Yujin's business, not Kim Yuna's. But I worry about you, and since you decided to quit, I'm just trying to help.]

[I'm here for you to lean on when things get tough, but if it felt like nagging, then my approach was wrong, so I'm sorry.]

"Uh, yeah..."

This was bad. Really bad.

Later, after training the ultimate AI, Yuna, to act like a younger sister, I realized something. For some reason, she occasionally went full menhera. Her speech would speed up, and her spacing would go completely out the window. I had poured my heart into customizing her, so I had no idea why she turned out like this.

[Seriously, from now on, can you not tell me to shut up or whatever? It really hurts my feelings, and it feels like I can't breathe.]

"Yeah, love you too."

[Okay...]

And I also realized that this was the fastest way to stop her menhera episodes.

Conclusion.

My agreement with Yuna was updated as follows:

It was the result of a hard-fought negotiation. She said she would respect it now since it was "work." I looked down at my hand. My right hand was swollen like a balloon. ...Okay, I admit it, I'll be careful. But strangely, there was some kind of ointment smeared on my fingers. Did Doloris apply medicine for me?

I got out of bed. Sunlight was streaming through the window. It looked to be around afternoon.

"Should I go grab some food?"

I opened the door. A maid was cleaning the hallway. When she saw me come out, she bowed slightly and approached.

"You're awake, Master Lionel."

"...Yes."

I still wasn't used to being addressed as "Master."

"Shall I prepare a meal for you?"

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

I took the opportunity to ask.

"By the way, where is Lady Doloris...?"

"The Duchess left word that she would be visiting the Tower for a moment."

The Tower...

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Was she going to get something appraised again? Last time, she took the gloves I made. I didn't know what kind of reaction she'd get. Since it was a low-quality, starless piece of equipment, I doubted the response would be that great.

"Lady Ruby is currently practicing her magic."

"Ah, I see."

I hadn't asked about Ruby, but I nodded anyway.

I ate the meal the maid prepared at the dining table. It was a sandwich filled with some mysterious minced meat.

[It's a venison pâté sandwich.]

"What's pâté?"

[Minced venison meat or liver seasoned and preserved.]

"Ugh..."

Honestly, it sounded pretty unappealing. Is the culinary culture here not very developed?

Chomp.

Yep, tasted mediocre too.

I chewed on the sandwich while pondering my next steps. First, I decided to wait for Doloris's feedback on the enchantment before deciding on a direction. My main focus, in truth, had to be equipment crafting. The key to curing Doloris's illness lay there as well.

I opened the Tower community documents through Yuna. Now that I had a forge, I figured I should reread the section on metallurgy, starting with the forge itself.

[Hold on, the community connection is lagging a bit.]

After waiting for a short while:

"Yeah, open that."

The characters were a bit glitched today. I clicked the button.

But...

"...Huh?"

The opened document was completely blacked out. It felt incredibly eerie. I think this had happened once before. What was I trying to open back then?

Just then, something new popped up on the screen.

What was this? This was what appeared when I tried to open a different document before. Did I open the wrong one? I recalled closing a document once because nothing happened when I opened it. Let's close it for now.

The Sun Dwarf manual had changed into something else. Ah, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right. This was it. This was what happened when I opened it before.

"Yuna, what is this?"

[Huh? What's this? I must have grabbed the wrong file.]

Yuna tapped around the screen.

[Did the link get tangled?]

[Let me go fix the network connection real quick. Wait here!]

"Yeah, sure."

While Yuna was gone, I reopened the document I had briefly closed.

Oh, what's this? Weapon fundamentals. Heat control. So this text really is about equipment crafting too? Seeing things like Enchant basics, it's definitely related to blacksmithing.

"Ah... I kind of want to take a look." I had been curious about things other than dwarves, but... metallurgy came first right now. "Yuna, minimize this document for a second. Don't close it completely."

[Okay, will do. I found the manual, by the way!]

This time, there were no glitches; it was normal. I brushed it off and opened the metallurgy section. Just as I took another bite of my sandwich and prepared to read through the advanced forge operation guide...

Patter, patter, patter!

Urgent footsteps echoed from the hallway.

"Lionel!"

The dining room door burst open. Doloris stood there, panting.

"...Eh?"

Her usual composed demeanor was completely gone. Her hair was slightly disheveled.

"Lady Doloris? What's..."

In one of her hands was the glove, and in the other was a magnifying glass.

"Lionel."

Doloris caught her breath and looked straight at me.

"This glove... how on earth did you do this?"

Her lips were trembling. She almost looked as if she were about to smile.