Holy Sword Restoration (3)
"……."
"What's wrong?"
Once the restoration work was complete, Eunhyeon simply stared silently at the holy sword atop the anvil. Elenoa, who had been maintaining the sacred barrier from a distance, approached him and asked.
"……."
Wearing an expression that screamed deep dissatisfaction, Eunhyeon glared at the holy sword he himself had forged, ignoring Elenoa's question entirely.
"……?"
Finding his reaction odd, Elenoa's gaze naturally shifted to the holy sword he was fixated on.
"Is there something wrong with this sword?"
"There is a problem... Lady Elenoa, would you mind gripping the hilt once?"
"Pardon? What for...?"
"It's not dangerous, so don't worry. I just want to check something."
"Alright."
Elenoa obediently grasped the hilt with her slender hand, then watched Eunhyeon's face with a look that said, Is that good enough? But upon seeing her do so, Eunhyeon's expression twisted even further—as if he were staring down a child he'd raised only for it to betray him.
"Why the face? Does it bother you that much that I touched the holy sword?"
You told me to touch it?
From Elenoa's perspective, she couldn't make sense of his reaction at all.
"...See for yourself."
Elenoa released her grip, and Eunhyeon immediately stepped forward, reaching for the hilt. But—
Woooong.
"……?"
Elenoa thought she'd imagined the sword moving on its own. But it wasn't her imagination. The holy sword was clearly, deliberately evading his grasp with intent of its own.
"I didn't feel anything...?"
Why had it accepted her touch without resistance? The unpleasant suspicion that bubbled up in her mind slipped out before she could stop it.
"Could it be that the holy sword's master is...?"
"No, that's not it. You're not its master, Lady Elenoa. Even a commoner could touch it without issue. It's just... cases where it actively shows rejection like this are extremely rare."
"Doesn't the holy sword reject the touch of the wicked?"
"It does."
"So you do like being seen as a pervert and a villain?"
"I have no idea why you're picking a fight with me all of a sudden, but yes—it's clear this holy sword is rejecting my touch."
The sword, restored with his own holy power, rejecting him? From Eunhyeon's standpoint, the situation was utterly absurd.
"For now, let's wake Alex...?"
Turning around, Eunhyeon frowned slightly at the sight of his companions dozing off with heads bowed on chairs near the forge's entrance.
"...What time is it now?"
"Early dawn."
"Do you know how many hours I worked?"
So absorbed in hammering that he'd lost all track of time, Eunhyeon had been completely immersed in the restoration.
"Fifteen hours. You weren't aware?"
"I was too focused on the work..."
"……."
Elenoa gazed at the sheepish Eunhyeon, who scratched his cheek awkwardly, with a look of utter exhaustion. His tireless hammering without a wink of sleep had bordered on obsession—verging into madness. His body was a wreck. Drenched in sweat from head to toe, his frame had withered as if wrung dry of moisture. Even with the sacred barrier healing burns and preserving his flesh, the immense fatigue piling up on body and mind was another matter entirely.
"I'll wake Brother and have him move the holy sword. You should... rest."
Elenoa glanced at the plate—once holding the sandwiches she'd prepared—now empty on a spot far from the anvil, and suppressed a surge of inexplicable joy.
"You look like hell."
"Ha, yeah, I guess I do."
Eunhyeon nodded with a wry smile in agreement. Dark circles ringed his eyes; he looked ready to collapse at any moment. Elenoa wondered how he'd held out this long.
"Nngh... Done?"
Just then, Illyana stirred, rubbing her eyes and sitting up, puzzled by the absence of hammering sounds as she asked Eunhyeon.
"Yeah, it's done."
"Yaaawn... How many hours did you even swing that hammer?"
"Fifteen, apparently."
"You're insane. For real...? Sigh."
With a heavy sigh, Illyana stood and steadied the swaying Eunhyeon, supporting him.
"Lady Elenoa, the scabbard for the holy sword is in this box. Alex should be able to handle it even if it's not recognizing him as master. Could I ask you to take care of the rest?"
"Of course. I'll wake Brother right away and have him move it."
"Thank you."
Leaning on Illyana, Eunhyeon bowed deeply to Elenoa in gratitude.
"Hey, walk straight!"
"Sorry, I seriously have no strength left. Let's wake everyone first—we can't leave them sleeping here."
With a bitter chuckle, Eunhyeon shuffled forward with Illyana's support. Riod had already headed upstairs, unwilling to leave Terezia alone. Illyana, Eunhyeon, and Elenoa each took one of Anies, Abros, and Alex, rousing them from sleep.
"Your Grace. It's finished."
"Mm... Finally done?"
Abros awoke at the sound of Eunhyeon's voice alone, consciousness sharpening.
"Restoration complete without issue. The rest depends on who the sword deems its master. I'll head up first... I'm beat."
"I see. I owe you a great debt. My thanks."
"No need—our interests aligned for an easier life, that's all."
"Hm..."
Abros started to reply but fell silent, nodding quietly instead.
"Oh, and there's a good amount of leftover orichalcum from the restoration. I'd like to use it for something I'm making. Is that alright?"
"It was bought with the platinum you provided in the first place. With the holy sword restored, it'd be ridiculous for me to dictate its use. Take it."
"Thank you."
Eunhyeon smirked at Abros's cool concession of the valuable orichalcum. Since it'd been purchased with Eunhyeon's own funds, Abros hadn't considered the remnants his anyway—no attachment there.
"Then I'll be off."
"Go ahead."
"Holy shit... You really hammered away for fifteen straight hours?"
Anies, roused by Illyana, spotted the holy sword gleaming with pure white light and radiating sacred energy atop the anvil. Her face twisted in disbelief at the confirmed success.
"You worked hard too. Lady Elenoa as well."
"No, not compared to..."
Elenoa had merely taken shifts with Anies, periodically infusing holy power into the barrier. Hearing "good work" when Eunhyeon had hammered nonstop without relief felt awkward. With Elenoa's support, he slowly exited the forge. Anies moved to sling his arm over her shoulder, but he waved her off.
"I'm fine. You're too small—it'd be more uncomfortable."
"You nuts? I offer help and that's how you say it? Fine, whatever."
Anies scowled, bristling at the jab at her height complex. Illyana burst into laughter at the scene.
"Hey, Hyun."
"Yeah?"
"I wanna learn cooking from you."
Eunhyeon halted his heavy steps, staring at her in shock.
"What...?"
"Pfft!"
He gawked blankly at Illyana as if she'd said something unbelievable. Anies snorted with laughter at his expression.
"What's so funny?"
"No, pfft... Your face—it's exactly like Riod's earlier! Puhahaha!"
"……."
"Riod's?"
"Hyun. You think so too?"
"Huh?"
"Does me cooking seem that out of character?"
"It's not out of character exactly... But what's with the sudden urge to learn?"
During Eunhyeon's absence, Illyana had lived alone for twenty years without ever touching a knife—food was just fuel to her, not something she'd bother perfecting for taste. She enjoyed good meals, sure, but the effort to make them? Too much hassle. What had changed?
"...I'm not telling you."
"Ooh? Illyana's pride's hurt, huh?"
"Shut up! Hyun, let's go already."
Anies's teasing—giggling and chiming in—grated on her too. Eunhyeon asked what had happened during the restoration, but Anies just smirked and played innocent bystander. Back in his room with Illyana's help, he showered off the sweat and collapsed into bed.
"Handle breakfast and lunch somehow. I'm crashing for a bit."
"Got it. Sleep well."
After pulling an all-nighter, rest was a luxury for Eunhyeon—but dawn was breaking for everyone else. Illyana tucked him in with a soft smile and left.
"Did that guy go to bed?"
"Huh? Yeah."
Emerging into the living room, Illyana nodded with a subtle expression at the sight of Riod, Abros, and Alex seated at the table, sipping tea.
"...Lady Witch."
"Yes?"
"There's something I'd like to consult you on."
"Hm? Me specifically?"
"Yes."
Reading Alex's serious demeanor—and glancing at Riod, who sat arms crossed with eyes closed as if opting out, and the two Armitas men eyeing her—Illyana could guess the topic.
"I have a rough idea what it's about."
◆ ◆ ◆
A week had passed since the "holy sword restoration" in the Arkys Great Labyrinth housing.
After a night's rest in the labyrinth, the group had returned straight to Fernin. Days of ordinary capital life continued as usual.
But not in the Armitas Duke Mansion.
Abros and Alex had planned to present the restored holy sword to Second Prince Evan immediately, bolstering their position for the crown prince ceremony. Yet the possibility that it might not accept Evan as master had them tearing their hair out.
Elenoa had been visiting Fernin's Vesta Temple daily, spending late nights in prayer to the goddess, cultivating her mind.
"Thank you as always."
"You too, priestess."
"May the goddess's grace be with you."
"May the goddess's grace be with you."
Bowing to the temple priest with ritual words, Elenoa exited and walked the night streets with her two escorts.
"Lady Elenoa. Is something troubling you?"
"...That obvious?"
"You've been silent, and your face is stiff."
"……."
Elenoa offered no reply to Reno's observation, trudging silently through the dark. Finally, she spoke.
"Just thinking how to grow faster as a priestess."
"Faster... growth?"
"Yeah."
Since witnessing the vast gap between her and Anies, Elenoa couldn't hide her frustration. Vesta naming her—over other priests—as Anies's successor only hurried her heart.
I can't keep relying on him forever.
She recalled the man who'd saved her from the black mage, approved the expedition to rescue her brother, and quashed her unwanted political marriage. She sensed paths opening where she could help him, but her growth wasn't progressing as smoothly as hoped.
"But Lady Elenoa, you're already advancing far faster than other priestesses, aren't you?"
"That's not enough. I..."
She shook her head to continue—that her current pace fell short—when—
"...! Lady Elenoa!"
Clang!
Reno deflected a flying dagger aimed at her arm with his gauntlet. He and the other guard flanked her, drawing swords against potential attacks from anywhere.
"This is..."
Elenoa stared blankly at the fallen dagger Reno had knocked away, then looked up at the black shadows emerging atop the buildings—and shuddered.
"An ambush...?"
Even in the dim hour with fewer people, she hadn't expected such brazen assault on a duke's daughter right in the heart of the capital's main avenue. Giving her no time to compose herself, her escorts sensed cold, impersonal killing intent and gripped their swords tighter, bodies tensing.