“…Ken! I think I woke up feeling the best today!”
“…That’s a relief.”
Raphne’s hair was a mess, like a bird’s nest, as she said this to me, just waking up.
Meanwhile, I was coming to terms with a groggy morning, feeling like dark circles had taken over my face.
“This must be because I slept with Ken! It’s the Ken Feinstein effect!”
Looking bright and energized, Raphne seemed really happy after getting a good night’s sleep. It seems like she had many restless nights before but could finally sleep comfortably.
“Um… Ken, I can sleep really well with you…”
With that, Raphne gave me a pleading look.
“Can we sleep together again today?”
“Sorry, but if we sleep together again today, I won’t be able to live a normal life.”
“…Hiiing.”
Don’t look so disappointed, Raphne. If I don’t survive, we can’t sleep together again, can we?
If we do sleep together today, I feel like I’d end up smashing my own head with a hammer due to lack of sleep.
‘Already here, huh?’
After washing up and having breakfast, I looked out the window to see a big bundle sitting there.
It’s likely the materials I ordered yesterday.
‘…Did they manage to gather all this overnight?’
Anette seems to be quite impatient.
Inside the bundle were orichalcum, dragon bones, and several huge golden spirit stones.
Indeed, there’s a reason she has the guts to demand any amount as a reward.
I can’t imagine how much all this must cost.
‘And it’s even got some extra, just in case….’
The risk of repair lies with me, but the biggest issue is for Anette.
She must be wishing for the success of this repair more than anyone.
Of course, I also need to succeed to get the Moonlight Necklace.
“Ken… Is it okay if we don’t leave? We might be late for the academy…”
Raphne asked me, still sitting in front of the workbench even after finishing her meal.
Seeing her hesitating, it looks like she’s both hoping I don’t go and worrying about being late.
“I decided to take a break from the academy today.”
Repairing the Thunder Spear might even take a day too long.
So, I decided to take a day off from the academy and Siegfried’s morning training.
“Wait, for real?”
Raphne’s expression of disappointment turned into surprise and brightness when she heard what I said.
“Wow! Today is the happiest I’ve been in a while! Thank you, Ken…!”
Then she hugged me and started jumping around like a spring.
Is she really that happy?
At this rate, I’m starting to think skipping the academy sometimes wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
‘Alright, let’s fix the biggest part first.’
I placed the broken Thunder Spear Aspetra on the workbench.
Thanks to Anette’s abundant support, I can afford a few failures.
I recalled the weapon repair know-how I gained from countless repetitions the day before and examined the spear.
From my experience with repairs, I realized that it’s easier to tackle the biggest damage first and then fix the minor parts afterward.
The largest damaged part of the spear?
That would be the long center spear blade.
The middle part had broken in half.
‘First, I’ll need to replace the spear blade.’
Fortunately, the most critical part of this legendary item is the crystal embedded at the spear’s center.
This crystal, said to contain the power of thunder, was completely intact.
If this part were damaged, there’d be no way to fix it.
Made from the heart of a thunder dragon, this crystal alone holds tremendous energy.
Of course, that also means it’s incredibly durable, to the point it’s hard to break intentionally.
Since the crystal is unharmed, I can finish the repair of the Thunder Spear by simply replacing the broken parts.
So, I first separated the damaged spear blade from the point.
In theory, I could’ve attached the split part back together, but Anette required a perfect restoration.
The broken spear blade must be remade with the same materials.
Fortunately, the structure of the spear blade is simple enough that I can reproduce it with my current skills.
However….
‘…This design requires an insane amount of runes.’
The problem is the enormous amount of rune designs etched into the spear blade.
This design is almost as complex as a circuitry level, showing just how extraordinary this spear really is.
‘I don’t think I’ll finish this in just an hour….’
Since I can make it by simply following the design rather than creating it myself, it’s not impossible.
But it demands immense concentration and time.
‘……Alright, let’s give it a try!’
I immediately began processing the dragon bones, which would be the material for the spear blade.
Raphne had been watching Ken, who had been engraving runes for hours now.
‘…It’s already been five hours.’
Ken was completely absorbed in his work, focusing without a single distraction.
Watching him intently, Raphne thought, ‘……He’s so cool.’
The serious expression in his eyes as he concentrated, and the meticulous work, even a novice like Raphne thought it was impressive.
She became captivated by the sight of Ken immersed in his work.
She had always found it interesting to watch him work, but today, there was something about him that made her heart flutter.
Trying her best not to be a distraction, Raphne found herself lost in watching him.
‘…Why didn’t I notice this before?’
Her heart racing.
Memories buried deep within her consciousness.
Raphne recalled the year prior when she had disrespected and tormented Ken.
“…Ugh.”
That memory was a dark past she wanted to erase.
It was painful and full of regret every time it surfaced.
But when she least expected it, the memory resurfaces suddenly.
Ken’s trembling expression when he had looked at her.
How Ken must have felt hurt by her words and actions.
She could vividly recall his shoulders shaking.
Even when she closed her eyes and shook her head, that image wouldn’t disappear, making Raphne suffer.
‘Does Ken remember that time too?’
Watching him work hard, she clutched her pounding heart.
Her thoughts drifted back to the vivid nightmare she had the night before.
It wasn’t just the night before.
If she had nightmares, she seemed to dream the same one repeatedly.
The content would show Ken glaring at her with eyes full of anger, pointing out her past misdeeds.
Then, Ken would leave through the door.
The dream always ended with her alone.
‘…I’m such a selfish person.’
Despite her actions deserving Ken’s reaction, her sadness stemmed from being left alone.
She was afraid of Ken leaving her side.
So, she’d shamelessly cling to him, demanding he stay by her side.
This way, Raphne often felt pain in her heart due to guilt.
“…Hoo! I’m done!”
Unaware of all this, Ken wiped the sweat from his forehead as he completed the spear blade.
“Oh, Raphne. Can you hand me the finishing material…?”
“U-uhh…”
“……R-Raphne?”
Losing track of time while focused on his work, Ken turned and was taken aback when he saw Raphne crying.
“Ugh, n-no. …Hic, sorry Ken. About the finishing material?”
‘Is she… okay?’
Though she was crying, she could still communicate properly, so I decided not to overthink it.
Raphne is usually quite emotional, so it probably isn’t anything serious.
Taking it lightly, Ken resumed his focus.
‘…Now I just need to assemble this!’
I had no idea how much time passed since starting the repair of the Thunder Spear.
Time flowed, and before I knew it, the sun was down, and it was night.
I had spent the entire day on this spear’s repair.
The most time-consuming part was surely transferring the rune designs onto the spear blade.
Some materials ended up wasted due to mistakes.
But in the end, I did it.
Now, all that’s left is to replace the damaged point.
I carefully assemble the processed orichalcum spear tip.
I hammer the joints gently and meticulously smooth out any misaligned spots.
And the moment the final sanding was finished…
[ System: High-rank weapon repair completed. Experience points awarded for the new achievement. ]
[ System: Item crafting proficiency has reached maximum. Related skill levels have increased. ]
[ Item Crafting – Repair LV 4, Material Understanding LV 2 ]
“Y-YES! I did it…!”
Holding the now-shiny Thunder Spear above my head, I gazed at the status window that appeared before my eyes.
‘Ah, this is such a glorious moment…!’
I hadn’t eaten and had been working for over ten hours straight.
My eyes felt dry, and my hands shook, but the fatigue melted away in the satisfaction of my accomplishment.
Even though I hadn’t created it, my touch still helped turn this into a piece of art.
The satisfaction of having repaired it became a reward for sacrificing my entire day.
The initially broken bunch of scrap was gone.
The Thunder Spear now stood as a divine weapon.
Its polished form shimmered with a faint yellow lightning hue.
“Ke-Ken! Are you crying? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“Ugh, no. These are tears of joy.”
“Ah, th-that….”
Raphne, watching from the side, seemed flustered by my reddish nose as I gazed at the completed spear.
No, I’m really not crying out of sadness; I’m overwhelmed with happiness.
But Raphne seemed unsure and flustered.
“D-Don’t cry, Ken.”
Just like I had comforted her before, she pulled me into her arms and gently stroked my head.
“R-Raphne…? I mean, I’m not sad…?”
“…Is that so?”
It seems she was trying to comfort me by recalling her own emotions from when she cried.
Even though we cleared the misunderstanding, Raphne refused to let go of me for quite some time.
“If something really sad happens next time, I’ll be here for you.”
Raphne’s touch felt even softer than usual.
Was it related to her crying moments earlier…?
Amidst the embarrassment of my current situation, the warmth on my nose quickly spread to my entire face.
‘……Huh?’
While blushing and receiving Raphne’s touch, another status window appeared in front of me.
[ System: Successful perfect repair of the Divine Thunder Spear Aspetra. Weapon information now stored in the catalog. ]
‘…The spear information is now in the catalog? …Does that mean…?’
A dizzying thought flickered through my mind.
I can make it…?
An item of legendary status that didn’t even exist in the game…?
With the sudden message from the status window and the materials from the broken weapon in view, I realized that Anette had generously provided enough materials for Aspetra.
‘No, but the core crystal is missing….’
The addition of the weapon information to the catalog means that if I have the materials, I can create it.
But the issue is that the most crucial part—the thunder dragon’s heart—is not something you can just buy with money.
‘…But what if.’
The thought of “what if” spun in my mind.
It’s a theory akin to when I made the Goddess’ Pendant.
‘What if I use something as a substitute….’
What came to mind was the gigantic golden spirit stone.
This spirit stone, used as a source of magical energy throughout the spear blade, possesses a nature similar to that of the thunder dragon’s crystal in terms of pure energy.
Of course, considering their output, there’s a world of difference.
But still.
‘It’s worth a shot.’
With my thoughts organized, I picked up my crafting hammer once again.
“Uh, Ken…? Isn’t it all done?”
“Sorry, Raphne. Just one more day of borrowing your time.”
“Uh, um…?”
The familiar feeling from earlier as I was repairing the spear still lingered in my hands.
I wanted to take the challenge before that feeling faded away.
Ignoring the bewildered Raphne, I began processing the dragon bones once more.
