Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 21

Well, I think I understand the situation now.

Anette Nel Arnora was the true culprit behind the broken Thunder Spear. In the game, she staged the incident to pin the blame on someone else. Yet, for some reason, rather than framing someone else, she was now asking me to fix it.

"But why ask me to do it?"

This was the biggest question. Why wasn’t she trying to pin the blame on someone else like in the game? And why ask me? I didn’t even know Ken Feinstein had crafting skills until I got possessed in this world, and I was supposed to be a minor extra character. No way would anyone entrust something this important to someone so insignificant.

“Hmph, it’s no big reason. I just happened to watch Siegfried’s tournament yesterday.”

Wait—Siegfried?

"During his victory speech, I heard it. You’re the one who crafted that ‘demonic sword,’ right?"

"…Demonic sword?"

She was probably talking about the black blade I had crafted for Siegfried. It wasn’t anything grand enough to be called a demonic sword, though.

More importantly… I recalled Siegfried’s victory speech from the day before.

[…I’d like to dedicate this victory to the academy junior who made this sword. Thank you, Ken Feinstein.]

Damn it! So that’s why she knows about me!

Now it made sense why someone as prominent as the student council president knew who I was.

"That sword wasn’t something ordinary. If you could create such a weapon, surely you can repair this spear as well."

"……"

Repairing a weapon…

I’d never done that before. If I told her that honestly, would she just let me go?

Not likely…

The fact that she sought me out rather than going to a professional craftsman in the city meant she had no other choice. She had gone to the trouble of kidnapping me and bringing me here in secret. There had to be a reason she wanted an academy student like me, rather than an NPC craftsman, to handle the repairs.

“I’ll reward you however you want. How long will it take?”

She clearly wanted this spear repaired quietly.

“Well… you see, asking me so suddenly is kind of…”

In the game, she probably didn’t want to take responsibility, which is why she tried to pin it on someone else. If word got out that she was trying to have the spear repaired, rumors would spread. Soon enough, the head of the Arnora family would hear about it through the academy.

To prevent that, she needed to avoid using a regular NPC craftsman and rely on an academy student like me, someone she could control directly.

This was a request I couldn’t refuse.

"Could you give me three days?"

"You have two. Fix it."

Then why did you ask?!

This was a tricky situation. It wasn’t just her status as the student council president—she was the eldest daughter of the Arnora family, one of the most prestigious houses in the kingdom, comparable to the Martinez family. If she wanted, she could make my life very difficult.

Wait a second… isn’t this an opportunity?

I suddenly had a flash of insight and calmed down. I sipped the tea in front of me, now feeling more relaxed, and looked back at her.

"Alright, I’ll repair it in two days."

Anette smiled, seemingly pleased with my straightforward acceptance.

"Good, I like that you don’t haggle. Now, what kind of reward do you want? I’m not unreasonable—I’ll give you whatever you desire."

Despite her calm exterior, she was likely feeling extremely anxious about the broken Thunder Spear. Accepting my condition of two days must have been a relief for her.

If that’s the case, I shouldn’t hesitate to ask for something generous.

"I want that," I said, pointing at her.

"…What?"

Anette stared blankly at my finger, unsure of what I meant. After a moment, she smirked and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Oh ho, you’re more of a rogue than you look. Do you want me?"

"What?! No! I meant the necklace around your neck!"

As if I would ask for something like that! Startled by her sudden comment, I raised my voice in protest.

But rather than being offended by my outburst, Anette seemed more shocked by what I was asking for.

“This? Do you even know what you're asking for, fool?!”

Of course, I’m not an idiot. This was a far more valuable item than her ridiculous suggestion.

“I know what it is. That’s the Full Moon Necklace, a divine item blessed by the Goddess herself, passed down through the Arnora family.”

"And you still dare to ask for it, knowing how valuable it is…?" she growled.

But she was misunderstanding the situation. I was the one holding all the cards here.

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"Your choice. You either take responsibility for losing the necklace, or face the consequences of breaking the Thunder Spear."

"You… how much do you know…?"

She must have been caught off guard. No one was supposed to know that she had broken the Thunder Spear. But here I was, an ordinary student, exposing her secret.

Yet she couldn’t harm me or refuse my request.

The Arnora family was tied to the temple, and this wasn’t the only Full Moon Necklace in existence. It would only be a matter of time before another one was blessed by the Goddess. The fact that the family head had given it to her was important, but the necklace itself was nothing compared to the Thunder Spear.

The scales were clearly tipped in my favor, and Anette knew that better than anyone. Her once calm demeanor wavered as she wrestled with her decision.

"…Fine," she muttered through gritted teeth. "You can have the necklace."

As expected, she agreed.

"...But there’s a condition."

"A condition?" I hadn’t anticipated this.

She held up two fingers, indicating two conditions.

"First, no one must know about this spear. Not a word."

Obviously, the first condition was a non-disclosure agreement. It was only fair, considering she was having the spear secretly repaired.

"And second… the repair must be flawless."

"...What?"

Without waiting for my response, she crossed her arms and sipped her tea, her sharp gaze pinning me in place. Her expression said it all—unless I met these conditions, I wouldn’t get what I wanted.

...Flawless repair?

I had only expected to do a simple repair job that would hide the damage. But now, thanks to my demands, she was asking for a flawless restoration, one that wouldn’t even hint at the spear ever being broken.

What am I supposed to do…?

I only had two days. In that time, I would need to drastically improve my crafting skill to repair the spear. I could abandon the necklace and take a monetary reward instead, but I needed that necklace.

With that necklace, I might be able to substitute it for the Goddess’s Emblem.

The Full Moon Necklace could serve as a replacement for the item I needed to break Laphne’s curse—the Goddess’s Pendant.

As I’d been making more items recently, I noticed a difference between this world and the game. For instance, in the game, combining Blacksteel and Soulstone could only create armor. But in this reality, I had managed to create a sword from those materials. The same went for Mary’s raincoat—using spirit stones in clothing wasn’t even a concept in the game.

If the same principles applied, I might be able to substitute the materials and create something equivalent to the Goddess’s Pendant.

And that’s where the Full Moon Necklace came in. It was a divine item, blessed by the Goddess, and its nature was similar to the royal treasure, the Goddess’s Emblem.

It was worth a shot.

“…So, Laphne, could I stay over for just one night?”

“…Huh? Wh-What do you mean by that?”

Laphne looked startled. But there was no other way.

I had only two days. I had to grind out my crafting skill overnight to make the repairs.

“…You mean, sleep over?”

I would need to pull an all-nighter to raise my skill level. Even though Laphne always wanted me to stay with her, I was worried that asking her so suddenly might upset her. After all, I was a guy asking to spend the night at her place…

“W-Wow! Really?! You’re really going to stay over? Yay!”

“Uh… you’re okay with it?”

“Yeah, totally! Stay as long as you like!”

Thankfully, Laphne grabbed my hands, overjoyed.