Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 23

After getting washed up and finishing breakfast, I noticed a large bundle sitting outside the window. It had to be the materials I ordered yesterday.

She really managed to gather all of this in just one night…

Anette must have been pretty desperate. The bundle contained orichalcum, dragon bones, pure gold, and several large, golden spirit stones.

No wonder she said I could name any price... This package alone must have cost a fortune.

There was even more than I’d requested, likely to cover any potential failures. The risk of failure was high for me, but it was even higher for Anette. She was probably hoping for a successful repair even more than I was. Of course, I had to succeed for the sake of getting the Full Moon Necklace.

"Ken… aren’t you going to leave? You’ll be late for the academy…"

Laphne’s voice broke through my concentration as she nervously watched me from the side. She clearly didn’t want me to go, but at the same time, she didn’t want me to get into trouble for being late.

"I’m taking the day off from the academy."

Repairing the Thunder Spear might even take more than a day. To make sure I had enough time, I had already arranged to skip the academy and Siegfried’s morning training for today.

"Huh? R-Really?"

Laphne, who had looked a bit disappointed earlier, brightened considerably after hearing this.

"Wow! This is the happiest I’ve been in a while! Thank you, Ken!"

She jumped up and hugged me tightly, bouncing up and down in excitement. Was she really that happy? Seeing her like this made me wonder if I should skip the academy more often.

Alright, let’s get started on the big stuff first.

I placed the broken Thunder Spear, Aspetra, on the workbench. Thanks to Anette’s generous supply of materials, I could afford a few mistakes. I recalled the countless repairs I’d done the previous night and started examining the spear closely.

The most important thing I’d learned was to tackle the largest broken part first, then move on to the smaller details. The most significant damage to the Thunder Spear was in its core—the central shaft. It was split clean in half.

I’ll need to replace the entire shaft first.

Luckily, the most critical part of this legendary item, the crystal embedded in the center of the blade, was still intact. The crystal, said to hold the power of thunder itself, was made from the heart of a Thunder Dragon. If it had been damaged, there would’ve been no way to repair it. But since it was fine, I could complete the repair by replacing the damaged parts.

The first step was to separate the broken shaft from the blade. While I could have attempted to mend the split shaft using some other method, Anette had asked for a perfect restoration. The only way to achieve that was by crafting a new shaft from the same materials.

Fortunately, the structure of the shaft was simple enough that I could replicate it with my current skill level. The only problem was...

...This rune design is insane.

The shaft was covered in a staggering number of runes, intricate and complex, like a circuit board. Just looking at the design made it clear how extraordinary this weapon was.

This is definitely going to take more than a few hours…

Recreating the runes wasn’t impossible since I only needed to copy the existing design, but it was going to require intense concentration and time.

Alright, let’s do this!

I grabbed the dragon bone and began crafting the new shaft.

Laphne had been sitting beside me for hours, silently watching as I carved the runes into the new shaft.

…It’s been five hours already.

Ken hadn’t taken his eyes off the work in front of him for even a moment. His concentration was unshakable. Laphne watched him with growing admiration.

…He’s amazing.

His serious expression, the focused glint in his eyes, the way his hands moved with such precision—it was something even Laphne, who knew little about crafting, could appreciate. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he worked.

She had always enjoyed watching him make things, but today, for some reason, seeing him so absorbed in his work made her heart race. She quietly stayed by his side, assisting when needed, completely unaware of the passage of time.

…Why didn’t I notice this about him before?

Her heart pounded as memories from the past began to surface. Laphne recalled how, a year ago, she had mocked and mistreated Ken.

"...Ugh."

Those memories were now a painful reminder of her dark past, something she wished she could erase. Every time they resurfaced, she felt a wave of regret and shame wash over her. No matter how much she tried to forget, the image of Ken’s frightened face when she’d been cruel to him wouldn’t leave her mind.

Does Ken ever think about those times?

She clutched her chest as she watched his side profile, the memories of her nightmare still fresh. It wasn’t just last night—every time she had a nightmare, it was the same. In her dreams, Ken was always angry with her, accusing her of her past behavior before walking out of her life. The dreams always ended with her being left alone.

...I’m so selfish.

Even though she knew it was her fault, what scared her the most was the thought of being abandoned. That was why she shamelessly asked Ken to stay by her side. It was a constant source of guilt that weighed on her heart.

"...Phew! Finally finished!"

Ken wiped the sweat from his forehead, having completed the shaft’s runes.

"Hey, Laphne, could you pass me the finishing materials?"

"Uh, sure…!"

"…Laphne?"

Ken, who had been lost in his work, finally looked over and saw that Laphne was crying.

"Huh? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?"

"N-No, it’s nothing. I’m sorry, Ken. Here’s the finishing material."

Is she really okay?

Although she was crying, she still responded to me coherently, so I decided not to press the issue. Laphne had always been emotional, and it probably wasn’t anything serious. I shrugged it off for now.

Just one more piece to assemble!

I had no idea how long I’d been working, but by the time I looked up, night had fallen. I had spent the entire day repairing the spear. The task that took the most time was copying the runes onto the new shaft. I’d even ruined a few materials along the way due to mistakes, but in the end, I did it.

All that remained was replacing the cracked blade. Carefully, I began assembling the newly forged orichalcum blade, hammering the joints into place and sanding down any misaligned parts.

As I finished the last bit of polishing, a notification appeared in front of me.

[System: You have successfully completed the repair of a high-rank weapon. Bonus experience granted for the new achievement.]

[System: Crafting proficiency has reached its maximum. Related skills have leveled up.]

[Crafting – Repair LV 4, Material Identification LV 2]

"I-I did it!"

The status window and the gleaming, fully restored Thunder Spear appeared before me.

This is… an incredible moment!

I had worked non-stop for over ten hours, skipping meals and barely taking breaks. My eyes were dry, and my hands trembled, but all the fatigue melted away in the face of the overwhelming sense of accomplishment. This wasn’t something I had made from scratch, but it was still a masterpiece that I had restored with my own hands. The satisfaction alone made the effort worth it.

The Thunder Spear no longer looked like a broken relic—it was now restored to its original, godly form. Faint yellow lightning flickered along its surface, its divine power almost palpable.

"Ken! Are you crying? Are you hurt?"

"N-No, these are tears of joy."

"Oh, um… so you’re not hurt?"

Laphne looked flustered as she watched me tear up over the restored spear. I wasn’t crying out of sadness—it was pure joy. But Laphne seemed unsure of how to react.

"It’s okay, don’t cry, Ken."

Just like I had done for her before, Laphne hugged me and gently patted my head.

"L-Laphne…? No, really, I’m not sad…"

"Really?"

She must have been trying to comfort me, remembering how I’d comforted her before. Even after I explained, she didn’t let go for a while.

"If something really sad happens next time, I’ll be here for you."

Her touch was gentler than usual. Was this related to her crying earlier? The warmth that started at the tip of my nose quickly spread across my face, leaving me flustered.

…Huh?

As I blushed under Laphne’s embrace, another status window popped up in front of me.

[System: The perfect repair of the Divine Thunder Spear Aspetra has saved its data in the category for weapons.]

Visit freewёbnoνel.com for the best novel reading experience.

Wait… It’s saved in the category? Does that mean…

My thoughts raced. Could I… make it? Could I recreate a legendary weapon that had never been crafted, even in the game?

I glanced over at the leftover materials from the Thunder Spear’s repair, generously provided by Anette.

But… I don’t have the Thunder Dragon’s heart core…

The fact that the weapon data had been saved meant that if I had the materials, I could theoretically recreate it. But the most critical component, the Thunder Dragon’s heart, was irreplaceable.

...Or is it?

A thought began to take root in my mind. It was the same logic I used when crafting the Goddess’s Pendant.

If I could use a substitute material…

My eyes landed on the massive golden spirit stone. This stone, used as the energy source for the spear, was similar to the Thunder Dragon’s heart in that it contained pure energy. While the power output was vastly different, it was still worth a try.

It’s worth a shot.

With my mind made up, I grabbed my hammer again.

"Ken…? You’re not done?"

"Sorry, Laphne. I’m going to need to stay one more night."

"Huh? Oh… okay?"

I wanted to try making it while the feeling of the spear’s restoration was still fresh in my hands. Without looking back, I started processing the dragon bone for another shaft, while Laphne watched in confusion.