Cursed Villainess' Obsession-Chapter 24

"...It actually worked," I muttered to myself in a dazed state, physically and mentally exhausted.

I had spent an entire night without a moment's rest, finally completing the task. That too, at a pace accelerated by my skills. In reality, without the help of these skills, this would have taken years to accomplish.

The physical toll was immense.

I squinted at the status window with half-lidded eyes.

'...A rank down, that makes sense. But... it disintegrates after one use?'

What I had created was a replica, replacing the core— the Thunder Dragon's Crystal Orb— with a golden spirit stone.

So, it was expected that the rank would drop.

But it disintegrates after one use...?

Does that mean it's a one-time-use weapon?

'Well, considering the design of the rune inscriptions, it makes sense. The sheer energy unleashed in one attack...'

With the Thunder Dragon's Crystal Orb, the original could withstand multiple uses, thanks to its unlimited energy. However, since I had substituted a spirit stone, the design, while mimicking the original, was inferior and clumsy.

The spear wouldn't survive after just one use.

'Still, this is a huge win.'

The spear would definitely come in handy at some point.

I looked at the two Thunder Spears before me, which looked identical, then tucked them into my dimensional pocket.

Afterward, I gently moved Laphne to the bed and collapsed into sleep myself.

...

"To think you finished in just two days! Excellent work, Ken Feinstein!"

On the promised day, Anette walked into the room, beaming with satisfaction after hearing my report.

"Now, let’s see the Aspetra!"

"Before that, how about you hand over the payment first?"

I confidently extended my hand toward Anette.

It was only natural.

After all, I was surrounded by several well-built men. If I handed over the spear first and she kept silent, all my efforts would have been for nothing.

"Fine, fine. You’re more shrewd than you look," Anette muttered, rolling her eyes before pulling off her necklace.

The necklace she held out was unmistakably the Full Moon Necklace I remembered.

I took it from her.

"It's a precious item. Under normal circumstances, making a trade like this would be out of the question..."

"...This is a fake, though."

"..."

As soon as I took the necklace, I scanned it with my Material Identification skill.

The result? A cheap imitation made from ordinary metal.

"Heh... as expected of a master capable of repairing divine weapons. It was just a little joke... you know, for fun," Anette laughed nervously, crossing her arms, though the sweat dripping down her face and her twitching fingers gave her away.

It was obvious she was anxious.

I was really glad I had double-checked.

Given her tendency to shift blame onto others in the game, pulling off a scam like this would be easy for her.

"I'm afraid I can't accept that. My payment isn’t just for repairing the spear."

"Hmph."

"Don't forget, you're also paying to keep me quiet. If you give me another fake, I'll personally take this matter to the head of the Arnora family."

"I-I already told you it was just a joke! Geez, you’re a tough one to fool around with," she said, clearly frustrated.

After grumbling for a bit, Anette finally pulled out the real necklace from her pocket, her hands trembling as she handed it over.

"Ugh, what am I going to tell Father about this..."

Without hesitation, I snatched the necklace from her hands.

This time, after checking it, I confirmed it was genuine.

'Nice!'

Yes! I had obtained the Full Moon Necklace!

It felt like the kind of moment when you'd spin around and proudly show off your loot with a triumphant fanfare.

Satisfied, I pulled the Aspetra from my dimensional pocket and handed it over to Anette.

"Oh! This is magnificent! Honestly, I was half-expecting you to fail, but this has exceeded my expectations. Well done, Ken!"

Anette’s face lit up with satisfaction as she inspected the spear.

It seemed that giving up the necklace had been worth it.

Well, I did pour my heart and soul into repairing it through a sleepless night.

Feeling rather proud of myself, I shrugged with confidence.

"By the way, the Full Moon Necklace may be valuable, but why do you need it? It’s not exactly something you can easily sell."

Anette hugged the spear closely, looking curious.

Well, her curiosity was understandable.

The Full Moon Necklace was more symbolic than useful in terms of its abilities.

"Ah, well... There’s a girl I want to give it to as a gift," I replied, deflecting with a half-truth.

"Heh, so you’re going to give a necklace to a girl that you took from another girl? You really are quite the scoundrel."

"That’s a dangerous statement that could lead to serious misunderstandings..."

"Ah, I see. After I’ve been used up and discarded, you’ll take even my precious belongings..." she teased.

"Again, that’s a very misleading statement!"

Anette pretended to wipe away tears in a melodramatic fashion, but her teasing made it clear she was just having fun.

Still, facts are facts.

I didn’t steal it; I earned it through a legitimate deal.

"Anyway, Ken, you've certainly surprised me. How about working for the student council?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I think that’s a bit beyond my abilities."

"I wasn’t joking. I’m genuinely impressed by capable men," she said with a seductive smile, standing up and moving closer to me.

Then, she leaned in, brushing her lips near my ear.

"Next time, let’s trade something a bit more... mature."

"What?!"

I jumped back in shock, startled by her soft whisper and the sensation of something pressing against my shoulder.

"Ahaha! You’re fun to tease, Ken," she laughed, clearly enjoying my reaction.

"See you around, Ken Feinstein."

And with that, Anette Nel Arnora’s repair request was successfully completed.

"Why did the student council call you? You even missed class yesterday."

As soon as I returned to school, Mary came running up to me, clearly concerned.

"It was nothing serious! Everything’s fine now."

"Well, I’m glad to hear that..."

She must have seen me being dragged away by Anette that day. Knowing it was student council business probably kept her from worrying too much, but missing class without saying anything clearly bothered her.

Mary puffed her cheeks slightly, showing her dissatisfaction.

"Still, if anything’s going on, I hope you’ll rely on me."

"Next time, I definitely will."

Since keeping things secret was part of the deal with Anette, I couldn’t explain the details to Mary.

"See you later, Ken."

After making sure I was okay, Mary gave a small wave and left the room.

Seeing her made Ken's heart flutter, and he eagerly waved back, reflecting on how fond he was of Mary.

'Anyway, I’m one step closer to the Goddess's Pendant.'

Obtaining the key to crafting the pendant had been an unexpected surprise.

By creating the imitation Thunder Spear, I’d proven that even without the exact materials, I could craft something with similar effects using substitutes.

If that’s the case, the Full Moon Necklace should be able to replace the Goddess's Pendant.

'Now, I just need one more thing...'

[Pure Mana Crystal]

I could likely get it in the upcoming event.

As I prepared for class, I hummed to myself, thinking about how I was getting closer to breaking Laphne’s curse.

"...Hey."

A quiet voice called out from behind me.

I knew that voice.

My body tensed reflexively, conditioned by countless training sessions to recognize it.

My heart began to race.

Turning my head, I saw the owner of the voice.

"I’ve got something to ask you."

It was Emily Ephiris.

"...W-What is it?"

Emily stood with her arms crossed, looking at me.

After all the torment I had endured from her, I instinctively grew nervous.

But today, something felt different.

Her usual sly, mocking smile was absent.

Instead, she seemed... hesitant, as if she was carefully choosing her words.

What could she possibly want to ask?

"You and Mary Hydia... what’s your relationship?"

Her question was completely unexpected.

More than that, I couldn’t even understand why she was asking.

What kind of question was that?

What could she possibly mean?

"M-Mary and I? We’re just friends," I replied, confused.

That answer didn’t seem to satisfy her, so she pressed further.

"...Friends? So, you’re not dating?"

"Me? No, of course not."

"I-I see. It’s just that you two were together at the festival recently..."

She seemed oddly insistent on the matter.

But dating Mary? No, that’s ridiculous.

Was it possible that just attending a festival together implied something more?

Well, considering Adrian and Emily had walked around together, maybe people might misunderstand.

But this kind of confusion could cause trouble for Mary. I had to clear things up.

"It was just a coincidence that I had two tickets for the tournament, so I invited Mary. We just watched it together and looked around the festival a bit."

"Yeah, but why Mary? There are plenty of other people you could have invited."

"There was... no one else available."

"...Ah."

Emily seemed to accept that explanation, but somehow, I felt a little guilty.

Still, her tense expression finally relaxed, and she returned to her usual self.

"...Phew."

Although, her “usual self” was still not exactly what I’d call comforting.

"Haha, I see. So that’s what it was."

Emily laughed, seeming relieved for some reason.

"I mean, there’s no way someone like Mary Hydia would date a guy like you. Haha."

And just like that, her mischievous grin returned, as if she was back to her usual self, enjoying teasing me.

"You and Mary? Now that’s a funny combination, don’t you think?"

She gave me a playful pat on the shoulder, clearly in a much better mood.

Well, she wasn’t wrong, but...

'...Wait, what?'

At that moment, a status window appeared in front of me.

[Ken Feinstein’s immersion level is increasing.]

[System: Due to 'Mental Fortitude LV 2,' Ken's immersion is being managed.]

'...My immersion level is rising?'

Usually, Ken's immersion level only went up when he was with Mary or being harassed by Emily.

So why was it increasing now?

"Haha, is there even a woman out there who would want to be with you?"

[Ken Feinstein’s immersion level is increasing.]

'Wait a second...'

"I mean, maybe, just maybe, I’d go out with you for a joke, but not Mary. Haha."

"N-No, that's..."

[Ken Feinstein’s immersion level is increasing.]

The cause was clear now.

Each mocking word from Emily raised Ken's immersion level, and the 'Mental Fortitude' skill kept trying to manage it.

"Mary’s definitely not the type to like a guy like you, after all."

[Ken Feinstein’s immersion level is increasing.]

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Whenever Mary was mentioned, his immersion shot up even faster.

A sense of unease washed over me.

I wondered if I should stop Emily from talking.

She leaned closer and lightly pinched my cheek. It didn’t hurt, but it felt humiliating.

"So, why don’t you just give up?"

[Ken Feinstein’s immersion level is increasing.]

"Like, the festival too— you’re kind of naive, huh? You might’ve gotten the wrong idea and ended up hurt."

"Uh, Emily, I..."

[Ken Feinstein’s immersion level is increasing.]

"I don’t really like people who lead others on. You know, like a fox. It’s just not my style."

[Ken Feinstein’s immersion level is increasing.]

"So next time, don’t offer anything to Mary. She might misunderstand again."

[Ken Feinstein’s immersion level is increasing.]

She pressed her face close to mine, poking my cheek as she spoke in a teasing tone.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she looked at me with her usual sadistic smile.

"And if you ever need someone to go with, you can ask me. I might just tag along... sometimes."

With that, the status window lit up.

[System: ‘Mental Fortitude LV 2’ has reached its limit.]

'Damn it...'

"Hey..."

[Ken Feinstein’s immersion level is increasing.]

I felt control over my body slip away.

My lips moved on their own, but not by my will.

"Am I insane? Why would I ever ask a girl like you?"

Those words weren’t mine.

They were Ken Feinstein’s.