The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Wiener tried to pull his hand back, but Rikka grabbed it with both hands, preventing him from moving it away.

"Uh... Shall we go back first?" Vena suggested in a consultative tone.

Rikka nodded.

-----------------

If Rikka is relegated to playing in ranking matches, then what good deeds is Felix, the original owner, up to?

Normally, Felix would only send Rikka to fight in his place when he encountered an uninteresting opponent, but he would always be there to oversee the battle from a distance.

But today is different.

After shooing Rikka out, the right to use the Musou Blade fell back into Felix's hands.

"Ya-hey!"

Felix specially set aside a large open space in the workshop to ensure that every move could be executed without restraint.

As he swung his arms with all his might, the peerless sword rang out with a deafening roar as if the air was being torn apart.

Meanwhile, Felix's stamina was being rapidly depleted, and in no time, his forehead was covered in sweat.

"Phew, it's still too heavy."

Felix gripped the hilt of the Peerless Blade with one hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the other, when he suddenly heard the door open.

"No way, why are you back so early?"

Felix was unaware that Wiener had forfeited the remaining matches and returned to his dormitory early.

While frantically restoring the workshop's furnishings, he tripped over the Peerless Blade on the ground.

Upon opening the door, she found Felix sprawled on all fours in front of her. Vena couldn't help but say, "...No need for formalities."

"You didn't even help to help, and you're just making sarcastic remarks."

Felix pushed himself up from the ground and then dusted himself off.

"That's still better than you hiding at home and secretly playing with Rikka's Musou Blade, isn't it?" Vena said helplessly.

Any weapon he crafted that he didn't carry with him would become Felix's toy.

Moreover, this wasn't the first time he had caught Felix playing with other weapons.

One night, Wiener got up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water. As soon as he opened the door, he saw a burst of cold light coming towards him, which frightened him so much that he thought Felix had also started killing people in his sleep.

“How can this be considered stealing? I spoke to it beforehand and lent it my days and nights. This is more like an exchange,” Felix argued.

"Whatever you say."

Since she herself had benefited from ranked tournament substitutions, Viner naturally wouldn't be hypocritical and criticize Felix for using a substitute.

It's fortunate that Felix wasn't crazy enough to let Rikka use the Musou Blade in the ranking matches, as that would have severely damaged Felix's image in the eyes of his classmates.

Vena entered the workshop, gently placed the weapon case on the table, and slowly unfolded it. Then, she picked out a piece of the thief's armor from the chestplate and examined it closely in her hand.

"You are hurt?!"

This action was quickly noticed by Felix.

"No, it's just that the Thief's Armor got a minor scratch." Vina shook her head slightly, her tone calm. "I'll polish it again later."

The battle with Sigurd served as a wake-up call for him.

As the opponent's strength increases, the Thief's Armor's defensive capabilities no longer seem so absolute.

"Who did this?" Felix clenched his fist, striking a pose as if he were going to avenge Vina.

“Sigurd,” Viner replied.

Felix vaguely remembered the name. "So it was that annoying guy."

"you know?"

“We played each other once in a ranking match,” Felix said angrily. “That guy talks too much and always looks down on people, so I taught him a lesson. I should have gone harder.”

Felix used the word "lesson" instead of "win," clearly indicating that he did not consider this disrespectful fellow an equal opponent.

“Vina, don’t worry, I will definitely help you get revenge,” Felix assured him, patting his chest.

“No need, Rikka has already made her move,” Viner said, shaking her head.

"Really?" Hearing Vena's words, Felix was even happier than if he had been praised himself, and he raised Rikka in one go.

"Not bad, Rikka. As expected of... eh?"

Felix made a puzzled sound, seemingly unable to understand why Rikka was being praised while he was the one being patted on the head.

Chapter 228 Divine Spear

Rikka continued to rub Felix's head repeatedly.

Felix's confusion deepened.

“Ahem,” Viner coughed, drawing Felix’s attention back.

It's not good for Felix to think too much about who taught Rikka to touch someone's head.

“I’ve decided what kind of sword I want to make for you,” Vena said.

"Huh?! Really?!" Felix was still as naive as ever, immediately putting aside the question he had been pondering just a second ago.

"Tell me quickly, what is it like?"

Felix swiftly escaped from Rikka's grasp, grabbed Venus's hand, and asked excitedly.

Suddenly losing her target, Rikka could only turn her attention to the kitten that had just peeked out from Felix's room.

Big Flower: "Meow?"

It seems a cat is suffering for Felix.

“This was inspired by my duel with Sigurd today.” Venere handed Felix a piece of the thief's sword armor and asked, “Tell me, is this armor or…?”

“It’s a sword,” Felix answered without hesitation.

This unconventional response effectively shut down Wiener's prepared explanation.

"...Look, this thief's armor can be worn directly on the body like armor to protect the user, so it's more like—"

“It is a sword,” Felix affirmed again. “No matter how similar it may be, it is still just a similarity.”

"Alright, alright, the sword it is."

Faced with Felix, who was unreasonable and relied solely on intuition, Wiener had no choice but to concede defeat.

"The Thief's Blade Armor possesses the dual attributes of both a sword and armor, making it difficult for weapons with a single effect to effectively counter it."

"Based on this conclusion, we can then create more imaginative weapons."

"For example, if you combine a sword and a shield, they are a sword and shield separately, and a giant axe when combined; the sword, shield, and axe form a perfect trinity—it's simply flawless!"

“I don’t want an axe, I want a sword,” Felix immediately interrupted.

“This thing is a sword too,” Viner tried to persuade.

“If it can be used with an axe, how can it be considered a sword!” Felix retorted.

He has a special kind of persistence.

“The axe is just one form of it; you can use it simply as a sword and shield.” Werner remained confident in his design.

"No way!" Felix shook his head faster than a rattle-drum.

“Give me a moment to think,” Viner said, placing her right hand on her forehead and pressing her temples back and forth. After a while, she smiled wryly and said, “So you mean it’s okay to pair it with anything, just not with an axe, right?”

“Yes.” Felix nodded firmly, then looked at Vina with sparkling eyes.

If it were anyone else being so picky, Wiener would have quit long ago, but what can you do when it's Felix?

Wiener stood up and paced back and forth in front of the not-so-wide workbench, when finally a flash of inspiration struck him.

"I know what to do."

He then ignored Felix and quickly ran to the pile of materials to select some.

Seeing that Venus had already made up his mind, Felix stopped talking and waited silently.

The amount of ore that Wiener selected this time was not large, but the quality was extremely high.

As the furnace roared to life, Venere slowly placed the selected ore into the furnace. The flames licked the cold ore, enveloping it in intense heat and slowly melting it.

Wiener poured the molten iron from various ores into a mold, waited for it to cool into strips, and then clamped it with tongs.

Then he swung the forging hammer again, each strike accompanied by a heavy thud.

The crimson metal block, after repeated forging, slowly began to take shape, transforming into a short, uniform, and tough sword blank.

Wiener carefully placed the sword blank into the quenching barrel.

"Wow—"

A ball of flame instantly appeared on the sword blank. After the flame subsided, Wiener placed the shaped sword blank on the workbench and let it cool naturally.

“Felix, close your eyes,” Viner said.

"Oh." Although he didn't know why, Felix's body complied.

The instant Felix closed his eyes, Venere quickly pulled a small knife from the table, made a cut on his wrist, and blood slowly dripped from his fingertips onto the short sword.

After the sword embryo came into contact with Vina's blood, it seemed to be covered with a layer of silver.

Felix sniffed, as if he smelled something, then suddenly opened his eyes. "Wait a minute, why do you want me to close my eyes?"

“Of course, it’s a surprise for you.” Vena tossed the short sword to Felix and then put her cut hand behind her back.

Felix, whose attention was drawn to the dagger, indeed failed to notice Venus's subtle movements.

"This sword..."

Felix caught the dagger and found that its length was in an extremely delicate range.

Too short as a one-handed sword, too long as a dagger; even Felix couldn't understand the purpose behind it.

"Hehe, don't understand how to use it?"

Wiener dried his hands with a clean towel, took the short sword back from Felix's hand, and demonstrated it to him in an open area.

"Shoot him, sharpshooter!"

At Venere's command, the short sword, which was originally only sixty centimeters long, suddenly extended.

As Wiener repeatedly retracted and thrust out, the sword blade also extended and retracted accordingly, as if it were a spear continuously thrusting.

"How about it, do you understand?"

After the demonstration, Wiener returned the short sword, which had reverted to its original form, to Felix.

"This sword is called 'Divine Spear.' Don't be fooled by its small size; it can actually change the length of the blade at will. It can also be used as a spear."

"Wow, that's amazing! Let me try it!" Felix said eagerly.

"It was originally made for you, so feel free to try it out. But until you've mastered it, never point the tip of the sword at anyone," Viner cautioned.

"I know, I know, do you think I'm some immature child?" Felix said nonchalantly.

If I can't point it at people, then I'll just point it at the ceiling, Felix thought.

He then pointed the sharpshooter directly at the ceiling and shouted, "Shoot him, sharpshooter!"

"Snapped!"

The length of the divine spear could extend instantly without restriction, piercing a large hole in the ceiling in a flash.

Felix, who was directly below the hole, also fared poorly, getting covered in dust and gravel like rain.

"Remember to patch up the hole in the roof later," Viner said quietly.

-----------------

"Sharpshooter:"

Weapon type: Sword