CH415

At the day’s end, Ben found himself slumped over a desk, feeling every bit of his defeat.

I can’t believe I couldn’t make a legendary item. Why couldn’t I make a legendary item? I have the skill, I have the technique, and I have so many freaking skill rings to try and make it possible! How freaking big is that gap?

<Impossibly so. There’s a reason that we only see people who can make them consistently once every thousand years. Hell, if we’re being honest then the fact that you exist at the same time as your teacher is already a blessing. Just be patient, if anyone is going to get there eventually, it’s you.>

His god meant it too. He didn’t have a doubt in his mind that Ben would one day break the boundary to create a new legendary item, and from there he was bound to flood the world with them in his ongoing quest to create all he could. He and every other god Ben knew had grown aware of this fact, and he knew that there were many other crafting gods keeping an eye on his apostle for that exact same reason. Everyone wanted to see it happen.

Ben for his part was unaware of the level of confidence that others had in the inevitably of the act, so he took his god’s words for exactly what they seemed to be; motivation.

Thanks Myriad, and you’re right. I’m not going to let a bit of failure keep me from achieving all of my goals. Hell, this isn’t even failure. I’ve been consistently making high ultra-rare items all day. This is an absolute success, I just aimed a little too high when I still need to practice using my awakened skills more.

<That’s the spirit. You’ll have it before you know it, just you wait.>

Feeling in a better frame of mind, Ben sat up, catching his teacher as he was packing up and preparing to head out for the night.

“Hey Falk, if you don’t have plans then let’s grab a bite, on me. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Boy, if there’s something on your mind then we had all day.”

“Yeah, but I needed to see what I was capable of today. Now that that’s done I have time for other things.”

“Ha, I suppose I understand. Fine, some food would do me good and I wouldn’t mind seeing the niece a bit after everything that’s happened.”

“Er, it’s a bit of a private talk I’m aiming for Falk, let’s go to a restaurant instead, come on.”

Before the yeti could ask more, Ben was already dragging him out, forcing them through the streets until they made it to what was a reasonably empty place given the time and took their seats as they waited to order.

It was only as they were left waiting for their food that Falk focused in on him again, wanting to know just what that was all leading up to.

“Falk, I know I don’t say this enough, but I’m thankful for all you’ve done for me,” Ben started. “Even if you didn’t want to at first, you’ve been teaching me diligently these last few years and helped me grow into the craftsman I currently am. I wouldn’t have the skill I currently do without you, and the fact that it’s thanks to you I met Thera is another thing I owe you a lot. You’re someone incredibly important to me.”

He hadn’t known what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t that. As Ben finished saying his piece, the yeti could only scratch his head, not knowing how to respond, only for Ben to speak up again before he got the chance.

“I’m also grateful to Sonya,” He went on. “She’s been giving me a far nicer place to stay than the inn I started at, she’s treated plenty of my wounds when I’ve needed it and all in all has given me nothing but stability and treated me like family. Between you, her, and Thera, you’re all some of the most important people on the planet to me, so I really want to try and help her be happy, don’t you?”

“What? Of course I do, boy. She’s one of my oldest friends, why wouldn’t I want her to be happy?”

“Then why have you been completely ignoring her feelings?”

His teacher just gave him a confused look, leaving Ben to mutter to himself.

“I know you’re not that dumb.”

“Hey, watch it boy-”

“Are you really going to tell me you don’t know that Sonya is in love with you?”

As the words left his mouth, Falk completely froze, not sure how he was supposed to react to what Ben just said.

“Wait, no, no you can’t be serious,” Ben complained. “Did you really not know? How could you not know?”

“Hold up a minute, it isn’t like that,” Falk said, grasping his head as he did. “I’ll admit, I’ve found myself suspecting as much every now and then, but boy, I’ve known her for years, decades at this point. Sure, I’ve occasionally thought that maybe she felt somethin’ a bit more than platonic, but she’s never brought it up, I’ve just been assuming that I wasn’t reading her well. Hell, what makes you think you’re right about this?”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“It’s not thinking, I am right. One hundred percent positive. This is an open secret that literally everyone else is aware of and honestly the fact that you really didn’t know has thrown me off a bit,” Ben complained as he reevaluated how he was trying to direct the conversation. “So now that you know, how do you feel about her? Should I assume that since nothing’s happened after all of these years she doesn’t have a chance? Is it just a matter of you two being too physically different, because if that’s the case it’s fine, but you really do need to actually talk with her.”

Ben was sure there were better ways to do this, but he wanted to be blunt about it. This was a one-sided affection that had gone on for years at this point. It was Falk’s choice if he wasn’t interested, that was fine, but Ben genuinely believed that Sonya deserved to hear it for a chance to move on with her life.