CH570

Before the man could answer, the ground around them rose up, trapping him within it and freeing Ben from his grasp as he turned to his lovely girlfriend who had only just noticed what was going on.

“Ah, Thera, it’s okay! That was my fault, he’s fine!”

She didn’t look like she fully believed it as she walked over, done with the now very scared-looking official who’d just seen her casually use her power before freeing the man from the stone that trapped him.

“Ben, you really can’t just be making enemies constantly. You know that, right?”

“Hey now, I barely have anyone I’d call an enemy.”

“Sure, but two of them are in some pretty high places,” She sighed before pointedly glancing to the sky which Ben returned with a smile.

“Okay, well I haven’t made more. Thera, meet Mister get to the point, I’d just given him an offer to try and repair his sword.”

“And I must remind you that you’re supposed to be on vacation.”

He could see in her eyes that his girlfriend was at least semi-serious, leaving him with a single option. Begging.

“Please please please,” He asked, getting on his knees as the swordsman looked on. “This is probably the coolest sword I’ve ever seen and I’ll never get to work on something like this ever again if I give up this chance now. I’m so well rested and my mental state couldn’t be better and there’s still a week after this for relaxing too so I’ll be fine.”

“Huu, fine, but I’m trusting you to properly judge yourself here Ben. If you work yourself to exhaustion then I’m going to be hearing about it from Anailia.”

“What? Why?”

“Because she asked me to specifically make sure you don’t do that when this was all being planned, Mister resource.”

“Got it, I’m too useful to work myself to an early grave. Don’t worry, I’ll be good.”

“Ahem, do I get any say in this?” The swordsman finally spoke up, having the sense to wait for a break in the conversation after Thera had so easily handled him, even if the question left her looking at the man like he was an idiot.

“What, are you really going to turn down the offer of a master craftsman with a sword that looks like that?”

“Well-”

“Let’s cut to the chase,” She told him, steamrolling over anything he might say. “You will be participating in the next wave, correct?”

“Of course!”

“So you intend to fight in a battle where the lives of yourself, the people you’re fighting with, and the entire world are at stake using a sword like that? Something that even a complete amateur could see is in a terrible state?”

“Uh-”

“Of course not, that would obviously be idiotic. So rather than fight against the obvious outcome here, just give in and let Ben help you out.”

The author’s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.