Chapter 42

[42] Oppa, Guess What I Made This From?

It wasn’t until my fifth day staying at Rokan’s lair that I finally made a full recovery.

At first, I’d vaguely hoped I’d recover in a day or two and be able to go home right away, but my recovery was slower than I expected.

Looking back, part of the reason I’d thought that was because I’d expected too much from Rokan.

Even though my condition had been so bad because I’d overused the Dragon Speech, I’d thought his healing magic would have me back to normal in no time.

“But if it took this long to recover… then my condition really was that serious, wasn’t it?”

I changed out of my hospital gown and back into the clothes I’d arrived in, then asked Rokan, who was standing beside me.

“It was serious, yes, but it was also an extremely rare case. You collapsed after overusing the Dragon Speech, so you couldn’t use it to help yourself. And since it wasn’t a simple physical injury, healing magic had its limits.”

Hearing that, I realized all over again just how bad my condition had been.

Anyway.

Now that I’d recovered, all that was left was to return to my daily routine, grow stronger, and alternate between training and clearing Gates.

Even if I’d only used it imperfectly, I’d managed to use the Dragon Speech at least once. I could consider that a major hurdle overcome.

My heart raced at the thought of seeing how much I’d grown.

“But I couldn’t repair it perfectly. At best, it’ll probably have about sixty percent of its former power.”

“I see…”

Even at sixty percent, considering the Dragon Bone Sword’s original power, it was still objectively impressive. But I couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

Should I keep using it like this?

After all the care he’d put into repairing it, it would feel pretty shameless to immediately ask, “Could you just give me a new sword instead?”

“Sir Rokan, what about my sword, by the way?”

I’d forgotten about the Dragon Bone Sword I’d left with him.

It had been so badly damaged that even Rokan hadn’t been sure he could restore it to its former condition. I wondered how it had turned out.

“I did the best I could.”

Rokan took my Dragon Bone Sword out of his subspace.

At a glance, it looked exactly as it had before it was damaged. But from Rokan’s tone, I could tell it hadn’t been fully repaired.

I considered asking Sia if she had another Dragon Bone Sword to spare…but then I realized that would be just as inconsiderate.

I’d broken the sword she’d gone to all the trouble of giving me, and now I’d be asking, “Do you have another one?” If I were Sia, I’d be upset, too.

While I was lost in thought, Sia called.

“Hello?”

As soon as I answered, her face appeared on the monitor.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but she looked a lot more haggard than before.

[Good morning, Oppa! How are you feeling today? Are you okay?]

Since my recovery had taken longer than expected, Sia had been very worried about me.

Was that why she looked so worn out, with such dark circles under her eyes?

“Grandpa says I’m okay now. I’m all better, so he says I can go home.”

[Whew, that’s a relief. Your health comes first, so make sure you take care of yourself, okay?]

Just hearing her words made me feel stronger.

[And, Oppa, I prepared a little present to celebrate your discharge.]

“A present?”

[Yeah. I bet you’ll be surprised.]

I didn’t know what she’d prepared, but Sia was already beaming, as if she couldn’t wait to see my reaction.

[Grandpa’s there with you, right?]

“Yeah, he’s right beside me.”

[Then ask him to give you the present I made.]

Before I could say anything, Rokan, who’d heard the whole conversation, took something out of his subspace.

“…A sword?”

[It’s a Dragon Bone Sword! Grandpa told me. He said the sword you were using broke. Why didn’t you tell me?]

I’d asked Rokan to keep it from Sia, but it seemed he’d told her everything.

I turned to look at Rokan. He met my gaze and gave a hearty laugh.

“That’s not something you need to hide. Neither of us is unfamiliar with Shasha’s personality. Do you really think she’d be upset over one broken sword?”

“I suppose you’re right…”

Still, if I could, I’d wanted to resolve the problem with Rokan before Sia found out.

“Since it happened anyway, I made one myself. What do you think?”

A sword Sia had made herself.

I took it from Rokan and examined it closely.

My first impression was that this new Dragon Bone Sword looked even more carefully crafted than the one I’d used before.

The previous sword had been quite elegant, but this one looked like it had been made with even greater attention to detail.

The scabbard alone showed that, and the blade seemed to have been sharpened even more finely than the last one.

Maybe the previous sword had been made by another dragon, while this one had been made by Sia herself, just for me.

And there was one more thing.

Maybe because it was a gift Sia had made for me, my initials were engraved in large letters on the hilt.

Not just my initials, either. The maker’s name—Sia’s—was engraved alongside them.

It seemed she wanted everyone, including me, to know she’d made the sword.

I understood the sentiment, but wasn’t this a little too much?

‘Wait.’

As I examined the sword, I noticed an ornament on the other side of the hilt.

[What do you think, Oppa?]

There, just as large and finely detailed as the initials I’d seen a moment ago…

Were carvings of Sia and me.

“Sia, what is this…?”

[You remembered! I carved it based on a picture from our first date. Do you like it?]

No wonder it looked familiar.

I would’ve preferred it if she’d carved it somewhere other than on a sword. Seeing a carving like that on a weapon gave me a bit of cognitive dissonance.

Just looking at it, you might think it was a decorative sword rather than one meant to be used.

“Yeah. It’ll be a special gift.”

Still, Sia had carved it with me in mind. I couldn’t say I disliked it.

It felt a little awkward, but I could feel her love in every detail, and I liked that.

[I’m glad you like it. And, Oppa, this is the most important part.]

After pausing for a moment, Sia made a shocking announcement that didn’t match her innocent smile at all.

[It’s made from my bones!]

“…?!”

For a moment, I nearly dropped the sword in shock.

I must have heard her wrong. Right? Surely that was it.

Rokan had said I’d recovered, but maybe the aftereffects had left me with some hearing trouble.

“Sia… what did you say?”

[It’s a sword made from my bones!]

Ah.

I hadn’t misheard her.

…A bone sword?

I’d heard that Dragon Bone Swords were made from dragon bones.

Sia was a dragon, and…

So Sia had made a sword with her own bones?

Not with the bones of some dead dragon?

Come to think of it, Rokan had once told me:

“Every now and then, one of our kind takes up the hobby of carving their own bones into a sword. You don’t need to worry about it.”

At the time, I couldn’t understand it from a human perspective, but I’d just thought, “Well, I guess that’s a thing,” and moved on.

I didn’t think it had anything to do with me.

But now that it did, the story was different.

Sure, the sword I’d used before had been made from some dragon’s bones, but that hadn’t bothered me much.

But a sword made from my girlfriend’s bones was a little…

I wasn’t some kind of psychopath.

[I tried to improve on your old sword in both performance and design. Since I was making one anyway, I thought I should make the best one possible, so I put a lot of effort into it. What do you think? Do you like it?]

“I’m… shocked.”

For a moment, I nearly let the wrong words slip out.

But the answer I was going to give had been decided from the start.

[Hm? What was that, Oppa?]

“I said I’m shocked by how much I… like it. Thank you. I’ll take good care of it.”

When Sia asked, I managed to muddle through an answer.

At first, I’d liked the sword, but learning the uncomfortable truth had made my mind go blank.

But I couldn’t exactly tell her I didn’t like it.

Right. This was what they called a white lie.

Maybe she didn’t realize I’d lied, because Sia’s eyes sparkled as she said she was glad I liked it.

[Oh, Oppa. Since I made you one, should I make a matching sword for myself, too?]

“A matching… sword?”

What was she talking about now?

Still stunned, I suddenly realized something and hurriedly asked her:

“Wait, do you mean you’re going to make a sword just like this one?”

[Yep!]

“And you’ll use the same material, of course…”

[My bones!]

I sometimes felt a little uneasy at times like this.

[You couldn’t make it from your bones, right, Oppa?]

…I thought I’d just heard something really chilling.

Usually, I just thought of Sia as adorable. But when she said things that made no sense from a human perspective, it reminded me that she was a dragon, different from me.

[Officially, I’m a mage, and I won’t actually have any use for it… Still, it’d be nice to have another matching item, wouldn’t it, Oppa?]

“…Yeah.”

I gave up on trying to understand.

[Okay, Oppa. I’ll see you again soon! I’ve got to go make my sword now. Hehe.]

After rattling me to the very end, Sia hung up.

I tried gripping the hilt of the sword Sia had made for me, using her own bones.

Was I managing to keep a straight face?

The thought of cutting down monsters with a sword made from Sia’s bones, and of their blood soaking into it, gave me goosebumps all over.

But still.

What choice did I have?

It was too late to ask for a different sword now. Maybe I’d get used to wielding this one eventually, but I probably wouldn’t get used to it anytime soon.

“It seems you like the present our Shasha gave you.”

While I stood there holding the sword in a daze, Rokan came over and asked me.

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

“Now that you have a new sword and you’ve recovered, I suppose it’s clear what you need to do.”

Don’t tell me…

“How about getting some training in here before you leave? It’ll help you get used to the sword and loosen up your body.”

Even though Rokan wore his usual kind smile, for some reason it seemed like the wicked grin of an evil demon today.

“R-Right now?”

“That’s right. Let’s start immediately. Just yesterday, you said you were restless from being stuck in bed all day without even being able to go outside.”

I couldn’t have said that yesterday…

Oh. I had.

Why had I said something like that and gotten myself into this mess?

“Wait, I’m not ready—”

“Now, now. Why are you acting so unlike yourself? You’re usually so eager to get used to the dragons’ power as soon as possible.”

That’s true, but I wasn’t mentally ready to use my girlfriend’s bones as a sword!

Whether he knew how I felt or not, Rokan took my hand and led me to the huge cavern he used as a training ground.

I learned later that Rokan had known perfectly well how uncomfortable I looked when I received the sword made from Sia’s bones.

Even so, he’d taken me straight to the training ground for one reason:

He’d just wanted to tease me.

…That gave me cognitive dissonance, too.

After having Rokan deliver the sword she’d made herself to Min-jun, Sia was basking in feelings of pride and bliss.

‘If I’d known Oppa would like it this much, I would’ve made it ages ago.’

Min-jun’s reaction had been different from usual.

He hadn’t said so out loud, but his eyes had clearly been filled with astonishment.

If she’d looked a little closer, she might have noticed that his surprise wasn’t quite what she thought it was…

But unusually for Sia, she didn’t catch on.

Instead, she was convinced that Min-jun liked the gift much more than he usually liked her presents.

You know how people say they’re so happy they can’t speak?

That was what she thought was happening.

Of course, there was also such a thing as being so sad you couldn’t speak… but there was no way someone would be sad after receiving a present.

Besides, from the moment Sia had decided to make Min-jun a new sword, she’d devoted herself to the task, barely sleeping except when she was in contact with him.

She’d put so much time and care into it. Of course she thought he’d love it.

But she didn’t stop there.

“Maybe I’ll make something else, too.”

After making a sword just like Min-jun’s, she found herself wanting to try making something else as well.

Dragon Bone Swords might be the best known, but in the same way some dragons made swords from their bones, a few of them also made accessories such as necklaces, rings, and earrings.

It might not be as impressive as a Dragon Bone Sword, but it would surely be a meaningful gift for Min-jun.

She thought it might even help him a little with wielding the power of dragons, and that he’d be happy to receive another matching item.

“Hehe.”

She’d barely slept for days, and dark circles had formed under her eyes. Still, at the thought of making another masterpiece, her smile grew wide.

She imagined Min-jun wearing accessories made from her bones all over his body—not just when he entered Gates, but in his everyday life, too.