Chapter 440
Chapter 441 of "Chaotic Craftsman Worships The Cube" opens revealing: âSo, is Ben okay?â Pelenia asked over dinner, watching as he shakily shovelled greens into... Keep going!
âSo, is Ben okay?â Pelenia asked over dinner, watching as he shakily shovelled greens into his mouth, all while Thera kept healing him from the side.âJust a little anemic is all,â He told her, giving an unsteady thumbs up as Thera blushed and apologized again.
âIâm sorry, I guess I just kind of lost myself there.â
âItâs fine, itâs fine, I asked for it after all.â
The day ended with dozens of failures, not one viable homunculus to their name, with all either of them had to show for it being Benâs newfound lack of blood, which translated to a lack of energy as his body was struggling to keep up with its demands.
Given that, there hadnât been much point in going back to the library when he so desperately needed to replace his bodyâs reserves, and being near a gate was the perfect excuse to impose on her familyâs hospitality, taking advantage of the fact that they had a chef on hand to ensure he could keep chowing down, all while Theraâs mother laughed from the side.
âYou know, Iâd much prefer to hear about a different activity my daughter my been doing to wear on your body-â
âMOM!â
âReally, stabbings are the sort of thing you expect at the end of a relationship, not in the middle of a healthy one,â Pelenia sighed, acting like she didnât hear her daughterâs objections.
âStabbing stabbing stabbing,â Came the singsong voice of another at the table, the toddler Seren, as Lux rubbed her child's head.
âNow now, donât go learning anything strange from your aunt or cousin, okay? Most people donât stab anyone they love.â
The young half-spirit nodded, bursting into a fit of giggles as Thera only sunk deeper into her seat, not knowing how to handle being teased from both sides while Pelenia enjoyed the show.
âAh, but enough about endings. Ben, Falk happened to come here with a very very interesting letter. I donât suppose you can guarantee that wasnât a lie, right? I donât think either of you will like the result of getting my hopes up.â
âIf it was a lie then Iâll kill him before you can. Falk promised me he would and I just got finished dealing with almost dying in the life tower to make sure your sister would be confident enough to actually talk to him. I am getting the happy ending I want for everyone, even if it means working myself to the bone for it.â
âHmph, well next time make sure you find a scheme to help me awaken something,â She told him, switching to a pout. âDo you know what Sonya did as soon as you left her?â
âUm, went back to Stonewall with Sachel?â
âNo! She came here to brag! Give it a few decades and Iâll be looking older than her now, can you believe that? I refuse to let this stand!â
He had a decent grasp of her skills, the same he did for anyone heâd get close enough to check, but she didnât have anything that stood out as a way that would be a path to awakening. It wasnât like she wasnât skilled at anything, she even surprisingly had a couple of seventh-level ones, but nothing in any magic he might help with.
âSo howâs uncle Falk doing with his project anyway?â Thera asked, escaping her embarrassment with the change of topic. âItâs already been a while.â
âAnd will be a while longer,â Her mother sighed. âI have your father out seeing him most days, helping to either materialize for him as he works or else dealing with some of the heavy lifting, but the rest is all him. Really, just why does he have to be so stubborn with his goal? The old ape should just talk to my sister and worry about the rest later instead of making her wait even longer. Hmph, theyâre both such a handful.â
âMother, both of them would hit you if they heard you saying that.â
âBoo, just keep healing your fiancĂŠ and try not to feel stabby with any of the cutlery on the table,â Pelenia told her, sticking out her tongue as Thera blushed more, looking between her and Ben before focusing back on his healing.
. Ben couldnât help but tease, feeling good despite himself. It was simply nice to enjoy a meal amongst people he liked and cared about, he couldnât help but enjoy the time before he was going to be put to who knew how much work.
Staying late to continue chatting with everyone, the two opted to stay the night, sleeping in the next day before they finally awakened to go down and leave, finding one more who hadnât been there the night before.
âAunty Funa, itâs great to see you! Did you just get in?â Thera asked her, giving the great dark spirit a wide smile.
âOh, I was just a gate away so Lux asked me to come by as backup.â
âBackup?â
âGiven how things went with Vividus last time, I thought we might join you,â Lux explained, continuing after taking in the confused looks both Ben and Thera were giving. âAh, did I perhaps assume wrong? I thought that since you didnât have any luck with your homunculus creation youâd be going to her next, but if you arenâtâŚâ
Instantly, Ben was shooting Thera his most hopeful face as she rubbed her temples, knowing that even if that hadnât been the plan, the idea was now firmly rooted in his mind.
âShe literally held you hostage last time we were there, Ben.â
âYeah, but it looks like this time weâll have your very strong, very cool aunts to keep us safe. Please? Pretty please?â
âFine,â She sighed, only giving in so easily for the fact that her family would be there. âBut if she tries to kill you again youâre not allowed to be upset about it.â
âI mean, I donât think I was particularly upset about it last time either though.â
âTrue, in that case, if she tries to do anything you actually have to get upset this time.â
He gave her a winning smile before the four of them made their way to the gate.
Visiting Vividus hadnât even crossed his mind, but it was a clear solution to his goal. He knew the great life spirit could expertly make homunculi with the same degree of skill that she could carry out any application of life magic, and her residence was filled with examples of how well she managed such a thing.
His god sighed in his head, getting the last word in before they stepped foot through the gate, reentering the life valley.