“Benny! We won!”
“…Ah, yeah.”
Benny, with a face that looked utterly exhausted, avoided my gaze.
Unfair.
Feeling a bit dejected, I grumbled to myself for a moment.
Oomph—
The Divine Power that had been emanating from me, centered around the Goddess Statue in my arms, began to dissipate.
At the same time, the Sanctuary that had pushed against this pure white space started to shrink, and before long, it completely vanished.
Suddenly, my body felt heavy as the enhanced physical abilities and regeneration faded away. I was so low on energy that even breathing felt laborious.
It was a sort of reverse sensation. But right now, that wasn’t the important thing.
“Ba-ba-ba-bam! Jonah got his hands on an expensive staff!”
I said in the style of a classic RPG, lifting Morgana’s staff high.
The once-clear jewel had turned a deep red, but it still looked like a super expensive Magical Device.
Since it’s an item that the Elder of the Mage Tower used, I could get a fortune if I sold it. Even if it’s too pricey and doesn’t sell, I could just use it myself.
Thinking of how Morgana could manipulate space as if it were her own without any incantations, it was undoubtedly worth the price.
With a giggle, I placed the staff inside the now-accessible Subspace Ring.
Benny fought alongside me, but after all, I played the most crucial role, so this much should be okay, right???
With that thought in mind, I subtly glanced at Benny. But.
“Uh, congratulations?”
Benny was just backing away, trembling like a scared rabbit.
…Wait, is she still acting like that?
“Benny. I’m feeling a bit hurt.”
“W-what?!”
“Why are you avoiding me? I came running to save you!”
“I’m not avoiding you! I just…”
“Just what?”
“I just feel a bit weird. I can’t look you in the eye. When I try to force myself, I start trembling…”
“Gasp! Could it be that you have feelings for me?! Oh dear. That’s a bit awkward for me. I have Ellie, you know.”
“That’s not it! …But I seriously don’t know why this is happening. My body feels off. I don’t know if I should say more sensitive or softer…”
I carefully observed Benny, who tilted her head in confusion.
The dress that clung to her body was now soaked with sweat, revealing even more explicit contours.
To the degree that I could see the shape of her belly button through the fabric.
Naturally, the same applied to other parts. I could barely tell how modest Benny’s chest was, but now I realized she was just wearing nipple patches instead of underwear.
While she had insisted how small and cute her “bun” was, now I even knew she was wearing a thong.
I mentally noted all this new information, nodding in understanding.
“Benny, your body always seemed soft and sensitive, didn’t it?”
“???”
Benny was stunned, not grasping what I was saying. Well, that’s not the point right now, so I decided to change the subject.
“So, to sum it up, you’re saying that right now, Benny is vulnerable to psychological stimuli?”
“Yeah… Remember when Morgana cast that space-cutting spell? You know what she cut?”
“Space cutting? You mean that guillotine that was just standing there behind us was a space-cutting magic?”
“Yeah. I don’t know the details, but ever since that activated, I feel weird.”
Benny puffed her chest out confidently, then flinched and shrank back.
It almost seemed like she was trying to brag about a body that wasn’t worth showing off, but I kept that thought to myself.
Right now, resolving this problem was way more important. …Definitely not because I was afraid of never seeing Benny again if I teased her!
“Could it be some kind of mental magic?”
“I’m not so sure. Morgana specialized in space magic. She dabbled in time magic and research on rejuvenation, but she never dug into mental magic.”
“…Time magic?”
“Yep. Space and time are closely related. But I doubt she could perform something that amazing. At most, she could only accelerate or decelerate the flow of time for herself.”
She couldn’t apply it to others or objects, just a slight alteration to her own timeline.
That’s all the time magic allowed mortals to wield.
It’s not because of some restriction or danger that made it forbidden.
It’s simply that no mage has ever achieved anything more before their lifespan ran out.
“That’s probably why Morgana was able to use magic without any incantations. She must have accelerated her own time to assist with the calculations in her head.”
“Now that you mention it, there were no spells or seals involved. She just called forth a prepared magic circle.”
“Right. With her thought process accelerated, she probably completed the calculations perfectly in her head. …We kind of strayed off-topic, but anyway, Morgana was clueless about mental magic.”
“Then I’ve got no clue what might be going on…”
“That’s okay. Once we get to the surface, we’ll find mages and priests specializing in treating this kind of unknown status condition. We just have to get out of here… you know the way, right?”
“Of course! Just follow me, and this time… uh, hold on a second.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Benny, who had been staring vacantly at the ground, flinched as if sensing something ominous.
“Um, Benny, what do we do about this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Morgana is dead, but this weird space isn’t being released.”
“…Huh?”
Benny leaped up, sat down, and closed her eyes.
In that state, she concentrated, extending the little magic power she had left in all directions. It felt like an invisible hand was groping over the entire space, trying to trace its shape.
How much time passed? Benny opened her eyes again, still avoiding my gaze, and spoke.
“I think I know what Morgana cut at the end.”
“What is it?”
“Here.”
“???”
“I think she cut this space itself and isolated it.”
“Oh… So it’s similar to when we were trapped at the start, completely clueless?”
“Yes, the only difference is whether we were trapped in a repeating corridor that connects the start and end or in an area created by Morgana’s magic.”
“Phew. Thank goodness. So that means we can escape using the same method as before. Well, of course, that will be after you fully recover.”
“…That’s the problem, though.”
Benny took an apathetic posture, hugging her knees with a gloomy expression. Her exposed ankle looked adorably plump.
“While we’re contained in this space, I’m separated from my Shadow. Although the connection hasn’t completely broken, it feels like it’s far away.”
“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen Shadow around since a while ago.”
“There’s the second problem. This space was created specifically to deal with me. Of course, Morgana is dead, so it’s not dangerous, but… the nature of suppressing my powers hasn’t disappeared.”
Benny let out a long sigh, burying her face in her knees.
“My magic comes from my past. I’ve become adept at destructive spells because I spent time locked away, and I often use spells that utilize parts of the human body because I’ve seen so many experiments.”
“Come to think of it, Benny had some pretty grotesque spells. I thought it was great in its uniqueness!”
“Thanks. But this space was made to negate my type of magic. It doesn’t acknowledge any sort of ugliness. I don’t know what the criteria are, but for me, just moving my magic feels burdensome.”
“Uh, um. So that means…”
“Exactly. Just like before, there’s no way to force my way out. While pure power crowding magic might be unrestricted, my magic itself is restrained, and even if I somehow create a rift, my Shadow will be outside, unable to expand it for me.”
Benny trembled, speaking in a voice full of sadness.
“I guess my unstable state is also because Shadow is too far away. Haha, isn’t that funny? No matter how you cut it, I’ve been able to keep my sanity thanks to Shadow’s erosion.”
“…….”
“I’m sorry, Jonah. You came back for me, and we even defeated Morgana. But now we’ll starve to death trapped because of me… I promised Lydia I’d safely return…”
Now, Benny was sobbing openly.
Hmm. It seems she’s really losing it. Even so, she’s already crying now?
After a moment of hesitation, I sat down beside Benny. Then I took off her witch hat and gently patted her damp purple hair.
“Benny.”
“…Yeah?”
“I don’t blame you.”
“…….”
“Because if that’s the case, we can escape tomorrow.”
“……Huh?”
Benny suddenly lifted her head, looking at me. But perhaps because her nerves were shot, she quickly turned away when our eyes met.
“W-what do you mean, we can go out tomorrow?”
“Do you remember how I managed to nullify Morgana’s magic?”
“…The power of miracles?”
“Exactly. I managed to open the Goddess’s Sanctuary, if only briefly. I stabilized the space in its normal form with the Goddess’s help.”
“Sanctuary?! That’s something that high-ranking clerics must pray for days to barely open for a single day!”
“Yup. But I can only hold it for about 15 minutes by myself.”
“Fifteen minutes is already incredible for doing it alone?!”
Benny jumped up, squatting with a look of utter shock, performing some kind of amusing acrobatics with her butt.
“But since I opened it this time, it’ll take longer to open again, right? Okay. Then how we endure until then is the key. The food we have is…”
“I can open it once a day!”
“……?”
Benny blinked in confusion, unable to comprehend what she was hearing.
I grinned at her.
“Who am I?”
Then I poked my chest with my thumb, continuing.
“An aspiring saint favored by the Goddess.”
Until the cooldown of the Sanctuary passes. About 24 hours ahead.
I smiled mischievously at the stunned Benny.
“So, what shall we do for fun? What shall we do for fun?”
A day is long.
There’s plenty we can do in that time.
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