Chapter: 390
So, you found what you arranged and now you’re actually giving out rewards?
This totally reminds me of my gaming days. There were so many hidden treasures back then, and finding each one was a blast!
Thanks to those extra naps I’ve been sneaking in, I’m feeling a bit more energized now, so I sit up and check what’s written on the blue window.
[The necklace that contained miracles will now gain a function!]
Wait a second. Are they talking about the necklace I’m wearing right now?
I recall that miracle scene where the voice of a lion echoed and take a deep breath to calm my racing heart as I check the necklace with my emotions.
[Necklace with Remnants of Miracles]
[This necklace has a trace of the miracle that once unfolded. It has lost its powers, but the echoes of miracles still linger within it.]
[Effect: Increases the party size by one!]
…Huh? Am I seeing things? Is my body still so drained that I’m hallucinating?
After splashing some cold water on my face, I blinked hard and nearly jumped straight up, only to stumble forward.
Living as a frail young lady sure is tough. You do one emotional thing, and bam! Dizziness hits you like a freight train.
[…Lucy, why the theatrics right after waking up?]
“Could you pretend you didn’t see that?”
[You did something rather flamboyant, don’t you think? Just look! Lady Lina is up now and watching you fondly.]
Hearing Grandpa’s words, I reluctantly lifted my head and caught a glimpse of that irritating grin on the Clumsy Fox’s face. I promptly buried my face back into the bedding.
The moment I tried to erase that smile from my mind, shivers ran down my spine just thinking about it.
Instead, let’s think about something else. Right, time to think about the reward!
The whole thing about increasing the party size has to be about the dungeon, right?
It sounds like a new person can join the place that originally only allowed four!
Whoa. No way. I’ve seen some outrageous rewards in the past, but this one takes the cake!
It’s like a broken-ass feature surpassing even the Mesugaki skill!
The fact that I can bring one more person into the dungeon is insane!
If such rewards had been in the game before, speedrun records would be shattered left and right!
Just conjuring up combos that pop into my head right now, there’s tons of them, and I’m sure endless ridiculous combinations would come out through research!
Argh! Seriously! Why couldn’t they have added this feature back in? Why now!?
How am I supposed to create various combinations with my current reputation?
Even if this feature had just been added as a DLC, it would’ve made diving deeper into the game so much more fun!
Complaining and kicking my legs like a child, I couldn’t suppress the smile creeping on my face.
I mean, there are so many ways to exploit this feature right now.
It’s definitely gonna be useful when I head for leveling up grind sessions!
Unlike before, now I can take all my friends with me into any dungeon! No need to worry about anything else; I can grind to my heart’s content!
It’s a bummer that Phoebe is stuck in the Holy Land of the God, so she can’t join right away, but whatever! By the time the second year of the academy rolls around, we’ll have more than enough dungeon-running time. I can roll her in slowly then.
With a grin plastered on my face, I looked at the blue window again and widened my eyes at the next message.
[You’ve successfully followed the miracles!]
[Your proficiency in Sacred Skills dramatically increases!]
[Your understanding of the Divine has soared!]
“Dramatically” increases sounds like there’s going to be a huge change, but given my state right now, I can’t really feel it.
Not long ago, I pushed myself to the max, using up all my Sacred energy and turned into a frail young lady. So until I replenish that, nothing’s happening…
Hmm? Wait, what’s this? Why is my Sacred energy already recovering so much? It’s strangely out of whack compared to the times I felt weak!
Even if I’ve grown a lot since then, does it even make sense to recover this quickly in just one day?
“Grandpa, could you check my Sacred energy for me?”
[Your Sacred energy, you say? That should take a while to recover… Huh?! What on earth?!]
With Grandpa’s reaction, it’s clear I wasn’t just imagining it. Is this another change that came with the growth of my Sacred energy?
As I tried to move my now partially restored Sacred energy, it felt so much more fluid than before.
I used to manage it with some clunkiness, but now it flows like water according to my will.
If the boost in proficiency feels this noticeable, I can only imagine how remarkable the effect of increased understanding of the Divine will be.
With my heart racing, I searched for methods of verification. Maybe understanding the Sacred could be something similar to how Grandpa comprehended the miracle in the necklace?
If I could think of something related to Sacred Magic in my head, I’d surely get the hang of it.
The hardest thing for me until now has been Armemori’s Mercy.
Even though I’ve been utilizing this reward from that pathetic god, I still haven’t figured out how it actually works.
Despite having improved in the knowledge of various Sacred Magics, I’m still lost.
Maybe this time will be different? Given that my understanding of the Divine has skyrocketed now.
“…Whoa!”
The moment I faced the miracle within Armemori’s Mercy, my eyes widened.
I didn’t grasp everything within it, that would be too much given my limitations.
But one thing stood out clearly—it was astonishingly beautiful.
Finishing my brief reflection, I returned to reality, driven by instinct as I moved my Sacred energy.
Just that small action restored vitality to a body that just moments ago was gasping for air and allowed me to lift the status condition of exhaustion that was gnawing at me.
[Um? Lucy, may I ask what you just did?]
“I lifted my exhaustion.”
[What do you mean by that? No, no. Explain what you just did.]
“Grandpa, Grandpa!”
[What is it? ]
“Is that the right way for someone requesting a favor to act?”
[Erk. You’re right about that!]
“Is it weird? I thought you told me to be polite when asking you for something?”
[…Darn it. Alright! Just ask properly! Lucy, please share your knowledge with me!]
“Of course! I’ll share as much as you want!”
With a chuckle, I continued explaining to Grandpa, my mind suddenly sparked with a fun idea.
If I’ve grown even more now…
Maybe I can serve Benedikt a taste of his own medicine?
*
The day after Lucy’s mother’s memorial, the atmosphere in the Alrn Mansion was heavy.
The reason was simple. Everyone in the mansion encountered the sight of Lucy, who had returned with Benedikt, and she was a mess.
The child who usually acted all high and mighty had collapsed in tears, even evoking sympathy from those who held a grudge against her.
As for those who typically had warm feelings towards Lucy, their hearts didn’t need much explanation.
“…I didn’t think I’d ever think rolling in despair would be a better option.”
Arthur, having been declared free from training by the knight commander, Possel, to not interrupt Lady Lucy’s sorrow, was doodling tastelessly with snacks on the table before finally putting them away.
Every time Lucy’s miserable form crossed his mind, his appetite vanished.
“I know, right? Just thinking about how our lady’s doing fills my heart with dread. It feels better to starve than to dwell on it too much.”
Joy felt the same way.
The image of Lucy sobbing in Benedikt’s arms still created major ripples in her own heart, which continued to echo.
Right now, all that filled Joy’s mind was worry for Lucy.
“…I wonder if Lucy’s okay?”
Even Frey, who was usually emotionless, couldn’t remain calm this time.
Seeing someone so dear to her fall apart brought that lonely feeling forth.
Since the moment Frey met Lucy yesterday, she had lost her motivation and was unable to do anything.
In contrast, Jakal, who had a lesser connection with Lucy than the others, stayed coolheaded, but that didn’t mean he was without complicated feelings.
He understood the melancholy of the three others to some degree, and thus instead of speaking, he remained silent, waiting for them to shake off their gloom.
At that moment, from the distant staircase came a sound of thumping, and soon the door burst open with a bang.
“What are all you pathetic losers doing huddled together? Were you all discussing how miserable you are?”
Lucy Alrn, who had lost her mother, stood at the entrance, her presence as domineering as ever. She looked at the room filled with silent tension, bursting into her typical boastful humor.
But the response from everyone was different this time.
Rather than throwing playful banter as usual, Arthur kept quiet and forced a smile, while Joy stammered her words, seemingly unable to find breath.
Frey cautiously approached Lucy and gently gripped her small hands, hoping to offer support.
“…What’s the deal? Were you all so sad thinking about me being gone for just a day? You all have separation anxiety, huh? Haha! How pathetic.”
Lucy tilts her head in confusion, chuckling like always, but the heavy atmosphere in the parlor remained unbroken.
“Lucy Alrn. You don’t have to be strong right now.”
“Prince! Please have a bit more awareness! Why can’t you empathize?!”
“No, I—”
“Prince, you should really just shut up for nowadays.”
“No.”
“Third Prince, in this case, you were clearly in the wrong.”
“…Yeah, fine. Sorry. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
Seeing Arthur’s wilted expression, Lucy snickered as if she caught onto something.
“Oh, I see! So you guys all think I’m pathetic, huh?”
“No! That’s—Lady Alrn, that wasn’t it.”
“That’s not different! Lucy Alrn. This is—Well…”
“…Darn it, whatever. I’m not mad or anything. It’s just typical for pile of trash like you to miss the point! I get it. That’s fine.”
With every word from Lucy, her voice grew fiercer and while Arthur, Joy, and Frey fumbled to respond, Jakal felt an unexplainable dread wash over him.
“Follow me, dumb goldfish. I’ll engrave into your brains who you actually should be pitying.”
Jakal’s ominous premonition came true.
Before they knew it, they had all been thrown into some excessively intense training, unable to think clearly like before Lucy arrived.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
