<strong>You mean you''re giving me a reward because I found what you had arranged?</strong>
This reminds me of the games I used to y. There were so many of these hidden conditions, and finding them was a fun challenge.
Thanks to taking another sigh, I managed to regain some of my energy, got up, and checked the blue screen.
[The ne that once held a miracle now gains a new function!]
The ne that once held a miracle—this must be the one I’m wearing now, right?
I recalled the miraculous scene where the voice of the dead echoed and took a deep breath to calm myself before focusing on the ne.
[The Ne with the Trace of a Miracle]
[A ne that once held a miracle. Now powerless, it still carries the lingering trace of the miracle inside.]
[Effect: The party’s roster can now include one more member.]
...Wait, what? Is my vision failing me? Am I seeing things because I’m not fully recovered yet?
I sshed some cold water on my face and opened my eyes again, only to be met with the same message. I was startled and tried to get up, only to copse forward.
Living as a frail noblewoman is really hard. A slight emotional reaction and I immediately get dizzy.
<...Lucy, what on earth are you doing as soon as you wake up?>
‘Can you just pretend you didn’t see that?’
<It’s hard to ignore when what you did was so shy. Look at that. Even Lina is awake and watching you with a satisfied smile.>
Hearing Grandpa''s words, I reluctantly raised my head, only to see the Fox Spirit’s annoying grin. I buried my face in the pillow again as the memory of that smile gave me chills.
I tried to forget it, but I couldn’t help but think about it. Instead, I focused on something else—thinking about my reward.
The extra party slot? It’s definitely rted to dungeons.
Originally, only four people could enter a dungeon, but now one more person can join. That’s crazy. Of all the rewards I’ve gotten so far, this one is definitely over the top.
This is an absurdly powerful function, even more so than my Mesugaki skill!
If this existed in the game, speedruns would have broken records left and right! Just thinking about thebinations I could use with this ability makes me excited. So many possibilities, so many strategies!
Argh, seriously! Why didn’t they add this when I was ying the game?! Why now?
With my reputation, how could I form thesebinations right away?!
If only they’d added this as a DLC! I could’ve enjoyed the game so much more!
I grumbled, kicking my feet, but the smile never left my face.
There’s still so much I could do with this.
Even for leveling grind, this feature is going to be super useful. Now, I can bring all my friends into dungeons with me. No need to worry about being left behind!
It’s a pity that Fayvie, who’s staying in the Holy Land of the God of Light, can’t join me right now, but it’s okay. Once the second year of the Academy starts, there will be plenty of time for dungeon crawling. I’ll bring her in then.
With a grin, I lowered the blue screen only to find another message.
[Sessfully followed the miracle!]
[Holy proficiency greatly increased!]
[Understanding of the holy greatly increased!]
The word "greatly" stood out, indicating there was something huge happening, but in my current state, I couldn’t feel the change yet.
I had recently exhausted my holy power until I copsed, so I was now physically frail. Until I replenished my holy energy and recovered, I wouldn''t be able to test anything...
Wait, what’s this? Why is my holy energy already this restored? This is way faster than usual.
Even though I’ve grown a lot, recovering this much in a day doesn’t make sense, does it?
‘Grandpa, can you check my holy energy now?’
<Your holy energy? It should take a while to recover... what?! No way...>
The shock in Grandpa’s voice meant I wasn’t imagining things. Could this be a change from the growth of my holy power?
Feeling the holy energy I had restored, I realized it was moving much more fluidly than before.
I had always been able to control it to some degree, but it felt clunkier back then, didn’t it?
Now, it’s different. My holy energy flows like water, responding to my will.
If the increase in proficiency is this noticeable, then how much more will the increased understanding of the holy affect me?
With a beating heart, I realized that the best way to verify this was by thinking of something rted to divine magic.
The most difficult skill I know is Armandi’s Mercy.
I’ve been using it, but I don’t understand the mechanics behind it.
I’ve learned a lot about divine magic and be skilled in it, but...
Could it be different now? With my understanding of the holy greatly increased, will I be able to finally understand it?
"...Wow."
As I faced the miracle contained in Armandi’s Mercy, my eyes widened.
I didn’t understand everything inside it, but one thing was clear—the miracle Armandi bestows is incredibly beautiful.
Once I finished my short analysis, I returned to reality and, following my instincts, moved my holy energy.
And then, something incredible happened.
I felt vitality return to my body, which had been so sluggish just moments ago. I had finally seeded in removing the state of exhaustion that had been torturing me.
<Oh... Hmm? Lucy, what did you just do?>
‘I removed my exhaustion.’
<What? No. Wait. No, that’s not it. What did you just do?>
‘Grandpa, Grandpa!’
<What?>
‘Is that how you ask for something?''
<...Fine. Fine, just tell me what you did!>
‘Well, I removed my exhaustion, Grandpa! I did it! I actually did it!’
<...I see. You’ve really gotten better at this.>
With augh, I continued exining to Grandpa, feeling a sudden thought pop into my mind.
If I’ve grown this much now, could Ind a blow on Benedict?
<strong>The day after Lucy’s mother’s memorial passed.</strong>
The air in the Alrn mansion was heavy and still.
The reason was simple. Everyone in the mansion had witnessed Lucy being carried back by Benedict.@@novelbin@@
The child, who had always acted arrogantly and feigned strength, had copsed, shedding tears of sorrow. Even those who harbored ill feelings toward Lucy couldn’t help but feel pity for her in that moment. Her condition was so pitiful that even those who disliked her couldn’t help but sympathize.
The feelings of those who usually thought highly of Lucy need no further exnation.
“...I never thought I’d end up thinking it would have been better if I just rolled away and died.”
Themander of the Knights, Forthsell, had dered a training halt, saying he couldn’t disturb thedy’s sorrow with noise, and as a result, Arthur, who had been fidgeting with some snacks, eventually put them down on the te.
The image of Lucy breaking down in sorrow kept ying over in his mind, and itpletely ruined his appetite.
“Yeah. When I think of Lady Lucy, my chest tightens. I think it’d be better to not think at all. It’s even harder when you try.”
It was the same for Joy.
Lucy, who had copsed in Benedict’s arms, still sobbing, had created a huge ripple in Joy’s heart, a ripple that hadn’t gone away yet.
Now, all Joy could think about was her concern for Lucy.
“...Will Lucy be okay?”
Even Frey, who was usually indifferent, couldn’t remain calm this time.
For her, seeing someone so important to her fall apart like that brought a sense of mncholy that she had never felt before.
Ever since she had seen Lucy the previous day, Frey had lost her will to do anything and couldn’t bring herself to focus on anything.
Jackal, who had rtively little connection to Lucypared to the others, wasn’t unaffected, but he kept his silence. He understood their sorrow to some extent and chose not to speak, waiting for them to ovee their mncholy on their own.
It was during this time that the sound of footsteps on the stairs echoed from afar, and before long, the door swung open with a loud bang.
“What are you idiots doing here? Were you having a discussion about how pathetic you all are?”
The girl who had cried over losing her mother. The poor girl who couldn’t stop sobbing even after fainting. The strong girl who, despite deep emotional wounds, tried to appear strong.
Lucy Alrn, seeing the heavy atmosphere in the sitting room, sneered and made a sarcastic remark, but the reactions from everyone were different than usual.