"Bathed in the radiance of holy light~♪"
The short song ended, and the tent seemed to sink into an atmosphere of absolute silence.
Perhaps it wasn't only Hermes and Artemis who were astonished by that golden magic.
Even those inside the tent…
"Mr. Hogni, please don't just stare blankly at Barbara like that; it's impolite."
A slightly exasperated voice came from within.
"It also makes people feel uncomfortable."
It seemed the performance inside had concluded.
Hermes felt it was necessary for him to play the role of the uninvited guest.
So…
"Excuse me… uh~"
The moment he confidently lifted the tent flap to step inside…
"Swish~"
A blade of silver-gray steel stopped mere inches from his nose.
Not good. Almost scared him half to death.
Cold sweat poured down his back.
At that moment…
"Hermes-sama?"
Hogni, holding a long-bladed staff sword, frowned.
"And… Goddess Artemis. What brings you two here?"
Hogni did not lower his weapon as he asked, his expression extremely serious.
Meanwhile, Hogni's subordinate, still staring at his right arm with a dazed expression, seemingly unable to process reality, was observing his arm, now completely uninjured.
It was obvious that judging by the torn sleeve, that part of the arm should have been empty.
Yet now…
It was as if a newly regrown arm had already gripped the black sword hilt that had previously attacked Lumine.*
This had almost become an instinctive reflex for Hogni.
But upon seeing that the intruders were two gods, his murderous intent immediately vanished.
Still, his hostility did not diminish one bit.
He did not know that the "miracle" just displayed by Lumine, well, strictly speaking, a miracle summoned by Lumine using the Original God Descent magic, was not a core secret of the familia.
If it had been something that required secrecy…
"Hermes-sama, casually walking in like this is… clearly inappropriate."
Hogni's face was extremely unpleasant, and his tone sharp.
Yet faintly, one could sense a protective instinct underneath.
At that moment…
"Ah, my apologies, apologies! I was just drawn in by art, couldn't resist… hahaha, truly couldn't resist…"
Hermes had already performed a French military-style bow and quickly added:
"Rest assured, I saw nothing."
Heh~ With you, I'd never feel truly reassured.
Lumine smirked inwardly.
Still… since she had already decided to let Barbara use her self-developed ability to heal Hogni's severed arm, she had obviously discussed with Renjiro earlier whether to reveal certain things now.
Although some "anomalies" had been seen by that troublesome god, it didn't matter much to her, or her true self.
This was something meant to be revealed eventually.
Freya also knew.
It was just…
"This troublesome fellow (Hermes) barged in and ruined my plan to 'get along with familia members (subdue the problem children).'"
Lumine felt slightly annoyed.
She then turned her gaze to the four-star Hydro Archon standing beside Hogni…
[Barbara]
Known in Mondstadt as the Shining Idol, she was both a priest of the Church of Favonius and a professional performer skilled in singing and dancing.
Normally, Barbara would use her healing magic to restore the wounded.
When performing publicly, her singing and dancing brought joy and happiness to those around her.
Based on this background, long ago, even before Barbara awakened her true consciousness, Renjiro had already brainstormed and let her develop a self-developed ability.
Back on Earth, before transmigrating, Renjiro had read a fanfiction where Barbara could channel supernatural miracles through her singing.
Though that story eventually went off the rails, the concept, reminiscent of Sacred Song Adept from "Senki Zesshō" and Battle Law Witch from "Gakusen Toshi"*, inspired Renjiro to try something similar.
So today…
"Blessing"
This song was the opening theme of an Earth-based anime called "The Saint's Magic Can Do Anything."
In the show, the heroine's holy healing magic could even regrow severed limbs.
Of course, Renjiro knew there were many fantasy characters with similar abilities.
But one capable of activating powers through a song? Extremely rare.
Thus, that song could be seen as Barbara's magical chant.
Her self-developed ability was practically all-purpose.
Yet…
"The amount of magic consumed is enormous."
Lumine, and even Renjiro (in the dungeon), knew the drawback or limitation of this ability.
Since such a "miracle" required singing, until she mastered parallel chanting, she couldn't fight recklessly while performing like in "Senki Zesshō."
In short, ignoring the massive energy cost, Barbara's ability functioned like a long incantation-type spell that required extended chanting to activate.
Of course, the ability had other clever applications…
"Found it."
"Hm?"
A cheer of pure joy broke Lumine's thoughts.
There stood the blue-haired, blue-eyed goddess clutching her javelin, her eyes nearly brimming with tears, staring at someone.
Next moment…
"I found you, my Orion (Hope)."
Renjiro, observing remotely, knew all the backstory between Artemis and Antares.
At this moment, he was watching everything unfold behind the scenes.
Honestly…
"The divine weapon 'Arrow of Orion' can only be wielded by someone whose soul is exceptionally pure."
For example: a certain red-eyed rabbit boy who, despite adoring Eis, only dared call her "sister", a pure little angel, fit the standard.
Renjiro didn't think he qualified.
But now…
"Woah~"
Excited, the goddess dove and tackled the girl in the white dress.
However…
"Eh?"
The white-dressed girl, caught in the moment, was completely confused.
Almost simultaneously…
"Pa~"
Lumine and Renjiro (Aether) both smacked their foreheads, each thinking I knew this would happen!
Because the girl Artemis considered her Orion was not the mischievous Lumine.
It was…
"Miss Barbara?"
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