After Enju and Kohina Hiruko exchanged a satisfied glance with each other.
"Lili."
Haimer sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze settling on this petite Pallum girl.
Next, Haimer wanted her turn to come first. At this, the other girls all turned to look at Lili in unison, full of encouragement.
Lili swallowed nervously.
Clasping her hands together and clutching the hem of her top, she slowly walked to the bedside.
"Come here."
Haimer smiled gently and patted the empty spot beside him.
Lili nodded, took off her outer garment, and climbed onto the bed using both her hands and feet. This bed was so big. That was Lili's first direct impression the moment her body touched the mattress.
It could practically hold seven or eight of her.
And the fabric was as soft as a freshly fluffed ball of cotton, with a faint vanilla scent seeping even from its seams.
However. When Lili laid her small body flat, cheek pressed tightly against the pillow, she didn't dare move an inch.
Haimer sat beside her, and pricked his fingertip with a silver needle.
Divine Blood seeped into her skin. Amid the flickering red light, Lili already felt the strange sensation on her back.
Because she knew her own worth all too well.
Years as a menial servant and a decoy, never having fought a proper battle—her stats were probably a miserable hundred-and-something.
Lili felt a hollow desolation in her heart. But soon, the parchment was peeled off. Haimer swept his eyes over the sheet.
[Name]: Lili Luca Erd [Level]: Lv.1 [Stats]: Strength: F125 Endurance: F172 Dexterity: F128 Agility: F145 Magic: I0 [Magic]: 『Cinderella』 [Skills]: 『Artel Assist』, 『Poisoned Chalice Sprout』
They were indeed miserable stats. In front of a room full of S-rank and double-SS monsters, they truly weren't much to look at.
But. The line of text at the very bottom of the parchment caught Haimer's attention.
A skill entirely unfamiliar even to Haimer.
"Something new."
Haimer was intrigued.
Skill: 『Artel Assist』 — Applies corrections when equipment is too heavy.
This skill was an old one. Haimer still remembered it. But the new one was the next.
『Poisoned Chalice Sprout』 — This body has already drunk the utmost bitterness.
With a mortal frame of flesh and blood, it has bitten through the shackles of desire.
Grants extremely high immunity to all mental-control and addiction-type abnormal states.
When mixing or using potions, the potion's effects undergo a slight mutation.
Just a few sparse lines. Brief. Precise.
Haimer's gaze fell on this new skill, and he mulled it over a little in his mind. He already understood.
After all, in the original timeline, the reason Lili didn't have this skill should have been because the effects of the two bottles of Divine Wine differed so greatly.
Because in the original timeline, the wine Lili drank was not the bottle of highest-purity Divine Wine stolen from the [Soma Familia]'s private vault, but rather the bottle Soma handed to her directly on the spot.
The one Lili stole from the [Soma Familia]'s private vault—the highest-purity Divine Wine.
It was a blissful thing that Zanis was unwilling even to sell, kept under strict guard in the private vault, potent enough that a single sip would leave even a high-ranking adventurer dizzy and reeling.
Yet Lili had endured Divine Wine of this caliber by the sheer force of her obsession to keep living.
Correspondingly, for a person to pass through a drunken, dreamlike stupor and come out the other side was itself a kind of complete rebirth.
Having drunk a bitter poison that would make even the gods fall, and now sprouting a new bud immune to such control—it made sense after all.
However. On the bed, Lili turned her head and saw that Haimer had been silent for a long while.
Unease had long since crawled up Lili's throat like an insect.
Lili finally couldn't hold back. Cautiously, she lifted her chin a little.
"Kami-sama."
"The... the numbers up there, they're really ugly, aren't they?"
Lili's voice sounded. Hearing it, Haimer shifted the parchment down a bit.
"For a little one who's spent years hauling loads, numbers like these are perfectly understandable."
Upon hearing this, Lili's expression quickly darkened.
"But." Haimer pushed the parchment before her eyes and tapped lightly on the bottom line with his finger. "This newly grown skill isn't something an ordinary person could earn just by moving things around."
Lili froze. She stared blankly at the skill column.
The words 『Poisoned Chalice Sprout』 imprinted themselves into her chestnut-colored pupils.
"I... I don't have this skill."
Lili stammered, shaking her head desperately. "Did something get mixed up somewhere?"
"Poisoned Chalice Sprout..."
After reading the name once, Haimer reached out, placed his hand over Lili's little head, and gently ruffled it twice.
"Since it's tied to a cup and a new sprout..."
"I think..."
"This should be a manifestation of new life you earned after drinking that mouthful of Divine Wine by your own will."
"There's no need to doubt it."
"Congratulations, Lili."
"Your will, too, has been recognized by the Grace of the gods."
As soon as these words were spoken, Lili's breath caught for a moment.
Tears welled up in her eyes but in the end did not fall.
Seeing this, Onigawara Rin bent down and leaned in toward the head of the bed, a genuine smile rising on her face.
"Don't cry, Lili."
Onigawara Rin reached out and gave the tip of Lili's nose a little rub.
"Getting a new skill is so cool—it means you've actually been amazing all along, you just started out using it in the wrong place."
"That's right."
Kikakujou Mary came over too and clapped her hands.
"Come to think of it, aside from Rin, you're the only one in our whole Familia immune to all mental control, Lili—this skill is bound to come in really handy!"
Beside them, Aihara Enju tugged Kohina Hiruko along and joined in the cheerful, celebratory commotion.
Surrounded like this in the center by everyone.
In the past, whenever Lili had been surrounded by adventurers, what she got in return were punches and kicks.
Today, it was all goodwill.
For a moment, Lili had no idea how to respond.
She could only wipe her tears messily with the back of her hand, a snot bubble almost forming, looking utterly ridiculous. But before she knew it, she couldn't help gradually melting into it.
After letting them fuss for a while, Haimer clapped his hands.
"Alright."
"Let's continue."
Everyone quieted down.
Holy Emperor took a step forward.
"Sorry to trouble you, Kami-sama."
Holy Emperor undid her shawl, lifted the edge of her skirt, and climbed onto the bed.
Although this procedure still felt a little hard for her to get used to, her ears flushed a faint pink. Even so, Haimer let the Divine Blood fall as usual.
A burst of light flared up, then settled back into calm. The page flipped over. The numbers on it were revealed.
[Name]: Holy Emperor [Level]: Lv.2 [Stats]: Strength: I2 Endurance: I8 Dexterity: I3 Agility: I5 Magic: SS1180 [Magic]: 『Gensokyo』, 『Utopia』 [Skills]: 『Compassion for the World』, 『Virtue Sustains All』 [Development Ability]: 『Mage』
As expected. The four physical attributes were dismal.
Yet the magic column, once again, shot straight up above the terrifying SS-tier threshold.
Seeing the numbers on Holy Emperor's parchment, Lili—who had still been wearing a moved expression a moment ago—froze instantly upon seeing that panel.
After all, she simply couldn't comprehend how such stats could appear.
Facing Lili's astonished gaze, Holy Emperor, having put her clothes back on, merely returned a peaceful smile and gave a gentle wink.
After all, having received Haimer's guidance and having successfully become the disciple of the 「Sage」, Fels, Holy Emperor had already completely made her peace with it.
She had recognized that she could never in this life take up sword and blade to slay enemies on the front lines. But she could still do well the things that belonged to her.
—To become the most solid support, helping others become the heroes who would illuminate this land.
To let them be enveloped in light before they bled.
"It's Kyoubou's turn now. Come here."
Haimer looked toward Kyoubou. And so, Kyoubou approached, drawing close to the bedside.
His finger hovered over Kyoubou's fur. As the Divine Blood was infused, the update was quickly completed.
[Name]: Kyoubou [Race]: Black Bear [Level]: Lv.2 [Stats]: Strength: S912 Endurance: S945 Dexterity: A880 Agility: S905 Magic: I0 [Skills]: 『Linked Fangs』, 『Thick Fat』 [Development Ability]: 『Hunter』
Still an extremely simple set of numbers.
Haimer casually stroked the thick fur on the giant bear's nape, then looked around.
"By the way, where's the Little Bear?"
"Eh?"
At these words, Hanasaka Warabi was startled too. Her gaze first fell to the empty space at her feet, then swept around the room searching.
"Oh no!" Hanasaka Warabi slapped her forehead. "I left the Little Bear sleeping downstairs on the first floor!"
Having said that, Hanasaka Warabi hurriedly turned to run downstairs.
Haimer helplessly called her back.
"There's really no need to wake it up."
"It's just an update; there's not much point rushing to rouse it."
"And judging by its previous stat growth, its numbers should still be climbing right now, so let's just wait until next time to see how they turn out. You've all had a tiring day too—go downstairs, have a cup of hot milk, and get some early rest."
"Otherwise, if you keep not going down, by the time you get there late, Hestia will probably take advantage of your absence and pour all the leftovers straight down her own gullet."
"Tomorrow, as usual, you'll head over to the Loki Familia's side to take part in the special training."
Hearing this, the girls all nodded in unison and began heading out the door together.
However. Just as Inaba Tsukuyo, at the very back of the line, lowered her head and prepared to step over the threshold, Haimer called out to her.
"Tsukuyo, stay a moment."
The room fell silent for an instant. Onigawara Rin, about to leave, paused her steps.
She glanced back at Haimer sitting by the bed, then at Inaba Tsukuyo, frozen in place. She didn't point anything out.
Onigawara Rin gently clenched her fist toward Inaba Tsukuyo.
Kikakujou Mary, Tendou Kisara, and the others also gave a "you can do it" look as they passed through the doorframe.
Then, the wooden door was gently latched shut.
Inside the spacious master bedroom, only Haimer and Inaba Tsukuyo—standing by the door—remained.
The moonlight outside the window spilled through the gauze curtains onto the carpet, and the halo of the Magic Stone lamp seemed especially soft.
The air, however, grew a little taut from the silence.
To avoid diving straight into a serious topic and letting the mood turn too heavy, Haimer thought for a moment, then rose and took an exquisitely crafted wooden box from the drawer of the low cabinet beside the bed.
Opening the box, he took out an ear-cleaning stick tipped with white fluff.
"Would you like me to help clean your ears?"
Haimer's tone was perfectly natural as he looked at Inaba Tsukuyo.
Inaba Tsukuyo froze where she stood.
For someone blind in both eyes, hearing was her only window to perceiving this world. A part like the ears was even more sensitive than an ordinary person's.
But still. If it was the god's doing...
Inaba Tsukuyo pressed her little mouth into a thin line, the blush at the base of her ears already spreading down to her neck.
After hesitating a moment, she still cautiously nodded, and with small, mincing steps walked over to Haimer's side.
Then, Haimer patted the spot on his thigh.
Inaba Tsukuyo took a deep breath too, sat gently on the edge of the bed, and turned sideways.
Placing both hands lightly on Haimer's thigh, she lowered her body bit by bit—until her head rested steadily upon it.
As her body settled down completely, through a thin layer of fabric she could clearly feel the warmth radiating from the god's thigh. It rose straight up into her nostrils.
Soon, a flush of red swept across Inaba Tsukuyo's delicate, pretty face in an instant, burning all the way to behind the base of her ears.
Her hands, especially, had nowhere to rest.
At first she could only cross and clutch them tightly in front of her belly, even holding her breath, as if afraid that even a slightly larger rise and fall would be noticed.
"..."
At this, Haimer gave a helpless smile, brushing aside a strand of silver hair on one side of her face with one hand while pinching the ear-cleaning scoop with the other.
Along the edge of her ear canal, he gently scraped over that layer of fine, soft down.
The tingling sound of scraping deep within her ear was magnified infinitely in Inaba Tsukuyo's mind.
Wave after intensifying wave of subtle sensation spread rapidly from those few points at her ear throughout her whole body.
Until about two or three minutes had passed, Inaba Tsukuyo's taut body finally softened completely, bit by bit.
The two of them were alone in silence. Only the faint, gentle sound of friction by her ear.
When Inaba Tsukuyo's heart finally relaxed completely into this rhythm, and the flush on her face had faded somewhat, the hands she had held in front of her belly went limp without her noticing, slipping down gently until the backs of them rested lightly against the edge of Haimer's thigh.
Haimer watched the girl on his lap, her breathing finally settling into calm, and only then tossed out this line.
"So—are you still worried about your Endurance stat?"
The movement in her ear canal came to a stop. Inaba Tsukuyo bit her lower lip lightly with her pearly teeth.
"Tsukuyo... really does care about it... Kami-sama."
"Even though for now Tsukuyo's Endurance proficiency is still rising, and it seems it can just barely manage to reach A rank."
"But..."
"Tsukuyo can feel it."
"The gap between Tsukuyo's Endurance and her other stats is slowly widening."
"The cost of Tsukuyo's 『Ill-Fated Sword Demon』 skill is still just too great."
"Tsukuyo is afraid that once her level rises to Lv.4 or Lv.5 someday..."
"When everyone's levels are climbing across the board..."
"By then, Tsukuyo's Endurance won't even be able to reach B, won't even climb to C—and might possibly be stuck at the D or even E line for a lifetime."
"And if that happens..."
"As everyone's levels grow higher and higher, as they conquer deeper and deeper floors of the Dungeon, and the monsters become stronger and stronger... Tsukuyo's increasingly frail body will become dead weight, dragging everyone down more and more..."
"But Tsukuyo wants to keep standing at the very front, together with everyone..."
"She doesn't want to end up becoming someone everyone has to protect..."
____
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