Chapter 282: Turning Point (5)
Chapter 282: Turning Point (5)
With Iris fast asleep on my back, I headed to Helena’s room.
Helena seemed to be getting ready for bed herself, lightly washing her face while dressed in thin, airy clothes.
For some reason, as soon as I walked in, she nodded with a solemn expression, as if she had been expecting this.
“S-so, the wish from our bet is an orgy, after all. I understand. I’m not sure if I can do well, but a promise is a promise, so I shall do my best.”
“What are you talking about?”
“…Did I perhaps misread the situation, Brother?”
“No. It’s true that I plan to use my winner’s right to have us all do it together, but not right now. Senior Fay isn’t here, is she? Let’s do that later when we return to the Academy. Right now, there’s something else we need to discuss.”
“…….”
I gave a brief explanation of the situation to Helena, who was wearing a very complicated expression.
She looked bewildered at first, but her face turned serious when she heard that the Imperial Consort was a cultist.
“Brother. Do you realize that if you aren't certain about this, you could be the one in danger?”
“Of course.”
“Sir Havel is at the Imperial Palace. He is a Sword Master. It will be difficult to force your way through or even escape that place.”
“I’m well aware of that too. But don’t worry. Havel Calios is loyal to the Emperor and the Empire, not the Imperial Consort. If we succeed in proving it, he’ll actually take our side.”
“…If you are that certain, then there is no need for me to say anything more.”
Helena gave a bright smile and pulled out a medallion she had kept in a safe.
“You’re already prepared, right? I’ll pack only the essentials. Let’s move together this time without getting separated.”
“We should. That’s why I came to your room first. …But why on earth are you taking that medallion out of there?”
Even at a glance, its thickness was unusual. I couldn't tell what kind of magic was on it since I hadn't examined it properly, but it was definitely a magical tool.
While I tilted my head in confusion, the medallion vibrated as if it had something to say, vomiting out light.
Clara, whose pale beauty from her living days was perfectly replicated, shouted urgently.
—Listen to me! Helena, this lewd sister! She said you’d probably come to claim your wish from the bet soon, and she stuffed me into this thick prison! Just how incredible were the things she was planning to do while blocking my ears and eyes…!
“Oh dear. Lady Clara has been talking a lot of nonsense lately. Well, considering her age, it’s understandable. Now, now, I’ll give you plenty of Holy Power, so please calm down.”
—Mmph! Mmmph…! Mmm… ack.
In the middle of her sentence, Clara’s mouth was muffled as Helena gripped the center of the medallion. She sputtered for a moment before falling silent, as if she had fainted.
To anyone watching, it looked less like she was giving Holy Power and more like she was draining it to a precarious level.
“Uh… Helena?”
“Is something the matter, Brother? Weren't we in a hurry?”
“Not that much of a… ah, let’s just go with that. Yeah.”
I nodded to Helena, whose face was so flushed it was hard to tell if she was crying or angry.
Now that I looked closer, the clothes she was wearing were a bit too sheer to be called simple pajamas.
I see… she was waiting….
Thinking that the result might have been the same whether I won or lost the bet, I quietly turned around.
It took Helena a little while to finish packing.
*
After Helena was ready, we headed to where Albaor was.
Between rebuilding the ruined Solaris and feeding and housing the reinforcements for even a few days, he must have had a lot on his mind.
Even though it was well past midnight, he was in his office rather than his bedroom.
Coincidentally, Gilbert was also there, racking his brain alongside him to find solutions. I greeted them and donated 10,000 gold while I was at it.
Most problems can be solved with money. From what I could see, this was no exception.
Later, when the donation money ran out, they could continue the city's reconstruction with the money earned from selling monster materials.
I tried to ask for a corner of the office while the two of them stared wide-eyed at the pile of gold, unable to look away.
For some reason, they retreated to the corner themselves and let us use the center, so I prepared for the teleportation with a light heart.
Perhaps Iris, who had been sleeping soundly despite all the noise, reacted to the intense flow of mana.
She babbled and rubbed her eyes, so the moment I lowered her from my back to the floor—
Ding!
The notification I had been waiting for finally rang out.
The system must have interpreted the situation as over, either because the monsters moving under the sea were far enough away or because we were about to leave Solaris after cleaning everything up.
I wiped the drool from Iris’s cheek and looked into the air.
======================
【The Army of Reckless Roar has been defeated!】
You killed the cultist executive who was the commander and slaughtered countless monsters, finally forcing them to retreat!
Was killing the high-ranking executives one by one not enough for you?!
Well, this alone is a truly magnificent achievement… but the real prize is something else.
In the process of defeating the Army of Reckless Roar, you succeeded in thwarting the Fallen Ritual intended for Righteous Light.
Just as the balance between the Good Gods and the Evil Gods, which had been somewhat equal in the early to mid-stages of the Great War, collapsed abruptly with the fall of Soaring Blue.
If Righteous Light had fallen, the future of the Eurelia Continent would have become even bleaker.
But you succeeded in stopping it brilliantly.
I can guarantee that no being… not even a god, could help but send you their praises for such an achievement!
In particular, Righteous Light is bragging about you everywhere!
======================
…What exactly is Solari doing?
Looking at what occasionally popped up in the system window, it seemed like the gods had some sort of connection, and she was going around bragging about me there.
Was this why she hadn't descended again immediately, even though it was about time for her to have recovered?
I let out a hollow laugh internally and focused on the rewards of this battle.
The enhancement of stats and the Blessing of All Gods.
Both were expected. Since I had already obtained most of the traits available as achievements, the increase in stats and blessings would be all that was left unless it was a truly special case.
The important thing was how much they had grown.
My stats were starting to plateau, and the Blessing of All Gods had a high growth requirement because its effects were so good.
With a racing heart, I opened the status window to check the details.
======================
Name: Yandel
Title: Adversary
Basic Stats
Strength: 18 -> 19
Endurance: 17 -> 19
Agility: 18 -> 20
Dexterity: 18 -> 20
Magic: 26 -> 27
Traits
Endless Mana (A)
Elemental Affinity (B)
Excellent Memory (B)
Excellent Weapon Skill (B)
Lintblum Mana Core (A)
Intermediate Magician (B) -> (B+)
Sun God's Favor (S) NEW!
Cultist Hatred (A)
Medicinal Constitution (C)
Element Combination (A)
Blessing of the Sea (B+)
Blessing of All Gods (B) -> (A)
Intimidation Resistance (B)
Mana Affinity (A)
======================
I expected the other stats to jump. They rise relatively well until they hit 20.
Well, they really don't go up much after that, but since good physical performance is just a bonus for a mage anyway, it’s fine if they go up and fine if they don't.
What I was worried about was the Magic stat.
After the Magic stat passed 20, hadn't it been rising by only 1 even when the system said it "increased significantly"?
Furthermore, I was currently at 26 after absorbing the Dragon Heart fragment.
In terms of mana quantity alone, I was on par with an entry-level High Magician, so I thought it wouldn't go up even with the "significant increase" message… but it did?
Magic stat 27.
Only three steps left until 30, which is called the limit of humanity.
For reference, this level is comparable to the Tower Lords who were dispatched as reinforcements.
Of course, I wouldn't be able to match Iris or Iona, who had reached the level of mature High Magicians and accumulated mana for a long time….
But at least being able to compete with the Tower Lord of a small to medium magic tower in terms of mana quantity was something.
Was it because of the amount of mana that didn't fit my level? Or was it thanks to realizing how to use the Mana Affinity trait during this fight?
The Intermediate Magician trait also rose to B+.
This meant that if I were given just one opportunity, I could immediately reach A-rank… in other words, become a High Magician.
The funny thing, however, was that while the numbers said I was right on the verge of becoming a High Magician, I still had quite a bit to learn from Carla and Elisha.
Well, the status window isn't omnipotent. It can shove strength or mana into me, but it can't imprint knowledge.
Let’s not expect too much and just keep doing what I’ve been doing.
Finally, I checked how the Blessing of All Gods had changed.
Ding!
======================
【Trait: Blessing of All Gods (A)】
All the Good Gods of the Eurelia Continent support and bless you.
You deserve it.
May the blessings of the gods be upon your future.
======================
Compared to before, the recovery speed increased by 50%, elemental resistance by 20%, and mental resistance by 10%.
Actually, the recovery was meaningless compared to Sun God's Favor.
The important part of the Blessing of All Gods was the resistance.
With this, wouldn't I be able to take a normal High Magic spell with my body, using the innate mana resistance from my mana quantity and a single shield deployed at full power?
I should ask Iris to fire a High Magic spell at me with adjusted output later.
Next was mental resistance.
This was an essential effect when dealing with the cultists who would soon start acting in earnest.
The Evil Gods were beings whose passive ability was to erode the minds of nearby intelligent life, so even when high-ranking cultists used their Authorities, waves of mental contamination would leak out.
Thinking about the enemies I would face in the future, it was a very reassuring resistance bonus.
While I was nodding to myself in satisfaction, Iona, who had finished the teleportation preparations, called us together.
The last thing I saw before Iona’s magic activated was Albaor and Gilbert cheering for Helena for some reason.
Flash!
When I opened my eyes, a seemingly endless range of rocky mountains greeted us.
We had arrived at the right place.