A Refreshing Day Begins
"A blessing?"
I eyed her warily, forcing some caution into my gaze.
"...Think of it like the simple blessings the Restia priests bestow."
"Something that recovers fatigue... like that?"
"Exactly."
"It's not... some curse or anything dangerous, right?"
"Do you think I'd play such a malicious prank on you?"
I shook my head. From the moment I'd first met her, I'd never harbored that kind of suspicion. No, even if I tried to doubt her, just looking at her made me let my guard down somehow, vaguely and without reason.
"Alright then... I'll give it a try."
"Good choice."
Lumina quietly extended her hand.
"..."
Without thinking, I reached out toward hers. The instant my fingertips touched her palm, a cool yet gentle energy flowed in, like transparent waves enveloping my entire body.
"!!"
My mind cleared like thick fog lifting, a refreshing breeze seeped into my weary muscles and deep into my bones, and the heavy fatigue weighing down my whole body suddenly felt much lighter.
"How do you feel?"
"Amazing! I don't know what it is exactly... but my body's lighter... like, this feels so refreshing!"
"I'm glad. But don't rely on it too much. The blessing eases fatigue, but it doesn't mean you can skip rest entirely."
"Oh, got it."
Just then, my body began to fade into transparency.
"Time's up, it seems."
"Mmm..."
A wave of reluctance washed over me.
"Thank you for visiting today."
Lumina still wore that soft smile.
"I had fun too. Hehe... The tea was delicious, the snacks were great. And the buff on top... Thanks, Lumina."
I mustered a smile of my own and gave a parting wave.
"...I'll come play again next time."
"Yes, let's meet again."
For some reason, that smile felt like it would linger in a corner of my heart for the whole month.
"..."
My mind dipped into darkness for a moment... and when I opened my eyes again, I was back in the bedroom. The soft breathing of the sleeping children filled the air around me.
Status: Moon's Blessing I (Lumina)
Duration: One month
Effects: Increased luck, fatigue recovery, all stats +10% (Under moonlight, basic stealth becomes possible, and all effects double.)
"Mmm..."
Beyond just fatigue recovery, it felt like there were all sorts of unexpected effects packed in.
......
The next dawn, I woke with a light heart. My body felt no fatigue at all—like I'd finally gotten a deep, restful sleep after so long. Refreshing, even.
"Ufufufufufu..."
I headed out for training. The early morning air filtering through the corridor windows brushed coolly but pleasantly against my skin. I did some light stretches, loosening my shoulders, arms, and legs one by one.
Once warmed up, I dove into full training starting with push-ups.
The first rep down and up showed me my condition was even better than I'd expected.
—Ding
A little over an hour in, the daily quest completion alert chimed. Thanks to the buff, I finished the final sprints without even getting winded—still had energy to spare.
"Ufufufu..."
I could really feel myself getting stronger bit by bit. It put me in a great mood.
"At this rate, I could probably take on a simple monster, right?"
But when I pictured actually fighting one head-on... nothing cool or flashy came to mind.
"Hmm..."
At best, it'd be a brutal dogfight, tumbling around biting each other, or some sloppy street brawl with wild punches and kicks.
"Fighting barehanded does feel kinda off..."
I was starting to want to learn proper monster-hunting and combat techniques.
"Magic's not really my thing... Hmm, what weapon would suit me?"
I didn't have any favorites or stubborn preferences.
"Come to think of it, Reina unnie looked so cool fighting..."
Suddenly, memories of traveling with her surfaced. It was a short trip, but she'd left a deep impression.
And one of the most memorable parts... was her strength and swordsmanship. Weaving through hordes of monsters like she was dancing across the battlefield—flashy yet flawless. Her blade flashes slicing through the dawn light were breathtaking, impossible to look away from.
"...Swordsmanship really is the coolest."
But the problem was, no one around to teach me.
Just swinging a stick at a scarecrow wouldn't cut it.
"Hmm... Gotta think on this more..."
......
Lunchtime... I went looking for Vanessa to return the book I'd borrowed and talk about Dooli, but she wasn't in the garden again today. I asked the little black bean shadow trailing me.
"Where's Sister Vanessa?"
"Dunno."
"Really?"
"For real. All I heard is she won't be around for a few days."
I shot him a suspicious look, but he really didn't seem to know more.
"Hmmm..."
I gazed around the empty garden, lost in thought for a moment, then turned away.
Guess I'll go see Dooli after all.
I had so many questions for him—how he'd ended up at the monastery, why he kept up the donkey act and stuck around...
......
On the way to the stables, I spotted the stablehand sorting feed sacks at the entrance. I considered sneaking in while he was away, but shook my head. No need for that.
I approached him instead.
"Hi, mister."
"...Huh, you...?"
He recognized me, but probably not by name.
"Teresa."
"Right, yeah... Teresa. I've seen you a few times during practicals. You arrived at the monastery about a month ago, yeah?"
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
"Haha... yep."
The stablehand stroked his goatee, eyeing me suspiciously.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Oh, uh... I just wanted to see the donkeys for a bit."
"Donkeys?"
He paused, thoughtful. Then, out of nowhere, he tossed me the feed sack he was holding.
"Eek!?"
I caught it reflexively and stared at him blankly.
"Good. I was just about to let the donkeys out to pasture anyway."
He hefted several more sacks onto his shoulder and started walking.
"Come on."
"...Oh, okay!"
I hurried after him.
"You're a weird one. Kids come by to see the animals sometimes, but you're the first wanting to check out the donkeys."
"Haha... Donkeys aren't popular, huh?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Compared to tall, sleek, handsome horses... they get pegged as dumb and ugly."
"True."
"And worst of all... they've got nasty tempers."
"Haha..."
I could kinda see that coming.
"So why does the monastery keep donkeys instead of horses?"
"Horses? What, in a monastery? Horses cost a fortune to maintain. And these guys look tough, but they've got good strength."
Ah... so it wasn't just economics.
"Any special reason you wanna see the donkeys?"
"Well... there's this one called Dooli that's been on my mind."
"Dooli? Oh, right—the one you were assigned before."
I sighed deeply and nodded... and the stablehand shrugged, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"...Yeah, yeah, Dooli's a good boy. Listens well and all."
"Listens... well?"
I was floored.
"Yup. Best behaved donkey in the stables. That's why we gave him to you for your first time—figured he'd be easy."
He'd been deliberately assigned to me?
"I didn't get that impression when I was handling him..."
"That's 'cause you're not used to animals."
"It's not just that..."
"Hey now. Nothing more pathetic than blaming speechless animals for your own inexperience."
He clearly had no clue Dooli played favorites between girls and boys.
I struggled so much that first day because he was such a brat...!
Only now did it hit me—the way he'd acted differently when the stablehand was watching versus not.
That... sly little fox.