The Miracle Gacha

A miracle? I was performing a miracle!

The conditions for manifesting a miracle of the Great Original Venerable One had been met.

Luise's blindness.

In the original story, it was a Heavenly Punishment that could only be cured late in the game by feeding her an Elixir.

There was no telling whether a Low-Grade miracle would cut it.

Still, low-grade or not, a miracle was a miracle.

It sat at the very top of the list, above Enhancement, Barrier, and Guardian—so by all common sense, guzzling a full 108 points of Votive Power deserved to give something back.

It should give something back.

Just give something, okay?

"Miss Luise."

Having steeled myself, I called out to Luise again.

"Yes, Master."

"Could you close your eyes for a moment?"

"...My eyes are always closed, Master."

"Ah."

Oops.

"My apologies, my mistake. What I meant was, you may feel something strange in your body, so please don't be alarmed."

"Understood."

Luise sank down on one knee.

I opened my status window and pressed the Low-Grade Miracle button.

Fitting for an option that devoured my Votive Power, it even threw up a warning message.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

I accepted with my mind.

Whaaaam—

A faint fragrance of lotus blossoms bloomed up from beneath my feet.

It was of a wholly different nature from the cold starlight of sacred arts—a warm, noble golden radiance that rose and embraced Luise.

"Ah..."

Luise's mouth fell open, dazed.

It's working.

This is working.

I could feel it.

Come on, open your eyes, Luise! You're going to be the bus driver of my dreams!

Through her gently drifting silver hair—

Oh, screw you.

How does it make any sense to fail after scarfing down 108 points of Votive Power?

If my rank was too low, then reject the request from the start!

Take everything I've got, and then tell me it needs a Mid-Grade Miracle?

The Votive Power bar sat there, boldly declaring zero.

No refund, either.

Th-this scammer!

Tears of blood welled up inside me.

Those 108 points—harvested by wringing out my very soul.

My 108-point gacha!

Unfair. It's just unfair.

I wanted to roll around on the ground, wailing my heart out.

Just as I reached up to tear out a fistful of my hair, though—

a blue holographic window popped up before my eyes.

Huh?

So it wasn't a total bust after all?

I take back everything I said.

Status window, you're the best after all.

I always believed in you.

It's a little off-the-wall, sure, but it has never once given me something useless.

Mind's Eye awakening already?

The miracle gacha was, for all intents and purposes, a massive success.

Luise's true growth didn't even begin until she gained her Mind's Eye.

Ssssss—

The golden light that had wrapped around us slowly died down.

"Ah..."

Luise's mouth hung open in a daze for a moment, then she let out a long, slow breath.

Her eyes remained closed.

She raised a hand and brought it to rest against her own eyelids.

"How does it feel?"

I asked slyly.

"Something... something has changed."

Thought so.

She wouldn't quite grasp it yet, but once she got used to it, the Mind's Eye was such a cheat trait that sight became entirely optional.

"There is starlight flowing around you, Master. No—no, the starlight is flowing toward you, Master."

"Huh?"

Luise blurted out something rather out of the blue.

"It seems as though all things in the world revolve around you, Master. You are... beloved of the stars."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"That is how it appears to me. Truly, the light-light-light..."

Luise pressed both hands to her chest.

"Angel, could you perhaps explain what just happened?"

Alicia, who had been quietly watching from the side, stepped closer.

How was I supposed to explain this?

Well, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I can perform miracles using 108 points of Votive Power, which is blah-blah-blah, and it's a low-grade miracle because I'm a runt, and I almost died trying a miracle beyond my rank, but by some miracle I seem to have won the miracle gacha this time.

The more I tried to explain it properly, the more tedious and pedantic it sounded.

"Miss Luise has awakened her Mind's Eye."

So I just delivered the facts, plain and simple.

"I'm sorry—her Mind's Eye?"

Alicia narrowed her brow slightly.

"Yes. Her Mind's Eye."

"Luise, is that true?"

"I cannot say for certain whether it is a Mind's Eye... but I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have become able to perceive the world without relying on my five senses."

"It's a Mind's Eye, all right."

Alicia reached her conclusion with breezy simplicity.

"The Mind's Eye is treated as legend even within the Church... Angel, wherever in the world did you find such a person?"

"Every now and then, I receive something that feels remarkably like a revelation."

Revelation from beginning to end.

Even I had no idea anymore.

"Ahh... so you truly were an angel. A revelation of the stars, no less."

"Master is the light itself, so it is only natural."

I'd been worried the two of them might get into a catfight, but they got along too well—far better than I'd expected, which was its own problem.

I felt like the only one getting ganged up on.

"Miss Luise."

"Yes, Master."

"One day I will fix your eyes completely as well."

"...I did not even dare hope for such a thing."

"Still, for the time being, focus on mastering your Mind's Eye."

"If it is your command, Master, of course."

Luise bowed her head with utmost courtesy.

Another week passed after that.

In the original scenario, the protagonist and Luise were supposed to grow step by careful step, beating down bottom-feeder bandits along the way—but my Luise was blazing through the elite track at the speed of light.

There was no need to waste time on bandits and the like.

Spending that time instead on near-combat intensive training with Alicia was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠far more useful.

Munching on an apple pie, I gazed out over the training grounds.

Clang-cha-chaang—!

Luise's sword stopped just short of a templar's throat.

"I yield, Sir Luise."

"Thank you for the bout."

Even the strongest templar of the Georg diocese could no longer beat Luise.

That said, the Bern Kingdom barely registered on the Holy Radiance Empire's radar, and Georg was a backwater even within it—so the "strongest templar" wasn't really anything to write home about.

Still, remembering how Luise had been getting beaten by common street punks not long ago, the change of times was enough to make one sigh.

Ooh yeah, the Votive Power photocopying function works like a charm.

The Votive Power I'd spent regressing to the beginning had already piled back up to 24.

I guess it's about time she saw some real combat.

I couldn't exactly leave Luise loose in the yard photocopying Votive Power forever, after all.

Word should be getting around by now, shouldn't it?

By my calculations, the rumors should have trickled all the way to Georg right about now.

Just as I polished off my third apple pie, the bishop in charge of Georg approached us.

He bowed with great formality and spoke.

"Your Eminence, Lord Zodiaclaris."

"Yes, what is it?"

Alicia turned her gaze.

"For the past few days, a strange rumor has been circulating in Rosnitz, the royal capital of Bern."

Now that's what I call timing.

Well, of course it was.

"A strange rumor, you say?"

"Yes. Word has it that a Holy Sword has appeared in the catacombs beneath Rosnitz's ruined cathedral. Prominent figures from across the Bern Kingdom are said to be gathering at the capital, all seeking to become the Holy Sword's master."

Rosnitz. A holy sword.

Crowds pouring in.

The gears in my head meshed together and began to turn.

Finally.

We had reached the starting point of the main story.

The Free City of Georg arc had been, at best, a prologue.

"A holy sword... how is the Rosnitz diocese responding?"

Alicia asked.

"Bern is blocking all intervention with the utmost thoroughness, so word is that the Rosnitz diocese cannot even get close. Given how heavily the kingdom has always kept the Church in check to begin with—and the Rosnitz side has fewer personnel than we do here."

Made sense.

The Bern Kingdom was an absolute dumpster fire at the moment, after all.

The king had been bedridden and unconscious for a long while now.

Over the succession of Princess Karoline—the sole heir to the throne—the ministers and nobles were locked in a war of nerves.

Princess Karoline was nominally the legitimate royal bloodline, but real power rested with the chancellor's faction, built around the nobility.

And right in the middle of all that, the holy sword had appeared.

"Saintess."

I swallowed the last bite of my apple pie and spoke.

"Yes, Angel."

"Let's go to Rosnitz."

Alicia nodded, as if she'd already anticipated it.

"Because of the holy sword, I take it?"

"Yep. One look and I can tell it's not the genuine article."

The road to Rosnitz, the royal capital of Bern, was dreadfully congested.

Unlike before, we were traveling in an unremarkable carriage that drew no eyes, which naturally made the journey that much longer.

The closer we got to Rosnitz, the more the roads overflowed with people.

Mercenaries and adventurers, fallen knights, merchants—even clergy of unclear allegiance.

All of them bound for one destination: the holy sword.

"Word is the holy sword appeared just as the kingdom began to crumble."

"They say whoever draws the holy sword will become Bern's savior!"

"Savior? Is that all? I hear the kingdom itself will grant them a title!"

"Lord Chancellor himself is said to be founding a knight order in their honor..."

"The heavens are choosing Bern a new king."

"Shh. Best watch your tongue with such blasphemous talk."

All manner of rumors drifted in from outside the carriage.

They were the sort of rumors that suited a fantasy, sure.

But the timing and the talking points reeked of something suspicious, plain as day.

"I think someone spread this on purpose, Angel."

Sharp as ever, Alicia.

She'd caught on.

"You think so?"

I feigned ignorance and asked back.

"Yes. It's moving too fast, and it's too provocative. Besides, the rumor even comes with a clear direction attached. Someone is unquestionably gathering people with intent."

In reality, that thing was not a holy sword at all.

It was a demonic sword masquerading as one—one that fed and grew upon its wielder's life and desires.

"Saintess."

"Yes."

"In Rosnitz, Miss Luise and I will take point. You'll only step in if things get dangerous."

"Hmm."

"Better to teach a man to fish than to hand him one, as they say. Luise needs to grow as well, doesn't she?"

That way the Votive Power keeps photocopied, after all.

And while I was at it, I could get some practice with my own Radiant Arts.

Alicia had simply been too strong from the very beginning, so counting on growth points from her was a lost cause.

"You make a fair point."

"Miss Luise, you can do this, right?"

"Yes, Master. Leave it to me."

What a relief she was.

The carriage came to a halt before Rosnitz's eastern gate.

Compared to the holy capital of the Holy Radiance Empire, Rosnitz fell short in every respect—wall height, city size, all of it—but the flood of people passing through its gates lost nothing for it.

Ordinary checkpoints proved insufficient, so temporary ones had been jammed in alongside, wall to wall.

"Next!"

"Anyone here for the holy sword, join the right-hand queue!"

Our carriage rolled boldly straight up the front.

The moment a soldier spotted the crest of the Holy Radiance Church carved into our carriage, he came running.

"Thank you for your service. This is the regular relief shipment prepared by the Holy Radiance Church."

"Oh, relief supplies from the Holy Radiance Church! Wave them through at once!"

Instant free pass.

The carriage stopped at a temporary relief camp set up on an open lot near the eastern gate.

Among the crowds pouring in, there were apparently plenty of refugees and wounded, after all.

It seemed the Bern royal family had set up this camp to save face.

And there, at the outer edge of the camp's barracks, stood a young woman in a deep gray cloak.

Her dress was plain and her hood was pulled low, hiding even her face—but an unmistakable refinement showed through her bearing that nothing could conceal.

Besides, she was flanked by two sturdy-looking bodyguards.

Anyone could tell she was someone highborn.

"Move the wounded to the inner area. Give food to the children, the elderly, and the frail first. And see to it that the mercenaries don't cause trouble in the city."

"But my lady, it is dangerous. If you remain here long..."

"Danger is no reason to look away."

Found her.

The sole legitimate heir of the Bern Kingdom.

Karoline von Bern.

Thankfully, she was here, exactly as in the original story.

Which meant—

"Master."

"Yes, Miss Luise."

"Bloodlust. Right of the relief camp, behind the cargo cart. Five of them."

Luise, with her awakened Mind's Eye, could read even killing intent.

Just as expected.

So the event does trigger here.

"That's the Kingdom's princess over there. The ones harboring bloodlust are assassins. Her two bodyguards will handle two of them—so let's each take one, shall we?"

"Angel?"

At my matter-of-fact words, Alicia's eyes went round.

"Now then, let's go collect our quest reward."

Boing. I hopped down from the carriage.

"Gathering."

And then I drew the starlight straight into my open palm.