Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Overflowing Vitality (1)
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"I've become so much healthier, haven't I?"
Ceres smiled shyly.
She'd truly changed beyond recognition. She'd even grown tall enough to match Silvret's height.
'What on earth happened during this time?'
Even the texture of her hair and the color of her eyes had changed.
Golden lavender—a subtle, mysterious blend of purple and gold.
It used to be a deep purple before, but now it shimmered with flecks of gold woven in.
'And why did a Relic (B)-grade item turn into a Legend (A)-grade one?'
"Duchess, has the artifact shown any unusual phenomena by chance?"
"No? Nothing like that."
Ceres didn't seem to know what had happened to the item either.
I activated Discernment Eye and first examined the item in detail.
The health buff alone was a x10 multiplier.
'Is it additive because it's Legend-grade? What if it upgrades to Mythic—would it become multiplicative?'
Before that, I had no clue how it had even upgraded.
Items that could be upgraded usually showed conditions for it under Discernment Eye, but there had been none before.
There were still none now.
That led to the conclusion that some external force had transformed the item.
This time, I pierced Ceres's life force with Discernment Eye (C-rank).
Her base vitality was over twice mine.
Even for a mage like me at level 70, that was insane.
And...
'What's "excess vitality"?'
It wasn't a stat from Dragon Defense.
I was utterly baffled.
"Do you have any idea what's going on? Something feels off. That artifact shouldn't be this effective."
"Just like you said, Your Highness, I've been managing the farm and eating mana herbs whenever I could. Boiled, steamed, blanched as side dishes..."
I'd told her to do that because it seemed good for her health...
She was still shorter than Canelian.
But her sleek, lithe muscles like a black panther's made her look more like a knight.
Canelian, who'd reached Swordmaster, had no calluses on her hands and no bulging muscles.
Strip away the armor, and she looked soft and delicate—hardly the image of a knight.
"I'm glad you've gotten healthier. Does the ducal couple know?"
"No! I wanted to show you first, Your Highness, so I haven't visited them yet. Canelian hasn't seen me like this either."
Ceres beamed.
"No more minor illnesses, and my strength has improved a ton. Want to see?"
I didn't really need to...
Her strength was just a smidge higher than Canelian's.
But she hoisted a heavy load overhead anyway to show off.
'Good thing her muscles didn't bulk up.'
Ceres now resembled a rhythmic gymnast.
Her whole body was a picture of perfectly toned, slender, beautiful health.
'Thank goodness she didn't turn into a weightlifter...'
I breathed a sigh of relief, figuring the item had some strict aesthetic standards.
A sudden thought struck me.
"Um, Duchess Ceres. I hope you don't mind me asking, but have you..."
Ceres, who'd been bouncing with excitement, caught on and her face fell.
"I still don't have periods. I guess it can't recover that far..."
"Ah, sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's fine. You have every right to ask, Your Highness."
"..."
An awkward silence hung in the air.
Then Ceres put on a brave face and spoke energetically.
"Your Highness! I'm going to see Mother and Father now—want to come? It's all thanks to you that I'm this healthy!"
"Sure, I'll escort you. But are you going dressed like that?"
Ceres was in work clothes.
"I love these clothes. They're like knight's armor to me."
"...Understood."
Not a single ducal retainer recognized Ceres.
They passed her off as the mana herb farm manager without a second glance.
Ceres giggled at every such encounter, her face bright and full of life.
"I can't wait to see how shocked my parents will be—my heart's pounding."
"They'll be thrilled."
"It's all thanks to you, Your Highness..."
"Don't mention it."
'But seriously, what's excess vitality?'
It seemed to mean she'd stockpiled more vitality than her current body could hold.
"His Grace the Duke rode Golegnus out on inspection. He'll be back soon."
"Got it. I'll wait here."
We decided to wait at the outdoor fountain table in the office garden.
Ceres gazed at the flower beds with the dreamy eyes of a young girl.
"It feels like a dream. To think I'd return here so healthy... When I left the duchy, I thought I'd never come back alive."
"You can visit often now."
"No, I can't leave the farm that much."
We chatted away, catching up on everything.
I heard about the mishaps she'd faced managing the mana herb farm.
I told her about the adventures Canelian and I had been through.
"Prince Velheim is so weird. He ignored Canelian when she was a little kid, but now that she's a beautiful, strong knight, he's suddenly greedy for her.
Don't misunderstand, Your Highness."
"I won't."
"Canelian's grown stunning and draws tons of male attention, but she's never paid them any mind—always honing her sword."
A flicker of envy mixed into Ceres's eyes as she praised her little sister.
"Sometimes I envy her. If my mana hadn't run rampant as a child and wrecked my body, I'd be by your side right now, Your Highness..."
I fumbled for words, the mood turning awkward.
Suddenly, the air filled with commotion.
Guards carrying a stretcher rushed in, pale as ghosts.
Ceres and I jumped up in shock at the sight of the Duke on the litter.
"Father-in-law!"
"Father!"
"Fetch recovery potions—now!"
"Right away!"
At the elite guard captain's urgent command, attendants bolted off in a panic.
"Ugh... uuuugh..."
"Father-in-law!"
I dropped to my knees beside the Duke and checked him over frantically.
His condition was gruesome.
A shattered thigh bone protruded through his flesh, and bruises covered his body.
His abdomen was soaked in blood—internal injuries, no doubt.
"Guard captain, what happened? Who ambushed His Grace?"
"W-well..."
"Your Grace! Darling!"
Then the Duchess arrived, clutching potions and gasping for breath.
Her face was ashen.
"Hurry! Use the potions—now!"
"Yes, Your Grace!"
The guard captain took the potions and liberally doused the Duke's body.
Before applying it to the protruding thigh bone...
"Brace yourself, Your Grace."
"Gaaahhh!"
He forced the bone back into place, then poured potion over it.
As the potion took effect, easing the pain, the Duke's expression relaxed.
The Duchess asked coldly.
"Who did this? Who dared to do this to him?"
"While riding Golegnus in low-altitude flight..."
"Ambushed! Did you catch the assassin?"
"N-no, it wasn't that. After consecutive aerial loops and high-speed breakthrough maneuvers, followed by a sharp cobra climb and dive, he... fell."
"..."
"..."
I awkwardly avoided the Duchess's icy glare. The Duke's feigned unconscious expression? Unforgettable.
The Duke's bedroom.
The duchy priest, doubling as chief physician, examined him calmly.
"There's a risk of improper bone healing, so ten days of bed rest with steady potion use should make a full recovery."
Canelian, who'd rushed over, sighed in relief.
"Phew, that's a relief."
"Ten days? Can't it be faster?"
The Duchess asked the elderly priest, looking like the world had ended.
Even he seemed flustered.
"Your Grace, no need to worry. Ten days of rest, and he'll be perfectly fine."
"H-how can he lie in bed doing nothing for ten days? That's too cruel. And at such a critical time."
"Mother, it's important, yes, but Father resting ten days won't drastically shift the war situation."
"No, it will. Your father is so active—ten days confined like that would be torture...!"
"D-dear, I'm fine. Calm down."
"I'm not fine!"
"..."
The Duke clammed up, looking scared.
The Duchess clutched his hand, burying her face and shedding tears.
"Ten whole days... Sob, waaah..."
"..."
"..."
A wave of unspoken emotion washed over me.
Her devotion to her husband was profound.
As she sobbed for a while, she finally noticed Ceres watching worriedly.
"Your Highness, who's that attendant girl...? Oh my! Oh goodness! Could you be... Ceres?!"
Ceres teared up as she replied.
"Yes, Mother. You recognized me after all."
"Heavens! My daughter! How has my girl changed like this?!"
"What? Is it really my eldest daughter?"
"Sis? Is that you?"
It turned into a tearful family reunion.
After an outburst of sobs and laughter, the mood finally settled.
Having heard the full story, the ducal couple thanked me profusely.
"Son-in-law, thank you. Giving our daughter such a precious artifact—I'm so grateful, I don't know how to repay you."
"Not at all. Just a small gift for my sister-in-law."
"Dear, please take after even half of our capable son-in-law. Why on earth did you pull such a dangerous stunt?"
"...Emergency escape maneuver training. You never know what might happen on the battlefield..."
The Duke met my eyes as he spoke.
I gave a subtle nod the women wouldn't notice.
-Father-in-law. I get it.
-Thanks for understanding, son-in-law.
"To be bedridden, unable to move for ten days at such a crucial time... I can't go on."
The Duchess dabbed her eyes again, and the Duke coughed awkwardly, looking away.
'With Stenno's fate at a turning point, it won't help having Father-in-law sidelined.'
But Heal was player-exclusive.
NPCs had to rely on medicine or recovery potions.
And in this world, the only player was me.
"The kingdom has top-grade potions that might shorten the recovery time."
"Son-in-law, no need. Wasting top-grade potions to save ten days is too much."
"Your Highness, we appreciate the offer, but..."
Just then, Ceres's life force stats inadvertently came into view.
The "excess vitality" visible through C-rank Discernment Eye.
'Excess vitality?'
That's when I suddenly remembered an item shoved in a corner of the palace treasury.
A trash staff I'd cursed for its garbage skill—one I'd never use in my lifetime.
A Saga (C)-grade priest item.
'Was it the Vampiric Priest's Staff? Absorbs the user's life force to heal others...'
I double-checked Ceres's "excess vitality."
'What if she used that?'