Chapter 13
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Apostle, Yutenia Hi-Lost (3)
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The skill that made Yutenia an Apostle, Apostle Selection.
The effects of this skill were more profound than I'd thought.
First, it allows me to spend Karma to craft a Divine Artifact bound to the Apostle.
I don't know if the artifact's name or form is always the same, but its effects were certainly anything but ordinary.
The name of the Divine Artifact I gave Yutenia was Divine Artifact: Grimoire.
The effect of Divine Artifact: Grimoire is to grant its owner the trait Shadow Touch.
Using Shadow Touch, Yutenia could now expend mana to exert physical force within a certain radius.
It was a trait that seemed far more effective than most skills.
Though I have no idea why I'm not given such high-tier traits myself.
"Her mana consumption isn't as high as I expected. I don't think I need to set a limit."
The second trait of an Apostle is direct mana sharing with the player.
This meant I could substitute my own mana for the mana Yutenia consumed.
I could also set a limit on the amount of mana shared with the Apostle.
However, it seemed unlikely I would be setting a mana limit for Yutenia anytime soon.
The biggest reason was that my mana pool had significantly increased through leveling up.
At my current level, I could mindlessly spam the Lightning skill.
Thanks to my increased mana, I wasn't short on it.
And the mana Yutenia consumed to use Shadow Touch wasn't much of a burden.
Unless I took on another Apostle, there was no reason to set a mana-sharing limit for Yutenia right now.
"And the last one, of course, is this game's insane communication feature."
The final feature added by Apostle Selection.
It was a chat button that enabled conversation with the Apostle.
A chat button. Simply put, it looked like a feature for conversation.
However, this too was far more profound than it appeared.
The messages I sent were not delivered verbatim.
'Give me the barrier.'
That was the entirety of the message I had just sent to Yutenia.
Give me the barrier. It was simply a demand for the Barrier magic scroll I had given her.
I was sure that's what I sent.
But just like the speech bubble that had distorted Yutenia's words, the game didn't deliver my message so easily.
No, it exaggerated my words to the point where it was more like a translation.
- "Apostle. Offer up a sacrifice."
- "A sacrifice...?"
It barely resembled the message I sent.
How in the world was this the message I sent?
But the message, ignoring my complaints, began to carry on a conversation with Yutenia on its own.
- "I shall take back the magic I previously bestowed."
- "Ah... you want the magic scroll."
- "Offer the sacrifice. Present to me a token of your oath."
The meaning itself was consistent with what I sent.
However, the tone and atmosphere were like a solemn imitation of a god.
Could it be that the tone was being adjusted to sound more like the Observer?
If not, maybe it had to maintain a certain minimum atmosphere.
In the end, my intention was conveyed accurately, though.
"The magic scroll is here."
Ting.
After getting the magic scroll back from Yutenia, I opened my inventory and used it immediately.
It was a magic scroll I was finally using a considerable time after getting it from the gacha.
- You have learned Barrier (Lv.MAX).
- You can now use Barrier magic by consuming mana.
By using the returned magic scroll, I learned the Barrier skill.
Of course, since it's a skill that's not helpful for hunting, I would rarely use it on the front lines.
At most, I'd probably only use it reluctantly when Yutenia is in danger.
Well, even then, I probably won't use it often, since Yutenia has learned magic herself.
"That was some long-term care."
How many days had it been since I started feeding and clothing Yutenia, using items on her?
Only now had communication with Yutenia become possible.
In a way, the time had come to reap the rewards of all my care.
Why was this game called an idle game?
It's an idle game because you can grow with minimal effort.
I've put in the effort to raise this character this much, so now it's time to reap the harvest.
"It's time for you to earn your keep."
Click.
I pressed the speech bubble button above Yutenia's head to open the chat window.
And I began to type a message to Yutenia.
Tap. Taptap. Tap.
The message I typed with furiously moving fingers was simple.
Time to get moving.
It meant she should start exploring the surrounding area.
- "Apostle. Fulfill your mission."
- "My mission..."
- "Spread my will. Harvest the foolish lives that do not follow providence, and welcome the awakened seeds in advance."
It was basically telling her to find a nearby village.
So I can randomly drop lightning bolts on it.
Yutenia, who understood this perfectly, smiled happily and said.
- "Is that so? Finally, I can be of help to you."
- "If that is the will of the Great One, I will gladly obey."
Is it because the graphics have improved?
As I watched Yutenia, I found her smiling face quite cute.
It seems I've grown attached to the character after raising her for so long.
Getting attached to a character.
I had a feeling my wallet was going to be in serious danger for a while.
A remote village in the Sentirius region.
There, a man named Peter looked up at the sky, pitchfork in hand.
He was a young man born and raised in this village, who had followed his parents' footsteps to become a farmer.
He had once dreamed of being a soldier in his youth, but now, he had put that dream aside.
Serving as a member of the village militia was enough of a soldier's life for him.
To Peter, the most precious thing was this village.
Waking up in the morning to toil on the farm, cooling his sweat in the breeze, and smiling at the sight of grain swaying in the wind.
That was the greatest happiness for Peter the farmer.
He was a man naturally suited for farming.
"The sky is dark today. I wonder if it will rain tonight."
Having finished his work, Peter looked up at the sky, noticed the approaching clouds, and muttered to himself.
Dark clouds were slowly creeping across the blue sky.
It would probably be a while before it rained, but he had a feeling it would come this evening or sometime tomorrow.
Just in case it did rain, he thought he should prepare as much as possible before it started.
"...Huh?"
Just as Peter, having made a plan in his head, was about to clean up.
He spotted the figure of a person walking toward him from a distance.
Trudge. Trudge.
Someone was approaching the village with small steps.
She wore a pure white tunic and clutched a large book to her chest.
"..."
Her flowing, ash-gray hair was quite foreign to Peter.
She was definitely an outsider, not a villager.
The girl clutching the book was more beautiful than Emily, who was called the village's greatest beauty.
No, it wasn't just beauty; she had an air of elegance.
Could a noble be visiting the village?
The girl approaching Peter had an appearance that was more than enough to spark such a thought.
"Oh, what the... She's really coming this way?"
As the girl's steps brought her closer, Peter lightly smoothed his bangs.
He also brushed some of the dirt from his clothes, a result of his farm work.
He couldn't very well look dirty in front of a visitor.
After Peter hastily neatened his appearance, the girl who had been walking from afar finally stopped in front of him.
The girl's eyes, which seemed detached, scanned Peter from top to bottom.
The book she held in her arms looked incredibly expensive.
After looking him over once, the girl faced him and spoke.
"Hello?"
"Huh? O-oh! Yes...!"
At the girl's gentle voice, Peter answered her with a clumsy tone.
He was too flustered to respond properly.
Ugh. Peter sighed at his own pathetic display.
But the girl paid him no mind, stroking the book she held as she asked him a question.
"Do many people live in this village?"
"People...? Ah, our village has about forty residents!"
"Forty people. That's a bit of a disappointing number."
Hearing the village's population from Peter, the girl nodded and spoke.
Disappointing? What on earth could she mean by that?
Peter couldn't understand her words.
However, he didn't press the matter.
The fact that she had come alone was a bit concerning, but wasn't it likely she was just a lost noble lady?
The book she held alone was an item you couldn't get even if you sold the entire village.
"Then, my next question. Is there a village with a lot of people nearby?"
"A place with a lot of people? To the west! There's a city to the west!"
"A city... A city would certainly have many people."
"Yes, yes. That's right."
Hearing that there was a city, the girl finally looked satisfied.
Peter didn't know why she was satisfied, but he figured it was a good thing that the noble lady was pleased.
Regardless of her appearance, there was nothing to be gained by getting on a noble's bad side.
It was a rational choice Peter had made on his own.
Tap. Tap.
The girl, who was gently tapping the book with her slender fingertips, looked at Peter again and spoke.
"You're a kind person. Could you tell me your name?"
"My name is Peter."
"Then, Peter, would you call the villagers for me?"
"...What?"
Peter tilted his head at the request to gather the villagers.
He didn't mind answering her questions, but why ask him to gather the villagers?
Peter's question was short-lived.
He turned his head at a strange sound coming from over his shoulder.
Snap.
The pitchfork in Peter's hand was broken.
And the other half of the snapped pitchfork was being held by a hand extending from the girl's shadow.
Peter's horrified gaze fell upon the girl.
"The Great One desires my resolve."
The girl was still looking at Peter with a smile on her face.
The girl's hand once again swept across the book's cover.
Watching her, Peter finally realized that something was terribly wrong.
The person before him was no lost noble girl.