She pulled Haruhime next to her and asked in an annoyed tone, “Haruhime, what do you think about them doing this?”
Haruhime blinked innocently and answered sincerely, “It is fine. If everyone can get along well with Lord Mizuki, I, I will be even happier.”
The group cheered, “Haha! Look! Even Haruhime says it is fine.”
Kaguya was rendered completely speechless.
She dropped Haruhime’s hand and buried her face in her palms.
“There is a traitor among us!”
Surrounded by everyone in the center of the courtyard, Mizuki felt deeply uncomfortable.
“All right, all right, stop staring at me. You have to tell me how to actually use a skill from falna first.”
He would have preferred to test out his new skill on his own time, but with everyone staring expectantly, he clearly had no chance to ponder it alone.
“Activating a skill is fundamentally an extension of your own will.”
Ryana, who had remained quiet until now, stepped forward.
She possessed a slender frame and a calm demeanor, her eyes brightening with interest only when the topic turned to magic and skills.
“You need to calm your mind and feel the power of the falna within your body.”
Celty chimed in as well.
“According to the parchment, your skill consumes mind. You need to focus your mind, visualize the desired effect, and manifest it into reality.”
“Mind? Manifestation?” Mizuki asked, looking lost.
“To put it simply,” Ryana explained patiently, “most skills of this type share the same principle. Close your eyes, concentrate, picture a form of energy, shape it into whatever appearance you prefer, and direct it toward the person you want to enhance.”
Mizuki nodded, grasping the concept.
He took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
The ambient noise around him seemed to fade away.
He cleared his thoughts, seeking that elusive sensation of internal power.
“Focus, Mizuki,” Ryana’s voice guided him like a clear spring.
“Just feel your own presence.”
Mizuki drew another deep breath, drawing all of his awareness back into his own body.
Gradually, he sensed a subtle shift.
Was this the power granted by the falna?
He attempted to direct that energy as naturally as moving his own limbs.
“Visualize its form and shape it,” Celty’s voice arrived right on cue.
A form?
An image instinctively surfaced in Mizuki’s mind.
A pale golden radiance coalesced within his consciousness.
The glow steadily intensified, outlining a defined shape.
It was a small dragon, wrapped in pale golden light.
“That is it.”
With a thought, Mizuki opened his eyes.
The moment he did, a soft, resonant dragon’s roar echoed through the air.
A small sized dragon crafted purely of pale golden light materialized before him, circling him affectionately.
“Oh wow, that is so cute!” Iska’s eyes went wide, completely captivated by the little golden dragon.
As the intended recipients of the buff, Alise, Ryu, and Kaguya felt the change far more clearly.
They could tell that the tiny golden dragon was radiating an immense reservoir of enhancing energy.
“Quick! Mizuki, send it over!” Alise urged impatiently.
With a shift in Mizuki’s focus, a pale yellow magic circle expanded beneath his feet.
The miniature golden dragon divided into three smaller copies.
They flew briskly through the air, darting straight toward Alise, Ryu, and Kaguya.
The three tiny dragons settled gently upon their shoulders.
Though they appeared like harmless familiars, none of the girls had time to admire them, for an overwhelming rush of power surged through their bodies.
“This, this feeling!” Alise squeezed her fists tightly.
“My Strength, Endurance, and Agility are all soaring!”
She drew her rapier and gave it a casual swipe.
A crimson trail carved through the air, etching a deep trench into the ground.
Ryu lifted her hand slightly, testing the wind current against her fingers.
“Not just our base status, our five senses are remarkably sharper as well.”
Kaguya nodded, her voice filled with surprise.
“The difference is tremendous.”
“This has completely broken past the limits of level three!” Alise exclaimed, thrilled.
“I feel like I am standing right on the edge of level four!”
The gathered members stared in awe at the dramatic enhancement.
This was not a modest bump in power, but an astonishing leap in capability.
Just then, Alise turned her gaze toward Haruhime at the back of the group.
A bold, daring idea crossed her mind.
“Haruhime!” Alise called out, her voice trembling with excitement.
“Use Uchide no Kozuchi on me right now!”
The crowd froze.
Stack two top-tier enhancement abilities onto a single person?
Haruhime panicked at the request, frantically waving her hands.
Celty stepped up to Haruhime and offered a gentle smile.
“Do not be nervous, Haruhime. I will guide you through the chant.”
Celty walked her through the process step by step.
Once she understood, Haruhime took a steadying breath, met the expectant gazes around her, and took a step forward.
She clasped her hands over her chest, closed her eyes, and began to recite the chant with a clear, steady voice.
“Grow large.”
“Through earnest toil, boundless treasures and countless wishes come to pass.”
“As the bells toll, pray for glory and wondrous dreams.”
“Grow large, feast upon this divine offering, and receive the golden blessing of the gods.” Get faster updates on g.com.
“Return the mallet to the earth, and bestow your grace.”
As the final syllable left her lips, radiant motes of light coalesced above Haruhime like a swirling galaxy.
She opened her eyes and pointed a slender finger directly at Alise.
“Uchide no Kozuchi!”
The sea of light condensed into a brilliant beam, enveloping Alise completely.
In the next breath, a terrifying presence far surpassing level four, brushing right against the threshold of level five, erupted from her frame.
In the courtyard, as the enhancement gradually faded, Alise panted softly, staring down at her open hands.
The lingering sensation of nearly touching level five still clung to her senses.
“That was unreal!”
Neze’s beast ears twitched with excitement.
“We hit the jackpot! We really did!” Iska rushed forward, pulling Mizuki and Haruhime into a tight hug from both sides while shaking them wildly.
“One can grant a massive buff to three people, and the other gives an entire level boost!”
Alise raised a hand, raising her voice to quiet the room.
“Everyone, gather up! Emergency meeting!” Her expression turned dead serious.
“Right now! Not a second to waste!”
The lighthearted mood vanished instantly, and everyone hurried back inside the manor.
The members of Astraea Familia knew all too well that whenever their captain wore that face, a matter of grave importance was on the line.
Inside the meeting hall, all eyes turned to Alise.
Her gaze moved slowly between Mizuki and Haruhime.
“We now possess two of the most extraordinary supports anywhere,” she stated firmly.
“Yet by that same token, they are also our most fragile members. At level one, even a lone goblin in the upper floors could take their lives. Because of that, today’s meeting has only one objective.”
Alise paused, enunciating every word.
“We need to find the fastest, safest way to help them grow.”
“I have an idea!” Lyra, the small pallum, raised her hand enthusiastically.
“We head down to the upper floors of the dungeon, beat a bunch of monsters within an inch of their lives, tie them up, and let Mizuki and Haruhime finish them off!”
“That keeps them completely safe while letting them gather excelia. It is foolproof!”
Several members nodded, seemingly convinced.
“That will not work,” Celty said calmly, breaking her silence.
“Doing that would grant them some excelia, yes, but basic abilities grow primarily through real effort and strain.”
“Even if you only run away from danger, your Agility still rises. You only develop your status effectively through genuine struggle.”
She looked around the room, keeping her tone grounded and measured.
“If they only execute helpless monsters, their bodies will receive no real conditioning, and their stat growth will crawl at an absolute minimum.”
“On top of that, skill and magic proficiency demand practical, active use to improve.”
Celty’s breakdown brought everyone back to earth.
They all knew true growth in Orario could never be gained through simple shortcuts.
“So what should we do instead?” Iska asked, her brow furrowing in thought.