Not long after, Astraea and Kei came out of the room and returned to the living room.
Sitting on the empty left side of Charlie, Kei immediately handed him a parchment scroll without hesitation.
"Kei?"
Charlie received the scroll, although he could already guess its contents.
"This girl asked me if she could show you her Status. I already warned her that even among Familia members, an adventurer's Status is a personal secret. Even so, she didn't change her mind."
Sitting opposite, Astraea complained and looked at Kei with a helpless gaze.
(Considering how much Kei loves Charlie—to the point of awakening that skill—it's not strange she doesn't want to hide anything from that man.)
Thinking this, Astraea smiled bitterly, while feeling again the vague discomfort she couldn't explain when seeing their closeness.
"Please look, Charlie-san. There are no secrets between us."
"Alright."
Knowing how stubborn Kei was, Charlie didn't refuse. He opened the parchment scroll and began reading the letters carved there.
❇✬❇
Shirogane Kei
Level 1
Strength: I (0)
Endurance: I (0)
Dexterity: I (0)
Agility: I (0)
Magic Power: I (0)
Magic: —
Skill:
✧ Liaris Freese
Development Abilities: —
❇✬❇
"This...!"
Charlie's gaze stopped at the Skill column. He didn't anticipate this at all.
It was common knowledge that individuals who had just received Falna and become beginner adventurers usually didn't have Magic or Skills.
In any world, ordinary people were the largest population. Talented people, geniuses, or prodigies who immediately got Skills and Magic from the start were very rare cases.
Unexpectedly, Kei turned out to be outside the ordinary people category.
(Liaris Freese... Isn't this the cheat skill of the protagonist, Bell Cranel?! This is the main factor that made his leveling speed surpass all adventurers and even break historical records!)
Charlie pondered for a moment, remembering the effect of Liaris Freese:
Liaris Freese increases the user's growth speed as long as they have strong feelings of love. The strength of the effect is directly proportional to the depth of those feelings. As a side effect, this skill provides immunity to charm. Furthermore, this skill allows the user to exceed normal statistical limits, reaching SS to SSS rankings.
In short, Liaris Freese was a permanent buff that doubled Excelia gains.
Although it sounded game-breaking, this skill wasn't perfect. Liaris Freese would stop working if the user's feelings of love changed or shifted to someone else.
In Kei's context, this skill would remain active as long as her feelings for Charlie didn't change.
But was that possible?
Kei had given her heart, body, and soul to him, devoting her life to that man.
Without external intervention—such as mind control, brainwashing, memory modification, hypnosis, or divine charm—her feelings for Charlie were almost impossible to change.
Only time could provide a definite answer.
"This is a great skill, Kei! With this, your growth will soar like a rocket!"
Charlie was also very happy that his woman gained such a big advantage.
"Really? That's good, I want to be able to help Charlie-san!"
Receiving that praise, Kei's face beamed with joy.
"Charlie, take Kei to register at the Guild."
Astraea sounded a bit impatient. She couldn't stand watching the two of them being intimate anymore.
"Yes, Goddess Astraea. Aishia, you stay home for now."
"Mm."
Aishia only nodded at Charlie's words.
So, as a pair, Charlie and Kei left Empyrean Citadel, stepping toward the Guild to register Kei as an official adventurer. And unknowingly, bringing along growth potential that could one day shake Orario.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Charlie deliberately slowed their pace, letting Kei observe the surroundings of Orario with her own eyes rather than from his stories.
Orario City looked so prosperous; crowds of people filled the streets, the sound of bargaining at shopping stalls echoed, and the cheerful laughter of couples and groups of adventurers created an atmosphere very contrasting with the apocalyptic world Kei had once inhabited.
What most caught Kei's attention was the presence of Demi-Humans.
Most pedestrians were indeed human, but among the crowd, she saw dwarves with thick beards, elves with pointed ears and graceful faces, as well as various types of Beastmen with characteristics like animal ears, tails, or even scaly skin.
Some looked like ordinary citizens with simple clothes, while others wore magnificent adventurer equipment.
"Kei, don't keep staring at them like that." Charlie whispered softly, drawing her attention. "That could be considered rude or even provocative."
Kei became aware, realizing she had been too focused on an elf's pointed ears and a beastman's furry tail.
"There's no other choice. This is a new experience for me." She answered while looking away, although occasionally her eyes still stole glances at unique pedestrians.
"What do you think of Orario?" Charlie asked, trying to change the topic.
"Hmmm... Prosperous. But the architecture is a bit... outdated." Kei answered honestly, evaluating the stone and wooden buildings which although beautiful, felt classic and less modern.
Her assessment turned out to be similar to Moeha's when she first saw Konoha. Both—coming from modern urban backgrounds—weren't too impressed with the centers of civilization in other worlds.
"This is a fantasy world of swords and magic, Kei. Here, because the magic power system is already able to meet many people's needs, science development isn't prioritized much." Charlie explained while shrugging.
While walking, Kei noticed many residents beginning to decorate their buildings with moon attribute decorations.
"By the way, Charlie-san, there are many people decorating buildings. Will there be a festival soon?"
"Moon Holy Festival, huh..."
Through conversation fragments from people around caught by his senses, he learned that Orario was preparing the Moon Holy Festival to be held in a few days.
"Moon Holy Festival. It's a celebration that existed even before the gods descended to the lower world. In ancient times, people worshiped the moon as a god and prayed that adventurers would return safely from the Dungeon. That tradition persisted even after the gods came."
His explanation was brief because Charlie himself didn't know deep details about the festival—he only conveyed what he heard.
"I see... It's been so long since I went to a festival."
Kei was slightly melancholic, remembering her past that was once colored by simple joy before everything changed.
"In that case, let's have fun together at the Holy Moon Festival later—me, you, Aishia, Est, and Goddess Astraea."
"Yes! I'm really looking forward to it!"
Their conversation continued flowing until unknowingly their footsteps brought them right in front of a large building that was the administrative heart of adventurers: the Guild.