Xien
Level: 1
Strength: I0 Endurance: I0 Dexterity: I0 Agility: I0 Magic: I0
Development Abilities: None
Magic: None
Skills:Firelight — Negative mental effects are halved; mental resistance greatly increases. When adhering to the justice in his own heart, all attributes have a chance to double, with the multiplier scaling in proportion to the intensity of the "firelight." When learning abilities related to fields he's interested in, gains are doubled.
Compared to other brand-new adventurers receiving a blessing for the first time, Xien only had one extra skill.
But the effects written there made every executive present gape in disbelief.
A few even stole glances at their goddess.
Lady Astraea… are you sure this isn't some secret child of yours or something?
What kind of absurd skill was this?
It looked like something straight out of a hero's tale.
Three effects—
First: mitigation against mental interference.
Second: explosive boosts to combat power.
Third: accelerated growth.
Was Orario about to be turned upside down?
Then came the unspoken understanding in everyone's eyes.
Alise's grin practically reached the back of her head. She'd decided it on the spot: from now on, this kid would be a priority target for the familia's full attention. She was going to raise him into a worthy successor.
"Then, as captain," Alise declared, "I'm announcing this now: Xien's Status is hereby classified as the highest-level secret within the familia. From this point on, everyone will dedicate themselves to his training. Any objections?"
Most shook their heads.
Only Kaguya raised a hand.
"I have no objections to his potential," she said, "but what kind of person he truly is… that's still up for debate."
"Hey, you—" Ryuu snapped, immediately bristling.
How could someone who'd been beaten half to death just to save an old man be a bad person? And he was still just a kid.
"Don't interrupt, Ryuu." Kaguya's tone was flat, almost cold. "It's a fact. That skill talks about 'justice,' sure—but read it carefully. It says the justice in his own heart. If, to him, justice means killing people, then what?"
"This kind of case isn't exactly rare."
The words hit like a bucket of cold water.
Ryuu went silent, unable to refute it.
It was unpleasant—but from the standpoint of the familia's interests, it wasn't wrong.
The others also fell into thought.
Alise considered for a moment, then offered a solution.
"Then we do this: we conceal the skill for now and carry out a one-month evaluation. He'll go through training under each of you—partly to teach him practical experience, partly to test him. How about that?"
"And as for the reason," Alise added, "we'll tell him he needs to repay the debt for the Panacea."
"No problem."
This time, everyone agreed. Several even mentally applauded Alise's judgment.
All the while, Astraea simply watched with a gentle smile, stroking Xien's still-too-thin sleeping face. Even surrounded by enemies and unrest outside, she felt profoundly content.
This—this was what she sought.
"If I have these children," she murmured softly, "then surely…"
The Next Day
Xien's consciousness slowly surfaced.
He opened his eyes.
Two thoughts rose back-to-back.
An unfamiliar ceiling…
Did I transmigrate again?
After a few seconds of blankness, he forced himself upright. His body—only just beginning to recover—barely held the motion.
The near-death experience had left his mind sluggish, as if his thoughts were floating in water.
It took nearly a full minute before he could gather himself enough to look around.
The room wasn't lavish, but it was warmly arranged—cozy in a way that soothed the nerves. Sunlight poured through the window, gentle and reassuring.
And he was lying on a large, soft bed in the center of it all.
Fine silk wrapped around fluffy cotton. Compared to the straw and stone he'd been sleeping on before, the comfort felt almost unreal—so unreal it made him uneasy.
He lifted his hand. It was still his body. He clenched his fingers—thin, weak, and trembling with a lack of strength.
"Am I… saved?"
"Then this place… where is it…?"
As those questions tangled in his mind, the door opened from the outside.
A blonde elven girl stepped in.
She wore a fitted white inner armor that exposed her crystal-clear arms, paired with practical short pants. In her hands was a tray holding what looked like food.
Her features were delicate, but her face held almost no expression. The pointed ears that marked her as an elf were partially hidden by pale golden hair, half-visible through the strands.
The moment she entered, her gaze went straight to the bed.
Seeing Xien sitting up, she paused—clearly caught off guard.
With the sunlight streaming in from the window, the scene looked like an impossibly beautiful painting—one that made Xien's heart seize.
"Wait… is this… a goddess?"
He murmured without thinking.
And the elf girl, with her keen hearing, caught every word.
A faint blush rose on her cheeks. Then, as if nothing had happened, she walked over.
"You're awake. Good." She set the tray down by the bedside. "Drink some. You need to replenish your strength."
"Um—excuse me, where am I—"
Before he could finish, a spoonful of hot broth was pushed to his lips with a force that felt… a little too decisive. Instinctively, he opened his mouth and swallowed—along with the rest of his question.
His first reaction was: This is good.
His second reaction was: I'm starving.
Some kind of seasoning—sweet and savory at once—sparked his appetite like a match to dry grass.
As she continued feeding him, the elf girl spoke in the same crisp, clear voice.
"Eat first. We'll talk after. Don't worry—you're safe now."
Even though her expression remained stiff, Xien could feel genuine concern in her words.
In that instant, he felt absurdly—almost impossibly—happy, like he'd stepped into a dream.
A girl beautiful enough to be mistaken for a goddess feeding him so gently… and he'd been single his entire life. What was he supposed to do with a situation like this?
He surrendered on the spot.
A few minutes later, she set the empty bowl down. Watching the color slowly return to his face, the corners of her lips lifted—just slightly.
Xien caught it.
And his heart gave a strange, uneven thump.
"Um…" he asked softly. "The old man… in the cell beside mine… how is he?"
By now, Xien had recognized who she was.
Ryuu Lion.
And combined with what the old man had said about Evilus running rampant…
That meant Xien was most likely in the Astraea Familia's residence.
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