Volume 24 Chapter (1-6)

Chapter 1, Peach Awakening

When Peach was brought to the relaxation area by Sylvia, she told everyone what she had just seen in Kousuke in a dream.

Peach was feeling somewhat unsteady, not so much from sleep, but from the first time she used her powers.

It was Sylvia who gathered the members together.

"So? What's it like?"

Shrein cut in after Peach finished, giving everyone a rundown.

"Well, let's see… Hold on a minute. I guess I'm still a little confused."

Peach said, closing her eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?"

Sylvia looked at her with concern.

"I'm fine~. But I guess I'm still trying to wrap my head around it a little bit."

After all, she was remembering what she had seen in her dream as if it were reality.

However, it was very different from the feeling of not sleeping at all.

That seemed to be the cause of the confusion.

After a while, Peach continued to stabilize her breathing with her eyes closed, and she seemed to be getting more and more composed.

"I'm fine now~. Sorry, I didn't mean to worry everyone."

"Are you really alright?"

"Yes. After all, the main cause was that it was the first time I used this power~. My body was fine, but mentally I couldn't calm down."

Peach said with a smile.

The slight instability she had been experiencing recently was gone, as if it was a lie.

She had that dream, but wanting to meet Kousuke had definitely been a trigger.

"First, as for the Blessing, as I said before, I only discovered a trigger. I was able to meet Kousuke-san this time, but it may not happen the same way next time."

"What do you mean?"

"This is a probability, but my power may have increased significantly as a dream demon succubus."

Succubus, also known as the Dream Demon race, were a race that were said to appear in dreams.

In reality, however, an actual succubus did not have such power.

Or perhaps the fact that Peach now manifested some of that power means that it might have happened in the past.

"Perhaps only powerful succubus were able to do that~. I'll check with the elders later."

Peach concluded after saying her theory.

"I see. A succubus with powers from her ancestors, huh?"

Shrein nodded broadly at Peach's reasoning, as if she too had an idea about the situation.

"Huh? Does Shrein have any idea what it might be?"

"No. I don't, but some of my family members have knowledge of the old days. I was going to check with them and see what they know."

"I see. I'll also try asking that person."

After Collete said this, she turned her attention to Sylvia and Floria.

"Did you think of something?"

Collete's gaze made both of them look puzzled.

"The ones with power?"

"What I'm talking about are powerful individuals, some even have the title of heroes, and even among humans, there should have been many of them."

When it came to humans, there were too many to narrow down the list.

Thinking back, it was the same when they were researching those who had children of the gods.

There was so little in common with each other that it was difficult to narrow down the list.

The two of them figured they were going backwards again.

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The manifestation of Peach's power was also noticed in the Sanctuary.

But it was the three Great Gods and their Master who were paying attention.

"It's a wonderful manifestation. I thought it would take a little longer."

It was Asura who said that.

As a matter of fact, Asura, like Kousuke, had expected the process to take at least another month.

However, one week was all it took.

When it came to matters involving Kousuke, even Asura's expectations were frequently incorrect.

"Is this the final confirmation?"

"Definitely. Well, we still need to see what happens next."

Eris smiled at Asura's answer.

"I see. That's good to know."

"Oh My? Eris-nee, you look so happy."

Seeing Eris's expression, Jal grinned.

"Ah, wait, that's right. I have to root for Sylvia."

"Yeah, well. It's only a part of the manifestation. In fact, I'm uncertain whether it's what they wanted or not… Oh?"

Asura tilted her head and everyone's attention turned to her.

"Is something wrong?"

Asura did not answer Eris's question and remained in meditation for a while, but then she opened her eyes and smiled.

"You can call it an obsession or something…. No, in this case, is this the power of a maiden in love? It looks like they were about to evolve together as well."

""""No way!!!"""

At Asura's words, the three pillars, Eris, Spica, and Jal simultaneously voiced their surprise.

No matter how unexpected it was, it was something even they had thought they would not see coming.

"Moreover, this is a species I've never seen before, isn't it?"

Asura said, finally breaking out into laughter.

It was surprising enough that they had evolved so quickly, but now they were becoming an even newer species.

Such a thing had probably only happened a few times, at least, since Asura had started watching over this world.

It was also during a time when the world was not as stable as it was now, and at a time when it was still in chaos.

The three pillars were at a loss for words for a while, but then Eris asked Asura.

"So, what kind of species did they become?"

"Well, for Peach, she's mainly a succubus, but she's got two others mixed in. Instead of the succubus showing up, it's a nice mix of all three."

"That's spectacular, isn't it?"

"That would normally be impossible."

Jal said in admiration, and Spica said in surprise.

"To be precise, I guess it's like her nature has just evolved. Definitely Kousuke's Blessing influenced this one."

"Does it, uh… affect the world?"

Eris asked Asura, seeming reluctant to say it.

"No, it doesn't. If it's only on this level, then won't have that much of an effect. It's just a new mix of what was already there before."

"I see."

Eris looked overtly relieved at Asura's answer.

When a high-ranking race appears, it may have a significant impact on the world.

In such cases, they would sometimes be targeted for elimination.

But that was when the world was in chaos, and it had never happened when the world was as stable as it was today.

"The rest, well, I'm just wondering when they will realize it, but I guess it's just a matter of time."

"So, would it be fair to say that everything is fine?"

"Well, yes. But we can't be too comfortable, can we?"

Asura looked at Eris and Spica.

They were the ones who were giving Blessing.

"We'll have to wait and see for a while before we can do anything about this."

"I agree. I think so, too."

"Right. That's fine then, but you'd better be cautious."

Both Eris and Spica nodded at Asura's advice.

"Oh, I like that. Maybe I should give someone a Blessing too?"

Jal, seeing the situation, suggested something like that.

"That might be a good idea. But it's probably too late for that, don't you think?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Because it seems that the others who were available have already found their chance."

Jal's shoulders slumped when Asura mentioned this.

There were three who did not have Blessing, but one of them manifested this time, and the other was conditionally incapable of having Blessing.

That's just how a priestess of the World Tree works.

"Jeez. Why did it manifest now even though she didn't show any signs of it?"

"I'm sure she was inspired by the fact that the others were able to manifest it. Besides, maybe it was a good thing that she had vampire powers mixed in."

Asura said this and cast her gaze into the distance.

The Goddesses would have to keep an eye on Kousuke and the others in the future.

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Chapter 2, Floria's Struggles

Kousuke and the others had returned to the inn after receiving the requests and were settling their accounts.

This time, they had received multiple requests in advance, so it was more profitable than the previous time.

It would have been fine to accept more than one request from the beginning, but since it was the first time the three of them (plus five pets) accepted a request together, they decided to accept only one at the start.

Thanks to the reward received from the request, along with the sale of other materials, they earned a considerable amount.

The monsters that Kousuke and his team targeted were in the upper-middle or lower-middle range for adventurers, so they could fetch a good price.

The reward was divided into three equal parts, and that was the end of the settlement this time.

At first, Cecil and Arisa said that the reward did not have to be divided into three equal parts, but Kousuke suggested a compromise.

They are working together now, but it does not mean that they would continue to work together as a party forever.

If he wanted to continue to do so, he could save the money as a pool for the party, but that was not possible.

For Kousuke, he was in the position of intruding on the original party, so Kousuke denied the proposal to make a pool for the party.

As a result, they decided to divide the money into three equal portions.

Kousuke was not involved in the other two portions after it was divided into three.

Like Kousuke, both Cecil and Arisa usually stay at the Yurino Shrine, unless they were staying at an inn as adventurers.

Because of this, they usually spend very little money on food, clothing, and shelter.

Adding to this, there was the work as administrators of the shrine and the requests as adventurers.

To put it bluntly, their activities exceeded Crown's expectations, so they were living without any problems.

After the split, when it was time to disband. Cecil asked Kousuke about something that had been bothering her.

"Speaking of which… Are you sure you don't need to go back yet?"

To Cecil's question, Kousuke looked like he was thinking for a bit, but quickly replied.

"Well. Not yet… If I go back now, everything I've done will be lost… or not, but it's going to make what I have done so far pointless."

"I see."

Cecil and Arisa didn't ask in much detail why Kousuke was working separately from the other women.

If they knew anything about it, they might get involved, so they dared not ask.

"Well, it won't be very long… I guess, but depending on the situation, I'm just not that sure just yet. I apologize for bothering you two."

"No, you didn't bother us at all!"

Kousuke bowed his head, and Arisa waved her hand in response, as if in a panic.

In fact, with Kousuke's help, they were making more money than ever.

There was no way they could complain.

Incidentally, the fact that Nana was following them made it easier for them to defeat monsters.

Nana hunts monsters only when it was time for her to relieve her stress.

If Nana had to handle everything, it wouldn't leave any experience for Kousuke and the others, so she did not get involved unless it was necessary.

"Yes, it is. In fact, we've actually increased our income by dividing the compensation equally this way, so it's not like it's a nuisance."

"I see. I'm glad to hear that."

Kousuke thought it was funny to apologize again when Cecil said that, so he chuckled.

"By the way, what about tomorrow?"

Kousuke and his group had just returned from an expedition today.

It was normal for adventurers, who made a good amount, to take some time off.

Of course, it was not unusual for adventurers at the bottom of the ladder to be working every day, just trying to earn their daily bread.

Cecil and Arisa looked at each other.

"I wouldn't say I'm not tired, but I think it's mostly from the travel. To get to the location, so I think we'll be fully revitalized by tomorrow."

"Me too."

Kousuke crossed his arms as they said this to him.

Kousuke felt the same way as the two of them.

He was traveling to the hunting grounds to accept the request, so of course he was tired from that, but it was not as if he absolutely needed a day off.

He knew that he shouldn't push himself too hard, but then again, there was nothing to do if he stayed at the inn.

"Hmmm. Well, how about we just go and see the requests tomorrow, and then start our activities again the day after tomorrow?"

"No problem."

"Same here."

Kousuke's proposal was met with a nod from both of them, and the plan for tomorrow and beyond was set.

Thus, Kousuke's adventurer activities would continue for a while longer.

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Floria sighed while she was staying in her room.

Since Peach had manifested the power of Blessing, Shrein and Collete had been working energetically, as if they had something in mind.

Sylvia, the other remaining Blessing grantee, had the trait of being a priestess.

For Floria, she thought that if she made use of it, the power of Blessing would manifest itself immediately.

In reality, it was not true, and the grass looks greener on the other side.

On the other hand, when she thought about herself, she had no idea what would become a characteristic of hers.

If asked what she was good at, she would say swords, but there are probably quite a few people who are as good as she was.

As a result, when asked what her unique traits were, she could not come up with an answer.

Everyone believed that the power of Blessing was a strong expression of the unique traits of each individual or their own race.

Floria did not doubt this, but then she was confronted with the question of what her own traits were.

She thought of many things in her mind, erased them, and finally, with a big sigh.

For Floria, she decided to take a last resort.

The last resort was to have a Divine Oracle with Goddess Spica.

Sylvia, a priestess in her own right, was on the Administration Floor, so there was no need for her to wait for a Divine Oracle from her Goddess.

Kousuke had given her tools to directly contact the Goddess, but she hardly used it for anything because of her current situation.

She thought that it was finally the time for her to use such tools.

She wondered if it was appropriate for her to be interacting with a God for personal reasons, but seeing Sylvia and Kousuke, she felt that it was too late to worry about that, so she decided to turn a blind eye to the issue.

It had been a while, and so she was not sure whether it would work or not, but after carefully activating the divine tool, it worked properly.

[You could have called me anytime, but you only contacted me at times like this].

Those were Spica's first words when she connected.

[I'm sorry.]

[I know how you feel, Floria.]

Floria apologized for the sudden contact, but it seemed that Spica was not that bothered by it.

[More importantly, it's about the Blessing, right?]

[Yes, yes. I have no idea what to do…]

[I don't know about Kousuke's Blessing, either. But I think you should know about it.]

[…Do you think so?]

[Floria Doria Flores. Why do you think I have given my Blessing to you?]

It had been a while since Spica had deliberately called Floria by her full name.

It was true that in terms of her position, she was no longer a princess of the Kingdom of Flores, but she had not relinquished her name to the king.

Or rather, the king did not approve of it.

He said that there was no need to abandon family ties as well.

[Well, that's… But I'm already…]

[It had nothing to do with that. What I'm asking you now is not about your position.]

[My position…]

[This was all I could offer you. You can think about the rest on your own.]

Spica said so and easily finished the Divine Oracle.

She seemed to be in some kind of rush, so she might have really taken the time to answer her question.

Grateful for this, Floria thought carefully again about what she was told.

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Chapter 3, Challenges for Each

At the very same time that Floria was doing the Divine Oracle with Spica, Sylvia was also doing a Divine Oracle with Elisa Meir.

However, Sylvia did not perform the Divine Oracle, but received an oracle from Eris.

Sylvia was becoming more powerful as a priestess, so she was able to do this kind of thing.

[What happened?!]

Sylvia was a little flustered, wondering if something had happened, for her to receive a Divine Oracle.

[Nothing really, sorry. It's not something to worry about.]

[I see. Then why?]

She doubted that Eris contact her with an oracle just to have some chit-chat.

If that was really the case, Divine Oracle would have not been that rare… and if they really wanted to discuss such things, they could have done so at the regular Divine Oracle meetings they always performed.

[Well, I was just worried about you. I thought it would be better if I told you about this instead of Kousuke-sama.]

[Worried…?]

The unexpected words of the Goddess, Elisa Meir, caused Sylvia to involuntarily roll her eyes.

[I knew it. You have been in training since you were a child, so I didn't think you would have noticed.]

Recently, Sylvia had resumed her studies as a priestess.

It was more like a training, or rather, rough training.

Since she was on the Administration Floor, there were limits to what she could do, but even so, there were things done that would make an unaccustomed person scream.

For Sylvia, it was just a part of her training, but for Elisa Meir, it was an awful practice.

Of course, the reason Sylvia was pushing herself so hard had a lot to do with the Blessing incident.

[I don't mean to tell you to stop doing what you've been doing ever since you were a child. But don't misunderstand the purpose of what this is for, okay?]

Sylvia immediately understood what Goddess Elisa Meir was trying to say.

In the first place, the practices and hardships performed by the clergy were to get in touch with the Goddess or receive their will.

To put it more concretely, it could be said that they seek to contact those who reside in the Sanctuary.

But recently, Sylvia indicated that she may have been practicing for a different purpose.

[I don't think it's wrong that you are trying to achieve what you want. But if you go about it in the wrong way, you will lose everything.]

Sylvia lowered her head deeply to Goddess Elisa Meir, who gently admonished her.

She realized that she had indeed made a mistake, just as she had been told.

[Thank you very much. But then…]

[Take another look at where you stand. If you do that, I think you will naturally see what you should do.]

Goddess Elisa Meir said to Sylvia, who looked lost.

She would not give her a concrete answer here.

If she did, it might all be for naught.

Sylvia had no intention of asking for the answer directly from the beginning.

She knew that even if she received teachings directly from a Goddess, that was not everything.

Now that she started doing Divine Oracle directly in this way, she understood it with a real sense of reality.

[Yes, I understand. Thank you.]

Hearing Sylvia's response, Goddess Elisa Meir also looked relieved.

[I understand how you feel, but you need to calm down and think about it.]

With these words, Goddess Elisa Meir finished the Divine Oracle.

Sylvia was deeply grateful for the oracle, and once more, she decided to look inwardly at herself.

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Shrein was visiting the library in Vermilion Castle.

The library was not originally there, but was built by reassembling the books that had been evacuated when the castle was lost.

This is not the first time that Vermilion Castle has been lost, but it has happened several times, so such measures have been taken to cope with the loss.

Shrein visited the library to look at old documents.

Some of these documents contained the stories of the first or true ancestors of vampires, which were considered to be the higher species of vampires.

She looked at them and wondered if there was anything she could use as a reference for herself now.

In conclusion, the literature in the library was very helpful.

Needless to say, blood was very important for vampires.

Nowadays, blood sucking has become a luxury, but in the olden days, the demand for blood was based on a contract.

The contract made in exchange for blood was, and of course still remained, a very sacred thing in the past.

It was not limited to the vampire clan.

Those who could make a higher level blood contract were called ancestral vampires or true ancestral vampires.

In the past, the act of making such a contract was considered to be similar to a divine ritual, and it was said that the temple noticed this and became hostile to it.

Of course, this was history from the vampire's point of view, so there may be a certain amount of exaggeration.

Shrein did not intend to say anything about the history itself.

The question was what kind of power she could manifest now that she received a Blessing.

Thanks to the literature, she knew what her goal should be.

All that remains was to find the ways and means to achieve it.

To find out, Shrein continues to search the books for more information.

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While the others were struggling with the power of the Blessing, Collete was naturally trying to find out what it was.

However, unlike the others, she was not in a state of searching.

After all, there were living examples of the higher species on the floor where the elves of the Tower were located.

Naturally, Collete had come to talk to the three High Elves, Liston, Sera and Zephyr.

"I've never heard of an elf evolving into a high elf in one generation to begin with, have you?"

"That's right. We High Elves existed as High Elves from the beginning, you know?"

This was Liston and Serra's answer after hearing Collete's story.

With some expectations, Collete had come to hear the story, but her expectations were betrayed from the start.

That said, she was not depressed.

She had expected this answer to some extent.

If it was so easy to evolve from an elf to a high elf in the first place, everyone would seek to become a high elf that way.

"So, what about the story about the Elves getting the Blessing of God?"

At this, the three Elves looked at each other but shook their heads.

"If you're talking about elves, that's what you should talk to the elders about, but I have not heard of any, at least not from our own elders."

"I see… I understand. Thank you."

"Now, now, don't be shy and ask us for anything. We'll help you in any way we can."

At Zephyr's words, Collete bowed her head and went to the village elders.

***

"Elves with the Blessing of God…"

Gaine was currently in charge of organizing the elves living in the Tower floor, but Dorje, an elder, had also arrived in the village.

Even though he was an elder, his current designated role was that of a counselor.

When Collete asked him a question, Dorje made a thoughtful gesture for a while, but eventually shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I've never heard of this before. As you know, we elves value spirits more than gods in the first place."

"Then what about the Goddess Spica?"

Spica was also said to be the Goddess of Spirits.

"If it was Spica, maybe they have existed, but I have never heard of them."

"I see. I understand. Thank you."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I was unable to help you."

"No, it's okay. I was originally just hoping to use it as a reference."

Just as he said, Kousuke was a new god, so he doubted that his Blessing would be the same as any other gods.

Then it was just a matter of thinking about the Elf-like abilities.

With that thought in mind, Collete went to the World Tree at the end of the day.

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Chapter 4, Temporary Return

Kousuke had temporarily returned to the Administration Floor.

It was only temporary because he was not ready to fully return yet.

The reason he came back this time was because he had something he wanted to tell everyone.

If he returned to the floor again, the Blessing's power, which was going so well, may stop developing.

Kousuke did not want that to happen, so he decided to make it temporary.

"Master!"

"Kousuke-sama!"

As expected, Kouhi and Mitsuki were the first to notice Kousuke's return.

"Hey. I'm back temporarily."

"Temporarily?"

Mitsuki tilted her head, caught up in Kousuke's way of speaking.

Kouhi had the same expression on her face, though she didn't say it in words.

"Yeah. I'm not going to be actually returning yet… I'll tell everyone exactly why."

"Okay."

Mitsuki nodded, saying that she had something to ask, but she would certainly prefer to be with the other members of the group when she did ask.

They must have heard Kouhi and Mitsuki's voices.

The other members rushed over to them.

""Kousuke(-san, -sama)!""

"Father!"

They all called out his name in unison.

Only one person's call was different from the others, but this was from Haku, so it was expected.

"Hi. You all look well. And before I go any further, I apologize for leaving without notice."

After everyone looked at Kousuke, who bowed his head, Shrein stepped forward and replied.

"Well, why. I'd like to complain about why you didn't say anything, but only because of the reason you mentioned. Let's just say what you just told us is good enough for now."

"For now, I guess."

"That's to be expected."

Shrein nodded in agreement, and Kousuke thought he was being a little hasty, but he still had to mention something first.

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"First of all, let me tell you first that my return is only temporary."

"Is that so?"

The expressions on the members' faces at Kousuke's words were more of bewilderment.

"The reason for that is… Should I start with Peach?"

"Me?"

Peach, who was suddenly prompted to speak, tilted her head.

"Yes. You know why, don't you?"

"Because…"

Peach, who had been thinking about it for a while, suddenly looked up.

"Could it be about the dream I had this morning?"

"That's what I was talking about. Which is why I came back in the first place."

The members looked at each other as Peach had previously mentioned that she had dreamed about Kousuke, but no one heard about the dream she had this morning.

In fact, Peach had no idea that the dream she had this morning had any meaning in the first place.

However, Kousuke definitely felt that Peach had activated the power of the Blessing.

Peach thought for a while and tried to remember the dream.

If asked, it was indeed very vivid for a dream, and the memory was still strong.

"As I recall, it was a dream in which Kousuke-san and Shrein were performing some kind of ritual~"

"What the…?"

Shrein reacted violently to Peach's words.

The other members of the group looked surprised at this.

"Since you put it that way, please get ready."

"Eh, ah. I understand."

As Kousuke said that, Shrein rushed off, as if in a panic.

They went to Vermilion Castle to get the tools to perform the ritual.

"The ritual…? Is it?"

Sylvia inquired.

"Yeah, but I don't know much about it myself. It's a ritual that has been handed down in the vampire clan. I'm sure it's safe and sound."

Kousuke added with a wry smile at Mitsuki's subtle expression.

He knew that some of the rituals handed down in the vampire clan were dangerous.

However, the danger, if any, lay on Shrein's side this time.

The reason Shrein did not want to perform the ritual before was because she thought it did not meet a number of conditions.

The conditions were right, and now that Peach had that dream, the conditions were probably met.

The condition was that the content of the ritual would be known to a third party.

However, there was a restriction that the person performing the ritual must not tell the third party about it.

Since Peach was able to know the content of the ritual in the form of a dream, she fulfilled that condition.

"So, it has something to do with the Blessing?"

Collete asked, tilting his head.

"No, it's not so much a Blessing as it is a ritual for evolution that has been handed down in the vampire clan."

Kousuke heard this story because he heard it from Asura.

He knew that Peach had experienced a dream with the power of the Blessing, but he wasn't sure what it was about, so he checked.

"So Kousuke-san came back this time to perform the ritual?"

"Yes, because for Shrein, it will definitely help her move on. Also, I heard that the ritual is only possible if I am there."

"What do you mean you need Kousuke?"

"Well, I'm uncertain if I can explain that much…. You might want to ask Shrein for more details."

Kousuke did not know all the details of the ritual himself.

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"Also, while we're waiting, I'd like to add… Collete, Sylvia, and Floria."

""Yes…!""

"All three of you are not going in the wrong direction, so I think you should proceed without any haste."

Kousuke came this time partly to convey this message.

Peach was the first to express the power of the Blessing, but each of the three had their own way of proceeding.

"If we rush, it could go the other way and ruin it. Well, I think all three of us have been told that."

Sylvia was warned by Eris, Floria by Spica, and Collete by Cheryl that they should not be in a hurry.

Now they were told once again by Kousuke.

"Don't worry, I know everyone will be able to manifest their abilities properly. Even if you are the last one, don't be in a hurry… But I know it's not going to be easy."

Kousuke chuckled as he said this.

That said, he has no intention of abandoning the last person.

However, for some reason, Kousuke did not expect that there would be only one person left at the end.

This may be his intuition as a God, but he felt that they would succeed in manifesting their abilities at the same time in the end.

It was just a hunch, though.

He would not tell them that it was a hunch, but that was why he needed to tell them that there was no need to be hasty.

After receiving Kousuke's advice, the three of them looked a little relieved.

After all, they must have felt some impatience.

Of course, just because Kousuke told them not to be in a hurry did not eliminate that feeling.

People tend to get impatient when they think they are behind others.

Kousuke did not think that it was a bad thing.

In fact, it could be a good thing.

Seeing the expressions on the faces of the three, Kousuke was convinced that he had fulfilled one of the purposes of his return this time.

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Chapter 5, Evolution of Shrein

In the middle of the magic circle floating in the center of the room, Shrein was casting a long spell.

The spell was quite different from the magic and holy rituals handed down in the present day.

It was a spell that had been handed down to vampires since ancient times and had not been passed down to any other race, with a few exceptions.

The magic circle that emerged had a reddish hue that at first glance seemed ominous.

The color was the color of blood, which was special to vampires.

In the past, people who used these kinds of techniques were repressed, as they were thought to be heretical techniques.

Kousuke, who had been watching Shrein, thought that he would certainly get that impression if he saw this ritual at first glance.

Kousuke and his group were now in Vermilion Castle, in a room used for such ceremonies.

In addition to the members within his group, several members of the Vermilinia clan were also watching the ceremony.

After all, for them, it was a ceremony that had not been done in years.

No matter how powerful Shrein may be, they never knew what would happen.

That's why half of them were standing by to watch over her.

The other half was purely to confirm the ritual that was about to be revived in the present day.

"…It's utterly outrageous."

It was Shrein's aide, Zennet, who murmured this next to Kousuke as he watched the ceremony.

Incidentally, before Shrein performed the ritual, he covered the area where the ceremony was to take place with a Barrier to prevent anything from happening, so even a whisper would not reach Shrein.

"You think so?"

"That's right. Even the scripture that the Princess is chanting right now would have to be done by a dozen high-ranking spell casters."

By "scripture", he meant sacred texts for vampires.

Normally, the ritual would require several practitioners, but Shrein was performing it all by herself.

"…Is everything okay?"

Kousuke, as well as the members, have no knowledge of vampire spells.

Therefore, the only way to determine the extent of the burden on Shrein was to judge by her appearance.

At least, from what he could see, it looked like she was using some large-scale magic.

"The fact that it looks fine is a problem for us, I suppose."

Zennet giggled as he said so.

For the vampires, the fact that she was able to perform this ritual by herself without any problems was a problem in itself.

"Adding to that is the power of the princess herself, but what is that…? Perhaps it is a mixture of Lord's power as well. Thanks to that, it seems everything is fine for now."

"My power…? I see."

Kousuke closed his eyes as he tilted his head at Zennet, who said this while looking at Kousuke.

If Shrein was using the power of the Blessing, whatever it was, Kousuke could sense it.

Ever since Lirica and Peach had manifested their powers, he was able to do so as well.

"It certainly seems like she is using it, but… I wonder what this is? …Something that binds …?"

Kousuke questioned the unfamiliar power.

Hearing this, the chief expressed surprise on his face.

"Do you understand that?"

"I can understand it, I mean… it's more like I could sense it?"

"That is more than enough. After all, it's been a long time since any of us could perceive this power."

Zennet also knew that he could not actually feel the power behind it, but only knew it in theory.

"Is it safe, this power?"

"Though I mentioned binding, I was talking about a contract, you see. The two of us already have a blood contract in the first place, don't we?"

Kousuke finally remembered something about that when it was mentioned.

He remembered that they had made a contract like that when Shrein was first summoned by Mitsuki.

"The ritual she was about to perform was an even stronger version of that, a stronger bond, without changing the substance of the contract."

By forming a more powerful contract, it would dramatically increase the power of the practitioner.

This was precisely the kind of power that Shrein wanted.

"…I guess it's about time."

As Kousuke was speaking with Zennet about this, it seemed that the preparations were finally ready.

This time, no one but Shrein was speaking, and her voice was the only one echoing in the silent room.

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In the end, the ritual performed by Shrein was a success.

Shrein was dizzy after the ceremony, but this was due to the fact that she performed a big ceremony alone.

The Vermilinia Clan found it hard to believe that this was all that was required.

After the ceremony, Kousuke checked his powers and contracts, but there was no indication that Kousuke himself had changed in any way.

As Zennet had mentioned, the ritual was only to enhance Shrein's power.

More than anything else, the ritual had brought about a significant change in Shrein.

Since nothing had changed in her appearance, no one around her seemed to have noticed.

Kousuke held out a card to Shrein, who was resting in a corner of the room where the ritual had been performed.

While Shrein was resting, Kouhi had hastily retrieved this crown card for her.

When Kouhi brought it, it was an empty card, but now Kousuke has written the current status of Shrein on it.

"… What's this?"

"A newly created crown card. It seems the quality of the magic power has changed because of the ritual. I had to make a new one, so I did. All that's left is to pour your magic power into it and display it."

Kousuke said with a mischievous smile.

Shrein felt a little uncomfortable with that smile, but she obediently poured her magic power into the crown card to display her status.

Shrein thought that even though she had performed the ritual, there was no significant change in any of her skills, but her gaze stopped at one point.

"…!!?"

Shrein involuntarily checked the display several times before looking at Kousuke with a surprised expression on his face.

Kousuke, seeing him, remained smiling.

"Is this information true…?"

Shrein asked, looking at Kousuke with some apprehension.

"I don't do that kind of joking around here."

"I know you wouldn't make a joke like that at this time… Or rather, I just couldn't believe it…"

Shrein, confused, shook her head several times.

When she did that, naturally those around her noticed what was going on.

The members who had been chatting a short-distance away gathered around her.

"What's the matter?"

Sylvia asked, ahead of the other members.

"Oh, you know…"

Kousuke was about to answer when Shrein stopped him.

"No, let me tell them."

"Oh? Okay."

From the look on Shrein's face, Kousuke gave up on giving an honest answer to Sylvia.

"It seems that the ritual has allowed me to evolve. I had only intended to manifest the power of the Blessing, though."

""What…!?""

All of them were surprised.

To these members, Shrein held out her Crown Card.

It wasn't to check her skills.

The race section of the status showed "True Ancestral Vampire", which was different from before.

Whether it was an evolution or not, it was definitely a different race name from the one Shrein had before the ritual.

When the members saw this, they first expressed surprise and then joy.

Of course, there was the feeling of thinking that she was ahead of everyone as well.

But more than that, they were happy that they could finally see the path ahead.

It was only natural that their joy would be greater, given the lack of progress they had previously experienced.

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Chapter 6, Lirica's Party

After confirming that Shrein had evolved into a true ancestral vampire, Kousuke returned to his adventurer activities.

At that time, Kouhi and Mitsuki offered to follow him, but Kousuke refused.

It would end up being difficult for them to move since their faces were generally known to the public as messengers, and their inhuman good looks were noticeable, no matter how they tried to hide their beauty.

Just being in the company of Cecil and Arisa was enough to attract attention, but what would it be like to walk around with both of them?

At the very least, it would not be good for Kousuke.

Above all, he explained to them that if something happened at the Tower, they would definitely need the two of them, especially when it came to combat power.

He added that if something happened to him, he would simply flee to the Yurino Shrine.

The two were reluctant to accept Kousuke's argument until the very end, but eventually Kousuke settled the matter by forcibly convincing the two.

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"So, please take care of me again."

Kousuke bowed to Cecil and Arisa, but they were not surprised, since they already talked about it before Kousuke returned to the Administration Floor.

"Please take care of us as well."

"Same here."

Cecil and Arisa both bowed to him at the same time.

"I know I'm going to be a nuisance, but please let me stay a while longer."

"You were never going to be a nuisance to us!"

"That's right! It's true that it might become a little dangerous for us if we get used to Kousuke-sama's presence, but I don't think of it as a nuisance at all."

What Arisa said about danger was true in terms of combat, but was also in terms of position.

Although they were technically supposed to be guards for the noble, they had become a little more relaxed when they were not in the public eye.

Kousuke was more easygoing in this situation, but it was not a good thing for the two, considering what would happen in the future.

Kousuke was not pushing the issue any further because they both had their own circumstances.

Kousuke knew that it was natural for those around him to be concerned about it, since he had gained the position of a God, whether he wanted it or not.

Thus, Kousuke once again threw himself into adventurer activities.

The adventurer's day-to-day activities consisted of obtaining materials from monsters and gathering natural materials.

So, he spent a few days as usual, without any events taking place.

Then one day.

On a whim, he went to the temple in town.

He wanted to see what the temple was like at normal times.

When he told Cecil and Arisa about it beforehand, they naturally went with him because they didn't know what to expect.

They knew that if they let Kousuke go alone and something happened to him, they would be the ones to blame, but they didn't stop him either.

And Kousuke would soon be thankful that they followed him as soon as they arrived at the temple.

"Ko… Fugafuga."

Cecil hurriedly covered Lirica's mouth when she saw Kousuke when she suddenly attempted to shout his name.

At that moment, Kousuke thought to himself, "Well done, Cecil!".

Lirica was fumbling around for a bit, but then she calmed down and raised her hands in surrender.

Cecil, seeing this, finally let go of her hand that was covering Lirica's mouth.

"… I'm sorry."

Staring at Cecil and Arisa, Lirica apologized.

Reflexively, she tried to say Kousuke's name, but then understood what would have happened if she had uttered his name at that place.

"Please be careful. Really."

The exchange so far had drawn some attention, but it was far better than being called by his real name.

Stopping Lirica, who was about to apologize again, Kousuke mentioned the question he had been thinking about earlier.

"If you're here, does that mean you're not working as an adventurer today?"

"Well, you could say that I am on a day off…."

Kousuke, expecting a normal reply of yes, tilted his head at the nuanced response.

"? Are you skipping work to come here?"

"No, I'm not! It is true, the party is currently on hold! Or rather, we won't be able to work as a party for a while."

The unexpected response prompted Kousuke to ask for more details.

Lirica's Party had been inactive for the past few days.

It was not because of any discord within the party, but because two party members decided to leave suddenly to get married.

The departure of the two friends did not cause any trouble, and a small celebration was held to send them on their way.

The remaining members of the party, however, could not continue to work as usual.

After all, with two members suddenly leaving the party, the coordination during battle was greatly disrupted.

However, it was not possible to suddenly add another member, especially a man to the all-female party, and the leader had been busy for the past few days trying to recruit new members.

"Well, I think it will be difficult to find someone out of the blue, so I think we will have to deal with this by lowering the difficulty of requests we take for a while."

Lirica concluded the conversation.

"I see. Let me ask you something… That would naturally reduce your income, wouldn't it?"

"Well, to put it bluntly, yes. Many parties break up because of that."

For the leader of a party, there was no greater headache than when a member leaves the party.

That was not to say that they shouldn't get married, though.

"But maybe I could find new members for you in a little less time."

"What? What do you mean?"

Lirica had just said it would take time to find a member.

"It's simple. We may find a new member quickly, but we don't know if he or she will stick with our party."

Activities at the Tower are a great place for adventurers to earn money, and it should be easy to find new talent.

Except, of course, when there were special circumstances, such as the case with Cecil and Arisa.

However, even if they could find someone to become a party member temporarily, as Lirica explained, whether or not they would remain was another matter.

As the activities continued, there would inevitably come a time when they would not fit in.

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"Oh, what is this? Is Lirica leaving the group for good by any chance?"

As Kousuke and the others were talking, a woman came up to them.

"Ah, leader…. What are you talking about? It's not like that with him!"

When Kousuke wondered who it was, Lirica spoke to the woman.

It was Sally, Lirica's party leader, who approached them.

"Well, that would make sense…"

Sally said and turned her gaze toward Cecil and Arisa.

"Mm. What do you mean by that? Ah, wait, you don't have to say."

"I see, so you understood what I meant."

Sally smiled at Lirica, who looked a little dejected.

"Just so you know, he has even more women around him, and we're not even that close to him to begin with."

"Wait, there's more…"

For some reason, Cecil and Arisa added information about Kousuke that was unnecessary to them.

Hearing this, Sally widened in shock and looked at Kousuke.

"These two are not even close to you… Even though they were that great?"

Kousuke, who did not understand what was so great about it, was at a loss as to how to respond, so he ended up not answering anything.

No matter what answer he gave, the result was going to end up being a bonus to his situation.

"But more importantly, what are you doing here?"

Lirica interrupted as if in a panic, seeing Kousuke in trouble.

Sally tilted her head at the situation, but answered Lirica.

"Of course I came to see Lirica, didn't I? I'm here to tell you that I've managed to get the temporary members together, and we're moving out the day after tomorrow to see how things are going."

"Oh, I see. I understand."

Lirica didn't bother asking about it, knowing that if she waited at the inn, she could have met them there.

Knowing her leader would go out of her way to come all the way here was one of the nice things about this leader.

"Well, I'll be off."

Sally slightly raised her right hand and waved before she left.

She really only came to tell Lirica about the new members.

"She really was a good leader."

Kousuke said as he watched Sally leave, and Lirica smiled and responded.

"Yeah. That's right."

Her answer was a reply that clearly expressed her thoughts that Sally is a good leader.