In the dim room, Ryuu finished straightening her clothes.
"Astraea-sama, what kind of skill is it that you had to go out of your way to send Cranel-san away?"
Ryuu looked at the Goddess and asked in confusion.
An Adventurer's Skills and Magic were extremely private, but Bell was still Astraea's lover. Even so, the Goddess had firmly insisted that he avoid hearing it.
"To keep it secret, I translated the updated contents into Common Tongue and wrote them on parchment. You should keep it yourself."
Astraea seemed to be considering something as she carefully wrote down the Status.
...
[Ryuu Leon]
Lv5
Strength: i0 → 56
Endurance: i0 → 78
Dexterity: i0 → 82
Agility: i0 → 106
Magic: i0 → 88
...
Skill: [Astrae Serenade]
· Enhances the effects of the user's skills for targets within a certain range who hold the same romantic feelings.
· Grants an additional boost to all ability values for targets within a certain range of the user who hold the same romantic feelings.
· Grants resistance to mental corruption to targets within a certain range of the user who hold the same romantic feelings.
· Always active.
· The enhancement value, additional boost, and grant rate vary according to the target's degree of romantic feeling.
· Effects and range vary according to the user's level and degree of romantic feeling.
"..."
Ryuu stared blankly at the parchment, unable to speak for a moment.
An Adventurer's Skills and Magic were closely tied to their experiences. Without a doubt, the source of this love-related skill had to be the many battles she had fought side by side with Bell.
From their first encounter onward, Ryuu and the young man had gone through countless battles together, and their relationship had continued to deepen.
There were also battles Ryuu had not taken part in directly.
The battle with the mercenary, the deadly fight against the Minotaur, the harem battle during the War Game, the sacrifice before the Great Sacred Tree, and many more, if she were to count them one by one.
As an observer, Ryuu had witnessed the young man's justice spread its wings, and she had also heard the firm, pure serenades of love sung by those girls.
It was likely the accumulation of those special experiences that had given birth to [Astrae Serenade].
This skill could provide various beneficial enhancements to others, and it would certainly be useful in large-scale battles. That in itself should have been something to be happy about.
However, Ryuu truly did not want to admit that the fondness she held in her heart for the young man alone was closely tied to romantic love.
"Astraea-sama..."
Ryuu clenched the parchment and checked its contents again and again.
The Goddess had only written down the parts where her Status had changed, causing that unique skill to completely fill Ryuu's vision.
"Ryuu, this must be hard for you to accept. After all, the person in question is pursuing a harem..."
Astraea's tone was extremely gentle.
In truth, the Goddess had noticed the signs as early as the first time Ryuu and the young man visited the Sword Smithing City.
Astraea had once tested her with a joke. At the time, Ryuu had answered that she had no feelings at all for Bell Cranel. The Goddess had not pressed that lie and had simply smiled it off.
A little thought made it obvious. For an Elf girl with such extreme fastidiousness to remain so entangled with a young man pursuing a harem, that situation alone proved that the young man held an extremely important place in Ryuu's heart.
Whether those romantic feelings were only a sprout or a beautiful flower in full bloom, even refusing to acknowledge them could not change their nature.
"..."
Ryuu realized that Astraea had seen through who this skill had come from.
She pressed her lips together and answered honestly, "I have already come to terms with the harem matter. But romance... There must be some mistake somewhere..."
Ryuu's reason was buzzing in her head.
Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance that this fondness might turn into love, she had to consider Syr's existence.
Even if the young man and her friend accepted it, Ryuu could not.
Stealing the young man's time from Syr would undoubtedly be an act of betrayal.
"It's all right. I'll help you hide this skill."
Astraea felt a sense of déjà vu from Ryuu's situation.
The Goddess's feelings for Bell were also unclear and difficult to define. Although the two of them had become lovers in name, what held that relationship together was the young man's passion.
Astraea herself was also extremely lost when it came to romance.
"Ryuu, the journey of justice has not ended yet. Like you, I also want to know the answer waiting at the end."
Speaking honestly as a girl, Astraea said, "Let's do our best together."
Shame, bitterness, worry, jealousy, longing...
All kinds of emotions had been born in the name of love, all because of the young man.
Several days and nights had already passed since Astraea and Bell became lovers, yet she still could not foresee where this ship would end up.
"Astraea-sama, I am different from you. I truly do not have romantic feelings for Bell Cranel..."
Ryuu replied.
Even as the words left her mouth, the Elf girl herself did not know whether they were a defensive lie or her true feelings.
"I know. You don't need to explain it to me. Gekai is always full of unknowns. Perhaps you were influenced by those girls, and that is why such a skill was born."
Astraea did not force Ryuu to reach an answer. Instead, she followed Ryuu's excuse and comforted her with the unknown.
"Ugh... How could something like that happen...?"
Ryuu murmured softly.
She accepted the Goddess's explanation and attributed everything to the unknown, rather than digging into the boundary between fondness and romantic love.
"I don't think you need to worry over it so much, Ryuu. This skill only helps and brings no harm, doesn't it?"
Astraea offered.
Even if Ryuu had no romantic feelings for the young man, the skill would not bring her any negative effects.
"You're right... Ugh... Syr..."
Ryuu nodded and spoke her friend's name.
Even if this skill did not activate, things would simply remain the same as before. Her heartbeat would only be a little noisier.
Ryuu numbed her own thoughts with her friend's smile and gave up on thinking any deeper about it.
"..."
Astraea did not expose the Elf girl's self-deceiving lie.
When Ryuu had chased the catgirl earlier, she had burst out with extraordinary speed. Others might not have noticed, but as a martial God, Astraea understood very clearly that Ryuu's skill had already activated.
"Now then, I need to attend the tea party. I can't keep Bell waiting too long."
Astraea ended the topic with a soft smile.
In truth, there was one other thing she had not told her Familia member.
When Gods updated a Status, they could actively interfere.
For example, if a skill born in a Familia member gave off a dangerous feeling, the God could choose not to draw it out.
Astraea knew Ryuu's skill was related to love, yet she still drew it out.
After all, rather than sailing alone across a boundless ocean, it was better for them to board the same ship and look after each other.
The Goddess's action contained a certain amount of selfishness.
Pursuing the [Unknown], caring for a lover, worrying about her Familia member, which of these thoughts was the greatest selfishness?
Even Astraea herself did not know.