Whoosh.
As soon as Ronan pushed open the door, four pairs of eyes turned to him at once.
"Uh, what are you all... doing?" He took off his hood and mask while looking at the scene with a helpless expression.
"This invitation came from you, didn't it, Mr. Veyr?"
Before Lorie and the others could explain, the woman with a blue braid similar to Jeanne's walked forward a few steps with a smile.
She held a black envelope with the Familia crest on it and asked Ronan to confirm.
Clearly, she already knew that Ronan was the one in charge of this Familia.
Is this... a Familia invitation?
Ronan felt a familiar energy coming from the envelope. With one look, he confirmed it was real.
He looked back at the woman. She had bright blue hair, a calm smile, and a noble air about her. She did not look like an ordinary woman.
He had just come home, and a new member had already shown up at his door. That was not a bad surprise.
"That's right," Ronan blinked and smiled back. "Since you are here, it means you read the letter and signed the contract. So... you agree?"
The smile on the blue-haired woman's face grew wider. She spoke in a playful tone.
"Don't tell me you don't welcome me?"
The smile on Ronan's face froze for a second. A warning bell rang in his head. She was definitely pretty, but why did she feel so troublesome? He quickly spoke:
"How could that be? Welcome to the Veyr Familia."
"I am Rose, Rose Marblehart, Captain."
"Miss Rose."
Ronan quickly changed how he addressed her.
The short exchange settled the situation.
However, the information revealed was shocking, especially for Lorie and Aura, who had only seen part of it.
The magic circle that summoned Rose had appeared right in front of them.
Even Lorie, who was not good at Magic, knew what that meant. Aura, being a mage, was even more shaken.
In the living room, on the sofa.
Jeanne, Aura, and Lorie sat side by side.
Ronan and Rose sat on individual sofas on either side of them.
Aura sat next to Lorie and listened silently to Ronan and Rose talking. Her eyes flickered. She looked at them from time to time with many thoughts in her mind.
This Miss Marblehart came here through the Captain's mysterious invitation? Does that kind of ability really exist? Even a powerful Spirit, said to be close to the gods, probably couldn't do something like this.
Thinking about what would happen if this secret was found out, Aura bit her lip. She decided to keep this secret to herself forever.
Our Captain is becoming more and more mysterious...
Jeanne saw Aura's expression change. After a moment, she guessed what the girl was thinking.
She gently pressed Aura's hand on her lap, rubbed it a few times, and whispered in her ear:
"Don't think too much, Aura."
"...You're too close, Jeanne!"
This made Aura's face turn bright red. The tips of her ears trembled.
Seeing this, Lorie laughed and reached out to hug Aura's waist.
Ronan: "..."
Are you guys really doing this without caring about how I feel?
He sighed helplessly. He stood up and waved to Rose.
"Come with me. I'll guide your Falna ceremony first."
"Alright, my dear Captain."
Rose stood up with a smile and followed Ronan into the room.
This naturally caught the attention of Jeanne and the other two.
They exchanged looks but chose not to interfere. The Falna was a core secret for everyone. Without Rose's permission, they would not break the rules. After all, Rose's situation was different from when Aura and Lorie joined.
"Take off your shirt."
Ronan prepared the tools. His voice was calm.
"Eh? Aren't we moving a bit too fast?"
Rose covered her mouth and acted surprised.
"..."
"Lie down."
"Oh."
"I'm going to start, Rose."
"This ritual feels so embarrassing. I'm still an innocent young woman. Now I'll never be able to get married. Boohoo." Rose lay on the bed and pretended to cry.
Another drama queen...
Ronan ignored the acting and moved without hesitation.
As a drop of blood fell onto Rose's back, a soft light filled the room.
Ronan was already used to guiding the Falna ceremony. The process was finished quickly.
He followed his usual routine and copied the Status information onto parchment, then locked it.
"Congratulations, the ritual went well. Here, this is your Status information. I think you'll like it." He placed the parchment by the bed. Ronan politely turned his head and waited for Rose to get dressed.
[Name]: Rose Marblehart
[Age]: 20
[Race]: Human
[Occupation]: Cleric Knight, Adventurer
[Familia]: Veyr Familia
[Level]: 1
[Abilities]:
Strength: I0 |
Endurance: I0 |
Dexterity: I0 |
Agility: I0 |
Magic: I0
[Equipment]: Clothing: White blouse, brown waist corset, dark blue high-waisted skirt, heeled boots.
[Magic]:
Golden Vow
Raises a fist and prays to make a vow.
When used on herself: Greatly increases all Abilities and greatly improves defense.
When used on a group: Slightly increases all Abilities and improves defense.
Chant: Gold!
Pure White Kite Shield
Pure white light covers the body. Reduces and absorbs damage while healing the user.
One-time release: Blocks one attack of any kind, including attacks far stronger than the user.
Chant: Sigh!
[Skills]:
Crest of Favor
Blocks detection. A disguise that can deceive gods. Blocks a god's lie detection and search abilities.
Increases potential and capacity. Allows rapid improvement.
White Saint
Greatly increases defense.
The lower the user's Stamina, the higher the defense boost.
Continuously recovers Stamina and Mind. Reduces Stamina consumption.
Steel Knight
Increases Strength and Endurance.
During close combat, the effects of Development Abilities improve.
Increases attack power and speed when performing a guard-counter.
Pure White Maiden
Increases Agility and Dexterity.
Increases resistance to harmful effects.
Improves Magic effects.
Hand of Protection
Massively increases all Abilities.
Allows Familia members and allies to slightly reduce damage taken.
Hearing the sound of clothes behind him, Ronan closed his eyes. He was thrilled inside.
I got another excellent member.
Because of the combined effect of his ability and her Skills, he had expected a good result. But seeing this Status for real still made him extremely happy.
"Ronan, I'm dressed now."
Rose's voice came from behind him. The way she addressed him had changed slightly.
Ronan was too happy to notice the small change in her voice or the emotion behind it. He turned around and suddenly found himself looking straight into Rose's smiling eyes.
Their noses were only a few centimeters apart. They were almost touching.
Rose tilted her head up slightly, her hands behind her back. She leaned in with a teasing smile, clearly doing it on purpose.