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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Chapter 22
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White.
Even though she wore a black nun's habit, the first impression she gave was one of pure white.
Snow-white hair, pristine white skin, and even a white tail and white cat ears that twitched and swayed.
Every color that made up her being was white.
Except for her eyes, which glowed red like drops of blood.
‘Why is this person here? Were they affiliated with the temple?’
The appearance of Seraph Adeline, the white priestess before me, was identical to the Beastkin wielding a wand whom I had met when I was first transported to the Labyrinth.
‘She had stopped the sword-wielding Beastkin and shield-wielding Beastkin who were trying to hit on me.’
At the time, Seraph had been dressed in ordinary explorer's gear, so I hadn't realized it, but she was, in fact, a member of the temple.
‘And a high-ranking one at that.’
– Seraph Adeline, who will be verifying your Blessings today, has made an exceptional appearance due to this joint event with the Explorer's Guild. Normally, explorers below the advanced rank wouldn't even be able to see her face. Being able to meet her is a great Blessing. So, please, do not commit any rudeness.
The apprentice priest Sorbel had repeatedly emphasized this on our way to the Appraisal Chamber.
In other words, Seraph was a figure of considerable standing within the temple.
“We meet again. Cat Beastkin. No, Seraph Adeline.”
Back then, I had treated her sharply due to a grave misunderstanding, but now, I no longer harbored any aversion towards Beastkin.
Furthermore, she was involved in the clergy and even subdued those who tried to hit on me?
From my perspective, as someone with N attempts of sexual assault experience, she was almost as safe as Diana.
Bzzzzzzzzzz!!
“H-hmph…?!”
“……?”
And that thought was immediately drowned out by an immense vibration and a surprised moan, sinking far away into oblivion.
What on earth was that? That heated moan.
Seraph's fluffy cat ears twitched, and her swaying tail shot up in surprise.
Most of all, Seraph’s expression instantly became one of extreme embarrassment.
Her pupils shook violently as if an earthquake had struck them, yet the gaze at the end of those eyes was solely fixed on me.
“Th-that… isn’t that the sound of ‘that’?”
“I don’t know what ‘that’ is, but please don’t tell me… I don’t know anything about women’s… personal devices…!”
“Oh, right. My bad. Got confused. Anyway… so even that supposedly noble priestess is just a perverted female in the face of lust, huh? Suddenly, I feel pretty great for having succumbed to my desires long ago.”
From behind, I heard Densi and Jeremy quietly speaking.
Seriously, the wording is insane. What is that uneducated woman saying in front of a high-ranking official—
“Th-that’s not it! Pl-please don’t misunderstand!”
Perhaps she heard the quiet voices, for Seraph, whose skin had flushed red all the way to her scalp, cried out.
Then, she hastily unclasped a necklace and clutched it in her hand. The necklace in her hand was still vibrating intensely.
Thwack!
“Ngh…!”
“I apologize. One of my party members is a bit… lacking, and has committed a rudeness.”
I gave Densi a sharp rap on the head and bowed my head towards Seraph. Somehow, the more I hit her, the more I felt like I was losing out.
“...Ahem, ahem. No, it’s quite alright. I was the one who showed an embarrassing side. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Yes. So, you’ve come to verify the details of your Blessings and Curses, correct? All three of you?”
Seraph accepted my apology with a smile, then continued to ramble on, her face still slightly flushed with embarrassment.
“That’s right.”
“Alright. Very well. The first person to be verified, please step forward.”
“Th-then, may I go first, Big Brother?!”
“Uh, sure.”
Jeremy seemed quite urgent. Well, he had every reason to be.
“To verify a Blessing or Curse, your body must be touched at the point closest to your heart.”
“Ah, yes.”
At her words, Jeremy stood facing Seraph.
“Jeremy…”
“Yes, Big Brother?”
“Look, uh, look down.”
“……? …Ah.”
Jeremy, staring at the large breasts that had appeared on his formerly flat chest, quietly turned around, then looked up at the sky, tears welling in his eyes, and mumbled.
“No… no… I… I’ll be strong…”
Right. You didn’t choose it, but it’s your fate now. Think of your girlfriend and endure it with sheer grit and malice.
“Then, I shall begin.”
Zing—
With a strange hum, dazzling light flowed from Seraph’s hand, which was pressed against Jeremy’s back.
“G-good heavens… such a Curse, no, how could such a Blessing…?”
“…….”
Seraph seemed genuinely shocked by the content of the Blessing, which was clearly startling to anyone, with no intention of being sarcastic.
Indeed, one could say that anyone who wasn't shocked by the contents of that Blessing had no human heart.
“Verification complete. Please wait a moment.”
Swoosh. Seraph, who had conjured a wand from thin air like an Armored Knight, swung it once, and from somewhere, paper and a pen flew forth, beginning to record the Blessing’s details.
Seraph handed the paper to Jeremy, who, upon examining it, was so shocked that he clamped his mouth shut as if he’d been dealt a finishing blow.
“Why? What’s written on it? Can I take a look?”
“...Yes. Go ahead.”
Densi seemed quite curious about the Blessing’s content and looked at the paper.
“Hmph—!”
“…….”
She immediately turned her head away to suppress her laughter.
“...Big Brother, you can see it too.”
I checked the paper Jeremy handed me. I was curious if there was a difference between the Status Window and the Blessing appraisal.
[◆ Blessing of Male Rejection, Female Acceptance]
– Transforms from male to female.
– Gains strength faster in proportion to the size of the lost male genitalia.
“...Is that all?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. That was all that was written.”
The explanation seemed a bit lacking. My Status Window had four lines of explanation, clearly detailing the leveling efficiency.
‘It’s strange to think she deliberately didn’t tell me. There’s no reason for it.’
Could it be that the temple’s Blessing appraisal isn’t as detailed as the Status Window?
“Then I’ll go next! I felt something tingle when I came out of the Labyrinth?! …Maybe? Anyway! This is definitely a Blessing!”
Densi approached Seraph with a confident expression and turned her back.
“Then. I shall verify.”
Once again, light enveloped the two of them.
“Oh…”
Densi seemed to find it a rather wondrous experience, her mouth slightly agape.
“...Whew. Verification complete. Here’s the paper.”
Perhaps verifying Blessings was a demanding task, for Seraph wiped sweat from her forehead as she handed Densi the paper with the Blessing written on it.
“Wow! L-look at this, Master! I got two Blessings!”
Densi beamed, waddling over to me, and showed me the paper.
[◆ Blessing of Wind]
– Hearing develops. Affinity with wind spirits increases.
[◆ Blessing of the Thief’s Footsteps]
– Can concentrate and temporarily hide presence. Cooldown: 1 hour.
Densi’s Blessing description was also lacking. At this point, I had to conclude that the Status Window was superior to the temple’s appraisal ability.
For reference, Densi’s newly acquired Blessing appeared like this on my Status Window:
[◆ Blessing of the Thief’s Footsteps] NEW!!
– Can concentrate and completely hide presence for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour.
“The second Blessing is the one you newly acquired this time. The first Blessing was likely obtained during your previous trip to the Labyrinth, but you probably didn’t have it checked.”
“Th-that’s true?!”
Densi grabbed the back of her neck, seemingly unaware that she had possessed a Blessing.
It was true. Even when I had checked Densi’s Status Window before, the Blessing of Wind hadn’t had a NEW tag.
Conversely, the Blessing of the Thief’s Footsteps, which had appeared this time, did have a tag.
‘Perhaps Blessings that have been acquired a while ago don’t get a NEW tag.’
Jeremy, who had obtained his first Blessing this time, also had the tag, and I had also seen the tag on the Blessing of Hard-Fought Struggle right after I acquired the Status Window.
“...Huh?”
It was then that I felt a sensation as if I had realized something I had been missing.
‘When I first checked the question mark Blessing… there was no NEW tag, was there?’
Then, when on earth did I acquire this Blessing?
Right after I was transported to the Labyrinth?
No, I would have obtained the Blessing of Hard-Fought Struggle around that time too, and it had a tag.
When I synchronized?
Even if I received it then, it would have had a tag.
…Then, there’s only one answer left.
‘…Since I was on Earth?’
No, how could that be, that’s absurd…
“Next is Master’s turn!”
“...Ah. Uh. R-right.”
At Densi’s words, I felt as if I was instantly brought back to reality.
“...Are you alright? Your complexion looks terribly unwell. Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Here, a recovery potion might…”
“...I’m fine.”
I stopped Densi, who was about to open a potion bottle.
Pushing aside the confusing conjectures swirling in my mind, I stood facing Seraph.
“Alright. Then…”
Seraph, who was about to mechanically raise her hand as before, suddenly froze like a stone.
Seraph’s eyes vibrated intensely and fixed on my chest. Her tail and ears swayed gently.
“...? What’s wrong?”
“...Ah. Th-turn, turn around! Please turn around!”
Seraph, her face flushed crimson, cried out with a gasp.
“Yes.”
I thought it wouldn’t apply to me since I’m a man, but it seemed I was wrong.
Without a word, I turned around, and soon felt a warm touch on my back. Along with it, a mysterious sensation of wondrous light filling my entire body.
“...Wow…”
From behind, Seraph’s strange exclamation of admiration could be heard.
From her soft voice alone, I couldn’t tell if she was surprised by touching my back, or by verifying the Blessing.
How many minutes passed like that?
Five minutes? Ten minutes? Somehow, the appraisal took a bit longer than for the previous two.
Since she kept her hand on only one spot on my back, that area grew warm. It felt strangely like I was sweating.
“That woman… that calculating woman…”
“…….”
I subtly turned my head and saw Densi glaring at Seraph with a harsh expression, her arms crossed.
Jeremy looked at me with a pitiful expression.
When I lowered my head, the dazzling light that had been emanating also subsided.
‘Since it’s a Blessing that even the Status Window can’t see, perhaps the appraisal process is more complex than other Blessings.’
I waited a bit longer with patience. Another ten minutes passed, and by then, I couldn't help but speak.
“Excuse me—”
“Whew. Just now, the appraisal is finally complete. Here’s the paper.”
Seraph extended the paper to me as if she had been waiting. A quick glance showed that Seraph’s face, and even the backs of her hands, were flushed red. She was also sweating profusely, and her tail twitched.
I nodded appropriately and checked the paper.
[◆ Blessing of Hard-Fought Struggle]
– Physical abilities improve just before reaching death.
It was different from the Wind Blessing, but it was roughly the result I had expected.
“Is this all?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. It’s a tricky Blessing to use. To think it only activates when you’re on the verge of death… Blessings and Curses of this type are often created based on experiences in the Labyrinth, so it seems you’ve been through some difficult times.”
“Yeah, well.”
When I obtained the Blessing of Hard-Fought Struggle, I really did almost die right after being transported to the Labyrinth.
Even now, thinking back, if the Armored Knight hadn’t saved me, I would have died then.
‘Judging by her reaction, she didn’t even notice the question mark Blessing.’
She didn’t seem to be malicious, intentionally withholding information about the Blessing after appraising it. She genuinely hadn’t noticed it.
‘What on earth is this Blessing…?’
“All three of you are quite lucky. It’s truly rare for explorers to possess only Blessings. Especially for low-rank explorers.”
“Lucky… good… yes…”
“When you leave the temple, if you find the accompanying apprentice priest, you’ll be able to receive 5 silver coins as a reward for reporting your Blessings. All three of you, of course.”
“Yay!”
In the end, I couldn’t confirm the identity of the question mark Blessing.
Still, I had gained something.
A chilling conjecture and five silver coins.
Compared to my apprehension, nothing extraordinary happened, and all I gained were minor benefits.
‘…Still, this much yield isn’t bad.’
As I followed Jeremy, who was speechless, and Densi, whose steps quickened with a wide grin at the thought of receiving money, about to leave the Appraisal Chamber.
“Wait a moment.”
At Seraph’s voice, my body abruptly froze. It wasn’t by my own will. Instantly, my body’s movements stiffened.
What the hell.
Instinctively, I tried to reach for my axe, but my body wouldn’t move an inch. Even wiggling a single finger was difficult.
A terrifying chill ran down my spine. What on earth was happening all of a sudden after such a peaceful time?
Creak—
Thud!
The door closed. Densi and Jeremy had already left, but I was trapped alone in this room.
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask you.”
A sweet, sticky voice. It wasn’t the voice of the dazed person who had been touching my back and exclaiming in admiration just moments ago.
I rolled my eyes to look at the owner of the voice.
A red tongue moistened her plump lips before retreating inside.
Ruby-red eyes shone as they stared directly at me.
Wagging her tail gently, Seraph, who had formed a mechanical, saccharine smile, approached me as I stood frozen like stone.
“Can we… have some quality time together for a bit?”
Bzzzzzzzzzz—
While clutching the necklace that was vibrating like mad in her hand.
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