Unlike the flawless Holy Light that nearly paved the entire commercial street before.
This time, the pure white radiance erupting from Lyudmila was diligently controlled within the confines of the crepe shop.
Su Yuzu looked at the girl kneeling there, holding her ankle.
The scenery before her eyes was exceptionally fine.
Previously, her vision had been directly painted into a sheet of snow-white, so she hadn't felt much. But after obtaining [Holy Light "Inferior"], possessing the Holy Light just like Lyudmila, and becoming immune to the Holy Light's blinding effects, Su Yuzu could suddenly see everything very clearly.
The light source of Lyudmila's Inherent Ability, [Holy Light], was the girl herself.
Having gained immunity to the blinding effects, Su Yuzu could keenly capture that the maiden's skin appeared fair and lovely under the illumination of the [Holy Light]. Rendered by the [Holy Light], the pure white dress on the girl seemed to become translucent along with it.
Her earlier feeling was indeed not an illusion.
Moreover... Su Yuzu stared straight at the skirt hem, which was only now slowly falling down due to air resistance.
The grace of it was exceptionally fine, like a fallen angel.
Lyudmila, who had already been drained of some strength by that inexplicable "Blessing" earlier, was forcibly pressed to the ground by the "Godmother's Laurel".
The girl held onto Su Yuzu's ankle, tidying her dress with some embarrassment.
'How...'
She had absolutely no way to understand.
The Godmother's Laurel seemed to have completely forgotten the aura of the Royal Court. She had merely touched the branch of the Kirishika, and it directly pressed her down.
And of all things... it had to be in this situation.
Lyudmila tugged her skirt hem down further with considerable embarrassment, pulling it tight. Subconsciously, she looked up, glancing around.
Then... she saw that pair of crimson eyes belonging to Su Yuzu, staring straight at her.
Lyudmila's heart almost skipped a beat instantly.
Her golden eyes seemed as if water was about to spill from them.
Lyudmila bit her lip, almost wanting to squeeze out a whimper. 'It's fake, right...'
[Ding—]
[Embarrassed Posture: Lyudmila's Favorability decreased.]
[Lyudmila's Favorability -1.]
[The Saintess's Sorrowful Shame: Lyudmila Favorability +2.]
[Obtained Favorability Increase Reward: Thorned Crown of the Sufferer.]
Su Yuzu listened to the notification sound of the mechanical woman in her ear, looking at the crown full of thorns that appeared in her asset column.
A bit of doubt suddenly rose in her heart.
It was common knowledge that the rewards obtained from Favorability increases were things the Operators liked, or things the [Operator Development] determined the girls' attributes might like.
So... after realizing this point.
When Su Yuzu looked at the little rabbit's past Favorability increase rewards—those maid outfits that were almost forming a set—she suddenly felt that Saotome Yukina's attribute really lived up to being a 'rabbit'.
But... Lyudmila.
Su Yuzu looked at the painful thorned crown in her asset column. And the way the notifications showed Lyudmila dropping a point of Favorability first, then shooting up a small chunk every time.
Are you Saintesses of the "Holy Royal Court"... all of the same virtue as Kujou Katora?
Moreover... Su Yuzu looked at the words [Saintess] that repeatedly appeared in Lyudmila's notifications. And Lyudmila's noble rarity grade of six stars. And the fact that Lyudmila's Favorability had only broken through to [Close], yet it could grant her an Inherent Ability.
Su Yuzu felt that the water regarding the girl before her... might be very deep.
Looking at Lyudmila's panicked eyes gazing at her, Su Yuzu calmly flipped through her asset column with her consciousness.
Lyudmila held Su Yuzu's ankle, her lightly bitten lips only then slowly opening as she couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.
'Su Yuzu...'
'Probably only looked in my direction because I'm holding her ankle.'
'I said so myself... how could it be.'
'Even if Su Yuzu obtained the recognition of the "Godmother's Laurel", she isn't someone from the Royal Court; how could she possibly ignore the Holy Light?'
'Regarding my Holy Light, even within the Holy Royal Court, there are very few who can see through it.'
It wasn't until the effect duration of the "Godmother's Laurel" passed that the Holy Light slowly disappeared.
Lyudmila also returned to a standing posture.
The girl apologized sincerely with a slightly pitiful appearance.
The young lady working at the crepe shop was already used to it.
Soga Yura and Sakura Mai, however, evidently cared more about the sock circle on Su Yuzu's leg.
"Holy Relic"?
Reward?
Could that kind of thing really appear as a reward from a "Blessing"?
Although legends said there were lucky ones who were solely favored by the Goddess and obtained a "Holy Relic" from a "Blessing".
But... those "Holy Relics" either appeared directly as accompanying items when those favorites of the Goddess, who could lead an era, were born.
Or... they were "Blessings" obtained only after defeating extremely powerful enemies—at least enemies of the Sixth or Seventh Sequence that possessed a powerful threat to the entire human race.
For example... that witch who crawled up from the starving hells.
Legend has it that after she perished together with that Seventh Sequence Catastrophe Beast, she left behind three "Holy Relics".
One was an ominous Catastrophe, one was the crystallization of thoughts left behind after her passing, and the other... was the beginning of eternal royal authority that appeared as a "Blessing".
Unfortunately, she herself never had the chance to wear the royal crown.
Yuzu... 'only' killed a crippled Third Sequence monster.
And she directly obtained a "Holy Relic"?
And it was this kind of "Holy Relic" that was obviously related to the "Holy Royal Court" and felt impressive yet obscure at first glance?
Was she not the Goddess's illegitimate daughter?
Even Soga Yura felt similar excessive thoughts welling up in her heart for a moment.
"That is the 'Godmother's Laurel'."
"It is the laurel left behind..." Lyudmila looked at the sock circle on Su Yuzu's leg with a complex expression, "...after the Royal Court's Lady Godmother fell more than a hundred years ago."
Su Yuzu's brows suddenly furrowed.
When she obtained the "Godmother's Laurel", the system's prompt said it was a "Holy Relic" left by the "Seat of Evil".
Although there were rumors in the streets that the "Seat of Evil" held the titular name of Godmother within the "Holy Royal Court".
But... if it were merely a titular position.
It wouldn't make Lyudmila revere her so much.
The most critical point was that directly mentioning the "Seat of Evil" would be the proper reaction for most people.
Su Yuzu suddenly felt that the story regarding the "Seat of Evil" seemed to be stuffed with fishy details.
"Lady Godmother?" Su Yuzu tilted her head.
"Yes..." Lyudmila nodded in confirmation. "The Lady Godmother of the Royal Court a hundred years ago—"
"Kirishika."
Su Yuzu's brows knit tightly.
It wasn't right—
Everything was wrong.
She had seen the scene where Kirishika was used as a girl's name.
In that movie titled [The Flowers of Evil].
In the movie... the young girl inside the heavy black armor of the "Seat of Evil" addressed her lover as... Kirishika.
But the Kirishika in the movie had not a dime's worth of relation to the "Holy Royal Court".
Opposite Su Yuzu, Soga Yura's reaction was much more realistic.
"Ha?"
"Laurel?"
She looked at the Kirishika flower branch tied to her Yuzu's thigh.
"Isn't this a sock circle?"
"No matter what you say today, isn't this all just a sock circle?"
Soga Yura's pair of crimson eyes seemed capable of speech.
'In your Holy Royal Court, are laurels worn on the legs?'
'So weird.'
Looking at Soga Yura's eyes, Lyudmila was so anxious she almost cried.
Soga Yura was extremely wilted in front of Yuzu.
But in front of others, she was super brave.
________________________________________
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