"This gift—I really like it. Thank you, Emily."
Kurose Akira smiled as he accepted the present Emily offered him. This cloth doll was, for his current situation, perfectly timed.
The next time he performed a recruitment, he would be guaranteed another Epic-quality—or higher—adventurer.
"You're welcome, big brother. You're a good person~"
Emily bloomed into a sweet smile. At this age, a girl stood at one of the most beautiful stages of life—just a small smile like that was enough to warm anyone's heart.
After giving him the gift, the little nun hurried off, preparing for the prayer ritual that was about to begin.
"Mister Akira, you're really popular~ Even Emily admires you so much. She gave you her most beloved doll, you know."
Ivsha chuckled softly at his side.
"Is that so?"
Akira smiled faintly, his gaze drifting down to the doll in his hands.
The pink, twin-tailed cloth doll had soft fabric skin, so smooth it seemed to reflect a faint sheen of light. Its face was round and adorable, rosy and tender, like peach blossoms in spring. The twin ponytails were neatly tied, each strand meticulously crafted, and its glass-inlaid eyes sparkled brightly.
Paired with an exquisitely tailored sweet Lolita outfit, the doll's design radiated innocence and vitality.
Still, curiosity stirred in his heart.
How did a small nun like Emily come to possess such a peculiar item?
He remembered the earrings from before—those had been Loserine's personal belonging, which explained why they could trigger a rare tag.
But Emily was just an ordinary nun. How could she have something like this?
Could Emily herself be hiding some kind of secret?
Yet when he thought about it again, Emily's information panel was entirely ordinary, with nothing particularly outstanding.
Perhaps she had simply happened to obtain this doll.
Akira placed the doll into his inventory.
What he didn't notice, however, was that at the very moment the doll was stored away, a mysterious smile curved across its stitched face.
Not long after, the nuns finished preparing for the collective prayer and guided Akira into the church's underground level. He was surprised to discover that beneath the church lay such a vast space.
On the way to the prayer chamber, Akira noticed a long-sealed room that looked as though it had gone untouched for decades.
"What's that place?"
He asked Ivsha curiously.
After a moment of thought, Ivsha replied, "That's the confessional. It was sealed off several decades ago."
"The confessional?"
Akira raised an eyebrow, strange plotlines surfacing in his mind.
"Mister Akira, are you interested in it?" Ivsha continued. "Although it's no longer open to the public, if you really want to know… I could secretly take you inside…"
"That won't be necessary!"
Akira shook his head quickly. He couldn't just break church rules for his own curiosity. He immediately followed after the nuns.
"Ivsha."
"Yes?"
"If the guild built a prayer room, what do you think?"
"That would be wonderful~ If you did that, Mister Akira, I'd be extremely grateful~"
"Hm…"
Before long, they arrived at the prayer chamber beneath the church.
Compared to the space above ground, it felt somewhat narrower, but it was completely free of clutter and could accommodate more people.
Since prayers needed to continue for a long time, they couldn't occupy the church's main hall.
Still, Akira felt that the atmosphere down here was somehow even better than above.
In this quiet underground chamber, fifty nuns praying… for him alone…
Cough, cough.
Ivsha helped Akira into a chair, then returned to stand among the nuns.
Akira looked straight ahead. Because his seat was built atop a set of steps, it placed him slightly higher, giving him a subtle sense of looking down.
Before his eyes, the young nuns were lined up neatly, each one graceful and beautiful. Especially Ivsha, standing at the very center—she was a feast for the eyes.
At that moment, Akira felt he finally understood why emperors neglected court affairs.
"Then~"
Ivsha gazed at Akira, her enchanting eyes seeming to speak on their own, radiating faint allure.
Softly, she said, "Let us begin~"
As her words fell, all fifty nuns clasped their hands together and began chanting sacred hymns.
Golden light immediately flickered throughout the prayer chamber, illuminating the dim space.
Gentle holy radiance descended, and Akira could feel a miraculous power gradually enveloping his body.
[You have received the Nuns' Blessing!]All Attributes +10Luck +1Desire +1Curse Removal +1…
Countless blessings gathered upon Akira, filling him with an unprecedented sense of relaxation and peace.
It felt as though his body were being washed clean, his soul purified~
Mind Enlightenment +1
"Hm?"
Akira felt curious about this new status. With a thought, he opened its details.
[Mind Enlightenment]: Your mind has received the enlightenment of a Sage!
"Enlightenment of a Sage?"
Akira raised an eyebrow, still unsure of this status's exact effect.
Just as his thoughts shifted, a faint, delicate fragrance drifted toward him.
He lifted his head and was surprised to see Ivsha swaying her hips as she walked lightly toward him.
"?"
Confusion filled his mind, yet Ivsha's approach made him both nervous and strangely expectant.
Ivsha leaned down and whispered softly by his ear, "This is to help you better experience the atmosphere of prayer, Mister Akira."
As her words ended, her slender fingertips gently traced across the skin of his chest. The cool touch made his body shiver slightly.
Then—she attempted to draw the holy sword…
"Wait—Ivsha?!"
Akira panicked instantly.
What was Ivsha trying to do?
In front of the other forty-nine nuns?
Huh?
"My master~ look~"
Ivsha suddenly pointed toward the nuns. Akira followed her gesture—and was shocked to find Ivsha still standing among them.
If that Ivsha was the real one…
Then who was the Ivsha beside him?
Akira turned his head to look at the Ivsha teasing the holy light at his side. Her pupils shimmered with bright, heart-shaped gleams.
Charm magic?
Was all of this an illusion Ivsha had created?
In other words, in reality, he was sitting upright, solemnly receiving the nuns' prayers.
But within the succubus's illusion, he was experiencing Ivsha's special kind of prayer?
Tss—
"Don't be shy, my master~"
Ivsha smiled excitedly as she gazed at the holy light. "Please relax~ I'll let you feel the joy of prayer. I promise! Mwah~"
(What follows is a detailed description of the nuns' prayer scene—ten thousand words omitted…)
The nuns' prayer lasted a full hour.
When the sacred hymns finally ended, Akira slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze swept over the nuns before him. When it met Ivsha's seductive eyes, his handsome face flushed red.
Who would have thought that Ivsha could still be thinking about such indescribable things at a time like this?
Was this the charm of a succubus?
Moreover, the nuns' prayers had granted Akira a whole series of buff enhancements.
Individually, the effects weren't particularly powerful—but there were so many of them.
[Mind Enlightenment Triggered!]
Hm?
The familiar [Mind Enlightenment] suddenly jumped back into Akira's view.
"Did it activate?"
His eyes flashed as he immediately opened the information window.
[Your adventurer Ivsha has received enlightenment from you and learned a high-tier magic spell—Fallen Radiance!]
?