Chapter 81

On a refreshing morning, I returned to the store, passed through the aisle, and went out to the forest mansion to gather herbs. There were also various other things I wanted to try.

In the garden surrounded by a wall, my mother Pegasus, Mileine, was taking a leisurely walk, checking for any dangers in the fields, springs, and rock houses.

The young Pegasus, Ciel, and the elf girl, Tiet, were playing happily together. When Tiet, who was chasing Ciel, noticed me, she waved her hand loudly.

"Hey, Master Alex! Mileine said no, but Ciel said he'll let me ride him when he grows up!"

"That's good. Take good care of him."

"Okay!"

Tiet replied with a lively voice.

Lilithia and I came to the field. Rows of vegetables were growing next to the herbs.

Lilithia's eyes widened.

"There are about a hundred, no, two hundred herbs with impressive leaves... They're ready to be harvested."

"That's great. This will make the mission request easy to complete."

"Yes... huh?"

Lilithia, holding a leaf, suddenly tilted her head and examined it with her monocle.

"What's wrong, Lilithia?"

At my words, Lilithia looked up with an expression of disbelief, almost recoiling in shock.

"Master... These herbs can't be used for the mission..."

"Huh? So growing them in the field doesn't work?"

I had heard something like that before. Herbs that grow naturally in the forest lose their effectiveness when planted in a field.

"Actually, it's the opposite, Master. The herbs already have a holy attribute attached to them."

"Really? What does that mean?"

"The herbs are supposed to be used as ingredients for potions, but instead of healing potions, they should create something with even higher effects."

"Could it be because of me?"

"Since they're being cultivated with Master's holy aura... It's amazing, but too amazing, to the point where..."

Lilithia looked around with her monocle. The vegetables and fruits also had the holy attribute, naturally. The apples that Ciel said were delicious had the holy attribute, which might be why they tasted better to holy beasts.

Finally, Lilithia laughed in a somewhat exasperated tone.

"What's wrong?"

"The stables also have the holy attribute... with additional effects like [All Attribute Resistance Lv.5], [Dark Attribute Nullification], and for some reason, [Defense Efficiency Lv.4]."

"That sounds strong for armor... but does it have any meaning?"

"Since we can't equip it, it has no meaning at all."

"My holy aura is too much of a waste..."

Lilithia shook her head while laughing, her silver hair sparkling.

"Not at all. It's proof of Master's greatness permeating everything."

"Well, let's just say that. Unfortunately, we'll have to find another method for cultivating herbs."

"Yes. Next time, I could try passing my magic power to Kou and see if that works."

"Sure, I'll leave it to you. Let's try various methods—also, let's use these herbs as ingredients for the potions we sell at the store."

"Okay, I think that's a good idea! If we have potions to sell besides Puchi Ely, we'll definitely get more customers."

"Right—Kou, make a few different types of potions. Try to make both high and low-effect potions."

When I contacted Kou via the sub-device, he replied with "ra-ja."

After that, I asked Lilithia to try something else.

"So, Lilithia, can you sense my holy aura?"

"Yes, I can sense Master's holy aura no matter where I am."

"Then I want to try compressing the holy aura that leaks out, starting with half."

Lilithia frowned and looked around.

"But the surroundings are all forest... Master's holy aura is leaking over a wide area, so it might be hard to determine the distance."

"Cutting down trees isn't an option, and a wide-open space... wait, I have an idea?"

"What is it?"

Lilithia tilted her head cutely, her silver hair flowing smoothly. I pointed to her white wings and said,

"Can we use the white feathers like we did with the detection magic, placing them at equal intervals?"

"Oh! That's a good idea! We can definitely do that, Master!"

Lilithia covered her mouth in surprise, her white wings fluttering. I nodded and said,

"Then, let's do that."

"Okay! I'll take care of it!"

Lilithia placed her finger on her forehead and closed her eyes in concentration. She opened her violet eyes wide and spread her white wings. Feathers flew out in a straight line.

We then practiced controlling the holy aura for a while, but it didn't go well. Even though I thought I had compressed it to half, Lilithia shook her head.

"About 400 meters, Master."

"Only 100 meters less... This is difficult."

"But the density of the holy aura has definitely increased."

"Trying to compress it further...!"

I focused, trying to keep the holy aura around me. However, since the holy aura is invisible and harmless, it's hard to tell.

Suddenly, Lilithia said,

"That's right. Maybe the initial state is different. Can you try relaxing?"

"Like this?"

I let my arms hang loosely, opened my mouth slightly, and relaxed my entire body. I didn't think about anything, just gazed at the white clouds floating in the blue sky.

A peaceful time passed. A gentle breeze blew, rustling Lilithia's white habit, and a small bird flew over the forest.

Suddenly, Lilithia's eyes widened.

"Master! It's working! Not 500 meters, but 800 meters!"

"What! It was leaking over such a wide area?"

"I guess I was convinced it was 500 meters, so it was 500 meters."

"So, 400 meters for half, and 200 meters for another half?"

I tried again with determination. This time, it went back to 400 meters after reaching about 330 meters. Compressing it is difficult. But even 400 meters would eliminate B-rank and below.

When I compressed it further, the Pegasus mother and child looked at me with wide eyes, murmuring, "It feels so good..." and "My heart is being purified..." They seemed to feel the holy aura was even stronger than usual. Lilithia was also excited.

"Amazing... It's already beyond human limits."

Lilithia was both amazed and moved, her violet eyes glistening. I tilted my head.

"Does it just keep increasing as long as I'm alive?"

"Your abilities are maxed out, but your magic power should increase as you defeat enemies... but the numbers are off."

"Since meeting you, I haven't defeated more than 100 enemies. They were mostly low-level minions, and the S-rank I defeated just now didn't give me any experience points."

"Maybe it did... but even with that, the maximum holy aura has increased too much. I can't imagine how you've gained so much experience. You're truly amazing, Master."

She was so moved that her voice trembled. I scratched my head, feeling a lack of reality.

"Anyway, let's keep practicing compression... Oh, right, Lilithia."

"What is it?"

"Can you check if there are any holy beasts in this forest? If there are, I'd like to befriend them."

"Sure, I'll check—"

White feathers flew out in a ripple from Lilithia.

Then, she looked at me with her droopy eyes shining.

"There are one, no, two. One is a boar, and the other is a rabbit... but the boar is still a semi-holy beast."

"Okay, then lead me to the rabbit. Let's talk to it."

"Sure, this way."

Lilithia spread her wings and floated gently. I followed her as she flew slowly.

After walking through the refreshing forest for about fifteen minutes, Lilithia stopped, her silver hair swaying as she stood on the ground.

"What's wrong?"

"They're around here... There!"

She pointed to a small bush and shouted. A white rabbit, with a single horn on its forehead, jumped out, startled and confused. It was still a child, small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

"Uh-oh... I've been found. I have to run."

It moved quickly, but Lilithia appeared behind it in an instant. The rabbit shivered in fear.

"Uh-oh... I'm surrounded... Are you going to bully me?"

"We won't bully you. It's okay, Master just wants to talk."

Lilithia squatted down and spoke gently. I moved a little closer and said,

"I won't do anything. If you're in trouble, I want to help."

"Me...? I'm useless, trash, a waste of space, and I'm sorry for being born..."

"Why are you so down on yourself?"

"Because... I'm unwanted..."

"Unwanted?"

"By my mother. She said I'm not her child... sniff..."

The rabbit started to cry softly. Lilithia, with a sad smile, gently stroked the rabbit's small back with her fingertips.

"Your mother was a regular rabbit, probably a sleeping rabbit."

"Is this one different?"

"It's a legendary holy rabbit, the Almiraj."

"That's amazing. You're a special being."

Trying to encourage it, but the rabbit cried even harder.

"I don't want to be special... I just want to be a regular rabbit loved by my mother."

It burst into tears. I scratched my head, feeling helpless.

"I didn't think it through. What should we do, Lilithia?"

"It doesn't seem to be eating much. Let's take it in for now. Eating will make it feel better."

"I don't want anything. I want to die."

"This is a problem. Let's go back for now."

Lilithia gently picked up the crying rabbit with both hands and stood up.

—What should I do?

I want to help and befriend the holy beast, as it could lead to the sanctuary's recognition. But I don't know how to take care of a child's heart.

Lilithia and I looked at each other, but she also shook her head, looking troubled.

I might be busy, so updates might be irregular.

Next update tomorrow

→ 82. Mileine and the Landlord's Relics