Chapter 64

This place is the Bernstein Manor, and it was April.

That meant the dimensional gate was activated.

When the Paradise did not appear upon opening the dimensional gate, another Easter egg would appear.

The Bernstein family's Easter egg was the 'Legendary Magic Boost Potion'.

Although its effect lasted only one hour.

Whooo―!

"Damn, why are you here so quickly?!"

I ran frantically.

The dimensional gate was activated near the 'retired gardener’s old shack' in the back garden.

I could see the familiar shack in my line of sight.

I took out the dimensional key from my inventory and inserted it into the rusted lock.

Click!

There was no Paradise.

'But, it was what I hoped for!'

I opened the potion, which shone with a rainbow of colors, and gulped it down.

"Status window."

▼

[Teresa Squire]

Description: Squire Lady

Age: 22

Magic Level: A

Intelligence: B

Mana: S (1,000,000/1,000,000)

▲

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

The garden alerts, which had been intermittent, now burst out, but the important thing was to deal with the approaching monster that was already close.

I ran towards the greenhouse.

My body, unable to withstand the speed, crashed to the ground but I got up immediately.

I didn’t feel any pain. I had no sensation at all.

All I could see were two whales writhing in pain.

I could feel an unbelievable amount of mana enveloping my body.

'This is S-level power!'

It was just one step above A+ but there was a significant difference.

S-level power transcended human limits.

My surroundings were covered in golden mana particles, like the spirit of a ghost.

"Purify―!"

The monster, sensing something, tried to run away.

However, it couldn’t escape the large-scale purification magic I had determinedly cast.

It was definitely night.

But the world was bathed in an early dawn, all golden.

[Mana: S (1/1,000,000)]

The black fog dissipated, and the silver whale swam gently in the air, breaching.

Seeing this, tears of relief streamed down my face.

"Thank goodness."

I collapsed, my strength drained.

* * *

"Hey! Snap out of it!"

Slap! Slap!

Ugh… Who dares to slap my face…? I won’t let this go…

I opened my eyes with great effort, and the tears pooled in my eyes spilled over.

My blurry vision cleared, and I saw a stunningly handsome man clearly.

"Are you crazy? Don’t you know that using all your mana at once can cause shock and death? Even if you’re stupid, that’s common sense!"

"Shut up… My head is ringing, so speak quietly…."

I still felt dazed and covered my ears.

Listening to a roar up close, it felt like my eardrums would burst.

Clyde then made a very exasperated expression and pressed both my cheeks.

My lips protruded like a pout.

"Are you not going to snap out of it?"

"Ugh… Go away…!"

"You make people angry every time you open your mouth."

"Who’s the one talking…."

"What did you say?"

"…Ugh?"

Clyde’s threatening question snapped me out of my daze.

"If you’re awake, get up. You were unconscious for about 10 minutes."

He helped me up, supporting me where I had fallen.

'What’s this? Why is he being nice? Did my affection level go up?'

[Affection Level: ♥♥♥♡♡]

Nope. No way.

I pressed my temples and asked curiously.

"Why can’t I open my eyes? Could it be a side effect of using too much mana?"

"Your eyes are swollen, that’s why."

"Oh."

Thinking about it, I had cried profusely when I saw the whale recover before I fainted.

That’s why my eyes were puffy.

"How did you manage to cover the entire area with purification magic? You clearly didn’t have enough mana."

I said bluntly.

"I forgot I had a Magic Boost Potion. The effect lasts only one hour."

"Does it make sense to forget something like that?"

"You forgot about the potion too."

I countered, and Clyde shut his mouth with an annoyed look.

Hmph. You have nothing to say, do you?

Whooo―――

At that moment, the baby whale approached us and breached, showing off playfully.

I looked up with a worried gaze at the mother whale floating a bit further away.

"Huh? The mother whale’s wounds seem to have healed."

"It’s the effect of your purification magic."

My eyes welled up again.

But I didn’t want to show my tears in front of Clyde, so I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"Did anyone die?"

In response to my question, Clyde pointed behind him.

"Everyone is safe."

Looking in the direction he pointed, I saw the servants of the manor watching us and murmuring.

Ding!

[Quest: Completed the Bernstein Manor’s Request]

▸Reward: 1,000,000 coins obtained

Anyway, it’s all over.

I reached out to the baby whale.

As a spirit, my hand passed through, but I could feel a soft mana enveloping me.

"I’m glad you’re safe. Listen to your mom from now on."

The baby whale swam around me and stopped in front of me.

Then, it shone like a star.

I realized what the baby whale wanted and opened my eyes wide.

"Are you asking for a contract?"

Whooo――

"Are you asking me to extend my palm? Like this?"

Whooo――!

I extended my palm as the baby whale instructed.

Then, a silver mark appeared on my palm and was absorbed.

"Ooh…."

Hmm. I don’t think I’ll lose anything by making this contract, but what will happen now?

'I don’t feel any surge of new power! …Or anything like that.'

In the game, ghosts could only contract with celestial beings, and there were no other settings.

This wasn’t even a scenario to purify a ghost monster.

'The original task was to seal the baby whale with white magic.'

At that moment, the mother whale, which had been watching quietly, circled above the Bernstein Manor.

The baby whale also followed, circling.

Whoosh!

A phenomenon similar to when wolves howl occurred.

People shouted.

"The dead plants are coming back to life!"

Clearly, the plants that had been blackened and withered by the monster were returning to their former state, as if time had been reversed.

It was an overwhelming sight, as if touched by the divine hand.

Whooo――――

A low, resonant cry echoed.

It was the mother’s cry.

I lifted my head high and looked at the mother humpback whale.

As a ghost, it conveyed a much clearer image to me than magical animals.

It said, "I will see you again."

"Sure, see you. Take care."

I waved at the whales leaving the Bernstein Manor.

Until they disappeared into the clouds.

Because of this, I didn’t notice the servants of the Bernstein family approaching me.

The servants, despite the chaotic situation, quickly resumed their polite and dignified demeanor and bowed to me.

"The lady saved us. We are truly grateful."

"Thank you, lady."

Their demeanor was dignified, but their expressions were not hidden.

Deep admiration, awe, or even fear.

These were typical reactions of people who had witnessed a miraculous scene beyond human power.

I responded calmly.

"It was Professor Ilya’s request."

"…!"

My answer seemed unexpected, and the servants looked surprised again.

But their faces softened as they looked at me.

"Our young master has a fine student."

They genuinely respected and followed Ilya, who was the most excellent, outstanding, and noble in the family.

'Is it because he’s an archangel?'

My answer, which praised Ilya, seemed to please the people of the Bernstein family.

[Some constellations strongly support the 'Ilya' route.]

Clyde, who had already arrived, opened the carriage door and called me.

"Let’s go."

I was already thinking about how to avoid the servants’ intense gazes, so this was good.

I approached Clyde and asked.

"What about the professor?"

"The duchess was startled by the monster and had a seizure. She said she’s sorry for not being able to thank you properly and will arrange a separate meeting."

Is Ilya with the ailing duchess now?

My gaze searched the upper part of the manor.

Somewhere around there must be the duke’s office.

'He’s probably there.'

I nodded.

"Let’s go home."

Clyde frowned and climbed into the carriage first.

"…Okay."

I thought I heard a faint response.