Ais watched the fleeting shadow of gloom on Lynn's face, her golden eyes shimmering with a trace of bewilderment.
She could feel that, for a split second, Lynn's entire aura had shifted. It was as if he had suddenly plunged from a lighthearted adventure into a bottomless abyss—one smoldering with hatred and destiny.
But something else occupied her mind more urgently. She looked down at her arm. The scratch from the Imp had vanished completely, leaving behind not even a faint scar. Not only that, but the fatigue accumulated from the previous battle had been swept away.
"My wound..." Ais extended her slender fingers, gently stroking the perfectly restored skin. "And my stamina... they've all recovered?"
She remembered clearly: the moment Lynn sat down by that point of light, a warm sensation had enveloped her.
"Oh, that."
Lynn pulled himself away from the heavy memories, pointing to the Site of Grace beside him. He explained in a matter-of-fact tone:
"This is a resting place bestowed by my God upon His believers. Whenever an arduous trial is completed, He grants us Grace so that we may face the next, even more grueling trial in peak condition."
He placed a deliberate emphasis on the words "even more grueling."
"A resting place..." Ais murmured to herself. Mimicking Lynn, she curiously reached out her hand, trying to touch the warm source of light. However, her fingertips passed through the radiance; she felt nothing.
"Don't waste your energy," Lynn said with a helpless wave of his hand. "This is an exclusive perk for believers. Non-authorized personnel can't use it."
Ais withdrew her hand, lost in thought. She didn't feel disappointed; instead, she interpreted this as a unique test from the God "Hidetaka Miyazaki": first, use brutal combat to filter the believers, then grant them a chance to recover.
"Your God... though His dogmas are strict, He is also merciful," Ais said seriously. "He does not intend for His believers to simply seek death."
"Merciful? Haha..." Lynn let out a dry chuckle. He had no way of explaining the concept of "resting to respawn enemies" to her. In his eyes, this was merely a conspiracy designed by Old Man Zaki so players could die a hundred times in the exact same spot.
As they spoke, Lynn's ears twitched, and Ais's expression sharpened instantly. She clearly caught the sound of noise coming from the entrance of the passage.
"...Keep it down! You idiot, Tiona!"
"But that guy is really amazing! Did you see that slide he did earlier?!"
"Ais-sama... is she alright? She's actually with someone like that..."
Ais snapped her head around, her golden eyes locking onto the shadow a hundred meters away.
"Tiona? Lefiya? And... Tione?"
In the shadows of the entrance, three sneaky figures froze instantly.
"Ahahaha... Ais! What a coincidence! Are you exploring here too?" Tiona hopped out with an awkward, forced smile.
Immediately after, Lefiya edged out slowly. Tione let out a sigh and followed suit. "Sorry, Ais. We were just... a bit worried about you."
"Worried about me?" Ais blinked, her face a mask of pure, innocent confusion. "Why?"
"Because of this man!" Lefiya's pent-up frustration from the entire journey finally erupted as she pointed a finger directly at Lynn. "Ais-sama! He is a man of unknown origin and suspicious behavior! You must have been deceived by him!"
"Deceived?" Ais's expression became even more dazed.
Lynn stared back at them, feeling as though he had somehow been cast as the "shady delinquent" villain in this scenario.
"Hey now, Miss Elf, watch your words," he said, spreading his hands. "It was Miss Ais who proactively invited me for an exchange of faith."
"Does an exchange of faith require coming to a creepy tomb like this?!" Lefiya countered loudly. "And who exactly are you? You have no Familia, yet you can cause Ais-sama to get hurt! You definitely have something to hide!"
"Oh! Lefiya's right!" Tiona nodded vigorously, though her focus was completely off-track. "What was that slippery footwork you used just now? It was so cool! Teach me, teach me!"
"Tiona!" Tione pulled her sister back, her head throbbing. She turned to Ais with a serious expression. "Ais, we aren't joking. We've never seen this person in Orario. Moving alone with him is far too risky."
As an executive of the Loki Familia, Tione was extremely wary. A rookie who could catch Ais's eye and knew about hidden passages like this was, by nature, shrouded in suspicion.
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