"Hmm… the blessing in your body is directly attached to your very soul, tainting it but also enhancing the body to the extreme."
As late in the night as it is, Shouri was able to request Miss Lion for a meeting with her goddess in order for him to ask questions about his falna. Lion, sensing an urgent and serious tone in his voice, relented in the condition that only if the goddess was still awake.
Goddess Astraea was indeed still up when Miss Lion went back in the room; he was bedridden, and she was trailing behind the green-haired elf.
Currently, he was on his stomach with his back exposed to the goddess, who was examining his falna.
"Your stats are currently rising as we speak, slowly but surely, even without the required excelia."
The implication of passive growth is astonishing for Shouri, as well as Miss Lion, who was standing beside the bed and watching the proceedings happen. There was no record of any adventurer in the history of Orario that can raise their stats without doing anything; thus, Shouri would become a target of any god who wanted to own him, not that they would be able to override his falna, nor would he allow them to do so.
He would need more power than he currently has, and waiting would just eat at his mind, so he decided to continue adventuring in order to grow the necessary strength to protect himself and his friends.
"However, your stats may be rising, but your body would still need to catch up. And if my guess is correct, that means you still have to achieve the condition of leveling up. That is to say, you need to perform a feat that would be able to impress the gods."
Hearing a sigh of relief at the bedside, Shouri looked at the resident green-haired elf in the room.
"… Miss Lion? "He asked, his head tilted slightly in confusion.
"It's nothing. I was just relieved to know that you still actually have to work hard like the rest of us."
She replied with an obvious hint of sarcasm, yet Shouri smiled genuinely at being considered to still be in the realm of humans and not something else. His smile did take her off guard, something that didn't escape the goddess' eyes.
"Lion, be nice. But she is correct. You are still an adventurer, which means your life is in a constant state of danger. Please do not let your power corrupt your judgment and always be on guard."
Nodding at the serious advice of the experienced goddess, Shouri then asked, "What about the taint in my soul, as you described it? Can something be done about it?"
His voice was flat, yet still had a subtle substance of hope. According to his recovered memory, he can deduce that the influence of his power was the reason his life has become hell from an early age. "Although, after waking up, I can feel that the surrounding influence has stopped. But I have no safe way to confirm it."
"I will be honest with you, Shouri. Because the darkness is one with your soul, there is no way to remove it without causing grievous harm to you. But even then, I am not sure if there is a guarantee that it can be separated. I'm sorry."
The goddess' voice is sad with an apologetic tone, and although he was already expecting this answer, he decided to not mull over it and continue to look for a way to be free from this cursed power. "If the divine can't help, then maybe this is the task for mortals."
"You don't have to be sorry, Goddess Astraea. I should be thanking you for your help in examining my falna." He bowed his head slightly after he sat up from the bed. "As well as the help and care your familia has given me for over a week after the incident."
After his sudden awakening at the mansion of the Astraea familia, Miss Lion took it upon herself to explain all that had happened to him after he inquired about the incident.
---
Earlier that day, before meeting the goddess Astraea
"What do you mean, 'I'm back'? Are you trying to sound cool?" Miss Lion said in a flat tone. He would've been slightly offended, but his senses were enhancing after his encounter with the black sun, and seeing how her shoulders sagged as well as her eyes brightened with relief, she did not mean any offense with her words.
"How can you be so stupid? Alice was already burdened with all that happened in Orario; you, who were saved by her, got yourself almost killed."
Contrary to a warm welcome that he expected, Shouri was scolded for half an hour by an angry elf while still bedridden. Although his body has healed, being stuck in bed for a week did not do good for his body.
"And my body is still probably adapting to the sudden surge of power from that being."
He would've liked to ignore her because of a sudden throbbing headache as the memories he regained came back at him all together, but he could not do so even if he could. She was technically his savior after he gave all his potions to other people that had been injured during the aftermath of the explosion. That is why he had to ask her a question that has been on his mind.
"Miss Lion, what happened after the explosion?" He asked as he rubbed his temple to soothe his dulling headache.
Seeing as he was nursing a headache, she ignored his question as she went to the nightstand beside the bed and retrieved a glass of water that she handed to him. He thanked her as she replied to him.
"You will be updated on the happenings once you have gotten better," is all that she said to him.
"Please, Miss Lion. I have to know what happened. Were the people around the location safe? I gave out a couple of my potions to some injured there; I hope they survived. And what was that explosion about? I didn't know a warehouse or a building in Orario could just explode, you know?"
"No. I have to make sure that there were no traumatic injuries in your head after what happened." Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him, as he is still nursing his head.
He could somehow sense that she was lying to him with what she said. Shelving that for later, he gave her a doubtful look with furrowed brows.
She looked at him as he frantically thought of the things he wanted to ask of her. Seeing his questioning had little effect, he decided to change his approach in order to get some kind of answer.
"I'm begging you, Miss Lion. Could you please tell me even just a bit of information?" He bowed his head as he pleaded to her. It was not like he was desperate, but a small peace of mind would really help him after all the revelations he went through.
Sighing at his antics, she finally relented. With how Miss Lion explained to him all that had happened, he doesn't know how he is still alive with the state of his injuries when he was found by her. Thankfully, the people he helped did survive and with his help, the casualties were reduced by a lot compared to the previously reported incidents.
"So, it was not an accident?"
"Yes. That is why I did not want to tell you. Leave this matter to us."
His thoughts became preoccupied by another revelation. "I just can't take a break, can't I?"
"Can I help in any way?" he voiced his determination. Although his body is well healed, the time he spent bedridden along with the headache he is currently suffering, prevented him from jumping up and readying to catch those criminals. "You have my gratitude for saving me, Miss Lion, but with those guys causing chaos wherever they go, I just can't sit still knowing I could do something about it."
She raised her brows at his declaration. While he knows that his words are borderline arrogant, he knows that his power will continue to grow in the future, and while still a level 1, he still wanted to help even if he becomes a fodder.
Sigh, "I will ask for the captain's opinion on this matter. But if she declines, then you will do as she says."
Nodding eagerly at her words, he then asked another question.
"Is it possible to meet with your goddess at this time, Miss Lion?"
---
"There is nothing to thank, child. It was the right thing to do, after all." The goddess smiled at him warmly and patted his head, treating him like a kid. "Also, it would seem that our captain has taken a liking to you. Perhaps she is making you her disciple or student?"
"It was just a couple of spar. There is no way I would want her to be my teacher, her beatings are brutal."
Sighing at her words, he merely remained quiet and then hear a giggle coming from the fair goddess.
"I will leave you to rest, young man." She dusted her dress and got up from sitting at the bedside. "Remember to let your body heal and adapt first before going back into the dungeon."
"Ah, before I forget, goddess Astraea, can I trouble you to copy my status on a piece of paper?"
While normally it is taboo for a non-patron god to look at the status of another one's child, his situation is far from normal, however.
She nodded at his request as he lied down on his stomach once again.
After just a moment of waiting, the goddess already laid a piece of paper on his back and he felt a warm sensation.
"Take a look."
Level: 1
Strength: SS ????
Endurance: SSS ????
Dexterity: S ????
Agility: SS ????
Magic: S ???
She did not look surprised at his status, but him and Miss Lion were certainly taken aback.
"What is that?"
"How is that possible?"
They both voiced their confusion as the paper showed something completely absurd. Thankfully, the goddess answered their questions.
"Like I said, your stats are rising slowly but surely, that is why it did not display a complete value. Because, normally, the copying method of us gods display the result after the child had already updated their stats with the excelia they gained."
That makes sense. Because his power is continually growing, the copy method would be ineffective in getting the accurate values except the current rating, unless it just so happens that the stat ranking changed mid-copying.
"Your stats are unheard of. I've never seen anyone with an S stat before." Miss Lion murmured as she stares at his status beside him. "If you continue to grow like that, then you'll become a high-ranking adventurer in no time."
Smiling at her words, he laid his eyes on the goddess.
"Thank you for your help, goddess Astraea." He bowed his head at her, genuine with his feelings with this kind god and her familia.
"It is of no problem. Now, I shall get going. It is quite late, after all. You too, Lion." She replied to him and also told Miss Lion to get some rest. "Good night, Shouri."
"Good night."
"Good night to you both, as well."
He gazed at the night sky from a nearby window. After the ordeal he went through, from the explosion, his near-death experience, the memory he regained, and the mysterious patron deity of his blessing, it was a lot to take in.
While in the back of his mind he knew that the hardship he went through will continue into the future, with this kind familia by his side, there will be no challenges of life will be unconquered.
He resolved to keep his life moving, and not give in to the influence of meaninglessness, of nihilism.