"Isn't it incredible?"
Astraea smiled at Elise. "You're practically my spokesperson in the lower world, Elise."
"Perhaps our meeting was destined from the very beginning!"
Whether by coincidence or some other reason, the compatibility between Elise and Astraea was astonishingly high.
Even her magic and skills seemed to proclaim as much.
To be honest, if Astraea had not firmly insisted she had never interfered, Elise might have suspected the goddess of secretly using her divine power.
First, there was the skill [Scales Saintess]. Elise was truly grateful to possess such an ability.
The first effect allowed her to develop evenly in all aspects. As long as she gained ability values, they would be distributed equally across all her attributes, ensuring she would never have a weakness in any particular area.
The second effect stated that when walking the path of a saintess, all attributes would greatly increase, and her growth speed would also rise significantly.
Although she did not fully understand what "walking the path of a saintess" specifically entailed, it likely had something to do with saving people.
At the very least, when she helped the kingdom's residents eliminate monsters, she had clearly felt her abilities improving. So as long as she continued playing the role of a saintess as before, there should be no issue.
If she was satisfied with the skill, then the magic was somewhat harder to interpret.
[Scales of Judgment]
- Short-chant magic. Buff/Debuff magic.
- Select a single individual and conduct a good-or-evil judgment.
- After the judgment concludes, you may choose whether to activate the following effect.
- Those deemed good/evil will have all abilities slightly increased/decreased.
Select a target and conduct a judgment?
What is this, some kind of card game?
And good and evil—could that truly be determined by a single skill?
Elise did not believe so.
Most importantly... this was the world of the Dungeon!
The vast majority of enemies she would face were monsters!
Would this so-called good-and-evil judgment even work on monsters...?
"Lady Astraea, I want to test this magic!"
Elise straightened her expression. Since it required selecting a target, she should be able to use it on herself, right? If that failed, she could always use it on Est.
"Mm, I am also very interested in this ability. What exactly does it define as good or evil?"
Astraea stepped back a few paces, giving Elise space to cast.
"Whew..." Elise took a deep breath. Originally, her body should not have contained this world's magic at all, but after awakening her spell, she could faintly sense a form of energy flowing within her.
So this is the magic power of this world?
"Then I'll begin!"
Scales of Judgment was a short-chant spell. It required only an instant to activate, since it consisted of merely two words.
"Judgment—"
The magic activated!
Target selected: Elise herself!
One second later, Elise received feedback from the spell.
Good!
If that was the case, then she would proceed.
"Verdict—"
At that moment, Elise's eyes widened. Though her blindfold concealed them, the astonishment on her face could not be hidden.
"What's wrong, Elise?"
Astraea clearly sensed the shift in her emotions and hurriedly asked.
Elise, however, raised a hand to signal she was fine.
Her surprise stemmed entirely from the spell's mechanics.
The first stage was Judgment.
The second stage was Verdict.
And the third stage...
Was determining good or evil.
But that determination was not made by the spell.
It was made by Elise herself.
How strange. Even though the spell had judged her as good, the caster could still designate the target as evil.
Then...
If someone judged as good were subjected to the effect meant for evil, what would happen?
Feeling the information transmitted into her mind, Elise suddenly found herself intensely curious about the outcome.
But since it was herself, she chose good for now.
"Good!"
In an instant, a peculiar wave spread through her entire body. Elise could clearly feel herself being strengthened.
Although it was only a slight increase, and the same target could not be affected again before the effect ended, this enhancement would be highly effective in battle.
Moreover, it was a short-chant spell—its consumption was negligible, its duration long, and it could be cast on multiple targets. On a battlefield, she could buff all allies while weakening all enemies!
It was practically a terrifying team-support ability!
Now that she had confirmed the effect for good, she needed to test the evil effect.
Naturally, Astraea was out of the question. She was the head goddess of the Familia. How could Elise possibly test such a thing on her?
Besides, did she not have the perfect test subject right here?
"Est, come here for a moment."
"Mm, Sister."
The white-haired girl walked calmly to Elise's side, completely unaware of what awaited her.
"Judgment—"
Est was judged as good.
"Verdict—"
The options appeared.
"Evil!"
In that instant, Est frowned, her small face filling with displeasure.
She felt an unknown force invade her body, exerting an influence upon her.
Under that influence, she could not perform at her full strength—though she could still manage about ninety percent. After all, the spell only imposed a slight decrease.
"Sister, what was that?"
Recalling Elise's actions just moments ago, Est immediately knew who was responsible.
"Sorry, Est. I'll buy you something tasty later. For now, tell me—how did it feel?"
Elise's expression was extremely serious, prompting Est to respond just as seriously and describe the sensation.
Perfect.
She's not going to pursue it.
"So you could sense a force affecting you, but you couldn't tell who it came from, right?"
Est nodded. That was exactly it.
In that case, this spell was even more useful than Elise had imagined.
Previously, she had no reliable way to determine whether someone's actions were truly evil.
But now, things were different.
Whether you were good or evil, under the judgment of someone as righteous as Elise, nothing could escape exposure!
All evil would be brought to justice!
I am the law.
If I say you are evil, then you are evil!
"Hehe..."
A delighted smile spread across Elise's face, causing the goddess beside her to grow increasingly concerned.
The girl's expression had been shifting constantly just now.
Nothing strange happened to her... right?