"Mm!"
Feeling the burning sensation spreading from the Stigmata at her chest, Lyra couldn't help but let out a cute little sound.
But very quickly, she covered her mouth with her hand.
"Hey, hey! This feels really strange. When is it going to end?"
In truth, it wasn't just the sensation from the Stigmata. There was also the warmth coming from Elise's palm.
That made Lyra even more uncomfortable.
As the sensation from the Stigmata grew increasingly intense, Lyra finally couldn't hold back anymore. She was still a pure maiden who hadn't even decided who she was going to marry yet!
Wasn't it a bit too early to experience something like this?
"It's fine. This is just a normal reaction from merging with the Stigmata. You'll get used to it soon."
Elise paid no attention to Lyra's complaints and continued pressing her hand against the area over Lyra's heart...
Since Elise had already said so, how could Lyra dare to object? Not to mention there were people watching from the side. Nothing strange should happen.
After about ten minutes, the abnormal sensation brought by the Stigmata gradually faded, replaced by a sense of power surging through her body.
Lyra stared blankly at her own palm. She had never felt like this before.
If, just as Elise had said, all her ability values had increased by fifty points, then for someone as weak as Lyra, the improvement would certainly be tremendous.
"Hey, stop spacing out, you little Pallum. Tell us how it feels! Is this thing really that amazing?" Kaguya was the first to lose her patience. Although Elise had already explained the power of the Stigmata beforehand, without experiencing it personally, it was still hard to truly understand.
"Yeah, it's amazing! I've never felt this full of strength before. Right now, I could probably take on three of yesterday's me and still win, right?" Lyra showed no attempt to hide her praise for the Stigmata.
"Hey, Kaguya, let's have a match!" Lyra looked at her seriously. "Just talking about it isn't enough to understand. If we fight, it'll definitely become clear."
Lyra boldly issued a challenge, leaving Kaguya momentarily stunned. She narrowed her eyes slightly and asked with a hint of mischief, "So this Stigmata gave you the confidence to beat me?"
During this period, everyone in the Familia had sparred and trained with one another. Lyra had naturally fought Kaguya before as well. But how could a Level 1 Pallum possibly be a match for Kaguya, who had already reached Level 2?
Lyra had never won a single time. Whether it was Elise, Est, Alise, or Kaguya—she couldn't defeat anyone in the Familia. Even with her outstanding intellect, the gap in raw strength was simply too large.
"Of course not! I'm very aware that even after this boost, I still have no chance of winning against any of you. But if it's Kaguya, you'll definitely be able to see the difference, right?"
What Lyra meant was that Kaguya had exceptional observational skills during combat. She would absolutely be able to tell just how much Lyra had improved.
As for why she didn't ask Elise... was she not beaten badly enough already?
Just like that, Kaguya and Lyra walked into the training room, while the others stood by the walls to watch their fight.
There wasn't much to say about the battle itself, because no matter how it went, Kaguya wasn't going to lose.
To begin with, Kaguya's raw strength was already superior to Lyra's. Although both of them had suffered through Elise's brutal training, Kaguya's potential ceiling was far higher.
If Kaguya lost, Elise would probably send her back for another month of re-forging.
However, during the fight, Kaguya did indeed notice Lyra's changes. An additional 250 ability points had undeniably improved her quite a bit.
"Your combat performance has probably increased by about fifteen percent..."
"That much?" Alise looked utterly incredulous.
After thinking seriously for a moment, Astraea spoke. "Elise, do you truly intend to let the Stigmata step onto the world's stage? It will definitely have an impact on the adventurer system."
"Even an incomplete Stigmata can grant such a significant boost to an adventurer. If someone were to equip multiple Stigmata at the same time..."
Astraea did not finish the sentence, but everyone understood what she meant.
If a low-level adventurer were to equip dozens of Stigmata, could they defeat a high-level adventurer?
"That kind of thing is naturally impossible," Elise replied. "Although the Stigmata can indeed provide a substantial enhancement, it also comes with severe limitations."
First and foremost, the most important rule was that a person could equip only one Stigmata. Without removing the existing one, it was impossible to equip a second. The Stigmata's mark would also remain on the adventurer's chest.
Secondly, while anyone could use a Stigmata—simply placing it against the body would allow it to merge—removing it was far from easy.
To replace or extract a Stigmata, only Elise could do it. Even if someone carved out the flesh where the Stigmata was embedded, it would be useless. Aside from Elise, no one could remove it.
This brand-new magic item industry would inevitably be firmly controlled in Elise's hands. No one would be able to shake that foundation. It could be said that without Elise, there would be no Stigmata in this world.
"I see. Then I have no objections. But right now definitely isn't the right time. When do you plan to announce it to the outside world?"
"After I reach Level 3."
In the eyes of the outside world, Elise was still only a Level 2. If she leveled up again as quickly as before and even obtained the development ability Mystery, the trouble it would cause would only grow greater.
"Also, Evilus might attempt to make a move on the Stigmata. If we want it to truly stand on the world stage, we'll have to deal with them first."
While Elise and the goddess spoke, the others did not interrupt. Only Lyra looked somewhat uneasy.
"Then... should the Stigmata on me be removed?"
Lyra quite liked this Stigmata, but it ultimately wasn't her property. She still had to follow Elise's decision.
"No. Leave it on you for now, Lyra."
"This is only a prototype. Now that we've successfully created it, making more won't be difficult. Just consider it a small gift for you."
"In the future, once I've made better ones, I'll replace them for all of you."
Hearing that, Lyra let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Captain. I'll remember this. In the future, I'll definitely repay you!"
Lyra had little confidence in her strength, but when it came to intelligence, she patted the Stigmata on her chest proudly. That, she certainly did not lack.
In the future Astraea Familia, where most members would have relatively little personal wealth, Lyra managing to save an astonishing four million valis was already proof of just how outstanding her abilities were.
Elise was even considering letting Lyra act as a shop clerk when the Stigmata went on sale in the future. Most likely, no one would be able to squeeze even the slightest discount out of her.
The future of the Astraea Familia was bright.