[Lefiya Viridis]
Lv3
Strength: H135→H140
Stamina: G244→G255
Dexterity: H185→H193
Agility: G232→G244
Magic Power: B745→B772
Mage: H
Abnormal Resistance: I
…
Skill: [Requited Love Bond]
· When near a target (female) with whom you have accumulated a certain level of affection, you gain a slight boost to [Magic Power].
· When near a target (male) whose Affection Limit has been broken, you gain a moderate boost to [Dexterity] and [Strength], as well as a significant boost to [Magic Power].
· When in intimate contact with a target (male) whose Affection Limit has been broken, you gain a massive boost to [Stamina] and [Agility], and your [HP] recovery speed increases.
· Under specific conditions (Affection ????), the bonus effects will apply to the target (male) whose Affection Limit has been broken.
…
Lefiya clutched the parchment tightly. Its corners, much like her state of mind, had been crumpled beyond recognition.
Nothing but questions circled through her mind.
"Well, I used to wonder if Lefiya always following behind Ais and the others meant she had that kind of inclination. Looks like I had it completely wrong."
Loki's lips curved upward because of this rare Skill.
Every person's experiences were unique, and the Skills born from them could take all sorts of strange forms, but a Skill related to [Affection] was unquestionably an extremely rare existence.
For Gods, there was no joy greater than turning the pages of the [Unknown].
"Uuuh…"
Lefiya's blue eyes remained fixed on the parchment, as if she still could not accept what was written there.
Judging from its effects, this was undoubtedly an incredibly powerful Skill.
Generally speaking, even a moderate or significant boost to Status required paying some specific price. A massive increase was usually something that only triggered during a desperate, do-or-die adventure.
Abandoning reason.
Standing on the brink of death.
Having one's mind eroded…
Only prices like those could bring about a corresponding increase.
By comparison, the Skill Lefiya had awakened had almost no cost at all.
"The women mentioned here should be Ais, Riveria, and the others, right? Lefiya's always been very fond of everyone."
After savoring the delight brought by this rare Skill, Loki seemed to have forgotten her earlier exhaustion.
She looked at Lefiya, who was frozen in place, then continued, "As for the man, I had a feeling something was off before, but the target really is that boy…"
People of the Lower World changed very easily.
One setback could leave them unable to get back up. One hardship could make them gloomy and dispirited.
The more sensitive a person was, the more easily they were influenced by the world around them. Seen from another angle, the power of love was also enough to make someone rise to their feet.
Ever since meeting Bell Cranel, Lefiya had changed. Perhaps she herself had not noticed, but as a God, Loki had been watching it all along.
Her appetite, her behavior, her figure, her habits, and the way her attitude changed whenever the boy was involved… Lefiya was not good at hiding what she felt, and to the sharp-eyed Loki, all those secrets were laid bare in the smallest details.
Loki had not interfered.
If Bell Cranel had used despicable means to pursue Lefiya, Loki would have stopped the two of them in her own way. But that boy was remarkably sincere.
Lefiya was the one drawn to the light.
Loki had once said that being able to watch over the children as they grew was the greatest joy she had found in the Lower World.
That was exactly why, even after personally uncovering a Skill related to love, Loki allowed Lefiya's romance to take its course.
"So, what are you going to do?"
Loki narrowed her eyes and looked at the golden-yellow haired elf with amusement.
From the outside, Lefiya and the boy seemed to have entered a romantic relationship, but in truth, she had not even sorted out her own heart. Loki was deeply looking forward to seeing what sort of fruit this confusion and shyness would eventually bear.
"Um… please don't tell anyone else…"
After a long silence, Lefiya finally came back to herself.
She had known for a long time that she held a special affection for Bell Cranel.
Because she had never experienced romance before, she had kept deceiving herself.
Shyness, fluttering emotions, promises, contact. Everything connected to the boy seemed to be dyed in an intoxicating shade of pink, wrapping Lefiya within it.
It had only been training for Concurrent Chanting, yet she had deliberately chosen an outfit, dressed herself up carefully, and treated it as an incredibly important date. From the moment she put on those clothes and hurried to the meeting place, Lefiya had realized that this affection was definitely not something friends were supposed to feel for each other.
Now that she had seen the Skill appear, after the shock and shame came a quiet sense of acceptance.
So this was what [love] felt like…
"Don't worry, I won't go around telling everyone. But I will mention it to Riveria and the others, since this Skill affects combat strength."
Loki made the promise in the manner of a Familia Goddess.
She glanced at the night sky outside the window and said with feeling, "I thought you'd be screaming for a long while. I didn't expect you to accept it this quickly."
"Maybe… I was already thinking that way before…"
Lefiya answered honestly.
She did not intend to reverse cause and effect by using the appearance of the Skill as an excuse.
This Skill had been born because the affection in her heart had kept swelling. It was not that a Skill had suddenly appeared and led her by the nose, forcing her to admit her feelings.
To Lefiya's maiden heart, that point was very important.
"You really have grown…"
Loki's words were unusually tender.
She rarely showed this side of herself. Her brown eyes held a gentleness only a goddess could possess. "I'll ask one more time, Lefiya. What are you going to do? Confess to the boy directly? Or keep it hidden in your heart?"
"Um… confess?"
Bell's bright smile flashed through Lefiya's mind, and her face instantly burned. "I-I can't do something like that?! I-I think things are fine as they are…"
She had once told Riveria something similar.
In this battle of love, whether it came to attacking or defending, the current Lefiya could not muster the courage for either.
"I was just saying. With [that person] by his side, he's probably having sweet nights one after another. A soft little Lefiya like you doesn't have much competitive power."
Loki said something utterly incomprehensible.
"H-he isn't that kind of person!"
Lefiya immediately retorted.
"I know, I know. Don't get so worked up. Go on back for now…"
Loki gave a helpless smile.
...
Sunlight poured down. As Lefiya recalled what had happened last night, she had no idea how she was supposed to face the boy.
She had always called him a permanently horny rabbit, so why had she defended him?
What was an Affection Limit breakthrough?
And what was Affection ???? supposed to mean?
Would he come to the Twilight Manor today…?
The girl's thoughts drifted along with the fluttering banners.
Loki looked out the window, thought of the member of her own Familia, and let out a soft sigh.
"That's how it is. Lefiya will definitely avoid Bell Cranel… so on this expedition, I'll have to ask Riveria to look after that boy."