As for those five Skills, Ronan had been deliberately ignoring the link to Crest of Favor.
With a slight thought, he calmly opened his Status panel and focused on the Skill section.
In the kitchen, Jeanne felt that intense gaze from behind her disappear. She quietly let out a sigh of relief.
For some reason, being watched so intently by Ronan made her feel a strange mix of shyness and nervousness.
What is wrong with me...? He was only looking at me...
The Holy Maiden was lost in her own little worries.
However, Ronan had no time to notice her subtle reactions.
He was completely focused on the strange connection between his Skill and Jeanne's.
His eyes moved across the panel and quickly locked onto the target.
『Favorite Blessing』
Grants blessings to those he favors, protecting members of the same Familia. The more female members there are in the Familia, and the closer the bond, the stronger the protection effect becomes.
...
This Skill description seemed to explain everything and nothing at the same time.
Jeanne's Crest of Favor was clearly some kind of secondary effect, or a direct result of his own Favorite Blessing.
Until now, he had never fully understood how this Skill actually worked.
The reasons were simple.
First, he did not have a Familia before. The Skill clearly said it "protects members of the same Familia." Without a Familia, there could be no effect.
Second, because he had no Familia, there was no way to test it.
Thinking that far, Ronan suddenly felt a cold sweat slide down his back.
What if... what if that Invitation hadn't summoned a female companion? Wouldn't this Skill have been useless?
Luckily, it seems the system's hidden filtering mechanism perfectly matches my... core needs...
Now he understood. The mystery had finally been solved.
Comparing Favorite Blessing with Jeanne's Crest of Favor, Ronan immediately grasped the hidden meaning behind it.
"Tch. What kind of person do they think I am? Like I'd build some all-girl Familia..."
He said it out loud, but inwardly, he was delighted.
"As expected of my system. It really does know me well."
Once the housework was done, the two of them went to their own rooms early.
One used the time while recovering from injury to study new combinations of Magic and Skills, rebuilding his combat style.
The other had gone through a massive emotional storm in a single day, from death to rebirth, then joining a Familia. Her mind was exhausted, and she fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.
By her bedside, the common tongue textbook she had been reading had been pushed aside as she slept.
The next morning, the sun shone brightly through the green trees. Morning dew sparkled like little pearls.
Creak...
Jeanne pushed open the window and stood in front of it.
She tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear and narrowed her eyes slightly, letting the morning breeze carrying the scent of grass and trees brush softly across her face.
She took a deep breath and stretched in the morning light.
"Phew... this feels so good..."
That peaceful, everyday feeling soothed her tired soul. She felt more relaxed and at ease than she had in a long time.
Jeanne genuinely enjoyed this sense of normalcy.
Just then, she heard a small sound in the yard.
She looked toward it and saw Ronan holding a watering can, casually taking care of the little garden.
Noticing her gaze, Ronan turned and looked up at her.
Their eyes met.
He flashed a bright smile.
"Morning, Jeanne. How did you sleep? Are you getting used to things?"
For some reason, Ronan's bright smile reminded her of the way he had looked at her yesterday. Her cheeks warmed slightly, and she gave a small nod.
"Yes... very peacefully. It has been a long time since I slept that deeply."
Ronan chuckled.
"That's good. Once I'm done taking care of these little cuties, I'll go make breakfast."
Jeanne felt a little guilty about sitting back and letting him handle everything right after moving into someone else's house, so she quickly spoke up.
"I-I can make breakfast."
"You?"
Ronan raised an eyebrow, his tone gentle but teasing.
"Maybe in a few days. You still need to get used to the kitchen first, right? I don't want to see the Holy Maiden panicking with a spatula first thing in the morning."
As if imagining herself in that kind of mess, Jeanne bit her lower lip and answered with a faint pout.
"Then... alright."
Breakfast was sweet and spicy beef pancakes from the Sword-Making City, served with thick corn soup and side dishes.
As a thoughtful man, Ronan had naturally considered Jeanne's tastes.
Besides the local dishes, he had also prepared soft toasted bread, jam, butter, orange juice, milk, and coffee.
In his memory, breakfast in France was never a very heavy meal. Most people just ate something simple or only had coffee.
Still, he did not want to throw something together carelessly, so he used what they had at home to put together a proper breakfast.
"Eh? You know the tastes of my hometown?"
At the table, Jeanne sat down and looked at the familiar food in surprise.
"Who do you think I am?"
Ronan pushed a glass of warm milk toward her.
"Most of it leans sweet. Go ahead and try it. If the jam, butter, or coffee isn't to your taste, we can buy different brands when we go shopping later."
Jeanne looked at the man sitting in front of her. He was eating in his usual rough way, yet at the same time, he was so attentive.
A warm feeling rose in her heart.
Being taken care of this properly gave her a sense of stability and warmth she had never really known before.
"I'm starting," she said softly, picking up her utensils.
This simple breakfast gave Jeanne an enormous appetite.
Under Ronan's disbelieving gaze, she actually ate nearly two-thirds of the food on the table.
"How can that flat stomach hold so much food? Is this... also a sign of talent?"
As someone "without talent" who only managed by relying on a system, Ronan felt the gap between himself and a gifted person for the first time.
People often said that an adventurer's appetite could reflect their potential. Jeanne clearly belonged to the gifted side.
Hearing him say that, Jeanne's cheeks reddened again.
"I-I don't know why I suddenly got so hungry..."
Ronan thought about it for a moment.
"It should be the Falna stimulating your potential. Your body is instinctively taking in nutrients to make up for what was underdeveloped before."
"Is that so?"
Jeanne still looked confused.
"Well, think of it that way for now. It's probably something like that."
Ronan nodded. In truth, he was not completely sure either. If anyone asked, he could always blame it on one of the mysteries of the lower world.
After breakfast, the two of them cleaned up the dishes together.
After washing up quickly, they headed out.
They walked leisurely through the tree-lined alleys, with the sound of cicadas and birds filling the air.
After a few turns, they joined the crowd on the main road.
Passing through the busy residential area, Ronan led Jeanne onto Adventurer Street as if it were second nature.
Along the way, the country girl was stunned by the sight of so many different races.
"Unbelievable... there are so many races from myths and legends..."
"Elves, dwarves, beastmen, amazons, prums, humans... this city is like a melting pot of races."
Seeing Jeanne look around with so much curiosity, Ronan remembered how he had felt when he first arrived.
He had also been overwhelmed by the shock of this strange world.
That constant sense of impact from the fantasy atmosphere and completely unfamiliar setting had taken him several days to adjust to.
Even for a long time after that, he would still occasionally feel that everything around him was unreal.
Ronan concluded that this was probably a state of mind unique to Travelers like him.
Walking beside her, Ronan quietly answered the questions she asked from time to time.
"Ronan, is the rest of the world like this too? I mean... this kind of coexistence between races..."
Facing Jeanne's curious gaze, Ronan's lips curved slightly.
"Of course..." He paused on purpose. "...not."
Seeing Jeanne's focused expression, he continued.
"This city's full name is the Center of the World, Labyrinth City, Orario."
"Because of the Dungeon, and because this is the central production area for magic stone products, adventurers, merchants, and nobles from all over the world are drawn here like magnets."
"That is what created the unique sight you see now, so many races living together in one place."
"In other places, like ordinary villages or towns, especially in human-majority settlements, it is much harder to see other races. Elves, who usually live deep in forests, are even rarer."
"In other parts of the world, the races mostly live their own lives and stay out of each other's business. You understand what I mean, right?"
Ronan's phrasing was tactful, but Jeanne immediately understood what he was not saying directly.
When even humans fought each other endlessly because of differences in views, then conflicts between races over religion, customs, food, land, and interests would naturally be even worse.
So she was not surprised by the answer.
"I see. Then the existence of Orario really is a miracle..."
"A miracle? Maybe."
Ronan answered calmly.
"But in my view, what truly makes all of this possible is probably the system of the gods and Familias, and... the enemy the entire world has to face together."
"Gods and Familias?"
Jeanne repeated softly, and a flash of understanding passed through her eyes.