ALL NOVEL Chapter 20
Chapter 20: Shadows and Undercurrents
“Mmhm… Looks like it worked.”
Miss Vilyric ended her skill, opened her eyes, and surveyed the patient on the bed. Although there was a significant change, one could still tell from his features that he was the same old man from before.
The healed Layton looked quite similar to Rekter, just more resolute and mature, sporting a strong, weathered national face that held a unique charm and authority typical of an older man. He’d probably make quite a few young girls dizzy with infatuation.
Too bad Miss Vilyric wasn’t interested in men ~
At this moment, the old general who had guarded the border for decades was wide-eyed, staring at the smiling Miss Vilyric as if he’d seen a ghost, occasionally looking down at his own body, seemingly unable to process this…
“A miracle… This is a true miracle… What an honor… Who are you?”
“Just call me Vilyric. I’m merely a traveler driven by curiosity, currently serving as Princess Liliya’s bodyguard… something like that?”
“Princess’s… bodyguard?”
Layton wanted to say more, but the excited little Rekter suddenly lunged forward and embraced him tightly.
“Father! This is great… Thank the ancestors… Thank the goddess… This is wonderful, really wonderful!”
The young knight watched the old man who had completely recovered, even looking younger and more robust, tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.
He turned to express his gratitude to Miss Vilyric but seemed worried about offending this “Divine Messenger” who had summoned the miracle, appearing somewhat flustered.
Miss Vilyric didn’t pay attention to these things. After stepping aside, she stood to the side, reflecting on what she had learned from using her skill.
Sure enough, “Heavenly Blessing” had different effects in the real world than before. No, it hadn’t changed; rather, it had become more complete and reasonable.
This skill was an lv80 skill from the Holy Light skill tree that required many healing skills as prerequisites and had some harsh conditions to meet.
If simplified, “Heavenly Blessing” was equivalent to a 9th-tier magic that allowed one to remain in a state of high-speed full recovery for an extended time and cleared all abnormal effects.
In the game, full recovery referred to HP, MP, and the usually unimportant stamina value, with possibly an SP value that appeared only after reaching lv100.
Yet in reality, it seemed to translate into a truly comprehensive recovery in every sense, as Miss Vilyric could feel Layton’s muscles, organs, blood flow, and spirit all restored almost instantaneously, and the effects of the weakening curse were indeed cleared as expected.
Additionally, how to put it…
“Heavenly Blessing” was actually a rather humorous skill in the “Phantom World.”
Don’t be fooled by the spectacular image of the light pillar just now; this ability comes with tracking during its duration. What does that mean? If you use this skill in combat, a spotlight will continue to hover above your head, flashing perpetually, especially noticeable in the dark of night…
The funniest part is that although it’s a skill that can only be cast on oneself, it has a range of nearly three meters, and any units within this range can enjoy the same full recovery effects.
Yes, no distinction between friend and foe.
When Miss Vilyric unlocked this skill, it had indeed caused quite a ruckus for Layton. However, considering its exceptional recovery effects and that it was one of the ultimate light-based abilities, she didn’t wash it away despite the cost and retained it until now.
“Feels like there’s quite a commotion outside… Oh well, it’s nothing to do with me anyway.”
The ruckus outside the stone house grew louder. Before Miss Vilyric could say anything more, Liliya dashed over and grabbed her sleeve, pulling her outside.
“Come with me!”
“Eh? What’s going on? Don’t tug on my clothes like that!”
“Shh! Keep it down; don’t make noise!!”
…
United Kingdom’s capital, City of Courage.
In the opulent royal chamber, a man dressed in fine clothes was playfully tussling with two beautiful girls, engaged in some kind of unspeakable game, when his expression suddenly changed.
“Something just came up, you two go back first.”
“Huh?~”
The two girls looked quite confused, their expressions nearly bursting with resentment, but they didn’t dare defy the man’s wishes, quickly dressing and crawling off the bed, exiting through the side door.
“What’s wrong? Disturbing me at a time like this, you should understand as a man that I’m very upset, and it better be important.”
The man sat alone on the bed, popping a fruit in his mouth to calm his emotions, seemingly speaking to the air.
“Layton’s curse has been lifted by someone with high skills, and I couldn’t trace any information back.”
The palace echoed with a low murmur, creating reverberations from all directions.
“… useless.”
The man’s relaxed tone suddenly turned icy.
“I apologize, this was our oversight.”
“Stop with the nonsense. You should know Layton’s importance to the Western Front. If he recovers, our deal with the Beast Emperor will become very difficult.”
“Understood, but if that’s the case, why not just kill him back then?”
The man’s expression grew impatient, “Kill him? What good would that do for me? Plus, if that happened, by the next day the entire kingdom would know the West Constabulary’s Marshal was assassinated. I wouldn’t want my intelligent sister to fall into a trap either. Now you’re questioning me? Who was it that guaranteed the curse was foolproof, that it was impossible to break?”
“… I have nothing to say. I didn’t expect even the strength left by the gods could be undone. Reports say that not long ago, Wanku Fortress witnessed a massive light pillar visible for hundreds of miles, followed by the appearance of Layton. I suspect someone used the remains of the god to save him, and that scale probably involves at least pseudo-god level power.”
“Are you saying someone is helping my princess?”
“Not necessarily a master, but definitely connected to the former gods in some way.”
“Gods, huh…”
The man rubbed a peculiar ring on his finger, falling into silence for a moment before waving his hand, “Fine, since it’s a miracle, I suppose it’s beyond your prediction. I won’t hold you accountable this time, but Liliya must either be defeated or die in the Western Region. As for the Beastmen, you’ll have to find a way yourselves; I shouldn’t have to stress the consequences, right?”
“… Understood.”
The dark currents lingering in the royal chamber quietly dissipated, leaving only the expressionless man on the bed.
“Tsk… All idiots…”
“If it weren’t for having to rely on you to bring down my brother, I wouldn’t bother… Didn’t expect the fifth sister to be this difficult. Is it related to that Fiery Blossom…?”
“Just to be safe, let’s prepare some backup plans.”