Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 100

 "I suppose you're aware that this doesn't have any effect, right?"

"...I've heard that it seems to be the case."

Our lady chooses her words carefully in response to Fiora's question.

Because nobody knows the correct answer...

"It's not completely ineffective. It's just pointless for casting large-scale magic."

Well, that's a bummer.

"So, what exactly does it do then?"

"It attracts magical energy."

"...? But wouldn't that be considered effective?"

"It only attracts it. You still have to mix it with your own magic and activate it yourself. Besides, you can achieve the same effect by going to places with high magical concentration."

"I see..."

"And it's mostly psychological. Just having the magic circle engraved and feeling the magical energy nearby might give you the confidence to try using it."

So, it's like a placebo effect...?

But why is the bar set so high for using large-scale magic?

"Do you understand? The feeling when you realize you've gone this far for nothing. Everyone knows I'm a powerful mage, so they don't say it to my face, but they treat me like a pariah."

"Yeah. So, you want to get rid of it, right?"

"Yes. I've heard about that girl. I was planning to request it through the Mage Association while you were still in the capital."

"I was the one choosing who would take on the task, but someone as skilled as you wouldn't have needed to come under my command. Was it better this way?"

"I wanted a change of scenery. I'm tired of the capital... Jigualt's invitation came at the perfect time."

"Are you close with Jig?"

"We're not exactly close, but when he came to the capital, we, as practitioners who use large-scale magic in combat, often exchanged information. We talked about things like this magic circle and wanting to change our surroundings back then, but I didn't realize he remembered."

...Isn't that being close?

"I'm curious about your relationship with Jigualt, but, Sera, can you do it?"

"I'm not sure...? If it were scars or wounds, I could heal them, but this is a bit different. Should I give it a try?"

"Yes, please."

With that said, she extended her right hand.

I overlaid my hand on hers and activated Miracle's Blessing.

"Huh?"

I felt a slight resistance, as if it was pushing back. If it had no effect, I would have just slipped through without any resistance, but this might work.

◇

"There's been no change...?"

Fiora's right arm remained blackened by the tattoo as usual.

"Did you feel anything?"

I put in a solid hour of focused effort, but... something's off.

"......Huh?"

I felt a kind of gulp in the air, but was there something abnormal? I pushed myself a bit too hard and now I can't move from Elena's lap... It's been a while since I've had a nosebleed.

"Fiora wiped it with her fingers, and it came off. The dye was just sitting on the skin."

Lying face down, I couldn't see what happened, but Seriana explained it to me.

"Oh, I see..."

"Wow! That's amazing!"

Fiora's voice was full of excitement.

Yeah, yeah. I'm glad it worked out.

"Your skin looks much younger compared to the left side. Shouldn't you do the whole body to keep it balanced?"

Jigualt was said to be the same age as me, around mid-forties, right? He hadn't gained weight or slackened, but he did look his age.

"Yeah, you're right! Can you do it?"

"...Not today, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, it's too much for today."

I won't do anything else today!

"I remember her saying that the effect increases the closer you get, right? You should just hug her from tomorrow. It'll take too long if you do it by hand every time, and you probably wouldn't like that, right?"

"I don't mind."

Hmm... Will it feel like being a koala?

"Got it. I'll try that."

It's worth a shot if there's an effect even through clothes, right?