Riena’s Side (3)
“Hero-sama!? What’s wrong all of a sudden!? You look like you’re in terrible pain!”
“Damn… I really screwed up this time. Looks like I overdid it a bit.”
“Eh!?”
“That last technique was insanely powerful, but its energy consumption is just as insane… Ngh… No good. My consciousness… is fading… Ah… Guh… I… can’t… stand…”
As Shuhei the Hero lost his strength and began to collapse, Riena hastily tried to catch him—only to realize that her own strength wasn’t enough to support him.
Still, she somehow managed to lower his body onto the ground. Then, kneeling properly, she gently rested his head on her lap—placing him into a classic lap pillow position.
“Hero-sama!? Hero-sama!!—No…! He’s not responding, and his pulse is dropping fast!”
Desperately, Riena continued to call out to him, but there was no reaction at all.
Shuhei’s face had completely drained of color, his complexion deathly pale.
“Please hold on, Hero-sama! I’ll use a divine healing technique right away! O most revered goddess Athena, bestow upon this one the breath of life! [Paraseia Astene]!—Eh!? Why…? Why isn’t it working!?”
The high-ranking healing miracle, which borrowed the power of the goddess Athena, failed to have any effect whatsoever.
It was because Shuhei had expended far too much energy using [Sacred Burning Burst Big Bang].
At this point, even advanced healing miracles wouldn’t be enough to restore him.
“Wh-what should I do…!? At this rate, Hero-sama will…! Ah! Wait, that’s it!”
In this desperate moment, a certain theological theory surfaced in Riena’s mind.
It was from an old research paper she had read when she was granted access to the forbidden archives of the Grand Temple of the Athena Order—an analysis of ancient texts from the mythological era.
“According to that theory, the blessings and skills granted by the goddess Athena can be dramatically amplified by deep, heartfelt affection. And if that love is mutual, the effect becomes even stronger.”
The power bestowed by the goddess Athena was said to increase exponentially through true love.
This was supposedly because, before becoming the supreme deity of Orphermaus, Athena had once been a goddess of love and wisdom.
Whether it was true or not, Riena didn’t know.
Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she firmly nodded. Then, once again, she envisioned the activation of her healing miracle.
But this time, she did not chant a spell.
Instead, she softly and gently pressed her lips against Shuhei’s.
(O most revered goddess Athena… I beg you, please save my precious Hero-sama…)
With that desperate plea, Riena poured all of her feelings for Shuhei into the kiss—continuing to hold him close as she prayed.
“And just like that, Hero-sama made a miraculous recovery thanks to my healing miracle, amplified by true love! Ehehe~!”
“Haaah… So, in short, you’re just bragging about your romance?”
“This is NOT bragging! Hero-sama was in a life-threatening situation, and I called upon the true power of the goddess Athena’s love to heal him! It’s a sacred, faith-filled, deeply moving tale!”
“But you were happy that you got to kiss Hero-sama, weren’t you?”
“I-I was not happy about it! Th-th-that was purely a medical procedure! My only concern was saving Hero-sama, and that’s all there was to it! I didn’t have even the tiniest, microscopic, grain-sized impure thought, not even a single rice grain’s worth!”
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the meal.”
“I’m telling you, it’s not like that!”
“Ah, sure, sure. Alright, you can go now. I see now that trying to reason with you is pointless.”
“Hmph! Fine, then. I’ll be leaving, Mother. See you later!”
Clearly delighted after sharing her story, Riena hummed a cheerful tune as she lightly skipped her way out of the office.
Watching her daughter’s retreating figure, her mother let out a deep sigh.
“Haaah… This is worse than I thought. That girl is still completely head over heels for Hero-sama. She’s already twenty-four, and at this rate, she’s going to end up single for life. But knowing her, no matter what I say, she won’t listen…”
As a mother, she couldn’t help but worry.
Her daughter was bright, charming, quick-witted, and an exceptionally skilled priestess. Even without a mother’s bias, she was truly an outstanding young woman.
And yet, because of her absurdly high standards—insisting on nothing less than Hero-tier—she was at serious risk of missing her chance at marriage. Letting out another heavy sigh, Riena’s mother could only shake her head at her daughter’s hopeless romantic ideals.