Having agreed to go hunt monsters together, we went to the port where L’Arc and Therese were waiting
After some idle chatter, I took out the accessory Therese had requested and threw it towards her.
Orichal Starfire Bracelet
Quality: Highest Quality
“This is…”
“I could have imbued it with magic power, but the quality will drop if I do so. Should I do it regardless?”
As it is now, it’s simply a beautiful-looking accessory.
However, Therese seemed satisfied with the bracelet I gave her.
“It’s wonderful… to think that I’d be able to encounter such… a miracle.” Therese begins to shed tears like a waterfall.
Will she be okay? She looks as if she could die of dehydration at this rate.
“… Aah… to think it would become a masterpiece so splendid that I find myself envious…”
“Th-Therese!? Are you okay!?”
Therese keeps muttering while rubbing her cheek on the bracelet I gave her.
“You’re a wonderful craftsman. Master Naofumi… no, God of Jewelry Processing!”
Sounds like that’s the greatest form of compliment Therese knows of.
“Um… As for the price of that accessory—”
“Whoa!? Therese! Stop—”
Therese lunges at L’Arc and presents me with a purse containing all her wealth..
“Here, my God… my votive offerings for you,” Therese sat in seiza pose and presented me the money as if she was praying to a god.
“Therese, what’s wrong with you…” Having finally gotten up from the ground, L’Arc asks with a perplexed expression.
How should I put it… even if her impressionability was already high to begin with, she just went over the limit…
“Umm, Therese… -san?”
“Hmm~?”
Neither Raphtalia nor Filo have caught up with the situation.
After that, we had a hard time convincing Therese.
So… we went to hunt some monsters, but Therese unleashed some mysterious magic and mowed down the monsters.
When she saw me enduring a monster’s attack, she screamed and gave me magic support with a fearsome look in her eyes, but…
“Therese-san, umm… Let’s think about our coordination a little more, or Naofumi-sama won’t be able to do anything.”
“That’s right. It’s my job to be enduring such attacks, and such small fries can’t even leave a scratch on me to begin with, much less actually manage to hurt me.”
“No way! I can’t bear such agony!”
For some reason, something about Therese’s gaze sends a chill down my spine.
“If I can’t do my part, there’s no point in me being there. Do you understand?”
“… I understand, my God.”
God… I can feel my cheeks twitch.
“Kiddo, you guys really are…”
“Hmm? What?”
For a moment, I felt as though L’Arc looked towards me as if he was tormented by his thoughts about something.
After that, L’Arc exchanged glances with Therese, but…
“It’s just your imagination, L’Arc~”
“Is-is that so?”
“Yes. That wouldn’t be true even if the heavens and the earth were to turn upside down.”
“… Therese?”
I’m starting to feel that something is wrong with the look in Therese’s eyes.
We then wrapped up the day’s hunting and returned to the inn.
I somehow didn’t notice anything strange about L’Arc and Therese. Or rather, when night fell, Therese would come to our room, bringing us food, asking for tips on how to make accessories, and so on. She started making contact with us whenever she had free time.
—
Then, we learned that a wave would occur on Cal Mira Island, and subjugated the inter-dimensional whale.
After that, L’Arc pointed his scythe towards me with a wry smile.
“Oh man… I never thought that you’d actually be the Shield Hero, Kiddo.”
“I’ve already told you so many times.”
“I suppose that’s true. But I figured you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, you know?”
“So? What is the meaning of this?”
“Hmm? Well, I don’t hold any grudges against you, Naofumi, but for the sake of our world―GYAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”
What we saw was… L’Arc getting zapped by Therese’s lightning magic to the point where smoke began emitting from him before he fell forward.
“I won’t let you do that, L’Arc.”
“W-what are you doing, Therese!”
“I’m saying that I will not tolerate anyone bringing harm to God!”
Um… I can’t keep up with the situation. These guys are starting to have a falling out with each other.
“God, I’ll definitely get rid of L’Arc. Once I have done so, please bestow a reward upon me…”
“Wh-what the hell is going on…”
I turned my attention to L’Arc, who was looking at me at a loss for words, mirroring my expression when I looked at Motoyasu back then.
“Kiddo… No, Naofumi! How dare you make Therese betray me!”
“To be calling the true name of God, how outrageous! I shall be your opponent!” Therese unleashes her anger towards L’Arc as she prepares her magic.
“Therese… if you’re going to get in my way, I won’t hold back!”
“Do it if you can! I will risk my life to protect God!”
“Okay, then—”
“Let’s battle!”
Argh! Do whatever you want! Should I use this opportunity to attack the crack in the waves and close it?
Why are these guys fighting!? Somehow, it seems that I did something really terrible and stole Therese away from L’Arc.
—
Conclusion: The one person that Naofumi had wanted as an ally, joins him in the worst way possible.
