922 Spirit Bond Power Boost
“Hm, Dori has gone to meet the Sea God?” Elysia was a little surprised when they were having breakfast together.
“Mm, she only told me and mother when you were cooking about forty minutes ago. She seemed a bit in a rush, but she said she’d be right back.” Lynn reported the situation.
“Okay.” Elysia nodded in understanding. This Capital City was pretty safe, so Dori would be fine to go alone. Sea God had also arrived in this city last night. He was having fun at a nightclub.
“You look troubled, Luna. Didn’t we talk about that last night? You just need to talk to Ely.” Sylvia noticed Luna was feeling troubled.
“Ah, yes, I understand. However, that’s not the current problem. I received a news. There is a strange plague in the Hankala Forest Town.” Luna put the letter in her hand.
“Strange plague? Is that a letter requesting reinforcements? Please tell us the details.” Elysia glanced at the other girls briefly.
“There has been a strange plague named ‘insane possession disease’ in a forest town two hundred kilometers southwest of Evroria City. This strange outbreak makes the infected victims attack their own kin like mindless beasts. We don’t know for sure yet, but these are the details from the mayor.” Luna gave the letter to Elysia.
Elysia finished her breakfast first and then opened the letter.
The letter stated a formal request for reinforcements, then detailed the situation in that town. A printed image of the attack from the infected was also attached to the letter.
“Hmm?” Elena tilted her body slightly, peering out of curiosity at the letter’s contents.
“Wait, this isn’t a plague, but a parasitic attack.” Lifa felt sure when she saw the image of the victim.
“A parasite attack? Do you know any more details regarding this matter, Lady Tifa?” Elysia passed the photo to Lifa.
“Yes, an incident like this happened long ago, and the cause was from a race that was nearly extinct. A tree species from The Plant Race called Misharan. That tree can produce a type of parasite that would render their prey unconscious, and the parasite attached to the prey’s head will work to control the prey’s body.” Lifa pointed to an odd green thing growing above the heads of the victims.
“Their prey?” Elena could interpret the meaning.
“Yes, the Misharan Tree normally only produces parasites and passes it on to any prey that happens to be around so it can devour their prey easily and without resistance. This is a strange case because the parasite controls the prey to attack a town.” Lifa tapped her chin with astonishment.
“A dangerous tree like that can’t be allowed to exist! But, how did that tree the source of the parasite appear near that town? And, what will happen if the parasite continues to spread?” Lynn clenched her fist. She couldn’t imagine the beastkins becoming like the cases of zombies and undead on the Human Continent.
“Misharan Tree should be in the deepest zone of the forbidden forest. It usually preyed upon unlucky animals attracted by its nectar. Maybe several beastkins entered the forbidden zone and returned to their town carrying dangerous parasites without them knowing? Parasites can divide themselves, so the entire town could be completely infested with mindless beasts if it’s not taken care of soon.” Lifa shrugged her shoulders and acted calm, as if the matter was trivial.
“No, I suspect something different. This situation is not coincidental, but clearly intentional. What if the Misharan Tree was moved by the bad guys near that town? We have seven Ruvoid God’s avatars roaming the world spreading destruction, yes?” Fortuna raised her hand. She predicted something using her foresight ability.
“I see… Yes, it seems the bad guys have taken the first step to spread chaos in the world. Is there an effective way to eliminate the parasite? It would be risky if I sent reinforcements, but only to become the parasite’s hosts.” Luna closed her eyes and sighed.
“You feel curious?” Lifa noticed almost everyone’s attention was on her. When they nodded, she just smiled and answered casually. “Everything will still be fine. I will tell you all after breakfast. You will go there to test your strength boost from our spiritual bond.”
“!?” The girls were pleasantly surprised. They would be dispatched to resolve the problem and test their new power boost!? They were excited because they were already connected to the Goddess Elysia and five other Goddesses! Their future battle would be legendary.
After breakfast, Lifa explained to everyone how to deal with the parasites from the Misharan Tree. She also indicated how to eliminate the real threat efficiently and thoroughly.
“Let’s make this a little game.” Lifa put her hands together.
“A little game?” Vanessa tilted her head slightly.
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“There is a participant prize from Luna, and the highest scorer will get an exclusive reward from Ely!” Lifa clapped her hands and instantly excited the girls even more.
“What kind of exclusive reward?” Evelyn asked to be sure.
“Please ask Ely, and she will comply. Terms and conditions apply.” Lifa gave a wink, and Elysia nodded in confirmation. It was just a little game, and the rewards were still reasonable. Also, she held the final word.
“Then, we’ll go and return soon!” Sylvia raised her hands high.
“We shall slay the parasites ASAP! Xentia wants lots of head pats!” Xentia jumped for joy.
“Fufu, it’s good to be excited. I will install a little magic to calculate the score. It will appear in your vision by now.” Lifa applied her magic to the participants.
“…” Ai pursed her lips. Her pet is counted separately, so she couldn’t use Cherub as her companion in this game.
“Mm, I can see it. It’s a golden zero.” Ella was the first to confirm, then the other girls followed.
“Wha-, Why am I not counted as a participant?” Luna stood up because she was feeling left out. She expected the reward!
“Luna, you are the organizer. Please calm down, we are here to wait for the honored guests of Dragon Clan, right?” Elysia asked Luna to sit back down.
“Uuh… My Lynn, you should win for your beloved mama’s sake~” Luna pouted. Still, she immediately smiled and gave her daughter encouragement.
“Mother…” Lynn felt a bit embarrassed for some personal reasons.
“Why am I also the overseer? Compared to you, I am still a little girl too. Let me be a participant.” Fortuna complained a little because she also wished for a big reward. Since their opponent was only some parasite, she was confident she could easily overpower the others.
“Just be good. Your current aim is to leave a good impression, contribution, faith, and presence, right?” Lifa spoke in a whisper-like voice as if no one couldn’t hear it other than Fortuna.
“Uh, you understood me?” Fortuna widened her eyes in shock. “Fine, I’ll do it.”
Elysia stood up and faced all the participants. She closed her eyes and opened her arms wide. “Please close your eyes and receive my blessings. Open your heart and give your permission. By the name of our bond, we shall strengthen the overall. Activate.”
*Boost*
Everyone who had a spirit bond with Elysia and followed the command received a tremendous power boost from within.
It wasn’t a fully magic power boost, but it magically improved everyone’s overall combat power.
“Woah, I feel so bursting from the inside. Is this the main advantage of spirit bond. We can lend our power to our master, and vice versa!” Evelyn opened her eyes and looked at her hands.
She felt full of magical energy and warmth from within. Her hands trembled as she felt being embraced by Elysia’s miracle.
“This is the map to Hankala Forest Town.” Luna gave the map to the Goddess of Blessings.
“All right. Let’s go now. You will receive another boost from my blessing magic. We aim to kill the parasites and test our spirit bond power boost. Remember, don’t kill the victims.” Nell gave her instructions to the participants, especially those above Saint rank.
The girls said a few words to Elysia and everyone else before they flew off, following Nell and Fortuna.
“I gave you a task, Doll One.” Elysia took out a plush doll from her Space Bag.
Elysia’s plush doll floated and transformed into a girl who looked much like Elysia. An elegant evening black dress wrapped around her body, and a piece of cloth with golden runes flowed from her forehead, covering her face.
“At your command, master.” Doll One knelt before Elysia.
Elysia then relayed her orders via special telepathy to Doll One’s mind.
“Affirmative.” Doll One stood up, then left by splitting the dimensional gap.
“Hmm~” Elena smiled faintly as she looked at Elysia. She then glanced at Luna with a hint of amusement. Vanessa implied Luna’s worries this morning, but it was easy to guess the whole problem.
“Dragon Clan will be arriving in seven minutes. Before that, could you sit beside me, Luna?” Elysia sat down on the couch and patted the empty seat next to her.
“Gulp.” For some reason, Luna suddenly became nervous. She wondered if what she talked about last night with the beast girls had leaked to Elysia.
Vanessa was probably the culprit, but she wasn’t so sure since Elysia could borrow the power of Goddess Fortuna to easily discover the truth. Or maybe, their spirit connection reported the unspoken to Elysia without her knowing it!?
“Hehe, why do you look nervous, Luna? I want to hear your problem. Vanessa is worried about you, and you are embarrassed to talk. So, can you talk to me now? I won’t know if you don’t tell me.” Elysia smiled warmly.
At that moment, Luna understood it was just her worry. Elysia cared for her.