Time slipped quietly by as dusk settled.
Lucas gathered up the stack of books he'd been saving and dropped them—perhaps a bit too dramatically—onto Jeanne's mostly empty desk with a solid thunk.
"Here," he said, dusting off his hands. "Your mental nourishment for the foreseeable future."
He lifted the thickest one from the pile—honestly hefty enough to use as a weapon—and turned the cover toward Jeanne, who was still fussing with her bedsheets.
"'Basic Reading and Writing in the Common Tongue: 3,000 Essential Words—Even Kobolds Can Learn It.'"
"Trust me," he said, grinning, "once you get through this, daily conversation will be a breeze."
He patted the stack. "The rest covers geography, history, math, the gods and their Familias, heroic epics—and, most importantly, 'The Adventurer's Survival Guide I' and 'Dungeon Fundamentals I.'"
"You need to master all of them."
He leaned back, a knowing smirk curling his lips. "And once you've got the basics down… there's advanced stuff like 'Comprehensive Monster Compendium and Drop Guide' and 'Dungeon Resource Survey Manual.'"
"Not only will they keep us alive down there, but they'll also…" He rubbed his fingers together meaningfully. "…help make our wallets a little fatter."
Jeanne, the farm girl from rural Orleans, stared at the mountain of books as if it might crush her. The sheer pressure of it all made her chest tighten.
"Got it," she muttered stiffly. "You don't have to spell it out so much."
Her face was a mix of confusion and mild dread—like someone staring at an endless ocean of homework.
Lucas caught that tiny flicker of panic in her eyes and couldn't help smirking. "Oh? So our mighty Holy Maiden does have weaknesses after all."
The second he said it, an icy chill ran up his spine. One look at Jeanne's glare and he wisely clamped his mouth shut.
Yeah. He'd hit a nerve.
"Anyway," he said quickly, edging toward the door, "finish cleaning up and come down for dinner. We'll go out and celebrate tomorrow night."
His survival instincts screamed that staying any longer would result in emotional trauma—or worse. He made a tactical retreat.
The kitchen downstairs was filled with the warm, comforting aroma of home-cooked food.
Wearing an apron tied at his waist, Lucas worked the cutting board with practiced rhythm, the knife making a steady tok-tok-tok as the stew on the stove bubbled away.
The air was rich with the scent of spices mingling with the sweetness of vegetables and the hearty warmth of simmering meat.
With a new housemate to feed, he'd gone all out—more dishes, better ingredients, even presentation. After all, they had reason to celebrate Jeanne's arrival… and he wasn't exactly broke these days.
He'd just come into a nice bit of coin, and if you couldn't treat yourself and your partner after a payday, what was the point of earning it?
Besides, deep down, Lucas was a shameless foodie.
Even when he'd been dead broke, he'd never skimped on a good meal. Now that money wasn't as tight, there was no way he wasn't indulging in all those ingredients he used to only dream about.
"Dinner's ready!" he called.
Out in the small courtyard, Jeanne sat at a stone bench, brow furrowed, squaring off against 'Basic Reading and Writing in the Common Tongue.' The sunset painted her in shades of gold and violet.
"I'm coming," she replied, still in her signature navy linen dress and soft leather boots.
As Lucas dished up rice, he glanced at her outfit and said once they sat down, "Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, we're going shopping."
"Everyday clothes, training gear, combat equipment, healing items, travel supplies, toiletries—you name it. We'll stock up on everything."
He grinned. "And I'll give you the grand tour of Orario while we're at it. Seeing the Labyrinth City in person beats my half-baked descriptions any day."
A new world, huh? Jeanne thought quietly as she took a bite of her meal.
Burying her memories of betrayal and fire deep inside, she lifted her head with a faint but genuine smile. "As long as… you don't mind the trouble."
"Trouble?" Lucas raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
"I'd love to have this kind of 'trouble' every day. It'd mean we're rich enough to afford it."
"Rich? You mean… gold coins?" Jeanne blinked. Money was something both familiar and foreign to her.
"Wait—you're short on money, Lucas?"
Her wide violet eyes were so guileless it almost hurt to look at them.
Lucas stared back, lips twitching. After a long sigh, he said solemnly, "My dear Jeanne, in this world, who isn't short on money?"
"There's a saying: money isn't everything—but being broke sure makes life impossible."
"For us adventurers, every part of life—food, lodging, gear, potions, repairs—costs money. Real, hard-earned cash."
He leaned back, voice turning serious. "You might want to update your understanding of the world before someone scams you blind. Otherwise, one day, you'll end up getting sold and thanking the guy for it."
Her cheeks flushed crimson. "I—I'm not that stupid!" she sputtered, way too loudly for her own defense.
Lucas just smirked. Yeah, that reaction said it all.
"Alright, alright. Eat up." He handed her a glass of sweet plum wine.
Jeanne didn't respond—just focused on her food, shoveling down each bite like she could swallow her embarrassment whole.
"…This is delicious."
The simple words were soft but sincere, and Lucas smiled.
They ate leisurely, chatting about life in the city between bites.
"Lucas," Jeanne asked curiously after swallowing a mouthful, "people like us—special people—are there many in this city?"
"Special?" He thought for a second. "You mean top-tier adventurers, right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Practically all of the strongest adventurers in the world are gathered here in Orario."
"To my knowledge…" He grew more serious. "When it comes to people who awakened exceptional potential the moment they received their Falna? You could count them on one hand."
He held up five fingers.
"That few?" Jeanne tilted her head, intrigued rather than discouraged.
"Yeah," he said. "For example, Finn Deimne, the captain of the Loki Familia—a Pallum who started with one piece of Magic and three Skills. Or Riveria Ljos Alf, their elven vice-captain. She began with three Magics and two Skills, and rumor has it her spells can chain together, multiplying into nine."
"They're both first-tier adventurers, Level 5—the kind of people the whole city, maybe the entire lower world, knows by name."
Of course, there were plenty of late bloomers too. But those first-tier prodigies were in a league of their own.
Jeanne's expression turned thoughtful. Then, out of nowhere, she asked, "Didn't you say that a person's Falna information is top-secret within their Familia? How do you know all that?"
"…" Lucas froze for half a second.
He cleared his throat. "Ahem. Let's just say… a man's gotta have his sources. You know how it is."
Jeanne gave him a long, skeptical look, then finally nodded, deciding not to push it.
After dinner, Jeanne insisted on washing the dishes.
Lucas lounged on the sofa, watching her silhouette framed by the windowlight—the golden sunset tracing soft highlights along her braid and slim waist.
He found himself spacing out a little.
Because truthfully, Jeanne's potential was far beyond what he'd told her.
Her setup—two Magics, five Skills—wasn't just rare. It was broken.
After arriving in this world and adapting to the Falna, Jeanne's two famous Noble Phantasms had been converted into Magic:
Luminosité Éternelle—a wide-area barrier that shields, heals, and defends. With it, their survival chances in the Dungeon would skyrocket. Even in the worst situations, they'd still have a fighting chance instead of dying meaninglessly.
And La Pucelle—a single-use annihilation spell whose destructive power scaled with all her parameters. The perfect trump card.
Her Skills, meanwhile, were perfectly attuned to her nature: heavily defensive, highly functional—pure Jeanne.
Five Skills in total: detection, defense boosts, debuffs, enhancement, and group support.
As a frontliner, she was an absolute wall.
But the most terrifying one was her unique Skill—Holy Maiden.
And the key difference?
It boosted all abilities—not just Stats.
That single phrasing meant everything.
"All abilities" included not only her base Stats—Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, Magic—but also her spell potency, Development Abilities, Skill effects, stamina, focus, combat instincts, even latent potential.
It was a full-spectrum enhancement.
If it had only said "Stats," it would've stopped at the five basics.
But all abilities…
That meant Jeanne permanently had the equivalent of a top-tier transformation buff—constant, effortless, and without drawbacks.
Its true value?
Beyond measure.