A short while later.
The two of them returned to the small room that could serve as a temporary shelter.
Yukinoshita Yukino sat on the only chair, her emotions a touch calmer at last.
Even so, the corners of her eyes were still pink as she lowered her head in silence.
Zyhark set a cup of hot water before her.
"Do you believe me now?"
he asked softly.
Yukino didn't answer right away.
She took a small sip.
Only after a long pause did she part her lips, her voice nasal and hushed:
"…Those people with animal ears and tails… they really are real…"
"And those buildings—I've never seen anything like them… This is… truly another world?"
"Absolutely."
Zyhark nodded.
Then, as if remembering something, he added:
"Oh—right."
"Let me show you my ID."
As his thought moved,
Divine Authority—activate.
In the next instant, a sanctified, inviolable majesty surged from Zyhark, a pressure that brooked no defiance.
At the same time, a pure blue radiance burst from his whole body.
Piercing holy light unfurled over him like a thousand sunbeams.
His stylish black hair
turned in a blink to wind-tossed white, like first snow.
Starry motes glimmered around each strand, as though a sacred blue edge had been traced along them.
He vaguely recalled that when Hephaestus had opened her own [Divine Authority], her hair turned crimson.
His "Divine Power" might still be sealed, but [Divine Authority]—this much, he could at least display.
He'd even forgotten about that ability in their earlier talk…
When Yukino stared wide-eyed, he quietly drew back the oppressive aura.
"…Understood. My name is Yukinoshita Yukino—pleased to be in your care, kami-sama."
Shaken by [Divine Authority], Yukino had little choice left.
She could only rely on the god who had taken her in.
Seeing her change of attitude, Zyhark smiled, satisfied.
"Good. It seems you finally trust me."
"But as someone new to this land, you'll need a foothold—and a source of strength."
"Joining my Familia is the best way for you to survive here and grow stronger."
Yukino lifted her gaze.
Her cerulean eyes held a puzzled glint as she looked straight at him.
"To become your familia member…"
"What do I have to do?"
"And what do I gain?"
She paused,
and a certain image from memory surfaced—those who served the gods each day in ritual.
—A miko.
Yes, that kind of traditional shrine maiden's "service."
Don't tell me…
Would she have to "serve" him every day?
At the thought, her lower belly tightened, and a faint blush climbed her fair cheeks.
Before crossing over, she had been the president of the school's Service Club—helping others was her creed.
But that "service" was hardly the same as a shrine maiden's…
"Mm… how to put this~"
Zyhark gathered his thoughts.
After a brief silence, he said:
"You can think of it as gaining an extraordinary power from me."
"Even ageless youth is possible."
"You'll also battle monsters and pile up great deeds to strengthen yourself."
"As your patron god,"
"I grant that power to you through a 'Falna'—God's Grace."
"It's a contract, a sacred script carved upon you."
"It converts your potential into data,"
"so you can clearly see your growth and keep breaking your limits."
He went on earnestly:
"In return,"
"I'll shelter and guide you—and together we'll grow the Zyhark Familia."
"We lift each other up."
He hesitated, then added:
"And… only if you become strong, perhaps one day, somewhere down the line,"
"I might find a way for you to return to your original world."
The line was a tempting hook,
but Zyhark also believed he wouldn't be staying in this DanMachi world forever.
The system had stated it plainly: by recruiting familia members and awakening power, world-travel would become possible.
When that happened, and his sealed Divine Power was undone, wouldn't he be able to stride through other worlds with ease?
Yet those words also tugged at a deep place in Yukino's heart.
She thought of that not-so-happy world she'd left behind—but also of the family and the Service Club that tied her there.
Silence pooled in the room.
Reason told Yukinoshita Yukino this was the only viable path for now.
Her pride wouldn't let her go on crying, helpless as before.
She needed power— the capital to stand firm in this strange world.
At last, she took a deep breath, as if it cost her all her strength to decide.
"…I understand."
Her voice regained some of its usual coolness, with a thread of barely noticeable resolve:
"Yukinoshita Yukino is willing to join your Familia, Zyhark-kami."
For a heartbeat, Zyhark swore he could hear the system chime a task-complete fanfare in his head.
He pressed down his joy and nodded solemnly.
"Welcome aboard, Yukino."
"Then—now. Please remove your top and lie on your stomach."
"I'll bestow the Falna."
Color flooded Yukino's face again as her eyes sharpened with wary alertness.
So in the end…
Was there no way to escape that "special service"…?
"Don't misunderstand."
Zyhark's expression turned serious as he explained:
"This is the necessary rite."
"I need to place a drop of divine blood upon your back."
"The sacred script must be inscribed to awaken your potential."
"Everyone in the Familia goes through this."
Yukino held his gaze, weighing his words.
After a moment, she looked away.
Her cheeks were still flushed, but she finally said:
"…All right."
Turning from him,
Yukino slowly unfastened the buttons of her black school jacket, revealing the white undershirt beneath.
When she had slipped both layers off, the smooth, pale skin of her back met the cool air.
Then she lay prone on the bed, obedient and tense.
"I'm going to begin the inscription."
Zyhark took out the special fine needle the system had given him, pricked his fingertip with care, and a single drop of divine, power-laden blood welled up.
Leaning over, he let the God-blood fall upon that clear expanse of back. As it sank into her,
—hum— lambent light bloomed.
Ripples spread across Yukino's skin, and arcane sacred characters—together with the intricate crest of the Familia—came into view.
A soft, involuntary breath escaped Yukino.
Zyhark's pupils tightened as he studied the emblem there: it resembled a demonic Rakshasa visage, fierce and grim.
That crest…
Why so ominous?
Don't tell me my divine office is… something eldritch?
...
…
(End of Chapter)
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