"Dizzy... I must’ve spent an enormous amount of energy."
Fortunately, the price of summoning the spirit wasn’t my kidney.
Instead, I felt an immense surge of divine power drain away in an instant.
Good thing Nikellus’ reservoir of divine power was vast; an ordinary person might’ve fainted outright, not just felt dizzy.
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[The Spirit of Wind has been summoned!]
[Accuracy has increased with the spirit's assistance!]
[Current accuracy: 92%]
Out of nowhere, a refreshing breeze brushed past me.
At the same time, something faintly glowing clung to the tip of my arrow.
It looked like... a tiny child with dragonfly-like wings.
This must be the spirit.
"Your Holiness? Is it just me, or did a breeze suddenly start blowing?"
Argelio clearly couldn’t see the spirit.
He glanced around, looking for the source of the wind, but not toward the spirit itself.
"Can only I see this? It’s definitely a spirit, right?"
I squinted at the tiny being, curious, and tried to take a closer look.
That’s when I heard multiple, high-pitched voices chattering all at once.
“Stop staring and shoot already! My arms hurt from holding the arrow steady!”
“We’ll guide it to the target for you! Just shoot now!”
“Aaahhh! My arms! The accuracy’s dropping! 89%... 88%... 87%!”
Seeing the real-time accuracy plummet, I panicked and shouted urgently.
"Luciana! Get back!"
Luciana quickly retreated, stepping out of the weakened area of the barrier.
I aimed at the spot she'd softened up earlier and released the bowstring.
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Ping!
The radiant, white arrow shot forward with a crisp sound... and missed the target entirely.
Why is the accuracy so low even after summoning the spirit? What a waste of divine power!
But before I could stew in frustration, a notification appeared.
[The spirits are correcting the arrow's trajectory!]
The spirits clinging to the arrow flapped their tiny wings furiously, shifting its path.
Thanks to their efforts, the arrow veered back on course―
Boom!
It struck the target dead-center, shattering the barrier.
A brilliant explosion of light scattered shards of the barrier in all directions.
Luciana didn’t waste the opening. Blue petals swirled like a hurricane, engulfing the statues.
【Grraahhh...!】
The statues crumbled in silence, unable to utter a final scream under the piercing winds.
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“It’s over.”
I watched Luciana through the fading petals. She seemed unharmed.
She simply sheathed her sword and stored it in her inventory.
Even that small movement was so precise, so graceful, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
At least, not until the spirits popped back into my view, blocking my line of sight.
“Wow! A human who can summon us still exists in this era!”
“I heard humans’ magic and divine power had degenerated compared to ancient times!”
“You’re so shiny for a human! Your golden hair is gorgeous! Can we take a few strands for the Spirit King?”
“Can we touch your eyes too? Don’t worry, we won’t pluck them out!”
“I want 20 strands from your crown! I’ll take them home!”
While their curiosity was overwhelming, I might’ve let them hang around longer under different circumstances.
But I needed my divine power back.
I dismissed them quickly, as Luciana was approaching.
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“Your Holiness, thank you for your help.”
“Are you alright? You’re not hurt?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But...”
Luciana hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“When you held the bow earlier, it reminded me of something. Do you remember our time at the seminary?”
“...Did we study together?”
“Yes. Once, during the royal hunting competition, you got bored watching and grabbed a bow. You ended up shooting an arrow... into a nobleman’s rear.”
It was a story about Nikellus’ past that I had no memory of.
Yet, as she spoke, a bittersweet nostalgia welled up within me, despite myself.
Luciana’s voice carried on as I grappled with the odd feeling.
“I was a little nervous when you aimed the bow today. I thought you might miss and hit me this time. But... you must’ve practiced a lot. I didn’t expect you to hit the target so perfectly.”
For a moment, her usually cold blue eyes softened with warmth.
That’s when the system notification appeared.
[Luciana van Lazar’s favorability has slightly increased.]
Seeing it startled me. I hadn’t expected to encounter this system after reincarnating here.
In The Last Apostle, completing minor NPC quests or earning their trust triggered these messages. High favorability could even lead to rare rewards.
Though I didn’t see Luciana as a mere NPC, the message still left me feeling... peculiar.
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"Your Holiness! Sir Lazar! Can we start looting the items now?"
Argelio’s interruption snapped me out of my thoughts.
He was already eyeing the scattered items greedily, his gaze practically sparkling.
"Don’t touch anything. Not even a pebble. Leave it all alone."
Worried he might pocket something anyway; I hurried towards him.