Chapter 71 – Curiosity Awakens

Watching his teammates drop like straw men one after another, I, the male Divine Child, was inwardly cursing my luck.

I had thought that by leaving the northern valley, I’d be able to avoid the chaos, steer clear of those damn heaven-defying disasters. I never expected that I'd jump out of the tiger's den only to land straight into a wolf’s lair—this one even more brutal. Before our team could even react, we were completely wiped out.

My hair stood on end. It felt like this entire forest was teeming with enemies—archers everywhere, countless of them, closing in from all sides.

Just when I felt cornered, I heard a shallow rustling coming from the bushes. Compared to the sound of wind swaying the trees, these footsteps were practically imperceptible. Had I not activated [Divine Appraisal], I probably wouldn't have noticed them at all.

Realizing that the other party made no effort to conceal their approach, I turned my eyes toward the golden figure stepping gracefully out of the brush.

The moment I saw her, I was struck by her beauty. My breath caught. I didn't even register what was happening until the girl raised her bow in silence and drew an arrow.

A fierce shaft of light punched a hole straight through my leather shield. It was clear that my defenses stood no chance against arrows imbued with Divine Authority. Realizing from a rough judgment that she was alone, I gritted my teeth and decided to go all in, charging forward with my shield raised.

But after all, I was merely a Divine Child—my physical constitution and combat capacity couldn’t compare to a Divine Princess. In the eyes of an elf empowered by the forest, my charge was less a dash and more like stepping in place.

Teresa lowered her longbow. To her, that leather shield lacked resistance to Divine Authority. Three arrows, max, and it would shatter.

She wanted to test out one of her other Divine Authorities on this opponent. With a single thought, a tender green sprout bloomed in the center of her palm.

She had spent enough time in this forest—the stored energy was practically overflowing.

Her second Divine Authority: [Verdant Fragrance]

She tossed the sprout at me as I charged. As it left her hand, a bubble of pale green light enveloped it. When it made contact with my shield, the bubble burst, and the sprout latched onto the surface.

“Mm-hm?” I felt a sudden weight on my shield. I paused and looked down—my shield had turned into a potted plant. A thick mass of vines was sprouting wildly from it, using the shield like soil, and began extending rapidly, curling around me like dumpling wrap.

The thorns pierced into my skin. A moment later, I felt my consciousness begin to fade—as if the thorns were draining my energy.

I tried to struggle. My arms were tightly bound, my blade couldn’t move—there was no way to fight back.

So this… this was a Divine Authority attack?

Teresa flexed her fingers. Though her inner vision had already explained everything in detail, directly wielding the power herself still felt miraculous.

The effect of [Verdant Fragrance] was roughly as follows: when Teresa was in a forest or jungle, she would automatically accumulate “natural elements.” These stored elements would automatically be consumed to heal her wounds. Alternatively, she could actively expend them to perform natural miracles—forming walls of wood, summoning thorny vines, and so on.

The maximum reserve of natural elements, the damage dealt, the range, and the precision of casting were all dependent on the level of the Divine Authority.

At LV1, [Verdant Fragrance] could roughly be used for five Divine Authority attacks.

This vine-type attack apparently came with Divine Authority damage. So… what about the other types?

Her inner vision explained that different effects would be triggered depending on what kind of material the sprout interacted with.

“Forgive me, Divine Child.” Teresa folded her hands together and bowed respectfully to her subdued enemy. “I mean no offense—please allow me to conduct a few minor experiments on you.”

“Huh??” Bound so tightly that only my head remained free, I was completely stunned. I had no idea what this golden-haired girl was about to do. For some reason, panic began to rise.

“Thank you for your generosity and tolerance.” With that, Teresa raised her head, a fresh sprout forming in her palm.

“What the hell is that?!” I was totally confused. “When did I ever agree to this…?”

Teresa planted the sprout into the soil at her feet. Instantly, a mass of thick thorn pillars burst from the ground, forming a thorn wall right in front of her.

So… planting it in the ground makes the local vegetation go berserk?

Earlier, she had tossed [Verdant Fragrance] onto leather and got a result where the vines sprouted wildly and immobilized the one holding the shield. Then what would happen if she…

A slightly wicked idea began forming in Teresa’s mind. She stepped lightly toward the now disheveled Divine Child, squatting down in front of me. Her silky smooth hair, like cascading satin, fell gently over her scented shoulders, brushing against her fair, luminous thighs.

She folded her hands in prayer.

Her flawless face and radiant skin were now only inches from mine. A sweet fragrance—a mix of herbs and mint—floated to my nose, with a hint of something refreshing and intoxicating.

Was it her body scent? Her hair? I couldn’t tell. For a moment, I lost all sense of time. By the time I snapped out of it, I was utterly confused and overwhelmed by everything Teresa was doing. My anxiety was growing worse by the second.

“I’m deeply sorry, sir.” Teresa closed her eyes and murmured devoutly.

“You—what are you trying to do now?!”

My neck had also been wrapped in vines. I couldn’t turn my head. Lying sideways on the ground, all I could see were her snow-white ankle socks and the delicate pink of her bare feet. Her elegant arch was wrapped in pristine white fabric. Under the sunlight, they looked soft and tender, like they’d give way at the slightest touch. Her perfectly shaped toes gleamed like mint candies.

“I want to see what happens when my Divine Authority touches human skin.”

“???” I had a million words I wanted to shout, but none were appropriate for this situation.

“Please, I beg you—just allow me this little indulgence for the sake of curiosity.” Without giving me a chance to respond, Teresa conjured another sprout. Before I could open my mouth, her soft, pale hand gently flicked it onto my neck.

I felt a coolness on my neck. Strangely, there was no pain—just a chilly, slightly tingly sensation. It was like a high-end spa treatment…

And it smelled… nice? Floral?

I looked down as best I could. Not a hallucination—blue cornflowers had bloomed along my neck.

“What the hell is this?!”

“So that’s it… When it touches human skin, it causes flowers to grow. But what’s the exact effect?” Teresa, seemingly oblivious to my plummeting sanity, tucked her hair behind her ear and tilted her head in thought.

“Sir, how do you feel right now? Can you describe it to me? Otherwise, I can’t draw a proper conclusion.”

“Get lost!!” I shouted.

It’s true what they say—the prettier the girl, the crueler her heart!

Just looking at Teresa’s innocent, doll-like face, no one would believe that she was the type to experiment on a defeated opponent to satisfy her own sadistic desires!

Worst of all, she tortured with such gentle politeness. That innocent, sweet demeanor—how could anyone even hate her?

This peerless beauty… she was pure poison.

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