Erica was incredibly weak.
She felt exhausted and drained no matter what she did; her stamina bar and strength values were inferior even to those of a young child. Clearly, she was far from titles like Sword Master or Girl Martial Artist; she was a typical indoor person.
While her motor nerves were so poor that she couldn’t learn things like self-defense at all, the girl did possess an excellent photographic memory and a sharp, swift mind.
Even though it was a pity she couldn’t become the White-Clothed Sword Immortal or defeat Evelyn in one punch, she was still a lady, after all, so she could consider other paths.
Well then, how about learning magic? Strangely—or perhaps frustratingly—Erica also lacked any talent for magic.
She had once tried to learn magic from the great mage Evelyn, who was right beside her, making various attempts. However, she struggled to even sense the so-called ‘mana’ dispersed in the air. In common terms, her body’s affinity with mana was simply too poor.
“In the magical kingdom of Noelle, a person as talentless as you is truly a rare sight, Erica. Perhaps your body needs a further examination.”
Even Evelyn, whose magical attainments were transcendent, was puzzled by this.
And because Erica was worried about being detected as an unidentified existence like a transmigrationist, she couldn’t even bring up the topic of learning magic to Evelyn.
Consequently, Erica became a magical idiot who couldn’t carry anything on her shoulders or lift anything with her hands. She could be ranked right alongside those noble young ladies who only knew how to drink afternoon tea, known as a fragile “vase” character with nothing left but her face.
Furthermore, Erica had no great family supporting or protecting her from behind. To survive, the girl could only become a political creature relying on her clumsy tongue.
Perhaps this was the essence of the character Erica Angelina—a villainess who struggled to survive through flattery and pathetic efforts, only to be haphazardly executed after a single line of dialogue. This was the fate of ‘Erica.’
However, now, the girl felt an opportunity to overturn everything!
“If Comrade Erica really is a half-elf, perhaps you can receive the great blessing of Lord Noelle.”
I can actually have a Status Bar too!
Erica is finally reaching Nirvana!
That convenient cheat function could actually be obtained from someone else? This was the first time she had heard of such a thing; if she had known, she would have tried every possible means to get it long ago.
“Is such a thing… really possible? This is the first time I’ve heard of it…” Erica swallowed hard, her small fists clenched against her chest as she waited for Cielciel’s answer.
“Only we of the Succubus tribe can secretly perform this blessing! The primary duty of the intelligent succubi is to spread the great gospel of Lord Noelle to everyone!”
It turned out that because this was her first time meeting a Succubus, no one had ever preached to her… so it was only natural she didn’t know.
“Normally I wouldn’t do this for just anyone, but Erica Angelina, your contribution to the Demon Race and the laborers is no less than that of the most enthusiastic and devout believers! So, I’ll make an exception and help you this time, Comrade!”
Oh, oh, oh! I’m getting fired up!
Erica pulled back her body, which had been leaning forward in excitement, and suppressed the exclamation that was about to escape her. She sat with her knees together with reserved dignity, straightened the dress at the side of her legs, and then asked back with feigned composure.
“Is this method complicated? Or is it very difficult? Will it hurt? Does it require blood? Hey, hey…?”
“It’s very simple. It won’t even take 10 seconds. You just need to say a few sentences!”
“That… simple?”
Suddenly, it felt quite suspicious.
Seeing the girl frowning, Cielciel puffed out her fairly sizable chest with confidence: “Lies usually require complex and gorgeous ornamentation, but the truth is often the most simple and easy to understand. Come, kneel on the ground first.”
That was… indeed true. It made some sense.
*Thump, thump.*
Like an elementary school student who couldn’t sleep after packing their schoolbag the night before a spring outing, the girl’s heart began to pound.
With a mindset of giving it a try, Erica knelt on the blanket, solemnly gathering her scattered skirt so that it formed a dignified, symmetrical petal pattern.
Cielciel placed her hand on the girl’s head, stroking those violet silk-like strands of smooth and supple hair.
“You must follow what I say with all your heart.”
“You mean you want me to repeat after you?”
“The Lord so loves the world that He bestowed the great New Order; those who believe in Him shall not perish but enjoy eternal peace…”
These words were truly obscure and difficult to understand, sounding a bit like archaic classical text.
It reminded her of the time before she was Erica, when she first encountered classical prose in her junior high school textbook. If she covered the annotations, it felt somewhat similar.
However, this was likely the Ancient Continental Language of this world, so it should be the so-called prayer text, right?
Erica remembered that this was a sort of introductory ritual to becoming a believer, and right now it was likely a similar confession of faith.
Erica closed her eyes and silently memorized the words. Cielciel said somewhat uncertainly, “Is it too long and difficult? Then I’ll say it once more, the Lord—”
“No need, it’s fine. I’ve already memorized it all.”
“Is that so? What a great memory. Then, pray with your heart.”
“The Lord so loves…”
Will a status window really appear? If so, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a New Order has truly been born.
“…The Lord watches over every believer and grants revelations.”
Now is the time for me, Erica, to raise the banner high and walk the path of the protagonist! With this feeling in her heart, the girl clearly and firmly finished the last sentence.
“How is it? Do you see anything?”
“No.”
She didn’t see anything.
Was she really being lied to?
Was she too stupid for believing the preaching of a little Succubus?
“Maybe it needs an activation phrase like magic… for example, I say ‘Long live Lord Noelle!’, and then the text will float in the air. It’s a bit like autosuggestion.” Just as Erica was doubting her life and intelligence, Cielciel provided an additional explanation.
“Eh, an activation phrase?” Erica became inexplicably nervous again.
Could it be that she had to shout “Link Start!”?
The girl tried hard to calm her nervous heart. Recalling that rather cringe-inducing term, she suppressed either her shame or her excitement and thought silently in her mind:
‘—Status Bar.’
“How is it? Do you see anything? I don’t know if it was successful either. What’s important is a devout, incredibly sincere heart.” The little Succubus Cielciel paced in circles next to Erica, talking, but the girl didn’t have the spare energy to respond. She just stared at the text that abruptly emerged in the air.
If asked if she saw something…
She did see something, but it felt a bit different from what she had expected.
There were neither the numerical attributes there should have been, nor were there any skill entries.
[Status: Sealed. Reason: Infected with Raphasja Crimson Flame Poison]