Chapter 38: The True Fragrance of Holy Light

Amidst the chatter of the crowd, the handsome long-haired man dramatically tossed his flowing hair back, placed a hand on his forehead, and struck a profound, yet somewhat flamboyant, pose.

“I never imagined that I, Test Subject Alpha, would one day possess such thick, long hair,” he declared. “I feel…”

“I feel completely reborn!”

He even shifted his stance, flexing his pale, yet full and firm, muscles. “Oh♂yeah!”

This truly profound scene made one adventurer, spectacles perched on his nose, gape so intently they forgot to wipe the nosebleed trickling down their face. They swallowed hard, muttering, “Slick… I never realized Test Subject Alpha had such a great physique before…”

‘Eve: ???’

‘Wait, what in the world was that lecherous gaze?!’

‘Why do I keep feeling like you’re implying something, huh?!’

Just then, the handsome, long-haired man, now transformed by the Holy Light, rushed forward, gripping Eve’s still-suspended hand with both of his own. He exclaimed with fervent excitement: “My deepest gratitude, Miss Luosha! Your abilities are truly incredible!!”

“Forget about my backside,” he declared, “my back no longer aches, my legs no longer hurt, and my entire body is brimming with boundless strength!”

“Most, most, *most* importantly! You’ve given me hair! How can I possibly repay such a profound kindness!”

Eve was immensely grateful that her mask only revealed her eyes, preventing anyone from discerning her true expression.

Such overly effusive words of gratitude sent shivers down her spine, making goosebumps erupt all over her body.

“N-no, it’s fine,” she stammered, “I appreciate your kind intentions…”

As she spoke, Eve forcefully withdrew her hand. To prevent further harassment, she quickly turned her attention to the other test subjects.

“Next, I need to continue the Holy Light healing on the others, so…”

“Alright, alright, I understand, Miss Luosha.”

Thankfully, this test subject nodded repeatedly, indicating complete understanding, and made way for Eve. Otherwise, Eve might have had to offer them a ‘physical hypnosis’ package.

Following the resounding success of the first test subject’s treatment, the other test subjects became more active and eager. Many hoped to become handsome and dashing, and even Odell, feigning modesty by clutching his backside, joined the healing queue.

“Commander Odell, what are you doing, Commander Odell!”

“Didn’t you say a mature adventurer must endure physical suffering!”

“Why are you also lining up now!”

Odell’s old face flushed, and he cleared his throat twice. Then, he righteously declared: “What do you know? Enduring hardship is one thing; accepting Miss Luosha’s kindness is another. After being baptized by suffering, to stubbornly refuse healing like an idiot? That’s just foolish.”

‘You clearly just want to become as handsome as Test Subject Alpha, don’t you!’

‘Sure enough, no one can escape the ‘true fragrance’ phenomenon!’

The crowd let out a collective sigh, but didn’t expose him. After all, who wouldn’t want to become a handsome man under Miss Luosha’s “Light of Transformation”?

However, Eve, the person in question, wasn’t thinking that far ahead.

Eve’s thought was that since the previous Holy Light application had been too potent, she should slightly reduce the extent of the life-force diffusion next time.

With this in mind, when the second test subject stepped forward, Eve pressed the modified Holy Light from her hand into their body.

The familiar dazzling light flared.

“Hmph—”

‘Well, it seems I’ve failed again.’

After hearing the familiar ‘three groans scripture,’ Eve expressionlessly withdrew the residual Holy Light and directly skipped over the second test subject.

‘For the third attempt, then, I’ll simply cut the diffusion by half!’

“Hmph—”

‘Damn it, halve it again!’

“Hmph—”

‘Even less!’

“Hmph—”

‘Eve: ???’

****

After optimizing the process for ten consecutive test subjects, Eve finally understood the root of the problem.

It was the enhancement from Divine Grace.

Although the buff stated “slight increase,” the Goddess of Light seemed to have granted her an extraordinary amount of authority, or perhaps divine power. As a result, Eve’s ordinary Holy Light abilities now contained a vast amount of life-force.

Eve even felt that her Holy Light was almost comparable to advanced healing spells.

Seeing only one test subject left in the queue, Eve prepared for a final attempt. She would try to guide out only the life-force, doing nothing else, to see what effect this level of Holy Light would have.

However, Eve, engrossed in her experiment, failed to notice that this final test subject was none other than Commander Odell, who had joined the queue and was finally next.

‘It’s here! It’s here! Is it finally my turn!’

On the surface, Odell appeared perfectly calm, but inwardly, his excitement was practically bursting forth.

Having witnessed so many of his subordinates successfully “undergo cosmetic surgery” at Eve’s hands, Odell couldn’t help but anticipate his own transformation into a handsome man through the Holy Light.

He was the only Rank Three existence in the Wolf Fang Adventurer Group. As the strongest among them, he was sure to outshine everyone else once he became handsome!

“Here it comes, my Holy Light,” Eve said softly. “It might sting a little, so try to bear with it!”

Hearing Eve’s gentle reminder, Odell nearly threw his arms open, ready to tell her not to go easy on him just because he was a “delicate flower.”

Odell elegantly closed his eyes and spoke with composure: “I am ready. In any case, bring it on!”

Of course, in his mind, Odell silently added a phrase.

‘As long as I can become handsome, what’s a little physical suffering!’

Eve slowly pushed the Holy Light from her hand into Odell’s body.

The unique radiance of the Holy Light flared, but it wasn’t as dazzling as before.

Nor did Odell let out a muffled groan.

The Holy Light merely formed a faint halo around Odell’s body, quickly dissipating.

The surroundings fell silent.

A minute passed.

Odell opened his eyes, looking at the pensive Eve. He asked with confusion: “Miss Luosha, has it not started yet?”

“No, it’s already over.”

“Huh?”

Odell was stunned. “It’s over?”

‘I’ve prepared myself entirely, and you’re telling me it’s already finished?’

His only reply was Eve’s calm nod, followed by a casual remark: “Yes, it’s already over. So, how do you feel? That same sense of complete comfort, like the others?”

‘Feel?’

‘He didn’t even notice when it ended, and she’s asking him how he feels?’

‘Isn’t this just bullying!’

Odell roared inwardly, yet, despite the varied gazes of the crowd, he maintained the composure expected of a commander.

“I don’t feel anything, Miss Luosha,” he said, “may I ask if there’s a problem?”

‘That’s right, everyone else became more handsome to varying degrees, but he hadn’t changed at all. It couldn’t possibly be his fault, could it? It must be due to Miss Luosha using the Holy Light too many times, causing her magic power to run low!’

‘Yes! That must be it!’

Odell felt certain his reasoning was flawless.

But reality cruelly slapped him in the face.

Eve used her finger to twirl a strand of hair that had fallen by her ear, and with a smile, she explained: “There’s no problem at all, and in fact, this could be considered my most successful attempt. You’re very lucky, Test Subject… cough, Commander Odell.”