SWNOVELXO Chapter 105
‘What kind of question is that?’ I tilted my head in confusion, and Bael, who was walking alongside us, chuckled softly.
When Axel shot Bael a disgruntled look, his laughter only grew louder.
“Don’t answer, Reshi.”
“Why not?”
“Because imagining Axel agonizing over what your answer might be sounds like it could be quite entertaining.”
Bael’s relaxed comment made Axel’s brow furrow in irritation.
“This quack priest…”
“Come on, we should get to the annex. We don’t have time to be standing around here.”
Before the thoroughly annoyed Axel could protest, Bael was already pushing us forward.
And then, it happened.
[Message from Heaven]
(Notification) No questions asked!
The ‘Goddess of Love’ wishes for this world to be bathed in a beautiful pink glow.
According to the contract with the ‘Goddess of Love’ in Heaven, you are now required to complete the quest without asking any questions.
‘Oh no!’
The message window that suddenly popped up in front of me reminded me of something I had completely forgotten.
‘Come to think of it, there was that quest I agreed to in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.’
Since waking up, I had been so busy that it hadn’t even crossed my mind.
I recalled the events of the day I died and met Serlus.
During the subscription period of my reincarnation, if my life ended, I could revive, but I would face a penalty.
The problem was that the penalty involved randomly forfeiting a divine card.
Randomly!
It was ridiculous.
Determined to keep my “Legendary Feeling” card, I had proposed a deal to the gods.
If they eased the penalty, I would complete any quest they wanted.
After hitting the jackpot with Heaven Coins, I hadn’t really bothered to check the “Quest List” anymore.
As a result, the gods, eager for me to fulfill their requests, had all jumped at the chance to make a deal.
I insisted on trading just one quest, no more, no less, and the competition had been fierce.
It was even more intense than the time when the God of Judgment and the Goddess of Peace had fiercely debated how to punish a wicked maid.
I had gleefully auctioned off the quest to the gods.
Having done it once before, it wasn’t too difficult.
I skillfully prodded the gods, trying to secure the easiest possible quest.
And the quest I ended up with was…
‘This one.’
◈Quest◈
After watching your barren life, the ‘Goddess of Love’ has made a decision!
The ‘Goddess of Love’ says:
The ‘Goddess of Love’ supports the love of all.
– Objective: Hold hands tightly with someone of the opposite sex for at least 30 minutes.
– Time limit: 3 days
– Success: Return one divine card of your choice
– Failure: Forfeit one divine card at random
‘Three days?’
Couldn’t they have given me at least a week?
I was about to complain to the ‘Goddess of Love’ about why she was being so impatient, but I quickly calmed myself down.
‘Well… quite a bit of time has passed since I woke up from the coffin, after all.’
From her perspective, waiting anxiously for me to complete the quest, it made sense for her to be a bit urgent.
‘Besides, it’s not even a difficult quest.’
I had wasted time in Heaven, worrying my friends and family, just to pick such an easy quest.
The task was simple: as long as the other person was male, it didn’t matter who it was. And there were plenty of biologically male individuals around me—Axel, Bael, Noah, Eugene, Leonid…
I could already list five candidates.
‘Who would be the most suitable for the quest the goddess gave me?’
I quietly considered each option in my mind.
The first to be eliminated was Leonid.
‘Spend 30 minutes sitting across from Leonid?’
He would definitely start reciting tedious theories, which would be exhausting.
But that didn’t mean the others were perfect either.
Bael would likely go on and on about Heaven and the gods.
Noah probably didn’t have the focus to sit still for 30 minutes.
‘That leaves Axel or Eugene.’
Considering Eugene hadn’t fully recovered yet, Axel seemed like the better option.
‘Although the thought of holding hands and sitting across from Axel for 30 minutes gives me chills…’
Still, it seemed preferable to enduring Leonid’s lecture or Bael’s sermon.
I glanced at Axel but quickly shook my head.
‘First things first, I need to wake up Eugene.’
The quest could wait until after that!
* * *
Eugene lay still, looking almost like a corpse.
I wondered if I had looked the same when I was lying in the coffin.
It was a strange feeling.
Axel knelt down and took Eugene’s hand.
He had explained that physical contact made it easier to transfer magic power.
Just in case, Bael and I stood watch behind Axel.
“Axel.”
I tapped him lightly on the back, careful not to startle him.
Axel, focused on transferring his magic to Eugene, had his eyes closed.
He responded without turning around.
“What?”
“I wanted to answer that question from earlier.”
Axel’s head whipped around so fast I almost laughed.
‘I thought he’d never turn around.’
Was he really that curious?
Seeing the expectant look in his eyes, I shrugged.
“I’m worried about both of you.”
“…That’s the underwhelming answer you were going to give?”
“Was it that disappointing?”
“You said I’m the same as that kid. Of course, it’s disappointing.”
“They’re not the same.”
Axel is Axel, and Eugene is Eugene.
How could they possibly be the same?
“I can trust you with my back, but I want to protect him.”
I meant that my concerns are of a slightly different nature. Axel seemed quite pleased with my response.
“So, you’re saying I’m trustworthy, but he isn’t?”
“Of course. We’ve been fighting together for years.”
I gestured towards Eugene, who was lying down.
“And besides, he’s just a kid.”
Even though his physique was on par with a small adult, it was true that he was still young.
He might be older than me as Reshia, but when considering my experience as Greslin, he was much younger.
“Right, he’s just a kid.”
Now, Axel looked completely satisfied.
I wasn’t sure what exactly had put him in such a good mood, but since the outcome was positive, I figured it didn’t matter.
Bael, who was standing beside us, was grinning as if he knew the reason, but…
‘I’d better not ask.’
It wasn’t a hunch; it was a certainty born from experience.
When Bael grinned like that, it was best to just ignore it.
“I’m starting now,” Axel announced.
Bael’s expression turned serious in an instant.
I couldn’t use magic right now, and I couldn’t properly handle divine power either.
If something went wrong, the only one who could really help was Bael.
He seemed to know that too, judging by how tense he was.
‘All I can do now is cheer them on…’
Wait a minute?
Just as I was about to slump my shoulders, feeling useless, a brilliant idea struck me.
‘Cheering them on…’
That’s something I can do incredibly well!
I quickly checked my list of divine cards.
**Usha Usha! (Hero): Strong Cheer Effect**
I had a hero card with a “Strong Cheer Effect.”
‘But how do I activate it?’
I hadn’t really used it before, so I hadn’t paid much attention to the activation conditions.
I swiftly checked the card’s details.
**[Usha Usha! (Hero)]**
With just one reliable cheer, you can become the most capable cheerleader around!
Cheer on your companions right now.
Your companion’s abilities will temporarily (10 minutes) increase by 100%.
◈Cheering Method◈
Shout, “In the name of Love and Justice!” and spin around once in place.
Stop spinning and point at the target of your cheer with your right hand.
(At this time, place your left hand on your waist.)
Energetically shout, “Receive my cheer!”
※You can hold up to 5 divine cards.
※Only the highest-grade card of the same type is valid; the others will automatically disappear.
※Card Grades: Common < Rare < Hero < Legendary < Mythic
‘…’
After reading the instructions, I was speechless.
‘This is insane.’
Why on earth is the cheer method like this…?