Virtue + 200.
'Current Virtue: 4124.'
Virtue + 100.
'Current Virtue: 4224.'
Seeing the increase in Virtue, there was no need to guess who had contributed.
But in Winnie's opinion, both instances might have been from Mirexia. Of course, it was also possible the + 100 came from Aesphyra after all, seeing the person she wanted to add to her harem embracing him would surely make her extremely angry.
As for the + 200, it could only have been Mirexia. The top donor was still making contributions.
"You go notify the academy administration! The two students trapped in Mars' Buried dungeon have now emerged!" Upon seeing Winnie and Isatia exit the dungeon, the instructor in charge of the rescue operation snapped out of his brief shock and quickly ordered his subordinates to inform the academy.
"Are you two alright?!" The instructor stepped forward to check on them, signaling the elite medical team from Carillian Academy behind him to conduct emergency preliminary examinations.
"I'm fine," Isatia replied, glancing at Winnie, who still seemed to be in a daze in her arms. "But still, it's better to get checked."
"Then, Miss Isatia, ahem, there's no need for you to keep holding this blue-haired male student. Let him down, otherwise it'll be inconvenient for us to examine him," a priest from Carillian Academy coughed slightly, growing slightly impatient as Isatia showed no sign of letting go.
"Mm," Isatia nodded gently, carefully transferring Winnie into the arms of a nearby priest.
"Be careful, student. Do you feel any discomfort?" the priest asked cautiously as he received Winnie.
"Discomfort? I don't really feel any, it's just..." Winnie pursed his lips, then silently looked toward a certain direction.
Ah, here she comes.
"Oh my, oh my~ Winnie, as always, your fortune is truly immense. I knew you'd definitely be fine," Aesphyra approached with a leisurely pace, a faint, ambiguous smile on her lips. She deliberately lingered on the word "fortune," casting a sidelong glance at Isatia beside him.
"Then should I say, thank you for your trust?" Winnie knew Aesphyra was teasing him, and he felt somewhat guilty.
After all, in the original storyline, it should have been Aesphyra and Isatia who entered Mars' Buried dungeon due to certain circumstances, leading to a series of character developments and connections, allowing Aesphyra to begin contemplating Isatia's route. Yet he had taken Aesphyra' place in this incident, creating an entire chain of events with Isatia instead.
Well, admittedly, this Aesphyra wasn't even the same person as the one from the original story, but Winnie, who could guess the original plot, still feels an inexplicable sense of guilt.
‘Crap-did I accidentally steal all of the original Aesphyra' harem scenes without even realizing it?’
Mirexia could be understood, since Winnie and Mirexia had known each other long before. Aesphyra was the newcomer. As for the other heroines...
Still, Winnie could guess exactly what Aesphyra was thinking right now.
This silver-haired girl with purple eyes was probably jealous to the point of itching inside, wondering why it wasn't her who entered the dungeon with Isatia and experienced those events. Seeing him and Isatia emerge together and their interactions she probably wanted to eat him alive, she just wasn't showing it.
"Winnie, are you and Isatia alright?" Seeing Aesphyra step forward, Mirexia slowly followed, her emotions complex, yet her foremost concern remained Winnie's safety. She first confirmed his condition.
"Don't worry. Thanks to Isatia, I'm fine.”
“Miss Mirexia, you can rest assured. This young man doesn't seem to have any major issues, nor is he in life-threatening danger. Just some scrapes, exhaustion, and complete magical depletion," the priest concluded after a rough examination.
Hmm, they probably attribute his sealed Soul Armament to total mana exhaustion. After all, this was just a cursory check-only looking for immediate physical issues, nothing thoroughly.
"By the way, Mirexia, you came too?" Recalling the scene of Mirexia witnessing Isatia holding him, Winnie felt inexplicably awkward and asked.
"Can't I come?" Mirexia paused.
"Ah, no, no, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, you're usually so busy," Winnie quickly backtracked.
"If you were trapped in a dungeon, what could possibly be more important than that? What else could I possibly be busy with?" Mirexia pursed her soft, glistening lips, and her golden twin tails, shimmering like molten gold, swayed slightly behind her.
"I guess I made you worry again. Sorry," Winnie said, warmed by the concern and urgency in her words.
Yes, in this world, only his childhood friend truly understood and cared for him like this.
Nearby, Isatia, who was also being examined by a nun, silently watched the scene-observing the interaction between Winnie and Mirexia, her noble violet eyes reflecting an unusual expression.
She naturally recognized Mirexia. She had known her even before arriving at Carillian Academy. She remembered their first meeting at a banquet for international exchange. Their interaction had been minimal, and since they were in different grades, they had hardly any contact since-merely acquaintances at best.
As far as she recalled, Winnie and Mirexia were childhood friends. And according to rumors, Winnie was a spoiled, bullying noble brat in the capital of Camella Kingdom, using his status as a descendant of Varelis to harass and oppress others. Naturally, he would use his childhood connection with Mirexia to continuously harass her, causing her endless frustration and drawing public criticism.
Isatia never blindly believed rumors, but she thought there might be some truth to them-though likely exaggerated. The real truth, she believed, could only be known through personal observation and judgment.
Yet now, to her surprise, all the rumors about Winnie in the capital of Camella were completely false-utterly unreliable, even more than random street gossip.
Having deeply interacted with Winnie, and even learning his absolute secret, Isatia began to wonder if the Winnie from the capital's rumors and the Winnie she knew were even the same person-especially recalling the sacred angel who sang hymns for her in the dungeon.
If those rumors were false, then the many stories about Winnie and Mirexia must also be lies.
For instance, the claim that Winnie constantly harassed Mirexia, causing her endless annoyance, was certainly fabricated.
Isatia couldn't imagine how a boy with Winnie's rather passive personality could be so aggressive harassing a girl. Moreover, just by observing their current interaction, she knew this was pure slander.
As a woman, she could instantly tell whether Mirexia was angered by Winnie or held a positive attitude towards him.
From their earlier exchange, Isatia could tell Mirexia's feelings toward Winnie were definitely not negative. A woman who hated a man would never act so proactively or show such concern, nor would she be emotionally stirred by him.
No matter how one looked at it, their relationship was clearly special.
'Virtue + 30.
'Current Virtue: 4254'
"..." Not only Isatia was observing Winnie and Mirexia's interaction, Aesphyra too. The corner of her lips curled upward, maintaining her elegant composure. Whether she was truly smiling inside, or what she was really thinking-only she herself would know.
'Virtue + 50.’
'Current Virtue: 4304.'
Huh??
‘Didn't I just gain Virtue a moment ago? Why is it increasing again??’
Winnie immediately thought of Mirexia, guessing it was probably another contribution from her.
Since Virtue didn't show the source, only the amount, based on his long-standing experience, Mirexia's passive ability could generate Virtue just by standing still. So it was highly likely Mirexia was the source again.
Afterward, the instructors wrapped up the scene, while Winnie and Isatia were taken to the academy's convalescent ward for a full examination.
The results showed neither had serious injuries. However, the priests were puzzled as to why Winnie's mana showed no signs of recovery at all.
That’s only natural, with even the soul armament temporarily sealed, there’s no way to sense magic power. It’s simply impossible.
But Winnie didn't reveal this. He knew his own condition and his Divine Blessing. There was no need to tell others. After all, given time, he will eventually recover.
Still, he'd had an unlucky stretch lately. Ever since the start of this semester, nothing good has happened to him. First, prepare the "Angel's Kiss" for Aesphyra leaving him anemic. Then, helping Isatia construct the Mars Palace within the Eternal Imperial Crown, using sacred hymns to temporarily halt the corrosion of her structure-but as a side effect of his Divine Blessing, his Soul Armament was sealed.
Lately, he'd basically been the benefactor of the destined heroines?
Well, he did reap some Virtue by getting close to the main heroines. But inevitably, he'd attract karma and have his fortune drained by them.
Due to genders, Winnie and Isatia were treated separately, including checkups and therapy. Mirexia stayed by his side the entire time, despite Winnie repeatedly insisting he was fine and urging her to return to work. She adamantly refused to leave until the checkup results confirmed Winnie had no lingering aftereffects and hadn't suffered serious injuries, only then did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Ah, during the fight with the King of Mars, Winnie had actually sustained many injuries and was pushed to his limit. But due to transforming into Vanessa, his state was refreshed. When Vanessa fought Cantarius, she was merely exhausted. That made it seem like Winnie had only suffered from exhaustion and mana depletion, with no other injuries.
"Winnie, you seem physically normal, but the priest said your mana shows an abnormal trend-your mana won't recover for some reason," Mirexia asked, looking at Winnie's report.
After confirming his safety, Mirexia began to notice other issues.
"This? You don't need to worry. It'll fix itself," Winnie waved his hand, telling her not to worry herself.
"..." Mirexia remained silent, merely staring at Winnie without speaking, silently exerting immense psychological pressure.
She wouldn't speak up, but it was clear she wouldn't leave until Winnie told her the truth.
"This issue... really, you don't need to worry. It's related to that... you know, Mirexia, you understand, right?" Winnie said helplessly from his bed. Although they were alone in the private room, he still lowered his voice and spoke in code, just in case someone was eavesdropping.
Mirexia was sharp. She naturally understood what Winnie meant, and the hand she had been tightly clenching slowly relaxed.
Yes, they were childhood friends. Who could be closer than them?
Like Winnie's secret-only she in this world knows it. No one else could ever find out. And only with her could Winnie let him guard down and speak of such things, because he trusted her deeply-something he didn't grant to anyone else.
Thinking of this, Mirexia inexplicably felt much lighter inside.
"Mirexia and Winnie's relationship remains as close as ever," a voice suddenly came from behind Mirexia, at the doorway of the room.
Ah, that familiar tone, that familiar voice. Winnie didn't even need to look to know who it was. Impatiently, he rolled his eyes at the figure in the doorway and asked.
"Why are you here again??"
"Winnie, that sounds strange. Can't I come visit my friend?" Aesphyra stepped into the room with her black-stockinged legs, smiling brightly.
Yeah, no matter how many times he saw it, he still thinks: if only Aesphyra had better physical attributes, Julliana would have to settle for second place in the Succubus Impersonation Contest.
"You can come if you want. I just thought you shouldn't be here right now. You should be in Isatia's room," Winnie shot a glance at Aesphyra.
Isatia was injured. Given Aesphyra' nature, wasn't this the perfect chance to fawn over Isatia? Why did she have time to come here and bicker with him??