Once the tea service was finished, Olivia-sama offered a polite "Excuse me" before taking her seat.
"Now then, to return to the matter of Mizuhara Kaori. Regarding the blessing—though strictly speaking, as I am not of the God Race, perhaps another term would be more fitting. However, for the sake of clarity, let us call it a blessing. You wished to speak on that matter?"
"Y-Yes. Thinking back, I realized I never properly confirmed the effects with you, Olivia-sama. I mean, it’s my fault for not asking sooner... but since then, I’ve noticed several changes..."
"I see. What sort of changes, specifically?"
In response to Olivia-sama’s question, Kaori-san offered the same explanation she had given me earlier. She explained that her skin seemed to have become clearer and that she felt as though she were growing younger; suspecting this was the influence of Olivia-sama’s blessing, she had come to learn the details.
"I understand. The changes you have felt are indeed the result of the blessing I bestowed upon you. As for the specifics of its effects, I am currently adjusting them as we go, so it is best described as being in a trial state."
"A trial state?"
"First, allow me to explain the basic principles of blessings. This may be a redundant explanation for Miyama Kaito-sama, but there are two types of blessings granted by the Gods: False Blessings and True Blessings. To put it simply, a False Blessing involves casting support magic on a target using one’s Authority. A True Blessing, however, brings the individual within the Authority itself... It is essentially granting them permission to wield a portion of that power. Lilia Albert is a clear example. She has received the True Blessing of the God of Space-Time, Chronoa; thanks to that grace, she can utilize the Authority of Time, though only in regards to acceleration."
I had heard many parts of that explanation for the first time, but it made sense to me. In short, Lilia-san was wielding a power superior to magic—an Authority—specifically for acceleration. This meant that her speed couldn't be negated by normal space-time magic or similar means.
Regarding Fate-san’s True Blessing, she had described it as simply making one luckier, but more accurately, it likely meant that her Authority of Fate would trigger whenever luck was a factor.
"Consequently, when performing a True Blessing, the Gods always use the phrase 'Inscribing the Name.' Authorities are the principles and rules of the world. One must understand that a recipient of a True Blessing gains the power to interfere with those laws, even if only within a limited scope. Furthermore, the range of these effects, for both False and True Blessings, can be adjusted by the God performing them. What kind of effects they bring, how much authority is granted... as long as you understand that these are adjusted within the scope of each God’s specific Authority, that is sufficient."
"Um, Olivia-sama, your Authority is..."
"My power, my Authority, is somewhat unique. I possess influence over every phenomenon that occurs within this Friendly City. Essentially, any event that can happen within these walls falls under the scope of my Authority. This allows for a wide range of effects, but in exchange, they have no power outside the city limits."
Olivia-san’s Authority certainly sounded specialized. It was restricted to the Friendly City, but within that domain, she could exert absolute control.
Though the conditions were specific, within those boundaries, she was practically invincible.
"And separately from that, there are common effects. A blessing from a Low-ranking God can prevent illness; a blessing from a high-ranking God can prevent more serious diseases and extend one’s lifespan; and a blessing from a Supreme God grants prevention against all illness and total agelessness. While these effects function even with a False Blessing, they typically only last for a year. Lifespan extension and agelessness are relatively meaningless unless they are granted through a True Blessing. As for my blessing... it possesses effects nearly identical to those of a Supreme God."
"H-Hwah..."
"The blessing I have currently placed on Mizuhara Kaori is essentially a False Blessing, so it will expire in one year. However, as I expect to finalize the formal effects long before that year is up, it will not be an issue."
Wait, hold on. Kaori-san seemed too overwhelmed by the scale of the conversation to notice, but Olivia-sama's wording was a bit peculiar just now.
The blessing she currently has on Kaori-san is a False Blessing, granted experimentally and adjusted because her Authority can manifest so many different effects within the city.
But based on Olivia-sama’s tone... she sounded as if she intends to switch it over to a True Blessing once the final effects are decided.
I had a feeling this was moving in an unexpected direction, but for now, I decided to listen until the end.
Serious-senpai: "I was just thinking... doesn't Olivia hold Kaori in much higher regard than Kaito or Kaori themselves realize? Since the only point of comparison is Kaito, whose affection levels are completely broken, and Kaori herself just thinks 'If Olivia is nice to me, it's because of Kaito,' they haven't noticed. But her affection for Kaori is likely on a level that's incomparable to a normal person..."
???: "Yes, let's look back at their interactions. Olivia-san is the type who offers maybe a single brief word to legends like Kuro-san or Noin-san and has zero interest in talking more than necessary. Yet with Kaori-san, she's the one initiating conversation, like during their date or asking her how to eat the food at the shipboard party."
Serious-senpai: "Now that you mention it, her reactions to Kaito and Shiro are so extreme that it hides everything else, but her treatment of Kaori is actually quite different from everyone else..."
???: "For your reference, I’ve prepared an Affection Level Flip. Take a look~"
~Olivia's Affection Level~
Those unrelated to Shenism: 10/100
Those related to Shenism: 12/100
Acquaintances: 15/100
Kaori: 80/100
Kaito & Shiro: Incalculable/100 (In a state of almost constant increase)