Kaori was sinking into a sea of shame after having her vanity exposed so bluntly, but Olivia-sama continued her explanation with her usual air of detached professionalism.
"Beyond the external factors, I believe we have also improved your internal organs and other areas you perceive as being affected by age. How do you feel in that regard, Mizuhara Kaori?"
"……Y-Yes, I definitely have more energy lately. I feel like I'm in great physical shape."
"I see. The effects were bestowed strictly on a trial basis, but what are your thoughts after actually experiencing them? I intended to ask eventually, but since we have this opportunity, I shall hear your impressions now."
"Ah—er…… Right. Well, I certainly felt like something incredible was happening. To be h-honest…… I’m happy my skin has been rejuvenated. I had so many worries on that front now that I'm Turning Thirty…… Putting the embarrassment aside, I’m truly, sincerely grateful."
Since Kaori was someone who could switch gears quickly, she managed to pull herself together and offer her thoughts. She had been bewildered by the fact that a Temporary Blessing had been bestowed upon her without her knowledge, and being told about it so matter-of-factly was mortifying, but she was still clearly delighted that her skin had been rejuvenated. She offered her thanks to Olivia-san with genuine sincerity.
"……If Mizuhara Kaori is pleased with it, then it seems there are no problems with the effect."
"Eh? Ah, does that mean I might be able to have it cast on me again? Even though the effect only lasts for a year, I’m happy not to age during that time. Being able to maintain my current skin and all that is wonderful…… By the way, does the change revert if I go outside the Friendly City?"
"The changes that have already occurred will not revert. To use another blessing as an example, the Temporary Blessing from the God of Life Life allows the recipient to rejuvenate to an age of their choice, but the changes do not return even after a year has passed and the Temporary Blessing expires. My blessing is the same. Furthermore, the effects of agelessness and the prevention of disease will not vanish Outside the Friendly City."
"Oh, that’s a relief then."
Hearing Olivia-san's words, Kaori broke into a smile. Seeing that, Olivia-san gave a single nod and stood up smoothly.
"I declare in my name, Olivia. In the city that belongs to the God Realm, the Human Realm, and the Demon Realm, yet belongs to none—I exist Where the Ties of the Three Worlds Intersect. My name is Harmony, my name is Record, my name is Guide; you stand where the guidance points. As one who leans toward neither Apostle, God Disciple, nor Saint, I permit the Successive Recording of the name Mizuhara Kaori, in my name, Olivia."
"……O-Oh…… Th-That was quite something. It felt so dignified. Was that a Baptism of the Divine Religion or something?"
……Wait, what? Wasn't that a True Blessing just now? The wording was different from what the other Gods used, but she mentioned Successive Recording…… Did she just move right into a True Blessing as if it were the most natural thing in the world?
Since Kaori didn't know the phrasing for a True Blessing to begin with, she didn't seem to realize what was happening and was clapping in admiration. However, it wasn't my imagination—Kaori's body had flashed for a brief moment.
I suspected—no, I was certain—that she had just bestowed a True Blessing.
"……Um, Kaori-san."
"Yeah?"
"That was probably a True Blessing just now."
"……………………Wha!?"
At first, Kaori just stared blankly, as if she couldn't comprehend my words. Then, a moment later, the look on her face became the very definition of a Bolt from the Blue.
"A-A-A True Blessing!? Eh? Wh-Why? What just…… O-Olivia-sama!?"
"Is something the matter?"
"Uh, just now…… did you bestow a True Blessing? Like…… a real one?"
"Applying the terminology of the Gods, it is not incorrect to call it a True Blessing. The reason I initially kept it in a form similar to a Temporary Blessing was to confirm what kind of effects were appropriate for you through observation. Since Mizuhara Kaori is pleased with the Effect Focusing on the Reversal of Aging, there is no need to maintain it as a trial."
"Eh? Ah…… yes…… I mean…… thank you?"
Kaori asked in a flustered panic, but Olivia-san remained as clinical as ever. Because she spoke with such utter normalcy, Kaori ended up nodding as if being swept along by the tide.
From Olivia-san's perspective, she had likely intended to bestow a True Blessing from the start and was simply calibrating the effects. Once she determined that Kaori was satisfied, she saw no reason to keep it on a trial basis. To Olivia-san, nothing about her original plan had changed.
I could certainly understand the confusion Kaori felt at suddenly being handed a divine privilege out of nowhere, but still……
"……Olivia-san, for the Gods, the effects of a Temporary Blessing and a True Blessing are usually different. A True Blessing is supposed to be much stronger…… Has the blessing you cast on Kaori-san changed in that regard too?"
"The effects I mentioned previously remain the same. However, since my Authority pertains to the Friendly City, a corresponding effect has been added. Though it is a marginal change, a correction will be applied to her abilities while Mizuhara Kaori remains Inside the Friendly City."
"Ah, I see. So it's like a buff that makes her stronger while she's in the city?"
When I asked about the difference, Olivia-san explained that while there wasn't a massive shift in the base effect, Kaori would receive a boost to her stats within the city limits.
It was probably like the blessings from Sky-san or Gaia-san, where the buff was tied to a specific environment. Compared to the vastness of the sky or the earth, the Friendly City was a much smaller area…… and I had a feeling that narrowing the scope like that would only make the effect more concentrated.
"Quantifying strength is difficult, but if we were to express it in terms of Magic Power Amount…… Let's see. While Inside the Friendly City, I believe Mizuhara Kaori's magic power will be approximately 50x its normal level."
"That's not marginal at all! That's not marginal in the slightest!"
Hearing Olivia-san speak as if she were describing a trivial detail, Kaori let out a cry from her very soul.
To a Supreme God-class being like Olivia-san, increasing someone's magic power by 50x probably was a minor change. To the person receiving it, however, it was an astronomical transformation.
Serious-senpai: "Hold on a second. Olivia, your Shelteredness Resulting from Little Social Interaction is really showing through here……"
???: "Well, from the perspective of a Supreme God like Olivia-san, even a 50x increase in Kaori-san's Magic Power Amount is strictly a Negligible Level of difference. And she only used magic power as an example…… her other stats are going up too."
Serious-senpai: "Oh boy……"