Namyl-san estimated that I had the power to bench press over 200kg... but even I wasn't so carefree as to believe that was my own natural strength.
Lifting over 200kg with my base physical ability, without using magic, was an absolute impossibility for someone with my muscle mass.
"……This definitely isn't my natural strength. There has to be another reason. If I could actually lift 200kg, my arms would be as thick as logs……"
"Even if we account for muscle mutation by magic power," Namyl-san said, "your magic power amount isn't exactly 'huge' compared to humankind's standards, Big Bro. A mutation of this scale shouldn't occur, so we should consider other factors instead."
"……Muscle mutation by magic power?"
The term was unfamiliar to me. As I tilted my head in confusion, Elis-san, who was standing nearby, spoke up to offer a brief explanation.
"It’s related to a concept called the Theory of Long-term Evolution of Potential Magic Power. To put it simply, those born with massive magic power essentially live with a giant force constantly in contact with their bodies. The theory suggests the physical vessel evolves to match that force, leading to an improvement in base physical ability."
"It's a change primarily seen in humankind," Namyl-san added. "The muscle structure of demons is fundamentally different, and some are born with their physical ability already fully realized. For instance, among those close to you, I'm sure Lilia-dono's base physical ability has become quite high due to the influence of her magic power."
"Ah, I see…… So that’s how it works."
That explained why Lilia-san was so strong even when she wasn't using physical enhancement magic.
"That being said," Namyl-san continued, "unless you have an exceptionally massive amount of magic power like Lilia-dono, the change isn't something you'd really notice. Since your levels are average or only slightly above, we should probably look for another cause for your bench press, Big Bro……"
"Hmm. If that's the case, is it a blessing after all?"
"I think that’s likely. My own physical ability has improved thanks to the temporary blessing I received from Life-sama……"
Ultimately, attributing it to a blessing was the most natural conclusion. However, that raised a different question.
If my physical ability had improved that much, shouldn't I have noticed it sooner? Or was it... No, wait. It was true that lately, tasks like grooming Bell had become much easier. I’d assumed I was just getting used to the work, but there was a strong possibility that an increase in my base physical ability was the real cause.
……Hmm. But if that were true, it would mean my base physical ability had improved relatively recently. That didn't seem like the work of Shiro-san's blessing. ……I honestly didn't know.
"If it really is a blessing, it feels a bit off…… Alice, do you know why?"
"Isn't it obviously because of the insane number of blessings you've got?" Alice replied. "They're probably trying to be considerate of Shallow Vernal-sama, so each one is a trivial, infinitesimal thing on its own. But when enough dust piles up, it becomes a mountain range."
"……An insane number of blessings?"
"Canaris-san and the others mentioned it, didn't they? That you have plenty of fans among the World Creators. Those guys were almost certainly the ones who did it……"
"A-Ah, I see……"
So, people like Electrone-san and Tiana-san had been granting me minor blessings, and because an incredible number of them had stacked up, my base physical ability had clearly improved. It was an absurd situation... but for now, it didn't seem harmful. I wasn't having any trouble controlling my strength, so I suppose there was no reason to complain about having a higher physical ability.
I thanked Alice for the explanation. She gave a light wave and vanished once more. Then, Namyl-san spoke up with a bright expression.
"……Big Bro! High base physical ability is a wonderful thing. It means the increase you get from physical enhancement magic will be even more dramatic! After we've tried a few more exercises, we'll move on to the equipment for use with physical enhancement magic. Could you tell me yours for reference? The average multiplier is about 5x to 10x, but……"
"……It's 1.5x."
"……Eh?"
"……No, I mean…… it's…… 1.5x."
It turned out I had absolutely no talent for physical enhancement magic. It was no joke; even in my maximum enhancement state, I only hit a 1.5x multiplier. If my base was a 200kg bench press, that only brought me to 300kg. For comparison, someone like Aoi-chan had a multiplier over 10x. Even if her base physical ability was only a 40kg bench press, she'd be lifting 400kg or more. The difference in multipliers was staggering.
Namyl-san let her gaze wander awkwardly for a moment after hearing my answer. Then, she tightly clenched her fist and spoke up.
"……Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses with magic! Even so, your base physical ability for the bench press alone is three to four times the average, Big Bro! Even with a 1.5x multiplier, your actual ability isn't much different from an average man using 5x to 10x physical enhancement magic!"
……Honestly, I might have misunderstood Namyl-san. Because of her subordinate vibe and her unusually loud voice, I’d unconsciously grouped her with Blossom-san and Lanza-san. But looking back, her explanations had been clear from the start, and her analysis just now showed she was actually quite sharp.
She was a kind person who looked out for me and tried to cheer me up. Considering Flare-san trusted her enough to leave her in charge while she was away, she was likely a very capable individual with both strength and intellect.
Then again, Blossom-san wasn't exactly thoughtless either—she just had very strong preconceptions. She’d shown a lot of intelligence and skill when grading the UTA Battle and reproducing Japanese dance. It was probably a mistake to lump them all together in the first place.
As for Lanza-san... well... yeah. She was energetic and straightforward. A good person, certainly.
Namyl: Despite the subordinate vibe in her behavior, she is quite excellent in both personality and ability.
Blossom: Has an idiotic aura due to her strong preconceptions, but possesses high ability and isn't actually thoughtless.
Lanza: A bursting idiot.
Serious-senpai: "……As expected of the only woman explicitly called an idiot…… She’s in a league of her own."