Chapter 58
I froze for a moment, my mind blank, as I stared with a dumbfounded expression.
‘No clothes?’
There’s no way that’s true.
How could perfectly intact clothes suddenly disappear?
‘It’s not like they got burned to ashes in the flames or something.’
Slowly turning my gaze, I looked at Lyria, who was trembling.
Her hair, long and flowing, did a good job of covering most of her, but the sensation of bare skin against my touch confirmed she wasn’t lying.
‘Wait a second.’
Now that I think about it, the same thing happened when Yeriel reverted to human form last time—he came back completely naked, leaving me flustered.
‘Seriously, come on.’
Is this some kind of recurring ritual or something?
“…Eden, close your eyes.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
Eden, puzzled but obedient, shut his eyes tightly at my command. I let out a sigh and patted Lyria’s back.
“Why is it that every time someone returns from an awakened state, this happens?”
Whoever designed the concept of “awakening” in this world must have been incredibly lazy.
They clearly thought through the spectacle of powers being unleashed but didn’t bother considering what comes after.
If I ever meet the author of Three Lives Chronicle, I’m kicking their butt.
Still, I couldn’t deny that awakening was worth it—becoming powerful enough to turn the tide of battle, even if it meant moments like these.
‘At least we’re alive because of it.’
Comforting myself with that thought, I began rummaging around for something for Lyria to wear.
[The constellation Hearth of the Cosmos expresses displeasure over the post-awakening circumstances.]
Just as I was searching, some familiar messages appeared.
[The constellation Lover’s Rod gives a thumbs-up, calling the scene extremely cool.]
[The constellation Slayer of the Sun nods in approval, commenting on your talent.]
[The constellation Sage of Death grumbles about being reprimanded during the most enjoyable part.]
[The constellation Benevolent Father of Flames bursts into hearty laughter.]
[The constellation Rebirth Sun…]
[The constellation Blazing Terror…]
[The constellation…]
.
.
.
The messages continued endlessly.
Thankfully, it seemed the punishment was mild this time. Seeing their carefree return felt oddly embarrassing yet heartwarmingly familiar.
Wiping the dampness from my eyes, I turned my attention back to Lyria.
I couldn’t just leave her like that.
“Let’s see… something suitable…”
Unfortunately, there weren’t many spare clothes on hand.
I had an old, tattered winter dress stashed in my inventory, but it was way too big for Lyria.
After a moment’s hesitation, I resigned myself to spending a little favor. At least I had accumulated plenty this time.
‘Let’s check.’
Opening the favor menu, I froze.
[You have received favor from 1,029 observers.]
[Total accumulated favor: 1,149.]
“…What?”
-Kitty (tinxxx): Wow… Wendy’s epicness in this episode is off the charts.
ㄴChory (chewxxx): Wendy, it’s me—your long-lost sibling.
ㄴStrawberry Mochi (chaxxx): From now on, any attack on Wendy is a personal attack on me.
-MewIsAdorable (bosxxx): This is the best battle scene in Three Lives Chronicle. Disagree? You’re just salty.
ㄴBornToBetray (susxxx): Seriously, agreed. Not saying this out of fear or anything.
-MilkyLegend (cdcxxx): If we don’t get fan art of Wendy’s flaming dragon dance right now, someone’s getting bonked.
.
.
.
The comments were endless, filled with praise for me.
‘Was it really this big of a deal?’
All I did was clean up what Lyria started.
“Wendy…?”
Lyria’s voice snapped me out of my daze.
The sound of her calling me brought me back to reality, and I quickly selected a gift for her.
[Would you like to purchase the ‘Extremely Comfortable Tracksuit’? Cost: 60 favor points.]
[Purchase completed!]
[Total accumulated favor: 1,089.]
I selected the most expensive and comfortable clothing available from the magic cart.
“Here.”
Handing the outfit to Lyria, I smiled softly.
“Thanks to our brave Lyria, we survived. This is your gift!”
The tracksuit I had purchased was adjusted to suit the era and environment, transforming into hunting leather pants and a top.
Lyria’s face lit up with gratitude as she quickly put on the outfit, letting out a satisfied exclamation.
“This is so comfy! It feels like I’m wrapped in clouds. Thank you so much, Wendy!”
Watching her jump around joyfully, I smiled warmly for a moment before rising to my feet.
Suddenly, whoosh.
“…Huh?”
My vision blurred, and my legs gave out as a wave of nausea washed over me.
…Right. I’m completely drained and could collapse at the slightest push.
“Wendy!”
“Savior!”
Startled, both Lyria and Eden rushed to my side.
“Oh dear~ The tension’s gone, and now I have no strength left… Could you lend me a hand?”
Trying to lighten the mood, I extended my hands toward them, chuckling weakly.
“You didn’t just lose tension; you pushed yourself too far, Captain.”
Eden supported my limp left arm and draped it over his shoulder.
“I’ll help too!”
Lyria quickly took my right arm, balancing my weight on her shoulder.
Hmm… but wait a second…
‘The height difference is all wrong…’
That’s right—they’re only in their early teens.
Even considering their rapid growth, their heights didn’t match mine, a full-grown adult.
I ended up in an awkward squatting position, grimacing slightly.
“Captain!”
A familiar voice called out from the distance.
Like a wild animal spotting prey, my teammates came running, their eyes brimming with emotion.
“We thought we’d never see you again!”
“Yeah, we were so…”
“…worried about you!”
Each of them had so much to say, tears welling in their eyes as they poured out their stories.
“So, Sylvester…”
“…decided we’d all wait…”
“…together near the entrance…”
Piecing together their disjointed chatter, I muttered under my breath.
“Everyone, calm down. So, Sylvester suggested waiting near the entrance instead of leaving?”
The team nodded in unison.
I rubbed my temples.
Seriously, I sent them away to survive, so why hadn’t they left?
Turning to ask Sylvester for an explanation, I found him already approaching me.
“You look like a mess.”
Sylvester reached out to brush aside my disheveled bangs, letting out a low sigh.
“At this rate, we won’t even make it to the next base. We’re fine, thanks to the light you shared with us, but you…”
Indeed, my teammates looked full of energy, likely due to the restorative effect of Ra’s Whip.
Well, it’s better than the alternative: me being the only one energetic while everyone else is on the brink of death.
Still…
“Why didn’t you leave?”
Sylvester flinched at my question, his shoulders trembling slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, he murmured softly, as if reluctant to admit it.
“They said the base resets when we leave.”
I nodded slowly.
Once a base is exited, it seals for an hour and resets to its initial state.
“That’s true, but…”
“That’s why we didn’t leave.”
“…What?”
Seeing my confusion, Sylvester sighed deeply and explained.
“If we left, we wouldn’t even find your bodies.”
“…”
“So, we all agreed to hold out as long as we could before leaving.”
While waiting, an immense surge of energy swept through the base for some unknown reason.
Following that energy, they had found us, Sylvester explained.
“Lyria awakened, didn’t she?”
“Well…”
As expected, Sylvester had pieced it together quickly with only a few clues.
“There’s no need to hide it. Everyone’s already guessed, even if they’re not saying it out loud.”
The gentle warmth of flames, the intense surge of power—it was natural for them to suspect.
After all, it was impossible to deny:
Someone on the brink of death had suddenly returned alive.
A destroyed base had been perfectly restored.
Even without defeating the boss, the system declared the base as captured.
Such feats would be impossible without someone awakening.
When I stayed silent, Sylvester shook his head with a resigned expression.
“You don’t need to explain everything. It’s obvious, just like when Yeriel awakened due to… well, what happened.”
Sylvester’s gaze darkened when he mentioned my supposed death, though it quickly returned to normal.
“In any case, both you and Lyria should rest and recover for a few days. …And this.”
He handed me the bracelet I had entrusted to him, reiterating firmly.
“I’ll give this back only if you promise to rest.”
—
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