"Suzuna, I'm here for you, so you can try out the 'medium'.
'Thank you. I'm sure Mr. Ariadne is trying to tell us something.

　Suzuna dutifully bows her head to me and sits upright on the bed. Then, as she closes her eyes and begins to concentrate, a mysterious aura, or what should be called spiritual energy, envelops her body.


Huh...!

　I chanted a small incantation, and at that moment - just like when I activated "Moon Reading", a pillar of blue light rises up to envelop Suzuna, just like when I activated "Moon Reading".

　However, what was decisively different from the "Moon Reading" was the presence of someone else behind Suzuna that wasn't her.

''........Is that the 'rear guard' there? Since I'm not used to borrowing the miko's vision yet, visibility is a problem. If I'm correct, I'd like you to respond.
Yeah, it's me. It's me, Alihit.

　Suzuna's hair changed color and her tone of voice became Ariadne's. It was thought that Suzuna had used the 'spirit medium' to bring down something like Ariadne's spirit body into her own body.

　Ariadne's eyes, which were asleep at the bottom of the labyrinth, did not have the light of emotion in them. It was the same when it inhabited Suzuna, and when she stared into the lifeless eyes, she couldn't help but cringe.

''Just to be sure, are you really Ariadne?''
'The proof of this will appear in the appearance of the priestess and in the parts of her body. My spirit body will be able to interfere in this way, using the 'pledge tag' of those with whom I have contracted as a marker. If the skill of 'mediumship' is used, my 'divine crest' will appear in this position.
"...well, wait, you don't have to show me!　It's Suzuna's body, you have to respect her.

　Ariadne, lodged in Suzuna, tries to unbutton her nightgown to show her breasts - she suddenly unbuttoned it from the button at her chest so that the area between the two bulges is in view.

　Indeed, there was a glowing mark floating there. This is Ariadne's 'divine pattern' - a symmetrical geometric pattern, about the tip of an adult's thumb in size.

''........Humans have a sense of shame. Even in the 'spirit medium' state, the priestess is aware of the situation. Thank you for stopping me, I think.
Wow, okay you'd better keep that to yourself too.
I understand. I'll fix the problematic behavior. I have a learning mechanism, but I'm not very good at it. With repeated learning, a neural network is formed, similar to the neural circuits in the human brain.

　When talking to Ariadne, it doesn't seem as if an advanced mechanical civilization has created her, not unlike the medieval landscape of the labyrinthine country.

　The discomfort is quite great as she speaks in a matter-of-fact manner, borrowing Suzuna's body. But at first there was no light of emotion in her eyes, but I began to feel a little sparkle in them.

　I couldn't help but become curious and stare into her eyes - and then Ariadne just so happens to look away.

''........This is the feeling of embarrassment. Suzuna's emotions are quite strong and chaste. However, as an exception to Ariadne........

　Ariadne is about to say and then stops midway through. Apparently Suzuna's protests are intense. That's natural, because she might say everything she's thinking about.

''........In exchange for continuing to respond to the request of the 'medium', it has been agreed that I will not speak for her except when Suzuna wants me to.
'Yeah, that would be great so, Ariadne, do you have something to tell us?'
Yes. I'm here to warn you about my newly acquired 'black box'.

　The fact that the license shows what you got means that it will be passed on to Ariadne.

　The black box I acquired from the vine grass puppeteer. It's in the leather luggage compartment I carry around with me. When I took it out and showed it to her, Ariadne nodded.

'What's so dangerous about this?　There was a key to get to Ariadne's place and a lot of treasure, or rather, gold coins and equipment and stuff like that, but...

　Ariadne shook her head. Then he pointed to the black box on my hand and said.

''Sometimes the black box contains an 'armament'.
Armament...?
Yeah. Its official name is the Armored Attachment. I told you that we gods have parts. Essentially, the parts come in a black box. The parts I should have used were not included in the black box of the juggernaut, and there should have been a replacement in there. The "little crystal body

　When I was told that, it immediately hit me - the 'Breaker Crystal' that Madoka had examined in detail, but in the end remained unidentified.

''You mean this?　I'm not quite sure what it's for...
''It's the 'divine weapon control crystal' that corresponds to the 'sword'. By attaching it to the armament, it becomes usable.
Jingi, Soushou?
You could call it an armament controller. An armament is a part equipped by a mysterious god ... in other words, it can be said to be a divine weapon. A divine weapon has a will, and has the will to act autonomously. And to prevent itself from being 'acquired', it basically defends itself.

　You hear new words in succession and have a hard time organizing your mind - just in case this happens, you take out the notebook you bought from the storage box and write down the information you got from Ariadne.

So that's what it is.
I affirm. All those present are at risk of being drawn into the battle.

　It would be better to have Falma-san get out of the box as soon as they opened it. And Misaki, or even Suzuna, might want to stay out of the battle.

"My contractor, my unshakable 'rear guard'. As a blessing to you, I offer you one of the most effective ways to prevent the attack of the divine weapon.
That mechanical arm a guard arm. Are you sure you're going to be able to prevent it?

　Ariadne called herself discarded or out of place. Will she be able to prevent the attacks of the divine weapons that the secret gods equip - I want to believe it, but I can't ask her to force herself to protect me.

　She seemed to be thinking about it for a while. She's sitting upright on the bed, staring at me - even Ariadne has a thing for being troubled.

'If your faith value is sufficient, the damage that 'Guard Arm' can reduce can be increased by that amount. For that reason, I would like your cooperation.
'Faith value what do we have to show that we have faith in the secret god, Ariadne, who gives us blessings?
'Yes. Faith is something that comes naturally when I give you blessings. It can also be obtained by establishing a strong 'trust' with you. Faith is not consumed; the more it is increased, the stronger my blessings become.

　When Rival-san was attacked by 'Death Coming from the Sky', Ariadne's 'Guard Arm' had successfully defended against it. It seems that even my supportive defense wasn't able to prevent it, so it can be considered a pretty powerful defensive tool. If it could be further strengthened, the upper limit of the damage it could prevent would be even higher.

　But when it comes to strengthening trust, what are the methods? I'm not so skillful at talking as to be able to deepen trust just by having a conversation.

''So we can assume that if we increase our faith value, we will be able to prevent divine weapon attacks?
"...The way to do this is to have a priestess 'medium' as a way of doing this. If I do what you will thank me for, my faith will naturally deepen. As part of this, the priestess inhabiting me will commune with you....
''Huh........No, no, we can't do something else. Even Suzuna didn't 'medium' Ariadne to do that kind of thing.
But that way is the least time consuming. It will strengthen the trust between you and the priestess, and if you were to conceive, you could marry her.
Oh, you know...

　Probably Suzuna is resisting things tremendously - if I were to follow Ariadne's words, I would not only be despised for the rest of my life, but I would be hated for it.

　But the idea of a miko being embraced by a man for spreading teachings and such was a story from a time when she had nothing to do with it. A walking miko was a different story, and Suzuna wouldn't have been a miko with that kind of awareness.

'And anyway I can't be the leader of a party, even if it leads to strengthening the party.
"Consent is granted and it's nothing. If you say any more, you will be dismissed as a medium. We'll build up our trust in what the priestesses will allow.

(...wait...wait...) Does trust mean we should increase Ariadne's trustworthiness?　(Then...)

'Ariadne, how about this?　Try sitting with your back to me.
I understand ... I would like to question the logic behind this action.
'Try to wait a little longer. It should be triggered periodically.

　Current Situation
　Arihito's Recovery 1 activates → Suzuna's health is restored.

"...?　My body warmed up and my metabolism increased. What does that restorative behavior mean for you?

　From this display, it seems that activating 'Support Recovery' on Suzuna does not increase Ariadne's faith value.

''I just used my skills to recover Suzuna. Recovery is an act of building trust. Is Ariadne's mental body maintained by something like magic power?
'I affirm. The Spiritual Body of the Mystic God is composed of magical power.
Well it's going to take some time, but I guess that's about it.

　I hold my hand over Ariadne's back and remind her - if it's an action that restores magic power, it might improve Ariadne's confidence level.

(Sharing my magic power with Ariadne... 'Assist Charge')

　Current Situation

　Aricht activates Assist Charge → Suzuna's magic power is restored.
　Ariadne possessing Suzuna has regained her magical power.
　The faith value of "Ariadne" increased.

Hmm.....

　Unlike earlier, I saw a change in Ariadne's appearance - Ariadne, who was omitting me, had a slight upturn in her cheeks.

''........A skill that aids magic power. I didn't think it would be such a direct, trusting means of building a relationship. Part of my mental body is currently composed of your magical power.
'Well, let's give it some time and keep going a few times... the license also says that your faith value has increased. How much is this?
I recommend you continue to improve the defense of the 'guard arm' a few times.

　Ariadne turns her back to me again and flows her hair forward over her back - and when she does, the white nape of her neck is exposed and I can't help but get upset.

(What am I as an adult to think that way about a high school student... but it's not like I'm doing anything shady. Let's get rid of the evil thoughts and focus.)

''There is a skill I possess that grants magic power. If I use it to restore Aricht's magic power, the amount of recovery through 'assisted charging' will of course increase. Therefore, if I simply recover it, I can build a permanent agency between me and Arihito.
''That's great.......If Ariadne gives everyone the recovered magic power, we can always fight the enemy with full recovery?
Unfortunately, my magic grant can only be used by you, the contractor... hmm...
Oh wow, sorry. Should I say no before I charge it?
''There's no need to say no. A miko's body has very keen senses. It reduces sensitivity.


　Ariadne asked for a 'medium' because she was trying to warn us - she's a being who gives us blessings, so there's nothing wrong with doing so, and I want to thank her for it.

　However, I hadn't yet realized on this night what would happen if I raised my faith level while possessing Suzuna's body.