"Eh?"
In that instant, Jack let out a dazed sound.
That was because the item Fang Li had taken out was giving off an aura that made Jack's instincts tremble.
It was an incomparably sacred aura.
The item emitting that aura was an object resembling an hourglass.
It was an hourglass made entirely of dazzling precious metal.
What filled the hourglass was not sand, but Magic Powder ground from some kind of ore.
Holding the item, Fang Li gripped the arm holding Jack's knife tightly and recited the simple chant to activate its effect.
"Start..."
The metal hourglass immediately blossomed with intense light.
"Clang—!"
Within the blinding light, the Magic Powder inside the hourglass suddenly began to swirl, gathering fluorescent particles around Fang Li.
Before long, the fluorescent particles formed into a young girl.
A girl with long aqua-blue hair, otherworldly beauty, and a sacred aura surrounding her.
"W-What...?"
Looking at the girl, Jack completely forgot about Fang Li as her instincts trembled even more violently.
That trembling seemed both like longing and fear.
"Mm..."
At that moment, the beautiful girl let out a soft groan and slowly opened her eyes.
Revealed were a pair of clear, transparent eyes like a lake.
Blinking those beautiful eyes, the girl saw Fang Li.
Fang Li looked back at her.
The indifference and composure on his face seemed to have vanished entirely, replaced by a rather subtle emotion.
"Y-You... you..."
The girl suddenly widened her eyes. As though startled, she abruptly backed away several steps, pointed at Fang Li, and shouted loudly.
"Why is the first thing this Goddess sees after waking up a cold, heartless demon like you!? Is this intimidation? It is intimidation, isn't it? It has to be intimidation!"
The girl calling herself a Goddess blurted those words out without