A cheer suddenly rose from the hall below. Victorica looked down and saw that one of the Space Gates had been completed. It could not be activated yet, though; they had to wait until all five Space Gates were ready before they could light up together.
She was happy about it too. She gulped down the cocktail she had mixed, let out a drunken burp, and sprawled lazily on the stone beam. Suddenly, her nose twitched. Catching a strange scent, she looked to the side in confusion.
To better capture details for painting, Victorica kept the miracle "Hyper-Sense" active at all times. It not only greatly enhanced her senses; she could even catch the ripples left by arcane traces. She had not noticed it just now, but now that she looked closely, she realized a faint, subtle arcane color lingered on the stone beam. In her memory, she had never seen similar traces, nor had she ever smelled a similar scent.
It was hard to describe the characteristics of those traces or the nature of the scent. Victorica only knew that as she looked and smelled, she suddenly felt her heartbeat quicken, and her body grew somewhat hot. . . . . . But it might also just have been the alcohol kicking in.
A second cheer came from below. The second Space Gate was ready. Just then, her Miracle Bracelet received a message. Victorica knew her break was over, so she jumped straight down into the hall and began patrolling the most critical entry and exit routes.
When her small body in its fluffy skirt landed, it did not draw so much as a single glance. When she walked past the working artificers, she did not attract anyone's attention either.
Yes, the Painter's appearance was rather... childlike.
This was