What is the most direct reaction of a devout believer when the god they worship says "I like you"?
Naturally, it is ecstasy, a desire to offer themselves completely on the spot.
Devout believers are fervent. This fervor drives them to treat every word from their god as divine decree.
Akemi was undoubtedly a devout believer.
From the moment her deepest wish was fulfilled, she had already accepted Ren as the object of her faith.
But even as a devout believer, she was not fanatical like a zealot.
So when she heard Ren's declaration of a harem, she felt no resentment. Nor did she immediately throw herself at him. Instead, she reacted with the shy heart of an ordinary girl.
"He won't let go of all of us…" As expected, Ren's words didn't refer to her alone. Shiho must be included too.
Just like Ren himself had said, he was truly... very greedy.
Either keep distance from everyone, or once committed, choose to keep everyone.
Extremely greedy.
Yet, faced with such greed, Akemi felt an inexplicable sense of security.
No longer needing to fear abandonment. No longer facing the risk of losing everything again.
She could still feel Ren's warm breath near her ear, making her body warm and her ears tingle. Without further hesitation, she dove into his arms.
"Ah... Lord Ren, thank you for your grace…"
At that moment, Akemi felt both the comfort of not being abandoned and the overwhelming urge to express her emotions.
Perhaps it was the influence of the Secrets Suppliant pathway.
Once she embraced Ren, the urge to fully surrender herself to him intensified without pause.
"What you're saying is a bit too formal."
Listening to her overly respectful words, Ren smiled and didn't take them too seriously.
He gently patted her back, feeling her heart rate gradually stabilize before letting go.
"Feeling better now?"
"Yes, much better."
Akemi's smile was visibly more relaxed.
Even though she knew about Ren's greed, she now felt more reassured. Compared to a Ren who would only favor one person, she would rather he spread his affection between her and Shiho.
That way, neither of them would be left behind.
"Lord Ren, please assist with my advancement."
Raising her head, all of Akemi's earlier hesitation and fear were gone.
"Alright. Drink the potion."
"Yes."
Akemi didn't hesitate. She pulled out the cork, lifted the bottle to her lips, and drank the contents in one gulp.
The potion flowed into her body and began to take effect.
She immediately heard countless buzzing sounds in her ears. High-frequency noise assaulted her senses, bringing with it an irrational agitation.
The initially indecipherable sounds in her ears gradually shifted, becoming clearer and increasingly familiar.
"...Steady..."
"Steady your emotions..."
"...Focus on something. Picture it clearly in your mind to stabilize your spirituality..."
Ah, it's Ren's voice.
Akemi recognized it at once.
She quickly focused her attention and started to picture something familiar.
That pair of silver earrings, a gift from Ren. The earrings that allowed her to walk under the sunlight again.
She gradually focused on the image of the earrings in her mind.
As the image became clearer, the noise in her ears no longer disturbed her. Even though it didn't disappear, her previous agitation faded away.
She kept concentrating. The more focused she became, the clearer the image. But the more focused she became, the greater the strain on her head.
Sweat began to bead on her forehead, her face, and inside her pajamas. The sweat gradually soaked through her clothes.
Her previously flushed cheeks turned pale with exhaustion.
She felt as if she couldn't hold on much longer.
"You're doing great. Just a bit more."
That gentle encouragement by her ear made her grit her teeth again and push forward without reservation.
She didn't want to fail. She didn't want to disappoint Ren.
She would hold on.
She absolutely would not let anything go wrong during this advancement.
Akemi poured in every ounce of strength she had.
And finally, the high-pitched noise in her ears began to fade, then vanished entirely.
She persisted until she heard Ren's voice.
"Well done, Akemi."
"And congratulations on advancing to Listener."
I succeeded...
Akemi, having exhausted herself, barely managed to open her eyes. Even breathing felt like fire in her throat.
Her tense mind relaxed all at once, and she collapsed into Ren's arms.
Ren caught her, knowing she had truly given her all. He held her gently, preventing her from falling to the floor.
"The Secrets Suppliant pathway really lives up to its reputation as the most dangerous. Even without interference, advancement is this difficult."
Ren had observed everything from start to finish. He now had a clearer understanding of how hard Akemi's advancement had been.
Thankfully, her faith was pure and she had fully digested the Secrets Suppliant potion. Otherwise, this advancement could have gone very wrong.
If she had broken down, she wouldn't have succeeded.
After all, it was one of the most insanity-prone Sequences. A hard advancement was to be expected.
The early stages of the Secrets Suppliant pathway, are the most likely points where a person can be driven mad.
After all, constantly hearing the ravings of ancient gods in one's ear is something few people can endure.
However, after passing through Listener, the situation tends to stabilize somewhat.
Take the Aurora Order in Lord of the Mysteries as an example. Once members get past the early stages, their likelihood of succumbing to madness from the ancient gods' ravings drops significantly.
You could say that the Secrets Suppliant pathway is madness-prone early on but appears stable later.
The kind of stability where the outside looks calm, but the inside has already long gone insane.
He looked down at Akemi, now completely out cold.
"Looks like this is how the night ends."
(To be continued.)