Chapter 27
Agra is the malevolent deity within the Soul Academy’s universe.
The reason there’s a dungeon at the Soul Academy is because of this guy, and the reason monsters appear is also because of him. Anytime something bad happens, you can bet it’s all Agra’s fault, a true British-like villain.
So, what exactly is this Agra’s curse that he sprinkles around like confetti?
To put it simply: it’s jealousy.
Jealousy directed toward those who receive Armadi’s love— a love that he both hates and loathes.
Agra’s curse is placed upon those favored by Armadi.
And bit by bit, it gnaws away at the favor granted, until the moment that favor vanishes completely, it snatches away the person’s life.
If this child is indeed cursed by Agra, they can’t be treated by ordinary means.
An evil deity’s curse— that’s not something that goes away easily.
If I max out my mercy with Armadi, I might be able to lift the evil god’s curse, but that’s far too distant a future.
There’s no way this child will survive until then.
Right now, I have a way to heal this child.
I have a potion filled with the miracle of healing in my pocket.
This potion, given to me by Grandpa after he smashed me with a Minotaur, has been with me ever since I escaped my trial.
The effect of this potion is to remove all negative statuses and instantly restore 50% of health.
And “all negative statuses” includes Agra’s curse.
In fact, it was used as one of the methods to lift Agra’s curse in the actual game, so surely it can heal this child.
Even knowing all this, the reason I hesitate isn’t because I’m reluctant to use the potion.
Of course, it’s true that this potion is quite valuable.
But if you ask me what’s more precious between such consumables and a human life, there is no doubt that a human life is far more important.
Then why am I hesitating?
It’s because of the hidden quest that arises from lifting Agra’s curse.
The hidden quest ‘Agra’s Curse’ is something a user automatically receives when they first lift Agra’s curse.
The content itself isn’t that remarkable.
It merely asks to heal those suffering from Agra’s curse in various regions.
The problem lies elsewhere.
The moment you accept this hidden quest, Agra starts keeping an eye on you.
True to his evil nature, the petty Agra doesn’t look kindly on those who dispel his curse.
Every time you enter a dungeon within his influence, he complicates things by adding various hazards to torment users.
That’s why it’s often advised not to lift Agra’s curse in the early parts of the Soul Academy攻略 (攻略: strategy).
In the later stages, once you’re well-prepared, you can tackle the dungeons whether or not there’s a risk, but it’s different in the early part.
If you take on Agra’s curse too soon when you’re relatively unprepared, the game’s difficulty skyrockets.
When I was playing the game, I didn’t care whether I got Agra’s curse or not.
No matter what threat arose, I was confident I could clear the game.
But now, that’s not the case.
This is reality, and if I die, I can’t just respawn.
Is it okay to take Agra’s curse under these circumstances?
Can I, as someone who struggled just to defeat a single Minotaur, afford that risk?
Sighing, I looked at the face of the child who was breathing comfortably thanks to my mercy.
But will I just let them die?
Right. Let’s think positively.
After all, lifting Agra’s curse will at least improve my reputation.
Dispelling Agra’s curse means diminishing the influence of the evil deity in this world.
This is something the Church of the Lord is presently striving to accomplish.
If I report to the church that I lifted Agra’s curse, my relationship with them will drastically improve.
And do you know what the Church of the Lord is? The most influential religion in the entire continent!
Improving my relationship with them will naturally enhance my reputation across the continent!
By the time I lift four of Agra’s curses, I’ll be treated like a hero no matter where I go on the continent!
As of now, Lucy’s notorious reputation means lifting just one of Agra’s curses alone won’t completely change all that.
But perhaps it can somewhat mitigate it.
At the very least, my chances of entering the academy will noticeably increase.
Right. No matter how tough the dungeon becomes, it’s still just a dungeon.
In front of a seasoned player with forty thousand hours of playtime, it’s nothing at all.
If I can raise my reputation at the cost of dungeon difficulty, that’d be a win!
Resolved, I took the potion bottle from my pocket and handed it to the woman.
“Your Ladyship. What is this?”
“Hey…”
“Useless commoner. Feed this to the little squirt.”
“Such a precious-looking potion?”
“Yes…”
“Right. It’s a shame to waste something like this on your kind, but I’ll use it especially for you, so be thankful.”
“…I am truly grateful! Your Ladyship!”
The woman carefully administered the potion to the boy.
Could it be thanks to the mercy he received earlier?
The child easily accepted the potion the woman offered. And the moment he swallowed it all…
“…Mom?”
The child opened his eyes.
Agra’s curse had been lifted.
“Chili!”
The child, taken aback by the sight of the woman sobbing and holding him, looked back at us.
However, none of us—neither I, Karl, nor the maid—bothered to explain, we simply smiled.
While the child was busy wondering why the woman was crying, I checked the message window that popped up in front of me.
[You have lifted Agra’s curse for the first time.]
[The quest has been unlocked.]
[‘Agra’s Curse’]
[The evil deity Agra seeks to harm those favored by Armadi…]
[Heal those suffering from Agra’s curse across the regions.]
[Reward: ???]
So, indeed, Agra’s curse was what tormented the child.
Then, a few more messages should appear.
[Agra recognizes your existence.]
Ah, crap.
[Agra will keep an eye on you for lifting his curse.]
I knew this would happen, but seeing it as a direct message made me feel a bit more suffocated.
Sigh. So I’m entering hard mode now, huh?
Is this the fate of the “tainted water”?
If only I were a bit more ruthless and had a stronger mentality…
– Ding!
While I was wallowing in self-reproach, another message window popped up.
This time, it wasn’t related to Agra.
[Armadi takes an interest in your deed.]
…Huh? Who?
The only Armadi I know is that deity, is this the same one?
[Armadi praises your deed of not fearing Agra.]
[A reward is granted.]
[Your mercy level with Armadi increases.]
[Function sleeping within Ruel’s mace is partially unlocked.]
A function sleeping within the mace?
This message has never appeared in the game before?!
Not to mention, Armadi himself has never appeared in the game!
The evil deity tirelessly acts, but why is Armadi doing nothing? That’s what Soul Academy’s community has been whining about!
Are there elements I didn’t know existed in this game that hasn’t seen any updates in years?!
No way! That can’t be right!
As a player with deep knowledge of Soul Academy, there shouldn’t be anything unfamiliar to me!
This must be a feature that emerged only after the game became reality!
It has to be!
[Hmm?]
While my pride as a seasoned player was bruised and I was denying reality, I suddenly heard the solemn voice of an old man.
This voice wasn’t transmitted through the ears.
It felt like the voice pierced through my head and went straight to my brain.
[You have already awakened me. What has happened?]
That voice was undoubtedly from the old man I heard not too long ago during the trial.
Why.
Again.
Is there something I don’t know appearing again?!
Who are you?!
Is this the kind of story where I will meet you again?
Is the old man dwelling inside the mace?!
There was a line in Ruel’s mace description saying, “It seems Ruel’s soul resides within,” but that was backstory?!
My head was spinning.
As one unfamiliar event after another kept coming, I couldn’t maintain my composure.
Shit.
If there was such a setup, they should’ve announced it as DLC!
Damn production company!
*
‘So…’
“So you’re saying the old man’s soul was asleep within this mace?”
Having left the child’s house and returned to my lodging, I spoke toward Ruel’s mace, which I had made smaller and stowed away.
If the maid saw me, she would surely exclaim, “Lady, you’ve gone mad!” But this time, it didn’t feel that way, as the mace responded back.
[Indeed. It was supposed to awaken when the owner’s power increased enough.]
Having 100% completed the achievements in Soul Academy, discovered various Easter eggs, and even bought the lore book to look through, this was the first I was hearing this story.
There are mentions of having a soul, but there’s no mention of having a personality anywhere!
But if what this old man says is true, it explains why functionalities like increase in blunt weapon skill weren’t perceptible!
Ruel’s mace must have had those additional functions due to the old man giving advice from the side.
Though he’s a grumpy, petty, old man, he’s still a hero known from the past.
If he were around to offer advice, it’s only natural I would improve at wielding blunt weapons.
The reason I couldn’t sense that ability until now was probably that old man simply wasn’t there.
[It may be too early to awaken, but it could also be the guidance of the gods.]
Listening to the old man’s shameless voice got me all fired up.
‘Hey, old man. Don’t you have anything to say to me?’
“Old man. Don’t you have something to say?”
[What answers you expect from me, I do not know.]
‘About summoning the Minotaur during the trial of guardians.’
“You’re referring to when you summoned the big-headed creature during the trial of guardians. You haven’t gone senile and forgotten that, right?”
[Is that what you’re talking about? He was to test you.]
The old man said it was because he judged I wasn’t struggling too much against goblins that he summoned the Minotaur.
He thought I needed to be provided an insurmountable obstacle to truly test me.
[Seeing him, I determined he was suitable and opened the door for you to the next trial.]
‘What about the time limit…’
“Wasn’t the big-headed creature defeated because of the time limit?”
[Time limit? What are you talking about?]
Oh, um. So, there wasn’t actually a time limit in the trial of guardians, huh?
Was it some sort of gameplay allowance?
This could be waved off as an element that changed as the game became reality.
But that also means if the old man didn’t find my heart satisfactory, I could have been killed by the Minotaur.
Ah, how should I retaliate against this wretched old man?
Did the old man figure out something from looking at my eyes? He hurriedly continued speaking.
[I never intended to kill you! I swear!]
Oh, is that so?
[A knight standing under the gods would never kill another! I only meant to put you to the test!]
Understood, old man. I’ll let that excuse slide for now.
But Lucy, the mischievous brat, thinks differently, right?
Haha! There’s no way I’ll ever forgive that petty old man!♡
I’d love to see him squirm while apologizing, “I’m so sorry, please forgive me!”♡
How should I make this wretched old man suffer?♡
As I held the mace that contained the old man’s spirit and hummed a tune, he urgently called out to me.
[Wait! Young lady! Why is what you think inside your head different from what you say out loud?!]
‘…Huh?’
“…Old man. Say that again.”
Seeing that I paused, the old man probably felt a glimmer of hope and hastily continued.
[I’m asking why you speak politely in your mind but act childishly in your words!]
Wait a minute. Old man, can you hear my inner thoughts?
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