Chapter: 157
The main story of Soul Academy is split into three big arcs.
First, there’s the storyline related to that pathetic Evil God who’s trying to mess with me right now.
Long ago, that old geezer and the heroes succeeded in sealing away the Evil God, but hey, seals aren’t forever!
This tale starts with that premise, laying the groundwork for the overarching narrative of Soul Academy.
If we fail to deal with the Evil God in time, we get hit with a Game Over.
No matter what concept or route I choose, if I want to see the end of the game, taking down the Evil God is a must.
I think that’s what that pathetic God expects from me, too.
The fact that he overreacts in comparison to that petty Evil God shows there’s a lot of bad blood there.
Well, considering their position as the main deities, it’s hard to expect them to look kindly upon a group that betrayed them and tried to monopolize power.
The second storyline is about the corrupted Church of the Holy God.
Take Phoebe, for instance. You can’t say they’re squeaky clean. Digging into them will lead to all sorts of ugly sights.
And the last main storyline? That’s related to the kingdom where Soul Academy exists.
It revolves around the chaotic battle for the royal throne, and the final boss of this story is none other than the current kingdom’s first prince.
The person closest to the crown.
Rene Soladin.
That’s the very prince I just read was called a gloomy pathetic loser by Lucy.
So right now, I’m unknowingly picking a fight with the final boss.
In the past, Lucy was the kind of madwoman who’d insult the king right to his face, calling him a smelly pig.
I wonder if she held back her vocabulary when dealing with the First Prince?
Not a chance!
She must’ve showered him with all sorts of insults!
Ugh. As if being unpopular wasn’t annoying enough, I have to start off with maximum hostility.
It truly makes me want to throw up.
Thankfully, I haven’t had to face him yet since the academy tutorial isn’t over, but once I hit the second year, I’ll have to run into him sometimes.
Ugh. It’s already hard enough dodging Cecil’s face whenever I see her around the academy, and now Rene is going to be added to the mix…
It’s horrific. For real.
[Young Lady.]
‘What is it, old man?’
[I’m sorry.]
‘Huh?’
[Anyway, I did wrong. I’ve committed too many sins without caring for your feelings. Can you please forgive my karma?]
At first, I thought he was shocked by a version of me that was different from what he sees now, but as I listened, I realized he was openly mocking me.
It’s like he found my diary filled with my shameful history and was cracking up while reading it.
What a waste of an old man!
If it weren’t for what I saw in that mental world, I’d doubt even his status as a hero.
‘Do you think I’d act that way now?’
But old man, no matter how you slice it, I’m not affected at all, right? It’s not like I did those things.
Even when he kept on with his mischievous jokes, I remained nonchalant, which made him clear his throat and continue.
[…Well, that’s true. People can change, after all.]
‘If you keep tormenting me like this, I might revert back to that version of me, you know?’
[Ha ha. I’ll be careful, then.]
But seriously, how has Lucy managed to stay alive till now?
With all the trouble she caused, you’d think even a Countess would be whisked off to the guillotine!
Considering all the messes Lucy made, it seems Benedict had a hand in cleaning things up, which makes me curious.
I wonder if Alsetin knows about this, too.
‘Hey, Alsetin…’
“Hey, information dealer. Let’s skip this and ask something else. What kind of person is our foolish father, anyway?”
The one who smoothed over the king’s insult, then the prince’s, and even cleaned up his messes at the church.
No ordinary person could pull that off!
What on earth does Benedict do?
“…Are you saying that the daughter of Benedict Alrn doesn’t know him?”
When I asked Alsetin about that, he looked at me in shock.
Like, how could the daughter of the Alrn family not know that?
Yeah, I get that it’s pretty abnormal. But listen!
‘Why the heck should I know that?’
“Why should I be aware of the nonsense my foolish father has been up to?”
Think logically here.
Would a fool who insults both the king and the prince remember anything about their own father?
When I threw up my impenetrable Lucy shield, Alsetin seemed taken aback but then strangely came to a realization and looked at the ceiling with a pitiful expression.
What is it?
What’s with that reaction?
[Looks like Benedict’s becoming a pathetic figure…]
‘Why are you saying that, old man?!’
[No matter how much of a troublemaker he is, he did his utmost to take care of his own daughter. And your response is that it’s none of your business? No way.]
Hearing the old man’s words, I realized that I indeed have no other like her.
Some people would go through a lot just to save their daughter’s life, no matter how garbage they seem, and here’s that daughter saying, “Why should I care about what my dad does?”
But I’m not Lucy!
I’m just a poor victim possessed in Lucy’s body by that damn Mesugaki skill!
How on earth would I know about Benedict?!
He’s a character who hasn’t even made an appearance in the game!
I frantically tried to prove that I wasn’t a trashy person, but all of it was pointless.
In the end, it was just a hollow scream I couldn’t voice to others.
[Keep this in mind. It seems Benedict has gone through tremendous hardship for you, so you might owe him at least that much.]
‘…Fine.’
The old man’s words were the voice of pure reason, and all I could do was nod along.
How unfair. I didn’t do anything wrong, you know.
“Lord Benedict Alrn is a hero of the nation.”
Alsetin started reciting Benedict’s deeds as if he didn’t need to search for information.
How he single-handedly repelled a dragon that stormed the castle.
When an S-rank dungeon emerged and the nation was in peril, he led his family’s knights to conquer it.
When conflicts arose with foreign powers, his name alone was enough to put an end to them.
There were several other achievements he accomplished during his prime.
[He’s a tough one, but he’s another level of monster.]
Hearing that from the old geezer, who was once a part of the hero party that saved the world, made it clear that Benedict was indeed a living legend.
While I was impressed by what I heard, I couldn’t help but have a different thought in the back of my mind.
These achievements of Benedict? They should have originally been achieved by other characters.
That dragon-slaying feat? That belonged to the captain of the kingdom’s knights.
It was a setup to showcase the great power of the kingdom’s elite forces.
The conquest of the S-rank dungeon was similar.
This was an issue that should’ve been resolved by a single family’s effort, but it barely got sorted out through the church’s cooperation, serving to expand the church’s influence in the kingdom.
And the other achievements all followed suit.
These were feats that should’ve been granted to others, framed with bigger consequences and impacts.
In short, Benedict managed to resolve situations that could’ve brought about much greater havoc.
Given this background, it only makes sense that Lucy’s life is still intact.
His accomplishments were impressive, but the power held by Benedict and his family was overwhelmingly intimidating.
Benedict is famously known as a doting father.
Who would dare publicly condemn Lucy Alrn with him around?
How could a minor noble family afford to challenge a count’s house that could stand against a country?
I always thought the Alrn family was strong, but I didn’t expect it to be to this extent!
So my backing from that Count family was unexpectedly immense?!
“Thanks to Lord Benedict, Young Lady is safe.”
‘Understood.’
“Do you think I’m incapable of understanding that? Don’t compare your intellect to mine, dirtbag.”
“Glad to hear that you understand.”
But if so many things have changed, shouldn’t the main storyline have been affected too?
I haven’t been able to explore beyond the Alrn family and the academy yet, but out there, who knows what unexpected events are unfolding.
Even having Bishop Johan within the Alrn family isn’t a plot that exists in the game.
If this were merely a game, it’d be a simple case of a new Mesugaki character popping up, and that’d bring about such chaos.
It’s sad to think that my gaming knowledge is going to become less useful as time goes on.
When that time comes, I guess I’ll need to call on that old man for help.
“Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”
‘Yes…’
“Right. Information dealer. When are you going to bring that thing you promised? There’s a limit to tolerating your incompetence, you pathetic information dealer.”
Not long ago, after Phoebe uncovered her truths, I asked Alsetin to fetch me a specific item.
“Are you talking about the Silence Scroll?”
The Silence Scroll. A scroll made by the church that serves Harpo, the God of Tranquility; its effect is as follows:
It prevents conversations conducted inside a room from leaking outside.
Simply put, it creates a space to discuss secret matters.
Given the kind of conversations Phoebe and I need to hold in the future, if others were to hear even a little, it’d spell disaster, right?
So, I plan on bringing Phoebe into my room and using the Silence Scroll to create a soundproof space.
No matter how troubling the discussions might be, I want them to stay private.
“I was planning to give that to you anyway.”
Alsetin pulled out the scroll from his pocket as if he’d been waiting for this moment and handed it to me.
Wow, he’s quick! I thought it might take longer since it’s a popular item among the upper class.
This guy’s ability to procure items is extraordinarily remarkable.
‘Thanks, Alsetin.’
“Heh. For a useless loser, you were surprisingly fast.”
“Thanks again, Lady Alrn.”
Now, shall I head off to chat with Phoebe?
I’m really unsure if I can handle it.
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