Chapter: 158
About the behind-the-scenes of the church, the fact that she’s a created saintess, and that all her childhood memories are fabricated—
Phoebe originally shouldn’t have known.
Even if she were to find out, it would have been after a year or two, when Phoebe had blossomed enough talent to shatter the church’s brainwashing.
At that point, even if Phoebe figured everything out, the church wouldn’t dare take bold action.
The presence of the true saintess, Phoebe, would have become so significant that the church might have even felt pressure.
But that’s not the case right now.
Phoebe is still weak.
Doubting herself and even doubting the god, she makes mistakes even while purifying the academy dungeon’s boss; she is someone who could be erased by the church at any moment.
No matter how great her aura may be, what does it mean if it’s hollow inside?
If she messes up, an “unfortunate accident” might occur.
So, Phoebe has to remain silent.
Even if this situation goes against her beliefs, she must keep her mouth shut.
Until the moment the church can no longer touch her.
And right now, I’m in a position where I need to persuade Phoebe to be silent.
‘Can I really do this?’
I had no confidence in whether I could pull it off.
The first obvious issue was the tone from the Mesugaki skill.
Whatever I say, I can’t predict how it’ll be translated through Mesugaki.
In some cases, the meaning could be completely distorted.
Well, if I manage to use the Mesugaki tone well, that could be resolved, but there’s a bigger problem looming.
That’s Phoebe’s personality.
Nobody in the Soul Academy community denies that Phoebe is a saintess.
Even though having such a grand title would typically raise suspicions, that wasn’t the case.
What I mean is that Phoebe is not just a simple good person.
Just being nice is not enough to be called a saintess.
While ordinary parishioners or priests might be fine being good, a saintess must be different.
As the face of the church and the representative of the god, they must have a strong conviction and stubbornness to face any hardships and adversities for the sake of righteousness.
In the game, Phoebe was someone who possessed these traits.
How could someone who could denounce the church in the middle of the capital, fully aware of the dangers to their own life, possibly lack conviction?
It’s true that the current Phoebe is very different from the in-game Phoebe.
However, I don’t think her core has changed.
Now that I told her to wait for my help, I’m pretending I know nothing, but if I fail to persuade her, Phoebe will likely—
[Don’t worry.]
While I was getting stuck in the worst-case scenarios, the old man spoke in a serious tone.
[Weren’t you the one who worked hard yesterday? Everything will be fine.]
He might be a nagging old fool most of the time.
Yeah.
But right now, I’m seeing the hero Ruel in him, which makes him appear reliable.
Though I don’t want to admit how trustworthy he is.
If I do, his shoulders will rise, and he’ll start spitting nonsense.
‘Was that your idea of preparation yesterday? I only remember getting beaten up.’
[Did you forget how much I struggled? Would you say that?]
‘Yes! So please give me good advice from the sidelines!’
[…Hah. Young lady. In this day and age, being silly is not a compliment.]
‘You sure act like there was a time when being called silly was a praise.’
[…]
I smiled back at him, thinking he was joking, but he kept silent.
Wait, really?! Was there actually a time when being called silly was a compliment?!
[Do you know why chivalry was created?]
‘No.’
[It was to plead with the thick-headed knights, who lived like orcs or trolls, to please use their brains.]
In the distant past, the old man’s words were filled with deep anger reflecting the tumultuous times he lived through.
*
Finding Phoebe in the academy wasn’t too difficult.
With her beautiful looks, eye-catching figure, and angelic personality, she was treated like an idol in the academy.
Surrounded by people wherever she went, you could get an immediate answer about her from anyone.
She’s kind of like the opposite of me.
My notorious reputation made it so nobody wanted to approach me, but when they wanted to know where Lucy was, they would instantly find out.
How do I know this? Last time, Frey found me like that.
“Everyone seems to be really interested in you,” Frey said blankly, which kind of annoyed me.
Today, Phoebe was once again surrounded by many people.
Regardless of whether they were commoners or nobles, priests or non-believers, age didn’t matter either.
Phoebe was like a unifying agent who could bring all those together.
And I was the centrifuge.
I could make them all stand apart.
‘Excuse me, everyone. Could you step aside?’
“Pathetic trash! What are you doing, gathering like bugs? You want me to tell you nicely? Get lost!”
As soon as I said that, people started pulling away from the edges one by one.
At first, I was quite shocked to see this scene, but now I understood the stunned expressions on their faces.
If you engage with someone dangerous, you might just get slammed.
I had to steer clear of those who might try to get a little too close.
Yet even among the people who were backing off in fear of brushing against my clothes, there were still a few who stayed close to Phoebe.
Did they think I would harm her?
Come on, that’s not fair.
They might not know what kind of person Lucy Alrn is, but I’m a very reasonable person.
I’ve never really been active alongside Phoebe.
Word must’ve gotten around that I helped Phoebe last time, so why would I do anything bad to her?
And hey, I’m a holy knight!
To an extent, I’m affiliated with the Church of the God!
What would someone like me do to a saintess?!
Huh?!
“Everyone, please step back?”
“But, saintess—”
“Don’t worry. Lady Alrn isn’t the kind of person you’re worried about.”
The wary gazes from the crowd that had previously been glaring at me softened when Phoebe spoke.
Overcoming her acquaintances who blocked her way, Phoebe approached me with her usual flawless smile.
“Hello, Lady Alrn.”
‘Hello, Phoebe.’
“Hi there, Pathetic Saintess.”
As soon as the title “Pathetic Saintess” slipped from my lips, murmurs erupted from the surroundings.
This isn’t anything new, so I didn’t bother paying attention to the commotion.
But Phoebe was different.
She momentarily averted her gaze from me to scan the crowd, smiling.
“Everyone? Bad words aren’t nice.”
“Ah. Um.”
“I’m sorry…”
“I apologize, saintess.”
After hearing Phoebe’s warning, people muttered in awe at how benevolent she is.
Is this the difference in behavior?
If I had done something like that, I would’ve been severely roasted!
By the way, did Phoebe just give me a serious look for a second?
Was that just my imagination?
Hmm. Yeah, it must be my imagination.
There’s no way Phoebe would make that kind of face.
“I’m sorry, Lady Alrn. There was a bit of a commotion.”
‘It’s fine, Phoebe. But…’
“Forget it. The usual pathetic trash sounds like a broken record. Besides, Pathetic Saintess, do you have time? There’s something I want to discuss in private.”
“Sure, of course.”
My statement of wanting to talk alone garnered a mix of concerned looks from the crowd, but since Phoebe just spoke, they remained silent.
As I brought Phoebe back to my dorm, I saw the dazed fox still fast asleep on my bed.
She’s still sleeping. Just because she looks like a baby fox, does that mean she acts like one too?
Well, that’s just a joke; I know why she’s napping.
Given the premature stress of coming here, she’s a bit worn out, isn’t she?
After agreeing to a contract with a run-down version of myself, she lost most of her strength and is now in “conserve energy” mode for important moments.
So, this dizzy fox usually naps like she’s conserving energy.
That’s not really a bad thing.
While it’s a bit irritating to have her around, she’s a cute fox at the end of the day, so as a decorative piece, she isn’t bad.
But not right now.
I need to talk to Phoebe about the church and gods and all that stuff, so I can’t leave her here.
As I picked up the sleeping dizzy fox by the scruff, it slowly opened its eyes.
“Uhh? W-what…”
Then I tossed her out right through the door.
Leaving her blinking in confusion, I locked the door, and Phoebe stared blankly at the spot where the dizzy fox had just been.
“Is that…”
‘That’s not important right now.’
“Pathetic Saintess. That’s not your business.”
‘…Yeah.’
What you think is correct, but it’s okay.
That little one is a complete disaster on a level I can’t even imagine.
Now that I know how to deal with her, her doing perverted things won’t really be an issue.
I set Phoebe down on the bed and pulled out the Silence Scroll from my inventory to activate it.
From now on, this place will become a perfect hideout.
Now I can complain about the church, gossip about the academy’s professors, or mention just how incompetent, perverted, and scummy that pathetic god is…
Oh, wait, no. That won’t work. A retaliation will definitely come; that guy is ridiculously petty!
Do you know what reward I got for finishing the past discovery quest?
[Tip: Calling Benedict “Papa” grants permission for most things.]
As if giving me useless stuff like that?!
Is that too much?!
The risk is sky-high, but the return is this garbage!
Even if I scratched the surface while comparing it to that evil god, to engrave that in my heart and seek revenge?!
What kind of god is that? Totally a loser! Or should I say, pathetic god!
“This is the Silence Scroll.”
Upon seeing the scroll I had just used, Phoebe appeared to recognize it.
Good. I don’t need to give a lame explanation.
[Then let’s go as we discussed yesterday.]
‘Yeah.’
Inwardly taking a deep breath, I dragged a chair and sat across from Phoebe.
I had a linear look that could swallow it whole.
Acting calm, I crossed my legs as I stared back at her.
‘First off…’
“Let me make it clear first, Pathetic Saintess. The pathetic knowledge you have is something I already know.”
Phoebe was a saintess created by the church.
The church leaders are corrupt.
And the numerous bits of knowledge Phoebe could gain back from regaining her memories, I blurted all of it out before her.
I expected her to show some signs of surprise, but Phoebe listened to me much more stoically than I thought.
As if understanding that it was perfectly normal for me to know these things.
‘Grandpa! Your response was way too different from what I expected?!’
[What’s wrong with that? It’s easier to talk if they quickly accept it.]
‘But!’
When you prepare options and the other person goes outside those options, it can get a little bewildering!
While inwardly whining to the old man, I spoke all the necessary things.
By that time, Phoebe, who had been silently listening to me, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at me with her clear golden eyes as she spoke.
“Do you know all of this because you are the Apostle of Armadi, Lady Alrn?”
…Huh?
What?
No, wait, Phoebe.
That was my line!
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