Chapter: 200
It wasn’t hard to guess why that number had increased.
What the hell does that damn perverted pedo god want?
Is it to create another chapter of my dark history, watching me squirm in shame while simultaneously getting a kick from my dress?
Does he have some ulterior motive?
Does he?!
Bahahaha! You think a bastard like him would have deep intentions?
Ugh. So annoying.
It’s not like I slacked off on my quest!
I went into the auction house dressed in gothic lolita just to buy a bracelet of joy.
And I didn’t even complete the quest! I only managed to fulfill four of the conditions.
The rest, I had to rely on my recovering body and a bit of luck!
And now he thinks it’ll be easy to clear the quest, so he goes and bumps the number up?!
You pathetic god! Do you even have a conscience?!
If you’re a god, at least try hiding your lewd intentions and act cool for once!
Why do you want to steal even the tiniest bit of faith I had left in me?!
Did you want to get dissed like that?!
Is that part of your grand plan? To achieve three goals in one go? What a disgusting way to play!
Haaah.
Let’s calm down. Cursing the pathetic god isn’t going to change anything.
That guy probably enjoys being badmouthed. Instead of feeding this distorted desire of his, it’s better to think about what lies ahead.
Sighing deeply, I shifted my gaze back to the quest.
It wasn’t just the number that had changed; there were also new parts beneath it.
[Reward: Significant Reputation Increase, ???]
[Failure: Participate in the party wearing Lucy’s past outfit, ???]
The first thing that caught my eye was the wording “significant” added to the reputation increase.
I have no idea how it’s going to be achieved, but it’s clear the rewards have grown compared to before.
And then, the question marks on both the reward side and the penalty side.
Based on my previous experiences, that usually means something additional is given.
So, the difficulty of clearing the quest has increased, but so have the rewards and penalties.
Penalties.
Penalties, huh.
What could those question marks possibly mean?
At least I don’t think it’ll be something as drastic as a game over.
It’s clear enough not to make something too serious.
While I was pondering, a thought crossed my mind about a previous quest.
One that involved an embarrassing encounter with a clumsy fox.
If that served as a penalty, it means the quest can force me to act as part of its penalties.
The moment I reached that conclusion, a thousand thoughts rushed through my head.
The party happening during this Partran festival is going to be massive.
It’s a celebration party held by the Duke’s family. Almost all of the influential nobility will likely be present. Even if the first prince, who’d been holed up in the capital, hadn’t made an appearance, it would have been monumental.
What if I cause some trouble in that environment?
The gossip would spread across the continent in no time.
Bad rumors would circulate, my reputation would take a hit, and my dark history would be immortalized.
…
No, let’s not think of that.
Let’s focus on the positives.
If I clear the quest, my rewards will just increase, right?
The pathetic god may have weird ideas, but at least he compensates me properly.
Those question marks likely contain something that’ll be useful for me right now.
So ultimately, what I have to do hasn’t changed.
I need to clear this quest.
Grab the best position at this festival.
And crush the pathetic god’s schemes.
I don’t know why the god of darkness is meddling while the god should be the manipulator, but whatever.
Let’s think this through.
There are five stalls where I have previously secured victories, which means I need to win nine more times.
Calculating in my head, there are still twelve stalls I have yet to challenge. So I only have three chances to fail.
The ones I can rely on luck for, I’ll use the bracelet of joy. For those depending on memory or knowledge, I can call on Grandpa’s help. But the ones I need to solve with my body, I have to tackle myself.
With my currently trashy state, of course.
The fortunate part is I handled the tasks I thought I couldn’t do first.
Now, what remains are areas where I feel more confident.
If only my body were normal, I could overcome these things somehow.
Alright. Let’s not think about the future.
The immediate problems are what matters right now.
If I can’t clarify what the pathetic god has in store with those question marks, I can’t afford to fail.
I can think about the rest when the time comes.
Resolved, I sprang to my feet.
“Lucy Alrn?”
“Lady Alrn?”
‘I’ll be heading out first.’
“This food seems a bit lackluster for me. I’m off now.”
“Wha?!”
“Lady?!”
Ignoring the shock of the two, I stepped outside and began my search.
Since I was invited to the Partran festival and didn’t have any plans during this vacation period, she should definitely be lingering somewhere around here.
Finding her wasn’t difficult at all.
She was the one who attracted everyone’s attention for reasons apart from mine.
Following the throng of people, I naturally spotted her amidst the crowd.
As I maneuvered through the gathered mass, I soon successfully located Phoebe and the church crowd, all smiles.
As I set foot, the path opened up and Phoebe spotted me.
Just locking eyes with her changed her expression drastically.
She lifted her gaze slightly and then broke into a bright smile.
That smile was so stunning it made anyone facing her expect it to be for them, and the moment I realized it wasn’t, a surge of jealousy and disappointment washed over me.
“Please wait a moment.”
Caught up in her charming smile, a knight stepped forward and blocked my way.
Despite the rigid expression revealing their awkwardness, the reason was likely due to their loyalty to the saintess.
“Sir Knight, it’s alright.”
“However, Your Holiness…”
“Lady Alrn is a friend from the Academy.”
Yet even that loyalty was powerless in the face of her smile.
As Phoebe gently nudged him aside, the wall of knights came crumbling down.
“Long time no see, Lady Alrn.”
‘Me too, Phoebe.’
“Glad to see you, Pathetic Saintess.”
The words “Pathetic Saintess” left the mouths of not just the clergymen around Phoebe but even those who had come to catch a glimpse of her.
If Phoebe hadn’t reacted at all, I wonder how much criticism would’ve poured out from behind her if she had shown even a hint of displeasure.
Her mouth seemed itching to say something now.
“You came here to enjoy the festival before me, huh? If I had known, I would’ve arrived earlier.”
Maybe it was the long-awaited reunion.
Phoebe looked like she had so much to say.
Usually, I would have enjoyed chatting with her, but right now, that wasn’t an option.
I had something more pressing to deal with.
Using the ring Alsetin had given me to block out surrounding noise, I spoke.
‘Phoebe, I have a favor to ask.’
“Pathetic Saintess. It looks like you have a task even a brat like you can handle.”
Though a bit abrupt, Phoebe showed no signs of questioning.
“What can I do?”
‘Give me a buff.’
“Give you a buff.”
In case of lacking physical ability, what should I do?
Just fill in the gaps.
To a level of either parity with a normal state or maybe even beyond.
“What kind are you seeking?”
‘Well…’
“First…”
Even though I could use holy magic myself, the reason I sought out Phoebe was because not only does she have effective holy magic, but she can use just about any kind of buff.
My body is still in disarray.
I’m in no condition to handle various potions, let alone combine them all.
So my plan is to get a solid foundation from Phoebe’s buff before hitting the potions to crank my specs up to the max I can manage right now.
Once my specs are right, taking down the stalls will be a walk in the park.
When it was a game, it was pure competition, but now, I can wield the multiple skills I possess.
“Lady Alrn. Too many buffs can be toxic. Ultimately, your body is what has to bear the brunt.”
Her concern was valid as she spoke up, stopping me.
She was right.
Excessive buffs would incur penalties later.
Just look at the mess my body was in after my last miraculous outburst.
I’d have a blast for a while, but the aftereffects waiting for me once that buff fades would be monumental.
Of course, I know that. Those penalties definitely existed in the game too.
Still, I’m trying to go for the doping despite that knowledge.
Not sure how long I’d be bedridden after, but I need to sort out the matter at hand.
To smash the pathetic god’s schemes.
And for my dignity!
‘It’s something I have to do.’
“Stop with the nonsense and hand over that buff, Pathetic Saintess. I need to do this.”
Upon those words, Phoebe thought for a moment before clasping her hands and beginning to pray.
The buff originating from her benedictions enveloped me, lifting the heaviness from my body.
“Just don’t overdo it, alright?”
‘I’ll try my best.’
“Who’s worrying about whom? I’m not so pathetic that I need to be worried over by one like you.”
“And if you do end up feeling unwell later, just call me. That’s my specialty.”
Now that sounds appealing.
If I turn into a sickly Mesugaki cutie, I’ll consider it then. Thanks, Phoebe.
Bidding her farewell and affirming we’d meet again, I opened my inventory right away.
I’ve been hoarding a stockpile of stuff for ages, and now with Karia pilfering from the Georg family, the variety of potions inside blew up. But among those, I only needed a few.
Increase physical ability. Boost vitality. Awakening effects. And a few to minimize penalties.
[You’re really experienced with mixing things, huh? Clearly shows you’ve practiced a lot.]
You have no idea. I went through a lot just to research what would yield maximum efficiency.
In the end, the results others came up with were more efficient, meaning my work was wasted.
[Still, it seems like you’ll be out for a few days.]
Grandpa murmured as he looked at the potions I was about to drink.
Indeed. That’s probably how it’ll go. I did my best to minimize penalties, but there’s still a limit.
[Is it worth going that far for this festival?]
‘I’m being ordered.’
[…What exactly does the god want from you?]
Doping finished, I entered the stall that I’d marked as the starting point for this competition.
This place themed around strength.
I had to smash a board involving both physical and magical procedures, using an enormous wooden hammer about my height.
I took the wooden hammer the stall owner handed to me, took a deep breath, and lifted it high.
As I did so, whispers started flowing from around me.
“Oooh, she’s lifting it!”
“How is she pulling that kind of strength out from such a small frame?”
“Just like the Alrn family!”
“It’s impossible. Mr. Mager failed to break it; there’s no way a girl could do it.”
“Her posture looks decent, but her thin arms ain’t going to make it.”
I ignored them.
I had a voice within me that I trusted more than their words.
[Let’s do this.]
During this vacation, I had rehearsed using holy power thousands of times.
What I will do now is simply add one more to that mountain of numbers.
There’s no room for mistakes.
As the holy power-infused hammer came crashing down, the board split apart, obliterating the murmurs around me.
Nice.
With my current condition, I can do this just fine.
I’ll succeed in this quest.
Hold on tight, Pathetic God.
I’m coming to check just how incredible your secret stash of rewards truly is.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
