Chapter: 245
Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
The only sound echoing through the corridor was the ticking of the clock, mingled with the heavy footsteps that passed by.
Among the attendants tidying the corridor, none dared to stop the aggressive and uncouth steps.
It wasn’t because the one making all that noise was someone they ought to serve.
True, the culprit of the ruckus was their little master, but even so, the attendants wouldn’t warn him.
To them, who were stuck doing monotonous tasks, their little master’s violent steps were invisible.
With a showy display of his presence, the little master arrived at the door of the room where the lord of the mansion resided.
Regardless of being the sole heir of the family, he was expected to observe decorum towards the current head of the family, but he didn’t.
With a loud bang, he burst through the door and slammed it shut.
“Isn’t it too noisy while the Duke is asleep?”
The one to caution the little master wasn’t Duke Burrow.
Just moments ago, when guests had visited, he’d been maintaining a dignified facade, but now he had sunk into a deep slumber, breathing peacefully.
The one making the remark was a man clad in black from head to toe, standing beside Duke Burrow.
His piercing gaze instilled fear in everyone, yet the little master didn’t flinch in the slightest.
“Let’s see if he doesn’t wake up.”
Instead, he replied lightly and plopped down in a nearby seat.
“Fair enough.”
Despite the apparent rudeness, the man merely wore a disgustingly pleasant grin instead of voicing complaints.
“So, what was it like? Your friends you met after a long time?”
“Friends? Did that happen today?”
“Then let me rephrase! How was the enemy?”
The little master, Jakal Burrow, recalled the people he had encountered that day upon hearing the man’s question.
The Saintess. Lady Partran. Prince of Soladin. An unnamed brat. And that damned Young Lady of the Alrn family.
Individuals he had previously held jealousy and inferiority towards.
“They’ve all grown much stronger than before. Especially that Lucy Alrn, that damned girl! What on earth is mixed into that Alrn blood?”
It was clear that they hadn’t overestimated their talents and had continued training diligently.
There was not a single person who could be compared to before the vacation.
Particularly, Lucy Alrn was in a league of her own. The girl, who had been strong enough before, now seemed to crush him just with her spirit.
“Hah, I can’t help but agree. The divine power she possesses has already surpassed that of the ordinary Holy Knights in the center. Truly someone blessed by the gods.”
“That shouldn’t be something to admire.”
“No, you’re right to admire. The brighter someone’s light is, the darker the shadows will be when it fades.”
The ecstasy gained from defeating them would be unparalleled too.
At those words from the man, Jakal bit his lip.
From the very first time they met, he found that guy to be annoyingly talkative.
The first time Jakal encountered that ominous man was shortly after the final exams at the Academy were over.
Stripped of rest, sleep, and meals.
Having sacrificed everything for the test, he was successful in achieving a higher score than before, yet his rank had actually dropped.
As time passed, while Lucy Alrn kept shining, Jakal found himself drowning deeper into despair.
On one of those aimless nights, wandering through dark streets…
That man came to seek him out.
He’d made wild promises to grant his wishes.
“Grant my wish? Hah, sure! Then make me an omnipotent god.”
Initially, Jakal had brushed off the man’s words as pure nonsense.
“No, your wish is not that.”
There had been something empowering in his words that couldn’t quite be articulated.
“You resent the mansion that you cannot escape since the day your brother died, but more than anyone, you are the prince of the Burrow household, by that time.”
“…You?”
“I want to restore the lost time of your family. And your time as well.”
“…”
“Almost done preparing the mansion. In a month or two, we can finally move outside.”
Jakal recalled the man’s voice as he returned to reality from those memories, looking at that grinning man as usual.
“Look forward to it. Everything you desire will be attained then.”
The clock behind him was ticking but seemed broken, merely circling around the same spot.
*
The dark evil god.
With arms crossed, I pondered.
It’s impossible for the dark evil god to resurrect just yet.
That guy is one of the strongest among the evil gods. It takes a long time to regain his tremendous original power.
Especially considering that Nakrad, who should help with his revival, wasted his first semester at the Academy and bolted; he couldn’t resurface any quicker than how he did in the game.
So the one operating in the Burrow mansion is Nakrad, the apostle of the evil god who’s vanished near the Academy.
How did he manage to scheme against Duke Burrow?
During the first semester at the Academy, I’d tangled with Nakrad enough to have a rough idea of his strength.
He’s strong, but he could never rank among the elite.
Just look at how he got repelled by Karl and Alsetin. Even if I had forced an unfavorable fight, him losing against these two shows just what he’s capable of.
Moreover, he must have lost most of his strength after getting whacked by Grandpa at the end of the fight—how did that guy influence Duke Burrow?
It’s something that doesn’t make sense from my perspective, but that’s the reality. The guy who was proclaimed as the source of trouble is that pathetic god.
“It’s not exact. I just suddenly felt that way. If the Young Lady had a different feeling, then that would be correct.”
What does Phoebe think of my contemplating? She added as she fidgeted, looking anxious.
Why is she checking my reaction when she’s got the answer already?
Is it because I’m the apostle of the pathetic god?
Does she think I’m testing her because I receive revelations from the god?
“No, Phoebe. What you said was right.”
“When did I say I was wrong? Why do you look for permission even after saying the correct thing? Your lack of confidence is why I call you a pathetic saint.”
“Did I… get it right?”
“Yes, definitely.”
“Why? Do you want me to tell you I was wrong? Do you want to hear that you’re a pathetic and incompetent saint? I thought you were just pathetic but now you’re a weirdo with twisted tastes?”
“…That’s not it! I… I mean…”
After hearing the word ‘pervert,’ Phoebe’s face flushed, and she flailed her arms around. Ignoring her antics, I kept my thoughts flowing.
That boastful guy couldn’t have done something so straightforward to Duke Burrow. He simply doesn’t have that capacity.
This suggests he must have engaged in despicable acts akin to his god.
Closing my eyes, I summoned up various scenarios from the game.
Connections to the dark evil god. And among these, I sought scenarios similar to the Burrow family’s current plight.
The methods he used to devour a far superior opponent.
The scenario of the Beol mansion.
No, that was when the seal of the evil god was still released. I need to recall a time when Nakrad had almost no powers.
The scenario of the strong dungeon.
Not that either. The boss was strong but woefully lacking in intelligence. He trusted his trusted aides a bit too much, making it easy to trick him.
Not that one either.
While I was marking each entry in my mental notebook with an X, one scenario caught my attention.
Strictly speaking, that wasn’t a quest scenario. It was nothing but a booklet describing one of the many atrocities committed by the dark evil god.
But the contents written there bore a distinct similarity to the current situation.
To the forest where the Spirit Queen resides, far south of the Soul Academy.
The method the dark evil god employed to swallow the spirits there relied on the subtlety of his energy.
He polluted the underground waters flowing beneath the spirit forest with his energy through an insider. This enabled him to slowly claim the entire forest for himself.
No matter how powerful the Spirit Queen is, once numerous spirits that are the source of her strength were destroyed, she’d be at a loss.
The dark evil god successfully devoured the Spirit Queen without facing significant damage.
To apply that incident to the Burrow mansion.
For Nakrad, this wouldn’t be a tough challenge.
All he’d need to do is taint the drinking water of the mansion or spoil their food storage.
Though it would be tricky to penetrate, he has an insider.
The dark evil god’s aura is subtle enough that even Grandpa would fail to perceive it. No matter how talented the Burrow family may be, uncovering it would be impossible.
Why was Duke Burrow suffering from illness?
This can also be explained easily. He’s a strong person, capable of resisting desperately as the evil god’s aura spreads around him.
“Young Lady! I swear I held no ill intentions!”
Snapping back from my fantasy, I asked Phoebe, whose face still bore a rosy hue.
Had she sensed anything odd in the Burrow mansion? Even the tiniest detail would do.
Despite perhaps being unable to wipe the anxiety from her face, Phoebe didn’t answer right away, but after a moment of searching her memory, she responded.
“When I left the Duke’s room, I felt something… off.”
Had the aura of the evil god made her sensitive after sensing it on the inferior lord?
Phoebe began noticing slight anomalies in places she previously considered normal.
From the mansion’s attendants. From the various decorations within the mansion. And from the clock itself.
The meaning in her words could not be clearer. The Burrow household was already consumed by the aura of the evil god.
In simpler terms.
That place had inevitably become a dungeon.
One that exists unbeknownst to me.
A dungeon completed by Nakrad and Jakal in this world.
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