Chapter: 392
“Phoebe! You finally made it!”
Joy beamed at the sight of Phoebe’s face.
That smile was not just the happiness of reuniting with an old friend; it was also mixed with anticipation for all the reactions Phoebe would display in the future.
No matter how composed Phoebe appeared, training with the Alrn Knights was bound to throw her off a bit!
The thought of hearing a lament from the saintess was too delightful.
Could this be how Lady Alrn felt when she invited us over?
Joy knew it wasn’t the best of attitudes, but she couldn’t help but smile.
“Hehehe. Shall we start with a spar against the Alrn knights then?”
Joy recalled her first meeting with Benedict. She thought she’d gotten used to training and real combat, but she was knocked out in an instant by Benedict, who appeared out of nowhere!
Sure, Phoebe was more familiar with real combat than Joy, but facing an extraordinary opponent like Benedict was a whole different ballgame.
Phoebe would surely be flustered.
While Joy entertained these mischievous thoughts, she regrettably realized reality wasn’t going to follow her predictions.
Despite suddenly being thrown into the spar, Phoebe managed to take on more than one role.
Of course, it was natural for her to perform her duties well while standing in the back and supporting the front lines.
After all, before being a saintess, Phoebe was an exceptional clergy member.
What surprised Joy was that Phoebe went beyond what was expected without batting an eye.
“Thank you, Saintess! You saved my life!”
Right after witnessing the front lines in trouble, she instantly constructed a Holy Spell to protect them.
“Whoa! Were you prepared?”
“Joy! Magic!”
“Yes! Four!”
Before Joy could even react, Phoebe was already anticipating and countering Benedict’s attack.
“Pathetic Saintess!”
“Got it!”
Even without Lucy elaborating, she understood the implication and created variables with her magic.
During the spar with Benedict, the image of Phoebe wasn’t that of a weak saintess, but rather a saint who navigated the heart of the battlefield.
Joy couldn’t help but be in awe while also feeling sad she couldn’t see her friend struggling.
No wonder Phoebe earned the respect of various clergy members.
Feeling secure standing next to Phoebe, Joy participated in the battle even more aggressively.
“This is great! It’s becoming more fun!”
Despite gaining the stability from having an outstanding clergy member like Phoebe, facing a wall like Benedict was still daunting.
There were very few monsters across the continent that could match Benedict.
“Not bad for not even having graduated from the academy! The future of the kingdom is bright!”
After Benedict left the exhausted fighters behind, the ones who had stood against him began to collapse to the ground.
They had drained all their remaining stamina trying to resist the monster that was Benedict.
At that moment, Phoebe didn’t seem any different. Sinking against the wall, she was busy catching her breath.
“That dumb dad is really childish. Does a big guy really need to exert himself just to beat his daughter?”
The only exception was Lucy. From the start, she had extraordinary stamina and even after tackling the toughest roles during the duel with Benedict, she maintained her calm.
“That’s my dad. It’s truly frustrating.”
As Lucy expressed genuine annoyance, a loud thud echoed from afar.
While it was a considerably large sound, Phoebe was the only one startled by it.
Those who had stayed in the Alrn mansion recently could easily guess who the source of the noise was.
“Pathetic saintess.”
While scanning her surroundings, Phoebe heard Lucy’s voice and quickly turned her head.
“Moving better than I thought for someone so clumsy, huh? Guess you’re not just full of fluff?”
Lucy’s tone was provocative as usual, but Phoebe couldn’t pay it any mind.
A bright smile beaming without a hint of darkness took all her thoughts away.
Even seeing it through the crystal was impressive, but witnessing it firsthand was pure awe. How could someone looking so divine even when drenched in sweat?
It felt almost petty that she hadn’t seen that sight until now.
As a bit of jealousy flickered in Phoebe’s heart, she suddenly realized that the divinity dwelling within Lucy had changed from before.
The warmth of the divine had grown softer. It felt like there was a larger quantity residing within her, and most importantly, the divinity seemed to flow naturally within Lucy’s body now.
So, she had grown even more during my absence. Truly worthy of being an apostle of the Lord.
“Hey, clumsy saint. Have you gained some weight in your ears?”
“…Ah. I’m sorry, Young Lady. I was momentarily lost in thought.”
“Can you really think of something else while I’m standing here looking this adorable? So arrogant. You think just because you’re bigger, you’re better?”
Despite Lucy’s pouting, Phoebe didn’t flinch.
Having dealt with the shady folks back at the church made Lucy’s playful whining feel cute to her.
Lucy seemed displeased with Phoebe’s calmness and lowered her gaze before tugging at Phoebe’s chubby cheeks.
“Oh, the clumsy saint. So cheeky.”
“I’m just expressing myself, you know?”
“Right. Lucy. Let go of the saintess. Play with me instead.”
While Lucy and Phoebe were bantering, Frey, regaining his stamina, wandered over to Lucy and pressed his cheek against hers.
Seeing this, Lucy silently stared at Frey before pulling his cheek and stretching it.
“Ouch! Ouch!”
“You asked for it, perv inspector.”
“…Lucy, that’s mean.”
Watching the scene unfold, Phoebe couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
*
Days after Phoebe returned, Benedict finally said he could no longer spar with them.
“I have schedules with the nobles around Alrn and the surrounding areas.”
Benedict explained that he didn’t want to go himself, but Joy didn’t care about that at all.
She had faced too many losses at Benedict’s hands to just let it slide.
Through the animated movements of his lips and tongue, she managed to trick him into becoming a cowardly little dude, gathering her worn-out friends.
With Benedict’s absence from sparring, there was no reason to stick around the Alrn mansion anymore.
Everyone grumbled a bit about losing their limited rest, but the moment they heard what Joy was about to say, their expressions changed.
“We’re going into the dungeon?”
“Are we finally getting a chance to escape this hell?!”
“Should we make a bet again?”
Perhaps because their last dungeon experience was relatively easy, the trio who’d been there before displayed their joy at the prospect of heading out.
They believed that gaining real combat experience was far better than repeating the hell of training under the Alrn Knights.
Joy watched with a smile as they celebrated.
The goal for this dungeon visit wasn’t quite the same as their last time. Last time was to improve their skills, but now they were going to grind.
I wonder if they can still wear that expression after spending twenty hours a day hiding in a dungeon hunting monsters.
[Are you aware that your expression right now looks incredibly wicked?]
‘Oh really? Maybe it’s because I’m having wicked thoughts.’
[…How about a bit of pretense?]
‘Is that really necessary? We’re just grandpa and granddaughter here!’
After a brief silence, Grandpa sighed and muttered in a somewhat complicated tone.
[It’s the first time I’ve felt grateful for your cheeky attitude.]
‘What on earth does that even mean?’
He was thankful for my Mesugaki skill? This damn skill had made me suffer so much!
“Lady Alrn, can I join you this time?”
Just as Joy was about to pursue Grandpa further, Jackal quietly interjected from the side.
Seemingly feeling guilty about being abandoned last time, a sense of longing shone in his eyes as he posed the question.
“Do you really want to join me that much?”
“Yes! I don’t want to be left alone in this hell again!”
“You’re really looking pitiful right now. Like an abandoned puppy.”
“Y-yeah.”
“But what to do? The roll of the underdog won’t be available this time either. Aw, guess it’s another solo gig for you. Looks like it’s your destiny.”
It’s a shame, but with Phoebe having returned, Jackal’s position was non-existent.
His friendships and character’s performance were both too indistinct, making him the last choice.
Having been abandoned once more, Jackal appeared crumbled. Phoebe spoke up gently, perhaps sensing his turmoil.
“Um, Young Lady. Can’t we at least take him along? Even if we exceed the number, we can switch out midway.”
“Pathetic saintess. Don’t sympathize with an abandoned dog. There’s always a reason why a dog gets abandoned.”
“…Is that so?”
It’s not that I didn’t feel bad for Jackal. However, the reason I couldn’t take him along was not just efficiency; there were other people willing to take him with them.
After visiting the Burrow family, Karia had already planned to take Jackal and put him through the wringer. If he goes, Jackal might finally be able to escape this hell.
And who knows, maybe the place we arrive at will end up being an even worse hell or just as bad as this one.
“Boss! It’s been a while.”
Ironically, just as I decided to head into the dungeon that evening, Karia visited the Alrn mansion.
After speaking with Benedict first and sharing various conversations, she approached me and began recounting the story between the Second Queen and Haishan.
“At first, they were super awkward, right? But once they started talking, they quickly became friends again.”
Since the second queen had initially committed a wrongdoing, she was the first to bow her head, and Haishan, having heard unpleasant things, understood the position of the second queen. Thus, the two conversed in a warm atmosphere without needing to reconcile.
“Thanks to that, I was able to easily negotiate with the Second Queen.”
Aside from informing about the First Queen’s movements, Karia mentioned she’d acquired various other things, a subtle air of mischief in her words.
“Looks like the Second Queen got played.”
What else could be expected from someone who read emotions and thoughts only from body language?
I was truly glad to have Karia on my side. If Karia had been on the opposing team, I couldn’t even imagine how rough things could have been.
“While I’m at it, I gathered information during that process. The professors siding with the First Queen are actively moving within the Academy. I’m not sure of their exact purpose, but you should be cautious.”
Karia handed me a note listing the names of several academy professors as she warned me. Most of the names were ones I had on my mind already.
These were the same people who cooperated with the First Queen in the main story.
Even Luca’s name was there.
Chuckling to myself, I handed the paper back to Karia.
“Isn’t it better to keep it?”
“Lady, you seem way too overdramatic. Do I look stupid enough to fall for those worthless folks?”
The increase in upcoming events was actually a welcome change. It meant more opportunities for me to grow.
So right now, rather than worrying about the professors’ movements, I needed to concentrate on growing stronger to overcome whatever challenges lay ahead.
“By the way, did you find out where this dungeon is?”
“I sent my disciple to take care of it. You can go without hesitation until the end of the vacation.”
“Really?”
“But boss, what do you plan to do there? I’ve heard that place is crawling with filthy monsters and the rewards aren’t good, so people tend to steer clear of it.”
“Lady, are you unable to see past your nose? It’s precisely because there are overflowing useless monsters that it’s ideal.”
It’s a perfect spot for grinding.
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