Chapter: 400
Staring blankly at the messages, I suddenly remembered the gazes around me and hurriedly closed my eyes.
If I just sat there looking into space, it was bound to raise some eyebrows.
The message I just saw must have been sent by the Crow Goddess, right?
…How did the head of the Art Guild perverts send me a message?
I know you can send messages. Even your clumsy, lackluster self can pull that off because, after all, a god is still a god. You could communicate with people on the ground just like in the game.
But sending a message directly is limited to your own apostle, right? Isn’t it impossible for you to send a message to me, a different god’s apostle?
As I pondered, I thought maybe my memory was playing tricks on me, so I recalled pre-possession memories.
The essence of the game “Soul Academy” ultimately revolves around the clash between the good gods and the evil gods.
The evil god uses his followers to achieve their resurrection, and the good gods are doing their best to stop him.
Once you reach the second year in the academy and start going outside, you can feel this through various quests.
You could help the apostles of the good gods who are doing their utmost to stop the evil god’s forces, or follow the trace left by the few true clergy members of the Lord’s Church who sacrificed their lives.
In this way, you naturally start to get noticed by both the good and evil gods, and if you fulfill certain conditions in this situation, you can become a good god’s apostle.
Once you become an apostle, you can receive various quests directly from the god, just like I’m receiving several messages now.
Of course, the quests given in the game aren’t as improvised or playful as the ones received from the god.
Anyway, if my memories are right, it would be normal for the Crow Goddess not to send me a message.
Not to mention, ignoring the incompetent god right next to me and trying to contact me directly is just absurd. Is this really how it works?
Incompetent god. Did you genuinely become so pathetic just because you met me? Are you really that sad to be disregarded by someone beneath you?
– Ding!
– Ding!
– Ding!
While I was thinking about all this, notifications started ringing repeatedly in my ears.
I don’t know if it’s the incompetent god or the Crow Goddess, but come on, can we not do this right now?
Can’t you see the solemn atmosphere around here? You could message me after everything’s over, you perverted idiots!
– Ding!
– Ding!
– Ding!
Eventually, I could no longer hold back and opened my eyes just a fraction, glancing at the series of messages before me.
[Ah, come on! I’m not trying to do anything bad!]
[I’m telling you I’ll give you a blessing?!]
[I’ll make it something good!]
[Why act so petty?!]
[It’s wrong to monopolize such a masterpiece!]
[Stop the oppression, god! Stop it!]
…What is going on?
[What’s the matter?]
I was so dazed that I temporarily forgot my surroundings, and my grandpa spoke with a worried tone.
‘Uh, that is…’
As I pondered how to explain this, I soon realized there was no answer and shook my head.
‘…It’s nothing much.’
I could brush off the fact that the Crow Goddess spoke to me. But how can I rationally explain her protesting in such a ridiculous way against the incompetent god?
[Hmm, if that’s the case, I understand.]
Thankfully, grandpa didn’t press me further.
– Ding!
[That’s a bit too much, don’t you think? Even if it’s Lucy Alrn.]
[Can’t we do something else? I have plenty of decent blessings!]
[Ugh, fine, fine. For Lucy Alrn’s sake, I’ll understand.]
While I felt relieved I didn’t have to explain, it seemed the Crow Goddess was negotiating something with the incompetent god.
Wait. Hey, incompetent god. Isn’t it a little wrong to do a deal without even asking for my opinion, the primary party involved? At least you could have asked for my thoughts, right?
If you had entrusted the negotiation to me, I would have squeezed everything out of that crow!
– Ding!
[…Huh? Are you kidding? You’re telling me Lucy Alrn was watching all this? No way.]
[Um, Lucy? If you can see this message, could you close and open your left eye?]
I have no clue what’s happening here, but I did as told, leading to an awkward silence.
So that’s why they dumped all dignity and grace and didn’t realize I was watching.
– Ding!
[As an apostle of the god, I apologize for the intrusion.]
You can’t just act dignified now. As I raised an eyebrow, the crow assumed I understood the situation and sent a mournful message.
[Is it already too late…?]
[Haah. It can’t be helped. Shall we speak freely now?]
Realizing there was no going back, the crow immediately resigned, perfectly in line with the crow I know.
How can it be that there’s no difference from the game? Even with the Art Guild’s scale having grown this much, can’t they have a little more gravitas?
…Wait. On second thought, if they did change, it might actually be scary. Better the fool I know than a different one.
[Anyway, I promised to give you a blessing, right? I mentioned this to the god earlier, but since you’ll be the one to receive the blessing, tell me what you want.]
The Crow Goddess talked about all sorts of things she could give me, most of which were related to my appearance.
Didn’t you want to become more beautiful? Her tone implied more than a personal desire.
Naturally, I ignored all of it. The only ones interested in my looks are perverts like you!
There are so many better options, why should I settle for that inefficient nonsense?
[Are you perhaps not interested in body shape? If you want, I could make you a bit taller!]
…Can that really happen?! Seriously!?
Can I actually grow taller?!
Does that mean I’ll finally be able to look down on Frey?
Momentarily, I almost nodded vigorously, but my rotten rationality deep within held my instincts hostage.
Calm down. Just chill.
In the various trials ahead, how important my height is matters not.
Even if I gain a few inches, it won’t help me escape danger.
But the various rewards I can extract from the Crow Goddess would directly assist me.
I don’t even need to think about it.
I just need to pass.
Wait, but if I grow taller, won’t my arm reach him better in a fight?
After all, power is everything in battle.
Right? Isn’t it?
No matter how you look at it, that’s a rational decision…
…isn’t it AAAAH!
Clenching my tongue, I barely held onto my sanity, realizing I shouldn’t let the Crow Goddess take advantage of me.
I managed to withstand the temptation this time, but there’s no guarantee I can keep it up in the future.
I need to quickly say what I want and negotiate!
Having made that judgment, I used the jewel Karia had given me to pour magic into it, blocking the sound between myself and the surroundings before speaking up.
“Crow Goddess. The more you talk, the more disgusting it gets. Could you be quiet for a bit? At least if you don’t want to be looked down upon, I think it would be better for you.”
Having undergone a rough time courtesy of the clumsy fox and the perverted apostle, I worried about sounding disdainful, but fortunately, the Crow Goddess kept quiet, clutching onto at least a shred of dignity.
“To be honest, I’m not really keen on receiving anything from you, Crow Goddess. I shudder at the thought of your blessings coming from the leader of perverts crawling on my skin.”
[Wait! Would you listen to my side?! I have much better things than what I just said!]
“Would you just stop blabbering? Do you enjoy being looked down on that much?”
[No, it’s just that…!]
“Forget it. I don’t want to talk any more; let me state my request. Grant me aesthetic sense. It’s the only remotely useful ability among your many useless ones.”
As soon as I mentioned aesthetic sense, the Crow Goddess fell silent again.
I expected no less.
The passive skill, aesthetic sense, is something you attain after turning into the Crow Goddess’s apostle and rolling around for a while.
Moreover, even when handing out skills, she would boast about it, so it’s probably not something she’d just give to a random person.
Even knowing that, I mentioned aesthetic sense, not for its usefulness, but as a buildup for what follows.
The moment I refuse, she could pick at it and demand back several blessings.
I already thought of a couple, even.
While many of the skills bestowed by the Crow Goddess are useless, if combined in the right way…
[…Aww, in the end, I have to give that to you, huh.]
Huh?
[It can’t be helped. Since it was a deal with the god, if you want it, I don’t have much choice but to give it.]
Huh? No.
No.
Wait a minute.
That’s not actually what I wanted, is it?
I wanted something else!
In my surprise, I desperately wanted to raise my voice, but the crow’s blessing already began to manifest.
[You have obtained the skill ‘Aesthetic Sense.’]
[You will naturally come to understand beauty.]
…
Refund!
I want a refund!
Give me something else!
What on earth am I supposed to do with this pointless skill except when I’m making money!?
I have enough cash that I could swim in it!
[It’s the most valuable thing I can give you, so I hope you use it well.]
No! You don’t have to give me the most valuable thing! Just take it back! Let me trade it for something else! Please! If you let me switch it now, I’ll even pray for you!
[From above, I’ll cheer for your path. You can do it!]
Trying to sound warm and fuzzy at the end is pointless!?
And what do you mean by cheering for me? You’re not saying you’ll keep an eye on me, are you?!
No matter how much of a perverted crow you might be, you wouldn’t stoop to outright stalking me, right?!
[The God of Beauty and Art bestows her blessing upon you.]
[Her energy adds strength to you.]
Crazy. How stupid could it get? She declares outright that she’d be voyeuristic while nudging me with a warm tone!
Aaaagh! Seriously! Enough with the inadequate god, the clumsy fox, the perverted apostle! Now I’ve got the Crow Goddess sticking to me too!?
What the heck is wrong with this damned world that’s filled with perverts!?
Is it because the god herself is a pervert?!
That’s gotta be it! Damn it!
Frustrated and grinding my teeth, I noticed the odd vibe surrounding me and subtly dispelled the magic.
“Whoa!”
“The goddess has bestowed her blessing!”
“How can she be so beautiful!”
“Isn’t that person truly an incarnation of the goddess?!”
As I blankly stared at the spectacle that mixed sorrow and excitement, I couldn’t withstand the atmosphere and chose to flee.
I’ll never come back to the Art Guild again!
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