Chapter: 415
At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, so I let Visi be.
While I might look a bit clumsy, from others’ perspective, there’s a veritable sea of big names here, and it’d be massively awkward if she just jumped up to say hi.
Especially since Phoebe would probably appear like the grim reaper in Visi’s eyes; there’s no need for that kind of pressure. Yet, Visi was still sneaking glances at me after a few minutes.
At this point, it’s clear she’s got something she wants to say. Even if it was just a misunderstanding, she can’t complain.
After seeking my friends’ permission, I stood up and faced Visi, who was flustered and unsure of herself.
“Ah. Lady Alrn?”
“Just the maid lady. Aren’t you a bit too shy? You’re darting glances like a girl in love for the first time.”
“…Y-Yeah?”
“Ah, if you have a crush on me, I apologize. It’s not my fault for being cute and pretty.”
“That’s not it?!”
Visi shouted, clearly panicking at the attention from my friends.
Why’s she turning so pale? Is she really that timid?
“Just the maid lady. So, what brings you here?”
“Ah, that. It’s because of Adrien.”
I’d noticed Adrien was missing, so it turns out her situation is tied to him.
After hearing her story, I took her arm and led her further inside the building.
Conversations about spirits aren’t something to discuss in front of others.
Visi may be just a half-baked practitioner of spirit magic, but true spirit users cause serious havoc. Spirit magic is taboo for a reason.
Because of how spirits are viewed, there’s a more intense oppression surrounding spirit magic.
If the game world were still intact, the moment it became known that Visi was related to spirit magic, both she and her house would be finished.
Knowing this, I reserved a private room to talk comfortably with Visi, sealing off the sound with the seal Karia gave me, and sat down across from her.
“What’s going on with that lonely old lady?”
“Didn’t the Saint drive off the followers of the evil god recently?”
“For a so-called useless saint, she did put in some effort. But why’s that important?”
“Because of that, the church’s priests are moving around a lot.”
The previous incident with an evil god follower appearing on the street was a huge shock to the church.
They let evil god followers sneak into the very street they were living on without even realizing it!
If it weren’t for the Saint, we would’ve been attacked by crazed followers of the evil god without a clue!
After processing that incident, the priests started patrolling the streets fiercely, with fire in their eyes.
They were adamant they wouldn’t let anything remotely negative happen again and were desperately going around.
“Adrien’s mansion wasn’t an exception.”
The talented spirit magician, Adrien, always concealed her aura.
Right now, she’d become a ghost, letting go of hatred and desires, enjoying wandering the world beside Visi. She’s probably worked hard not to act in a way that threatens her existence.
Until now, Adrien had succeeded in fooling the church, but not anymore. The priests from the Church of the Lord were increasingly threatening her neck.
“She’s hiding underground right now, but how long can she keep that up?”
After listening to Visi, I crossed my arms and thought deeply.
The priests’ patrols would only intensify; the evil god followers would desperately target the Academy, and as their struggles intensified, the security would become even more strict.
How did Adrien survive in the game?
To begin with, it didn’t seem like such things happened when this was a game, did they?
Realizing I had no references at all, I decided I had to meet Adrien and talk with her. It felt like I might get something out of it.
Having exited the Academy and stepped onto the street, I absentmindedly chewed on my lips.
Getting attention from others is something I’m used to.
Ever since stepping into this world, I’ve always lived under the gaze of others.
However, the glances I was receiving now felt significantly different from usual.
Understandably so; it was clear that the people looking at me were filled with genuine curiosity.
“Is that Lady Alrn?”
“She looks even prettier in person than in the jewelry.”
“Is she really the person behind all those rumors? Something must be up!”
“If they saw her in high society, they wouldn’t say that!”
“Don’t approach her out of curiosity; you might experience something hazardous.”
“…If it’s someone like her, getting stepped on would be okay. Ahem.”
Just how much influence has the Art Guild’s jewelry had?
Treading through the mixture of intrigue and caution in people’s gazes, I finally reached Adrien’s mansion and sighed with relief.
Who would’ve thought I’d be thankful for the ruckus Lucy caused before?
If it weren’t for the reputation Lucy built back then, everyone on the street would have definitely come rushing at me.
…Since it’s come to this, maybe I should stir up a bit of trouble beforehand. If I don’t create a menacing atmosphere, something dreadful might happen.
As I quivered at the thought that the Art Guild’s antics might reappear, I seriously contemplated causing a scene in high society.
“Why are you here?”
“Eep?!”
I let out a yelp at the sudden appearance of Adrien pop out from the floor.
“Haha! What’s this? How rude, little brat! Are you scared too?!”
“…Shut it, you moody old hermit.”
“Yeah, sure, but that scream just now was a big one, wasn’t it? Eep?!”
Listening to Adrien’s mocking laughter, I furrowed my brows for a moment before returning her smile.
“You seemed fine, so I thought things weren’t urgent.”
“…Ah.”
“Or maybe you just wanted to relax? In which case, I could purify you. Right?”
As I slightly raised the divinity of the Lord and brought it closer to Adrien, she gasped and recoiled.
“W-What’s this?! Why is it even stronger than before?! What happened during the break?”
“Why are you running away? Didn’t you want to die, old lady?”
“I’m already dead, you know?! And I’m not exactly! Aah! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Is that enough?!”
“Old lady, weren’t you a noble? Why don’t you know the proper etiquette when apologizing?”
Still staring in shock at my mace, Adrien trembled, then finally bent at the waist.
“I…I apologize. I must have been rude.”
“Hm, even though I still dislike it, since you’re an old lady, I’ll let this slide this time. A~ I’m just too kind, aren’t I?”
I topped this off by lightly tapping her head, subtly returning the earlier incident, and checked the current situation along with the now-shaking Adrien.
“It’s a blow to your pride, but remaining at the mansion is dangerous. If a bishop-level priest pops up, I can’t do anything.”
That’s probably true. No matter how skilled Adrien is as a spirit magician, there are types of compatibility. If it comes to a confrontation against a bishop-level priest without proper preparation, she’d be purged immediately.
“And seriously, what kind of trouble did you cause for your portrait to be wandering around on jewelry? Being the chosen of the Lord, having your picture on jewelry is dangerous!”
The increasingly popular jewelry from the Art Guild also became a problem for Adrien.
As an apostle of the Lord, my portrait on jewelry would inherently act as a sacred object.
Despite being unaware of this fact until now, it wasn’t entirely surprising.
While my picture on items may have been one thing, those who crafted said jewelry were definitely devotees of the Art Guild.
If their passionate creations turned out to be a part of their priestly duties, naturally, it could perform the role of a sacred item.
…Could it be that the useless god had a big plan?
Had I not known about the useless god, I would’ve admired his wisdom, but I’d witnessed that pathetic guy’s absurdity too many times.
Perhaps he, the pathetic perverted god, merely wanted my merch. Maybe it was a chance encounter while he just followed his desires.
“Anyway, the situation is at its worst. There’s no suitable place on Academy Street.”
I nodded at Visi’s exasperated tone, shrugging my shoulders as I spoke.
“Well, we can always go somewhere else. Are you scared of the outside world, old lady?”
“If I leave this mansion, I’ll lose my connection to Visi! I can’t just leave that little one all alone!”
It’s a situation where we can’t leave Academy Street to help Visi, but Adrien is likely to be purged sooner or later if she stays.
Ah.
A good idea just popped into my head.
One that’s good for Adrien and good for me.
“Old lady. There’s a perfect spot for a spirit who loves dark and damp places.”
“A good spot?”
*
“…This place exists?”
I led Adrien to the hidden basement beneath the Academy’s graduate school, which I visited months earlier when I got my shield.
Without the stone tablet, it’s nearly impossible to enter this hidden spot unless you’re one of the few who know about it.
If Adrien hides here, no matter how skilled the priests are, they wouldn’t find her unless she were to out herself.
“It’s nice. There’s a good amount of corrupt energy collected here that I particularly like.”
“I figured you’d love something like this since you’re like a cockroach.”
“…Ugh!”
Adrien looked like she had a lot to say, yet couldn’t find the words.
The stark contrast in our dimension was evident! Not only could she not win physically, she had no way to win in arguments either — now she had to endure whatever I said!
Watching the frustrated old lady made me want to tease her until she burst, but I held back.
I had things to ask now, and it’d be rude to bring them up while she’s fuming.
Going forward, there’d be plenty of chances to stir some trouble with Adrien, so let’s save that for later.
“Lonely old lady.”
“What is it?”
“You’ve got nothing better to do than stalk the maid, right?”
“…Why is that?”
“Since you’re already following the maid, I’d like you to check around the Academy too.”
There’s someone among the royalty trying to test me, so while there’s the headmaster as an informant, he can’t hear the secret conversations. He’s just an outsider.
But not Adrien. Being a spirit, she’s more than capable of eavesdropping on others’ secret talks.
As long as she doesn’t get caught.
“Can you do it?”
“No way. I came here to avoid dangerous situations; why would I…”
As she said no, Adrien glanced at the divine energy gathering in my hand and forced a smile.
“I’ll do it. No, I have to do it. Yes. I’ll do my best.”
Bowing her head politely and saying she’d try to help, Adrien kept her promise to me shortly after the Academy resumed classes.
With info on those included in the queen’s faction trying to test me, she…
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