Chapter: 429
Erin knew very well the fox that Lucy had brought with her during the Academy’s first vacation.
After all, it was Erin who had been in charge of looking after the fox while Lucy was away.
She had bathed the fox after catching it rubbing against Lucy Alrn’s clothes in the laundry room.
And it was Erin who had stopped the fox from burying its head in the remaining water after Lucy had finished washing.
Also, it was Erin who had prevented the fox from sticking out its tongue in Lucy’s childhood drawings.
At that time, Erin had thought of the fox as just an animal, thinking it had a deep affection for its owner—such a cute little thing, always searching for its master’s scent.
However, if that fox was not just a simple pet, the story changed quite a bit.
“…Um. It seems like that fox has a rather fierce look in its eyes.”
“Doesn’t look fierce? Everything it was doing just now is flashing through my mind.”
“Uh, well, uh…”
Beneath Erin’s sharp gaze, the fox—Rina—naturally kneeled.
Her pride as the owner of the forest seemed to vanish.
If Erin were to share just a portion of what Rina had done with Lucy, the tragedy that would ensue was all too evident; how could she maintain her dignity now?
Having come here with a fraction of her original power, Rina definitely wanted to avoid being kicked out by Lucy.
“Won’t you please grant me a chance to explain myself?”
“Your explanations can be given in front of the Young Lady, can’t they?”
“Do you think I did such bizarre things without thinking?!”
“Yeah. So?”
“No! How could the owner of the forest—the noble Rina—commit a crime for selfish desires?!”
“…You think someone like you is the owner of the forest?”
“Absolutely!”
Unlike before, Rina quickly stood up and boldly displayed her power, having borrowed some strength from her true form.
“Look!”
As she ignited her fur, creating smoke that transformed into the shape of a fox, it filled the room.
Seeing this magical yet fantastical sight made Erin raise her eyebrows slightly, prompting Rina to flex her shoulders in pride.
So far, so good. Now that they recognized her magnificence, all she had to do was come up with a decent excuse.
If Rina could spin it as some kind of mystical power, she might persuade Erin too.
“…Why is it that your lady’s room is filled with smoke?”
Upon noticing Erin’s fierce eyes, Rina hastily withdrew the smoke and continued frantically.
“D-Don’t worry! This is smoke belonging to my powers! As you can see, no trace will be left behind!”
Despite Rina’s justifications, Erin, after checking the room to ensure no lingering smell, nodded but still gave her a cold glare.
“…You still don’t believe my words?”
“No. I can believe it. It’s just hard to wrap my head around the idea that something like this is the owner of the forest. There could be some unusual creature, perhaps.”
As Erin’s stare pressed down on her, Rina thought it was quite strange.
Though she was Lucy’s servant, she was merely a human.
There was no need to be this anxious around her.
Yet curiously, there was power hidden in Erin’s words.
While pondering the reason behind it, Rina sensed that Erin emitted a similar aura to that of the Apostle of the Art Guild.
…Oh goddess. I knew you had an interest in Lucy, but would you really go as far as to give power to observe her servants?
“Fox lady?”
“…Hm? Oh, why do you ask?”
“You were not listening to me, were you?”
“No, I—it’s just that… calm down a bit, alright? Yes! I will offer you one of these trinkets that’s caught my lady’s eye! Since you cherish Lucy, a little something like this should be to your liking, right?”
“…What do you think of me?”
Erin pressed her forehead as if suffering from a headache, though her gaze secretly lingered on the accessories crafted by the Art Guild.
Pretending not to care, but clearly being honest inside!
Of course! There’s no way those around Lucy could ignore this!
“Just take a look! While her painting is definitely the highlight of the accessory crafted by the Art Guild, it also holds other attributes! There’s a lot of power imbued in here as well!”
Lucy, the Goddess’s Apostle, and the very picture of divine existence, blessed the items bearing her likeness.
Naturally, any accessory with Lucy’s illustration held extraordinary power.
This also meant that health would be improved thanks to the divine endowment, luck would increase, and evil forces would find it hard to approach.
What an amazing item, right?
Rina’s rambled on like a snake oil salesman, and seeing Erin’s interest piqued, she became even more animated.
“Not to mention the best part, because a fragment of Lucy’s divinity is contained within, it gives the feeling that she is always by your side! Do you really think I buried my face in it for no reason? There’s a reason for everything!”
“Why is it that this beast only degenerates more as time goes by?♡”
Hearing that voice behind her, Rina carefully turned her head only to meet Lucy’s eyes filled with disgust.
“Do you want to be treated like that?♡”
“…Well, yes?”
“Then scram!♡ A filthy animal like you should be tucked away in the woods!♡”
“Please! Do not do this to me!”
“Perhaps you’ve grown up in the woods without manners?♡ That’s not how you apologize!♡”
At Lucy’s words, Rina buried her head into the ground as someone’s foot pressed down on her head.
At first, she thought it was Lucy’s foot that was pushing her down, but soon realized it was far too large and rough.
In a moment of fright, Rina carefully lifted her gaze and discovered Karl standing before her, making her mind go hazy.
The harsh reality before her was too much for Rina to bear.
In the midst of her fading consciousness, the last thing Rina heard was Lucy giggling.
*
Handling the doppelgänger on the 100th floor hadn’t been too hard.
Honestly, it was an easy victory given that I completely outclassed it in terms of raw power.
However, defeating the doppelgänger did not fill me with the joy I expected.
Even after winning the bet, I simply couldn’t bring myself to be happy.
“Congratulations~ cute older sister~ it feels so good to be stupidly strong~ But you know, sis, if you train too hard, they say you won’t grow taller, right? Hehe. If that’s why you’re a tiny brat, you’ll be stuck on the floor for life~”
The doppelgänger’s parting words echoed in my mind, leaving me acutely aware of what it meant to “win but lose” as I stepped out of the dungeon.
Then I started to contemplate.
How should I punish Karl?
The conclusion arrived quickly.
I would treat him like he was invisible until the frustration blew over.
Hopefully, in his air-like treatment, he’d realize just how much he messed up.
It didn’t take long to discover my thoughts were right.
Every minute he spent searching for me changed the look on his face dramatically.
“I’m really sorry! Young Lady! This time it’s…”
“Lady? Why are you pretending you don’t know me?”
“I’m so sorry! I’ll accept any punishment! Just please listen to me! Please!”
The problem was that my punishment had an oddly effective result.
Karl lost focus, battering his forehead until it bled, attracting everyone’s attention naturally.
At first, I tried to play it cool and ignore it, but it became increasingly difficult with each passing moment.
Eventually, I gave up waiting for my friends and returned to my dorm in a rush.
There, I found a dazed fox blabbering about an accessory from the Art Guild while Erin was enthralled by it.
Still boiling from what had just transpired, I decided to let off some steam by teasing the dazed fox.
Haha, it’s hilarious! Going from thinking I was going to step on it to realizing it was Karl was priceless!
Next time, who should I punish? Is there anyone so unpleasant that the fox might retch?
“I’m sorry, Young Lady. I should have told you right away.”
“Don’t worry. Being clumsy and useless isn’t Erin’s fault, is it?”
“Thank you for your mercy.”
If someone else had heard it, they might think I was being sarcastic, but Erin, who was used to my tone, easily understood the hidden meaning behind my words and sighed in relief.
“But hey, useless Erin, do you want an item with my painting on it like that pervert?”
“…Well, that is…”
“Hmph. So you do have that kind of underhanded desire as well?”
Seeing Erin’s cheeks flush slightly, I mentioned that I’d get her one later.
Even if I didn’t want to see one of them have it, it wouldn’t be right to prevent the ones who enjoy it.
…Honestly, I was gradually coming to terms with it.
What can I do? As days go by, both inside and outside the Academy, items bearing my likeness keep multiplying!
This trend was unstoppable, even if I tried!
Rather than fighting against it, it might be better to prepare something of decent quality to win over some favor!
“…Young Lady. I…”
“You clumsy pup♡ Can’t even play your role properly?♡ If you keep showing me your useless side, I’ll have to abandon you!♡”
“Ugh…”
As Karl, who was treated like a joke, whimpered, Erin shot him a disapproving glare.
Under that gaze, Karl trembled in humiliation but couldn’t bring himself to stand up.
After all, I was sitting on my own back.
“…I’m jealous.”
From where I watched this whole spectacle, the dazed fox leaked out its jealousy towards Karl.
“I’m jealous♡ Do you want to play the chair too?♡”
“I would! I’d love to!”
“But this is a punishment for a puppy, you know?♡ You’re a fox after all!♡”
“Woof! Woof! Grrr! Growl!”
“Hahaha♡ You’re so perverted that it’s almost pitiable~♡ But I wouldn’t do that for you!♡”
“Thennn…”
As I watched the dejected fox with its tail drooping, an alarming ding echoed in my ears.
For a moment, I suspected the useless God might be hoping for something perverted, but surprisingly, the next sentence that appeared before me was quite the opposite.
[Quest Activated!]
[Strange Forest]
[Ask the Forest’s Owner for stories about another forest]
Something seemed to be amiss.
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