Chapter: 438
Not long after the message popped up, the fog around us thickened ominously.
Seeing the ash grey mixing into the pallid smoke, I hurriedly drew upon my divine energy and inscribed a spell onto my shield.
The divine domain expanding from my shield banished the surrounding fog, creating a safe zone.
My companion, the perverted apostle, and Phebe weren’t just sitting around.
The perverted apostle handed out some trinkets imbued with the goddess’s blessings to our friends, while Phebe layered her divine power over mine to reinforce the area around us.
“Young Lady, this is…”
“It seems like that petty evil god is trying to pull something shady.”
“…I had a feeling.”
Phebe, who had been on the front lines fighting against the followers of the evil god and had even faced the dark god with me not too long ago, was painfully aware of how serious the situation was.
The mere authority of the Void’s evil god was alarming enough, and now Agra was thrown into the mix. Who wouldn’t feel the pressure?
“I’m sorry.”
…Huh? Sorry? For what? I tilted my head, confused, until I heard her next words and let out a chuckle.
“The Young Lady entrusted the others to me.”
Thinking my laughter was a reprimand, Phebe lowered her voice even more.
“And instead of rewarding that faith, I’ve put them in danger…”
Watching her, I stood on my tiptoes and pressed her button nose hard.
Startled, Phebe stepped back, covering her nose with both hands.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t know that the pathetic saintess would do something foolish?”
“…Ah.”
“Has your piety turned to mush? Is that why you’re becoming a lewd saintess?”
“Ew! ‘Lewd saintess’?!”
Seeing Phebe’s face turn crimson made me giggle. I pointed to the spot where my divine energy lingered and spoke firmly.
“Believe in yourself. You’re in a different league from a loser like me.”
Phebe blinked at me and then, seemingly reassured, managed a small smile.
“…Yes. I’ll trust you.”
Confirming that she was calmed down, I directed my gaze towards our friends.
While I didn’t know much about the evil god, I figured they’d sense the danger well enough, so I planned to reassure them.
However, the perverted apostle had already gone ahead of me.
When not facing me, he was reliable enough to instill confidence in our friends that they’d be just fine.
Seeing him, I felt relieved and turned my attention back to the fog-shrouded landscape, straining to see what lay beyond.
But nothing was visible. The fog had darkened to a point where it wouldn’t let me see through.
I almost clicked my tongue in frustration; I couldn’t show any signs of unease. If I faltered, my anxiety would surely spread to my friends. In a situation where any threat could emerge, I needed to remain a solid presence.
‘…Grandpa.’
The one person I could show weakness to responded with a playful tone.
[Why the long face? Wasn’t it just the other day that you wished Agra would come? ]
‘That was about a different dungeon! Not this one!’
The reason I hadn’t feared Agra’s interference lately was that I was sure his meddling wouldn’t pose a threat to me.
Knowing exactly what Agra could do in any given dungeon, I welcomed his intervention with open arms.
But not here.
The variables arising in this place were completely unknown to me.
I had never even experienced a different evil god’s powers overlapping with Agra’s.
[Isn’t that just what you wanted? ]
‘Well, yes, but! I’m not alone right now! That was a concern for when I was by myself!’
Yeah, I did want something new.
I shouted for something I hadn’t seen because the forest’s landscape was unbearably dull.
But that was only when I was prepared to face danger alone.
It wasn’t the same when I had my friends around!
If I got hurt on my own, that was fine! I could handle that!
But if something went wrong because of my mistakes and endangered my friends, then I’d…
[…Lucy.]
Suddenly, Grandpa’s voice turned serious, crushing my anxiety.
[Calm down. If you’re more flustered than your friends, what’s that going to accomplish? ]
‘…Ah.’
[Settle your mind and have faith in yourself. After all, you’re not THAT much of a loser.]
“Pfft!”
I burst out laughing at his vintage compliment, ignoring the incredulous stares from the others as I wiped my face.
[Oh ho! Answer me quickly, Lucy. You’re…]
‘I get it! I get it! So don’t call me a loser in that magnificent midlife voice! It’d really make me seem like a crazy lady in this situation!’
Yeah, Grandpa was right. I wouldn’t be in this mess if I hadn’t been at the Soul Academy for some time already, so it wouldn’t be that dangerous.
Plus, the team with me was WAY better than when I was playing alone.
Worrying about something going wrong in this situation?
That just poked at my rotting pride from the academy!
Letting out a long sigh to clear my tangled thoughts, I first said what I needed to say.
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
[…Well, I’m just an old guy who can only say things. Guess I need to do at least this.]
‘That’s true. If you don’t do this, you just become a noisy weapon.’
[Lucy? That description is extraordinarily rude, don’t you think? ]
‘Whatever.’
[Sure, let’s just move on.]
‘Whatever!’
I silenced Grandpa’s teasing with a shout, gripping my mace tightly as I continued.
“Have you seen anything like this before?”
[Sure. In our day, when all the evil gods were at full power.]
Grandpa, who had fought on the front lines when the evil gods roamed freely without being sealed, seemed to reminisce.
‘…Can you give me any advice?’
[The fact that Agra is involved in a place filled with another evil god’s power means that the authority will only get amplified. It won’t introduce entirely new variables.]
‘So, you mean it’s strictly limited to the powers of the Void’s evil god?’
[Yep. At least that’s how it was when I experienced it.]
If the powers the Void’s evil god could wield were limited, then this wouldn’t be as tough as it first appeared.
I’ve tackled countless dungeons crafted in mind for when the Void’s evil god was fully revived. I knew exactly what to expect and how to deal with it.
Alright. Now that I’ve collected my thoughts, things don’t look as grim. The way forward is clear.
With my divine energy summoned throughout my body, I contemplated the black fog.
I couldn’t see what lay beyond, but that didn’t matter.
What I needed to observe wasn’t the scenery of the world, but rather the gaps visible within the fog.
Aesthetic sensitivity hardly mattered in this situation.
The fact that everything surrounding me wasn’t beautiful was my feeling of the current state, which I couldn’t handle well.
However, it wasn’t about identifying weaknesses. This skill shows where the opponent would feel the most troubled, revealing spots that made the fog’s master uneasy.
“Pathetics.”
When I infused my voice with divine energy and shouted, all my friends turned to me.
Locking eyes with them, I smirked widely.
“If you fall behind, I’ll leave you behind, so keep up.”
With that, my friends gripped their weapons and nodded, and the perverted apostle came closer to inform me of wherever he sensed something unusual.
He definitely had an eye for aesthetics compared to me.
This dude likely enjoyed it more than I did, indicating that he sprouted his insights from that perspective.
Given that he pointed out a spot similar to what my weakness recognition observed, it was clear.
If I ever find myself in a situation where even my own skill won’t work, I might have to ask this guy for help.
“Let’s go.”
As I moved towards the area where the fog lingered, my divine power pushed the fog aside.
What emerged was the gloomy scenery of a shadowy forest.
A scenery so dark that even the moon couldn’t break through, it made distinguishing what lay ahead a challenge.
Glancing at the forest, clearly hiding numerous things, I briefly hesitated before deciding against stepping inside.
This world isn’t a game, so why should I abide by their rules?
Am I right?
“Fool.”
“What’s up, Young Lady?”
“Blow everything in front of you to pieces. You can do that, right?”
As I pulled a mana-infused gem from my inventory to hand to Joy, she nodded confidently with a grin.
“If I have one of these, consider it done!”
Joy received the gem and summoned several complex magic circles around her.
From a casual glance, they looked rather intricate, way beyond my comprehension.
However, one thing was clear.
The force within those magic circles was incredibly powerful.
Combining the magic circles she’d summoned, Joy generated a massive one that could rival her own height, placing the gem in the center.
Then the mana within the gem was drawn in, causing the magic circle to radiate light.
“Watch out for the aftermath, everyone!”
To describe Joy’s magic in one word: artillery.
An artillery shot poised to crush everything directly ahead based on overwhelming power.
Confirming the strength it carried, I was certain that if it hit the forest, it would definitely carve a huge hole in it. I was also genuinely impressed by Joy’s growth.
But that certainty faded quickly.
Our surrounding fog, coalescing together, absorbed Joy’s artillery!
The diminished impact of her attack disintegrated the entrance area but failed to penetrate deeper into the forest.
“…Huh?”
As Joy’s confused voice slipped through one ear, I raised an eyebrow at the merging black fog dispersing.
Heh, so the rules apply, huh?
Okay, got it.
I’ll do exactly what Agra desires. But that doesn’t mean the outcome will change.
He’s just a pathetic loser who has lost countless times to me.
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