Chapter: 118
“Principal said to pass this to the Young Lady.”
The day after I chased off Nakrad.
Early in the morning, Karl came to me and pulled a box out from his arms.
There’s only one kind of gift the academy gives out this time of year.
A present awarded to the top student of Soul Academy.
“I heard it contains a potion.”
The reward for the top student is a potion.
The type changes depending on the classes taken, so for me, it would be a potion for strength and stamina.
Normally, it’s a crucial item for rapid growth in the early days of the academy, but for me now, it’s useless.
Since it hasn’t even been a year since I chugged down three potions.
However, it is a precious item, and there’s no reason to refuse the reward.
Let’s just stash it in the inventory for now.
Eventually, I’ll find a use for it.
If nothing else, I can just down it a few months later.
Having delivered the reward, I should get back to my usual business, but Karl hesitated, glancing at me.
What’s up with him?
‘What’s going on?’
“Sloppy. Why the long face?”
“It’s about what happened yesterday. I messed up because I wasn’t strong enough. If I had been a little stronger, I wouldn’t have let him escape.”
‘So, you didn’t care then?’
“How about cleaning your ears? You sound filthy, Sloppy. Didn’t you say you didn’t care?”
We had been teasing Nakrad yesterday, but we ultimately failed to hunt him down.
It couldn’t be helped.
If that guy with the Power of Darkness decided to run away, we had no real means to chase him down.
Even in the game, we couldn’t kill Nakrad until we got a staff that could catch darkness.
And now that it’s reality, obviously, I couldn’t just kill him outright either.
I initially just planned to tease him a bit and send him off.
I was pretty satisfied with yesterday.
Watching Nakrad blush and escape while shouting in frustration was enough to blow off all my stress.
So there was no reason to apologize, but Karl seemed to be stuck on it.
“Ah, indeed, Young Lady. You truly are merciful!”
It’s not that; I’m really okay with it.
It’s nice that he’s a knight with a strong sense of duty, but doesn’t he need to at least pretend to listen to my words?
Even the Chihuahua my friend used to raise listened better than this guy.
Damn this knight!
If I leave him alone, he’ll just keep digging into the ground, so I’d better change the subject.
Luckily, I have a suitable topic.
‘By the way…’
“Sloppy. Why didn’t you bring the sword I gave you yesterday?”
“Are you talking about that fine item? It’s hanging in my lodging.”
…What?
“How could I dare use the gift from you, Young Lady? What if it gets damaged?”
No.
“I did put it in a glass display case for now, but later, I’ll cast preservation magic on it…”
‘Why are you displaying it?!’
“You hopeless Sloppy dog! I gave it to you to use!”
“But Young Lady…”
But, but, who cares!
That’s a pretty good item!
It’s got performance that’s usable even in the mid-late game!
It’s way better than the sword you’re using!
So why aren’t you using it?!
Just because it was given to you by someone you like, are you going to keep it until your dying breath?
Why are you fanboying over your own master, you little rascal!
I had so much I wanted to say, but saying it out loud felt irreversible, so I wiped my face and pressed it down.
Then, I sighed and spoke to Karl.
‘Later…’
“Sloppy. I’ll let you wear a collar later, so keep that and use the sword.”
“Really?! I’d be so grateful if you did!”
Seeing Karl’s bright smile made me feel something was off.
Was he always this weird?
Or did he become strange after meeting me?
It must be the former.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t proudly say such insane stuff.
Watching Karl skip away with excitement, I plopped down on a nearby bench and sighed deeply.
I’m exhausted.
I haven’t done much, but I feel more tired than when I stayed up all night strategizing in the dungeon.
Is this what it feels like to be a dog owner with an out-of-control big dog?
“Lady Allen?”
As I was lamenting, I turned my head toward the voice that called me.
It was Phoebe.
She stood in front of me with an awkward smile recognizable by anyone.
She had never approached me first so far, so what brought her here?
‘What’s the matter?’
“What is it? Shoddy Saintess?”
“Ah, um, it’s about the field trip party.”
Is Phoebe having trouble with something related to the field trip?
Anyone who has played RPG games knows that a healer and buff character has no trouble finding a party.
Every party needs at least one, and since the number of clergy is limited, everyone begs to take them in.
This rule applies even within the academy.
The number of clergy entering the academy isn’t high, but everyone wants them in their party.
Especially in reality.
How much does one want someone who can heal them when they get hurt?
Even an average cleric will do various tricks to get into a party, and Phoebe, with her special abilities, needs no introduction.
She deserves to be called royalty. No, she should be called a goddess.
If she wanted to, she could enter any party and gather any members.
A tank that can provoke and deal more damage than the dealers? Rare, right?
Rare.
If this were a game, my priority would certainly be higher than the Saintess.
But this isn’t a game.
Human reputation plays a vital role here.
When you’re on a field trip for three days and four nights, do you want to be stuck with someone whose reputation is in the gutter?
I’d refuse too.
But Phoebe is different.
Beloved by all, young and old, she is unrestricted in such matters.
No, her personality is so good that she gets bonus points.
Because of that, there’s no way Phoebe would have trouble forming a party.
So why did she talk to me?
“Have you formed a party, Young Lady?”
‘Sort of.’
“It’s mostly set.”
Joy has decided to form a party with me long ago.
Naturally, Frey, who also has no other friends, joined my party too.
Now, the problem is we have one spot left.
I originally intended to ask Arthur.
It’s rare to find someone who can alternate roles between the front and backlines.
But he rejected me the moment I brought it up.
He said if he was in the same party as me, he wouldn’t be able to win against me.
In this field trip, Arthur declared he would defeat me, and I couldn’t help but tilt my head.
He wasn’t that passionate when he was just a game character.
Is it good or bad? It’s a good change, but I have my worries too.
If he sees me as a rival, his morale will eventually break.
No matter how capable Arthur is, he can’t possibly beat me, right?
How could someone who has poured several thousand hours into this game be beaten?
If I notice signs of him darkening later, maybe I’ll have to throw the match on purpose.
But if he finds out I threw it, would he get angrier?
Anyway, after being rejected by Arthur, I chose Visi as my alternative.
It seems she has decided to form a party with her friends, but that’s not my concern.
Since I’m her benefactor and hold her weaknesses, I am effectively her master.
If a slave is asked, they must obey; where does she get off bringing up her own situation?
Avery?
She’s iffy.
I wouldn’t mind giving her a task, but to spend three nights and four days with her? Personally, no thanks.
I might be an incredibly kind-hearted person, but keeping someone around who gossips behind my back? Nah.
“Just in case, may I join Lady Allen’s party?”
‘…Huh?’
“What?”
I doubted if I heard that correctly, and Phoebe flinched slightly before speaking again.
“I want to be a member of Lady Allen’s party.”
Phoebe wants to join?
Why?
She could join any good party she wishes.
Her usual style doesn’t cling to competition, so she could just enjoy an easygoing party with decent grades.
I can’t understand why she would ask me.
Ah, maybe it’s because of Joy?
That makes sense.
Phoebe and Joy are good friends.
If she asked because she wanted to be with Joy, I get it.
“Would that be okay?”
‘Of course!’
“Why wouldn’t I say yes? Shoddy Saintess.”
There’s no reason to refuse when a tier 1 healer wants to join the party!
Of course, it’s a welcome thing!
Rather than Visi who would just be a dead weight in terms of filling the numbers, Phoebe is entering!
And it won’t ruin the chemistry between the members either.
Joy would welcome Phoebe if she were to join.
And Phoebe can handle the craziness that I and Frey might pull off.
Who knew snagging the Foolish Young Lady’s heart would turn out to be this beneficial!
Let’s take this opportunity to raise our favorability during the field trip.
Since we both handle the divine, we should be able to bond well.
Phoebe is pretty easy to raise favorability with up to 70, so if we play our cards right, we might even hit 70 during this field trip.
If we succeed in becoming close friends, I can complete the Shoddy God’s quest along with adding a dedicated healer to the party!
Alright, plans have changed! I was meant to just cruise and aim for first place, but not anymore.
It’s time to buckle down!
Shall I try to break the academy record?
“Well, I appreciate it!”
‘The pleasure is mine!’
“Yes. Shoddy Saintess. I hope you’re not a dead weight!”
“Hahaha. I’ll do my best.”
As I shared greetings and joy with Phoebe, one thought crossed my mind.
This means I can use her as a party member.
Does that mean I can pull off the same trick I used in the Soul Academy Dungeon back in the game?
‘Uh, Phoebe.’
“Shoddy Saintess! Are you free this Saturday?”
“Huh? I don’t have anything important. I can free up time if needed.”
Oh, really?
That works out perfectly.
I should’ve wrapped up the dungeon challenge at Soul Academy by now.
Maybe I should finish it this week.
As I planned in my head, I smiled, but Phoebe flinched and stepped back.
What’s with that?
Did my expression look weird?
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