Chapter: 428
The professors at the Academy had two distinct reactions upon witnessing Lucy Allen’s unique approach to conquering the 99th Floor.
Those like Jessel, who had taught Lucy or directly witnessed her extraordinary conduct, chuckled to themselves, thinking, “Lady Allen is just being Lady Allen again.”
On the other hand, those who hadn’t seen Lucy’s antics often or only heard tales of her were wide-eyed, staring blankly at the spectacle of the 99th Floor door swinging open.
“…How is that even possible?”
One of the latter, a low-ranking monitoring professor, voiced his bewilderment, prompting a nod of agreement from his colleague.
“I find it hard to believe, even seeing it with my own eyes.”
What Lucy Allen displayed was full of unbelievable feats.
A member of the prestigious knight family, Allen. Moreover, someone who wielded the Divine Grace of God and skillfully manipulated poison.
The fact that a child, trained only within the family, could handle explosives with such finesse.
Or, the burning question of where she even got those two things in the first place.
The astonishingly vast power of Lucy’s divinity, which surpassed that of other clergy, was just as confounding.
However, having witnessed all this with their own eyes and confirmed its reality, this complicated story could ultimately be summed up in one word.
Simply put, Lucy Allen’s talent was disproportionately outstanding.
Yet, there was one thing.
Just one thing.
No matter how hard they thought about it, there was an aspect that made no sense at all.
How on earth could she take down two bosses almost simultaneously?
“What do you mean, how? She must have calculated it.”
When Jessel heard their queries, he chuckled lightly while saying this, but the two couldn’t easily accept his explanation.
“She measured how much power she had by hitting those in the lower floors and based her calculations on that to determine the opponent’s durability. From there, she takes them down.
It’s not entirely impossible in theory, right?”
“…But that’s only true in theory, isn’t it?”
“Yes, you’re right. That’s the theory filled with leaps of logic. And Lady Allen is someone who can manifest that theory into reality.”
Having endured Lucy Allen’s extraordinary conduct while serving as a professor last year, Jessel remarked that they would soon get used to it while shifting his gaze back to the screen and clearing his throat.
Lucy Allen, on the other side of the screen, began bouncing around joyfully as if revealing her excitement.
It was hard to believe that this child was the very one responsible for the unbelievable spectacle they had just witnessed, causing Jessel to involuntarily break into a pleased smile.
As long as she didn’t engage him in conversation, she was indeed quite adorable.
The other professors in the monitoring room felt similarly.
Although they felt a momentary disappointment that what they had prepared had become meaningless, seeing Lucy express her joy made them think, “What’s the harm in that?”
One professor even suggested buying Lady Allen’s accessories created by the Arts Church.
“Professors, please focus. We still have things prepared for her!”
“Oh, right. I almost forgot.”
“Lady Allen’s feats are so wondrous that I momentarily lost my concentration.”
As if echoing one person’s remark, the professors still had preparations left for Lucy.
“Maybe this is the real deal, in a sense.”
The excited professors from the Dungeon Studies department laughed mischievously while watching Lucy Allen head toward the 100th Floor.
And when they saw the real Lucy Allen meet the copy they had created, adorned with the lines of true exertion, they all burst into radiant laughter.
“Haha!”
“Hoo!”
“It seems like being scornful of others all the time has made her weak to her own reflection.”
Lucy’s confusion didn’t last long. She soon steadied her heart and started teasing the doppelganger’s lacking aspects.
On the screen, Lucy remarked that the doppelganger looked ugly.
In fact, she was right.
Although the two looked similar at first glance, the more one observed, the more distinct the differences became, starting from the aura.
“Was it impossible for us to recreate the beauty praised by the Apostle of the Arts Church ourselves?”
“What can we do? We can’t exactly ask the Apostle for direct collaboration.”
“We did predict this, after all. That’s why we decided to compete in other areas.”
Typically, a doppelganger is an object automatically created based on the experience of an Academy student conquering from the 1st to the 100th Floor.
However, Lucy Allen’s doppelganger was different.
It was the result of the Academy professors pouring their effort into shaping it in various ways.
In fact, it was the same doppelganger that Lucy’s knight, Karl, had interacted with and confirmed himself, so the professors already knew there would be a level of imperfection from the beginning.
Thus, they decided to choose another method just to tease Lucy.
“Little sister~”
The professors, preoccupied with the scene beyond the screen, didn’t miss the moment Lucy clenched her teeth tightly.
Just as Karl had once mentioned, Lucy had a considerable complex regarding her height.
The professors who had been on the receiving end of her insults while conversing with her could not help but feel satisfied seeing her face flush red.
Especially Jessel, who had to play along with Lucy right next to her, even cheered for the doppelganger.
Even those who had no grudge against Lucy could not help but look at the scene with glee.
The adorable and pretty girl’s angry displays were just as cute.
Of course, not everyone was laughing comfortably.
Only one person in the monitoring room.
Karl.
The dedicated knight of Lucy Allen, who found himself inadvertently swept into this affair, was sweating bullets as he saw Lucy’s expression souring.
How did things turn out like this?
He had simply conveyed the things these people asked for while collaborating toward making a dedication for his lady, but why had it all turned into something to embarrass her?
It certainly wasn’t that he was enthralled by the accessories created by the Arts Church.
Such things he could procure himself, and if that didn’t work out, he could always ask Alsatine!
Those worthless… not really worthless, no. It’s not that they were completely worthless, but rather precious and of great value to Lucy, which made him feel a strong need to protect her, but he should never become entranced by them!
Was that not why things had turned out like this!?
While harboring guilt in his heart, Karl worried over whether Lucy would misunderstand him.
If she thought he intended to betray her, that would be a disaster.
It was not my intention at all!
Once this was all over, he would definitely seek out Lucy to apologize, but before misunderstandings grew deeper, he wouldn’t even have a chance to explain!
Karl observed Lucy Allen and the doppelganger colliding, hoping that Lucy wouldn’t realize his blunder.
The doppelganger, crafted based on Karl’s recommendations, mimicked the movements of the Lucy Allen sitting in his memories.
It was a style that anyone would deem neat and serene.
However, it wasn’t Lucy Allen.
Her movements were entirely different from those of the doppelganger.
The moment he saw her actions, the first thing that came to Karl’s mind was dance.
Not movements meant to take down an opponent, but ones aimed at gathering everyone’s attention and evoking admiration.
Each of Lucy’s movements was graceful, smooth, and beautiful enough to conjure the image of a performer on stage.
But the power behind her attacks at the end of those movements was anything but soft.
Despite the doppelganger enhancing itself with magic, it was pushed back significantly, and Karl’s eyes widened.
He realized that his lady was transforming her martial arts.
Rather than learning from others, she was creating a style suitable just for her.
Yet to think that her martial arts had already reached a level usable in actual combat!
As he continued to observe the movements of Lucy from afar, Karl realized that her new martial art was still incomplete.
It had visible areas of awkwardness and hesitation.
Yet, Karl wasn’t worried.
Lucy, having achieved that kind of martial art within just a month or two, wouldn’t likely fumble for long.
“Seems like perfectly reproducing Lady Allen as a doppelganger is tough.”
“Even at the output of Soul Academy, it can’t replicate entities outside the norm. Just recently, even Prince Kurtin was difficult to recreate.”
“Well, I’m satisfied since we got revenge on Lady Allen.”
Just as the professors were commenting one by one as the doppelganger’s defeat color deepened, Lucy let out a clacking sound and uttered in a tiny voice.
‘…Shoddy Dog♡’
Knowing who that nickname referred to, Karl’s face turned a shade of green as he contemplated whether to seek out Erin.
To buy even a moment of time to make excuses, he needed Erin, whom Lucy wouldn’t be able to speak too harshly to compared to others.
*
Currently, Erin, Lucy Allen’s dedicated maid who also worked as a servant at the Academy, had come to clean Lucy’s room.
And she saw it.
The woman, grinning widely while hugging various accessories featuring Lucy’s image in one corner of the room.
How wonderful could Lucy’s image be? Even with the door wide open, the woman hadn’t noticed Erin’s presence.
…Should I call someone from the Academy?
As Erin barely pulled herself out of her surprise and took a step back, the woman perked up her fox ears and spotted Erin.
Just like how Erin had been frozen upon entering the room, the woman was momentarily stunned but, upon seeing Erin trying to flee, urgently called out.
“W-Wait! Just give me a moment to talk! I’m not a weird person! Uh, you see! Yes! I’ll share one of these precious items, so please, just take a moment to hear me out!”
Despite having intended to leave without looking back, Erin, at the sound of the woman’s grotesquely desperate voice, suddenly recalled the beast that often got caught during the Academy’s vacation in the laundry room of the mansion.
“Yay! It’s you, Raccoon!?”
“Yes! That’s me! I’m Lucy’s pet! I want to wear a leash, but I’m sad because no one provides it!”
Confronted with the blatant display of desire, Erin realized that the woman before her was indeed that perverted fox.
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