Chapter: 445
Joy, who stepped out of the dungeon, was immediately hit by a heavy smell of blood.
Not the blood of beasts, but of humans. Joy had sniffed this scent a few times before.
Unlike other young ladies who stayed confined in the palace, she was the type to take action.
So, she understood that the blood scent drifting through the woods didn’t come from just one or two people.
Many had died here. Their blood spilled across the forest, spreading a sinister energy that birthed this dungeon.
As Joy pondered how the dim woods had become more horrific, she shook her head and looked towards the others around her.
Most of the faces there were familiar to Joy.
There was Karl, Lucy’s guard knight, needless to say.
Next to him was Visi, a person she had seen often at the academy.
Prete was someone she had just been strategizing with in the dungeon.
However, there were two people she wasn’t familiar with.
To be exact, one she didn’t recognize at all, and the other she was uncertain about.
The one she didn’t recognize was a rough-looking man.
With menacing sharp teeth, he had an intimidating presence that warned others to stay away.
The one she was unsure about was a woman exuding a captivating aura.
The moment she stepped into the social circle, she seemed poised to steal everyone’s attention, much like Lucy but in a different way.
“Hey, Phoebe. Is that woman the one we saw in the woods?”
“If you mean the one with the fox, then yes. That’s Partlan’s child.”
While smoking a cigarette and watching Lucy, she smiled brilliantly and stood in front of Joy.
“It’s been a while. Although I can’t say that since you wouldn’t know me, but I’ve always been near you guys.”
“Excuse me?”
“Doesn’t that remind you of the fox that stayed by Lucy?”
“…Was that the owner of the forest?”
Recalling the fox’s mischievous behavior, Joy wondered if she was joking. But then she remembered the scenes from the forest and accepted it.
Now she was pretending to be fine, but this person was far from normal.
…Come to think of it, Prete also acted a bit strange whenever she was in front of Lucy.
Professor Karl was the same.
Huh? What’s going on? Why do normal people start acting weird only around Lady Allen?
If it were just one person, you could think they’re odd, but when many seem to do the same… could it be something about Lady Allen?
Just as Joy was heading towards this strange conclusion, a warm presence brushed by her side.
Without turning her head, Joy instantly knew who this warmth belonged to.
This divine energy soothed her anxious heart — it surely belonged to Lady Allen.
Even after standing at the frontlines of the dungeon just moments ago, what more could she possibly do? Lady Allen constantly pushes herself to the limits.
“Pfft. Seriously, what a pervert.”
…Huh? Joy couldn’t believe her ears for a moment.
Lucy, with her hands clasped together, looked so regal.
Not a single thing she carried — her messy hair from the long battle, her dented armor, the small wounds on her face, or her fatigued eyes — diminished her beauty.
Instead, they all emanated a sense of reverence towards Lucy.
That made Joy question whether she actually heard that right.
It was something Lucy would say, yet it didn’t match the solemn appearance she displayed.
As Joy tilted her head in confusion, the divine energy began to expand, centered around Lucy.
Compared to Phoebe, the saintess of the Jushin Church, this divine presence held no comparison… or maybe it was even greater and denser.
The divine energy completely enveloped Lucy, gingerly moving according to her will.
As if it was a natural command from the great Lord Jushin, the divine energy drew a magic circle above Lucy’s head.
As a wizard, Joy recognized that what was being drawn above Lucy’s head wasn’t divine magic.
What her divine energy was creating resembled a system of ordinary magic.
Two forms: the mastery of territory and the granting of magical energy.
How intriguing. I thought Lady Allen didn’t know much about magic theory. Perhaps she was just not well-versed in areas outside her own field.
While Joy analyzed Lady Allen’s miraculous display magically, Phoebe stared wide-eyed, teary-eyed at the spectacle.
In Phoebe’s eyes, she saw what was happening in the woods.
The divine energy radiating from Lucy was clearing the various ominous energies gathered in the forest.
Her sunlight-like divinity renewed the forest’s vitality.
The dying woods, the woods that should have died, were reclaiming their former glory.
This was a miracle.
This was indeed a miracle.
What the false saintess Phoebe couldn’t achieve, the Apostle of God, Lucy, could accomplish. Such a miracle indeed.
As tears rolled down Phoebe’s cheeks, a heavy thump resonated beside her.
Myrrh, the leading figure of the forest’s guardians, was sobbing at the sight of the revitalized woods.
Prete, the Apostle of the Arts Church, was wide-eyed, etching Lucy’s figure into her memory.
The fog fox, Lina, was licking her lips as she gazed at Lucy. Necromancers, Visi and Adri, were panicking, searching for somewhere to hide from the divine energy.
Karl, Lucy’s knight, wore a content smile. Frey, seemingly oblivious, had a dazed expression from the warmth around her.
Then Arthur was chewing on his lips.
Just a moment ago, Lucy Allen made some profane remarks.
There was no room for misinterpretation; her words were downright horrifying.
Yet, against that backdrop, the Lord Jushin bestowed a miracle upon Lucy Allen.
For a deeply faithful person, they might find it commendable that the Lord shows mercy even to such an impious person, but Arthur was not one of them.
He didn’t doubt the Lord, but he wasn’t a blind believer either.
Thinking back on various tales related to the Lord, it was clear: Though merciful, He was not always benevolent. The one who stood amidst all gods possessed a distinct severity.
However, this time, the Lord displayed no such severity.
If the one who stopped him on the ship was indeed the Lord…
…Could it be?
Maybe.
Just maybe.
Did the Lord favor such blasphemy?
While he thought this ridiculous notion, a sudden shudder behind him broke Arthur’s contemplation.
It was the bear they had just rescued from the dungeon, shaking nervously.
Faced with the bear’s frantic charge, Arthur instinctively tensed up.
“Grrrk?”
The moment he heard the sloppy sound from the bear’s mouth, he instinctively relaxed his shoulders.
The bear’s eyes, wide and innocent, held no resemblance to the ferocity seen within the dungeon.
thump!
The moment Joy received the quest from the Shoddy God, the first technique that popped into her mind was the Corruption Building skill, which the Shoddy God had recently bestowed upon her when he couldn’t contain his perversion.
Corruption Building erased the corruption existing in the space and prevented any for a time, making it the perfect skill for this situation.
However, one problem loomed.
There was a limit to how much Corruption Building I could perform.
It was true that I possessed immense divine energy and that my recovery speed was also rapid.
But even so, going around the entire forest and establishing Corruption in each spot would be way too inefficient!
The chances of finishing it by this weekend seemed slim.
So, what should I do? As I contemplated, Grandpa provided me with the answer.
[You have a way that you can certainly use now.]
‘A way I can use now?’
[Yes. As an Apostle of God with immense divine energy, you have a way.]
The method Grandpa taught me combined divine magic with ordinary magic.
I would maximize the Corruption Building skill I currently had through standard magic.
While that explanation sounded incredibly simple, I couldn’t help but doubt if I could handle it with my intelligence.
[Don’t worry. It won’t be hard.]
‘…It’s not hard, huh?’
[What’s this? Lucy? Are you lacking confidence? You once told me not to call you foolish, and now you’re admitting to being dumb yourself? ]
‘That… can’t be true! I’m totally smart!’
[Then you can do it.]
‘Of course!… Wait? Huh?’
Having been tamed by Grandpa, I became someone obliged to follow his guidance.
At least it was a relief that the magic Grandpa taught me wasn’t too difficult.
Thanks to that, I successfully invoked a magic I was trying for the first time perfectly.
I gazed toward the slowly rejuvenating forest beyond the miracle unfolding above.
The once gloomy ghost forest was transforming into a lush, vibrant place.
I felt my lips curve upward, and as I squared my shoulders, I called out to Grandpa proudly.
“See! I’m so smart!”
[Right, right. Well done, Lucy.]
“Say it with more sincerity! Give me a real compliment!”
[Wow! Lucy! You’re truly incredible! Where can you find someone with talents as great as yours? To pull off magic you’re trying for the first time so perfectly!]
“That’s the one!”
Listening to Grandpa’s praise, I was feeling proud, but suddenly, a ding sound called my attention downward.
[Quest Clear!]
[Rewards will be dispensed!]
[Skill…]
Hmm. I wonder what I’ll get this time.
[Recalculating rewards.]
Huh?
[You have thwarted the plan set by the Followers of the Void!]
[You have surpassed the intervention of the Evil God Agra!]
[You have succeeded in defeating the Alchemist!]
[You have rescued the two guardians of the forest!]
[You have perfectly restored the dying forest!]
Huh?!
[Rewards have been enhanced!]
[The gods are gazing upon you in awe of your deeds!]
Huh?!
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.