Chapter: 476
Early in the morning, the lights in Luca’s office were on as if it were the most natural thing.
“Lady Allen, what brings you here so early?”
Luca, neatly dressed and sipping tea, showed no signs of surprise at my visit.
“Care for a cup of tea?”
“No thanks! I bet that shoddy perverted professor would throw something weird in it!”
“Hmm. I doubt anything ordinary would even faze you, my lady.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Luca made me sit on the sofa before taking a seat across from me.
“Now back to the topic. What brings you here? Should I leak some exam questions?”
“Can a sloppy guy like you do something like that?”
“I could if I wanted to. Most of the professors writing the exam questions are first-timers. What’s so hard about getting questions from folks with vague power and skill?”
“What? Are you kidding? Is leaking exam questions even possible?!”
Suddenly intrigued, I quickly regained my composure.
No. What’s important right now isn’t the exam scores but raising my intelligence itself.
If exam questions were all that mattered, I would’ve put everything on Log, Grandpa Emong, and Dice God like before! Do I really need something like leaking exam questions?!
“Well, I guess you wouldn’t need this kind of thing.”
Luca smiled lightly, drinking his tea while waiting for me to speak.
“Perverted professor. Seriously, tell me what shoddy nonsense you’re up to.”
I decided to ask straight out instead of tiptoeing around. At that, Luca’s hand holding the teacup froze for a moment.
“…Aren’t you being a bit too straightforward?”
“What’s the point of using complicated words on a dog? I gave you some slack.”
Since I decided to visit Luca, I had been pondering how to squeeze some words out of this slippery snake.
But the more I thought about it, the more I felt like any awkward attempts would just send me tumbling down. I am not talented in this kind of psychological warfare.
So, I opted for a head-on approach. After all, Luca can’t hurt me no matter what I do, right?
“Well, I am preparing something at the moment.”
As he set down his teacup and continued speaking, I kept an eye on him.
“However, since this is tied to the Dungeon Studies professors, I can’t really elaborate.”
“What do those shoddy folks have to do with you?”
“Surprisingly, I’m a Combat Studies professor. Given last year’s events, it’s not entirely unrelated.”
Luca spoke as if he was merely assisting the Dungeon Studies professors in their dungeon creations, but I suspected that wasn’t the full truth.
I mean, look at what’s right in front of me. He clearly wants me not to dig deep into this subject. This part is going to be his weakness.
“Perverted professor♡ Do you see me as quite the fool?♡”
I didn’t really ponder why that would be a weakness. After all, he’d naturally bring it up himself, so why should I care about those trivialities?
“You’re just a coward running away from better talents♡,” I jabbed, and I could see Luca’s shoulder twitch at the mention of his past he would rather not recall.
“A shoddy piece of trash who has to depend on others for his wishes♡.”
There was a subtle shift in his eyes.
“A pathetic loser who felt jealous of a friend helping him and fled like a coward♡.”
Come on now! Let’s hear you babble, Luca. What are you up to? What kind of schemes are you involved in? Who are you playing around with?
“Why does he think he’s so special and talks big?♡”
Even while the sound of my laughter filled the air, Luca was desperately managing his expression. If I think back to those who faced me before, it would be fair to call that superhuman patience.
“Why aren’t you blabbing like usual?♡ Have I hit a sore spot so badly that you can’t speak?♡”
But it was all for nothing. Even a soulless golem would be drawn in by my provocation, so what could a being with real emotions like Luca do?
“Maybe my pride’s been sold off for so long that I don’t even get angry anymore♡. Hahaha♡! This must be it!♡ If it’s that pathetic, sleazy pervert professor, this must be his style!♡”
I could hear the sound of leather gloves being crumpled under the desk.
“Are you mad?♡ Wanna hit me?♡ Want to zip the mouth of this little brat?♡”
“…Lady.”
“Imagine all you want♡ but you definitely won’t do it in reality♡. Right?♡ If it weren’t for me, your pathetic little dreams would stay that way forever!♡”
As Luca became more agitated, he moved his hands.
In the process, he seemed to be reaching for something concealed.
During the moment I had been laughing non-stop, something cold suddenly crawled down my spine. It was a sensation different from fear or dread.
It was something more instinctual. Yes, if I were to label it, it should be called intuition.
“Why did you suddenly stop speaking?”
Looking at Luca’s face, which had a sly grin, I realized I had just tried to poke at Luca’s complex.
No matter how much he struggles, the fact remains that he’ll always crawl beneath his friends is still true, and I was hoping to shatter that notion completely.
However, at that moment, my instinct made me zip my lips, screaming at me that I must not cross that line.
“Lady?”
I forcibly suppressed the excitement from the ecstasy induced by the Mesugaki Skill and turned my gaze to Luca.
Then, the aesthetic sense granted to me by the Crow Goddess whispered a sense of unease.
There were quite a few odd things surrounding Luca, but the one that stood out was the hand hidden beneath the desk.
The stomach-churning thought came to mind upon seeing the part concealed by leather gloves and the oath it represented.
I felt a stronger emotion than I did when attacking the Alchemist’s dungeon.
I remembered the setting about oaths I had seen through the monitor.
Those who break their oaths are hated even by the trash of the Underworld.
Previously, I thought it was just a custom or trend.
But perhaps that hatred might have a tangible form.
“Boring.”
Frowning, I sprang up from my seat and, avoiding Luca’s gaze on my back, exited his office.
Then without hesitation, I moved my feet until the primal warning settled over my entire being.
“Gah! Hah.”
Having distanced myself far from the building housing Luca’s office, I leaned against a wall and struggled to catch my breath.
[Lucy. Are you okay? ]
‘…For now.’
What the heck was that feeling just now?
It was entirely different from any sensation I’d felt before.
It was something more…
Maybe—
Suddenly, something clicked in my mind, and I opened the Log function to check.
During the night while I was asleep.
More specifically, to see what had happened when I was rolling around with Grandpa during the training function.
[God of Martial Arts grants you authority.]
[The God of Martial Arts looks at you with a hint of displeasure.]
Sense of Crisis.
Last night, the God of Martial Arts had granted me his authority without my knowledge, as if he hoped I wouldn’t realize his intervention.
I suspect that the once amicable God of Martial Arts, who wanted to have a chat with me, suddenly changed his stance.
Ganshu. That fool. What I asked for was skills, not to invite hostility from other gods!
And this is why I can’t be a recluse holed up in the library!
The next time we meet, I resolved to annoy him until he whimpered in frustration while brushing my face to shake off my current feelings.
‘Grandpa. Did you feel any murderous intent from Luca just now?’
[If I had, I would have called out to you.]
‘…Really? But—’
[He was certainly angry, but apart from his emotions, he was weighing you.]
Though I thought there was only one reason for the sense of crisis, Grandpa’s words contradicted my thoughts.
I doubt Grandpa would misinterpret something like this.
So what is it? Why did I sense danger from Luca?
Feeling my head getting all jumbled up, I sighed deeply and sought help from the Additional Commentary.
[Doubt.]
The blue window that appeared before me explained the earlier situation in a single word.
Luca suspected I had caught onto what he was plotting.
As it shifted towards certainty, he attempted to set his plan in motion before I could do anything.
And that plan must be something beyond my capacity. The blue window before me popped up, confirming my predictions with a notification sound.
[Luca’s Trial.]
[Though he wished to become a star, he fell to the ground and will stop at nothing to leave his mark on another star. Surpass his plan and demonstrate that you shine brighter than anyone else.]
[Reward: ???]
[Fail: GAME OVER]
…Ugh. Normally, I’d complain to the Shoddy God about why he didn’t give me a heads-up, but this time I can’t.
The Shoddy God has already given me a signal that Luca would pull something.
It was me who took it lightly and thought nothing of it. I never believed Luca would go so far as to break his oath and do something insane.
Clenching my teeth, I slammed the wall and erased the message in front of me.
What can I do now? I’ve pulled off a dumb stunt.
Taking a long breath, I resumed my steps.
At first, Luca claimed he was merely assisting in the dungeon’s creation.
I don’t know if that’s a lie or not, but if he’s stirring up trouble, that would be the easiest thing to hit.
While talking with Luca, I noticed quite a bit of time had passed, and several students were visible within the academy. They were the ones who saw the midterm exam as their biggest crisis.
As I observed them, I suddenly wondered if Luca would truly devote his life solely for me.
If that crazy guy indeed planned something with his life on the line, then it couldn’t be just for me.
Gnawing on my lips, I found myself at my intended destination.
The place where the dungeon for the academy exam would be created. The room where many students’ despair would come to rest come exam season. I set foot in and positioned myself near the wall, using the [History Check] skill.
[?@$input@%!%!5narrative]
The words listed were distorted beyond recognition, as if someone had intervened.
Considering that only the same god could counter the authority of a god, it made sense.
Geez, no wonder Followers of the Void keep popping up at the academy.
Was that lunatic Luca somehow involved?
As I stopped the [History Check] skill, dizziness washed over me.
Losing my strength and staggering, I grabbed the wall to regain my balance.
If you’re going to turn out like this, I have my own ideas.
Luca, you bastard.
The stage you set will turn into your nightmare.
I’m going to make it so.
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