Chapter: 104
After being active elsewhere, Nakrad returned to the area near the Academy only to see that all the dungeons he had marked were gone, causing him to let out a hollow laugh.
“What the hell happened here?”
It wasn’t simply left alone; it had been discovered and conquered using Tariki’s powers.
Sure, one could accidentally find one of them.
But for nearly a dozen dungeons to be cleared?
He didn’t need to wonder who the culprit was.
Whoever conquered the dungeons left behind traces that seemed to mock Nakrad.
It was the Apostle of Armadi.
What revelation could that wretched god possibly have given you?
I should’ve killed you that day.
Caught up in his emotions, he thought he could toy with that woman, yet ended up getting whooped.
Grinding his teeth, Nakrad exhaled long and hard.
Looks like I’m in a bind.
This would completely mess up my plans.
I had meant to recruit a stupid girl to use her desires to cause chaos at the Academy.
When the dungeons went on a rampage, I was going to scatter Tariki’s power, but now look at this!
Nakrad wiped his face.
Is it because of my arrogance that my god’s wishes are thwarted?
I’d like to atone for this with my life right now, but I can’t.
Even if I could, it wouldn’t change reality.
Even if twisted, I need to find a way to realize what Tariki desires.
That is the duty of the Apostle.
If it’s my life, I can give that up later.
Had I at least some time, I could’ve found an alternative.
But alas, there isn’t even time for that.
“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have been absent.”
So what if I succeeded in spreading the glory of Tariki?
I’ve failed to fulfill Tariki’s intentions.
As Nakrad bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, he was suddenly interrupted.
“Child.”
A voice had emerged.
“My child.”
The voice flowed in from the shadows, wrapping around him.
Nakrad recognized this voice.
He knew it was because he was Nakrad.
“Ah, Tariki.”
The apostle of the evil god quickly kneeled in worship.
Tears streamed down his face at the divine voice that spoke kindly despite his mistakes.
“Do not worry. Our core is prepared for everything.”
“Ah.”
“The powers bestowed by that figure will also be upon you.”
*
Days passed after starting the elimination of the dungeons around the Academy, and it was the day before midterms.
I was opening a book for the first time in a while, preparing for tomorrow’s test.
[Can you even call this studying? It’s just flipping through the pages.]
“My blessings remember, so it’s fine!”
[Young Lady, studying isn’t just about getting high scores…]
I had now become so adept at ignoring Grandpa’s nagging that I was casually retorting while scanning through the book’s contents.
Hmm! Still don’t understand it!
I’ve thought this for a long time, but trying to learn something from scratch without any basics or common sense is ridiculously hard.
To really study properly, I should probably start with books meant for kids around 7 or 8 years old.
I can’t just keep napping during classes forever, maybe I should at least pretend to study someday.
With that thought, I flipped through the pages and eventually closed the book, stretching my arms.
I had logged all the content I needed for tomorrow’s exam, and I could just double-check it right before the test.
Phew. Should I take a day off after the exam?
I’ve been living life pretty hectic, conquering dungeons.
I cleared three dungeons a day to get a bit of breathing room.
From the middle, I participated in battles directly instead of just commanding from the back for my skill levels.
Thanks to the hardships, I gained a lot.
My level shot past my target and hit 25, and my pockets were fuller thanks to picking up various little items.
Moreover, during this hands-on experience, I raised my mace and shield proficiencies significantly.
To the point where even Grandpa said I could hold a decent fight against any knight now.
Of course, “any knight” does not include the knights of the Alrn family.
According to Grandpa, the warriors training there were all exceptional beings, and I wasn’t fit to handle them yet.
If I want to fight seriously against our family’s knights, I’d need a lot more training.
That said, I could still feel that even in sparring, the sword seems to take care of me, but would the outcome really be different against our family’s knights?
Anyway, this rate of growth is unbelievably steep.
In gaming terms, it’s fast, to say the least.
My hard training in the Alrn family even before entering the academy has paid off.
I’m thinking I could even win against my upperclassmen who are strong in the second year now.
No matter how I think about it, this is thanks to that petty evil god.
Because of his constant interference, I was able to grow this quickly.
What kind of a thought did that petty god have watching his own obstruction help me?
“Lady Alrn!”
At the sound of knocking on the door and a girl’s voice, I turned my head.
Who’s visiting at this late hour? Isn’t it supposed to be bedtime for everyone?
Even if it weren’t late, there’s no one who would come to visit my dorm.
Is someone playing a prank?
Cockinga brow, I got up and opened the door to find Visi standing there.
“Lady!”
“What’s going on?”
“Please help me! I only have you to lean on!”
Help you?
I was bewildered by her words that flowed out without context, and Visi spat out an explanation.
Her story went like this.
This evening.
While talking with a ghost in a mansion, the ghost suddenly hid her in the closet.
Shortly after, a figure painted black barged into the mansion.
The ghost confronted this black figure with strange powers it had never shown before but was ultimately defeated, and the ghost was stabbed in the chest with a purple gem by the black figure.
“As soon as the stone was stabbed into Adri’s chest, a dungeon appeared there. Adri disappeared without a trace. She must have been sucked into that dungeon!”
Hearing Visi’s explanation, one thought crossed my mind.
Why is this incident happening so early?
The creation of a dungeon triggered by a ghost in a mansion was something that happened in the Soul Academy game.
As I said before, the one who creates dungeons in this world is none other than the petty evil god.
Like a god who leads various evil deities, he spreads chaos in the world by creating dungeons.
This is Agra’s unique power, but it can also be bestowed upon other evil gods.
The issue is that other evil gods who receive this power cannot create dungeons anywhere like Agra.
They need something strong or of historical significance to serve as a point of origin.
In that sense, the ghost of the mansion is a fitting catalyst.
Having been there for a long time, it has deep history, and yet carries enough grudge to become a lingering spirit.
But the fact that a dungeon emerged from a ghost as the catalyst occurs in the second year of the academy.
This means it’s something that happens a year later when Agra’s seal weakens.
So why is this happening now?
“Please help me, Lady Alrn. I beg you. Save Adri from the dungeon. I’ll do anything if you ask. Please.”
Seeing Visi, with her reddened eyes and tears dropping, made me sigh.
Wondering about the cause of something that had already occurred changes nothing.
What I need to think about is something else.
Whether to help Visi.
Or ignore her wishes.
If Visi’s request was simply to clear a common dungeon, I would’ve nodded without hesitation.
I could just bring Karl and Alsetin along and destroy it like I’d done with other dungeons.
But a dungeon created by a god other than Agra has different characteristics than usual.
It calls for a solo attack.
I’d have to conquer it all by myself.
That means I’d have to deal with everything that happens inside on my own.
Even if some ridiculous variables arise and I meet a grizzly end.
Can’t I just send Karl in to do it?
I wish I could, but that’d be too risky.
Regardless of whether Karl fears ghosts, that’s one issue from the past.
The theme there is spirits.
Just like when I faced the necromancer, they would be completely immune to physical attacks.
If I just send Karl in alone, he’d end up getting toyed with by the ghosts, making it impossible to conquer.
Unless he could infuse his mace with holy energy, but that’s a different story.
Ahhh.
I naturally know what a dungeon created with a ghost as the catalyst would be like.
I already have complete knowledge of what monsters would appear, what paths would be laid out, and how to take down the boss.
Difficulty?
With my current state, it would be totally conquerable.
The tricky part is two things.
One is that I can’t attack the monsters with physical strikes, and the other is that the various curses and debuffs those spirits use are unbelievably tricky, but either way, I can solve that.
Especially now that I have lessening grudges after giving the ribbon as a present, it’s quite doable.
That said, the only reason I’m hesitating is just one.
I have no idea what’s going to happen in there.
I can’t predict what that petty and wretched god, Agra, will do.
Look, even now, that thing is making me do something that shouldn’t be happening.
He’s probably waiting for me to be alone before stepping in.
Once I enter there, I’m sure he’ll be grinding his teeth to kill me.
Logically speaking, I should refuse.
This request amounts to whether a ghost will disappear or I’ll be dragged into some trouble with her.
Even though the girl standing right in front of me looks pitiful, it’s sensible to turn her down.
“Lady Alrn!”
I get it.
I get it.
Ahhh.
What the hell.
I just can’t bring myself to utter the word “no.”
– Ding.
As I was wiping my face, a sudden sound caught my attention.
This isn’t a dungeon, so there’s only one person who would be sending me a message.
That petty god.
[Quest: Save the Ghost!]
[Rescue the ghost, now the key to the dungeon!]
[Reward: Dungeon Escape Permit (advance payment)]
[On failure: None]
Huh?…
What? Dungeon Escape Permit?
Is it really what I think it is?
Ha.
Hahaha.
…
Petty god, do you know what you’re doing?
It’s been a long time since I’ve been your apostle, but it’s the first time I ponder your kindness.
If only you’d do this more often. Armadi.
If you want me to go, then I should.
All right then. Let’s go.
“Let’s go, Visi.”
“Let’s go, Lady’s Attendant.”
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