Chapter: 130
Phoebe stared blankly at her surroundings.
The yellow walls were covered in graffiti from various children, and the old, battered furniture looked like it might fall apart at any moment.
Whenever the wind blew inside, it brought with it a musty smell, and the kitchen, where meal times were nearing, was filled more with shouts and screams than laughter.
This place, the orphanage, was a cherished and beautiful memory for the young Phoebe.
Normally, it would have been lively with countless kids running around, but today it felt unusually quiet, as if everyone who stayed here had left her behind.
“How do you like it, Phoebe?”
Feeling the strangeness, Phoebe tilted her head. At that moment, a warm and gentle voice came from behind her.
There stood a man.
He was dressed in pure white, absolutely spotless, and the warmth emanating from his outstretched hand could be felt even from a distance. His face glowed with a divine light that made it impossible for Phoebe to even gaze upon him.
“Lord Armadi.”
Lord Armadi? Phoebe felt a sense of confusion at her own words before shaking her head.
What am I thinking? This is Lord Armadi! The ruler of countless gods, the one who showered love equally in this world.
A great deity I have revered until now and will continue to do so.
Phoebe, how could you doubt that?
“I chose the scene of the orphanage you spent your childhood in as the place to converse with you. Do you like it?”
“Did you recreate this place, Armadi?”
“Yes. It is the place most precious to you, isn’t it?”
Armadi’s words were true. This orphanage was the place Phoebe valued above all.
Before she undertook the role of a saintess, this was where she could laugh purely and play with friends without a care in the world.
Even now, she sometimes dreamt of running around in the orphanage, so if this place wasn’t precious to her, then where would be?
“It has been a long time since you’ve seen this scenery, so shall we chat while wandering about?”
“…Is it truly alright for me to speak with you, Armadi? You have already heard all my prayers; I am not a worthy person.”
She harbored hatred and jealousy towards others and even wished for their downfall. She couldn’t contain her curiosity and ended up making a deal with an evil god’s apostle.
Many of her wrongdoings piled up in her memories, so how could it be alright to converse with the great deity?
As Phoebe gathered her hands and bowed her head, Armadi stepped forward and lifted her face with his warm hand.
“What are you saying? If the saintess, who has worked harder than anyone else, doesn’t deserve to converse with me, who else would?”
“But…”
“Haven’t I told you before? Making mistakes is fine. What matters is…”
“Whether you can repent and correct your wrongs afterward.”
“Exactly. So don’t say you aren’t worthy. Don’t you still have opportunities left?”
Oh, merciful one! Even forgiving and embracing such a wretched sinner like me makes me so happy that I don’t know what to do!
“Now, let’s move and talk slowly. You must have much to share.”
As Armadi extended his hand, Phoebe hesitated for a moment before taking it.
Ah, Lord Armadi! You repay my faith in this manner. My faith has truly not been in vain.
If this is a dream, I wish never to wake up. I hope I can remain in this dream forever by your side.
As she thought that inwardly, Phoebe suddenly felt a sense of discomfort but shook her head to ignore it.
How could she think of anything else when the being she longed to meet was right beside her?
*
“Phoebe…”
“That pathetic saintess is trapped in an illusion?”
“Indeed. She has no intention of waking from the illusion. She has settled into a fantasy that could never occur in reality and wishes for it to last a lifetime.”
What a foolish, dim-witted child. The clumsy fox chuckled while speaking.
No less than Phoebe herself has fallen into a fantasy.
I knew she was unstable compared to when she was in the game, but I never believed it was this serious. After succeeding in the prayer of purification, she should have regained some self-esteem, so why…
I pressed my palm against my forehead as the thoughts in my head tangled together.
Such incidents weren’t unheard of at Soul Academy. If a character entered a trial with a low mental strength stat, they could certainly fall prey to an illusion.
But there were several characters entirely immune to this trial.
In the case of Frey, even when facing what she desired in an illusion, she remained unshaken, and Phoebe had always overcome it regardless of her mental fortitude, so there shouldn’t have been any issue.
Thinking about it won’t help. The blunder has already happened.
“Lady Alrn. Lina said if things continue like this, Phoebe will sleep for eternity. What should we do?”
‘Wait a minute.’
“Hey, you silly lady, hush.”
Sighing as Joy’s voice was on the verge of tears, I interrupted her.
Is there no way? Of course there is. If there weren’t, I wouldn’t have thought of participating in this trial in the first place.
It’s simple. The one who created this illusion is right in front of us. Naturally, the solution lies with her.
I glanced at the clumsy fox, who seemed completely unaware of the atmosphere. The moment our eyes met, she grinned wider.
“If you’re thinking of asking for help, I’ll have to decline. Trials are trials after all. Even if things go wrong, that is something for her to bear.”
This clumsy fox grows more favorably inclined towards someone as their charm increases.
If one’s charm reaches the peak, it’s possible for them to offer everything they have to that person. In some cases, they would even volunteer to become a slave.
So, to say you can’t do it means you didn’t have enough charm, and that’s just how it is.
The solution is simple. Just raise that charm high enough to mesmerize the clumsy fox in return.
As luck would have it, I had several items in my inventory that could boost my charm stats.
‘Lina…’
“You silly fox. I have something I want to talk about with you.”
“Do you want to be alone with me? Is this a confession? Being proactive is good, but be careful with a lady’s heart…”
‘It’s not that.’
“Shut it. Sharing space with such a creepy pervert is disgusting, but since I tolerate it, you better be grateful.”
“Ah, having such sharp glances and insults is exhilarating. It makes my body tingle all over.”
Even when I watched it from behind the monitor, every line had a breaking feel to it, but in real life? It’s so much worse. It’s downright gross, sending chills down my spine. Seriously.
But what can I do? She’s the only solution.
After saying I would handle it myself, I sent Joy and Frey outside before retrieving an item from my inventory.
The first was Lano’s Sweet Perfume—this consumable instantly enhances charm stats when sprayed on the body.
“Oh, this scent is wonderful. With this fragrance added to the flower that is you, the bees won’t know what hit them.”
‘Now…’
“Are you thinking of listening to my request now?”
“No. You are beautiful, but not enough.”
The clumsy fox stretched her lips into a grin and tried to butter me up, but her level of compliance was still insufficient. The next items I pulled out were various cosmetics—items handpicked from all the available consumables.
I had learned the proper usage before entering the academy from Erin, so I had no hesitation in applying them.
“Wow. This is interesting. Beauty can indeed be layered over beauty. However, it’s still not enough to shake me.”
Still not enough? What? Why? I’ve almost got you! Can’t we just round up and let it slide? Why can’t you be reasonable for once?
There were still options left. One particular item was taking up a prime spot in my inventory.
It was something that would boost my charm far greater than any item I had used until now.
Ugh. I really didn’t want to use this!
‘Um, Lady Lina…’
“Hey, clumsy fox. Don’t leer like a pervert. Just get lost. And come in when I call for you.”
“Huh? Is there still something left? Should I expect something to steal my heart?”
‘Can you please just go away?’
“Are you too dense to understand? I said get lost, you pervert.”
“…Got it. I’ll step outside for a moment.”
Once the clumsy fox with her uncontrollable grin left, I placed the bunny girl outfit on the bed from my inventory.
I was planning to burn it when I returned, but now I find myself needing to wear it? What the heck.
[Will you wear it?]
‘Ugh?!’
“Ugh?!”
Startled by the sudden voice, I shrank my shoulders and exhaled heavily, realizing Grandpa was nearby.
‘This is the fastest and easiest way, you know.’
It’s not that there aren’t alternatives. Given a few days, I could discover dozens of ways to awaken Phoebe.
But when there’s an immediate solution, why would I want to waste time? I was the one who suggested we participate in the trial first, so it’s only right I take responsibility.
[You’re struggling, huh.]
‘Thanks for the comfort. But that’s that, and you should stay in the inventory for a bit.’
[What?! Little girl! Wait.]
I really don’t want to etch any dark history into the eyes of someone who’s been constantly by my side for 24 hours, you know? I’d have that to deal with later.
I placed Grandpa into the inventory and gazed at the bunny girl outfit on the bed while letting out a long sigh.
It’s alright. I’ll just show it to that clumsy fox. If I just endure the shameless ramblings of that crazy fox, I shouldn’t have any issues.
Having completed my mental self-justification, I placed my hand over the armor’s connection point.
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