Chapter: 182
Karl sat on the chair, staring blankly at the sword Lucy had gifted him.
The sword, now cracked from blocking Karia’s dagger.
In this moment, what dominated Karl’s mind was a sense of helplessness.
He thought he was strong enough.
He believed he could shake off any threat aimed at the Young Lady.
But what was he doing when the Young Lady’s life was in danger?
He couldn’t even keep up with the opponent’s movements.
Not even the hand holding that dagger, let alone the path it swung in.
If it weren’t for the Protective Brooch, if it weren’t for that other being guarding the Young Lady, if it weren’t for the deity’s protection…
He would have had to watch the Young Lady collapse right before his eyes.
He was weak.
So very weak.
As his fist clenched around the table, cracks started to spread through it when the door creaked open.
Springing to his feet, Karl rushed towards the priest who had just emerged.
“Is the Young Lady okay?!”
“She’s fine. She’s just sleeping due to exhaustion, but she’ll wake up soon.”
Upon hearing the priest’s reassurance, Karl collapsed to the floor like a deflated balloon.
Thank goodness.
Really, thank goodness.
Seriously…
“When are you going to just sit there?”
It was Alsetin who finally lifted Karl up after he had been sitting on the floor for a while.
He hoisted Karl up and tossed him onto the chair, then noticed the redness of Karl’s face and sighed dramatically.
Sitting across from him with a frown, he spoke in a flat tone.
“I know your mind is muddled because of your helplessness, but if Young Lady Alrn is in good health, isn’t that enough for you?”
“Well, I guess.”
“Helplessness can be shaken off in the future. Isn’t that right?”
“No, you’re right.”
Regretting the past does nothing to change it.
What mattered was not letting the same thing happen again.
To do that, he’d have to continuously strive.
To become a knight worthy of the Young Lady.
He had been too arrogant during this time.
Having met his long-awaited master, he had forgotten something truly important.
There were many things to do once he returned to the Alrn family.
With his mind barely settled, Karl let out a long breath and lifted his head again.
“Speaking of which, Alsetin, are you okay?”
“What about?”
“Why do you keep asking when you already know?”
Complaining about Karl’s lack of sensitivity, Alsetin let out a sigh and continued.
“That was the Master, but it wasn’t really the Master.”
Alsetin recalled the moment he faced Karia.
He hadn’t understood a single signal from his informants.
He couldn’t even follow the basic things he had been taught.
He felt as if he were being looked at like a bug.
That couldn’t have been his Master.
His Master couldn’t have been like that.
His Master wouldn’t make such basic mistakes.
The one who used to insist on gathering even the tiniest information wouldn’t recklessly swing a weapon like that.
That woman, who was too emotional for someone from the underworld, wouldn’t have a face like that when they parted ways, crying rivers of tears.
“That’s all.”
After responding like that, Alsetin fell into silence, and Karl didn’t ask anything further.
A heavy silence settled naturally over the table.
*
When Karl came to his senses, he saw the gray ceiling.
The familiar sight he had seen every morning since arriving on Menestel Street.
[Are you awake?]
‘Grandpa.’
[I was worried since you’ve been asleep for a long time.]
‘So we made it out of the dungeon safely, right?’
[Yes.]
Hearing Grandpa’s confirmation, Karl rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief.
As his vision cleared, the memory of Karia’s expressionless eyes surfaced.
Those killing eyes that activated the Mesugaki skill just by being looked at.
The attack that followed.
If it hadn’t been for the Protective Brooch, if that Clumsy Fox hadn’t been beside him, he would have lost his head to that dagger.
Karia’s movements had been too swift for him, Alsetin, and Karl—even the Iron Wall skill couldn’t keep up with her.
Perhaps because he was recalling that fear, a throbbing pain coursed through his head.
He had faced near-death experiences multiple times, but he could never get used to that feeling of teetering between life and death.
And it was likely to remain the same moving forward.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sat up and realized his body did not feel right at all.
When he first possessed Lucy’s body, he wasn’t as aware. But now, he had undergone so much training that he felt far from exhaustion.
He could wake up refreshed even after moving his body like crazy all day.
So, why did he feel so heavy right now?
It was true that he had pushed his body to its limits to endure against Karia, but not to this extent.
“That’s the effect from the Young Lady’s influence.”
As his head throbbed and he frowned, he heard the voice of the Clumsy Fox.
She lay in the sunlight streaming through the window, peeking at him with one eye open.
“Do you remember? That I said your level was still lacking, so you couldn’t draw out your full strength?”
‘Yeah.’
“Right. You proclaimed yourself to be helpless.”
“To break that restriction, I borrowed your vitality this time. Being a bit unwell for a while is better than losing your life, don’t you think?”
‘Wait. Vitality…’
“Clumsy Fox. Are you saying vitality refers to lifespan?”
“You think the Young Lady is some kind of demon? It’s nothing like that. You’ll just feel a bit worse for a while. You’ll recover in about two days, so there’s no need to worry.”
After finishing her explanation, the Clumsy Fox closed her eyes, insisting that he shouldn’t disturb her since she was tired.
Normally, she would be full of herself, but if she was closing her eyes like that, she must not be feeling well either.
Is that pervert my life saver?
Back when he first found the Clumsy Fox in his bag, he thought she was a bothersome burden. How unpredictable life could be!
He saved my life, so I suppose I should repay her…
Nah, I shouldn’t say something pointless and end up in a predicament. Her perverted tastes are beyond my imagination.
Maybe I should just get her a gift.
Letting out a long sigh, he leaned back against the wall and opened his quest window.
The quest to rescue Menestel was still sitting there.
Hey, Armadi, did you give me this with the belief that I could wake up from this?
If it was a game, it would’ve been possible. With my current specs, I could break Karia if I pushed through.
But that’s only a story for when it was a game. This isn’t the reality we’re in right now.
This is clearly pushing me to my death. You garbage!
Don’t you have anything to say? When I compared you to Agral, you tossed out some prank quests, but now you’re silent?
Isn’t it normal to face-plant into the ground if your apostle almost died because of your incompetence?
This is so infuriating.
Frustrated, he was about to slam his fist down on the bed when his head suddenly spun dizzily.
Barely grasping his blurry consciousness, he let out a hollow laugh.
Great. Dizziness? I thought that was a term distant from me.
Am I becoming a sickly Mesugaki girl?
Seems like the name would give me trouble if I tried to teach you a lesson.
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