Chapter: 246
When the time arrived to head back after all the tales were told,
Phoebe bid farewell with a bright smile, wishing to see me tomorrow, yet cast nervous glances my way.
I sat in silence, wondering what else was left to say, until Phoebe carefully spoke up.
“Um, Young Lady. Did I help you today?”
Seeing her worry made me chuckle, unable to hold back a laugh. After a few restrained giggles, I replied,
“Of course, you did!”
“I didn’t feel any aura of the evil god, you know? If that pathetic saint didn’t help, what would I be?”
“Ah… that wasn’t what I meant!”
Watching Phoebe fumble reminded me just how much she had changed, far from the composed saint I knew in the game.
Was it because I’m the apostle of the pathetic god? Or perhaps she made mistakes she never would have in the game?
Regardless, I didn’t mind her current self. It was nice having a friend who was more human than a saint overflowing with detachment from the world.
“You were a huge help, Phoebe.”
“Definitely a big help. For a pathetic saint, that is.”
“…Then I’m glad to hear it.”
After Phoebe brightened up, waving goodbye, I was certain of her footsteps fading into the distance.
That was the moment I let out a loud cheer that shook the room.
A dungeon.
Not just any dungeon, but one that didn’t exist in the game. A completely unique one created by a multitude of variables in this world! A dungeon I hadn’t tackled yet!
I recalled how Grandpa once said to think of entering the mansion as conquering a dungeon, but now it had truly turned into a dungeon conquest?!
Hehehe… Hehehehe!
I couldn’t suppress the silly laughter bubbling out.
A new dungeon!
What a sweet promise that was.
Years had passed since the game Soul Academy was released.
I had completed everything possible within it, and now I was finally rewarded for my struggles to find ways to enjoy the game.
But wait, it wasn’t time for that yet.
I needed to think about what to prepare to tackle that dungeon!
Pulling an empty notebook from the shelf, I began jotting down all the information I had accumulated.
First and foremost, I had to acknowledge that the Burrow family had fallen under Nakrad’s grasp.
When we visited, Duke Burrow claimed to have nearly recovered from his illness.
If we assume that his affliction originated from resisting the evil god’s aura, then his recovery would mean he’s become consumed by that aura.
If even the duke could be swallowed whole, there was no way the others would remain unscathed.
Well, I thought the whole Burrow family wouldn’t be something to fret over.
Nakrad hadn’t done anything right the entire first semester, so there was no way he had the power to manipulate the entire Duke’s family.
His peak ability would probably just trap them in an eternal nightmare. He could manage maybe three or four knights at a time, along with a few lackeys of the evil god?
Considering the knights would have lost their minds, I could probably deal with them alone.
I knew the layout of the Burrow mansion by heart, so that wouldn’t be a problem.
And I could handle the traps Nakrad might lay out—they’d probably be the same old tricks.
Hmm. Ultimately, the focal point would be the boss battle.
Thinking about the structure of the dungeons Nakrad had created, I imagined the boss battle going something like this.
First, the mid-boss would be the inferior nobleman.
He’d appear first, and then the fake boss would be Duke Burrow. It would seem resolved at that point, but in reality, there’s a hidden stage.
That’s right—facing Nakrad himself.
I remembered all the strategies for the dungeons that existed in the game Soul Academy.
Dungeons may each have their own characteristics, but they can’t all be entirely different.
The dungeon’s theme. The creator of the dungeon. The boss. The existence of the dungeon itself.
With that information, I could sketch out the rough structure.
I organized all my thoughts in my notebook and flipped to the next page to consider what preparations I needed to make.
Having stuffed most of what I’d need into my inventory before heading to the Burrow mansion, there was no reason to worry about the little stuff.
I only needed to think about essentials.
First was boosting my personal specs.
At the very least, I had to be able to stall for time against Duke Burrow.
And as for party members…
I couldn’t just drag others into this sacred task of conquering a new dungeon! If I could avoid it, I’d prefer to act alone.
As I continued writing down needed items, I found my notebook rapidly filling up.
Ideally, I’d want to gather everything, but time was of the essence. The quicker I resolved this, the better.
I realized I needed to narrow down the essentials, but each item seemed crucial, and I found myself stuck.
Ugh, what should I give up here?!
[Young Lady.]
‘What is it?’
[I have one question. Why don’t you consider seeking help from others?]
‘Huh?’
[If that mansion is under the evil god’s influence, why not just borrow strength from elsewhere?]
What was Grandpa suddenly going on about?
[It’s simple. Even if the church is rotten, they wouldn’t ignore the traces of the evil god. If there’s a saint’s testimony, they would go all out to attack the Burrow family.]
I guess that makes sense. Even if it’s fallen apart, the church knows they can’t gain the support of multiple nations without at least fulfilling their minimum obligations. They’d surely help purge the evil god’s influence from the Burrow family.
[If the church seems untrustworthy, you could always ask your father for help. If you give him a reason based on the saint’s testimony, it would be easy to resolve everything.]
That made sense too. No matter how much Nakrad had grown since the first semester, that was still in comparison to the first semester itself.
He wouldn’t hold up against Benedict’s prowess, and if he set out to attack the Burrow family, I could easily deal with him.
[Why do you insist on resolving everything alone? Why jump into danger this time without seeking help?]
I could sense Grandpa’s underlying concern.
So I couldn’t bring myself to voice my true feelings.
How could I tell someone genuinely worried about me that I didn’t want to hand over the only content I had finally found after coming to this world?
Even I think I’d lost it, but what would someone else say?
Of course, that wasn’t my sole reason, but it was still something I didn’t want to put into words.
I hesitated, unsure how to respond, and Grandpa began questioning me earnestly.
[Did your god command you to handle everything alone?]
That wasn’t the case. The pathetic god hadn’t given me any orders yet. The quest notification still indicated it was in the process of counting the rewards.
[If that’s not the case, do you think you can bear the deaths resulting from your actions…?]
“Come on, old man, that’s enough.”
It was the Clumsy Fox who cut off Grandpa’s interrogation. She had somehow climbed onto the desk, resting her elbow on her mace as if to stand firm.
“Why are you being so dramatic when nothing has even started yet?”
[Master of the Forest, you do not understand the dangers posed by the evil god. Any number of unpredictable events could arise from entanglement with them. So…]
“Does the kid who almost died multiple times due to the evil god not know?!”
[…]
“I’ll ask a question for you instead. It’s not why you would make such choices, but rather if you are confident in succeeding with them.”
Clumsy Fox scolded Grandpa with a seriousness not typical of her usual self, then turned her gaze toward me.
It wasn’t hard to grasp the meaning there. She wanted me to answer her question.
‘I’m confident.’
“What do you think of me? Of course, I’m confident!”
Whether it’s the inferior nobleman, Duke Burrow, the knights in the mansion, Nakrad, or the dark evil god—they’re all opponents I’ve taken down countless times.
If this were a game, I could squish them barehanded in my underwear if I wanted to!
I wouldn’t be throwing myself into danger without knowing it; I could prepare and face them calmly, so there was no way I would fail.
The rot of Soul Academy surely can’t lead me to fail this!
– Ding!
Just as I solidified my thoughts, a notification chimed along with a blue window appearing.
[A new quest has been granted!]
[Defeat the Apostle of the Evil God!]
[An apostle of the evil god has hidden in the Burrow mansion! Use your power to eliminate him!]
[Reward: Unleashing one potential of Ruel’s Mace, ???]
…Hah.
Pathetic god, you were waiting for me to make my decision, weren’t you?
You’ve been eavesdropping the whole time, huh?!
Ugh, so annoying.
While I grumbled internally, I couldn’t help but smile. This guy was actually backing my choice.
[Reward from the previous quest has been provided…]
“Well, then I’ll be taking my leave…”
Just as Clumsy Fox tried to leave, lifting her elbow off the mace, I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck.
“What? What now? This time, I have nothing to offer you!”
‘Uh…’
“Hey, Clumsy Fox, when did you start being able to talk to Grandpa?!”
I hadn’t heard anything about that!
*
The next day, after resolutely deciding to attack the Burrow family,
I used the teleportation route to arrive in the Alrn territory and headed straight to the church because I had a favor to ask Johan.
“Are you the lady of the Artea family? Yes. As you say, I hold the connections. If you provide your name, it’s definitely possible for a personal meeting.”
That was precisely Isabel Artea. I aimed to reclaim the tablet she had taken from me while I had suffered humiliation to obtain it.
To overpower Nakrad, I needed the items I could acquire through that tablet.
Of course, getting back that tablet wouldn’t be easy. Isabel had a tendency to cling to items related to the pathetic god, so she wouldn’t just hand over the tablet imbued with his aura.
But I was confident I could regain the tablet from her.
Thanks to the precious item provided by the pathetic god as a reward for discovering the anomaly at the Burrow mansion last night, I would be able to feel his divinity on my skin.
Isabel wouldn’t be able to refuse this.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
