Chapter: 266
Isabel and Phoebe didn’t lift their heads until long after I had completed all the procedures.
The sight of Isabel, who looked like she would burst into tears at any moment, and Phoebe, who was all flustered, was quite burdensome, but I decided to pretend I didn’t know anything.
I didn’t want to accidentally set off a trigger that would blow everything up.
Fortunately, Isabel didn’t make another fuss and instead headed to her storage, returning with a small pouch.
“This is a pocket space. The items you requested are inside.”
A pouch worth several hundred platinum coins, perhaps?
I intended to return everything that was left after the job, but it’s hard to shake off my conscience.
If you’re going to lay the foundations, you have to lay them to the end, but I just can’t do that.
…I’ll visit whenever the opportunity arises anyway. I’ll probably get some brownie points for pretending to pray for Isabel each time.
So, this means the groundwork for the miracle is finally complete.
Now it’s just a matter of saving people.
Speaking of people, I only truly need three. The rest are just nice-to-haves—good to have around but not necessary.
Since I’m determined to tackle this with the minimum number of people, even if I do add a couple, it shouldn’t be too many.
“Um, Lady Alrn.”
While I was checking my plans in my head, Isabel gently spoke up.
“May I ask what miracle you are trying to perform?”
“I’m curious about that too, my lady. I haven’t heard any concrete plans yet.”
Explaining wouldn’t be difficult. I’d already shared all about being the apostle of that sloppy god, so sharing my plan feels like a given.
But if I say it now, I’ll just have to explain it all over again later.
Given that even my grandfather thought my plan was nonsense, I’ll need to clarify why this can actually work.
So, I’d prefer to wait until I have Johan—the main part of the plan—before progressing.
With that thought in mind, I asked Isabel to bring Johan over, and she easily nodded.
“You mean Bishop Johan from Alrn Territory? Understood. I’ll send a spatial mage to fetch him.”
‘…A spatial mage?!’
“Does this seemingly useless family really have a spatial mage?”
A spatial mage refers to a wizard focused on practicing magic related to space.
Telekinesis, teleportation, pocket spaces—you don’t need one, but if you have it, life feels a bit more luxurious.
“Yes, despite the rough exterior, I lead a large trading company. We can never have too many spatial mages. We have even contracted several individually and employ many from the company.”
True, while Isabel appeared quite shabby and disgusting in front of me, she was originally the head of a massive trading company.
It’s no wonder she’d have a spatial mage hired privately considering the kind of business she has to juggle.
Well, this works in my favor. I actually need a spatial mage I can use.
Originally, I planned to rush through the Newman family to scrape up some help, but if there’s a spatial mage from the Artea family, that changes everything.
‘So, what about that spatial mage…?’
“What kind of idiot contracted with that perverted fanatic?”
“Could you tell me the necessary conditions?”
Before I could even finish my question, Isabel adjusted her posture. She immediately understood what it meant when I showed interest.
Definitely a merchant.
‘So…’
“They should be able to transport about seven at once. They need to be tight-lipped too. Besides those two requirements… um, I just hope they aren’t spineless wimps who cry at every little thing.”
“Well, our spatial mage fits the bill perfectly.”
*
“Are you trying to defeat the evil god?”
After roughly hearing the explanation from Lucy, Johan let out a long sigh.
An apostle of the evil god who has laid waste to the Burrow family. A massive dark magic is being prepared there; this is a special operation to stop it.
Nothing about this isn’t absurd.
If an ordinary kid had said something like that, they would have been scolded for being reckless.
But this explanation came from Lucy, the one who performed miracles in Menestel. She is loved by the great god.
Could she lie?
Not a chance.
“I understand what you’re saying.”
As Johan nodded, Phoebe beside him let out a sigh of relief.
However, it didn’t last long. When Johan met Phoebe’s eyes, his expression hardened once again.
Because Johan knew Phoebe’s true identity, he treated her very cautiously long ago. He probably still struggles with past memories.
Honestly, Johan still doesn’t like Phoebe all that much. Her very existence symbolizes the corruption of the Church of the Lord.
Yet, knowing that the one who possesses the Lord’s love is beside me, Johan is just forcing himself to suppress that feeling.
Johan shifts his gaze from Phoebe back to Lucy.
“However, you’re missing the most crucial part. How do you plan to drive off the evil god’s presence?”
“Well, I was just about to explain. You hot-headed bishop; always so impatient.”
Though I insulted Johan, he remained composed.
He knew the fierce Lucy from her childhood. Compared to that, her current self is nothing to him.
“That’s why kids run away the moment they see you, you devil of a fool.”
…That might be a bit over the top.
“The plan is simple. We’re going to create a sun right in the middle of Burrow Territory.”
“A sun…? You mean a sun?”
“You’re saying we’re going to create a sun?”
Everyone in the Artea family’s reception room showed their confusion, but Lucy’s face didn’t express anything but confidence.
“I’ll explain. I’ll put it in terms even hopeless fools like you can understand.”
When Johan first heard Lucy’s words, he was filled with doubt.
Creating a sun? How is that even possible?
However, as Lucy continued speaking, Johan’s thoughts began to change.
Despite being distanced from the mainstream factions of the church, Johan worked his way up to bishop; he’s someone who has perfected his skills through relentless effort.
Thus, he could understand that Lucy’s seemingly absurd words were indeed feasible.
“I think you’ve explained it in a way that even a monkey could understand.”
Once all the details were done, Lucy straightened her shoulders, but Isabel and Phoebe beside her still appeared confused.
Johan understood their sentiments well.
“It’s unstable. It’s extremely dangerous and a gamble with no factual basis.”
Even Johan, who grasped Lucy’s plan perfectly, rated it this way. It’d be odd to simply accept it without question.
“What are you trying to say, hot-headed bishop?”
“It’s simple, my lady.”
And right now, Johan added,
“I want in on this.”
What a strange person he is.
The one who is loved by the Lord is willing to risk his life for someone else’s salvation.
He’s ready to throw away his own life to defeat the evil god and save humanity.
Is it possible for someone to stand beside me and even participate in performing miracles?
Hah! If that’s the case, I could easily toss in the remainder of this old man’s lifespan!
“However, my lady, there are a few suggestions I’d like to make.”
“Spill it, hot-headed bishop.”
“Yes. In the initial phase of the plan…”
*
After leaving the Artea family and heading back to the dormitory, I praised myself for pulling Johan into this.
Originally, I had intended to summon Johan as a precaution and to create a justification for Phoebe to act, but he played a bigger role than I anticipated.
The plan, based on the knowledge from the game, is now being stabilized thanks to Johan’s depth of knowledge in sacred magic.
As a result, the gift I prepared for Taliki became significantly more perfect.
Of course, it’s still not complete. One last hurdle remains to finalize the plan.
That is getting the muscle to protect us until the sun is complete.
According to Alsetin’s report, the Burrow Territory is already engulfed by the evil god’s presence.
If we prepare to create a sun there, all the people in the territory would likely come running.
A few might withstand it alone, but if the entire territory tries to crush us, that’s a different matter.
That would be an impossible situation to handle.
Even if I took Kal or Alsetin with me, it would be the same.
They might not fall, but they wouldn’t be able to perfectly protect the miracle in the face of a crowd.
At times like this, the best approach would be to use the knights from the Alrn family, including Benedict. But they stick out way too much. If the knights start preparing for deployment, everyone would know something is up.
The same goes for everyone else. If their movements are too noticeable or there isn’t certainty that they’d follow my orders…
Adri does seem to fit the criteria I desire, but if I take her along, it could lead to a purification of Adri too, so it’s not feasible.
Lost in thoughts about all these considerations, I ultimately decided to reach for a forbidden means.
“…You want to bring the real body of that goofy fox?”
‘Yes.’
“Fine.”
The real body of the goofy fox.
Asking for help from the guardian of the forest.
Thinking it over, the goofy fox is indeed the best choice.
It has enough power to fend off crowds.
Plus, it is always holed up in the forest, so no one would even notice if it vanished.
Not to mention, there’s a certainty that it would keep the secret safe.
Despite knowing this, the reason I kept postponing asking the goofy fox for help was simple.
“The guardian of the forest’s existence is the very essence of the forest. No matter how strong your request is, there are realms it cannot grant.”
I had no clue how much I’d have to sacrifice to ask the guardian of the forest to clear the area.
But now, there’s no other way.
Right now, this is my best hand.
So I give up my dignity.
To save the people of the Burrow Territory.
To mess with Taliki.
To shove a mace into Naklad’s face.
To conquer the new dungeon.
“Are you listening?”
I approached the goofy fox, who had transformed into a human form and was lecturing me while sitting on the bed.
To let my breath brush against its perked ears, which, despite the frown on its forehead, were excited.
“Really?♡”
“Yikes?!”
“I’ve prepared something you’re going to enjoy, you disgusting pervert♡. Aren’t you curious?♡ Hmm?♡ Pervert fox♡”
“That… that won’t sway me, you know.”
“Bonnie girl. You miss seeing her, right?♡”
As soon as I mentioned the bonnie girl, the goofy fox shut its mouth.
Haha. This perverted idiot, I knew you’d react that way.
“You’re feeling nostalgic, huh?♡ Of course you would♡ I mean, you’ve checked out her neck, collarbone, and underarms, right?♡ Just like the disgusting pervert you are?♡”
“Y…I never did such a thing.”
“Where did that trashy request of ‘please step on me~♡’ come from again? It’s strange, I’m picking up a scent of trash from you♡.”
I could see the goofy fox’s eyes trembling without mercy beside its face.
It must be battling between instincts and reason.
“Th… that doesn’t change the fact that it’s unacceptable! It might be a stain on my soul!”
“Ah, so you’re saying you don’t need it?♡”
“Of course!”
“What a shame~♡ That means I’ll just have to throw away the collar I prepared for the masochistic pervert~♡”
“…The collar?”
“Or should I give it to that useless dog?♡ He would definitely be thrilled…”
As I giggled, the goofy fox desperately grabbed my hands.
Its grip was so strong that I was slightly shaken, but the goofy fox didn’t care about that at all.
It just knelt on the floor and cried out earnestly.
“No! There’s no need for that! I will help you! No, please, let me help you! I’m begging you!”
In the end, it couldn’t overcome its instincts. This trashy perverted fox.
I mean, it’s the guardian of the forest? How would the life forms living in that forest react if they saw this?
Ah well. Whatever. This means the preparations for the plan are done.
…
Sigh. Life is really something.
Taiki, you bastard.
I’m going to release all the frustrations, humiliation, and anger piling up in my heart onto you.
You better not think to die quietly.
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