Chapter: 285
Karia took me to a place that wasn’t too far away.
We ended up in a back alley of the bustling area where the Artea port is located. It was just a few minutes’ walk from the Artea Mansion.
“Artea port is a hotspot for many travelers coming and going. It’s a perfect place for hiding something or spreading rumors.”
I think I get what she’s saying.
Most of the people hanging around here are sailors.
They might stay for a few days and then head elsewhere, bouncing around and maybe returning here someday.
It’s hard to remember anyone in a place where the faces change daily.
“But for the employer, you’re the exception. It feels like rumors are bound to spread about you.”
‘Right.’
“Exactly. I never thought there’d be so many disgusting perverts around. Trash that could work like dogs their whole lives and still not even get to kiss my toes don’t know their place.”
Yet, amidst all those people, I felt like I was the one who would remain in this port.
Every time I took a step, people’s gazes followed me.
Since I came to this world, I had always been the center of attention.
Usually, it was the negative kind, but being in the spotlight was just part of my daily life.
Back then, most of the gazes directed at me were filled with discomfort. The history tied to the name Lucy Alrn instilled fear in people.
But today was different. Today, the looks thrown my way carried a weird, sticky sensation.
It’s not that they didn’t know the name Lucy Alrn. The moment our eyes met, they instantly averted their gazes in horror, proving they were well aware of my notoriety.
So, these guys are sending me those kinds of stares even knowing my reputation?
Was the change in my status that dramatic?
No matter how much I stared into the mirror, I couldn’t see a significant difference!
“I’m glad it worked out just as planned.”
‘Planned? For this?’
“Bunch of snakes, really. What am I aiming for?”
“Couldn’t you just say I look like a fox instead? Saying I’m like a snake makes me sound too lethal.”
‘Isn’t a fox still worse?’
“A fox? Are you actually aiming to be compared to that clumsy fox?”
“…Well, not exactly. Yeah. A snake is better. A snake is good.”
Karia, nodding her head, finally blocked out the surrounding noise and answered my question.
“To escape the suspect list of the Inquisition, we need to create an alibi that shows you weren’t in Burrow Territory.”
Aah. Right. If I make a mark among the port people, no one would suspect I had stayed with the Burrow Family.
So that’s why she said I didn’t need to hide my face.
“And along the way, I wanted to make sure you notice your own changes.”
‘… Unnecessary consideration.’
“Typical of an old lady to be so flustered. Live a little younger. Are you planning to live alone forever?”
“…If it weren’t for the grace I’ve received!”
Seeing Karia’s hand shake with fury as if she wanted to give me a playful slap, I hastily zipped my mouth shut.
After a few more minutes of walking, we arrived at a restaurant.
It was bustling with people, filled with the sounds of diners enjoying their meals.
Watching a robust lady commanding the raucous sailors effortlessly, I couldn’t help but glance at Karia.
I wanted to ask if Jakal was around here.
“This is the place.”
Karia, saying I’d know when I saw it, grabbed a waiter and spoke to him.
The waiter led us to a private room on the second floor, and when Karia tugged on a deer antler décor on the wall, a passage leading downstairs emerged.
“Is the suspicion gone now?”
I couldn’t answer that. The secret place Karia made was stirring my soul.
What is this! This is so cool! It’s like something out of a spy movie!
Wow. How has Karia set up such a system so soon after breaking the evil god’s curse? Talk about way too competent!
“It’s not a big deal. I just tweaked the system my disciple set up a bit.”
If this is ‘not a big deal,’ then what does Karia define as something truly significant?
Is this the skill of someone who stood beside Benedict back in the day?
I’m really glad she’s on my side.
…From now on, I need to tone down my comments about her age and being a spinster a bit.
“Here we are.”
Jakal was sleeping in one of the many rooms hidden underground.
His faint breathing, which could stop at any moment. His furrowed brows, a soft murmur that didn’t quite make sense.
His state looked a lot like Phoebe’s the last time she was defeated against Naklad.
“How about it? Do you think the employer can handle this?”
‘Yeah.’
“Why are you even asking that? Instead of worrying about something so pointless, why not think about how to grab a man’s heart?”
“Seriously, just stop talking.”
Ignoring Karia’s rambling, I focused my gaze on Jakal.
Then I detected the presence of Taliki, pulsating deep within Jakal’s heart.
He was gripping his heart, slowly seeping his magic into his blood, trying to stain his entire body with his aura.
As I examined him, I could really feel what it meant to have elevated divine rank.
[You can see it now.]
‘Yeah. I can see it clearly.’
Before, I couldn’t sense even a bit of Taliki’s presence.
Not when Phoebe fell. Not when Naklad seized Burrow Territory. I only realized Taliki was messing around because someone mentioned it; I couldn’t visually pick up on his energy.
But now, it’s possible.
With my divine power heightened and my body transformed accordingly, I can now see Taliki’s energy.
I could feel the agony hidden within Jakal’s body.
[Then I have nothing else to say. Just do as you wish.]
‘Got it.’
Taking a deep breath, I spread my divine power within me.
Earlier today, after a tough battle, my power had been exhausted, but now it filled me anew with a more substantial intensity.
It only took a moment to wrap my body in that warm energy.
This was all set; now it was time to begin.
I was going to truly use Armadi’s Mercy.
Until now, I had only thought of Armadi’s Mercy as a mere skill. Like in the game, I saw it as merely restoring health and curing ailments.
In reality, I had always employed Armadi’s Mercy like that, without giving it much more thought.
My rotting knowledge from Soul Academy had only allowed me to see it in such a limited way.
However, through the course of the skill tutorial, my perception changed. I realized a fact I hadn’t considered.
Armadi’s Mercy, as indicated by its godly name, is a skill that grants a portion of Armadi’s power.
It’s not just a simple healing technique but a way to share a fragment of divine power.
Even if he’s pathetic and incompetent, driven solely by fulfilling his perverted interests, he’s still a deity.
If I received a part of his power, there’s no way it would only allow for this much.
Becoming Armadi’s apostle and inheriting a part of his divinity, I realized the essence of this skill.
To relieve suffering.
Restoring health and dispelling ailments were merely supplementary effects.
The true essence of Armadi’s Mercy was to alleviate suffering.
Even though I rambled on like I knew what I was saying, I still hadn’t precisely grasped this capability.
I only learned the true power of Armadi’s Mercy this very morning; how could I be expected to perfect it now?
Still, I didn’t feel any worry.
Even though I might have more unknowns than knowns, I could definitely drive out the energy of a gloomy turd planning revenge after getting slap by a little girl.
I’d probably be capable of saving a poor teenage brat suffering in nightmares.
Gathering divinity in my hand, I placed it above Jakal’s heart. Instantly, my divine energy flowed into him through our touching skin.
The energy of Taliki embedded deep within his heart thrashed like it was trying to escape the light.
It was as if it was trying desperately to prevent the ultimate energy from entering its territory.
However, all that struggling was meaningless.
The rank of my divinity was surely above that of Naklad, who had sown darkness within him. No matter how much darkness struggled, it would lose its place before the light.
At some point, perhaps realizing it couldn’t hold out, Taliki’s energy suddenly vanished.
He probably thought he could escape this body.
Watching his pathetic attempts at evasion brought a smirk to my face.
What meaning was there in hiding somewhere within Jakal’s body?
As long as Taliki’s energy remained in Jakal and was causing him agony, the darkness could never escape my sight.
If I wanted to, I could chase that energy down and nullify it persistently, but I wasn’t interested in doing that.
I leisurely filled Jakal’s body with my divinity.
As the sun rises, making the darkness retreat, so too did Taliki’s energy seem to lose ground within Jakal.
It fought desperately, trying to survive by any means, but there was a limit to its escape.
Escape requires somewhere to run, after all.
If you find yourself blocked at a dead-end, you can only close your eyes and wait for death.
“Yo, loser Taliki♡”
Eventually, Taliki’s energy stopped even struggling and was consumed by my divinity.
“I’ll make sure to torment you just like this later♡ Look forward to it♡”
Not long after, confirming the disappearance of Taliki’s energy, I withdrew my divinity from within Jakal’s body.
Indeed, moving my divine power felt much smoother than before.
I might not know about the outside, but it seems a lot has changed within me.
Hmm. I wonder if my physical abilities have changed too?
When I get back, I should ask Karl for a sparring session.
I need to find out just how far I can go.
– Ding!
Hm? What’s this?
A reward?
A new quest?
[You have purified the one bound by the evil god!]
[Having saved one who would have fallen to hell but for your noble heart, the fate of the villain becomes entangled with yours!]
[‘Jakal Burrow’ has shifted from being an evil god’s contractor to your follower!]
[The villain must devote his life to you until he pays for his sins!]
…
Huh?
What the heck is this nonsense?
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