Chapter: 396
Noel Wentz, a priest of the Art Guild, had been hearing the name “Lucy Alrn” nonstop for months now.
Even the apostle Prete, who serves the goddess of beauty and art, would go around praising Lucy Alrn’s name at every opportunity, while priests and bishops who claimed to have seen Lucy through Kerta’s Crystal clamored to meet her just once.
“Were you not there? Seriously!?”
“Wow. You’re really wasting your life right now.”
“I still can’t forget that day. It’s not like the apostle went out of her way to write songs in her honor for no reason!”
Lucy, of the Alrn family, had missed that day when the apostle reached out because she was on another mission and couldn’t understand the fuss her colleagues were making.
How pretty could someone be to cause such a ruckus? There’s no way anyone could be more artistically gifted than the apostle herself!
Noel, who only had heard the rumors about Lucy and never actually seen her, looked at her colleagues with a “Are you guys serious?” expression, as they clamored to head to the Alrn territory.
First love-struck kiddos had nothing on this!
Battling through their crush-like symptoms, Noel developed one wish:
Just how pretty could that person be, for them to go on like this for months?!
I wish I could just see her with my own eyes!
I’ve got to verify if these lunatics are crazy or if she’s actually that stunning!
Her wish was granted in just a few days when Lucy Alrn herself showed up at the headquarters of the Art Guild, stirring everyone into a frenzy.
As soon as Noel heard the news, she dashed outside the guild and, upon spotting Lucy emerging from the teleportation portal, finally understood why her comrades were making such a fuss.
If I saw an angel like that, I’d lose my mind too!
It would actually be weird if I didn’t!
How could the people at the Art Guild, who consider themselves living artworks, not feel completely inspired upon seeing Lady Alrn?
Some were down on their knees praying, while others stared wide-eyed, not wanting to lose even a second of the moment, and then there were those crying and muttering to themselves as if seizing inspiration.
As she scanned the crowd from behind her knight escorts, Lucy couldn’t help but chuckle and boldly stepped forward, brushing past the knights.
“Hey~ you folks. Isn’t it time to get to work? Why is everyone gathering here? Are you all a bunch of losers wasting your lives?”
With a voice like a heavenly melody, mixed with disdain and sarcasm. Upon hearing her words, everyone from the Art Guild fell silent in shock.
Were they stunned, perhaps? Lucy giggled and continued.
“Is it not? Or are you all just pervy creeps who drop everything to come look at a little girl? That would be pretty disgusting.”
Pushing past her escorts, Lucy approached a prostrating priest and bent down to meet his gaze.
“Why are you disgustingly crying over there?”
“I-I, it’s just…”
“Can’t talk without fumbling? Are you just a kid stuck in an adult’s body, huh?”
“…The Young Lady is simply too beautiful…”
In the moment the priest finally struggled to get the words out, Lucy’s expression turned icy.
Her brows knitted together and her eyes narrowed, exuding a vibe of utter disgust.
“Hmm. So you’re a perv getting worked up over a girl who’s barely reaching your waist, huh?”
“No! I am not—”
“Not? Really? You truly have no weird thoughts at all? Can you say it to your crow without batting an eye? Huh?”
“….”
“Ha! Look at you, speechless. You disgusting little creep! Just die already. Bite your tongue and end it for the sake of the world.”
After getting all that off her chest, Lucy lifted her chin in satisfaction but then felt an unexpected warmth of gazes directed at her, and she instinctively took a step back.
Lucy, who had lived in hostility all this time, could tell these gazes weren’t aimed at her with hostility.
The looks in the eyes of the guild members were completely different from those she got from the other nobles at the academy.
It felt more akin to the kind of longing like that attributed to the Clumsy Fox or the perverted apostle.
“Lady Alrn!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, she blinked as someone in the crowd called out.
“Don’t just reward that guy, please consider me as well!”
“Shut up! It’s my turn next! I feel like inspiration is about to strike after getting scolded by her!”
“Everyone, shut up! Of course, that’s the bishop’s privilege!”
Amidst the chaos spilling through the crowd, Lucy let out a sleepy sound and ducked behind Karl.
The guild members shot glares of hatred and murderous intent at Karl, but he stood tall, showing no fear.
“Scram! You trash! Does the Young Lady seem scared of you?”
“Shut up and get lost!”
“Lady Alrn! Please, just let me take a swipe at you!”
“Just looking down on me with a condescending glare would suffice!”
The frenzy that had engulfed the Art Guild settled down only after quite a while, even after the apostle and guild master made their appearance.
*
‘People are terrifying…’
Finally escaping the clutches of the insane members of the Art Guild, I sank into a sofa and curled up my legs to calm my heart.
[Well then, why would you throw meat to those madmen?]
‘I didn’t expect so many crazy people would be there!’
I won’t say I’m not at fault! I may have instigated them first out of boredom!
But can you blame me for thinking all the members of the art guild were normal instead of pervy apostles?
My expectations were completely different from this!
I thought it would lead to some tense encounters where I had to puff up my cheeks, but it turned out like a bunch of morons begging to get stepped on!
Is it such a crime to presume that people belonging to the Art Guild might be, I don’t know, decent?!
[You should be careful next time. Though you’ve got your escorts now, who knows what might happen in the future?]
‘What? Do you think I’m so crazy that no one would be there to save me?!’
Of course I’d stir up trouble knowing I could run away! I may be foolish, but I’m not that oblivious!
[So you aren’t saying it’s impossible, huh?]
I momentarily fell silent from grandpa’s words.
‘…Well, there could be some situations where it might be unavoidable.’
[Are there situations where you’d have to stomp on someone’s dignity?]
‘What! Why? There could be instances like that!’
Dramatic reality beats fiction any day! Trying to pin down the logic of our meager imagination makes no sense when those moments arise!
The mere fact that the Art Guild could be full of such creeps doesn’t seem like a reasonable situation, right?!
If there could be pervs, then there may very well be a need to dish out some payback!
[Alright. If you think so, then that’s how it is.]
‘Grandpa! Talk like that and I swear I will get mad?!’
[Is it such a crime to understand you? I’m just so innocent here.]
‘You’re not being serious at all!’
As I was getting riled up with grandpa, a knock echoed through the reception room.
I gestured to Erin, asking what to do, and she nodded for me to let them in.
The moment the pervy apostle stepped into the reception room, he slammed his head against the ground.
“I am truly sorry, Lady Alrn! Our guild members have caused a significant offense!”
I was ready to explode in anger, but the pervy apostle’s apology left me taken aback, mouth agape.
“We had no ill intentions! Our members were merely captivated by your beauty!”
“Do you think that’s an excuse for their offense?”
Stunned, I blinked as Karl, beside me, let out a sharp voice.
What’s up with him today? Usually, he just quietly guards me in the background unless I tell him otherwise.
“Of course, I’m not saying it was all fine! We will pay for it. However…”
“Do you have any idea just how terrified you made my Lady feel just now? That’s a clear problem!”
Hearing Karl’s anger made me understand why he was reacting this way.
Unlike before, my expressions were free to change now.
Seeing me genuinely scared probably had him ruffled up!
“Hey, mutt. Did I ever say it’s cool for you to bark?”
I appreciate his concern, but this isn’t what I wanted. It isn’t loyalty; it’s crossing a line instead.
“…Ah, well.”
“Shut it.”
“….”
“Do you not realize our puppy here is so dense he doesn’t even know when he’s being a nuisance?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Having scolded the dog, I turned my attention back to the pervy apostle. He was staring at Karl with a blank look while desperately trying to meet my gaze.
“Pervy apostle. Stop wasting my precious time with your nonsense and just get up. Breathing in this room is sickening; I want to get this over with quickly.”
“Understood!”
Jumping up as if he’d been waiting for my words, the pervy apostle didn’t sit opposite me; rather he knelt beside me.
What’s he doing? The question almost tumbled out, but seeing it would just exhaust me, I decided to ignore it.
“The reason I came to this disgusting place is that what you all are about to do is just pathetic and idiotic.”
“…Are you referring to the sweeping plan?”
Upon hearing the pervy apostle’s query, I glanced over at Alsetin. He quickly caught my intent and approached to explain the current situation logically while inserting himself between the pervy apostle and me.
The initially puzzled pervy apostle began to shift into seriousness as Alsetin spoke.
“So there’s a high possibility it’s a trap you’re referring to?”
“Yes. As you can see, the information is suspiciously accurate. It’s likely they all conspired before spewing it out.”
The pervy apostle had been questioning Alsetin but soon acknowledged the plan shouldn’t go forward. After all, losing too much would hurt more than any gain.
“Thank you so much, Young Lady. Thanks to you, we can avoid unnecessary casualties.”
“No need for that. I was just sick of how pathetic and stupid you all are; I just couldn’t watch!”
“Still, my gratitude stands. After this is all over, please let me repay you.”
With the pervy apostle saying he might have to explain to the guild members, I remained in the reception room, humming to envision what lay ahead.
With this, I managed to thwart the trap created by the followers of the evil god and gained a reason to ask the pervy apostle to teach Erin.
Now I just needed to wrap things up and return to Alrn territory.
I could then chill out before the academy reopened.
Today had drained my mental stamina too much.
However, contrary to my expectations, I couldn’t leave the Art Guild just yet.
“Lady Alrn. We may require your assistance.”
Turns out the members of the Art Guild were beyond what I had imagined—each of them dumber than they looked.
Even when informed of a trap, they still clamored to crawl in!
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