Chapter: 412
The day after the oath with the Chancellor ended, he came to realize he’d been duped and sought me out, but that didn’t mean our pact just vanished.
I had ripped up the letter as promised; now it was the Chancellor’s turn to fulfill his part.
“Don’t worry, Chancellor. As I wrote in the oath, I’ll let you go free when you graduate from the Academy.”
“…Young Lady, you…”
“And just so you know, if it weren’t for me, that incompetent and clumsy Chancellor could’ve really lost his head. So don’t you think I’m getting the raw end of this deal by making you live as my cute little slave for two years?”
“…”
“If you really hate it that much, I could always arrange a meeting with Papa?”
“…No! My Lady! I was just momentarily speechless, marveling at your generosity!”
The Chancellor, clearly unwilling to face the tactical weapon known as Benedict, reluctantly accepted his fate as my little slave, all while suppressing his inner frustration.
Watching him, I reflected on why he might dislike this situation and eventually realized my thinking had been a bit off.
Right. This is the normal reaction. Asking someone to work like a slave while wanting to be treated with kid gloves is quite the ask.
I’ve gotten so used to the absurdities around me that I’d lost touch with normal standards.
After the Chancellor left, it was Erin, who had always been by my side at the mansion, who came to visit.
“Clumsy Erin, did you come too early? Didn’t you miss me too much?”
I had just contacted the Alrn mansion to send Erin over last night, expecting it to take at least a couple of days, given the mansion’s protocols. I certainly didn’t expect her to arrive the very next day.
“Yes! I missed you terribly!”
Erin beamed as she explained she had wrapped up everything she needed to do overnight to make it here.
“I didn’t have many things to finish, after all.”
…Wait, didn’t our mansion maids have a schedule packed from morning till night? Is Erin’s status as my personal maid a different case?
As I pondered this, I brought Erin inside. Since she hadn’t yet been assigned a room, she had to stay in mine for now.
“…That’s out of the question. My Lady. How could a maid share a room with her master?”
Erin gasped in horror at the suggestion of unpacking my stuff in my room.
“I’ll ask Sir Karl for help, and if that doesn’t work, I could find somewhere else to sleep.”
I felt the same way—it was simply outrageous! Would she prefer sleeping on the street?
Is being with me that much of a burden?!
What did I even do to deserve this?
I’m not asking you to do something crazy like the old Lucy would’ve! I’m not giving you hard tasks!
“Are you planning to refuse my command, you clumsy Erin?”
“I’m sorry, My Lady!”
Even after urging her again, Erin declined, so I furrowed my brow and had a brilliant idea.
Recently, I had mastered a technique involving facial expressions, enabling me to express myself however I wanted!
It was the very technique I had used on Karl to shove onto Frey and — even the clumsy Saintess couldn’t resist!
“Impudent. Clumsy Erin!”
Lucy Alrn used the “Crying Face” skill!
“Ah, My Lady, that’s…!”
“Enough! Clumsy Erin doesn’t like me, huh? Then I don’t like you either, so…”
“Understood! I will stay here!”
The effect was spectacular! Clumsy Erin lost the verbal battle!
“…Is this really okay?”
As Erin cautiously moved around the room unpacking, I went outside to find Phoebe.
I had something to ask the church’s powerful Saintess.
“You want to pray at the church at night?”
This was a promise made months ago to the clumsy god after preparing fervently for a prayer.
Originally, I was planning to drop by the Art Guild for some makeup and then pray, but I got so caught up in all the chaos that it slipped my mind. After that, I got busy working.
Seeing how blatantly she signaled for me to take action while handing out quests, even the clumsy goddess seemed pretty eager, so I wanted to make it worthwhile after making her wait so long.
“A clumsy saintess should be able to manage that, right?”
“Of course, but do you really need to do it at night? It might be better for many to see your beautiful praying face.”
I wanted to pray at night precisely to avoid being seen!
Think about it.
Just by stepping out all dolled up, I naturally attract attention!
What would happen if I started glowing divinely in front of people, and let them see it?
I didn’t want to raise another clumsy fox or a perverted apostle!
I wasn’t about to relive the nightmares from my experience with the Art Guild!
When I forcefully expressed my rejection, Phoebe seemed disappointed but didn’t push for more.
“I’ll let the bishop know to make preparations. Oh, by the way, I could also get you a church outfit if you need one.”
“A church outfit? Hmmm. What’s this, clumsy Saintess? Do you want to see me in that attire? I thought you were a bit naive, but looks like I was wrong?”
“Uh? …N-no! It’s not that I particularly want it! I mean, not that I’d oppose it! No! Waaaaah!”
Teasing the bright red-faced Phoebe, I considered that her suggestion wasn’t half bad.
If I was going through all this trouble, I might as well prepare the outfit.
But would they even have something that fits me?
Considering my build, it would be difficult to find something ready-made.
After I voiced my doubts, Phoebe laughed cheerfully and reassured me.
“The outfits for the church kids would fit just fine.”
…What?
“Since there’s not much height difference between you two, we just need a slight adjustment…”
Snowballing over her own faux pas, Phoebe gawked at my expression changing as I realized what she meant, and then she quickly shut her mouth.
But it was already too late. My dignity had already been violated by Phoebe.
“I’m sorry, My Lady! It wasn’t intentional! Just… please wait a moment to forgive me! Waaaah! Aah, oh no! Aah!”
After turning the already tall Saintess’s cheeks red, I warned that I was going to turn her into a dumpling Saintess if I got any more provoked.
*
“I think this can just be adjusted a little. Please wait a moment, My Lady.”
As vexed as I was, the small nun’s outfit Phoebe provided fit me.
…To tell the truth, it was a bit large.
This nun’s outfit, worn normally by little children, was just too big!
Seeing the loose fit of what was supposed to be a nun’s outfit, Phoebe seemed to recall the events of today and tilted her head slightly.
[It’s funny, really. Your father is so big, yet why are you, Lucy, so small? ]
‘…Small, huh?’
[That was a slip of the tongue. Sorry, I’ll just shut up.]
With that sharp retort, I silenced my grandfather and watched as Erin dressed me up.
Erin’s movements were flawless, with no major mistakes.
How long has it been since she learned from that perverted apostle that she’d improved this dramatically?
Looking at Erin’s hands, covered in various scars, I thought I should gift her something to help take care of her hands in the future.
Though it was irritating to see her cutting the fabric little by little, I swallowed my annoyance, remembering it wasn’t Erin’s fault.
Soon, my final look was one of unearthly elegance that seemed out of place for the late evening.
Usually, my petite and pretty self, which often got compared to a doll, now radiated a pure and noble aura in the nun’s outfit.
“Seeing you like this, My Lady, you look even more saintly than me!”
I wasn’t the only one impressed; Phoebe marveled at my appearance.
She was so captivated she couldn’t even raise her voice.
Good thing I didn’t pray back then. If I had shown up in front of everyone looking this way, it would have caused quite the commotion!
“Shall we go then?”
“Yes, let’s, clumsy saintess.”
Getting up from my seat, I followed Phoebe toward the clumsy goddess’s shrine.
To fulfill the promise I made months ago.
*
Professor Luca at the Academy had been feeling irritated lately.
It wasn’t because the brilliant talents he loved were missing from the Academy, as the Soul Academy had more talents now than ever.
If this were a year ago, he would have been laughing constantly at how much there was for him to do.
However, not now. Luca, while filling his eyes with brilliant talents, felt no joy whatsoever.
No matter what talent he looked at, they all paled in comparison to the shining star named Lucy Alrn.
Making Luca even more irate was that, ever since Lucy had returned to the Academy after her break, she hadn’t come to him for anything.
Previously, she would pester him for a chance to break things, but now that school was back in session, she didn’t even approach him for a request.
Having prepared various trials for Lucy Alrn, Luca found himself fidgeting restlessly, resolving to meet her before the new semester got underway.
He decided to do everything he could to prove his worth, aiming to remain a sculptor of the gem that is her.
It was far better to sacrifice his pride than to risk losing her, the one who might one day shine brighter than any star he’d ever known.
As darkness fell over the world, Luca spotted Lucy Alrn making her way outside the Academy.
Alongside her was a maid she had brought from Alrn and the Saintess from the Church of the Lord.
As for Lucy, though, the fact that a being as rule-oriented as the Saintess was out and about at this hour made him wonder what was going on.
Curiosity piqued, instead of greeting Lucy, he stifled his presence and quietly followed her.
Lucy’s destination was the church at night.
A tranquil location dimmed with extinguished lights, a place where everyone was preparing for the dawn.
Knowing Lucy Alrn hated the church, Luca couldn’t help but wonder what might be happening, and he trailed them into the chapel.
But he didn’t get any further than that.
Before he could follow in, the door shut securely behind them.
If he opened it and entered, there was no doubt he would be discovered, so he crouched in the shadows, waiting for Lucy and her group to emerge.
How long did he wait? Just when the whole town had fallen into complete stillness, and everyone was drifting off to dreamland, Lucy Alrn surfaced once more.
More sacred and noble than even the Saintess standing next to her.
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