Chapter: 445
The first thing Joy felt when she stepped out of the dungeon was the thick stench of blood.
Not the blood of beasts, but of people. Joy had caught this scent a few times before.
She was someone who actively moved around, unlike the other young ladies who just stayed in the palace.
And so, she realized that the blood odor swirling through the forest wasn’t just from one or two individuals.
Many had died here, spreading a sinister aura throughout the entire forest. The blood of those who had created this dungeon had soaked into the ground.
As Joy thought that the dark forest was looking more and more horrific, she shook her head and turned her gaze to the others nearby.
Most of the faces there were familiar to Joy.
There was Karl, Lucy’s knight, needless to say.
Next to him was Visi, who she often saw at the academy.
And Prète had just joined her to conquer the dungeon not long before.
However, there were two people Joy did not recognize.
To be exact, one she didn’t know at all, and the other one—she was uncertain about.
The one she didn’t know was a man with a somewhat fierce look.
His sharp fangs gave him a menacing air, and he seemed someone you wouldn’t want to mess with.
The slightly ambiguous one was a woman exuding an alluring charisma.
She looked like she could capture people’s attention for different reasons than Lucy when she entered high society and seemed intoxicated just by approaching.
“Hey, Phebe. Is that lady we saw in the forest the same one?”
“If you’re talking about the noble lady, then yes. She’s a Partran.”
As she casually glanced at Lucy, she suddenly smiled and stood in front of Joy.
“It’s been a while. Though I guess that’s not quite right. You wouldn’t know, but I’ve always been around you.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t you remember the fox that stayed by Lucy’s side?”
“…You mean she was the lord of the forest?”
Memories of the fox’s strange antics flashed in Joy’s mind, and she wondered if this woman was making a joke. But recalling what she had seen in the forest, she came to accept it.
She looked fine now, but this person was someone who seemed infinitely distant from normalcy.
…Thinking about it, even Prète started acting a little weird when he was just in front of Lucy.
Professor Karl was no different!
Huh? Something feels off. Why do these seemingly sane people turn strange when they stand before the Alrn Young Lady?
If it was just one person, one could think they were odd, but with many, something might be off about the Alrn Young Lady.
Just as Joy was venturing into this strange conclusion, a warm sensation brushed past her.
Without even having to turn her head, Joy immediately recognized whose warmth it was.
This divine essence soothing her anxious heart was undoubtedly that of Young Lady Alrn.
Having just stood at the forefront of the dungeon, what more were her intentions? The Young Lady certainly loves to push herself.
“Hehe. Such a real perverted bastard,”
…huh? In that moment, Joy couldn’t believe her ears.
Lucy, with her hands raised, looked so dignified.
Her hair, disheveled from the long battle. Her armor, now wrinkled. Her face, marked with small injuries. And her eyes, weary from exhaustion.
Each of these details didn’t detract from her beauty; instead, they brought a sense of reverence for Lucy.
So, Joy couldn’t help but doubt whether what she had just heard was true.
Those words were certainly something Lucy would say, but they seemed out of place for the Lucy standing in front of her right now.
As Joy tilted her head in confusion, the divine aura around Lucy began to emanate.
It rivaled that of Phebe, the saint of the Church of the Lord. No, it might even be more vast and intense.
The divine energy surrounding Lucy perfectly seized the air, not spilling out but remaining anchored to her, moving as Lucy wished.
As if the great deity desired it, the divine energy painted a magic circle above Lucy’s head.
Being a mage herself, Joy recognized that what was appearing above Lucy’s head wasn’t standard divine magic.
What was being drawn was closer to ordinary magical principles.
Control of the area. And the bestowal of magical energy.
Was it just these two kinds?
How intriguing. I thought Alrn Young Lady didn’t know much about magical theories. Was it just that she wasn’t knowledgeable outside her field?
While Joy analyzed Lucy’s miraculous display magically, Phebe was staring at the spectacle with tears in her eyes.
Phebe saw what was happening in the forest right now.
The divine energy radiating from Lucy was chasing away the sinister vibes lurking in various parts of the forest.
Her sun-like aura was restoring life to the woods.
A forest that was dying, one that should have perished, was finding its identity once again.
This was a miracle.
Indeed, it was a miracle.
Something that the false saint Phebe could not do. But Lucy Alrn, the apostle of the great god, could.
As tears streamed down Phebe’s face, there was a thud next to her as Muir—a leading figure of the forest’s masters—collapsed, weeping at the sight of the revived woods.
Prète, the apostle of the Art Guild, was watching Lucy with wide-open eyes.
Lina, the misty fox, was licking her lips, gazing at Lucy. Meanwhile, Visi and Adria, the summoned spirits, were hurrying to find somewhere to escape the divine presence.
Karl, Lucy’s knight, was wearing a content smile. Frey looked sleepy, not grasping the warmth felt around her.
And Arthur was chewing at his lips.
Just moments before, Lucy Alrn had spoken with a tone that was utterly blasphemous.
She had said grotesque things that left no room for interpretation.
Yet the great deity granted Lucy Alrn a miracle.
A deeply faithful person might find compassion in the big deity working miracles for such a heretic, but Arthur wasn’t one.
He didn’t doubt the deity, nor was he a blind believer.
Contemplating the various tales surrounding the deity, he knew they were merciful, but that didn’t mean they were always forgiving. The deity stood in the midst of all gods and had a definite firmness.
However, this time, the deity showed no firmness at all.
If he were to guess that the deity had been the one who stopped him from jumping off the ship back then…
…Could it be?
Just maybe…
Could it be that the deity had a penchant for such blasphemies?
Arthur thought it was a ridiculous supposition. Yet, he couldn’t shake his head in absolute denial as he was interrupted by a sudden rustle from behind.
The bear they’d just brought out of the dungeon was stirring.
Facing the crazed charge of the bear, Arthur instinctively tensed, but…
“Grrr?”
The bear let out a comical sound, and for some reason, Arthur relaxed his shoulders.
As he blinked in disbelief, the bear’s eyes reflected nothing of the dungeon’s ferocity; they were pure and innocent.
*
When I received the quest from the Pathetic God, the first skill that came to mind was the one he had shamefully handed over not long ago—the skill of Negative Restriction.
This technique eradicated the negativity present in the space and prevented it from approaching for a while, making it ideal for this situation.
However, there was one problem.
That was my limit in casting Negative Restriction.
It’s true I possessed tremendous divine energy and that I could recover it quickly.
But going around the entire forest and casting Negative Restriction in every spot would be an incredibly inefficient task.
There was a high likelihood I wouldn’t finish it by the end of this weekend.
So as I pondered what to do, my grandfather offered me an answer.
[There’s a way you can do it right now.]
“A way I can do it right now?”
[Yes. A way only you can do since you’re the deity’s apostle and possess immense divine strength.]
The method Grandpa presented was a combination of divine magic and ordinary magic.
I would amplify the skill I currently had—Negative Restriction—through ordinary magic.
It sounded easy just saying it, but I couldn’t easily nod my head.
Could my intellect really manage such a thing?
[Don’t worry. It shouldn’t be difficult.]
‘…Is it really not hard?’
[What’s with you? Lucy, are you lacking confidence? You always told everyone not to consider you an idiot, but now you’re admitting to your stupidity? You must be joking!]
‘That’s not it! I’m really smart!’
[Then you can do it.]
‘Of course! …Wait what? Huh?’
Having been led on by my Grandpa, I became someone who was following his guidance.
The fortunate part was that the magic he taught wasn’t particularly complex.
Thanks to that, I succeeded in perfectly manifesting the magic I had never tried before.
Looking at the forest slowly regaining vitality beyond the miracle unfolding in the sky.
I watched in awe as the gloomy haunted forest transformed into a green paradise.
As I felt my lips curve up involuntarily, I straightened my shoulders and called out to Grandpa with a triumphant voice.
“See! I told you I’m super smart!”
[Yes, yes. Good job, Lucy.]
“Can you say it more sincerely? Some real praise, please!”
[Wow! Lucy! You’re truly amazing! Where could one find a talent that shines so brightly like yours? The fact that you mastered a magic you’ve just used for the first time so perfectly is astonishing!]
“That’s what I’m talking about!”
As I basked in my Grandpa’s compliments, the ringing sound made me look down.
[Quest Complete!]
[Rewards being distributed!]
[Skill…]
Hmm, I wonder what they’ll give me this time.
[Reevaluating rewards.]
Huh?
[You crushed the plans set by the Void Followers!]
[You surpassed the intervention of Evil God Agra!]
[You succeeded in defeating the alchemist!]
[You saved the two masters of the forest!]
[You completely restored the dying forest!]
Huh?!
[Rewards are being enhanced!]
[The gods marvel at your remarkable feats!]
Huh?!
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