Chapter: 460
Riding on the glow from Joy, we finally arrived at the Academy dormitory after what felt like a joyride.
There, nestled somewhere, was the dorm of a baronial family—after all, even if it was a downtrodden house, Visi was still a noble lady, so her dormitory was indeed where the nobles resided.
However, unlike the places that Nana and Joy stayed, her dorm room was pretty small.
Though small, it was still way better than the semi-basement I lived in during my previous life.
“Miss Visi is currently asleep. She needed some mental stabilization,” Phoebe, who was taking care of her, said, implying that Visi’s mental state was quite precarious.
Seriously, this necromancer is suffering from PTSD just because she had a bit of a rough time?
I’ve said it before: she really picked the wrong path.
Hmm. But this is a problem. If I don’t talk to Adri through Visi, then Phoebe will figure it all out.
I need some way…
– You don’t need to worry about that. She already knows everything.
At Adri’s blunt remark, I turned my head slightly, and Phoebe nodded in agreement.
“…Haphazard saint. Since when did you know?”
“Quite a long time actually. It’s been about half a year, I’d say.”
“But why haven’t you said anything? Keeping it hush-hush?”
“Since Lady Alrn is just watching quietly, is there any reason for me to interfere?”
Phoebe spoke without a hint of hesitation, making it clear she wasn’t about to complicate things until I did.
So if I say it’s okay, even a necromancer and her spirit friend wouldn’t be an issue?
…I’m grateful for the trust they’ve in me.
Really, I am.
But isn’t this a bit over the top?
At least they could ask me about it.
“Excuse me. Can you two explain what’s going on to me?”
While lost in thoughts about Phoebe’s heavy reliance on me, Joy cautiously chimed in.
Oh. She still doesn’t know.
After a brief pause, I blocked out any sound from inside and outside the room, giving Adri a pointed look.
The aged hag picked up on my intent and subtly revealed her presence.
– Greetings, young lady of the Partan family. I am Adri, the spirit of the long-fallen family.
“…Y-You?!”
Joy nearly stumbled back, eyes wide in disbelief as she turned her gaze towards me and Phoebe.
“…Why aren’t you doing anything?”
“What should I be doing, you airhead?”
“Aren’t we supposed to do something?”
“Uh, no. There’s an undead here, you know?”
“Does that mean we should eliminate all undead?”
“Hmm, so you think they should be killed just because they’re from a different race? It’s impressive how such brutality lurks beneath your seemingly clueless behavior—truly the daughter of a slacker duke.”
“Am I in the wrong?! Is something wrong with me?!”
As our nonchalant demeanor betrayed our seriousness, Joy seemed to settle down, sealing her lips, then exhaling with exasperation.
“So, this ghost… What does Adri-san want?”
“This old hag is an unnoticed ghost, after all. Perfectly optimized for lurking around unnoticed. Can’t you tell at a glance?”
I raised an eyebrow in disbelief as my disdain for their cluelessness turned Adri and Joy’s expressions a tad awkward.
“Lady Alrn, could you please explain what’s happening to us as well?”
“Some loser got kidnapped.”
The explanation that Lady Klebb was likely hiding somewhere in the Academy after being taken by a follower of the Void worried Phoebe, prompting a slight furrow of Adri’s brows.
– So you’re looking for someone hidden by the powers of the Void?
“Can you do that?”
– Mind sharing any suspected locations? We should move efficiently when searching for a missing person.
Nodding to Adri’s words, I pulled out a sufficiently big sheet of paper from my inventory and began sketching out a map of the Academy…
Hmm. Ugh.
Each brushstroke shrieked at my aesthetic sense.
A voice echoed in my head questioning my ineptitude at drawing.
This aesthetic sense wouldn’t let up, slamming me with facts so relentlessly.
Damn it. When I fought that follower of the Void, it was the most useless power, but now it’s being a total jerk at the worst possible time!
So annoying!
Despite that frustration, adhering to the suggestions of my aesthetic sense, the Academy map I was conjuring came out surprisingly neat.
It was so tidy that you could easily mistake it for an actual map made by a professional.
“…Lucy? Did you perhaps get better at drawing?”
“Your talent is truly limitless, Young Lady.”
[What am I even seeing? Is this reality? The Lucy I know drew like a five-year-old!?]
Those around me wearied at the sight, yet the one most flabbergasted was me.
Is this genuinely the map I drew?
When I illustrated an ogre who was supposed to enter the dungeon, was it mistaken for a goblin instead!?
This aesthetic sense is seriously amazing.
I now understood where that perverted apostle’s artistic flair came from.
“Old hag, I’m going to tell you where to search, so remember it well. You haven’t gone senile yet, so you can memorize it, right?”
– No need to bother remembering. I’ll be right here.
As Adri raised a finger, little spirit fragments emerged around her.
The tiny soul remnants looked like they could fit in my small hand and scattered into the air at Adri’s command.
– Not here. Not this place either.
As Adri waved her hands, a pen danced through the air, marking an X on the map.
Through this seemingly effortless process, the narrowing down of suspect locations concluded, ultimately revealing just one spot.
– I think it’s probably this place.
“Why a guess? You seem like you’re not confident in your abilities.”
– It’s vague here compared to other places where I can feel a clearer energy.
It must indicate the presence of the Void’s power. When all clues are erased, the remaining truth emerges.
Recalling something a famous detective might say, I gathered my friends and headed for the location that Adri pointed out.
It turned out to be a concealed garden hiding a secret passage leading outside the Academy.
This place was almost like a maze, filled with hidden corners and oddities.
Things like crates with potions or bags of mystery silver coins, or stairs leading down into the depths.
The lore claimed this hidden spot was designed playfully by the former headmaster decades ago, and these relics were naturally discarded since they had little use outside the passage.
But if someone thought of using this place to hide someone?
Then it becomes exceptionally useful.
It’s something that even the professors regarded as a blight.
With a thud, I slammed my foot hard against the ground, cracking the iron plate concealed beneath debris while it tumbled loudly down the stairs.
With that, I stepped into the shadows below, surrounded by a divine aura I conjured.
“Lady Klebb!”
The baroness we were searching for was blissfully asleep next to a stamina potion, the reward for discovering the cellar.
Wow. The reward must’ve been so pointless that even the follower of the Void didn’t bother taking it with them.
What a waste of a place.
With all the effort they put into creating this place, wouldn’t it have been better to build an actual dungeon?
“She appears to be in good condition. The energy of the Evil God remains unscathed, so she just needs to wake up now.”
Fortunately, Lady Klebb was just fine, contrary to our concerns.
Since the Saintess herself confirmed her well-being, there’s no need for worry.
As I released a sigh of relief at Phoebe’s words, a thought suddenly struck me.
“Joy, you clueless airhead.”
“What is it?”
“How did a dense fool like you manage to find that lowly follower?”
If Phoebe had noticed something, I wouldn’t have had a second thought.
Even if Frey detected something, I would’ve just assumed that beast had a sense for things.
But not Joy.
Of all my friends, the one I least expected to pick up on something was the obliviously clueless one!
There has to be something more to this!
“…I am a duchess, you know? I can’t not notice something when rallying other noble ladies.”
“Oh, really? I always knew our airhead was super brilliant, so now tell me how you found it.”
Joy’s sarcasm, devoid of sincerity, made her raise an eyebrow, yet instead of escalating, she just sighed deeply and continued explaining.
“Do you remember when I neutralized the power yesterday?”
“Yeah. It was so not airhead-like, I actually remembered it.”
“…I’m not sure if it was a side effect, but I felt something unnatural creeping in.”
Tracing back that ominous energy, Joy realized it was the Evil God’s presence, pulling together various clues to confirm the follower was fake.
“Do you get it, Lucy? Even if I look like a fool, I’m capable!”
“Capable? Didn’t you just mess up at the critical moment, you haphazard airhead?”
“Well… that part is true.”
As Joy stuttered, my mind replayed what she had just said.
The way she discovered the follower of the Evil God was completely different from my and Phoebe’s methods.
We might detect anomalies through our individual powers, but we can’t relay that to others.
But Joy? Her approach was magical; she could interpret the Evil God’s powers, making her findings shareable with others.
In simpler terms, Joy could transmit what she had unraveled to others.
Creating the right environment isn’t challenging.
Currently, within the Academy, I had many tools at my disposal.
Given the assistance of the ageless spinster above me, I could easily gather various tools.
It’s possible.
Totally possible.
Without resorting to the humiliating method of spreading my trinkets, I could contend against the followers of the Void!
Clutching at that slim hope, I shot my gaze upward to meet Joy’s.
The sulky Joy met my eyes and blinked dazedly before taking a tiny step back.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong again?!”
How strange.
Joy is undoubtedly capable.
If we’re talking magical talent, among the characters from the Soul Academy, she ranks at the top.
She actually displayed that talent right in front of my eyes.
So why do I feel this unease when I’m handing her an important task?
…She should be fine, right?
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