Chapter: 69
Unlike some, Visi had friends and was aware of the situation unfolding.
So when Lucy mentioned she needed people, Visi immediately caught on to what she was hinting at.
This girl is trying to drag me into a rivalry.
Visi felt the urge to stand up and bolt from the room.
Being part of Lucy Alrn’s party had no benefits whatsoever.
To step into the dungeon alongside this troublemaker young lady, who seems to have forgotten all languages besides insults.
To throw myself into a competition I can’t win…
The biggest issue, however, was that I’d have to stand against the Third Prince, who wielded both justification and advantage.
In less than a day, the soul academy’s public opinion had already tilted decisively.
The Third Prince, who proposed a fair duel to the one who insulted him, and that troublemaker young lady who eagerly accepted.
It was crystal clear who the academy crowd would support.
Standing against the Third Prince in this situation?
That’s like asking for a barrage of rocks from the students currently residing in the academy.
And it wasn’t just that.
Choosing Lucy’s side would impact not just my reputation within the academy.
Word would spread throughout high society.
That woman went against the Third Prince and sided with a troublemaker.
While it might not be political suicide to oppose a prince so far from the line of succession, it was still insanity.
And yet, Visi found herself unable to leave because Lucy Alrn was holding onto her secret.
“If the flunky lady doesn’t help me, my mouth’s gonna spill all sorts of things,” she said.
The necromancer.
A taboo Visi absolutely must keep hidden.
“Maybe I’ll end up spilling everything to that pathetic god at the dusty old church.”
Lucy playfully fiddled with the cross-shaped necklace around her neck.
A necklace that argued her allegiance to the church, given only to those who performed important deeds there.
How this insolent girl, calling the Almighty a pathetic god, managed to snag that necklace was beyond Visi.
But it was clear Lucy Alrn had ties to the church.
She could even use sacred magic.
What if she reported me as a necromancer to the church?
Visi had heard about the fates of necromancers who got caught by the church from her mentor.
Stories of a gruesome fate that can’t be faced at any cost.
Better to endure hardships than end up tortured and executed by the church.
“…So if I join your party, you won’t report me?”
“You’re sharper than you look, flunky lady. Correct.”
Lucy chuckled, her face lit up, and Visi clenched her hands hidden beneath the table.
If I had power, I could jokingly smack that troublemaker girl on the head!
I’d love to yell, “You’re the pathetic one!”
As Visi simmered with frustration, Lucy pulled a bead from her pocket.
At first glance, it looked like just a simple black bead, but Visi immediately recognized what it was.
“This was the reward for defeating the necromancer last time. I thought you’d know what it is.”
Though not at a high level yet, a necromancer is still a necromancer.
There’s no way she wouldn’t notice the holy essence embedded inside that bead. Visi couldn’t take her eyes off the bead filled with mana.
If I can harness a mana like that, I could undoubtedly reach a whole new level.
It would bring her a step nearer to the level she wanted to achieve.
“It’s a valuable item. You’d have to shell out a fortune even in the black market to get one.”
What Lucy said was true.
Necromancy was a heavily prohibited practice by the church.
Naturally, items related to necromancy don’t circulate above ground, and they aren’t easily obtainable even in the dark underbelly.
At least not for someone like Visi, a minor noble’s child.
“I’m not one to stingy over hiring someone at a discount, flunky lady. If you help me beat that pathetic prince, I’ll give you this. What do you say?”
Visi stood up from her chair and walked toward Lucy.
She offered a respectful bow to Lucy.
“I’ll give it my all!”
“No need. Flunky lady. I don’t have any expectations from someone as pathetic as you. Just breathe and hold on.”
*
“Can we trust a necromancer?”
After sending the flunky lady, who looked like she’d lick the ground if prompted, my companion asked me in a low voice.
His tone had a sinister twist that wasn’t typical.
It was inevitable.
Typically, necromancers are often minions of the evil god.
How could an old man, who fought against the evil god his whole life, hold good feelings for necromancers?
‘It’s okay.’
There’s a significant gap between the necromancers the old man thinks of and this flunky lady.
There’s a huge difference between a madman devoted to worshiping the evil god and a flunky lady who’s just stepping into that world to see her brother once more.
[I’ll keep it to myself, though I won’t say more unless necessary. Just be cautious.]
‘Got it.’
I thought it was a bit excessive, but I nodded.
It’d be better to reassure him than to act defiant.
[So what will you do now?]
‘I need to prepare.’
[But you don’t even know what the dungeon is like, right?]
‘I do.’
Of course, I had memorized how the dungeon is structured that first-year students create at Soul Academy.
Which monsters appear on each level.
What the boss is on every tenth floor.
How to deal with it, etc.
I even knew the hidden items and routes the professors hidden in the dungeon while constructing them.
I know all about it.
Inside the game Soul Academy, there’s not a dungeon I’m unfamiliar with.
How could I lack information about the academy dungeon, the main stage of this game?
The old man didn’t press me further when I affirmed I knew.
After all, I had pulled off some extraordinary stunts under the guise of the “pathetic god” before.
He must have assumed my shenanigans had something to do with that perverted god’s influence from the moment I began causing mischief.
With things to gather, I returned to my dorm and pulled out a pouch given to me by Benedict when I arrived at the academy! Inside this pouch were 20 gold coins!
That’s an amount substantial enough for most noble students to live off for a year, and Benedict handed this to me as personal spending money, separate from living expenses.
He said having a surplus is better than being short on cash.
It’s true that having more money is always better, but is it really okay to give a student this much?
I mean, isn’t that why Lucy had a spending problem? Benedict, you idiot.
He’s great at fighting and work, but why is he so disastrous at parenting?
I took out two gold coins from the pouch and stepped back outside.
In most cities, evening is when the streets prepare for sleep.
Without streetlights and electricity in this world, night is purely for resting.
But the streets of Soul Academy? Totally different.
In this thriving city centered around the academy, the busiest time of day is undoubtedly the evening.
This is when the academy students, who can spend freely, roam about.
Tonight, the streets of Soul Academy were bustling, but I bypassed all that and headed towards the back alleys.
Sure, I could get what I was looking for in that crowded street, but the quality is way too poor.
There’s no way I’m finding anything decent in a shop that’s as early as the game’s start.
Once I unlock some conditions later on, sure, I can find some nice items, but for now, it’s impossible.
That’s why I headed to a different location.
As I opened the door to the back alley tavern, the stares fell on me again.
However, this time those stares were different.
There was no malice or ill intent.
Just a hint of caution.
So now, I’m considered a customer?
“Lady Alrn! What brings you here today?”
The guy who got hit by Alsetin when he made a fuss last time asked politely.
‘Hello…’
“Hey, old man. I came to meet the information dealer.”
That little insult set the guy’s eyebrows twitching.
But he didn’t blow up this time.
He had seemed like a total hothead at first.
Was he just reacting that way because I was an outsider?
“He’s upstairs. I’ll call him for you…”
‘No…’
“No, I’ll go instead, since that lazy information dealer isn’t showing up on his own.”
I knew where Alsetin’s room was, having been there before.
I walked past the man and knocked once before opening Alsetin’s door.
“Who’s there…”
Alsetin frowned as he lifted his head, but his expression quickly changed when he saw my face.
‘Lucy Alrn here.’
“What’s the matter? Do you have a complaint, information dealer?”
“No, not at all. What brings you here?”
‘I came to buy something.’
“Is there any other reason for me to come to this shabby place? I came to buy something.”
“Well, okay then. Please, have a seat.”
Following Alsetin’s guidance, I shut the door behind me and sat down.
He quickly hid some of the papers sprawled out in front of him.
Looks like he has some important information there. No need to hide it from me.
Whatever it is, it can’t be worse than what’s in my head.
‘Last time…’
“Did you look into what I told you about?”
“About the Burrow family’s necklace? Yeah. I located it and expect to retrieve it within a week.”
Already? That was quick.
I thought it would take at least a month.
That’s good news, but it wasn’t what I was asking about.
‘Not that.’
“What else?”
“About your teacher.”
You investigated, didn’t you?
With the information network you have, you must have at least found a small clue by now?
“Yes. I did look into it. I concluded there’s solid grounds to your statement. We managed to spot your teacher’s whereabouts.”
Good. That means Alsetin won’t want to grump about his feelings until I divulge info about his teacher.
If I request something from him, he’ll surely do his best to help me.
“I’m curious how you managed to find such information, but you won’t share that, right?”
‘Of course not.’
“Why even ask me then, Mr. Information Dealer? Are you trying to make my mouth hurt?”
“Haha. That wasn’t my intention. Well then, let’s get back on track. What are you here to buy?”
I handed over the list of items I had prepared beforehand from my pouch.
He looked it over and raised one eyebrow slightly.
“Are you going into the dungeon?”
‘That’s right…’
“Alright, Mr. Information Dealer. You can get all this high-quality stuff within a week, right?”
“Of course. But…”
Before he could finish his sentence, I placed two gold coins beside the paper. Alsetin’s grin lit up bright.
“Come back in three days, and I’ll have everything ready for you.”
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