Chapter: 91
[Hey, about that girl named Phoebe.]
On the way back after receiving the mace from Phoebe…
Not long after leaving the church, Grandpa cautiously spoke up.
“Why?”
[It seems she’s going through a lot of turmoil.]
“Phoebe?”
I tilted my head at his words.
And it made sense since the Phoebe I knew was as solid as a giant tree.
A person who wouldn’t budge no matter how fierce the storm got.
Someone who could make everyone feel at ease under her vast shade.
Even if a few roots rot, she’d still grow higher without a wobble.
That’s Phoebe for you.
Despite all the hardships that came her way in her personal story, she always maintained a saintly smile. There’s no way she’d falter now, right?
[And, it seemed she was envious of you.]
“Come on, that’s nonsense!”
Grandpa, if you’re gonna spread some gossip, at least make it believable.
Phoebe and envy? Those two words are miles apart!
I’ve tried pursuing her countless times while playing the game, and in all my interactions, I’ve never seen the saintly girl show even a hint of jealousy!
Why is Grandpa trying to turn an unrelated girl into a villain here?
[Do you have any reason to lie? ]
“… So Phoebe is genuinely jealous of me?!”
Huh?
Why?
What’s there for her to be jealous of? Objectively speaking, is there even a reason for Phoebe to feel envious?
I can’t wrap my head around it!
“Why?”
[It seems she was jealous of the blessing from Armedi bestowed upon you.]
Could that be it?
I mean, she has spent her whole life worshipping the divine and never heard a single voice, and here she sees that little troublemaker Mesugaki receiving divine grace. Yeah, I can see how that might make her stomach churn.
If it were me, I would’ve cursed that pathetic pervert god. I’d be like, “Do you really think I’m gonna trust you?!” But Phoebe’s not that kind of person.
Thinking back, this is a situation that has never occurred within the game.
The Armedi in the game never speaks to the user.
When Phoebe sees a user who has received Armedi’s love, I can’t say for certain how she would react.
But I can at least guess.
Knowing what kind of person she is.
“It’ll be fine.”
Phoebe can be lost.
She might waver.
Even if she wears the title of saintess and is considered closer to the divine than anyone else, at the end of the day, she’s still human.
But I believe Phoebe will be fine.
After all, her character always overcomes challenges and ends up smiling at the end.
I believed in the image of her brightly smiling even when her dark personal story wrapped up.
[Then that’s good.]
“Don’t worry, have I ever said something wrong?”
[… true.]
“More importantly, Grandpa, let’s talk about how I can grow stronger from here!”
Right now, that’s the more urgent matter.
Who knows how many threats will come my way thanks to being Armedi’s apostle?
Right now, Naklad is ignoring his original plans and coming after me because he sensed Armedi’s energy within me.
I have no idea how many more such events might pop up.
To prepare for that, it’s best I get stronger.
Rather than trembling at whatever variables may arise, isn’t it better to adopt an attitude of smashing anything that comes my way?
[You are already strong enough as is.]
“This isn’t enough.”
If it were just my physical specs, I could somehow grow those.
But fighting skills are different. This isn’t something that can be improved with mere grinding.
As of now, I’m relying on Grandpa’s judgment during crucial moments to some extent. But I can’t keep doing that.
Through my battle against Naklad, I felt it; waiting for Grandpa’s guidance to act is way too slow.
I need to be at a level where I can make the same judgment as him without needing to hear him first.
“I don’t want to die.”
[… Hmm, understood. I’ll think about how to help you.]
“Thanks, Grandpa. And one more request, if you don’t mind.”
[What is it?]
“You remember all the classes from the Academy, right?”
Well, go figure. The quest says I need to rank first for the midterm exams.
When I attended those classes, I spent most of my time kissing the desk!
So if you ask me what I’ve learned so far, all I can say is “Uh… um…”
I need your help big time!
[Haa… girl.]
“Yes!”
[Seriously, can’t you put at least one-tenth of the passion you show during training into studying? Didn’t I say so? As a noble! …]
Sighing at my brazen request, Grandpa started lecturing me.
But I’ve heard this for quite a while, so I let the words flow in one ear and out the other.
I mean, you’re just gonna help out anyway, right, Grandpa?
I figured out ages ago that you’ve been a tsundere!
*
The next morning.
While I was getting ready for training with Frey as usual, Joy came looking for me.
She wouldn’t be here to thank me again after that boring ordeal in the infirmary, would she?
If she really had that in mind, I would just blast away her gratitude with my Mesugaki skill.
Waiting for her to speak, I was met with a totally unexpected request from Joy.
“Please help me get stronger.”
Huh… what?
What did you say?
You want me to help you get stronger?
I don’t quite get why Joy, a wizard, is asking me for such a favor.
If she’s looking for advice, there are plenty of more reliable sources than me!
Like the other professors at the Academy or the teachers they brought in through connections with the Partran family.
Sure, I could help Joy out.
It’s not like my character in Soul Academy was strictly melee, after all.
I’ve memorized training methods for all classes that exist in Soul Academy!
But I was just curious as to why she would ask me that.
“Why me?”
“Clueless young lady, can you really be this dense? Why is a wizard asking a knight for help?”
“I’m not asking for magical lessons. I just want to be someone who stands beside you. If not for anything else, to repay my debt.”
I understood the gist of what Joy was saying.
She wanted to stand next to me to repay the debt of her lost life.
So she wants my help so she can become someone I’d like having around?
Put a slightly different way, it means, “You want to party with me, right?”
“Oh? So you want to party with me? You really enjoy being teased by me, don’t you? Perverted young lady~ so gross~”
“… Let’s skip past that part. I do want to be part of the same party as Lady Alrn.”
It’d be a fantastic thing to have Joy as a party member.
She’s an excellent wizard in the game after all.
Depending on how I shape the party concept, she could play a key role in dealing damage whenever I feel short on DPS.
As someone who feels the pain of lacking damage in battles, I couldn’t say no to having Joy in the party.
Still…
“If you want to be a party member, I won’t refuse. However…”
“I won’t be able to accept you if your idea is just begging me to let you join. Can you even enter a dungeon?”
And here lies the problem.
Joy has trauma from falling into the Alchemist’s dungeon in the past.
No matter how capable of a character she is, if she can’t go into a dungeon, she’s effectively useless.
If we can’t solve this issue, I can’t accept Joy as a party member.
As I remained silently urging her for a response, Joy hesitated, then slowly nodded.
“I… think I’ll be okay.”
“Really?”
“Hey, clueless young lady, I know I’m fantastic, but if you act too tough, you might actually end up failing this time, you know?”
“Other times might be different, but with Lady Alrn beside me, I’m confident… I’ll be fine.”
With my assurance, I couldn’t help but grin.
Seeing my favorite character leaning on me was a joy I couldn’t suppress.
So, she’s saying it’ll be alright with me around?
“Wow, aren’t I lucky to have someone like you?!”
“Ah, so you can’t do anything without me? Cowardly young lady, are you getting scared at night without me to escort you to the restroom?”
I could see her hands shaking in front of her, but there was nothing I could do.
It was a sight I’ve longed for, yet thought was impossible, playing out right in front of me.
How can I suppress my laughter?
After a good, long laugh, I finally turned to see Joy blushing with her head down.
Hmm, maybe that was a bit too much.
“Okay, Joy. Let’s dive into the dungeon together.”
“Great, you’re such a helpless young lady without me! I’ll make sure to watch over you.”
“Thank you.”
Joy’s voice trembled as she gave her reply.
Joy, you might be regretting this now, but it’s too late!
You can step in freely, but leaving isn’t gonna be so simple.
Since you said you want to be a member of the veteran party, you’re gonna have to reach the level I desire!
“However, there’s a condition.”
“But come on, clueless young lady! I can’t just take care of you for free! There’s gotta be a condition.”
“What is it?”
“You have to follow my instructions to the end!”
“Just do as I say! And don’t give up halfway like a loser.”
Back when this world felt like a game, I couldn’t set up specific training schedules for NPC allies.
I could only point them in the right direction.
But here, in reality, I can do what I want without the game’s stupid systems holding me back.
Before, all I could do was get them good skills and give them great items, but now I get to shape this gem named Joy from start to finish.
Who wouldn’t get excited in such a situation?
I can firmly say no one.
Joy, unaware of my grand plan, crossed her arms with a confident grin on her face.
“And what do you think of me, Joy Partan? Do I look like a person who gives up easily?”
“Really?”
“You sure? You truly think a cowardly clueless young lady could endure this?!”
“I won’t let you down.”
The moment I saw the resolve in her eyes, I nodded.
If she’s saying it that firmly, how could I possibly stop her?
Sigh, it can’t be helped.
Though I didn’t want to torment my favorite character, it’s too late now that she’s the one pushing for it!
Let’s roll with it!
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