Chapter: 117
Following the energy of Armadi, Nakrad was happy.
If there exists a trial in this world, what comes after overcoming it is surely a reward.
Working under the guidance of Tariki, naturally, what I desired falls into my hands.
Oh, Apostle of Armadi. You damned brat who ruined my plans and prevented the will of Tariki from unfolding.
Were you there?
Nakrad found the boy, arms crossed, making a bothersome expression in the darkness.
What are you waiting for over there?
Are you perhaps curious about the rumors made up by other kids?
If so, I’ll make your wishes come true.
I will respond to what you desire, but in return, you must let me hear your cries.
Crawl on the ground and scream with your tears mixed in.
Give me your beautiful voice that cannot be obscured by a night so dark and heavy.
While Nakrad was contemplating how to torment the Apostle of Armadi, he saw her turn her face.
Even on a moonlit night, her assertive gaze caught Nakrad’s face, forming a crescent.
What is it?
Why are you smiling?
If you were looking at me, you would’ve sensed your crisis, wouldn’t you?
Why?
Have you lost your mind?
Have you given up in the face of death?
No.
That girl doesn’t seem overly confident to the point of it being bravado.
If that’s the case…
Just as something was beginning to rise along his spine, the Apostle of Armadi moved her lips.
Having learned the art of poison, Nakrad instantly understood what those lips conveyed.
“Destroy him.”
At that moment, a presence, hidden until just now, began to stir behind him.
Rolling awkwardly on the dirt, Nakrad barely dodged the ambush and summoned his magic to inspect the one who appeared behind him.
Damn it.
It’s a knight.
And a knight at quite a remarkable level.
You can feel their prowess merely by the movement of their sword.
That one is not someone I can handle right now.
The prey did not come to me; the Apostle of Armadi lured me out like a bait.
I am just a foolish fish swept up in the word ‘revenge’, ready to bite that bait.
Thinking that he had just taken a hit, Nakrad exhaled roughly, but there was no proper way to deal with the situation.
There was no way to tackle the Apostle of Armadi while facing that knight.
First, I run away.
After all, that guy is a knight.
If I try to escape while hiding in darkness, he won’t have a proper way to catch me.
I’ll take this incident as a stepping stone and deeply engrave it in my heart.
While thinking of a way to escape, Nakrad instinctively created a barrier of darkness.
However, an arrow that flew from afar drowned his barrier in magic, rendering it useless.
An arrow embedded itself in Nakrad’s ankle, causing him to tense his lips.
“Young Lady. Is this arrow expensive?”
“Information peddler. Do you have the right to say such things?”
“I just want you to acknowledge the level of investment made, you know?”
Tsk. Was it not just one?
I wondered how that seemingly assertive knight had gone missing, but it turns out he was with a thief.
Nakrad frowned and merged his ankle with the darkness.
As a result, the arrow lodged in his ankle passed through the darkness and fell to the ground.
“Oh. You’re using some interesting technique.”
Having planted his feet back on the ground, Nakrad had a straight-lipped expression, looking at the pose of the thief pulling back their bowstring.
If it had just been that one, disposing of them wouldn’t have been difficult, but the problem is that a knight is also involved.
This has become troublesome.
Thinking this way, Nakrad scattered his magic around.
As the Apostle of the God of Darkness commanded the shadows, one by one, minions began to emerge from below.
At least it’s fortunate that it’s night.
There are plenty of cards I can play.
Those guys are surely not accustomed to the authority of the God I wield, so if I use it well…
“Information peddler. Shoot darkness with your arrows. That’ll work. Sloppy. You don’t need to worry about the darkness; just torment that bravado stick. Can you do that?”
“Of course, Young Lady!”
“I’ll do my best!”
The Apostle of Armadi gave orders to the two and then looked at Nakrad.
Seeing Nakrad’s face filled with embarrassment, she burst into laughter, producing an annoying voice.
“What are you looking at? ♡ You bravado stick ♡ It makes me nauseous to look at your face! ♡ So could you lower your eyes a bit? ♡ It’s disgusting ♡”
…That damn girl!
*
It was clear from my provocation that he was getting heated, but seeing Nakrad floundering without the ability to breach the attacks of Karl and Alsatine was somewhat satisfying.
Wow. This is life.
Is this why Lucy used to provoke people back then?
Seeing someone she dislikes squirm is quite enjoyable, honestly.
To some extent, I get that feeling.
“Sloppy stick ♡ What will you do if I glare at you? ♡ A useless sloppy who can’t do anything! ♡ Is it because I’m too cute? ♡ Pervert ♡ Lolita freak ♡ Disgusting ♡”
“Shut up, you damn trash!”
“Puhuhuh ♡ You’re angry? ♡ So angry? ♡ That’s so scary ♡”
As Nakrad glared and suffered under Karl’s sword, I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
[Hey, girl.]
‘What is it?’
[Are you not overdoing it a bit? Your hatred seems to be deepening.]
‘What does it matter? As long as I’m the Apostle of Armadi, he’ll always want to kill me.’
Just because you gain more hatred doesn’t change anything, right?
Besides, he’s not someone like Cecil or Arthur who would be in trouble for gaining hatred.
To put it bluntly, does he even have anything to be proud of?
He’s just a sloppy idiot fumbling around away from the Academy, acting foolishly out of fear of being hunted.
It’s not like I have to be afraid of him until the Evil God regains some power.
‘And I’m not provoking him thoughtlessly either.’
[Hmm?]
‘Look. Grandpa. He’s getting so riled up because of me that he’s been allowing constant attacks.’
In a situation where he’s already at a disadvantage and has to stay vigilant, he’s distracted by my provocations.
I reckon over half the wounds Nakrad has suffered so far have been caused by my interference.
[So, it’s a strategic provocation, is it?]
‘Exactly!’
The provocation ability of Mesugaki skill is truly the best in the world!
I can’t waste such a high-performance provocation skill, can I?
When in battle, I learned to use everything I have when necessary, and I’m just faithfully implementing that.
[Really? ]
‘Even so, what of it?’
[Are you sure there isn’t any selfishness involved?]
‘…A little bit is there.’
[A little?]
‘Right! It’s a lot! What’s wrong with that?!!’
Blowing up bombs next to someone, riddling them with holes,
And on top of that, holding a grudge against some bastard who tried to take my life!
Is that wrong?!
Absolutely not!
[No. I get your feelings, but it seems you’re too entranced by your blessing. You’ve always been on guard against that.]
‘Today, I decided not to care about that.’
It’s not like any other day; I’m here to unwind today.
Instead of worrying about trivial issues, I’m thinking about how to make Nakrad more miserable.
Got it, Grandpa?
So stop spouting weird nonsense and sit still.
“What’s this? ♡ Cowardly bravado stick ♡ Are you running away? ♡ Are you leaving all angry but unable to do anything? ♡ Useless ♡ Pathetic ♡”
“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?!”
*
“Saintess.”
Oh Armadi, please, for this sinful little lamb…
“Saintess!”
“Huh?!”
Startled by the booming male voice ringing in her ears, Phoebe opened her eyes, flushed, and cleared her throat.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your prayer.”
“No, it’s okay. So, Clergy, what’s the matter?”
“It’s about time for you to return to the dormitory.”
“So soon?”
It couldn’t be that it’s already that time when she hadn’t been praying for long.
As she was about to express her doubt, Phoebe saw the starry spectacle draping outside the window, and her mouth fell agape.
The sky, painted black, indicated it was indeed night.
“Thank you, Clergy. I almost forgot and would’ve been scolded by the Dormitory Head.”
“No, it’s nothing. Please go in.”
Expressing her gratitude to the clergy, Phoebe swiftly exited the church.
Since returning Lucy Allen’s sword after it was purified, she had been incessantly praying to Armadi.
Asking to erase the envy and jealousy nestled in her heart.
However, the more she tried to forget something, the more those thoughts were etched into her mind.
Phoebe’s prayers and penance hardly showed any effect.
Ah, if only I knew for certain that Armadi would talk to me someday, I wouldn’t be wandering like this.
Merely loving Lady Allen isn’t enough. If only I could firmly believe that He is loving the world equally as mentioned in the scriptures, I wouldn’t have such trivial worries.
Phoebe was well aware of how blasphemous her thoughts were, but no matter what, she couldn’t stop the dark thoughts from seeping out.
Each time, she inwardly offered her apologies to others.
I’m sorry.
It seems I’m not meant to be a saint after all.
I tried to become someone worthy of your praises all this time, but I must’ve been lacking.
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry…
Heading towards the dormitory, Phoebe gradually slumped her shoulders when a whiff of blood brushed her nose, causing her to halt.
This is definitely the smell of blood.
What kind of accident happened?
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Phoebe instinctively moved towards the scent of blood.
She didn’t entertain thoughts of being nosy.
If someone is injured, she needed to heal them.
That was common sense for Phoebe.
What she encountered at the end of that path was the sight of a man sprawled out in an alley.
A person gasping for breath, wounded all over.
Normally, Phoebe would have approached the injured person right away, but she hesitated for a moment due to the dark energy radiating from him.
This is definitely…
The energy of the Evil God, the enemy of the Church.
First, I need to get the clergy.
“Hey.”
Phoebe flinched at the voice that emerged from the darkness.
“Over there, Clergy. Heal me.”
“I can’t…”
“Then I’ll resolve the doubts that lie within your heart.”
The moment Phoebe heard those words, the rumors circulating around the academy recently came to her mind.
They say, when wandering the dark streets, a person in black would appear.
If you pay a suitable price to that person, they will resolve any curiosity you have.
Others say the accuracy of their answers is 100%.
…Then.
If, perhaps…
Maybe, if I bring out the curiosity hidden in my heart…
Will that also be resolved?
“I see. I can sense the doubts lodged within your heart. Do you not wish to resolve them?”
The voice.
“Don’t worry. I swear by the name of the God I serve that I won’t harm you.”
The voice emerging from the darkness entwined around Phoebe like a rope.
“It’s a deal. You heal me, and in return, I’ll answer the question you yearn to know.”
Unknowingly, Phoebe stepped one foot into the darkness.
“Now, speak. What troubles your mind?”
“What I’m curious about is…”
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