Chapter: 127
I had to take the time to persuade Phoebe on why pillaging wasn’t bad during the field trip.
As party members, we needed to work together, and I couldn’t force her to do something she didn’t accept, right?
If it were Visi or Avery, they’d shout, “Who cares about your opinion!” but not Phoebe.
I didn’t want to do something random and end up hated by Phoebe.
“Is it a necessary evil to raise the students’ practical skills?”
“Yes! That’s right!”
“It seems our sloppy Saintess is rather slow to understand. Haven’t I said this repeatedly?”
There’s a limit to the number and strength of monsters in the forest, making it hard to gain practical experience as the academy desires in natural conditions.
That’s why I attempted to create some real experiences among the students, causing a little stir.
Right now, I might look like the villain, but if we do nothing, it will only cause trouble for other students.
As I explained this not just myself but also with Joy chiming in, Phoebe eventually nodded her head.
“I’m sorry, Lady Allen. My thinking was shallow, and I didn’t think that far.”
“It’s okay.”
“Besides, I didn’t expect anything from our sloppy Saintess anyway.”
Because of the unnecessary comment at the end, Phoebe’s eyebrows twitched, but that couldn’t be helped.
“But Lucy, are we just going to do nothing now? Are we resting?”
“No…”
“No, there’s something else we need to do.”
Veteran gamers never waste empty time meaninglessly.
I had already planned what to do at this moment.
“We’re going to meet the master of this place.”
Because we needed to at least see that guy’s face to clear the quest given by the sloppy Lord Jushin.
“Master of the forest? Why?”
“Because the blessing he gives is quite useful.”
“Yeah, that sloppy fox gives a really useful blessing.”
*
Lucy Allen led the party through this forest just like during the dungeon strategy.
Her command was as adept as a hunter who had lived in this forest for decades, so no one among the party doubted Lucy.
As we smoothly made our way deeper into the forest, Lucy suddenly stopped, looked up at the sky through the leaves, and dropped her arms.
“Shall we rest for a bit?”
Hearing that, Lucy’s party members blinked in astonishment.
Everyone here had gone on dungeon strategies with her before.
So, they understood how much Lucy loved forced marches.
It was shocking to hear her suggest resting when no one had collapsed!
“You’re not Lucy, are you?”
While they couldn’t rejoice in the idea of resting and exchanged uncertain glances, Frey spoke up.
“Huh? Shoddy Swordsman. What nonsense are you talking about again?”
“Lucy never suggests resting. If she does, it’s because someone has collapsed. She wouldn’t do it in a relaxed situation like now.”
Joy and Phoebe, who had been exhausted by Lucy before, unconsciously nodded at Frey’s words.
If someone collapsed, it’d be the one who would carry them that would get a rest. Doesn’t that sound weird?
Sighing at that scene, Lucy responded in a tone anyone could recognize as annoyed.
“Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll make you crawl on the ground…”
“Wow! Rest! I love resting! Let’s take a break quickly!”
“Actually, I like resting too.”
“Me too.”
Just when a crisis arose that could lead to unnecessary troubles, Joy yelled urgently, and Frey and Phoebe exchanged glances, following suit.
Lucy looked somewhat dissatisfied as she glanced between the three but didn’t say anything more.
“Get out of the way, shoddies.”
Instead, she began taking various items out of her space pocket.
Had she learned how to camp from the Allen Family’s knights?
Her preparation for rest was incredibly skillful.
Watching Lucy create a resting space while pulling things from her space pocket, Phoebe couldn’t help but admire her.
Just like when we had strategized through the dungeon, Lady Allen was impressively thorough in her preparations.
Despite her age, she was extraordinarily capable.
Could this be what it means to be loved by Armadi?
Ever since the last time we strategized through a dungeon together, Phoebe had been thinking about Lucy all the time.
As time passed and her anger cooled, the things she couldn’t notice before began to emerge one by one.
Usually, those who insult the gods either don’t believe in their existence or believe in different gods.
As Armadi is the lord of all gods except for the Evil God, no one could insult Armadi unless they worshiped the Evil God.
So, if someone insulted Armadi, they were generally the former.
How could one insult someone who is the lord of all gods if they didn’t believe Armadi truly existed?
If the one who insulted a god was an ordinary person, Phoebe would think it a pity and move on.
How could she not feel pity for someone who denies the existence of a god that clearly exists, believing they are right?
However, Lucy was different.
She was someone who definitely knew that gods exist.
She was someone who had heard the voice of God countless times.
Finding Ruel’s mace was also due to divine revelation.
Having received Agra’s curse twice was because of divine revelation as well.
Lucy could not deny Armadi’s existence.
If it wasn’t all, then she had to think the opposite.
From the mouth of someone who knows a great being exists above in the sky, how could such an individual utter words that insult that existence?
Wouldn’t they fear the wrath of an omniscient and omnipotent being?
Why would they move their lips freely?
Phoebe thought the reason was something like this.
They were confident that it wouldn’t make the gods angry.
Sometimes, Phoebe played pranks on Joy under the guise of preaching.
The reason she could playfully tease Joy, someone who hates hurting others’ feelings, was that she knew Joy wouldn’t get angry over things like this.
Phoebe thought Lucy would think similarly.
She could boldly insult because she knew that what she’d done wouldn’t break Armadi’s kindness.
How can an insignificant human gauge the grace of Armadi?
Can one measure the patience of a god who rarely reaches out to the world?
Phoebe knew the answer to that.
Because Lucy is Armadi’s apostle.
From when Phoebe heard about Lucy’s identity from the Apostle of Evil God until this moment, she had contemplated many times.
The conclusion of that contemplation was always the same.
No matter how much she tried to deny it,
No matter how much she hoped to dig through the elements,
It was too clear that Lucy received Armadi’s love and was close to him.
By now, she had half-acknowledged it.
So, every time she had an opportunity, Phoebe always observed Lucy’s actions.
She was curious about what aspects drew Armadi’s attention.
Each time Phoebe observed something different, but those actions could be summarized in one word.
Lucy was capable.
Study, check.
Battle, check.
In dungeon strategies, she displayed an overwhelming performance, and her ability to lead others was reminiscent of a remarkably competent commander.
That’s right.
Except for her fierce words and actions, Lucy Allen didn’t lack in each aspect.
The problem was not what part caught Armadi’s interest.
Every single aspect was extraordinary enough to capture Armadi’s attention.
It was hard to believe that this person was once referred to as a rascal.
A normal person wouldn’t change that much in just a year.
No matter how much talent Lady Allen possesses, someone who did nothing for 15 years couldn’t suddenly become the continent’s top saintess in just a year.
Surely Armadi’s blessing must have influenced her transformation.
With that judgment, Phoebe decided to focus on Lucy’s past, not her present.
If her change began when she was chosen as Armadi’s apostle, there must have been a reason she caught his eye before that.
“Once, Lady Allen wasn’t like this.”
Joy, who often ran into Lucy while participating in various social circles, said the old Lucy was a completely different person.
She noted that while the harsh speech was the same, everything else was different.
“The Lady Allen during the social circles was truly a terrifying figure.”
Hearing Joy speak about Lucy, who used to act like a hedgehog spitting thorns, Phoebe couldn’t help but be appalled.
If everything Joy said was true, it was a miracle that they were still alive until now.
“If it weren’t for the fame of Benedict Allen, something big would have happened already.”
Watching Joy laugh as she shared this, Phoebe thought.
No matter how much she considered it, she couldn’t see any aspect of the past Lucy that could attract Armadi’s interest.
Her nature wasn’t good,
She didn’t perform good deeds,
She didn’t have outstanding abilities, and
She wasn’t deeply faithful either.
No matter how she thought about it, there was no reason for Armadi to take notice of her.
The only commonality between past Lucy and present Lucy was one.
“Sloppy Wolf♡ Is it that easy to expose your belly?♡ Puhuhuh♡ Shoddy♡ Weakling♡ Trash♡ Male elimination♡”
Her tone.
It openly dismissed the opponent regardless of who they were, playfully provoking them into anger.
That tone, spoken by a noble young lady, was so vulgar it was hard to believe.
Perhaps.
It was a blasphemous thought, but what if…
What if Armadi liked that kind of tone?
That kind of attitude belittling others and laughing at them?
According to what she learned from the scriptures, that could never be the case, but recently, Phoebe found it increasingly hard to trust the words in the scriptures.
If the scriptures say Armadi’s apostle, who should not exist, appears before her, isn’t it possible that several phrases written in scripture may also be wrong?
Then, to gain Armadi’s attention, she should say something like shoddy… or j…junk…
No way.
This isn’t right.
Armadi wouldn’t like me speaking such words.
You’re right.
There must be something else I don’t know.
Finally pulling herself together, Phoebe slapped her cheeks strongly and exhaled deeply.
She’s now fallen to the level of having blasphemous thoughts.
I’m really a foolish person.
Just as Lady Allen said.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the bush beside her.
What is it? It doesn’t seem like anyone else is moving.
Unconsciously turning her head, Phoebe spotted a white fox peeking its face out from the bushes.
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