Chapter: 245
Tick. Tock.
Only the sound of the clock hands moving echoed through the corridor, and a somewhat rough footstep brushed past.
Among the attendants tidying up the corridor, none dared to stop the violent and un-noble steps.
It wasn’t because the one making the noise was someone they were supposed to serve.
True, the culprit of the commotion was their little master, but even so, the attendants wouldn’t have bothered to intervene.
To them, utterly focused on repeatedly doing one task, their little master’s violent steps went unnoticed.
Thus, their little master, showcasing his presence, arrived at the door of the room where the mansion’s owner resided.
Even if he was the only heir of the family, he should have kept some decorum towards the current head of the family, but he didn’t.
He barged in and bang! slammed the door shut.
“Isn’t it too noisy for the Duke to be sleeping?”
It wasn’t Duke Burrow who cautioned the little master.
Until just a moment ago, when a guest had arrived, he had displayed a noble demeanor, but now he was drifting into a deep sleep with comfortable breaths.
The one who spoke up was a man dressed in black from head to toe, standing next to Duke Burrow.
The man’s sharp gaze was intimidating enough to instill fear in anyone, but the little master didn’t flinch at all.
“Still not waking up, huh?”
Instead, he casually replied and sat down in an appropriate spot.
“That’s true.”
It was indeed rude, yet the man only forced a displeased smile.
“So, how were the friends you met after a long time?”
“Friends? Did I have any visitors today?”
“Then let me rephrase that. How was the opponent?”
The little master, Jack Burrows, recalled the people he had met today in response to the man’s question.
The Saintess. The Ducal Young Lady Partlan. The Third Prince of Soladin. An unnamed kid. And that damn Young Lady from the Allen family.
People he had felt intense jealousy and inferiority towards in the past.
“They’ve all become much stronger than before. Particularly that damn Lucy Allen… What the hell is mixed in the blood of the Allen family?”
They clearly hadn’t overestimated their talents and continuously trained.
None could compare to how they were before vacation.
Especially that Lucy Allen, a girl who was already strong enough before vacation, was now pressing down on him with sheer spirit.
“Ha. I can’t help but agree. The divinity she possesses has already surpassed the average holy knights in the central region. Truly someone loved by God.”
“Shouldn’t be something to admire.”
“No. It absolutely is something to admire. The brighter the opponent’s light, the darker the shadow you’ll feel when it fades away.”
The thrill of toppling them as well.
At the man’s words, Jack bit his lip.
I thought this ever since we first met, but this guy sure talks too much nonsense.
The first time Jack had met this ominous man was not long after the final exams of the academy.
He had sacrificed his relaxation, sleep, and meals.
Despite succeeding in getting a higher score than before at the expense of everything, his rank had actually dropped.
When Jack faced the reality that while Lucy Allen just kept shining, he was being swallowed by darkness,
He was wandering aimlessly in despair when that man came to find him.
With absurd promises to fulfill his wishes.
“You’ll grant my wish? Ha. Then make me an omniscient god.”
Initially, Jack dismissed his words as nonsense.
“No. Your wish isn’t that.”
There was something indescribable in the man’s words.
“You resent that you can’t escape from the mansion since the day your brother died, but that makes you the princely burden of the Burrow family more than anyone else.”
“…You.”
“Don’t you want to regain the lost time of your family? And your own time?”
“…”
“Soon…”
“The preparations for the mansion are almost complete. In a couple of months, we’ll be able to go outside and get into action.”
Jack’s memories faded with the man’s voice. Back in reality, he looked at the man with his usual displeased smile.
“Look forward to it. Everything you wish for will be fulfilled then.”
The clock behind him ticked, but it seemed to be broken, just going around in circles.
*
The Evil God of Darkness.
With my arms crossed, I ponder.
It’s impossible for the Evil God of Darkness to resurrect so soon.
He’s one of the stronger Evil Gods. Given the enormous power he originally possessed, it would take a long time to recover that.
Plus, Nakrad, who should have helped with the resurrection, ran away after just fooling around during the academy’s first semester—there’s no way he could revive faster than back in the game.
This means the Apostle of the Evil God who operates inside the Burrow mansion must be Nakrad, who’s now hiding nearby the academy.
How did he manage to manipulate Duke Burrow?
Having tussled with Nakrad throughout the academy’s first semester, I have a rough idea of the power he holds.
He’s strong, but isn’t in the league of true powerhouses.
Just look at how he was repelled by Karl and Alsatine. Even though I forced a disadvantageous fight, it’s still his limit to lose to the two.
Moreover, how could he influence Duke Burrow after losing most of his power from that last hit from Grandpa?
It was something hard to understand within the bounds of common sense, yet that was the reality. The source of the anomaly had been declared by that sloppy god.
“It’s not accurate. I just felt that way suddenly. If Young Lady felt differently, then that would be the truth.”
What did she think of my troubled expression? Phoebe anxiously continued talking.
Why is she looking for my reaction after telling me the correct answer?
Is it because I’m the Apostle of the Sloppy God?
Does she think I’m testing her for receiving a revelation from God?
“No, Phoebe. What you said is right.”
“Did I ever say something wrong? Why do you act so hesitantly after saying the right thing? It’s that lack of confidence that makes me call you sloppy. That sloppy sloppy saintess.”
“Am… I correct?”
“Indeed, even if it’s true.”
“Why? Should I tell you if you’re wrong? Want to hear that you’re a sloppy and incompetent saintess? I thought you were just sloppy, but turns out you’re a sloppy pervert with a twisted taste?”
“…Th-That’s not it! It’s not like that! So!”
With her face turning red after being called a pervert, Phoebe flailed her arms while I continued my line of thought.
That braggart probably didn’t deal with Duke Burrow in the conventional way. He didn’t have the capability for that.
This means he must have committed some shady acts like that lousy god.
I closed my eyes and recalled the various scenarios that existed within the game.
Many scenarios connected to the Evil God of Darkness. Among them, I sought one that matches the current situation of the Burrow family.
The method used by the Apostle of the Evil God when swallowing an opponent much stronger than himself.
The Beol mansion scenario.
No, that scenario would’ve featured the Evil God already unsealed. I must think of a time when Nakrad’s powers were almost nonexistent.
The dungeon domination scenario.
Not that either. The boss was strong, but lacked intelligence. He was too trusting of his underlings, making it easy to fool him.
Not this, not that either.
As I marked an X on each item in my mental notepad, a scenario caught my attention.
To be exact, it wasn’t a quest scenario. It was simply a booklet describing one of the Evil God of Darkness’s many wrongdoings.
However, what was written there corresponded remarkably with the current situation.
To the South, far from the Soul Academy. The forest where the Spirit Queen resides.
The method the Evil God of Darkness used to swallow the spirits of that place involved the secrecy of his energy.
He tainted the groundwater that flowed beneath the Spirit Forest with his energy through an insider. Thus, he gradually turned the entire forest into his own.
No matter how powerful the Spirit Queen might be, facing the limitations of having her many spirits and her forest destroyed would be too much to bear.
The Evil God of Darkness succeeded in devouring the Spirit Queen, suffering minimal damage.
Now, I apply that incident directly to the Burrow mansion.
From Nakrad’s perspective, it wouldn’t be that difficult.
Simply tainting the mansion’s drinking water with energy or poisoning the food supplies would suffice.
If he needed to invade, it would be tricky, but he had insiders.
The energy possessed by the Evil God of Darkness is covert enough that even Grandpa wouldn’t notice. No matter how many talented individuals there were in the Burrow family, finding it would be impossible.
Why did Duke Burrow fall ill?
This can be simply explained. Duke Burrow is a strong person. He could resist desperately as the Evil God’s energy spreads.
“Young Lady! I certainly had no bad intentions!”
I cut off my thoughts and posed a question to the still blushing Phoebe.
I asked if she felt anything odd in the Burrow mansion. Anything tiny would do, just tell me.
She seemed momentarily taken aback and struggled to answer, but soon provided a clear response.
“After parting with Duke Burrow, I felt a sense of discomfort on my way out of the mansion.”
After feeling the Evil God’s energy from the inferior prince, had she become sensitive to that energy?
Phoebe had found small discomfort in places she thought were fine before.
In the attendants of the mansion. In various ornaments of the mansion. And in the mansion’s clock.
What her words implied was certain. The Burrow family mansion was already infested with the Evil God’s energy.
In simpler terms,
That place had already turned into a dungeon.
One that I didn’t know about.
One that existed solely in this world.
A dungeon completed by Nakrad and Jack.
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