Chapter: 246
When all the stories were over, the time to go back arrived.
Phoebe, with a bright smile, said goodbye with a “See you tomorrow,” but seemed to anxiously check my reaction.
I remained silent, pondering if there was anything more to say, when Phoebe cautiously spoke up.
“Um, Young Lady. Was I of any help to you today?”
I wondered what she was worrying about. Unable to hold back a chuckle, I let out a few soft laughs before responding,
“Of course!”
“I didn’t even feel the Evil God’s energy! If the Sloppy Saintess wasn’t helpful, then what does that make me?”
“…Ah, that’s not what I meant! It’s just…”
Watching Phoebe fumble around, I could tell she was quite different from the Saintess I used to know.
In the game, she rarely appeared flustered at all.
Is it because I’m the Apostle of God? Or did she mess up in ways the game’s Saintess wouldn’t?
Either way, I didn’t dislike Phoebe’s current self. I preferred her human side now, which made her feel more like a friend than a detached saint.
“You helped enough, Phoebe.”
“Yeah, you helped… for a Sloppy Saintess.”
“…I’m glad to hear that.”
After tossing away her worries, Phoebe left with a bright smile.
The moment I confirmed her footsteps faded into the distance, I let out a BANG of applause that could echo in the room.
A dungeon.
Not just any dungeon — the kind that didn’t exist in the game. A unique one that only exists in this world, created by a multitude of variables. A dungeon I hadn’t yet tackled!
Grandpa had once told me to think of entering that mansion as strategizing a dungeon, but now it’s actually turning into a real dungeon strategy?!
Hehehe. Hehehehe.
I couldn’t hold back a silly laugh.
A new dungeon! How sweet does that sound?
Years have passed since the game “Soul Academy” came out, and now at last, my days of struggling to find ways to enjoy the game are paying off.
Wait, this isn’t the time to daydream.
I need to think about what to prepare to tackle that dungeon!
I pulled a blank notebook from the shelf and started writing down all the information I currently knew.
First things first, I need to acknowledge that the House of Burrow is now in Nakrad’s grasp.
When we last visited, Duke Burrow claimed that he was mostly recovered from his illness.
If we assume his illness was caused by resisting the Evil God’s energy, then his recovery means he’s been consumed by that energy.
If even the Duke has been swallowed up, then surely no one else can be safe.
Well, I still think they won’t be a threat to the entire House of Burrow.
Nakrad, who spent the whole first semester being tossed around by me, can’t possibly have the power to control the entire Duke’s house.
Most likely, he can at best plunge them into an eternal nightmare. Maybe he can handle three or four knights at a time, plus a few of the Evil God’s henchmen?
Considering the knights will likely have no reason left to think, I can probably handle this alone.
I know the layout of the Burrow mansion by heart, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
And Nakrad’s traps will likely be the same old stuff, easy to deal with.
Hmm. The real problem will be the boss fight.
Thinking about the structure of the dungeons Nakrad creates, here’s how I imagine the boss fight will go.
First, there’ll be an inferior sub-boss.
He’ll appear first, followed by a fake boss, Duke Burrow. It will seem solved at that point, but there’s actually a hidden stage still ahead.
Right before the true Nakrad fight.
I remember strategies for all the dungeons in the game “Soul Academy.”
Though every dungeon has its own characteristics, they can’t be entirely different from one another.
The theme of the dungeon. The one who created the dungeon. The boss that will exist there.
If we input this information, we can roughly guess how the inside will be structured.
After jotting down all the ideas swirling in my head, I flipped to the next page to consider what I would need to prepare.
I had already put most essential things into my inventory before heading to the Burrow mansion, so I didn’t need to fuss over the trivial stuff.
I only needed to think about what was essential.
First up is enhancing my personal specs.
I need to at least be able to buy time against Duke Burrow.
And my party members…
I can’t just drag others into this holy mission of tackling the new dungeon! If it’s not utterly impossible, I’ll stick to working alone.
And what should I prepare?
First, I need a way to detect the Evil God’s magic.
Then I need to find a wedge to prevent Nakrad from escaping.
And… as I continued writing down what I’d need, I quickly filled one side of the notebook.
If I could, I’d want to gather everything, but that would take too long. The quicker I resolve this, the better.
I thought about narrowing it down to just the necessities, but this seems essential, that also seems essential, and I found my hand stopping.
Ugh. What should I give up?!
[Hey, girl.]
‘What is it?’
[I have a question. Why don't you consider asking for help from others?]
‘Huh?’
[If the Evil God's hand is at play in that mansion, why not just enlist help from elsewhere?]
What’s going on, Grandpa? Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?
[It’s a simple matter. No matter how corrupt the church is, they wouldn’t easily overlook evidence of the Evil God's presence. If there’s a Saintess' testimony, they’d exert all their forces to attack the House of Burrow.]
That makes sense. No matter how rotten they are, a church is still a church.
They know that without fulfilling their minimum obligations, they won’t gain support from various nations, so they’d undoubtedly be of great help in expelling the Evil God’s influence from the House of Burrow.
[If you're hesitant about the church, you could also ask your father for help. If you give him a reason to make a move based on the Saintess' testimony, everything could be easily resolved.]
That’s a valid point. No matter how much Nakrad has grown since the first semester, it’s still only in comparison to that first semester.
He wouldn’t be able to stand against Benedict in his prime. If he decides to go after the House of Burrow, that should make things easier, right?
[Why are you so intent on solving everything by yourself? Why are you rushing into danger alone this time without seeking help from others?]
I could feel that Grandpa’s tone carried a sense of hoping I wouldn’t face unnecessary risks.
So I couldn’t voice my true thoughts.
How could I tell someone who genuinely cares for me that I didn’t want to hand over the content I’d just found after coming to this world to someone else?
I feel like I’d sound insane even to myself, but how would another person react if they heard me say that?!
Of course, that’s not the only reason, but it was also something I didn’t want to put into words.
Stuck on how to respond, Grandpa asked pointedly,
[Did the Lord Jushin tell you to tackle everything alone?]
He didn’t say that. So far, the Sloppy God hasn’t given any orders. The quest window still says it’s tallying rewards.
[If that’s the case, do you have the confidence to bear the death that may arise from your actions…]
“Hey, Old Man. Chill out.”
It was the Sloppy Fox that interrupted Grandpa’s interrogation. She had climbed onto the desk and was resting her chin on her mace.
“Nothing has even started yet, so why are you fussing like this?”
[Forest’s owner. You do not understand the threat of the Evil God. Any number of things could happen concerning them. Thus...]
“I’m a kid who’s almost died several times because of the Evil God; how could I not understand?!”
<…>
“I’ll take over for you if I need. The question you should be asking is not why I made that choice, but whether I’m confident I’ll succeed when I do.”
The Sloppy Fox scolded Grandpa with a tone that wasn’t her usual and turned her gaze toward me.
I easily understood the meaning hidden in her eyes — she wanted me to answer her question.
‘I’m confident.’
“What do you think of me? Of course, I’m confident.”
Whether it’s the inferior sub-boss, Duke Burrow, the knights in the mansion, Nakrad, or the Evil God of Darkness, they’ve all been opponents I’ve already defeated countless times.
If this were a game, I could wipe them out even with a bare-handed, underwear playstyle.
I won’t even need to throw myself into danger. I’ll know the risks and prepare before confronting them, so how could I possibly fail?
The stale waters of Soul Academy can’t possibly be that incompetent.
– Ding!
Just as I finalized my thoughts, a notification sound popped up along with a blue window.
[A new quest has been issued!]
[Defeat the Apostle of Evil God!]
[There’s an Apostle of Evil God hiding in the Burrow mansion! Use your power to defeat them!]
[Reward: Unleash one of Ruel’s Mace’s hidden abilities, ???]
…Ha.
Sloppy God, were you waiting for me to make my decision?
Have you been eavesdropping all along?!
Ugh. That’s honestly annoying.
While I internally grumbled, a smile crept onto my face. Because it was true that this guy supported my choice.
[Reward for the previous quest is issued…]
“Well then, I…”
I grabbed the Sloppy Fox’s neck as she tried to flee after peeling her chin off the mace.
“What…? What’s the deal? I don’t owe you anything this time.”
‘Hey…’
“Hey, Sloppy Fox. When did you start talking to Grandpa?”
I hadn’t heard anything about that!
*
Having made my decision to tackle the House of Burrow, the next day, I used the Translocation Technique to visit Lady Allen’s Territory and headed straight to the church. I had something to ask Johan.
“Are you the Lady of Arteia? Yes. As the Young Lady said, I do have connections. If you give me your name, I’d be more than happy to meet you personally.”
This was Isabel Arteia, the one who took the stone tablet I had endured humiliation to obtain.
I needed that tablet to overpower Nakrad.
Of course, getting that tablet back wouldn’t be easy. Isabel has a tendency to cling to objects related to the Sloppy God, so she wouldn’t just hand over the tablet containing the essence of the Sloppy God.
But still, I was confident I could get the tablet from her.
Last night, as a reward for discovering the ideals of the Burrow duke, the Sloppy God granted me an item that allows me to feel His divinity on my skin.
There’s no way Isabel would refuse that.
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