Chapter: 265
“Uh? What does that mean?”
Seeing Isabel blink, I realized I had skipped too much.
Ah. Is the Shoddy God’s way of speaking rubbing off on me now?
‘There was too much summarization. To explain it again…’
“Ah, sorry. It’s probably a story hard to understand for a Shoddy Fanatic like me who knows nothing. Since I’m kind, I’ll explain it again: I, who am loved by the Shoddy God, am offering an opportunity to help in expelling the pathetic weakling Tariki.”
The moment I finished my sentence, Isabel blankly stared at me, momentarily forgetting her manners, before finally turning her gaze sideways.
She had just heard some ridiculous nonsense about Apostles of God and Evil Gods. She probably thought my previous words were nonsense, hoping for some reaction from Phoebe, the Saintess of Jushin Church.
But Phoebe showed no cracks in her expression, only offering a gentle smile to Isabel who looked at her.
“Really…?”
“I, Phoebe, have decided not to act in a way that would shame me before the Lord.”
Phoebe’s title may be a lie, but the faith she holds beneath it is certainly not false.
She is truly a righteous person with a clean faith like no other. There’s no way she would lie in the name of the Lord.
Phoebe has proven this fact over long years.
If Isabel, who has connections related to Jushin Church, knows this fact very well.
That’s why I spoke to Phoebe first.
Even if Lucy Allen, infamous for insulting the Lord, claims to be an Apostle, people would only think she’s crazy, but with Phoebe beside her, the story changes.
No matter how nonsensical the story is, if Phoebe nods, it adds credibility.
This shows the difference in reputation between the countless good deeds done by the Saintess and the Sloppy Young Lady!
“You are truly loved by the Lord.”
As Phoebe affirmed, Isabel’s gaze returned to me.
There were countless thoughts swirling in her wide, bewildered eyes.
I knew she wouldn’t comprehend it right away.
Who is Lucy anyway?
Isn’t she the crazy lady who has been insulting the Jushin Church for years?
Who would believe that such a non-believer is actually an Apostle of the Lord? I wouldn’t believe it either. I’d think she finally lost it.
But it’s fine. I have plenty of ways to prove that I’m an Apostle of the Lord.
I’ve been hiding it because I didn’t want to be discovered. If I start to actively explain using game knowledge, I can easily make her believe I’m an Apostle!
With this confidence, I remained calm as I watched Isabel rise from her seat and walk towards me.
Now, ask me anything. No matter what question comes, at the end, you’ll be saying, “So you were truly an Apostle of the Lord!”
“Indeed.”
…Wait?
“Indeed! I understand! That’s why you possess the Divine Grace of the Lord!”
Thud!
Isabel, having reached my side, knelt on the floor.
Tears streaming down her face, overwhelmed with emotion.
Her hands clasped reverently.
Her kneeling posture flawless without a single flaw.
Taking all of this in, my head went fuzzy, causing me to forget everything I was about to say.
…No. Seriously. Is there a place teaching merchants to kneel or bang their heads? Why do all these merchants, despite their titles, have such clean postures?
As reality felt burdensome, I wanted to escape into other thoughts, but Isabel’s praises continued.
“From the moment I met you, I thought something was extraordinary, but I never expected you to be the Apostle of the esteemed Lord!”
I’m grateful she believes my words without a doubt, but can’t she sit down and chat instead?
Your gaze right now is quite overwhelming, you know?
If you hadn’t come here to ask for something, I would have bolted by now!
“Did you think I was extraordinary? In what way?”
Um, Phoebe? Why are you suddenly talking to this crazy person?
Shouldn’t we just leave this kind of person alone until they calm down?
“Firstly, it’s the Divine Grace you possess! It’s warm and comforting like the spring sun, just like being cradled in the Lord’s embrace!”
“Right? When I face the Young Lady’s Divine Grace, I feel like I want to pray underneath it. But Young Lady told me not to, so I can’t.”
“Really?! What a pity.”
…Huh? Wait.
You two? Why the sudden camaraderie?
“Also, noticeable is the Young Lady’s beauty. She was already stunning enough to spark jealousy among other young ladies, but now, with the Lord’s light, she has surpassed human limits. Even the Apostle of Beauty and Art praises her.”
“What more can I say? If possible, I wish to paint a portrait of the Young Lady to keep with me.”
“Oooh. Truly the Saintess! I would love to do the same if possible!”
Um, excuse me? There’s someone between you two!
The subject of your praises is right next to you!
I’m glad you both are getting along, but could you ease up a bit on this?
“However, there’s something that the head of Arteia doesn’t know.”
“What is it? Please do share, Saintess.”
“The Young Lady’s true beauty lies within. A heart devoted solely to the salvation of others, caring not for her own life! You seem to have good insight, so I will specially share my experience…”
“Could we not compete over who’s the bigger Pervert?♡ I genuinely feel nauseous and uncomfortable!♡”
The praises of the two finished just as I butted in.
Though it was uncomfortable to see Phoebe who still wants to speak and Isabel who couldn’t hide her disappointment, I decided not to touch on it, fearing it wouldn’t end otherwise.
‘…Is it really me who has the problem?’
No. Generally, I could have thought there are a few peculiar people, but it’s not just one or two!
Moreover, those weirdos apparently behave completely normal when I’m not around!
[Young Lady, don’t worry. It’s just the people around you who are strange.]
‘Is that something I shouldn’t worry about?’
[What can be done? Reality is like this.]
Saying reality is this way felt too cruel and sad. I couldn’t rebut it anymore.
It’s all because of that Shoddy God. That guy’s a pervert, so all those who follow him are also perverts!
[But there’s one good point.]
‘What is it?’
[At least it seems you won't have to worry about revealing that you're an Apostle of the Lord.]
That’s… but. I mean, I thought that’s why I told Isabel.
Ah, darn it! I don’t know! As long as things go smoothly, that’s all that matters!
“Ahem.”
As I silently screamed internally, Isabel, having arranged her demeanor, cleared her throat.
“I apologize for causing a commotion. I was too surprised.”
“I understand. Lady Arteia. I felt the same way.”
“Thank you. Anyway, if Lady Allen is indeed a true Apostle of the Lord, then we must expel Tariki.”
“Of course, that’s the truth. I confirmed it with these two eyes.”
Did we just bond over that perverted conversation? Until now, Phoebe had been taking a step back, but now she moved forward to continue the conversation.
“Then we should request the church’s cooperation.”
“Absolutely not, Lady Arteia. Doing that…”
“Oh! To extend a hand of salvation even to those who have strayed from the right path! Truly you are the Apostle of the Lord!”
Well, either way, things seem to be going well. Seeing Isabel’s eyes sparkle, she likely will gladly accept my request for cooperation.
Okay then, let’s think positively. If I can earn hundreds of platinum coins by selling my dignity, that’s a profit, right?
“I understand the situation.”
After everything ended, Isabel took out a handkerchief to wipe her flowing tears, nodding her head.
“I, Isabel Arteia, have always sought ways to repay the grace since I was saved by the Lord in the past. So I am inclined to cooperate as much as possible, but I have two requests first.”
‘What are they?’
“What is it, Shoddy Fanatic?”
Requests? I’m not sure what they are, but since the situation is Isabel showing goodwill, I’ll do what I can to repay.
As long as it’s not too strange or perverted, that is.
“One is to leave the miracle you will perform on this crystal orb.”
Isabel pushed the crystal orb forward, explaining that it’s imbued with Arteia’s security magic, so it can’t leak elsewhere and won’t be used for any purposes other than personal collection.
Well, that’s something I can accommodate. It’s not a tough request at all.
I will need to verify the truth of Isabel’s words later with Alsatine, but if it can only be used for personal collection, I’ll do my best to record it.
‘Got it. What about the next one?’
“Shoddy Fanatic, do you even have voyeuristic tendencies? I have no choice. Since I’m kind, I’ll understand your unusual preference. What else?”
“I sincerely thank you! The other request is if before you leave, you could leave behind the Divine Grace of the Young Lady?”
Leave behind the Divine Grace? When I tilted my head, not fully understanding, Phoebe beside me explained further.
“It’s about leaving the words of a blessing and priesthood in a bead that can hold Divine Grace. It’s a common practice when visiting a noble family.”
Oh. So that’s what she meant? I was suspicious it might be something strange since Isabel brought it up, but it turned out to be perfectly normal.
If that’s the case, I have no reason to refuse. Considering what I’ll receive, how could I not do such a simple thing?
As I nodded eagerly, Isabel hurriedly stood up and bolted out of the reception room.
After a short while, she returned with her clothes a bit disheveled, placing a small bead in front of me.
“Here, I ask of you.”
Hmm. So all I have to do is to imbue Divine Grace into this bead?
Thinking so, as I reached out lightly for the bead, Phoebe stopped me.
“No, Young Lady. You must pray sincerely. Then, you can infuse it with a blessing and Divine Grace.”
Sincere prayer? For whom? For the Shoddy God?
You want me to sincerely pray to that perverted guy?
‘Can’t I just do it without that?’
“Why so strict, Shoddy Saintess?”
No seriously, it’s physically uncomfortable, so can’t I just infuse the Divine Grace and leave?
I tried to express that, but Phoebe shook her head more resolutely than ever.
“Because he’s given you a lot. You need to do it properly.”
[That girl’s right. Since he’s given so much, you have to at least do this little thing properly.]
That’s true. I get the point.
Ah, darn. Fine, I’ll do it!
Taking a deep breath, I placed my hands together and closed my eyes.
Sincere prayer.
I’ve never done something like that, so I’m not too sure, but I’ll just thank the Shoddy God and wish for Isabel’s future, right?
…Well. I have nothing to be ungrateful for.
Shoddy God. No, Lord Armadi has been a lot of help to me until now.
Without His help, I wouldn’t be here.
It’s true he caused so many problems and took risks, but he did try to bear responsibility each time.
As long as we ignore the perverted behavior he usually displays, I can gladly show my gratitude.
In all honesty, the name that first comes to mind in a crisis is also Armadi’s.
Wishing for Isabel to succeed is no different.
Even if she’s a bit peculiar in front of me, Isabel is a good person. She earns a lot, donates a lot, and does a lot of good deeds.
If Isabel does well, many people will be saved, so I can sincerely pray for her future.
…Though I feel this is a bit far from a sincere prayer.
But what can I say? If it doesn’t work, it can’t be helped.
As I thought that and opened my eyes again, what first greeted me was the warm light filling the room.
As I panicked and looked around, I soon realized that the source was me.
Seeing Phoebe and Isabel kneeling beside me, praying, I figured it out naturally.
Uh, I’m not sure, but did that prayer go well?
Then all that’s left is to imbue the Divine Grace into this bead, right?
Feeling dazed, as I moved my Divine Grace into the bead, the light that enveloped me flowed into the bead, filling the room with warmth.
– Ding!
[Hidden Quest Activated!]
[Daily Quest: Apostle of the Lord]
[The Lord was moved by your sincere prayer! If you offer a ‘morning grooming’ followed by a sincere prayer every day, a reward will be given!]
Lord Armadi. I get that you’re happy that I, who usually never prays sincerely, prayed, but…
Why did you emphasize the part about grooming?
Is it just me feeling that there’s some impure intention behind it?
…
You Shoddy Perverted God! Because of you, I can’t maintain a sincere heart!
Just! Stay quiet during these times!
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