Chapter: 271
When Phoebe first heard Lucy’s plan, she didn’t doubt it at all.
After all, she was the Apostle of the great Lord Jushin. This was a story from Lucy, who had turned countless absurdities into common sense.
No matter how nonsensical the words might seem, if they came out of her mouth, there would surely be a reliable basis for it.
How could someone like Phoebe doubt her words?
Thus, Phoebe trusted Lucy.
However, that trust was directed solely at Lucy and did not extend elsewhere.
To put it simply, Phoebe never believed in herself.
“Sloppy Saintess. You’re at the center of this plan. To create a miracle of the Sloppy God, the Sloppy Saintess is the best choice, right?”
Me? You’re saying that instead of the Young Lady herself performing this miracle, I have to do it?
Even if Bishop Johan assists me, I…
I’m a fake. Just a person created by the church.
How could an impious being like me reproduce a miracle? That would never be allowed.
Suppressing the countless thoughts bubbling inside her, Phoebe only showed signs of insecurity.
However, Lucy was steadfast. Stopping her explanation, she walked right up to Phoebe and looked down at her with the usual smile.
“So you’re saying my judgment is wrong?”
“…What?! No, that’s not it!”
“Hehe. Hey, loser Saintess. Who told you to believe in that shoddy you? I meant you should believe in the divine and cute me.”
After poking Phoebe’s forehead, Lucy left. Phoebe didn’t bring up her uneasiness.
She just thought about how to repay Lucy’s trust and did her best to prepare for the miracle.
When she woke up in the morning, during class,
and even after school,
while desperately practicing until she fainted.
Continuously. Continuously. Continuously.
Even when the moment to show the fruits of her efforts came, Phoebe couldn’t shake off her doubts about herself.
If it had been in the past.
When she truly believed she was a real saintess.
When she didn’t know she was a fake born from the deaths of her orphanage friends.
Before being tempted by the Evil God.
Back then, Phoebe would have gladly repaid Lucy’s trust.
She wouldn’t have doubted that she was the one to carry out God’s intentions and perform miracles in the world.
But now was not that time.
There was just too much in Phoebe’s head that confused her to continue her pure faith from the past.
“Saintess. Focus.”
“…Yes!”
Was that why? The process of drawing the miracle onto the orb containing the Divine Grace of God was sluggish.
“That part needs to go up from the right.”
“I’m sorry!”
As mistakes continued that she hadn’t even made during practice, worry filled Phoebe’s heart.
What on earth am I doing?
The Young Lady believed in me and brought me here, but what if I mess this up?
– It can’t possibly go well.
Then she heard a voice.
– How could one symbolizing the church’s corruption perform a miracle?
A damp and sticky voice settled right in the middle of Phoebe’s confused mind.
– That would just prove that corruption was right.
Phoebe tried to ignore the voice, but it was already lodged in her brain and wouldn’t go away despite her shaking her head.
– You’re the child born from your friend’s blood.
No…
– You’re the child born from resentment and pain.
No, I’m not.
– You’re the child born from corruption, depravity, and greed.
I said I’m not!
– Let me ask you.
Please shut up!
– What did that so-called God do while you screamed?
Phoebe, pulled out of her reverie, exhaled sharply.
Cold sweat streamed down her face.
Her trembling legs were ready to give way.
Her gaze, staring into the void, looked bewildered like someone stricken with fear.
“Saintess?”
Feeling something was off, Johan hurriedly called out Phoebe’s name, but her ears could no longer hear him.
Her mind was completely filled with doubt.
Phoebe.
Calm down.
Please! You can’t ruin everything here!
“Wahaha♡”
What brought her back from the panic was the clear and beautiful voice that pierced her ears.
Phoebe, staring blankly at the floor, turned her head towards the source of the voice.
There stood Lucy.
“What?♡ Is this it?♡”
One eyebrow crumpled in pain.
Blood flowed from her lips.
Her arms trembled.
Anyone could tell.
Lucy was not in a comfortable situation.
It wouldn’t be strange if she fell apart at any moment.
Would Lucy herself not know that fact?
No, she surely would.
She probably understood it even better than anyone else.
Each clash with the sword must have hurt and scared her.
Yet, Lucy smiled. Smiling, she stood in front of others.
Phoebe knew. Lucy felt fear.
Even as she raised her eyes, Phoebe heard the tremor in her voice.
Phoebe knew. Lucy hated pain.
She had seen Lucy complain while practicing against Professor Karl.
Phoebe knew. Lucy didn’t blindly trust God’s miracles.
Having witnessed her seeking only practical gains in every crisis numerous times.
Then, how could the Young Lady raise her shield?
– That’s…
– That’s obvious.
Because it’s something she has to do. Something she must do.
Hearing the clang of sword and shield, Phoebe took a deep breath.
What must be done, regardless of success or failure.
It’s the same thing I have to do.
What meaning does doubt have?
I must do it.
Even if I fail and get scolded by the Young Lady as the sloppy saintess.
“Bishop. I’m sorry. I’ll start over.”
“…Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Although her mind was still filled with that damp and dark voice, it was okay now.
As long as there was a piece of warmth in her heart, that was enough.
With her composure regained, Phoebe began weaving miracles on the orb once more.
Even Johan had a hard time keeping up with her speed.
Without a single mistake.
She transferred all the efforts she had accumulated to the orb, creating a single result.
And after some time passed,
seeing the orb filled to the brim, Phoebe couldn’t help but smile and collapsed right there.
I did it.
I actually did it!
“Young Lady! All preparations are complete!”
Calling out in excitement that was enough to wash away the darkness in her mind, Lucy, with a weary look, approached.
Lost in thought as she gazed at the orb, she soon smiled and gently patted Phoebe’s head.
“Well, it’s sloppy, but a saintess is still a saintess.”
Then, she took the staff from Phoebe and stood before the orb.
“Alright, everyone. It’s time to give those damp, weak trash something to remember.”
The moment Lucy tapped the orb with her staff, the orb rose up, up, and once more up.
Then, when its form became barely visible,
light burst forth from the center of darkness.
So bright it was blinding.
So massive it erased the surrounding darkness.
So intense it burned all corruption away.
But as warm as light filtering through the windows on a spring day.
“Sun.”
Phoebe gazed up, then with a long breath, clenched her hands and prayed.
For those who had done what they didn’t wish to under the influence of the Evil God.
For Johan, who had helped her until the end even though he must have felt suffocated.
For Karl, Alsatine, Lina, and Teru, who protected her amidst countless dangers.
For the merciful Lord Jushin, who granted the miracle.
And for Lucy, who believed in her.
*
The hard-earned miracle played its role well.
As the miracle unfolded in the sky, the darkness gradually lost its grip.
Watching the things trying to engulf the Burrow Territory flee in fear of the light, Phoebe saw the original sun floating in the sky.
Huh. That’s strange. Why does the sun look so small and sloppy?
‘Doesn’t it look like what we prepared is the real sun?’
[Ah, then, whose creation is it? ]
‘Didn’t Karon take a big role? Truly a great wizard indeed.’
<…Were you doing it on purpose?>
‘Did it stick out too much?’
After lightly quipping back at Grandpa, I looked around.
Everyone was in poor condition.
The Sloppy Fox, who had faced off against Tariki, was on the verge of exhaustion.
Karl and Alsatine, who had to face Duke Burrow, were covered in wounds.
Phoebe and Johan, who had struggled to prepare the miracle, were on the brink of running out of their Divine Grace.
I wasn’t any different.
While I had recovered a little Divine Grace from being hit by Duke Burrow, it was barely enough.
My body was screaming from blocking attacks without being enhanced with Divine Grace.
And I had stuffed myself with so many potions that I felt nauseous.
To be honest, I wanted to faint right now and wake up under the dormitory ceiling, but that couldn’t happen yet.
The most important part was still ahead.
I hadn’t even seen the dungeon that Tariki prepared yet!
All I did was give a lavish housewarming gift. There was no way I could stop here!
If I gave a gift, I should receive an equivalent reward!
As I staggered to rise, the others followed suit.
It would be the same if I told those on the verge of exhaustion to rest and take care of the citizens.
“Young Lady, can you just watch others overwork themselves while you sit there?”
‘…That’s true.’
“Trying to act all high and mighty, you perverted fox.”
Then, with the one sentence that the Sloppy Fox spat out, I reluctantly left those collapsed on the ground to the space magician and headed for the Burrow Mansion.
Some of the darkness that tried to engulf the Burrow Territory was burned away in the face of the Divine Grace, but some of it fled into the Burrow Mansion.
So the mansion was the real deal.
The dungeon that Tariki prepared.
To kill me.
It’s okay.
I can do this.
The state of my body being in the worst condition doesn’t matter at all.
I’m the rotten water.
As I got closer to the mansion, I internally repeated my firm determination, only to be interrupted at the door by Kara, who was waving her hand with a relaxed smile.
…Huh?
Why is she here?
No, that’s not it.
Her being here isn’t strange at all.
She had infiltrated here after all.
“Kara, please hold on for a moment.”
“I believe the master will understand.”
As Kara approached, Karl and Alsatine hurriedly blocked my way.
“I get it, I get it. You’re suspicious, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“What can I prove it with? A magic word? Or maybe our cute disciple is suppressing her desire to greet us? Otherwise, perhaps the knight was just a bit happy about the master’s knight being knightly?”
As Kara’s words flowed, Karl and Alsatine’s expressions hardened.
Both of those were real?!
“Ah. There’s also this. The sun floating in the middle of the city. Wow, that was something else.”
Kara’s detailed description followed. It was something only someone who had seen the miracle could describe.
If they had directly witnessed the miracle, was it possible they were not influenced by the Evil God?
Karl and Alsatine, sensing something similar, lowered their weapons.
“…You should have said that earlier, Master.”
“I got a bit excited meeting a normal person again. Understand me.”
After Kara quipped back at the grumbling Alsatine, she continued from that spot without advancing toward me.
“I’ll get to the point. Master, first of all, I want to tell you that I and the Apostle of the Arts Church have cleaned up most of what’s inside that mansion.”
…Huh?
Wait a minute.
What?!
You cleaned up inside the mansion?!
Kara continued as she shrugged her shoulders, seemingly unfazed by my shock.
From what I gathered, they had made a surprise attack while the chaos erupted from the miracle, knocking out the mansion’s residents and appropriately subduing those serving the Evil God.
“Since the Duke and the Burrow’s main force went out to take the Young Lady down, the others, aside from the Apostle of Evil God, were just nobodies.”
…I won’t know for sure until I see it with my own eyes, but Kara’s words had a high probability of being true.
If not, it wouldn’t make sense for her to come out unscathed.
This was a very good thing.
Everyone’s stamina was already at its limit.
Therefore, it was best not to have to fight.
Yet, why was it so.
Why did the feeling of emptiness creep into my heart?
…
Dungeon.
Where did my dungeon go!?
Where did the dungeon that Tariki prepared just to mess with me go?!
I had to struggle for so long to conquer that dungeon! Where did the main dish go!
Why am I being served only a side salad while the main dish is gone!
Give me back my steak!
“Uh, just to clarify so you don’t misunderstand, we didn’t take down the Apostle of Evil God.”
‘What does that mean…’
“What nonsense are you spouting, old virgin?”
“When you came here, the Apostle of Evil God had already hidden in the dungeon.”
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