Chapter: 332
After the storm named Joy and Phoebe surrounded Lucy Allen…
Arthur, left alone in the mess of the private room, staggered to his feet.
Honestly, it was one of the most terrible moments of my life.
Joy, who usually blushes but never truly gets angry, and the Saintess—who I thought didn’t even know what anger was—were both glaring at me.
I’ve gone through a lot in my life, but in the face of their fury, all of that felt meaningless.
Who would have thought I, of all people, would end up being punished without even getting a chance to explain myself?
Recalling the scene where both were approaching with serious expressions, Arthur breathed out a sigh as the stinging parts of his body reminded him of their attacks.
Joy. That girl was seriously about to fry me alive with lightning.
And the Saintess felt the same way. She tried to roast me with divine heat. Even now, the parts that got hit still tingle.
If Lucy Allen’s explanation had been even a moment later, I might have actually gotten burned.
“Lucy Allen.”
The moment that name crossed my mind, Arthur sighed and ran his hand through his hair.
He didn’t genuinely expect to get an apology from Lucy.
When she first called him “Pitiful Prince,” he was genuinely annoyed.
And while it was true that many of Lucy’s subsequent rudeness had sometimes irked him, she had also done so much for Arthur that he could easily overlook those things.
Lucy saved Arthur at the cost of her life.
She readily accepted his shameless request for guidance.
Lucy always helped him reach higher places.
In the last few months, Arthur had received a lot of help from Lucy, and despite her rudeness, he was convinced of her good heart. Therefore, he didn’t take her misbehavior too seriously.
Recently, he had even gotten used to her rudeness and found himself able to laugh off most things, so why would Arthur seek a serious apology from Lucy?
His apology to Lucy was merely an excuse to ask her for strategies to conquer the dungeon.
“The way Prince Arthur does things is similar to Lady Allen.”
When he first heard Joy’s words in the final exam dungeon, Arthur realized he was just following Lucy’s lead and chewed on his lip, but that gloom quickly changed into something else.
Saying that I was just following Lucy Allen meant that she knew the path I needed to take.
If I asked her to show me the way, I might just be able to mimic her extraordinary conduct one day.
Who knows, I might even surpass Lucy Allen.
Anyway, I had already thrown away my pride a long time ago.
If it meant beating her just once, I would gladly act ugly.
This was the reason Arthur presented two choices.
By offering an option that Lucy would never choose, he forced her to give him a strategy for the dungeon.
Once Lucy nodded her head in agreement, his objective was already achieved.
Whatever form Lucy’s apology took afterward, Arthur planned to brush it off with a smile.
The Lucy he knew would never be genuinely serious about apologizing.
“I’m sorry for treating you rudely.”
So, Arthur was startled when Lucy bowed her head politely.
“I’m sorry for not properly thanking you for always helping me.”
He hadn’t anticipated this situation at all.
“I’m sorry for calling you Shoddy.”
Even as he watched her eyes begin to redden, he couldn’t even process it.
“And, um. Ugh. I’m sorry for teasing you about being pitiful when I knew you hated it.”
His mind went blank, and he found himself speechless.
“Ugh. And, sniff. Also…”
Faced with Lucy, who was now crying and struggling to get her words out, he froze.
He didn’t even think of comforting or consoling her.
Looking back now, he realized he had thought he was alive when Joy and the Saintess crashed through the door.
He didn’t even consider that he might seem like trash, only to be surprised by the fact that they came in to comfort Lucy Allen.
In reality, what came after was not salvation but disaster.
What was truly infuriating was that the disaster that shoved him in was Lucy Allen, yet she was also the one who saved him from that place.
After a long cry, Lucy seemed to calm down and approached him, squeezing past the irrational Joy and Phoebe to stand before him, placing her head against his fist.
And with her shoulders squared as if she hadn’t cried at all, she spoke through sniffles.
“That makes it. Sniff. I’ve done everything, right? Pitiful Prince?”
“Do you really think you were crying? Everyone’s such foolish shoddy people. Of course, it was an act!”
“Sniff. Well, it’s clear that you look like the trashy type who could make a girl cry.”
Wiping her eyes, Lucy continued her speech while Joy and Phoebe, concerned if she was okay, rushed off.
“How much does she really think I’m a fool?”
If she could act like that and then call it an act afterward, who would believe her?
“I heard your heartfelt apology, how could I think that was all an act?”
“Damn.”
If she felt that sorry, couldn’t she just not act that way in the first place?
Why does she keep throwing hurtful words to others and to herself despite carrying such burdens in her heart?
“I don’t get it. I just don’t understand.”
Arthur, who had been gripping his hair like he was about to pull it out, eventually slumped over the desk, letting out a deep sigh.
“Lucy Allen, I just can’t grasp what kind of person you are.”
Do you really insist on maintaining that attitude because you want to?
*
The day after the perverted prince named Arthur asked for help with the dungeon…
Awakening early, as if to compensate for two days of late sleeping, I finished getting ready and prayed as usual to the Shoddy God.
Although my faith had diminished further after bursting into tears due to yesterday’s penalty, I still needed to pray to get daily quest rewards.
Ugh. Seriously, thinking back on it is just irritating.
That disgusting perverted god definitely wanted to see me cry.
What other reason could there be for him to impose a penalty for sincerity?
As I was thinking of adding a page to the book of grudges, I felt the sacred energy closing in and readied myself to go out.
Today is the day Phoebe borrows my day. Since she is kind-hearted, she won’t ask me for anything weird.
It would just be a matter of changing titles or changing clothes, and maybe praying for Phoebe.
…Hmm? That’s strange.
Upon reaching the door, why isn’t Phoebe knocking?
Thinking it odd that Phoebe was standing still for a while, I purposely leapt over the Sloppy Fox, who was in a position to be stepped on, and opened the door.
“Uh. T-there.”
Right in front of the door, Phoebe stood poised to knock, paused, and blushed upon meeting my gaze.
“Hello… Young Lady.”
“Hello, Phoebe.”
“Hey, Shoddy Saintess. You look so foolish today, it’s hard to believe you’re a saintess.”
“Well, today you look more noble than usual, Young Lady.”
After hearing Phoebe’s stammering words, I recalled that I was still wearing the accessory of the Perverted Apostle.
I had been wearing it to receive a greater reward from the Shoddy God when praying, and almost went outside with it on.
After stowing the accessory away in my inventory, Phoebe let out a sigh of relief.
If even the usually composed Phoebe got this flustered, it’s clear that the Perverted Apostle is indeed a trashy person I’d rather not associate with, but there’s no denying his abilities.
But, seriously, the power needs to be reasonable! It’s annoying to have such strong abilities when I can’t use them except when praying to that perverted god!
Muttering as I retrieved the accessory I usually wear, I felt I couldn’t keep Phoebe standing there any longer and pulled her inside.
“Whaaa!”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Ignoring the grumbling Sloppy Fox, who muttered that she wasn’t trying to be stepped on, I tied my hair back once more.
Hmm. Honestly, I don’t see much difference in how I looked then compared to now when I was wearing the accessory of the Perverted Apostle.
What’s the fuss about this so-called difference that has everyone in an uproar?
Finishing up my appearance, I retrieved the grumbling Sloppy Fox and patted her head scatteredly, then turned to Phoebe.
“Today…”
“Shoddy Saintess, what perverted thing are you planning to make me do so early in the day?”
“Perverted? No such thing! I just want the Young Lady to… pray for me…”
As her voice trailed off, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Is this the same Phoebe who had been intimidating Arthur yesterday?
She had been genuinely terrifying when punishing Arthur, but now she was just cute.
“Shall I do it now?”
“Pffhahaha. Were you that desperate? Do you want me to do it right now?”
“N-No. That’s okay. I’d prefer to receive the Young Lady’s prayer after everything is done.”
As I watched her fidgeting with her fingers, everything fell into place.
Today was the day Phoebe was going to ask me for a favor, as well as the day when Johan and Karia were supposed to share the darker side of the church.
While she might have known about the church’s corruption, Phoebe wasn’t aware of its specifics.
Feeling the unease of what she was going to hear was completely normal for her.
Phoebe’s reason for coming to see me was certainly to dispel that unease, at least a little.
Having thought this through, I walked under Phoebe’s lowered head and made eye contact with her.
“Really…”
“Shoddy Saintess, you don’t really have anything to ask of me other than praying for you? Isn’t that a bit too much of an act?”
“An act? How can I expect more from the Apostle of God? With all that Young Lady has done for me, how could I ask for anything more?”
“You’re good at lying, but I suppose being a Shoddy Saintess allows for that. Guess I’ll have to repent all night later?”
Upon hearing my provocation, Phoebe was at a loss for words, standing there for a moment before finally covering her blushing face with her hands.
“Can you… call me Phoebe?”
“Of course, Phoebe.”
“Pffhahaha. Phoebe is such a total shy girl, isn’t she? So adorable.”
I planned our day ahead.
Before meeting Johan and Karia, I’d take Phoebe around to have a little fun.
I wanted to make sure she didn’t feel uneasy until then.
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