Chapter: 398
I’ve been living under countless gazes ever since I set foot in this world. Even I, who am quite oblivious, can feel the scorching hatred radiating from them.
Starting from the mansion and throughout my time at the academy, I’ve been living under such blunt stares that, somehow, I’ve become attuned to sensing emotions from people’s gazes.
For instance, the people from the Arts Church who are watching me right now are mostly exuding heat.
Just like the Perverted Apostle and the perverts I saw on the street not long ago, they’re trying hard to imprint me into their minds.
But this old man over here is different. He tried to mimic a member of the Arts Church, but he couldn’t quite catch the madness lurking within.
Even when I openly insulted him, he was frowning while the others were trying to catch my voice.
Knowing these two facts assured me that he was not a member of the Arts Church, leading me to draw forth my Divine energy and capture it in my eyes.
The newly bloomed Divine energy from the anniversary of Mira’s passing immediately obeyed me, revealing the energy hidden within the old man.
It was a sinister energy, lurking beneath the harmony of the Arts Church.
He hid it well enough that no one noticed, but he couldn’t fool me.
I am the Apostle of God and a foe of the Evil God, after all.
Realizing the true identity of my opponent, I wanted to expose what was hidden behind him but was struck with an amusing thought, causing the corners of my mouth to lift.
It wouldn’t be a problem if I revealed this guy’s true identity myself. The Perverted Apostle wouldn’t doubt my words. Uncovering that he serves the Evil God wouldn’t be hard at all.
But you know, if things went that way, that idiot would have plenty of time to cause havoc.
It’s obvious. He’d be like, “Who do you think you are to doubt me?” A girl with a bad reputation trying to harass an innocent person. He’d create a fuss to buy time and meet an ugly end.
So let’s make him admit he’s fake with his own mouth. In a fit of rage, he’ll lose his cool and charge at me.
As I approached the old man, I fixed my expression.
“Uh, excuse me, Grandpa. There’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“…Yes?”
The old man, seeing my innocent face, looked puzzled as to why I had come to him.
“Why are you looking at me with such a disgusting gaze when you can’t even stand up?”
But that was just for a moment. The instant my words finished, his face turned a deep shade of red.
The fury etched on the old man’s face was enough to make countless children scream, but unfortunately, it didn’t intimidate me at all.
His anger only provided me with the ecstasy and joy that came with my Mesugaki Skill.
Yes, this is it. It’s fun to poke and see the reaction!
After a long time, finding a fun toy, I giggled and continued speaking.
“Why are you frowning?♡ No amount of effort will bring back what’s dead, you know?♡”
“…You’re rude and arrogant, and you lack dignity.”
“Oh!♡ Is that all you can muster?♡ Pfft♡ I’m so sorry~♡ I didn’t notice at all~♡ What a big mistake!~♡”
Perhaps my words were a bit too pointed. The expressions of the Arts Church people listening to me turned dumbfounded, but I didn’t stop.
“Are you angry?♡ Do you want to punish me?♡ Go ahead, I’m just curious what a sloppy old man can actually do♡”
As if daring him to hit me, I leaned in closer, and I could see the old man’s tightly clenched fist extend.
His fist was unexpectedly strong for someone with such wrinkled skin, but to me, it just felt clumsy.
I bet Arthur, who exploded in rage, swinging his fists around, would be much more threatening.
Easily catching the old man’s fist, I added more pressure between my fingers.
Screaming in pain, the old man dropped to the floor, unable to bear the agony twisting his hand.
“Are you that pleased with me holding your hand?♡ You even went so far as to kneel and show gratitude~♡”
“Y-you…!”
“Hahahaha♡ I know it’s your first time holding hands with a girl, but still, that’s just gross♡ I feel like I’m about to vomit♡”
“Lady Allen! That’s enough! No matter who you are!…”
Just as the church leader finally regained his senses and tried to shout at me, the follower of the Evil God removed his mask and unleashed his true power.
After the harmony from the Arts Church’s Divine energy faded, what filled the void was emptiness.
An energy that can be anything, being nothing.
The follower of the Evil God tried to invade me with his energy, but that was impossible.
Because my Divine Grace of the Lord Jushin filled the emptiness he possessed with light.
Noticing the stark difference between us made the follower’s face pale, and I openly laughed out loud.
“How pathetic~♡ You can’t even control your emotions~♡ Your act is so shoddy~♡ You’re so weak you’re overwhelmed by a small girl~♡ And you’re just a sloppy eunuch who can’t even rise to the occasion~♡ Why are you even living?♡”
“Y-you… Gah!”
The old man was about to spew his rage with a face that looked like it was going to explode, but before he could, my foot connected with his nose.
Along with the crack of breaking bones, the old man rolled on the floor, stopped against the wall, and twitched a few times before passing out.
As he fainted, the powers hiding his identity were released, revealing what lay underneath: a man who looked barely in his mid-twenties.
“…What in the world.”
“What do you think? You guys are so low-tier that you fell for such sloppiness.”
Teasing the church leader, I hummed my way out of the conference room.
After playing with a fun toy in a long time, I felt great. It felt like all my stress was being released.
[Lucy.]
‘…What’s wrong? Grandpa?’
Hearing my grandpa’s unusually stern voice, I stopped humming and observed him carefully.
[Are you genuinely asking because you don’t know?]
‘Um, that’s…’
Did I do something wrong just now? I felt like I acted emotionally, but the result turned out well.
I stopped the Arts Church from falling into a trap and even managed to uncover a hidden follower of the Evil God. Ah, maybe…
‘Are you referring to how I approached the follower of the Evil God without caution?’
[I know your strength, so why would I worry about that?]
‘…Then what is it? I really don’t know.’
Haaah.
Hearing my grandpa’s sigh filled with lament caused me to flinch slightly. When Karl and Erin asked if something was wrong, I shook my head, saying it was nothing, and quickly walked toward the reception room.
[Do you really think it’s okay for a noble young lady to babble like that?!]
‘…Oh, is that it?’
[Is there anything worse than that?!]
‘Well, I mean, I’ve said worse things to provoke my opponents more than once.’
I’ve spat out some nasty words when provoking my foes, and now they want to point it out?
‘And besides, it’s not like I want to say those things but end up doing so.’
[Are you trying to deceive me?! You said those words with your own will!]
‘It was because I thought it would make my opponent mad.’
[That’s not something to brush off lightly! A girl who hasn’t even had her engagement yet shouldn’t utter such words! I won’t allow it, even if others do!]
My grandpa’s scolding, taken seriously, seemed endless.
Of course, I didn’t take it to heart. The decorum and dignity of Lucy had been shattered long before I even stepped into this world.
With my Mesugaki Skill, it seemed impossible to restore that, so why would I seriously listen to grandpa’s lectures?
*
Before Grandpa’s nagging ended, the face of the Perverted Apostle who returned bore a veil of sadness.
It was obvious where that sadness stemmed from—mourning the old man who had lost his skin to the follower of the Evil God.
The Perverted Apostle tried hard to hide his heavy heart with a smile and then told me what happened in the conference room after I left.
“Thanks to you, things went well. That follower of the Evil God was the one pushing this matter more actively than anyone else.”
With the disclosure of the follower’s identity, public opinion tilted in one direction, causing the plans set in motion by the Arts Church to crumble.
“Instead, we’ve decided to tighten our control within the church. There may be other infiltrators.”
After saying that, the Perverted Apostle, unusually serious, expressed his gratitude to me.
“I genuinely thank you, Lady. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have even realized someone had infiltrated us. We wouldn’t have been able to pay our respects to Bishop Yurik.”
While he spoke with his head lowered, the Perverted Apostle said that if I had any wishes, I should speak them.
He wanted to repay the kindness of a benefactor to the church.
Hearing his words, I opened my mouth without much thought.
“First, gather all your perverted talents and teach that sloppy Erin. She’s already pathetic, so it’s just sad seeing her self-esteem at rock bottom.”
“If Lady Erin desires, I will gladly do so.”
“And do it just like you did at the graduation party. Your touch is gross and disgusting, but I’ll especially endure it for this.”
“It is my honor. I will gladly do so.”
“Lastly, please convey a message to that sloppy old man who was used by the Evil God. I want to say a word to that pathetic fool.”
The Perverted Apostle perked up at my last request, meeting my gaze with reddened eyes, biting his lip.
“This Prete, I swear by the name of the Goddess, will find a way for your voice to reach Bishop Yurik. I will make sure your mournfulness, possessing extreme beauty, will soothe Bishop Yurik’s restless spirit!”
I didn’t respond to the Perverted Apostle and turned away.
Then from the back of my sight, I heard the sound of tears dropping.
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