Chapter: 461
Before long, the Young Lady of the Cleve Marquis Family regained her senses, but she couldn’t remember anything at all.
Not even the fact that she had been kidnapped. Not that someone had replaced her. Nor why she was here.
“Did I… did I cause any trouble for the Ducal Young Lady Partlan?”
Seeing her trembling eyes filled with anxiety, Joy said it was no big deal and forced a smile.
In a way, it was a good thing. It’s better to not know anything at all than to shiver with the memory of the nightmare she almost faced.
Remembering her days when she couldn’t escape from that nightmare, Joy suggested they chat during the next tea party and left the room.
What if during those times when I was trapped in nightmares…
When I was so afraid even to close my eyes.
When just thinking of entering a dungeon would make me shudder and collapse.
Would I be able to laugh and walk around like I am now if Lucy wasn’t by my side?
“Joy.”
Just as she was feeling doubts about herself and gratitude for Lucy, Lucy called out to her.
In those sparkling red eyes below, there was a glimmer of mischief, as if she had discovered something fun.
“You, the clueless fool, have something to do. It’s a chance for you, who always caused trouble with your stupidity, to be of help to me. Exciting, right?”
Lucy spoke to Joy in her usual condescending tone.
If other Young Ladies saw this, they might mutter about her arrogance, but Joy didn’t care.
She knew that what Lucy was saying wasn’t genuine. And considering what Lucy had done for her, even if it were real, it wouldn’t really matter.
“What should I do?”
Since Lucy generally solved most things on her own, asking Joy for a favor must mean that it was a difficult task.
It would definitely be a burden for Joy too.
But it’s okay.
If it’s Lucy’s request, I’m ready to help with anything.
As long as I can repay her for what I’ve received so far, I’ll do my best no matter how hard it is.
With her resolve firm, Joy looked into Lucy’s eyes, but then her expression froze at what Lucy said with a smile.
“It’s simple. Dummy. Just turn what you showed against that Sympathy Tree into a magic formula.”
…
Um, that’s not simple at all, you know?
What you just said is asking me to create magic that doesn’t even exist from scratch, right?
And it has to be refined enough for others besides me to use it.
Lucy cocked her head as if she couldn’t understand Joy’s bewilderment.
“What’s wrong? Joy. Are you lacking confidence?”
Is she really asking that out of ignorance?
I thought she knew about magic to some degree, but apparently not!?
Then how the heck did she create the magic she used in the forest last time?!
Joy mumbled what she wanted to say in her confusion.
It was true that last time, she had demonstrated the ability to break the Authority of Evil God.
Whether it was a miracle born from her desperation or the culmination of all her efforts up to that point, Joy had achieved what many called a miracle in reality.
However, that was possible only because it was Joy’s own magic.
The magic she showcased to solve her shortcomings with her skills and magic power was a magic that only she could wield.
To put it in artistic terms, you want me to not only sketch a rough draft but turn it into a full-fledged formula that everyone can use?!
If I had that kind of skill, I wouldn’t be playing the role of a student!
I’d already be a professor teaching others!
So many words were bubbling up inside her, but Joy couldn’t voice them.
Lucy’s eyes, looking at her so purely, were just too innocent.
She didn’t want to disappoint Lucy with “I can’t”.
Yet, at the same time, she didn’t have the confidence to build the formula herself.
What should I do?
How can I handle this?
“How can you think so little of yourself that you lack confidence like this? A Ducal Young Lady should have some pride.”
“No! That’s not it! I’m totally confident!”
Joy accidentally raised her voice in response to Lucy’s provocation and then trembled as she realized what she had just said.
But by then, it was already too late. Being not a Great Wizard of myths who could manipulate time, Joy couldn’t take back her words.
“Hmph. Overflowing with confidence, huh?”
“W-well…”
“Don’t tell me the mighty Young Lady Partlan is going to say, ‘Oh no, I can’t do this’?”
Joy bit her lip tightly at Lucy’s teasing and subtly gestured to Phoebe for help.
Used to the signals exchanged among nobles, Phoebe easily caught Joy’s gaze.
Please! Phoebe!
Stop Lucy!
You’ve known me long enough to know how ridiculous this is!
Please!
Seeing Joy’s desperate expression, Phoebe chuckled lightly and turned her gaze toward Lucy.
Phoebe! Thanks!
I promise to give you a piece of jewelry related to Lucy later!…
“Of course. The Joy I know isn’t someone like that.”
Phoebe!? You!?
Joy turned to stone at the betrayal from someone she trusted, but Lucy and Phoebe just continued their conversation, laughing.
“So now we just have to wait and see how silly the dummy will act, right?”
“That’ll probably happen. Since Joy has the blood of Partlan in her. I trust her.”
“I believe it too. That Joy will do something foolish.”
*
“What do we do, Prince?”
Arthur looked hopelessly at Joy, who was lamenting.
“What do you mean, what to do? Just go tell Lucy Allen you can’t do it right now.”
“But Lucy is totally looking forward to it!”
“So go tell her. At least it’ll give her something to laugh about. That’s better than disappointing her.”
Joy’s eyes widened in surprise at Arthur’s callous remark, but she couldn’t retort.
What Arthur said was incredibly practical advice.
“Saintess, I doubt you wouldn’t know about this. Since you have a deep knowledge of Divine Magic, you should be well-versed in general magic too.”
“I knew it wouldn’t be easy.”
“Then you should have stopped this fool from doing something silly.”
“Why would I do that?”
“…Huh?”
“As a Young Lady, you wouldn’t ask for the impossible. If she asked Joy, it means it is possible for Joy’s abilities. So my role is not to refuse the Young Lady’s request but to help Joy do her best.”
Arthur understood roughly how things had gone as the conversation continued calmly, like citing something from a scripture.
So, Joy must have acted foolish out of pride first, and the Saintess just reinforced that.
Uninformed about magic, Lucy Allen probably believed the Saintess’s words and left.
“Hm.”
Arthur was well aware that Phoebe would believe whatever Lucy said.
Phoebe’s expressions while listening to Lucy were reverent, as if she were hearing God’s words.
So, Arthur also understood that whatever Phoebe said in relation to Lucy should be taken with a grain of salt, but not now.
What she said now wasn’t completely unpersuasive.
Has Lucy Allen ever asked us for something truly impossible?
The requests she made were incredibly hard and challenging, but they were always at a reachable level if we put in effort.
Considering that, her current request was certainly something we could handle.
“Can’t we just do it like last time?”
Just as the three of them fell silent for their respective reasons, Frey slipped into the conversation.
“No, we can’t, Young Lady Kent.”
“Why not? We did well last time.”
“Yes, we did. If you wanted to recreate the magic from that time, I could do it just as well. However, casting magic and recreating it into a spell is entirely different.”
“…Different?”
As Frey, who knew nothing about magic, tilted her head, Joy let out a deep sigh and began to explain.
“You can kind of replicate someone’s swordsmanship after seeing it once, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then can you teach that swordsmanship to others after seeing it once?”
“Umm…”
“Can you analyze that swordsmanship from scratch and turn it into a book?”
“Ugggh…”
“What Lucy just asked me is something like that.”
Frey thought she understood her predicament and fell silent, but her thoughts were different.
“I think it might be possible if we struggle a bit. Teaching someone swordsmanship you’ve only seen once.”
Frey, who had an extraordinary talent in swordsmanship, nodded after some thought.
Hearing that response made Joy momentarily speechless before she sighed again and shook her head.
“Huh? Why not?”
“Frey Kent. Just stay quiet and eat your snacks. That’s more helpful.”
“Okay, I will.”
After Frey stuffed her cheeks with snacks as usual, Arthur, arms crossed, voiced his earlier concerns.
“Trying to do this alone will be challenging. Venturing down an untraveled path without a guide is madness.”
“I know that too, Prince. But who should I ask for help with this?”
“You have plenty of talented wizards around you.”
“If the magic I’m creating had to do with ordinary magic, there wouldn’t be an issue. But the magic I need to create this time is related to the Evil God.”
…Understood.
What Joy is trying to do is interpret the Authority of Evil God as magic and turn it into a spell.
The intention behind this endeavor is certainly noble, but just because the intention is noble doesn’t mean others will view it favorably.
Especially if it concerns a being wielding vast power.
“With the Saintess nearby, it should help to some degree.”
“The rumors will still circulate behind our backs. Phoebe and I have been friends since childhood.”
So, you can’t hastily ask for help from the outside either. You shouldn’t do that.
“I just wish I had someone I could trust.”
Hearing Joy’s words and thinking about it, Arthur remembered the connection they made in the forest last time and spoke.
“Should we ask the Guardian of the Forest for wisdom?”
“That creepy fox?”
“…That’s true.”
“I know. That person is a being that evokes a visceral rejection. But the Guardian of the Forest is still the Guardian, right?”
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