Chapter: 490
Leading the Followers of the Evil God into the hidden section of the lab, Luca furrowed his brow at the scenery inside.
When I came here before, it was a desolate place, but why has it transformed into a corridor that looks like it belongs in a noble’s mansion?
It’s strange to think that Lady Allen prepared this.
I don’t know how she was in the past, but the recent Lady has stayed far away from vanity.
Even on the academy holidays, she doesn’t wear expensive clothes; she wears her uniform like any other day. A person who can’t even be bothered to decorate her own room wouldn’t go through the trouble of preparing something like this for a personal hobby.
So, what does this scenery mean? Why did Lady Allen create something like this herself?
If she was willing to put in such effort despite her laziness, there would only be one reason.
“Dungeon.”
Having felt just how serious Lucy Allen was about the dungeon during last year’s final exam, Luca was convinced that his instincts were right.
There’s no way that Lucy would go all out like this unless it was about a dungeon.
This has become quite a tricky situation. If this is a dungeon that Lady Allen has directly crafted, it’s bound to be quite complex.
I might be in for some trouble if I walk in carelessly. The only silver lining is that no matter how noble she is, there must be limits to creating a dungeon without academy support.
Just like when the academy dungeon was made, it couldn’t be forced. That’s somewhat a good thing.
If I were to smash the work Lady Allen painstakingly crafted and head toward her, surely she would feel a sense of crisis.
Good. If I can corner her, then I’ll gladly do it.
“Let’s go.”
*
As I shared the sight of the spirits through Adri’s black magic, I felt bewildered watching Luca destroy various traps with ease.
It’s true that there were compromises made due to time and resource constraints, but those things shouldn’t be broken so easily!
For instance, those skeletons lying in ambush right now are just a distraction.
With a little bit of chaos caused by the ambush, we planned to activate the traps we had set beforehand, creating mayhem while striking with the spirits in the meantime.
But Luca first noticed the spirits waiting to ambush and swiftly dealt with them, removing the traps ahead of time.
I made the skeletons attack in hopes of creating some distraction, but that attack didn’t yield any meaningful results.
The fake walls Luca is breaking down now are the same.
I had added several tricky designs to ensure that even if they realized it was a fake wall, they couldn’t break it easily. Yet, Luca smashed through the fake wall as if it were nothing.
Other parts were falling apart just as easily.
What is going on? This is seriously strange.
Luca has become more competent than he was in the game.
Even without being completely crazy, he had skills, but this?
What kind of variables have emerged from him entangling with me?
‘This is odd. The dungeon that Lady Allen painstakingly created couldn’t possibly be like this?’
Hearing Luca’s soliloquy, I felt my sanity slip away and turned my gaze toward Adri.
“Stupid old hag. What do you think about what that perverted professor said?”
– …Uh, um. That’s…
“The piglet who should be groveling on the floor is speaking like a person. Doesn’t that seem odd?”
*
Hahaha.
Is it really like this?
Did I design the place to be like this?
That bastard…
“Give me back what I gave you. Right now.”
– H-here! Here it is!
Taking the paper from Adri, I modified my plan based on what Luca and the Followers of the Void had just shown.
First off, it’s hard to intimidate them with the physical power Adri can prepare right now.
The entire barrier has fallen into the hands of the Void, and while the power of the followers has grown, Luca’s strength is even greater than I anticipated.
In this case, I need to approach it from a different angle. Fortunately, Adri, who is next to me, is a necromancer skilled in black magic, so it’s entirely possible.
Using the fact that the traps I had set up earlier were easily neutralized to play a psychological game. Considering that Luca treats them like tools, if I can twist that psychology just one more time…
“Old hag. You can do this, right?”
– …I think I can, but this is too…
“Lonely old hag. Seems like you’ve been living alone for so long that you can’t read the atmosphere? I’m only looking for one answer from you, and you just need to do that. You get that, even a socially inept old hag could understand this, right?”
I thought Adri would surely grumble, but unexpectedly, she nodded, indicating she understood, and urgently relayed orders to her spirits.
What’s this? Why is she acting like this suddenly? Did she feel some sense of crisis?
While I pondered that, Frey beside me poked me lightly.
“What? Stupid knight.”
“Lucy was genuinely scary just now.”
…Huh?
“Really. Really, really scary.”
“Uh, uh?”
*
After jumping over the minor traps prepared in the corridor, Luca continued forward, still puzzled.
This is strange. It appears to be a place that Lady Allen invested effort in preparing, yet why is it so easy?
There’s no way a dungeon she prepared could be this trivial?
It’s somewhat tricky, but for something she made, it’s too ordinary.
The Lady Allen I know wouldn’t create a dungeon like this.
This is odd. Am I missing something? As Luca doubted whether he had fallen into some sort of trap, he immediately drew his dagger, swinging it in response to the chill he felt from behind.
The sword wielded by a spirit bursting forth from the wall clashed with his dagger.
– Hehehe.
As the laughter seeped into his ears, one by one, spirits revealed themselves from beyond the wall.
Dressed as a maid. Dressed as a attendant. Wearing noble’s attire. Clad in knight’s armor. They appeared bearing the resentment of the painful deaths they faced, only to disappear once again.
– It’s a person.
– Why are they here?
– There’s a foul smell.
– Such a disgusting scent. Did they have many untold words during their lives?
The dead continued chattering incessantly, filling the corridor with their voices.
Another spirit? These don’t suit those who receive the love of the Lord Jushin.
… No. They’re different from the spirits that attacked us before.
Unlike those before, these have proper forms.
“Why do they have to exist?”
“I’ll distribute the Blessing of the Void.”
While Luca was lost in thought, one of the Followers of the Void swung their weapon.
An attack infused with the Power of Void ripped apart the spirit, turning its existence into nothingness.
Seeing that scene, Luca clicked his tongue inwardly.
So reckless. Did they not notice the change?
If this place is linked to black magic, he should be observing every little detail carefully. Who knows what kind of trap is waiting?
Well, whatever. If someone is willingly volunteering to be a guinea pig, why would I stop them?
“You’re pathetic!”
Despite seeing one of their comrades being torn apart right in front of them, the spirits laughed even louder instead of being scared.
– Looks like they are frightened?
– Are they scared of dying?
– Ufufu.
– Afraid of serving the Void and heading toward it?
“Those worthless spirits are crossing the line!”
While the Followers of the Void grumbled and swung their weapons toward the wall, Luca feigned an appropriate defense while calculating the power of the spirits.
They are not simply worthless spirits. If they were only filled with resentment, they would have lost their sanity and charged at us by now.
The fact that they are just poking at us suggests that they possess enough power to be controlled.
It doesn’t seem like touching the spirits would yield any benefits either.
I should just play along and watch the atmosphere for a while.
“Damn it! Those pesky little things keep getting in my way. Gah!”
In the midst of a minor scuffle, one follower got injured by a spirit. The wound appeared minimal, just a small scar that wouldn’t leave a mark after some time had passed.
But the follower, having erased a spirit with that injury, proudly displayed a triumphant smile while bleeding.
“I’ll send you all back to where you belong!”
It didn’t take long to resolve the battle. At the point when over half of the spirits had vanished, the remaining spirits began to withdraw.
“Unlike before, this was a little troublesome, but it was nothing major.”
“Even after putting in effort, this is all? Quite pathetic.”
“What else can we expect from those who serve the rotting Lord Jushin?”
Admitting the hypocrisy displayed by the lady that allowed herself to join forces with a necromancer and yet, having prepared such trash-level power is madness.
The Followers of the Void, who do not know much about Lucy Allen, thought she had been cornered.
“Professor Luca! Quickly, guide the way! We’ll eliminate the obstacles and offer our tribute to the Void!”
Pushed by the excited followers who believed they could accomplish something, Luca pondered giving them a warning but instead just nodded.
The spirit attacks continued endlessly.
Those who should be filled with resentment against the world kept popping out to attack and fled after dealing some damage, repeating their antics.
The Followers of the Void accumulated numerous minor injuries, but they didn’t care at all.
Having worked for the god they worship, they had faced death countless times. How could such trivial injuries hinder their feet?
Throughout that process, Luca felt an increasing sense of discomfort.
Am I worrying too much?
No. But the opponent is Lady Allen.
She surely has something up her sleeve.
“Tera? Why are you like this all of a sudden?”
Turning his head at the voice from behind, Luca caught sight of a follower of the Void called Tera, who stood still with her pale eyes.
The follower named Tera mumbled something incomprehensible, then swung her weapon toward her comrade.
“Hey! You!”
Seeing that scene, Luca, instead of being bewildered, let out a sigh of relief.
The various traps prepared along the path were just distractions.
In that process, the skeletons that had ambushed us were the same.
Making them appear insignificant allowed us to relax. Thus, the minor injuries the spirits sustained became meaningless.
But that was the trap. The nothing injuries were ushering something in.
What exactly that is, I don’t know; nor do I want to find out.
It doesn’t feel necessary to know.
Luca, passing by the stunned followers, raised his dagger and severed the neck of the crazed one before turning back.
“Let’s keep going. Watch out not to get hurt.”
“Yo-you…”
“Is there a problem?”
However, this is a bit too dull for a trap. Lady Allen.
From what I know of your abilities, this isn’t nearly enough.
How can I make you desire more desperately?
After all.
Could it be that threatening those related to you is the best approach?
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