Chapter: 667
I stood in front of the newly formed dungeon with Frey and Joy.
I know exactly how this place is laid out.
I’ve repeated it so many times that there’s no room for confusion.
Drawing a picture in my mind once more, I took a deep breath and turned my gaze sideways.
Is it really necessary for all of us to go in together? It might be better if I just go in alone and leave the two behind.
“Lucy.”
Joy squinted her eyes, sensing my hesitation. That’s what makes her annoyingly perceptive.
“It seems like it’ll be a hassle.”
“Not at all.”
“Right, right. It won’t be a hassle.”
It seems she won’t back down unless I force her to. But Frey is here too.
Overpowering her would be harder than dealing with the trash in here.
[If you want to be hated by your friends, feel free to do as you please.]
‘I won’t. I’m not that clueless.’
I clicked my tongue at my grandpa. These two know how to take care of themselves. I trust them.
“Let’s go.”
As I stepped into the dungeon, I bestowed blessings upon my friends and slammed my feet on the ground.
The gloomy energy unique to the place where the subordinate of the Evil God lurked weighed heavily on my shoulders.
Even I, protected by the Divine Grace of the Lord Jushin, felt uncomfortable. I wonder how the others feel.
I can’t even begin to imagine.
– The cursed dog of Armadi has arrived!
A voice filled with joy echoed from the corridor. Is this a special event for the Apostle of God? What useless nonsense.
– You think ignoring it will hide your agitation!?
“What are you saying? You trash!”
Laughing at the one rampaging with inferiority complex, with a shout, several monsters appeared from the walls.
I stopped Frey from swinging her sword and unleashed the Authority of Purification.
“Born from corruption, vanish before the light.”
As I muttered something that sounded good in my head, the monsters couldn’t even emerge from the walls and scattered.
“Sloppy!”
– You damn b*tch!
I looked at the monsters that kept appearing and disappearing around me while chuckling.
Normally, monsters without skin, possessing only red muscles, wouldn’t be so easily defeated.
They annoyingly cling and make it troublesome for the strategist.
And the mental pollution that arises in the process is just a bonus.
If people from outside had come in as per the original plan, this would have become reality.
No, there’s a high probability that the reality would have been far more tragic and desperate.
That’s why I came here.
“I’m going to jump.”
Being respected by others is truly uncomfortable.
The fact that those who care for me are bothering me.
I find it detestable that there are people who don’t doubt my words at all.
If they had hated me as they had until now, I wouldn’t be so bothered by them.
“Idiot. Can’t you just blow it away?”
“I’ll devour it whole.”
The door that shouldn’t have been able to pass was swallowed by the Power of Darkness. A woman lurked within.
The grotesque woman, having bat wings, stained her face with bright red blood.
“What are you? How does a little brat know me?!”
“Maybe it’s because the filthy ones driven mad by inferiority complex and jealousy think similarly, huh?♡”
“…I’ll tear that face apart.”
“Puhah♡ I think I’ll be prettier than you though?♡”
As I giggled while lowering my shield, the crazed woman lunged at me.
So emotional. If your face makes me want to gag, at least have a kind heart. What if both are trash?
I saw the woman’s hand coming towards me. It’s not that I’ve figured out her pattern.
It’s just painfully slow, so I can see it clearly.
I could block, evade, or counter, but I did nothing and just shrugged my shoulders.
There was no reason to respond.
“So Slow!”
Despite my casual tone, the sword that was hard to follow with the eye was swung from beneath the woman.
While my eyelids went down and then up, several strikes were made.
The woman’s body tore apart and tried to reassemble, but the shadow hanging below her opened its mouth first. The darkness swallowed everything.
And that was the end. The dungeon, which had created countless nightmares, collapsed in less than half a day.
“Good thing we came together, huh?”
I tried to respond to Joy’s excited voice but ended up just smiling lightly.
It was not a completely wrong statement.
Joy’s skill at this moment was definitely a great help.
Frey was the same.
Her sword skills had become so complicated that I didn’t want to face her, preventing enemies from touching my shield.
In reality, I hadn’t properly played the role of a tank until coming here.
There hadn’t even been situations where I could raise my shield. Instead, I played the role of a commander properly.
– We did well too, right?
– Right?
– Praise us!
Borrowing the view of the fairies helped a lot. I had fulfilled the role of a commander before, but back then, I was expecting others to just follow me.
I couldn’t read everything around me like some martial arts novel master.
But now it was different. I could see all my friends’ movements.
Now, I could move in accordance with my friends.
No, it’s more accurate to say I confirmed that my friends were matching with me.
It makes sense in a way.
My friends had been looking at my movements from behind so far.
They kept following after the clueless veteran gamer who only thought about charging ahead.
Instead of giving up saying it doesn’t make sense, they grit their teeth and stood beside me. At some point, I began to take their presence for granted.
I didn’t think much of it before, but obtaining the fairies’ view made me realize how selfish I had been.
Both Joy and Frey were observing my movements before directing their own.
They kept me in their peripheral vision so they could follow me anytime. Realizing this made me involuntarily let out a laughing on one’s own.
Right. This isn’t a game. It’s never a given that my friends follow me.
Haah. I can’t believe I didn’t think about such a given thing; how stupid can I be?
This isn’t an intellectual issue; it feels more like a wisdom problem, and that’s even more frustrating.
I wonder if Phoebe and Arthur, who aren’t here, are the same? Of course, they should be. What a stupid question.
As I gently tapped the heads of the fairies, I emerged outside the dungeon, facing those pouring blood with monster corpses piled up in front of me.
For the world, to protect my comrades, they swung their weapons desperately to survive on the battlefield and cheered when they saw us.
This is quite the dilemma. I had thought about crushing their egos and breaking them before entering.
But how could they keep looking at me and smiling like that?
Damn it. I cursed inwardly and then brushed my hair back, summoning the Divine.
No grand miracle using force is needed. Just healing their wounds is enough.
Are you listening, Shoddy God?
Please work.
Right now.
The moment I gave that command while looking at the sky, the Divine Grace bloomed from me and stretched out like angel wings, covering the land.
…Hey, I just asked you to heal, didn’t I?
Not this grand stuff?
Why are you messing around in useless places again! I’m curious what kind of distortion will come from this!
“Lucy, you’re like a total angel.”
While I tried hard to ignore Frey’s nonsense, I turned my gaze forward to see the sparkling-eyed guys.
Their gazes, staring at me as if they had regained their innocence, were quite burdensome, even if you exclude the fact that they were looking at me.
“What are you staring at?♡ Are you about to die from arousal?♡”
I hurled a jab filled with my desperate wish for moderation, but the people’s gazes showed no signs of changing.
…Yeah, I should run. I can’t stay here any longer.
If I stay just a little longer, I feel like I’m going to rot inside.
The only relief is that there’s no Perverted Apostle here.
If that guy was here, he would probably record all of this…
“Hey idiot? What’s in your hand?”
“A recording crystal. Lord Erginius modified it since he wasn’t satisfied with his last item.”
“Ha. Am I really that attractive? You’re not even hiding your preference for girls anymore?”
“But how can I not record this? Phoebe would probably weep if she saw this.”
I really think so, so let’s just put that crystal away.
I’m already burdened by the gaze of people looking at me, and if the distortion worsens beyond this point, it will be tough for me!
“I’m sorry, Lucy. Lord Erginius wants to win against the God of Magic by any means necessary, so we need this variable.”
“How long is that loser going to live as a loser? He should’ve changed a bit after becoming a god, right?”
“If you really want to erase this record, please make a serious request!”
Hey, Joy. You’re just making excuses for Erginius.
You just want to see me asking for a favor, right! Give me back the emotions I felt in the dungeon!
“If you don’t do it, then I have no choice…”
“Foolish swordsman.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I’m going to play with you for a bit, so cooperate.”
“Wow! Really? I’ll do my best!”
“E-Er!? Young Lady Kent! Wait a minute! You also want to keep a record of Lucy’s this side, don’t you?”
“Playing with Lucy is more important!”
“You’re too late to regret. Idiot.”
“W-Wait! I’ll break it! I’m going to break it, so stop! Aaaah!?”
*
Inside Lucy’s mace. The gazes of those watching the outside views gently turned toward the visiting Erginius.
“I’ve never made such a request! The victory I want to achieve is through skill! What meaning is there in winning this way?”
“Shouting really is persuasive, huh.”
“It’s okay, Erginius. A man can have his moments.”
“Why are you surprised? It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve acted like an idiot.”
“No! I didn’t make such a request!”
While I laughed at Erginius, the Hero turned his gaze to the outside scenery.
“Ruel.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Are you sure it’s okay not to stop her?”
“Lucy?”
“Yeah. If left as is, she’ll be crushed by the burden.”
The Hero remembered his past self upon seeing Lucy, who was sensitive to others’ sacrifices.
If left like that, she would walk the same path he did.
So he has to stop her.
He must let her know that she cannot bear it all alone.
So she doesn’t despair.
Ruel, who knew the Hero‘s past anguish, listened seriously and then turned his gaze outside.
“Is it necessary to make that child aware of resignation?”
“Ruel, you know how painful the obsession to protect everything is!”
“Your existence now is a result of the pain you endured.”
“That’s an incredibly irresponsible statement! Rising from despair is not an easy task!”
“I believe Lucy will manage it. That child is stronger than anyone.”
“Ruel!”
“And you know, even if you went back to the past, you’d make the same choice again.”
“…That’s.”
The Hero could not shake his head.
What Ruel said was true. Even if he went back to the past, he would repeat the same foolish acts.
Being a Hero is a title given only to the foolish.
“That child might just create a miracle. Unlike us.”
She stands here, having surpassed numerous absurdities. It wouldn’t be strange for one more miracle to be added.
“So I plan to keep watching. Do you have any objections?”
“…None.”
“That’s settled then. Let’s talk again about how ugly Erginius is.”
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