chapter_0026

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
26

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
26

As I was seriously worrying
about my future, the surrounding scenery changed.

This time, it was the hallway
of the mansion.

Maids, each occupied with
their tasks, were standing around Lucy.

“Isn’t Miss Lucy’s
temperament too harsh?”

“That’s right. It’s hard
to believe she’s the daughter of a noble family.”

“It’s probably because of
her lowly blood.”

“Well, her mother was
someone who roamed the streets. How could her daughter be any
different?”

The sounds of their gossiping
were so vivid, it was as if they were speaking right next to me.

What’s this? Wasn’t Lucy born
among nobles?

Then wouldn’t it be usual for
Lucy to be treated as an illegitimate child and for another heir to
be born to inherit the family?

In the fantasy noble families
I know, that’s how it typically goes.

While I was feeling doubtful,
the scenery around me changed again.

The next scene was one I often
encountered.

The door to Benedict’s office.

I didn’t even push it, but the
door opened on its own, revealing the inside of the office.

The view inside was desolate.

The overwhelming stack of
documents was still there.

The bookshelf that filled one
corner of the room was still there.

Benedict, sitting in the
middle, was also still there.

But the office, which always
held an inexplicable warmth, now felt chilly.

“Lucy.”

Benedict’s voice, which used
to be filled with affection, was strangely light.

The moment I looked up,
unsettled by the oddness, I saw a hateful gaze directed at me.

“I hate you.”

Words that Benedict would
never say came out of his mouth so suddenly.

That doting father would never
say something like this.

That fool would rather shout
that he loves her, even if he were dying at the tip of Lucy’s sword.

It’s clear that not everything
in this nightmare actually happened in reality.

So, does that mean the public
scorn at the banquet hall and the maids’ gossip were just parts of
the nightmare too?

I hope so, dearly.

There must have been similar
incidents in reality.

Considering Lucy’s actions and
reputation, it’s only natural that people would gossip.

But it must have been less
severe than what I saw.

At the very least, they must
have tried to make sure Lucy wouldn’t hear it.

They must have. If everything
I saw was true, then my future is too bleak.

“You are a hopeless
child. All you know how to do is torment others.”

Benedict’s cold voice pulled
me back to reality.

“Whether it’s sports,
studies, etiquette, or magic, you can’t do anything. You are a
disgrace to the Allen Family.”

He certainly knows how to
deliver a factual blow. If someone had said those words to Lucy
before I possessed her, she might have been so distraught she could
die.

Unfortunately, although I am
Lucy, I am also not Lucy.

No matter what you say, it
doesn’t particularly hurt me.

As I stood there with an
indifferent expression, Benedict got up from his seat and stood in
front of me.

His enormous figure cast a
shadow over my face.

“Don’t you feel sorry for
your mother who sacrificed herself for someone like you?”

With those words, the
documents scattered around were swept up, obscuring my view.

When all the papers finally
disappeared like melting snow, I found myself standing somewhere
else.

This time, the scene spread
before me was one of the bedrooms in the Allen manor.

“Lucy.”

Hearing a woman’s voice beside
the bed, I looked down.

There, a woman in a veil was
lying down, breathing heavily as if in poor health. She looked at my
face and whispered in a voice so small it seemed to crawl inside her.

“Lucy. I regret giving birth
to you.”

Is this Lucy’s mother?

At least she speaks normally.

I thought Lucy’s Mesugaki
tone was hereditary, but I guess not.

So how did Lucy become such a
Mesugaki?

Was she just born that way?

I imagined a baby crying out
“sloppy” instead of wailing as usual.

It was horrifying.

If such a baby existed, you
might have to call an exorcist to perform a ritual on it.

“From the moment I held
you in my arms, I was never happy. If only you didn’t exist, if it
weren’t for you, I could have lived a better life.”

Lucy’s mother coughed
intermittently, but her words of resentment continued to spill out.

Since the blame and resentment
were not directed at me, they didn’t affect me.

But strangely, tears began to
flow from my eyes.

As I continuously wiped away
the unrelenting tears, a thought occurred to me.

It was just a hypothesis, but
maybe this nightmare was simply showing Lucy’s greatest fears.

Lucy.

She was terrified of being
rejected by the mother who gave birth to her.

She was scared of being hated
by Benedict, who cared for her.

She was actually afraid of the
criticism from the people around her.

She was shedding tears
inwardly even while being humiliated by other nobles.

What a frustrating story.

The thing that the arrogant,
cheeky Mesugaki feared the most was others criticising her.

Isn’t that too common and
predictable of a twist?

It’s like saying,

“If this child had grown
up in a different environment, would she have turned out this bad?”

Well, perhaps.

The possibility was very low,
but it wasn’t out of the question that Lucy could have reformed and
become a good person.

But by now, it was a
meaningless story. Now that I’ve taken over her body.

“Lucy, I resent you. You
were the nightmare of my life.”

I look at the thin and dry
hand holding mine.

I see the teardrops falling on
it.

Even if it wasn’t my
intention, it’s true that I took Lucy’s place.

So now, I must take on Lucy’s
role.

At least to pass the trial.

Did Lucy’s mother truly hate
her?

Probably not.

If she had, she wouldn’t have
appeared in Lucy’s nightmare.

Considering Benedict’s doting
nature, this person couldn’t have been any less loving.

There’s a reason for the
saying, “Birds of a feather flock together.”

Lucy’s mother, even in her
dying moments, must have worried about her daughter’s future.

I don’t know what Lucy’s real
mother was like, but I want to believe that she was such a person.

Though I’ve never had a
mother, the one I imagine would be like that.

Alright then. Let’s assume
Lucy’s mother was as doting as Benedict and imagine what she might
have said.

Let’s presume she said
something out of concern for the daughter she would leave behind
after her death.

How would Lucy have responded?
As I imagined her, one question came to mind.

Was Lucy a Mesugaki even back
then?

This is quite an important
issue.

If Lucy had been a Mesugaki
since birth, she would’ve said something like “you fool of a
mother” even in such situations.

Though it feels like she would
have, let’s assume that she behaved decently this time.

Talking down to a sickly
mother with words like “you fool, you sloppy weakling”
doesn’t seem right.

As someone who was born and
raised in Korea, a Confucian* country, I can’t accept such a scene!
(*Respecting family ties heavily.)

I’ve never even talked with
the parents who gave birth to me, but I’ve imagined it a lot.

It’s always the people who
don’t have something that seem to know about it best.

Like how romance novels
written by those who’ve never been in a relationship can be
interesting, affectionate words towards parents thought up by those
who don’t have them can be quite touching.

“Thank you for giving birth
to me. I will always love you, Mother.”

Huh? Why isn’t the filter
working?

As soon as I finished
speaking, my vision went dark and I returned to the temple.

In front of me lay a mace
shining beautifully.

“Impressive. To give the
best answer without any hesitation within the Trial of Endurance.”

‘…Did I really pass this
trial?’

“…Grandpa. Tell me if I
passed the trial or not.”

“Yes. You’ve splendidly
passed the trial I prepared. You’ve earned the right to wield my
Mace, and at the same time, you will inherit the blessing I once had,
[Armadi’s Mercy]. This is…”

‘Then just open the door for
me to go back.’

“Quiet, and open the door. I
feel like I’m going to die.”

I wiped the tears streaming
down my face and complained to Grandpa.

I’m just about to collapse,
you know?

Even if I faint, I should do
it outside where someone might find me, so open the door.

Anyway, I already know all
about the Mace and skills you’re giving me.

I might even know more about
them than you.

So, stop with the pointless
explanations and just open the door.

Grandpa chuckled at my
irritation.

“Alright, you cheeky little
girl. Pick up the Mace.”

As soon as I grabbed the Mace
as he instructed, it adjusted itself to my size.

As expected, it’s an endgame
item. It even has this function.

“We shall meet again
someday.”

What? Me? With you?

What are you talking about?

“Miss?”

When I came to my senses, I
found myself standing in front of the statue.

In front of the old and shabby
statue of Ruel.

“Miss.”

I turned my head at Karl’s
voice.

He was looking at me with a
puzzled expression.

“Didn’t you have some
business with this statue?”

‘Karl.’

“Hey, sloppy. Didn’t I go
inside here?”

“What? Inside? What are you
talking about?”

Does he know nothing?

Why?

Was I just hallucinating?

Come to think of it, my body
is perfectly fine.

Just a moment ago, there was
no part of me that didn’t hurt.

My mind kept fading in and
out, so I was sure I would collapse soon.

So, why is my body alright?

Am I dreaming or something? I
pinched my cheek with all my might.

“Ouch!”

It hurt like hell.

Not a dream.

Then what on earth is this?

Just as I seriously started
wondering if I was going crazy, I noticed the weight of the Mace in
my hand was different from usual. There was definitely something
different.

How could I mistake the weight
of the Mace that I had practically carried with me for the past two
weeks?

When I lowered my gaze, I
could see that the shape of the Mace in my hand had changed.

A white handle, a body
shimmering brilliantly made of Mithril.

Heavy and sharp, the head
looked like it could crush anything upon impact.

And the emblem of the Church
of Armadi etched on its head.

This was Ruel’s Mace.

Cautiously, I touched the head
of the Mace and felt the cold metal.

“Huh? Miss, that Mace?”

‘Karl, I’ve already
undergone the trial, haven’t I?’

“Sloppy. It seems I’ve
already gone through the trial.”

After ascending from the
Lowest Floor, I met Possell, who was charging forward, smashing the
dungeon walls.

Even though Evans’ dungeon was
of medium-level difficulty, I couldn’t believe such a direct
breakthrough was possible.

In the game, the system would
have blocked it, but in reality, these extraordinary feats were
feasible.

As soon as Possell saw me, he
brought his dirt-covered face close and asked if I was okay.

His rough face was quite
overwhelming, but I tried my best to smile and nodded.

“Miss, I’m sorry! I was
careless!”

‘It’s fine.’

“Foolish Possell, you’re
making it uncomfortable, so tone it down a bit, will you?”

“No, ma’am. I won’t stop!
This is all my fault. I almost…”

Instead of blaming me for
stepping on the trap, Possell bowed several times, apologising
repeatedly.

He looked as if he would have
committed suicide if anything had happened to me.

I must hide the fact that I
stepped on the trap on purpose.

Otherwise, I might actually
get hit by Possell.

Possell is clearly stronger
than the Minotaur I encountered.

Considering the state I was in
after getting hit by the Minotaur, I could only imagine what would
happen if I got hit by Possell.

‘It’s fine. I don’t mind.’

“Foolish Possell, I’ll
forgive your sloppy mistake just this once.”

“Thank you so much, Miss!
You are incredibly generous!”

I had no idea what he found so
generous about me, but if we could move past this, it was all good,
right?

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