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Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
31

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
31

“These tea leaves are
from the region of Vasily. They have a pleasant aroma and a subtle
sweetness that makes them very popular. It’s a high-quality product,
so please try it.”

‘Thank you, Bishop.’

“Since you’re offering,
I’ll drink it. Stubborn bishop.”

Every day, I feel like I want
to shut Lucy’s mouth, but today that feeling was more urgent than
ever.

Johan is such a troublesome
person to have as an enemy, and I really didn’t want to provoke
him, but this [Mesugaki] skill keeps pressing the provocation
command. It feels like a hole is forming in my stomach in real-time.

If it weren’t for the
[Mesugaki] skill, my outward composure hiding my tension, my hands
would probably be trembling by now.

I decided to take a sip of the
tea as suggested by the bishop.

I’m sure it’s good tea, but
the atmosphere in the room was so heavy that I couldn’t fully
appreciate its taste or aroma.

“Lady, may I first confirm
whether you really exorcised Agra’s Curse?”

‘Yes, go ahead.’

“Well, that’s why I’m
here. Hurry up.”

“Then, excuse me for a
moment.”

Johan closed his eyes and
started muttering in a language I didn’t understand, and several
magic circles appeared around me.

Each one glowed a subtle
white, filled with geometric patterns that someone like me, without
any magical knowledge, couldn’t comprehend.

From what I learned in Harne’s
classes, each pattern in those magic circles holds specific meanings.

I wonder how many meanings are
embedded in this complex magic circle.

As I was marvelling at it, the
magic circles suddenly vanished from around me.

“It appears you have
indeed exorcised Agra’s Curse.”

I heard a gasp from behind me.
It was probably the priest assisting Johan.

“Lady, if it’s not too
much trouble, could you share how you managed it?”

‘Of course.’

“Want to hear it? Haha.
Alright. You seem desperate, so I’ll tell you.”

I had thought about how to
frame the story on my way here.

The only concern was how it
would be translated.

Today of all days, the
[Mesugaki] skill had been aggressively interpreting my words.

“I received a
revelation.”

“Are you saying you heard
the words of God?”

Instead of answering, I pulled
out the mace I had kept in my pocket and restored it to its original
size.

Seeing the mace suddenly
spring out from my empty hand, Johan raised an eyebrow, and the
priest assisting him quickly ran to his side and cast a protective
spell.

Did they think I was going to
smash Johan’s head?

I knew Lucy’s past deeds
weren’t light, but this seemed a bit rude.

It’s like they’re treating a
noble lady as a terrorist.

Johan and I reacted almost
simultaneously; I furrowed my brows, and Johan spoke in a stern
voice.

“Priest Pelkin. What is
this disrespectful behaviour? Withdraw your spell at once.”

There was more than just
language in his firm words; they carried authority.

The priest, realising his
mistake, quickly dispelled the magic and bowed his head.

“I apologise, Bishop.
Lady Lucy Allen.”

I could use this incident to
steer the conversation to my advantage, but that might provoke Lucy’s
mouth to spew something even harsher.

Hmm. This time, let’s be
generous.

After all, it’s not a
relationship that will end in a day or two; let’s consider it a
favour granted.

‘This weapon is Ruel’s
Mace.’

“Ruel’s Mace. Even a
stubborn bishop should know this, right?”

“…Are you saying this
is the mace of Sir Ruel, who was designated a saint?”

‘It’s real.’

“Does it look like I’m
lying?”

“If it’s not too much
trouble, may I examine it?”

When I willingly handed over
the mace, Johan received it as carefully as if it were a precious
artefact.

Then he started examining it
meticulously, as if appraising a jewel.

It didn’t seem like he would
finish anytime soon.

As I lifted my teacup while
waiting for Johan to finish his appraisal, Grandpa spoke up.

‘You didn’t know?’

I thought he’d naturally know.

All the heroes who fought to
save the world two hundred years ago were designated as saints
posthumously.

Even a child would know this
fact; I didn’t expect Grandpa to be unaware.

‘Isn’t it natural to
receive that much recognition after saving the world?’

‘What? Why?’

What are you talking about!
How well have I treated Grandpa!

Normally.

Although I get mad a lot, I
still think of him as a hero!

Since I know the game’s story,
I am aware of how much pain and hardship Grandpa has endured.

“It appears genuine. How
did you find this? Ruel’s Mace definitely vanished a long time ago.”

While bickering with Grandpa,
who demanded more respect, Johan’s voice brought me back to reality.

‘I already told you…’

“Didn’t I say? I received
a revelation. No matter how old you are, it’s troublesome if you
forget what was just said.”

The impact of Ruel’s Mace must
have been significant.

Despite my provocations, Johan
listened calmly.

Showing the mace in advance
was a good move.

Otherwise, our voices might
have risen in the middle of the conversation.

There were many things I said
that could be roughly translated to Mesugaki.

When I recounted the modified
stories of passing Ruel’s Trial and lifting the curse in Evans
Village, Johan’s lips stiffened for the first time.

It looked like he was serious,
but it was different.

When this person becomes
serious, it actually means he intends to have an earnest
conversation.

“Are you saying you
discovered the hidden trial and used the potion obtained there to
lift the curse?”

‘It’s something that
couldn’t be achieved without a revelation, right?’

“Indeed, it couldn’t have
been achieved without a revelation. Isn’t that so?”

“It sounds like an
unbelievable story, but since the evidence is right in front of me, I
can’t deny it. I believe you.”

After saying this, Johan took
out a small box from his robe and placed it in front of me.

When I asked with my eyes if I
could open it, the bishop nodded. Inside the box was a cross shaped
into a necklace.

The dazzling white cross made
of silver was exactly as I had seen it in the game.

The symbol of the Church of
Armadi. Back when Soul Academy was just a game, it was an item that
increased the favorability of people related to the Church of Armadi
and boosted the character’s luck stat.

Now that it’s reality, the
effects would probably apply in a similar way.

Given Lucy’s current
reputation, increasing her favorability wouldn’t bring dramatic
changes, but it was better than nothing.

More importantly, the effect
of this item would grow stronger every time I lift Agra’s Curse in
the future.

One day, this might help
overcome Lucy’s bad reputation.

Thinking about it, I wore the
necklace.

It had been decades since he
chose the path of a priest against his family’s opposition, yet Johan
Vieira still found it difficult to understand God’s will.

That delinquent Lady Allen,
receiving a revelation from God?

What could God be thinking?

He knew well about Lady Lucy
Allen.

The reason Johan, who should
have been working in the holy land, but instead came to this church
was because of Lady Allen.

It was a few years ago.

Back then, Lady Allen would
come to the church every day without fail, causing trouble.

She blasphemed against God,
hurled insults at the priests, acted violently, and threatened the
worshipers.

Had it been any ordinary
noble, the Church of Armadi could have suppressed them with its
power, but Lucy Allen was not someone they could handle that way.

She was cherished by one of
the continent’s top warriors, the Iron-Blooded Knight, Benedict
Allen.

If things went wrong and they
incurred Benedict’s wrath, even the Church of Armadi would find
itself in a difficult position.

That’s why Johan Vieira was
dispatched.

As a member of a high-ranking
family and someone with considerable authority within the church, he
was the right person to resolve the issues at the Allen Church.

As soon as he was deployed to
the Allen Church by the Pope’s command, he negotiated with Benedict
Allen and managed to settle the problem.

In truth, it was more of a
threat than a negotiation, but the problem was resolved, and that was
what mattered.

A few months had passed since
then, and today, Lucy had come to the church again.

This time, it wasn’t to wreak
havoc.

She came to discuss matters
related to the church.

To be honest, the things Lucy
spoke about seemed as unbelievable as saying a dragon didn’t know
magic.

She claimed to have exorcised
Agra’s Curse, which only a high-ranking priest could do,

She had found Ruel’s Mace,
which had been missing for over a century,

And she had received a
revelation from God.

All of it sounded like tales
from a minstrel’s song.

But all of them were true.

Because the evidence of all
those stories was right before Johan’s eyes, he had no choice but to
believe.

“Is it true that the one
who insulted God has received His revelation? What on earth is Armadi
planning?”

Johan looked up at the ceiling
as he spoke, but no answer came.

It seemed that God still had
no intention of revealing anything to him.

“There will be chaos for
a while.”

The fact that someone had
received a divine revelation.

That Ruel’s Mace, which the
church had been searching for after it went missing long ago, had
reappeared.

That someone had exorcised
Agra’s Curse and become an adversary of the Evil God had emerged.

None of it was insignificant.

“I thought she was
someone worthless.”

These matters were all related
to that notoriously incorrigible noblewoman.

It’s simply hard to believe.

Perhaps monks at the holy site
would think Bishop Johan had lost his mind.

Imagining the expressions of
those who confirmed that all of this was true, Johan quietly chuckled
and resumed moving his quill.

“Come to think of it, Lady
Allen has been rather quiet today.”

Could she have changed a bit
after receiving God’s revelation?

As Johan considered this, he
remembered how she used to call him a boneheaded priest and shook his
head.

Changed? Not at all.

The first thing to greet me
when I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside was the message
window that tormented me daily.

[Please enrol in the Academy.]

I waved my hand to dismiss the
message window and slowly got up.

I felt unusually tired.

Was it because I had been
riding in a carriage for the past few days?

As a habit, I reached out to
ring the bell, only to realise I was waving my hand in the air and
that I wasn’t at the mansion.

Oh, right.

I had come to take the Academy
entrance exam.

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