chapter_0130

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
130

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
130

After the fog that obscured
our surroundings disappeared, I opened my eyes and found myself
facing the Allen Family Mansion.

I have no idea why this place
appeared.

There’s nothing here I desire
at all.

The Scytil Forest trial
involves escaping the allure of the Fox.

Once the trial begins, the Fox
uses her power to show the participants what they most desperately
desire. If you escape that illusion, you overcome the trial, but if
you get lost in the illusion, you fail.

Such a scenario was hard to
depict in the game, so during actual play, it felt more like escaping
a maze than a test of the character’s mental fortitude.

Since this world is now beyond
the monitor and reality itself, what should appear is what I desire.
But since the mansion appeared, this illusion must be based on Lucy’s
desires.

Just like how, during
Grandpa’s trial last time, Lucy’s nightmare unfolded before me.

That really puts a damper on
things. If what I truly wanted had appeared, I would’ve enjoyed
myself and then moved on.

But there’s nothing to enjoy
here.

As I prepared to strap my
shield onto my back, I realised my hands were empty.

Ah. Since this is Lucy’s
illusion, there won’t be any weapons or armour.

That means the clothes I’m
wearing must be those damn garments with excessive frills and jewels
all over the place.

Frowning, I looked down to see
I was surprised to find myself in more normal attire.

What is this? For something
Lucy would wear, it’s not bad.

Even though it’s a dress,
it’s not too flashy and has a calm elegance.

This is wearable. Lately, I’ve
gotten used to wearing skirts since I’ve been in my school uniform
all the time.

Feeling slightly better, I
opened the door and went inside, determined to finish the trial
quickly.

What could Lucy desperately
want? Based on what I saw during Grandpa’s trial before, I have an
idea.

“Oh my. Lucy. Did you go
outside to play?”

As soon as I entered the
mansion, I was greeted by a woman in a white dress.

I knew her face. Not because
she appeared in the game, but because I remembered her from
overcoming Grandpa’s trial last time.

Lucy’s Mother. She was the
one who, in Grandpa’s trial, lay on a bed and spoke harsh words to
Lucy. This time, however, she had a bright and cheerful smile on her
face.

“Yes, Mother… Huh?!”

What? Why are my thoughts
coming out of my mouth just like that?!

I thought it was solely
granting Lucy’s wish, but could it be granting mine too?!

“Lucy?”

I intended to escape this
illusion as quickly as possible, regardless of Lucy’s wish, but
this changes the situation a bit.

“No, it’s nothing.”

I should try speaking normally
for once!

“Joy! This time, let’s try
that bakery! I heard it’s incredibly delicious!”

Joy sighed as she looked at
the girl pulling her by the hand.

Lady Allen had explained the
trial imposed by the Master of the Forest as soon as today’s field
trip began.

When they entered the place,
they would see a landscape they desperately wished for, but they had
to realise it was an illusion and escape from it to pass the trial.

Having mentally prepared
herself after hearing this, Joy was able to quickly recognize that
this was an illusion once the trial began.

“Wow! Just smelling it
makes my mouth water! What should we do? I want to eat everything in
there, but can we?”

After all, there’s no way such
an active, kind, and innocent Lucy Allen could exist.

‘Sigh.
Is my deepest desire really to go to a delicious bakery with a kind
and honest Lady Allen? Really?

Master Rina of the Forest, is
this correct?

You’re messing with me, aren’t
you? There’s no way someone’s deepest wish could be something like
this.’

“Oh my. Isn’t this the
great Archmage, Lady Joy Partan?”

As soon as she was
half-dragged into the bakery by Lucy, the clerk inside exclaimed in
amazement. Following suit, Lucy raised her voice in response.

“Yes, that’s right. She
is a friend who is far greater than I deserve!”

‘…So, if this illusion is
all true, it means I want Lady Allen to acknowledge me, become close
friends without any reservations, and for others to praise me as an
Archmage?’

Joy thought to herself, then
ran her hands down her face.

‘This is too embarrassing
and humiliating.

The worst part is that I can’t
even cry out that this illusion is slandering me because these are
all things I’ve dreamed of at least once.

But what can I do! Every time
Lady Allen gives me that pure smile, I can’t help but think it would
be okay to enjoy it a little more!

When I escape from this
illusion, Lady Allen will call me Airhead Lady and make fun of me,
but it’s different here!

Lady Allen holds my hand,
calls my name, and considers me a friend!

And there’s also delicious
bread!

Anyway, according to Lady
Allen, I just need to escape the illusion by the end, right? Until
then, I can enjoy it.’

“Welcome, Lady Partan.
We’ve reserved a spot in advance.”

“Kyahh!”

Joy, who had been barely
tolerating Lucy’s purity and the other elements, finally reached her
limit when the Prince on a White Horse she had dreamed of as a child
appeared.

Unable to endure seeing her
embarrassing past come to life in real-time, Joy urgently escaped the
illusion. Back in reality, she opened her eyes again, breathing
heavily and pressing her hands against her eyes.

‘Was that really something I
still wanted? Truly? Honestly?’

“That’s impossible. I
thought I’d left those dreams behind!”

“Oh, you woke up quickly.
I thought you would enjoy it a bit more.”

At the voice that reached her
ears, Joy cautiously raised her head. There, she saw the Master of
the Forest, resting their chin on their hand, looking at her.

“Rina?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know what I saw
in that scene?”

“There was a charming and
lovely little girl with pigtails, showing an innocent side that
matched her physique. Rebelliousness is nice, but a cheerful,
childlike demeanour is also good. The classic is classic for a
reason. And then…”

“Stop right there!
Please…”

“Hahaha.”

As Joy felt humiliated by the
realisation that her dark history was broadcasted, Rina couldn’t help
but laugh.

The laughter was creepy, akin
to a dirty old man sharing obscene jokes at a pub.

‘I know she’s an important
figure, but she’s a bit—no, a lot—uncomfortable to be around.

It feels like I’m dealing with
a nasty nobleman trying to seduce women.’

Joy tried to ignore Rina’s
laughter and looked around.

Just a moment ago, she was in
the middle of the forest for a field trip. Where is this place?

“This is my abode. I
couldn’t let you lie on the dirt floor, so I personally brought you
here.”

As soon as Joy turned her
head, Rina answered her question.

“And if you’re wondering
where the others are, I’ll answer in advance: they’re in another
room. We mustn’t interfere with the trial.”

“Was I the first to wake
up?”

“No, you weren’t.”

“In my experience, the
more charming they are, the greedier they get.”

Joy had barely exchanged a few
words with Rina.

Nevertheless, Joy knew a bit
about Rina. After all, she wasn’t hiding anything.

And she was the coldest to
Lady Kent, who she claimed lacked charm. So, Lady Kent must be awake.

She showed the most affection
toward Lady Allen, so Lady Allen must still be undergoing the trial.

‘It’s fascinating. I thought
Lady Allen would be the first to wake up and say something like,
You’re so slow, Airhead Lady. Even when given a head start, you
can’t take advantage? Sloppy. Airhead.’

“Well. Shall we continue
our conversation? You must be getting bored. Let me fulfil my role as
your host and offer you some hospitality. Follow me.”

“Yes.”

“Do you have a preferred
drink? I’ll do my best to accommodate your taste.”

Just like the first time they
met, Rina was being her fussy self when she suddenly stopped talking.

“Is something wrong?”

“There might be an
exception to the theory I just mentioned.”

Joy tilted her head, puzzled
by Rina’s cryptic response, but Rina did not elaborate any further.

“How is life at the Academy?
Are you enjoying it?”

“Yes, very much.”

Lucy’s Mother was a very
bright and cheerful person. It’s hard to believe that she’s the
mother of Lucy, who’s been called the disgrace of the Allen Family.

Even considering this is
Lucy’s desired illusion, the parental figure is way too ideal.

No matter how you look at it,
they are the parents of Lucy, the ill-tempered Mesugaki. Given that
Benedict doesn’t show any Mesugaki traits, there should be some
issue with her.

But so far, there’s been no
problem at all. She’s just a genuinely kind mother, nothing more,
nothing less.

I tried provoking her on
purpose to see if she was suppressing her true nature, but she just
laughed it off.

How could a child born from
such a kind person and that overly clingy Benedict turn out to be
such a bad-tempered Mesugaki? Could her personality have changed as
she grew up?

I’m curious. I’ll have to
confirm it when I return to the Allen Family during the holidays.

Well, anyway, I guess it’s
time to wake up now.

I was so happy to have a
conversation without the influence of the [Mesugaki] Skill that I
blurted out everything on my mind, but I can’t dawdle any longer.

If I stay asleep any longer,
who knows what that perverted fox might do.

“Oh my, are you leaving
already?”

As I got up from the chair,
Lucy’s Mother openly expressed her disappointment. If this were the
real Lucy, she would have hesitated, but I’m not her.

From my perspective, the woman
before me is just a pretty lady with no special ties to me.

“Yes. I’ll be going now.”

“It’s unfortunate, but it
can’t be helped. Take care.”

As I emerged from the
illusion, I stared at the wooden ceiling and then slowly got up.

‘Hello.’

“Hi, you sloppy mess.”

I tried talking to myself on
the off-chance, but the [Mesugaki] Skill was ruthless.

Sigh.
Of course. There’s no way the masochistic Armadi, who loves being
verbally abused, would get rid of it. I was foolish to hope, even a
little.

I let out a long sigh and was
about to get up from the bed to announce that I had overcome the
trial when the door burst open. Joy, Frey, and the fox stormed into
the room.

What’s this? What’s going
on? Did they come to congratulate me? Judging by their serious
expressions, that doesn’t seem to be the case. I haven’t seen Joy’s
face look this cracked in a long time.

“Lady Allen, something
terrible has happened. Phoebe…”

Huh? What about Phoebe?

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