chapter_0144

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
144

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
144

As I walked into the office,
Karl naturally attempted to follow, but I stopped him.

The conversation about to
happen inside was not something an ordinary person should hear.

After half-forcing Karl out, I
ordered as soon as I entered the office to cast a soundproofing
spell.

No matter how much Alsatine
had discovered, it seemed wise to be cautious.

“I already did, Lady. This
is a conversation that can be dangerous if overheard.”

It seemed our thoughts were
aligned, as Alsatine had already cast the soundproofing spell before
I even said anything.

Judging by how serious he was,
he must have uncovered quite a bit.

As soon as the office door
closed, Alsatine naturally seated me at the chief seat and stood in
front of me.

‘How much have you found
out?’

“Information Seller, how
much have you discovered?”

“I couldn’t dig too deeply.
The time was too short.”

Well, of course. There’s no
way the Church of Armadi, which influences the entire continent,
would be careless.

If Alsatine had the ability to
uncover everything in just a little over a month, he wouldn’t be
stuck in these back alleys.

Such a talented individual
would already be manipulating the underworld from the shadows.

“But I think I understand
the information you’re seeking, Lady. The Church of Armadi is
researching something using the children from their affiliated
orphanages.”

This isn’t to say Alsatine is
incompetent. The fact that he got this far with the few hints I
provided proves his capability.

He approached this much with
the limited clues I gave him.

Even with the connections
introduced by his master, this is no joke. Hmm. It seems wise to
maintain ties with Alsatine even if I later get affiliated with the
Newman Family.

‘Where’s the proof?’

“Information seller, you
talk a lot, but how do I know if it’s just your imagination or the
truth?”

“I was about to explain.”

Alsatine began explaining that
my hint about the Church of Armadi committing some misdeeds had been
a significant help. He continued tracking the leads using his
existing connections and eventually discovered traces at an orphanage
run by the Church of Armadi in a rural area.

“Although I haven’t
pinpointed the exact nature of their actions, it’s peculiar that
several notable figures have been frequenting that orphanage.

High-ranking clerics who
usually never leave their headquarters, an alchemist known for
life-related research who has become a public figure of the church,
and even dark mages who are supposedly imprisoned.

These are not the kinds of
people you’d expect in a tiny countryside place.”

The most suspicious part,
however, was the frequent visits from dark mages and the alchemist.

“I believe they’re
conducting some kind of research involving the children. I had to
back off as digging deeper would have compromised my position, but
given more time, I think I could uncover more details.”

Listening to Alsatine’s
report, I couldn’t help but be impressed by his
intelligence-gathering skills. In the game, I’d thought of him as
just a convenient NPC who provided various information, but now that
this world had become my reality, it felt truly remarkable.

Had it been anyone else
following the Church of Armadi, they likely would have disappeared
without a trace. Though I had some degree of trust in him, it was
still awe-inspiring.

“This is all I’ve
investigated for now.”

As soon as the conversation
ended, Grandpa spoke with an unexpectedly trembling voice. Unlike me,
who had no good feelings toward either the sloppy Armadi or the
Church of Armadi, Grandpa had devout faith.

As one of the founding
contributors who helped the Church of Armadi achieve its current
influence, Grandpa must feel terrible hearing about its corruption.

‘Yes, that’s right.’

But I had to tell the truth.

Since Grandpa is going to be
with me, he’ll inevitably encounter everything. It’s better to
prepare his mind rather than seeing it all naïvely.

‘In addition to Alsatine’s
explanation, what’s happening at those orphanages is the creation of
someone with immense influence within the church.’

It’s well-known that our
underachieving Armadi doesn’t select apostles.

Even while the apostles of
many gods roam the Continent, Armadi never created his own.

Instead, he merely converses
with his believers, guiding them.

The Church of Armadi outwardly
praised Armadi, saying it was because Armadi loved the world equally,
but internally, they harboured different thoughts.

They envied the apostles of
other gods.

Not because those apostles
were special or had close relationships with their gods, but for one
reason—their words became justifications.

What the god’s apostles said
was considered the same as their god’s will.

For the high-ranking officials
of the church, who were often obstructed by others, having an apostle
was extremely desirable.

So the high-ranking officials
of the Church of Armadi decided to create someone who could serve as
their justification. They used the title of ‘Saint,’ which had
existed in the past but rarely appeared.

‘Initially, they selected
orphans with the potential to be called Saints with innate divine
power, but geniuses like that don’t appear so easily.’

‘Yes.’

Grandpa sighed, and said words
which suggested that the church wasn’t such a clean organisation even
back then.

Of course. Like any
organisation, how can everyone in a group be wholly good? That’s
something you’d only see in comics.

‘Yes. She’s a fabricated
Saint.’

Phoebe doesn’t know it yet,
but she was also artificially created as a Saint by the church.

Her personal story was about
realising she was a false Saint, going through various confusions,
and eventually becoming a true Saint.

I really admired how she
didn’t lose her goodness even after all the hardships.

‘It likely will.’

The current Phoebe is quite
different from the Phoebe in the game.

She worries about her failures
and harbours doubts about Armadi. What if all of this information
suddenly falls upon her?

Since this scenario doesn’t
exist in the game, I couldn’t say for sure, but it’s unlikely to be
good.

This is the reason I ordered
Alsatine to investigate. It’s to gradually reveal the truth to
Phoebe.

Just like you wouldn’t
administer a strong vaccine right from the start, you let the patient
adapt slowly, preparing her to withstand harsher truths as she faces
them.

As Alsatine’s evidence is
still largely circumstantial, there’s nothing to tell Phoebe yet.

Well, it’s not that urgent.
Phoebe coming close to the truth happens after the start of the
second year.

By then, Alsatine should have
something more concrete.

‘Please keep up the good
work.’

“Haa. Information Seller. In
the end, all you have is circumstantial evidence? Aren’t you
embarrassed to call that work? You’re totally sloppy. Your title of
Information Seller is wasted.”

“…I will try harder.”

A few days had passed since
the field trip ended, and Phoebe had somewhat managed to sort out her
recent confusion.

It wasn’t that she was
overly jealous of Lucy. Being Armadi’s Apostle and hearing the voice
of the god, she was still someone Phoebe envied.

However, she no longer blindly
criticised or envied her like before. Phoebe had come to acknowledge
that Lucy was a fitting Apostle.

The events of the field trip
had a significant impact on her decision.

For someone who endured great
shame for her sake. Someone who wasn’t afraid to bear infamy for
the growth of others. And, ultimately, succeeded in creating a happy
ending for everyone.

Phoebe, who had witnessed all
these actions from the sidelines, couldn’t deny Lucy.

Unlike herself, who was full
of shortcomings, Lucy truly was someone who fit the role of an
Apostle.

It was only natural. How could
there be any malice in the choice of who the great Armadi appointed
as an Apostle?

From the moment Lucy was
chosen by Armadi, she had already proven to be qualified.

Once Phoebe acknowledged all
this, she felt a sense of ease.

In other words, Phoebe wasn’t
chosen by Armadi yet because she was still lacking.

If she worked harder and
became a better person, someday, Armadi would speak to her too.

‘Yes, I have to strive to
become a better person until then.

Surely, Armadi wouldn’t
approve of Lady Allen’s audacious remarks? Armadi must have seen
something in Lucy that made her the right choice.’

Knowing that God wouldn’t make
a mistaken choice, Phoebe couldn’t help but feel inadequate for her
doubt.

While walking back to the
church after the Academy’s classes, Phoebe was reproaching herself
when she suddenly stopped and chuckled.

‘Sigh,
letting go of my worries, even a little, puts my mind at ease. I
should have done this from the beginning.’

“What are you thinking about
that makes you laugh so happily?”

At that moment, a voice came
from behind her. It was heavy and serious but dragged like a shadow.

“You.”

“It’s been a long time. I
was preparing a satisfactory answer for you, who helped me, but it
took quite a while. I apologise.”

With his towering stature, the
Apostle of the Evil God smiled, casting Phoebe into his shadow.

“Instead, I have come up
with an answer that will please you…”

“Leave.”

“Hmm?”

Phoebe took a step back out of
the shadow and raised her voice.

“I no longer want to hear
your story. If you come any closer, I will call the people of the
church, so please leave.”

“Do you really want to do
that? Don’t you want to know why Armadi hasn’t spoken to you?”

“I already know, so it’s
not necessary.”

Perhaps the old Phoebe, who
had been lost in confusion, would have cared. But now, she knew the
answer.

All the problems stemmed from
her own inadequacies, so there was no point in hearing the reason.

“Aha. So, you think you
can’t hear his voice because you are lacking in some way?”

The Apostle of the Evil God
looked at Phoebe’s face and curled his lips as if mocking her
thoughts.

“That’s such an obvious
and foolish answer. It’s not even interesting.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I can tell you firmly. That
is not the reason why Armadi hasn’t spoken to you.

From the start, you were
misguided, so no matter how hard you try, you will never hear
Armadi’s voice.”

The Apostle of the Evil God
drew Phoebe into his shadow as he spoke those words.

Please support the series on
NovelUpdates

Read Here
for premium chapters