chapter_0160

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
160

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
160

While discussing with Grandpa
in practice mode, we had established one major premise.

First, I need to be recognized
as Armadi’s Apostle.

If not, no matter what I say,
Phoebe wouldn’t listen to me seriously.

She would half-listen and then
act according to her own desires later.

But if I were acknowledged as
Armadi’s Apostle, it would be different.

Phoebe, who realised she
couldn’t be loved because she was a false saint despite wanting to
believe in and receive the love of God, would listen seriously if
God’s Apostle appeared before her.

As long as our Sloppy Lord
didn’t speak directly to Phoebe, my words would represent God’s
words to her.

She couldn’t help but believe
it, right?

Of course, I’d have to deal
with her complaints, but if I could persuade Phoebe, it would be
worth it.

I don’t know what kind of
response I’d get with the [Mesugaki] Skill, but if I pamper her
enough, wouldn’t she eventually feel better?

That was roughly how I planned
it, but when the words Armadi’s Apostle came out of Phoebe’s
mouth, I was a bit taken aback.

Did she notice? How?

No, it doesn’t make sense.

Who would suspect that the
crazy girl who calls Armadi a Sloppy Lord is Armadi’s Apostle?

Is it because I use divine
magic?

Most people think, Wow, Armadi
even shows mercy to that crazy girl.

Even the bishop who taught me
divine magic thought so!

‘How…’

“How did you find out,
sloppy saint?”

Seriously! It doesn’t make
sense!

Phoebe, did you perhaps learn
mind-reading? Or did you acquire some cheat skill that lets you see
other people’s status windows?!

Phoebe widened her eyes and
lifted the corners of her mouth at my question.

That joy she showed confirmed
her certainty that I was Armadi’s Apostle.

This conceited kid, if she
believed that I, the one calling her a Saint, was Armadi’s Apostle.

She would find hope in the
idea that she wasn’t entirely false.

However, the joy that spread
across her face quickly vanished.

Phoebe, who had been about to
speak, closed her mouth again and lowered her gaze, fidgeting with
her hands resting neatly on her knees.

I was sure she was hiding
something as it was unlike the usually confident and cheerful Phoebe,
but I didn’t push her.

Instead, I waited for her to
respond.

“Well, it’s like this…”

Phoebe uttered one lie after
another.

But Phoebe, who wasn’t
accustomed to lying, was easily noticeable when she did so.

Her voice trembled. She
averted her eyes. Her hands fidgeted aimlessly.

From her actions, screaming
that she was lying, I pressed her several times until she finally
whispered in a barely audible voice after a long silence.

“I heard it from the Apostle
of Tariki…”

Her words were shocking.

She had dealings with the
Apostle of the Evil God!

‘…Indeed.’

Phoebe, who possessed divine
energy befitting a Saint, had been kidnapped by Nacrad because
darkness had taken root within her.

At that time, we couldn’t
guess the reason, but now it made sense.

She had dealings with Nacrad,
and as a result, darkness had taken hold of her.

‘About what?’

Grandpa continued, his voice
harsh.

He mentioned that in the past,
such a sin would have warranted immediate execution. Those influenced
by such darkness could never return, and that Phoebe should be
condemned right away.

Each word was filled with deep
hatred, even more so than when facing an Apostle of the Evil God.

That emotion likely stemmed
from Grandpa’s past experiences with many people.

Not knowing what had happened
back then made it difficult for me to empathise with Grandpa’s
feelings.

So what if she had dealings
with the Evil God?

Depending on the
circumstances, it might have been the most efficient choice, right?

I’ve also made deals with
the Apostles of the Evil God several times when playing the game.

I’ve even openly helped the
Evil God. Unfortunately, it was a storyline with no development and
ended up being a boring concept.

In any case, I had no
intention of condemning Phoebe.

If it’s efficient, I’d also
willingly make deals with the Apostles of the Evil God. That’s just
the kind of gamer I am.

What actually shocked me was
something else.

The surprise stemmed from the
fact that I hadn’t even dreamed Phoebe was so rattled.

As I mentioned before, Phoebe
is someone worthy of being called a Saint.

In other words, she’s not
someone who would easily compromise with an Apostle of the Evil God.

The turmoil she felt must have
been that significant.

And there I was, cluelessly
thinking that Phoebe would be fine.

Gosh, how pathetic.

What kind of Soul Academy
veteran am I?

This world is a reality based
on a game, isn’t it?

Get out of your delusion and
look at what’s in front of you, idiot.

Ignoring Grandpa’s voice, I
stood up and approached Phoebe.

When she saw me, her eyes
widened, filled with resignation, and then shut tightly in fear.

Instead of hugging her, I
spread my arms wide…

My [Mesugaki] skill wouldn’t
allow me to do something so kind-hearted, right?

Instead, I put my right foot
on the bed, looking down at Phoebe with a mischievous smile hidden
behind my hand.

‘Phoebe, did you think I
wouldn’t know that?’

“Puhaha. Sloppy Saint.
Did you really think I wouldn’t know that? How predictable, getting
tempted by an Apostle of the Evil God. You must be quite the fool.”

Amid the giggling laughter,
Phoebe opened her eyes.

In those vacant eyes, I could
see pure surprise.

‘It’s alright, Phoebe.
Everyone has moments of doubt.’

“What can we do? A sloppy
saint will be sloppy. It’s only natural that you’re a fool.”

“What are you talking
about?”

‘No matter what you’ve done,
you will always be a Saint to me.’

“Sigh.
I guess you just can’t understand since you’re an incurable idiot.
I don’t care about that nonsense. At the end of the day, you’re still
a sloppy saint.”

Using my [Mesugaki] skill to
punctuate my words, I gave a little poke to Phoebe’s forehead.

I didn’t plan to go this
far! But since my intent seems clear now, I guess it worked out?

While resting my arms on my
leg, waiting for Phoebe’s response, I noticed her eyes welling up
with tears.

Uh.

Huh?

No way. Wait.

“Huuaaaah!”

Where had her usual calm and
noble demeanour gone? Seeing Phoebe sobbing like a high school girl,
I couldn’t help but be taken aback.

What the… what?! Why is she
crying all of a sudden?!

I didn’t say anything bad, did
I?!

I just told her I believed in
her no matter what she did, so why is she crying?!

‘Right?! I didn’t do
anything wrong, did I?!’

I was really startled,
thinking I said something I shouldn’t have.

While listening to the
explanation and feeling relieved, Grandpa sighed loudly, making sure
I could hear.

‘Yes.’

Unlike Grandpa, who’s stuck in
the past and trapped in his mace, I know Phoebe.

Even if Phoebe wavered once,
she is the kind of person who can regain her strong conviction.

So, I have no intention of
condemning Phoebe for her mistakes.

Honestly, I don’t even know
what mistakes Phoebe made.

What does it matter? If
necessary, you can even make deals with the Evil God.

In response to my unwavering
answer, Grandpa asked in a low voice.

He’s asking if what I just
said is nonsense from Armadi or if these are my own words.

Grandpa. Are you an idiot?
It’s already decided.

‘My will is Armadi’s will.’

If that sloppy and incompetent
perverted deity had found something I did disagreeable, he would have
stopped me right away. In any way possible.

So, the fact that this useless
deity hasn’t said anything means he agrees with my actions!

My will is the will of Armadi!

Can you understand that?!

When I confidently declared
that, Grandpa fell silent for a moment, then laughed.

‘Grandpa?’

In front of me, Phoebe was
weeping so hard her eyes were swelling, and in my mind, Grandpa was
laughing heartily. I didn’t know what to do.

…Maybe I shouldn’t have
kicked out the Fox. If I had kept the Fox around even for
observation, it would have offered some peace of mind.

After some time, Phoebe
finally managed to stop crying and went into the bathroom to wash her
face.

Her eyes were so red and
swollen; it was a look you could never imagine from the usual Phoebe.

Ah, if I had taken a
screenshot and posted it online with a title like The Ruined Face of
the Elegant Saint, the reaction would have been amazing.

The Saint’s simps would have
surely freaked out, accusing me of fabricating the photo to insult
the Saint! It would have been hilarious.

It was always fun to provoke
them because their reactions were so amusing.

Of course, all that
disappeared once Soul Academy became a completely stale game.

“I… I’m sorry, Lady
Allen.”

Phoebe’s voice was hoarse
from how hard she had been crying.

‘It’s okay, Phoebe. It
happens.’

“Puhahaha. What a perfectly
sloppy and ugly face. It’s hilarious. Shouldn’t you go around like
that all the time?”

“Uuuuh…”

Phoebe’s face turned bright
red, probably because she herself thought she looked ridiculous.

If I teased her just a bit
more, she might burst.

Seeing the usually composed
face of the Saint change so dramatically… This is kind of
delightful.

For a moment, the thought of
teasing her a bit more crossed my mind, but I forced myself to hold
back.

If I made her cry again, it
would be really hard to handle.

Besides, I haven’t even
started to tell Phoebe what I need to do!

First of all, Phoebe, you are
a suitable candidate to become the future Saint, so don’t break down
and keep trying!

Even if you don’t like the
Church’s ways, bear with it until you have enough power!

And there’s also a lot to
discuss about your past.

Come to think of it, I have an
enormous amount to say.

If I make her cry again in
this situation, I probably won’t finish everything even if we talk
all night.

So let’s save the teasing for
later.

‘Phoebe…’

“Hey, Sloppy Saint, we’re
going to talk about something important now. Listen carefully.”

“Yes.”

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