chapter_0193

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
193

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
193

Seeing Karia’s face turning
red with embarrassment, I sighed inwardly.

I thought I was speaking
harshly due to the Evil God’s curse.

Turns out, Karia’s nickname
was actually Spinster Lady.

Judging by how Karia, who had
regained all her memories, couldn’t even refute it, it seemed like it
was true in some sense.

Which made it even more
problematic.

You shouldn’t tease someone
about something that’s genuinely an issue for them.

“…Oh. You’re
Benedict’s daughter, Lucy, right?”

‘Yes. That’s correct.’

“Can’t you tell just by
looking? Or maybe you’re so old that your eyesight is failing you?
Shall I get you a pair of glasses?”

Seeing Karia’s trembling lips,
it was clear that this situation was extremely embarrassing for her.

I understand. According to
Alsatine, she thinks of me as a hero who saved her. But hearing
things like old hag and failing eyesight right from the start must
make it hard for her to stay calm.

The only relief was that Karia
considered me her benefactor.

Even amid the continuous
barrage of insults that would have made anyone angry, she never once
lost her temper.

And it wasn’t just that.

As time went on and she got
used to my manner of speaking, she erased her initial discomfort and
managed to keep a polite face no matter what insult came her way.

As expected from Alsatine’s
Master.

In these matters, she is more
professional than that guy. You could always see cracks forming on
his face.

“Anyway, thank you so
much. Without you, I wouldn’t have just lost my life but would have
remained as a criminal in history.”

Seeing Karia bow her head, I
almost instinctively told her it was okay, but I closed my mouth.

I felt like no matter what I
said, I couldn’t really comfort her.

Let’s just be shameless about
it. That might actually be better.

“I’ve thought about how I
could repay you. It’s hard. I’ve lost all my power, and the
connections and networks I built up before have scattered. No matter
how much I think about it, there’s nothing I can do for you right
now.”

Her words didn’t particularly
disappoint me.

It’s only natural. What could
possibly remain for her after being missing for over ten years?

If she had anything to give
me, that would have been more surprising.

“But my disciple told me
one thing. You got an insignia from that kid, Gus, right?”

By Gus, she means Gus Newman,
right?

The Head of the Newman Family.
The Balding Unfortunate Man.

For her to casually call that
person a kid, it seems she’s not just an auntie but at a level where
she should be called a granny.

“Could you lend that to
me for a moment?”

‘The ring?’

“Lend you the ring? Why,
you insidious old hag?”

“I heard the Academy’s
network hasn’t been established yet. I can take care of everything.”

In other words, Karia was
offering to act as a bridge between the Newman Family and the
Academy.

It was definitely a necessary
move.

Though I am currently
satisfied with Alsatine’s assistance, if the Newman Family’s
influence extended to the Academy, I could achieve much more.

Additionally, I could trust
Karia’s abilities.

It was Karia who successfully
raised Alsatine, an orphan from the back alleys, into a competent
informant.

If such a person worked
together with Alsatine, they would surely bring about some
significant results.

However, the issue was that I
didn’t know anything about this person called Karia.

It was true that this world
wasn’t exactly the same as the game.

There were many variables that
couldn’t be concluded simply because things happened that way in
the game.

Still, the basic premises
remained the same.

Unlike in the game, Phoebe was
shaken in many ways, but she was still the Saint.

Frey, oddly enough, liked me,
but she was still a madwoman obsessed with the sword.

Arthur had become excessively
passionate to the point of zeal, but the fact that he was fighting
his internal complexes remained the same.

Even if there were small
variables, it was enough to judge a person’s essence.

However, Karia was a character
who didn’t appear in the game.

I knew nothing about her. I
could only recall her as a brief character mentioned in the stories
shared by Alsatine. So, I can’t hand over the ring.

I can’t predict what she will
do once she holds this ring.

To be honest, building a line
connecting to the Newman Family is useful but not urgent.

I can do without it.

Offering the Raven’s Seal for
something that isn’t absolutely necessary or assured?

I don’t need to ask Grandpa to
know this is insanity.

“Are you still hesitant?”

As I didn’t respond, Karia
smiled.

It seemed she didn’t expect to
get permission from the start.

“I understand. It’s
difficult when someone you’ve just met asks for such a precious
item.”

Then, why did she bring it up,
knowing it wouldn’t work?

Is it just a case of asking on
the off chance it might work?

I don’t think so. Hmm, I can’t
figure out her intentions.

“So, for now, I will stay
by Alsatine and help with whatever you request. Then, one day, when
you find my influence and ability trustworthy, lend me the Newman
Family’s seal. Handling that kid is really easy.”

There was weight in Karia’s
words about repaying her life-long debt by staying by my side.

Hmm. I don’t need to refuse
this, do I?

She has taught Alsatine many
things, and she once was known as the Shadow of the Kingdom, so it’s
not a bad deal for her to work for me.

Just as I was about to say
that it was fine, Karia burst into laughter.

“Lucy. You shouldn’t get
into politics. Your thoughts are too easy to read.”

Huh? What is she talking about
all of a sudden?

I was perplexed by Karia’s
sudden comment, but after listening to her explanation, I quietly
understood.

Karia, hearing that I was the
one who saved her, decided to repay me.

And before doing that, she
seemed to have thrown around various remarks to gauge my reactions
and understand what kind of person I am.

“When you work in this
line of business, you can figure out a person’s disposition just from
their general reactions.”

Karia laughed, saying that she
initially wondered if she had come to the wrong person, but changed
her mind after talking with me.

“Your way of speaking and
expressions might be rough, but you’re quite a decent person.”

‘Is it possible to gauge all
that just by looking?!’

“Do you expect me to
believe that? A pathetic Evil God-manipulated sloppy old spinster
lady having such abilities is ridiculous.”

“It’s true. Do you want
me to give you the basis?”

Slightly raised eyes when I’m
pondering. A slight nod when I’m agreeing. Toes curling a bit when
I’m angry.

Karia presented several other
specific examples to judge my thoughts and emotions.

Her detailed explanations were
so excessive that they almost seemed whimsical.

No matter how I think about
it, isn’t she just trying to make fun of me?

If I seriously believed her, I
could already imagine her mocking me for being so gullible.

‘…Grandpa, are you teasing
me too?’

‘I’m not stupid enough to
fall for such lies!’

Grandpa, please stop being so
childish.

Is it right to jump in just
because there’s a chance to tease me?!

…Ugh. It’s true.

Oh?!

Everything Karia explained
earlier was true?!

Karia, watching my bewildered
expression, giggled and then stood up.

“Well, I got what I wanted,
so I’ll be going now. Take care, Employer. Oh, right. Most of what
I said today was just to see your reactions, so don’t pay too much
attention to it.”

Even after Karia left, I kept
replaying her words in my mind for a long time. Surprisingly,
everything Karia explained was true.

‘I don’t think I could ever
handle politics or negotiations.’

Just thinking about sitting
across from someone like that is terrifying.

I feel like I would
unknowingly leak all kinds of information.

So this is the ability of the
Legendary Thief, once known as the Shadow of the Kingdom.

…I’m glad she’s on our side.

After finishing the event in
Menestail, I returned to the Allen Family estate and was forced to
rest.

There was no other choice.

No matter how much time
passed, my body condition just wouldn’t improve.

According to the Perverted
Fox’s Diagnosis, I would only fully recover by the end of the
vacation period.

Of course, I had to take
complete rest during that time.

As a result, I couldn’t
participate in the Allen Family Knights’ training even once.

Although my abilities were
increasing regardless, I couldn’t help but feel a bit regretful.

At first, I trained to
survive, but now it seems my body craves training on its own.

How frightening.

I feel like my brain is
turning into muscles little by little.

Thus, I spent most of my time
lying in bed, but I never skipped training with Grandpa.

Anyway, in Practice Mode, I
didn’t have to worry about my real body’s condition.

I pushed myself even harder
because I couldn’t move as much in reality.

Moreover, I discovered
something. The reward from Armadi for clearing the Menestail Dungeon
was greater than I expected.

Not only did my divine energy
increase, but my proficiency in handling it also went up.

It wasn’t just a simple
improvement in stats.

First of all, the increase in
divine energy didn’t just mean I had more of it.

The quality of the divine
energy within me itself had improved.

It had become purer.

As a result, I could achieve
much better outcomes even when performing the same actions as before.

The rise in proficiency was
just as significant.

Previously, I had to recite
elaborate prayers when using divine magic, but now that’s no longer
necessary.

Now, the mere thought of using
any divine magic would immediately manifest results.

“Wow. How deeply must
Armadi love you?”

Grandpa said this while
verifying my newfound abilities with me, which shows just how
extraordinary the results were.

Additionally, [Divine Combat
Arts] turned out to be more amazing than I had thought.

“[Divine Martial Arts] is
an advanced form of Baktu* Arts. It doesn’t just concentrate divine
energy on your body and weapons; it allows you to do much more.”
(*Boxing-ish)

For instance, enveloping my
shield with divine energy was something that was not possible with
Baktu Arts alone, but I managed to do it through sheer skill.

While the effects were
achieved, it couldn’t be called efficient. However, there’s no
longer any need to endure inefficiency.

As I mastered the art of
[Divine Combat Arts], everything naturally fell into place.

Grandpa eagerly explained that
many more latent potentials existed within this skill.

Hmm. To be honest, I barely
understood any of it.

I mean, what could I do?

It was still too early for me
to grasp it all!

Grandpa even said it was okay
not to understand right away, as I would gradually learn.

Anyway, the important thing is
that all the gifts from the great Lord Armadi have been incredibly
useful.

Oh, Armadi.

I had no doubts!

Thank you!

“Miss, it’s done.”

Erin’s words snapped me out of
my thoughts.

Looking into the vanity
mirror, I saw my neatly arranged hair.

It’s fascinating. We use the
same method to tidy up my hair, but it looks so much neater when Erin
does it.

Is this the difference that
experience makes?

‘It looks wonderful. As
expected of Erin.’

“Hmm. You put quite some
effort into it, sloppy Erin? It’s not bad.”

“Thank you for the
compliment, Miss.”

Checking my hair, I put on one
of the Allen Family’s outdoor dresses for the first time in a while
instead of my school uniform.

It was time to end my
month-long leisurely seclusion.

My body wasn’t completely
recovered yet, but there was a place I had to go.

The auction house.

To pass the exam given by Lord
Armadi, I needed to procure a few items from there!

I really don’t want to wear
Lucy’s old clothes!

Please support the series on
NovelUpdates

Read Here
for premium chapters