chapter_0214

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
214

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
214

When I was originally in
school, vacations always seemed short.

A few days before school
resumed, I would always find myself screaming; Already?!

But not this time. Now, I was
shivering at the thought that my vacation wasn’t over yet.

When will I finally be able to
increase my stats on my own? Haven’t I rested enough?

I know that Armadi gave me
this reward as a gesture of pity, as if to say I should take a break
after all my hard work.

But I already took those
breaks back when I was a frail Mesugaki.

Now, I am healthy enough to
undergo training on par with the Allen Family knights, yet this
automatic growth was still ongoing.

Day after day, I had to endure
meaningless training!

Shouldn’t I just rest?

Yeah. That’s the logical thing
to do.

But think about it! In this
damned fantasy world, how many things are there for a jobless person
to do?!

In a world without smartphones
or PCs, what is there to do?!

Resting is fine for a day or
two, but after a month or two, it becomes unbearable!

That’s why I decided to head
back to the Academy a few days before the new semester started.

At least there, I’d have more
to do than at the mansion. Maybe I could even take on some small
quests.

“Miss, are you really
leaving?”

Erin, who had been by my side
attending to me throughout the vacation, politely asked me not to go,
but I wasn’t an oblivious boss.

I knew how annoying it was to
have someone sticking with you all day long.

So I thanked her for her hard
work and headed to the Academy with Karl.

Despite the lengthy vacation,
the streets of the Academy looked no different from before.

Of course, it made sense.
Unless the Academy had collapsed, there was no reason for the
streets, maintained for decades, to undergo a drastic change.

My thoughts changed the moment
I visited the back alleys, wondering if Alsatine had returned.

“Hello, customer!”

“Good day!”

In the past, Alsatine’s
informant hideout was a place where riffraff gathered.

It was the kind of place
normal people would find too scary and dirty to approach.

But not anymore. The people
who used to act like thugs were all showing respect.

…Am I seeing hallucinations
right now? Is someone showing me an illusion?

Is this a dream? No, that
can’t be. I haven’t dreamed in months due to training with Grandpa,
so it can’t be a dream.

As I was frozen in shock at
the scenery that looked as if someone had used a Hypnosis App, a
person descended from above.

“Employer. It’s been a
while.”

“It’s been a while, Lady
Allen.”

Karia’s confident expression
and Alsatine’s awkward demeanour made it clear who was in charge of
the situation.

It seemed that the Master, who
had been missing for ten years, didn’t like what her disciple had
been doing.

“How does it look? Pretty
decent, right?”

Reading my confusion, Karia
spoke as she descended the stairs.

“I realised there were
things I hadn’t taught my disciple while watching the mess he made,
so I decided to educate him. Notice any changes?”

It’s more than a little
change. There’s no way the bald guy who used to lick his dagger
could suddenly be standing in a disciplined salute. The discrepancy
is unreal!

“Considering you might want
a detailed explanation… Hmm, yes. Have you ever visited a base of
the Newman Family?”

‘Yes.’

“Yes Old Spinster Lady.”

“Everything seemed normal
there, right?”

Come to think of it, yes. The
bases of the Newman Family were all just like any other ordinary
shop.

The service wasn’t great,
suggesting they didn’t want too many visitors, but the shops
existed logically.

“Creating a bad atmosphere
to drive people away, like my disciple did, isn’t necessarily bad.
But the problem with this approach is that when something goes wrong,
the local authority will crack down on you.”

Something is going wrong. Like
committing a serious crime and drawing the ire of the authorities.

Even if you have connections
with those in power, you never know when they’ll cut you off. So, if
you’re going to run an information business, it’s better to operate
in a place that seems mundane and low on popularity but just gets
by—Karia explained.

“The best places are so
crowded that you can’t even tell who’s coming and going. But you
can’t create such a place just because you want to, so this kind of
atmosphere is preferable.”

‘I see…’

“Isn’t it actually more
noticeable? If that hot-tempered bald guy stands up straight, people
might whisper that he’s lost his mind.”

“I told you, we’re still in
the teaching phase.”

Ah, so this is a hint on how
to set up the next base.

Thank goodness. It would have
been extremely burdensome if things stayed like this.

“Come on up. Employer, we
have several things to discuss.”

After guiding me to a room and
expertly shooing Karl away, Karia cut off the outside sounds. She
said it wasn’t something for the average person to hear.

“From my investigation
with my disciple this time, the Church of Armadi seems more dangerous
than before.”

Karia continued.

She knew even back when she
worked for the Shadow of the Kingdom that the Church of Armadi wasn’t
a clean place.

However, though there were
fewer good people than bad, the good ones did exist, providing some
balance.

“That’s not the case
anymore. The balance has collapsed.”

It’s true that the Church of
Armadi extends its influence across the Continent, but all the power
still centres around the Holy Land.

And now, there are almost no
people in the Holy Land who genuinely believe in god.

“Why are all the names we
deemed dangerous when we made that list now in high positions?”

Despite the investigation
being relatively recent, Karia sighed, saying she could already see
the conclusion.

“Employer. This isn’t an
urgent matter, right?”

‘Yes, that’s correct.’

“Why, Grandma? Are you
finding it hard to move like you used to because of your age? I
understand; it can’t be helped. You’re getting old and useless.”

“…That’s not it! If I had
my strength, I could have solved this in a month!”

It’s not because of her age.

Saying she needed more time
for a thorough and meticulous investigation because she had lost her
strength, she looked down at the floor, sighed deeply, and then
regained her composure.

“Take this for now.”

What Karia handed me was a
small notebook.

Curious about its contents, I
opened it, but immediately gasped at what was written on the first
page.

Cardinal Kin Krisha

Born as the third son of the
deeply religious Krisha Family…

Frequently uses his influence
to obtain illegal benefits…

In the past, he raped a
daughter of the Feroa Family… (Evidence acquired. It’s true.)

During negotiations, he hints
that he knows about the corruption…

The notebook detailed the
corruption of influential figures within the Church. These weren’t
minor infractions either; if exposed, they could cause significant
turmoil.

The content on the subsequent
pages was similar. Some entries were detailed, while others were
sparse, but all depicted the misconduct of those in power.

“These are notes I made
while working in the past. I wrote down everything I remembered, from
mere rumours to confirmed facts.”

Though Karia wasn’t sure if
the list had grown over time, she was confident it hadn’t diminished.
No sooner had she finished speaking than Grandpa’s voice echoed in
my mind.

‘I don’t know either.’

To be precise, there were
things I did and didn’t know.

Even within the same Church,
there were clearly people who played significant roles in the game
and those who were practically irrelevant.

No matter how involved I was
in the game, I didn’t know details that weren’t described in it.

So, I couldn’t say for certain
whether everything here was true. However, based on what I did know,
most of the entries seemed accurate.

Although I said I didn’t know,
it was a way of suggesting that most of it likely was true. After
all, the one who investigated this was once called the Shadow of the
Kingdom. It’s unlikely there were any loose ends.

While thinking this, I
answered; I don’t know.

In consideration to the impact
on Grandpa.

If I nodded and confirmed
everything, it would all turn into undeniable truths, given my
various oddities that I attributed to the Sloppy God.

As a non-believer, I only saw
the people involved as worthless scum, but it was different for
Grandpa.

He was once part of the Church
and made significant contributions to the spread of the Church of
Armadi in the present day. He also believed God’s word and saved
many.

The shock he would feel was on
a completely different level from mine.

Despite Grandpa recognizing
the many corrupt aspects of the Church, accepting the reality that it
had completely decayed into a cesspool would be difficult for him.

These are things he needs to
come to terms with gradually, piece by piece.

For now, it’s best if he
remains sceptical.

He’ll inevitably learn the
full truth sooner or later.

“Since it’s old information,
don’t trust it completely. Just use it for reference. You know you
can’t show this to anyone else, right?”

‘Who would I show this to
anyway?’

“Don’t worry. Unlike some,
I’m young and don’t enjoy idle gossip.”

“Well, that’s a relief.
Anyway, make do with that for now. Within two years at most, I’ll
bring you updated information.”

Karia spoke without
hesitation, promising to provide accurate information soon.

I couldn’t tell if it was just
bravado or genuine confidence.

Since I didn’t know Karia
well, I couldn’t be sure which it was.

But if her words were the
result of serious consideration, Karia might be the most competent
informant I’ve ever known.

If she had appeared in the
game alive, she’d be considered just as game-breaking a character as
Phoebe.

“Now that I’ve updated you
on the progress, let’s get to the main point.”

Main point? You mean what
we’ve discussed so far wasn’t the main subject?

I already have a bomb in my
hands; how serious could the main point be if this was just an
aside?!

I felt a sudden reluctance to
hear more, but Karia didn’t stop speaking.

“It’s about you, our
employer. I think it’s important you know this before the second
semester starts.”

“Me?”

“You pretend not to care
about the opinions of those around you, but in reality, you’re very
concerned.”

She figured out that much? It
seems the [Mesugaki] skill doesn’t hold any power over Karia.

Sigh.
It would be great if everyone were as perceptive as Karia. Then, I
wouldn’t be so misunderstood.

“To prepare you mentally, I
have some bad news.”

‘What is it?’

“Just say it already. You’re
dragging it out like an old spinster.”

“…If it weren’t for the
fact that I owe you a debt, I’d give you a good flick on the head.”

Karia sighed and brushed her
hair back as she continued.

“I’ll get straight to the
point. Our Employer has become someone whom both commoners and nobles
are jealous of. In short, she has a lot more enemies now.”

…What?

What do you mean, Lady Karia?

Why do I have more enemies
just because my reputation improved?!

Hey, Armadi! Are you slacking
off on the job?!

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