Ch. 226 A Violently Trembling Sugar
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 226: A Violently Trembling Sugar
“Even if you return to the cult, they won’t do anything to you. In fact, you’ll be given a more important role than ever. Trust me—the Saintess.”
‘Trust her? We barely even know each other…’
B-13—no, Vivi—let out a sigh as she stood at the desolate entrance of the village.
A place only reachable by passing through a special barrier and following the correct path. The village of those who had worshipped a greedy god for ages.
She had expected to be imprisoned the moment she arrived. Bound head to toe, locked away, and then—snip—when the time came. That’s what she thought would happen.
‘Who would trust her…? Her naming sense is awful… her temper’s vicious… that lunatic Saintess…’
And yet, Sugar’s words carried a strange power that compelled obedience.
When she followed her instructions—pretending to fight, acting her part, and returning to the cult—she wasn’t treated as expected.
Instead, they welcomed her with excessive excitement. “We’ve been waiting for you,” “Come down immediately,” “We’re so glad to see you.” Even the crow perched on her head personally guided her, chirping, “There’s urgent work to be done.”
And so, she descended underground.
With each step down the stairs, she recalled fragments of that strange, otherworldly incident.
“They never do it themselves. The things they hate, the things that are hard—they always push it onto someone else.”
“Your name. From now on, I’ll call you Vivi. ‘B-13 is too long and stiff.”
“Don’t you… want to live?”
“…”
Most of her memories were of conversations with the Saintess. She had known of her existence, had watched her from afar, but this was the first time they had truly faced each other—acknowledging one another’s presence.
She was more radical than expected. Stronger than expected. And—
‘…Really strange.’
She didn’t know how to describe it.
Something felt off in her chest.
Like wrapping herself in a blanket after standing in freezing night wind. Like tasting a warm bowl of stew after starving for days.
She remembered the bizarre journey with the now-departed deaf apostle. Had she felt this way back then too?
‘…Cozy?’
Yes, if she had to put it into words, that was it.
Was it appropriate to use such a term for someone who had held a blade to her throat? Yet, it was cozy. An inexplicable comfort.
‘I’m an apostle, and she’s the Saintess. Is this some instinctive sense of security?’
But the other apostles didn’t seem to feel the same.
No one knew. No one could tell her.
With just a faint hope of seeing her again, she followed Claude’s guidance.
After passing through several doors and walking deep inside, they finally reached the inner sanctum—
“Huh…?”
At that moment, Vivi froze.
Goosebumps erupted across her skin.
A presence so overwhelming she wanted to turn and flee immediately.
Black, seething malice surged from within. Screams erupted from all directions.
“Please, calm yourself!”
“AAAAAH!!”
“Ah! You’ve finally returned! Quickly, the barrier—!!”
A scene of utter chaos, like hell itself.
Vivi blinked, taking in the sight.
Pale-faced devotees struggled to contain the spreading aura of the Evil God. Even Ethel, who had descended earlier, was using her main body to suppress it.
But how could mere humans oppose a god?
The problem lay in the inner sanctum—a massive hole where the Evil God’s fragment resided.
Kuuoooooh—
The air itself wailed. A sound so piercing it felt like her eardrums would tear.
The emotion radiating from it was brutally simple:
Hatred.
Hatred.
Hatred.
The seed Sugar had planted in the Evil God.
Oooooooh—
Unable to contain its rage, the fragment thrashed, and with even the slightest movement, devotees were flung aside like insects, consumed by its energy.
Amid this carnage, the crow perched on Vivi’s shoulder gave her a troubled look.
Right now, she was the only one who could suppress this.
[B-13.]
“…”
“As you can see, something’s happened. It seems the Saintess has done something. The Descent Plan is temporarily suspended. For now, focus solely on containing that. Your daily life will also be here.”
Claude, uncharacteristically attentive, added that meals and necessities would be provided—
“Aah… Ah…”
Vivi groaned.
For some reason, she could almost hear a voice in her ear.
‘Hey~ Vivi~ Do your best~’
“AAAAAH—!!!”
This was definitely overwork.
Screaming internally, the girl made one firm resolution:
The next time she saw the Saintess, she would bury her horned head straight into that cozy stomach of hers.
***************
Meanwhile, a tearful reunion took place among the Mirror Rabbits.
The fluffy white creatures sniffled and bumped into each other, overcome with emotion.
“Sniff… I’m so glad. Don’t ever leave again, you dummy. Stay with your family forever.”
After exchanging farewells, Sugar turned to leave—only for the rabbit to hop after her, its little feet pattering against the ground.
“It wants to go with you…”
“Really? You’re okay with leaving your family?”
At Harnielle’s explanation, Sugar scooped the rabbit into her hands and rubbed her cheek against its soft fur. It seemed she’d grown fond of it too. Well, she did need to clear her name for the boys’ dormitory break-in, so bringing it along might be for the best.
“Ah, poor rabbit… corrupted by the outside world… tainted…”
“That’s a weird way to put it, Harnielle. And why are you standing so far away?”
“Shouldn’t you know better than anyone…?”
Harnielle, his horn drooping, kept his distance as he answered.
For some reason, that irritated her enough to make a vein bulge on Sugar’s forehead. But then he pulled something from his pocket.
He cautiously approached, slipped the object into her hand, and immediately backed away.
“What’s this?”
“Keep it on you… It’s the Spirit of the White Tree’s amber… Its sacred energy will mask the overflowing malice in you…”
An amber from a tree that had lived since before the age of saints—over two thousand years ago. Clear and colorless, like glass, yet radiating an odd energy. Just hearing about it made it sound priceless.
“Why are you giving this to me…?”
“Repayment…”
“Repayment? For bringing back the rabbit?”
“Yes… You saved a creature of the forest… So the forest owes you a debt…”
“…Wow. Seriously. I never expected this.”
Sugar blinked, then immediately bowed her head.
That unicorn might be a master at pissing people off, but his words weren’t entirely bad.
“Thank you. I’ll… treasure it.”
She meant it.
After receiving the Evil God’s blessing, even when she didn’t actively use its power, the miasma leaking from her was impossible to hide. The thought of being stopped for inspections everywhere had been daunting—so this was a genuine relief.
“If you’re grateful, then have lots of daughters…”
“…”
Way to ruin the moment.
Sugar was about to snap at him, but then she glanced at Riley and quickly turned away, her face burning red.
Not even denying it now… A faint smile finally broke through Harnielle’s sullen expression. Was he that happy?
Either way, with their business in the White Forest concluded, Sugar and Riley headed straight back to the Holy City. The distance was considerable, so they sent a letter ahead to request an escort.
The moment they returned, they were scolded.
“You two! What in the world were you doing all this time!? Vanishing without a word—do you have any idea how much chaos you caused!? The school and I were turned upside down!”
“Ian… Hehe…”
Sugar immediately dove into her chest. Even in male disguise, the firmness was comforting—but more than anything, the familiar scent was nice.
“Why are you covered in injuries!? Riley, you too! Ahh… All of you…! Always causing trouble…”
Despite her grumbling, Ian hugged her tightly. The embrace was laced with worry and relief—natural for someone who saw Sugar as a little sister.
“Mmm… But nothing’s seriously hurt. Probably…”
“Probably?”
“Ah! Right! There’s so much to tell! Things got crazy—we need to report to the Holy City too…”
She trailed off, clasping her hands and widening her eyes—the same puppy-dog look she used on Riley.
Ian sighed but patted Sugar’s head.
“Should I call my sister and the Guardians?”
“Call everyone.”
“That’s… Wait. Gathering them all right now isn’t feasible. We’d need to schedule—”
“Doesn’t matter. Please.”
“…Fine.”
After the reunion hug, Sugar stepped back and glanced around.
“By the way, Ian, where’s Leon? You’d think he’d show up after his friend went missing and came back.”
She muttered about him being totally absent, then suddenly shivered.
“Who knows.”
“…Ian?”
That eerie feeling she’d occasionally gotten around Ian lately—like a hunter eyeing prey. The aura of someone starving.
“Where he is, what he’s doing… Not my concern.”
The resentful glare was oddly familiar.
Sugar instinctively backed away. Each cold word from Ian made her tremble uncontrollably, so she huddled close to Riley, shaking like a leaf.
Ian sighed. “I’ll take my leave. Rest well.” Then she walked off.
I didn’t even shake this much talking to the Evil God’s envoy.
“Did they fight while we were gone…?”
“Seems like it.”
“Ian’s eyes were terrifying…”
Then Riley stared down at Sugar.
“Huh? What?”
“Nothing. Just thinking.”
He brushed it off. No need to mention how Ian’s glare had mirrored Sugar’s own frustrated tantrums.
Clueless, Sugar just slumped against Riley.
“Well… Let’s rest for the remaining break… Ugh. If we’d gone to the beach, school would’ve started right after…”
“Nope.”
“Huh? So we’ve got more time? Then I’ll catch up on missed assignments—”
“School starts in three days.”
“Ahh, if it’s three days, then…”
…
What?
“Wait. School starts in three days? Did I hear that wrong?”
“You heard right.”
“…Huh?”
“I checked the date after we got back. Time moved faster while we were in that space.”
“…”
Sugar’s body began trembling like never before.
LegoMyEggo
0 Comments