chapter_0049

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
49

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
49

Saint Phoebe of the Church of
Armadi had heard many stories about a person named Lucy Allen.

It was inevitable, given that
Lucy Allen was an extremely famous individual at the Church of
Armadi.

Though, not for good reasons.

She denied the existence of
God in the church.

She damaged church property.

She threw eggs at sacred
statues.

She verbally and physically
assaulted priests.

She disrupted worship services
by showing up in the middle of them.

The stories that came from the
members of the Allen Territory’s church were all shocking.

Phoebe, hearing these stories,
thought she wanted to meet this person named Lucy at least once.

Because she wondered what kind
of wounds she might be carrying to scream out like that.

Phoebe believed that there was
no one born evil in the world.

She thought that various
experiences as one grows could make a person turn evil, and that if
they received appropriate help, they could return to their inherently
good nature.

Having saved numerous people
throughout her life, Phoebe never doubted her beliefs even for a
second.

She hoped that someday she
could meet and listen to this person and help her find the right
path.

However, she couldn’t realise
that hope.

As the saint of the Church of
Armadi, she didn’t have the freedom to act on her own wishes.

Later on, Phoebe heard Lucy’s
name again when news came to the holy land that she had exorcised
Agra’s Curse.

‘Lucy Allen discovered a
hidden location within Evans’ dungeon following Armadi’s guidance.’

‘That place was where
Paladin Ruel’s Mace was hidden.’

‘Lucy Allen, having overcome
the trials, obtained Ruel’s Mace and a miracle-infused potion.’

‘Following the guidance, she
found someone dying from Agra’s Curse in Evans and used the potion
to perform an exorcism.’

The report sent from the Allen
Church was filled with things that could only be explained as
miracles.

If it had come from just
anyone, it might have been dismissed as nonsense. However, the author
of this report was none other than Bishop Johan.

He was the person closest to
becoming the next Pope, a man so diligent and rigorous in
distinguishing between public and private affairs that he appeared to
live exclusively for the church.

Since he would never report
unverified information, it was clear that everything written in the
report was true.

Bishop Johan’s report
brought great turmoil to the holy land.

How could the impious Lady
Allen have been guided by Armadi?

Is it acceptable to entrust
Ruel’s Mace to that ruffian?

Ruel’s Mace, which had
completely disappeared, suddenly re-emerging; could it be Johan’s
mistake?

Many voiced their opinions,
and most of those voices were far from positive.

This story, which stirred up
the usually peaceful holy land, soon came to an end.

The current Pope of the Church
of Armadi silenced all controversy with a single remark:

“Could we possibly doubt
Armadi’s will to embrace a prodigal daughter?”

Phoebe shared the Pope’s
sentiment.

She believed that the merciful
Armadi would never act without meaning.

Hence, as his followers, the
right thing to do was to trust Armadi’s will and leave it be.

Two months later, Phoebe
entered Soul Academy to take the entrance exam for the Academy and
once again heard Lucy’s name.

This time, it was not for a
good or bad reason.

It was due to an unfortunate
incident that occurred at Soul Academy.

At the time of the incident,
Phoebe was in the middle of a dungeon test and was unaware of the
outside situation.

She only learned something
unfortunate had happened after she finished the exam and stepped
outside.

As soon as Phoebe emerged from
the dungeon, a priest who assisted her approached and began to
explain the accident that had occurred during the Academy’s entrance
exam.

“Agra intervened in the
Academy’s dungeon.”

“Joy Partan, Lucy Allen,
and Jacob Riz were caught up in it…”

‘Joy?!’

Upon hearing that her friend
was hurt, Phoebe hurried to the church to check on Joy’s condition.

Fortunately, Joy was in a deep
sleep and had hardly any external injuries.

Although Phoebe, being a
clergy member herself, knew not to worry too much about Joy, she
couldn’t bring herself to leave her friend’s side.

She was terrified that
something might go wrong with one of her few close friends.

Time passed, and by evening,
Joy finally woke up. Phoebe hugged her tightly.

Upon waking, Joy asked Phoebe
numerous questions.

How she had been rescued, what
happened to the others who had entered with her, and so on.

After Phoebe answered all her
questions to the best of her knowledge, Joy sighed in relief.

“I’m so glad everyone is
safe.”

“Indeed.”

Phoebe didn’t ask Joy about
what had happened inside the dungeon.

She knew that such questions
might bring back painful memories for Joy.

Instead, Phoebe asked Joy
about everyday things.

Things like what had recently
made her happy, stories about her family, and tales about friends.
Joy noticed Phoebe’s intention but went along with her.

In her stories, Lucy’s name
frequently popped up.

“Can you believe she
entered Tierra Mas because of me and called me ‘Airhead Lady’?!

Everything she says gets on my
nerves. The more I talk to her, the more it infuriates me!

But despite that, she’s so
talented. She’s completely changed over the past few months.”

Joy complained that she
disliked Lucy, found her annoying, and that she was irritating, but
Phoebe could tell that wasn’t entirely true.

“Do you like Lady Allen?”

“Of course not!”

“Joy.”

When Phoebe gently called her
name, Joy, who had been struggling with her words, paused before
speaking with a sigh.

“…Honestly, if it
weren’t for Lady Allen, I wouldn’t be here. She’s practically
my life saviour.”

With that, Joy started to pour
her heart out, and Phoebe quietly listened.

Joy talked about the dungeon
she thought she had conquered, only to find a new dungeon.

About falling through the
collapsed floor and being forced inside.

About encountering an
unbeatable monster and barely escaping with her life.

And. And also…

Phoebe held Joy’s hand
silently when she couldn’t continue.

She stayed by Joy’s side
until she had calmed down, trembling as the fear from that time
resurfaced.

The next day, while Phoebe was
discussing with the bishop at the Church in Soul Academy, Lucy’s
name came up once again.

“Lady Allen wants to
receive baptism.”

Upon hearing this from the
priest, Phoebe immediately offered to personally oversee Lucy Allen’s
baptism.

The bishop, aware of the bad
rumours surrounding Lucy, fervently tried to dissuade Phoebe, fearing
that Lucy might harm the saint, but Phoebe remained resolute.

She was curious about Lucy as
an individual, and at the same time, wanted to express her gratitude
to her for saving his friend.

In the end, Phoebe succeeded
in getting her way.

When she first met Lucy Allen
face-to-face, she found the girl to be incredibly adorable.

With vibrant pink hair and
lively eyes like the fruits of spring, she did not at all seem like
someone burdened by harsh rumours.

“Nice to meet you, Sloppy
Saint.”

However, upon hearing what
Lucy called her, Phoebe realised there was a reason for those
rumours.

‘Sloppy Saint,’ indeed.

Phoebe, who was only used to
dealing with people who found it difficult to approach her, was
shocked to hear herself being called ‘sloppy.’

But she did not show it on the
outside.

According to Joy, Lady Allen
had a sharp tongue but a kind heart.

So, perhaps it was not out of
malice that she said it…

“That’s not true,
Sloppy Saint.”

“What’s the difference
between a Sloppy Saint and a Sloppy Priest?”

“So, how will the baptism
proceed, Sloppy Saint?”

As Phoebe continued to hear
herself being addressed as ‘Sloppy Saint,’ she felt as though her
lips were starting to stiffen.

It was a strange feeling.

Despite the numerous
challenges Phoebe had faced, she had never once thought about getting
angry at someone.

As a human, she had moments of
feeling hurt or annoyed, but she had never expressed those emotions
outwardly.

Yet, for some reason,
everything Lucy said seemed to poke at some part of Phoebe’s heart.

“Sloppy Saint?”

“Ah, yes. Lady Allen,
please just do as I ask.”

“Hmm. Alright.”

There was nothing strange in
Lucy’s response, if you only listened to her words.

But the gesture of covering
her mouth.

The look in her eyes, as if
doubting, “Can you really do this?”

The eyebrows that clearly
underestimated her.

All of it kept poking at
Phoebe’s heart.

Determined to keep her smile,
Phoebe resolved to finish the baptism as quickly as possible and
leave.

Because she felt something was
off about herself today.

“We will begin now.”

With those words, Phoebe
clasped her hands together and silently recited a prayer.

“Oh Armadi. Here is a lamb
who seeks to come under your protection.”

Then, a divine light enveloped
Lucy.

“Please remain still, Lady
Allen.”

The baptism of the Church of
Armadi begins by standing under divine power.

Then, under this power, one
confesses their past sins before God.

They vow to live a righteous
life according to God’s will.

And finally, they accept the
divine power that surrounds them to complete the ritual.

Having performed this baptism
countless times, Phoebe thought this instance would be no different.

But it was different.

The energy surrounding Lucy
was unlike the usual divine power Phoebe used for baptisms.

It was so intensely divine
that it seemed to blur its surroundings.

It looked as though Armadi
himself was bestowing a miracle upon Lucy.

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