Chapter Index

    Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
    145

    Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
    145

    “Lies.”

    Phoebe shook her head at the
    words of the Apostle of the Evil God.

    ‘There’s no reason to
    believe a word he says. He’s trying to deceive me with that silver
    tongue of his, to lure me in and devour me. Like a true servant of
    the Evil God, he’s playing dirty and cheap tricks.’

    Though Phoebe glared at him,
    the Apostle of the Evil God remained unflustered. He merely kept a
    smouldering smile on his face.

    “Why do you pretend not
    to know?”

    ‘There’s no point in
    listening to him any longer. I should call the church members and the
    teachers patrolling the area to remove…’

    “Is that so? You don’t
    remember?”

    The Apostle of the Evil God
    suddenly darted towards Phoebe, reaching out his hand.

    He moved so fast that Phoebe
    couldn’t react in time, and she had to submit her head to his touch.

    The moment his hand touched
    her forehead, his power flowed into her.

    “Now, you should
    remember.”

    Phoebe couldn’t withstand the
    headache crashing into her like a wave, and she collapsed to the
    ground.

    The wave was composed of her
    memories.

    Memories buried deep in the
    vast sea of forgetfulness but recently returned to Phoebe with the
    wave.

    They began with the face of
    the smiling Orphanage Director.

    “These new children have
    such high potential. The amount of divine power in their bodies is
    growing steadily. I am pleased.”

    Though she smiled warmly, her
    eyes were entirely different from what Phoebe remembered.

    The Orphanage Director looked
    at Phoebe and her friends as if appraising merchandise. The people
    talking next to her were similar. Not one of them saw the children as
    beings to be raised and cared for.

    ‘Huh? That’s strange. Didn’t
    the Orphanage Director definitely say with a smile that this was a
    place where we should be together?’

    Despite Phoebe’s doubts, the
    wave of memories continued.

    Next, it was a room in the
    basement.

    Beyond the candlelight
    illuminating the dark room, the Orphanage Director and a Man with
    Glasses were talking.

    “Remember. This child has
    the highest potential among the current group. Handle her carefully.”

    “Don’t worry. You know
    my skills.”

    “Still, be cautious. This
    time, we must produce something that will please the higher-ups on
    our side. Damn it. Do you know how infuriated I was last time when
    Kiple laughed?”

    “My career is also on the
    line here. I will do my best.”

    As the conversation between
    the two ended, the Man with Glasses injected something into Phoebe.

    And soon after, a scream
    escaped her lips.

    It hurt too much. She felt
    like she would die. She begged them to save her.

    Phoebe screamed endlessly, but
    the two didn’t even flinch.

    The Orphanage Director, with
    an expressionless face, just said to Phoebe,

    “Pray. Then Armadi will
    save you. Pray until Armadi takes away your pain.”

    It was a nonsensical thing to
    say, but young Phoebe didn’t have time to care.

    She prayed and prayed until
    she fainted.

    ‘What is this?’

    Numerous other memories
    flashed through her mind.

    Someone being dragged away for
    not memorising the scriptures.

    Shabby meals carried out
    without a single word exchanged.

    The atmosphere in the
    orphanage felt like walking on thin ice. Friends disappearing day by
    day.

    “Lies.”

    “Do you want to believe
    it’s a lie?”

    “There’s no way this
    could be real.”

    “Oh, you know the answer
    to that better than I do, don’t you?”

    He was right. The Apostle of
    the Evil God was correct. More than anyone, Phoebe could answer her
    own question.

    She realised that, right now,
    her memories of what she once considered the most precious place were
    unusually vague.

    Conversely, the memories
    flooding her mind now were vividly clear.

    A sense of incongruity.

    The sense of incongruity about
    so many unquestioned facts was forcing Phoebe to acknowledge the
    truth. That’s right.

    ‘Why have I never returned
    to the orphanage where I once stayed?

    Why can’t I remember the faces
    of the friends I had at the orphanage?

    Why can’t I remember the names
    of any of the other clerics at the orphanage except the Orphanage
    Director?

    Why.

    Why.

    Why?’

    Phoebe, unable to withstand
    the flood of memories, eventually collapsed to the ground and
    vomited.

    Her trembling shoulders and
    shaking white hair evoked pity, but the Apostle of the Evil God paid
    no attention to that.

    “Artificial Saint. Are
    you ready to hear the story now?”

    Phoebe couldn’t answer.

    She couldn’t answer.

    Her throat was choked,
    preventing any sound from coming out.

    However, the Apostle of the
    Evil God seemed to take her silence as consent, smiling with
    satisfaction.

    “I will tell you the
    truth.”

    The Apostle of the Evil God
    began to explain the process of how Phoebe came to be and how she had
    been used until now.

    The story that followed
    Phoebe’s life was so precise and detailed that even Phoebe herself
    could not deny it.

    At first, Phoebe denied her
    own memories, but as one recollection after another surfaced, she had
    no choice but to accept them as truth.

    The old memories that rose in
    her mind.

    The countless feelings of
    incongruity that existed between what she had believed to be the
    truth until now.

    The Evil God’s Apostle
    explained her purpose.

    It made her accept it.

    “I believe this answers
    your questions sufficiently.”

    “…”

    “Why can’t you hear the
    voice of God despite being a Saint? It’s obvious. Armadi never chose
    you. Armadi has never even seen you. Your very existence is an insult
    to Armadi, so how could Armadi possibly look upon you?”

    Since Phoebe didn’t lift her
    head, the Apostle of the Evil God grabbed her hair and forcibly
    lifted her up.

    Phoebe’s already fair skin
    turned deathly pale, making her resemble a corpse lying in a coffin.

    “Don’t you want revenge?
    On those who took your childhood and have used you as a convenient
    tool until now? If that’s what you desire.”

    “Light.”

    Without any warning, a flash
    of light burst out, causing the Apostle of the Evil God to stagger
    backward in surprise.

    Freed from the Apostle’s
    grasp, Phoebe quickly fled and looked around.

    ‘Something’s wrong. Such
    chaos in the middle of Academy Street, but there’s no one
    intervening?’

    Only then did Phoebe notice
    the surrounding darkness.

    The sky had turned black. The
    street was eerily silent with no one in sight.

    This was not Academy Street.

    ‘Where am I? How did I end
    up in this place?’

    “Impressive.”

    It was a strange phenomenon.
    Just a moment ago, the voice of the Apostle of the Evil God was
    coming from behind Phoebe, but now it was in front of her.

    Phoebe stopped running, facing
    the towering figure of the man blocking her path.

    “Is your animosity
    towards our God greater than your desire for revenge?”

    Feeling bewildered, Phoebe
    looked around. Hearing the Apostle’s voice, she turned her head.

    “No. It’s not like that.”

    “Hmm?”

    “I have no intention of
    seeking revenge.”

    It was true that Phoebe was
    deeply shocked as the truths she believed in were denied.

    Her mind was still in turmoil,
    tangled with what was real and what was false, tormenting her.

    However, that did not mean she
    had a reason to seek revenge.

    “Armadi would not want
    that.”

    ‘What is wrong should be
    corrected.

    However, personal emotions
    should not come into play.

    Righteousness must be
    established through rightful means to truly be considered righteous.’

    Phoebe had learned this and
    believed it firmly.

    “…Are you serious about
    this?”

    “Yes.”

    Seeing the determination in
    Phoebe’s eyes, the Apostle of the Evil God was convinced of her
    sincerity, and let out a hollow laugh.

    “You’ve never heard
    Armadi’s voice, and you never will, being a fabricated Saint.”

    “Is that it? For that, I
    thank you. For telling me the truth.”

    Phoebe had been worried about
    whether she was fit to be a Saint.

    Could she, who felt jealousy,
    hatred, and doubt towards God, truly be suitable for the title of
    Saint?

    To that question, the Apostle
    of the Evil God had provided an answer. Phoebe was not a Saint.

    Although she bore the title of
    Saint bestowed upon her by human hands, in the eyes of the divine,
    she was just another believer, no different from the rest.

    For anyone else, such a
    revelation would be shocking, but Phoebe was different.

    Having faced countless moments
    of inner turmoil and acknowledged her own imperfections, the
    realisation that she was not a genuine Saint was not a deprivation of
    her title.

    Instead, it was an exoneration
    for her own conscience.

    It was natural that Phoebe,
    being merely human, did not fit the role of a Saint. Hence, it was
    only natural she had many shortcomings.

    So, that meant…

    “The reason Armadi does not
    look upon me is because I am lacking, isn’t it?”

    The solution was simple.

    Starting now, she just had to
    strive step by step to become someone worthy of Armadi’s attention.

    Just like Lucy, Armadi’s
    Apostle, she needed to become a person Armadi couldn’t help but
    love.

    The Apostle of the Evil God
    looked at Phoebe’s face blankly and let out a scoff.

    “You’re completely mad.
    After being brainwashed for so long, pretending to be a Saint, you’ve
    come to believe it yourself?”

    “Perhaps so.”

    “As a believer, that’s the
    best answer you could give.”

    When the Apostle of the Evil
    God took a step towards Phoebe, the considerable distance between
    them closed in an instant.

    Standing in front of her, he
    looked down at Phoebe and let several spheres float around him.

    “It’s a far cry from the
    answer I wanted.”

    Phoebe realised what his words
    implied.

    If you don’t want to suffer,
    change your answer.

    It was a clear and dull
    threat.

    ‘Did he really think I would
    give him the response he wanted?’

    Seeing the sly look in the
    Apostle of the Evil God’s eyes, Phoebe felt an intense irritation.
    Then, for a moment, she wondered why she felt this way. Remembering
    she wasn’t a Saint, she shook her head.

    After all, she wasn’t a Saint,
    so why would it matter if she didn’t act like one?

    ‘How can I make this person
    angry?

    What could I say to shake this
    person’s confidence and emotions?

    What can I say to land a blow?

    Oh. Now that I think about it,
    I have the perfect guide.

    The method taught to me by
    Armadi’s Apostle.’

    “Isn’t it because you’re
    a sloppy Apostle of the Evil God?”

    Thinking of what Lucy,
    Armadi’s Apostle, might say, Phoebe moved her lips, and the relaxed
    expression on the Apostle of the Evil God’s face instantly hardened.

    “…You damn woman.”

    “Pfft. That was the
    perfect response, Sloppy Saint!”

    Just as the Apostle of the
    Evil God gritted his teeth, another voice rang out from above.

    A voice so clear it seemed to
    pierce the ears.

    Turning her head at the sound
    of a person in heavy armour landing, Phoebe was met with a dependable
    yet annoyingly smug smile and responded with a smile of her own.

    “Hello ♡ Show-off ♡
    Still think you’re cool, huh? ♡ When are you going to grow out of
    your teenage phase? ♡ So pathetic ♡ So sloppy ♡”

    Please support the series on
    NovelUpdates

    Read Here
    for premium chapters

    0 Comments

    Heads up! Your comment will be invisible to other guests and subscribers (except for replies), including you after a grace period.
    Note
    // Script to navigate with arrow keys