chapter_0145
by fnovelpiaMesugaki 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 ♡”
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