chapter_0147

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
147

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
147

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

“…You damn woman.”

‘Hehe, hahahaha.’

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

Ah, until I came in here, I
was really nervous, but hearing what Phoebe said has completely
erased that feeling.

Phoebe of all people said he’s
a sloppy Apostle of the Evil God? That’s not something a Saint should
say, Phoebe.

I eased the impact of the
landing from my body and raised my shield. The two people looking at
me had contrasting expressions.

Phoebe’s eyes were slowly
lifting as if looking at a saviour, while Nacrad’s gaze was
gradually distorting.

Just in case Phoebe gets
targeted if I act too relaxed, maybe I should provoke him first.

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

Hearing my mocking laughter,
Nacrad’s gaze filled with anger. Seeing him like that brought back
old memories, engraving tension in my heart.

If the [Mesugaki] skill
weren’t directing my actions, my wavering heart might have been
exposed.

It’s fine. There’s no
problem. After all, I’m not the one who has to deal with him.

“It’s been a long time
since I’ve had a physical body.”

As I turned towards the voice
coming from beside me, there stood an old man with hair that had
turned completely white.

The wrinkles on his face
showed the long years he had lived, but his body told a different
story.

Despite his age, his robust
physique was reminiscent of Benedict, indicating just how monstrous
this old man was.

Clad in immaculate white
armour, the old man created a robust shield with divine magic on his
left arm and turned his gaze toward me.

“So, this is the first time
we’re meeting face to face, little girl.”

Ruel. The soul that resided in
my mace and a great Paladin who once saved the world.

I never noticed while he was
nagging from inside the mace, but Grandpa really is a monster? Just
looking at him is intimidating.

I get why that perverted Fox
was so confident now.

Before entering Phoebe’s
mental world, the Fox had said this:

“In the mental world, the
physical body means nothing. What matters is the soul.

Do you understand? The entity
within your mace is connected to your soul. If you enter the mental
world, that guy will naturally follow you.”

Grandpa stroked his moustache
and smiled, extending his hand toward me.

“Well, how great is this old
man? Do I inspire confidence?”

‘Of course!’

“Seems like you wanted that
answer, huh? Silly Grandpa…but what to do? I really don’t want to
say that.”

“Hmph. Hearing those
words coming out directly is quite annoying.”

Even though he knew the
background, I handed the mace to Grandpa, who grumbled. He grasped it
with his enormous hand, which was about three times the size of mine.

The mace naturally grew in
size to match Grandpa’s hand. He casually swung it around, even
though it was now the size of my head, as if it were just a wooden
stick.

“It’s been a while since
I’ve fought directly. I’m not sure how it’ll go.”

‘Grandpa?’

“What is it? Sloppy
Grandpa. After all that big talk, you’re not confident? You really
are a washed-up old man, huh?”

“…Little girl. I’m
sorry, but could you keep your mouth shut for a moment? I feel like I
might accidentally attack you.”

A Legendary Paladin can’t even
handle this much? Come on, Grandpa. Show that this is nothing to you.

“You.”

“Oh, my apologies. It’s
been a while since I’ve had a physical body, so I got a bit too
excited. Nice to meet you, Apostle of the Evil God. My name is Ruel,
a member of the Hero Party that sealed the Evil God.

From your perspective, as a
follower of the Evil God, I must be someone you despise.”

As Grandpa stepped forward,
Nacrad retreated a step. His eyes wavered, unsure of where to look.

He was clearly flustered.

By my standards, Nacrad was
strong, but if you consider the whole continent, he still had a long
way to go.

Unless the Evil God fully
resurrected, he won’t be nearly strong enough. Just seeing him being
pushed around by Karl, a mere knight of the Allen Family, shows his
limits.

But Grandpa is a monster who
could guarantee victory even if Nacrad gained full power from the
Evil God’s resurrection.

The title of the Paladin of
the Hero Party isn’t just for show.

“Lies.”

“Do you think it’s a lie?
It doesn’t matter. Saying it’s a lie won’t make me disappear.”

“Don’t try to intimidate
me with your bluffing!”

Nacrad hurled the black
spheres that floated around him. Each one had enough power to
incapacitate me.

Still, Grandpa didn’t flinch.
Instead, he leisurely moved his arm to swing the mace.

Grandpa’s movements as he
wielded the mace were awe-inspiring to me.

If it were in the past when I
had never held a weapon, I wouldn’t know. But now, as someone who
practises swinging the mace every day, I can’t help but recognize how
amazing Grandpa’s technique is.

His grip. The distribution of
power when swinging. The movement of divine power. To burst it right
at the end.

Seeing that, I was certain of
one thing: that was the perfected form. That was the most efficient
and powerful way to wield the mace.

“Do you still think it’s
a bluff?”

Seeing Nacrad with his lips
tightly shut, Grandpa took a step forward and said, “In a way,
this could be considered a good thing. I always felt frustrated just
giving advice with words, but now I can show the Little Girl how to
fight directly.”

“Watch and learn.”
The moment Grandpa finished speaking, he charged forward.

Since the day Ruel woke up, he
had always been by Lucy’s side.

When she was training.

When she was sparring with the
other knights.

When she would bury her head
in the desk while reading a book.

When she was flustered due to
speaking harshly because of Armadi’s Blessing.

Even when she grumbled, saying
his nagging was too much.

When she was hurt inside for
being shunned by those around her.

Naturally, he was always
there, even in the moments when she rose from the brink of death.

Initially, when Ruel had woken
up, he thought that if helping this little girl was the will of the
gods, then so be it.

But now it’s different. After
spending a long time with Lucy and learning how upright and good of a
person she is, Ruel regarded her as his own granddaughter.

And now, in front of him was
that damn scoundrel who had once tried to kill his granddaughter.

There was no reason to show
any mercy. It didn’t exist anywhere.

“Where do you think
you’re going?”

As soon as Nacrad tried to
hide in the shadows, Ruel stomped on the shadow with his foot.

He was the one who had sealed
the Evil God with his own hands in the past.

Naturally, he also had
experience dealing with the Evil God of darkness. He knew exactly how
to counter him.

Seizing the fleeing figure, he
kicked Nacrad far away.

“It’s not over. Stand
up.”

“Damn… it!”

‘Already trying to collapse?

When Lucy was tormented by
you, she endured much greater pain and rose again. She stood in your
way. She grabbed you by the ankle.

Those who bully others should
be prepared to face the consequences of their actions. Was your
resolve as an Apostle of the Evil God only this much?’

“I still have much to
show Lucy, you teaching aid.”

“Die!”

With a shout, shadows spread
across the floor, and dark magical spikes began to emerge from them.

However, as soon as Ruel
infused divine energy* into his foot and stomped, the spikes were
crushed before they could form.

“Divine energy is not
just a resource for divine magic. Its applications can lead to
infinite possibilities.”

‘Although this might be a
difficult concept for Lucy, who is just beginning her path as a
Paladin, one day she will reach this level.

I am by your side. So, observe
and remember this well.’

“Die!”

Even though his attack had
been crushed, Nacrad didn’t give up. He charged at Ruel, attempting a
close combat assault.

The combination of dark
magical power and his exceptional combat skills was indeed
threatening, but it was powerless before Ruel.

Ruel blocked all of Nacrad’s
attacks with his shield and steadily accumulated damage with his mace
whenever he found an opening.

‘Look at this, Lucy. This is
how one fights with a shield. It’s about moving selfishly and
cunningly to drive your opponent to lose their rationality. That is
the duty of one who wields a shield.

This is exactly what I meant
when I told you to fight like a crocodile.’

Nacrad, gradually battered by
Ruel’s attacks that emerged only when favourable, soon found himself
rolling on the ground again.

He managed to rise to his
feet, but his legs were trembling.

While there hadn’t been any
single fatal blow, each strike from Ruel’s mace, imbued with lethal
intent, had accumulated damage, crushing flesh and breaking bones,
resulting in substantial harm.

“It’s not over yet.”

Ruel tightened his grip on the
mace and moved his feet while watching Nacrad.

‘It’s not over yet.

Lucy endured much longer than
this. So, you must endure even more than this.’

“Don’t come near! I said,
don’t come near!”

This time, Nacrad summoned
numerous creatures from within his shadow.

These beings made of darkness
were saturated with ominous magical energy. In other words, they were
extremely frail in the face of divine energy.

Ruel looked around at the
gathering horde surrounding him, then lifted his mace high.

“Look closely, young one.
This is the pinnacle that you will reach one day.”

With that, divine energy began
to gather atop Ruel’s raised mace.

In the past, when the world
was engulfed in darkness, the divine energy wielded by a Paladin who
stood at the forefront and drove away the darkness was as powerful as
the sun.

The black shadows that had
stained the sky retreated, and the swarm that surrounded him once
again hid within the shadows.

Faced with this overwhelming
display, the Apostle of the Evil God could do nothing but scream.

When all this was over, Ruel,
bathed in the light descending from the sky, walked slowly towards
the collapsed Nacrad.

Terrified, Nacrad crawled
along the ground, trying to escape as far as possible, but he
couldn’t escape Ruel’s steps.

Standing before Nacrad, Ruel
raised his mace high.

“I will avenge this
humiliation against you, Apostle of Armadi!”

“Do so. When that time
comes, you will kneel before the young one.”

The mace came crashing down
with the force of gravity.

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