chapter_0183
by adminMesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
183
Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
183
Karl sat in the chair, staring
blankly at the sword Lucy had given him.
The sword, which had cracked
from deflecting Karia’s dagger.
In this moment, all that
occupied Karl’s mind was a sense of helplessness.
‘I thought I was strong
enough on my own.
I believed I could fend off
any threat that came Miss’s way.
But what was I doing at the
very moment Miss’s life was at risk?
I couldn’t even keep up with
my opponent’s movements.
I didn’t see the path of the
dagger, or even the hand holding it.
Without the Brooch of
Protection.
Without the other entity
guarding Miss.
Without God’s protection.
I would have had to witness
Miss collapsing before my very eyes.
I am weak.
So very weak.’
Just then, as the table
cracked under the pressure of his clenched fists, there was the sound
of the door opening.
Karl, who quickly stood up,
almost charged at the Cleric who stepped outside.
“How is she?!”
“She’s fine. She’s just
exhausted and has fallen asleep. She’ll be up soon.”
Hearing the Cleric’s assured
words, Karl collapsed to the floor as if his strength had left him.
‘Thank goodness.
Really, thank goodness.’
“How long are you going
to stay like this?”
It was Alsatine who lifted
Karl up, who had been sitting on the floor for quite some time.
Alsatine yanked Karl to his
feet and flung him onto a chair, letting out a sigh as he noticed
Karl’s tear-streaked face.
Then, furrowing his brows,
Alsatine sat across from him and spoke in a calm voice.
“I understand your mind
is troubled by your own powerlessness, but if Lady Allen is in good
health, isn’t that enough?”
“…That’s true.”
“You can overcome your
weakness in the future. Am I wrong?”
“No. You’re right.”
‘Regretting what has already
happened won’t change anything.
What’s important is not
letting the same thing happen again.
To achieve that, I must
continue to train tirelessly.
To become a knight worthy of
the Miss.
I’ve been too arrogant all
this time.
I was so happy to meet the
master I had only dreamed of that I forgot what was truly important.
There is much to do when I
return to the Allen Family.’
Karl barely managed to steady
his heart and lifted his head again after a long exhale.
“What about you,
Alsatine? Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why pretend you don’t
know what I’m talking about?”
Alsatine, grumbling about
Karl’s lack of subtlety, sighed again before continuing.
“That person was Master,
but also not Master.”
Alsatine recalled the time
when he faced Karia.
When she couldn’t understand
a single signal from the Informant.
When she couldn’t even follow
the basic things she had taught him.
When Master looked at him as
if he were an insect.
‘That was not Master.
It couldn’t be.
Master would never make such a
basic mistake.
The person who said we must
extract even the smallest bits of information would never recklessly
swing a weapon.
The woman who was so
affectionate that she shed tears the day we parted, despite being
from the underworld, could never have such a cold expression.’
“That’s all.”
After answering that, Alsatine
fell silent, and Karl did not ask anything further.
A heavy silence naturally
settled over the dining table.
When I came to, I saw a
greyish-white ceiling.
It was a familiar sight I had
been waking up to every morning since coming to Menestail Street.
‘Grandpa.’
‘We managed to escape the
dungeon safely, right?’
Hearing Grandpa’s reassuring
confirmation, I covered my eyes with the back of my hand and let out
a sigh of relief.
As my vision was obscured,
what came to mind were Karia’s emotionless eyes.
Just by looking at them, the
penalty of the [Mesugaki] Skill activated.
Then came the attack.
Had it not been for the Brooch
of Protection or the Fox by my side, I would have been decapitated by
that dagger.
Neither I nor Alsatine or Karl
could read Karia’s movements.
Even the [Iron Wall] Skill
couldn’t catch up with Karia’s speed.
Perhaps it was from
reexperiencing that fear. My head started to throb.
Though I’d faced near-death
situations many times before, I could never get used to the feeling
of walking the fine line between life and death.
And I probably never would.
Pressing my forehead, I sat up
and realised that my body felt unusually bad.
It was like when I first
possessed Lucy’s body.
I could usually wake up
refreshed even after moving my body all day.
But now, I feel heavy.
It was true that I had pushed
my body to the limit to withstand Karia, but this shouldn’t have
caused such a state.
“It’s because of me.”
Still suffering from a
throbbing headache, I frowned, and the perverted Fox’s voice reached
my ears.
She, in her fox form, lay by
the sunny window as usual, looking at me with one eye open.
“Do you remember? When I
said you couldn’t use my power because you were still lacking?”
‘Yes.’
“Right. You did declare
yourself as sloppily weak.”
“I used your life force
to break those constraints this time. Having an unhealthy body for a
while is better than losing your life, wouldn’t you agree?”
‘Uh, life force…’
“Perverted Fox, you mean
life force as in one’s lifespan?”
“Do you think of me as
some sort of Devil? It’s not like that. Your body will only feel
unwell for a while. You’ll recover in about two days, so there’s no
need to worry.”
Having finished her
explanation, the perverted Fox closed her eyes, adding that she was
tired and should not be disturbed.
Normally, she would have
bragged non-stop, but seeing her immediately fall asleep suggested
she wasn’t in good condition either.
Is this pervert my lifesaver?
When I first saw the perverted
Fox in my bag, I thought she was just an annoying burden. You never
know how things will turn out in life.
Since she saved my life, I
should repay her somehow. If she has any demands…
No, no. If I mention that
carelessly, who knows what she might ask for. Her perverted tastes go
beyond my imagination.
I’ll just give her a gift or
something.
With a long sigh, I leaned
against the wall and opened the Quest window.
The Quest to save Menestail
was still there.
Hey, Armadi. Did you really
give me that Quest expecting me to complete it in my current state?
If this were a Game, it might
have been possible. With my current stats, I’d have somehow managed
to break through and defeat Karia.
But that’s just Game talk.
This isn’t something out of a game, after all.
It’s pushing me to the brink
of death. You damn bastard.
Don’t you have anything to
say? When I compared you to Agra and insulted you, you handed out
playful Quests. But now, you’re completely silent.
If your Apostle almost died
because of your incompetence, you should be bowing in apology.
This is infuriating.
Frustration seeped through as
I went to smack the bed, but I felt dizzy instead.
Barely holding onto my hazy
consciousness, I let out a hollow laugh.
Good grief. Dizziness? I
thought that was an alien word to me.
Have I really become a frail
Mesugaki girl?
If I try to teach someone a
lesson, I might die in the process. Quite an apt name.
While I was chuckling at the
silly thoughts in my head, I heard Grandpa’s voice.
‘I’m okay.’
Do you think this will kill
me? The perverted Fox did say I’d be fine in a few days, right?
After a long silence, Grandpa
spoke softly in response to my indifferent answer.
It was astonishing. To hear
the word ‘give up’ come from Grandpa.
Unlike me, Grandpa is a devout
follower of the Sloppy Lord. He is a Paladin who believes that if God
commands something, there must be meaning behind it.
For such a person to be the
first to suggest disregarding the revelation of the incompetent and
powerless Sloppy Lord…
Grandpa has decided that my
safety is more important than that revelation, hasn’t he?
Ha ha. Where’s the Grandpa who
would never even utter the word give up?
‘I don’t want to.’
‘I have no intention of
giving up.’
Sure, I vented my frustration
by cursing the Sloppy Lord in many ways, but this is different.
I have no intention of giving
up.
One reason is that I don’t
know what will happen if I fail, but there’s something else more
important than that.
This is new content not found
in the game.
In the game, Karia always
appeared in a dead state.
Even if you used cheats and
went to meet Karia right after enrolling, it was the same.
But not now.
She is still alive.
Although she’s being
controlled by the Evil God, that’s it.
Her soul still remains in her
body.
Do you understand?
It means Karia can be saved.
A boss that didn’t exist in
the game.
A strategy that was impossible
to even attempt.
A new NPC whose story could
only be guessed through Alsatine’s narrative.
The new content that would
arise from her existence.
And you want me to give this
up?
Me, who has played that damned
game for over 10,000 hours, you think I can just give this up?!
‘I know that much.’
Grandpa, it was me who faced
the threat of death up close. I’m not so deluded as to think I can
defeat her.
‘Why should I be the one to
face her?’
It’s a simple story, Grandpa.
If the enemy is a monster we can’t handle, then we just need to
summon a monster they can’t handle, right? And I happen to know one
such monster that I can use at my discretion.
Stumbling, I got up and took a
crystal sphere out of a drawer and placed it on the dressing table.
As I infused it with magic, an
indistinct image began to form on the crystal sphere before long.
[Lucy? Lucy?! Lucyyyy!]
“Papa♡”
[Yes! Lucy! It’s Papa! Are you
alright?!]
“Some old lady is
bothering me♡ Punish her for me♡”
Please support the series on
NovelUpdates
Read Here
for premium chapters
0 Comments