chapter_0257

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
257

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
257

Karl watched Lucy moving leisurely ahead of him.

The current battle was a one-against-many fight.

The opponent was a group of monsters, organized to some degree.

Since they were attacking the dungeon together, normally he should
have been standing beside Lucy, but Karl did not do so.

Lucy, his master, had ordered him to watch her back.

There was no anxiety in Karl’s eyes as he observed the battle. He
knew Lucy wouldn’t lose against a group like that.

Karl’s prediction was correct.

It didn’t even take Lucy a minute to wipe out the monsters.

She effortlessly deflected the attack of a skeletal monster wielding
a huge double axe, disturbing the skeleton’s balance.

Then she kicked it over, disrupting the movements of the enemies
lying in wait.

Stomping over the skeletons scattered across the ground, she ran to
deal with the wizard in the rear.

Watching Lucy knock down the struggling monsters one by one, Karl
nodded to himself.

‘As expected, my lady is remarkable. She’s far better than those
rookie knights who can’t even relax their shoulders.

Those guys can swing their weapons well enough, but when the fight
drags on, they get flustered.

But my lady is different.

She evaluates the enemy’s strength before charging, plans out her
attack strategy, and responds optimally to every unexpected
situation. It’s already at a level where she could be called a
seasoned warrior.

Who would look at her and think she’s only been fighting for a
year?’

Just as Karl was internally praising Lucy without end, darkness
suddenly gathered beneath her feet.

Being positioned away from the battle, Karl was able to notice it
immediately and instinctively tried to rush forward.

“You fool. How many times must I tell you to stay put?”

It was a voice in his head that stopped him.

The fox who had been following Lucy everywhere for some time now, the
one who guarded a forest, was scolding Karl.

The tone was so disdainful that Karl’s feet came to a hesitant stop.

At that moment, Lucy swiftly dealt with the energy.

Gathering her divine power at her feet, she crushed the tainted
energy and scattered it. The sudden threat disappeared just like
that.

“Did you really think your master would get hurt from something
like that?”

“I understand that, but…”

“Then why did you move?”

“…”

“Tsk.”

The sound of a clicking tongue rang out, as if for him to hear, and
Karl let out an awkward laugh.

Karl knew it too. That Lucy wasn’t someone who would be in danger
here.

He had been by her side from the very first time she entered a
dungeon.

Whether assisting her during knight training, supporting her when she
entered the academy dungeon, or during those times she swept through
the dungeons near the academy for some unknown reason, even when she
rapidly crossed over to Menestail.

Always.

Without fail.

Karl stayed by Lucy’s side.

Karl knew Lucy’s abilities better than anyone. In a dungeon, Lucy
Allen was practically omnipotent.

That’s why Karl didn’t worry when Lucy said she would lead from
the front.

The lady he knew was not one to take reckless risks. She always
declared what was possible and admitted what wasn’t.

So, if she said she’d take the lead and asked him to follow, it was
because she deemed it the most efficient course of action.

Even though Karl understood all of this logically, his body did not
cooperate.

Whenever Lucy was in danger, memories of Menestail naturally came
flooding back.

The pitiful sight of himself failing to even serve as a meat shield.
The dagger that stopped just in front of Lucy’s face. Her trembling
hands under her pale face.

Whenever he tried to sleep, Karl would relive that scene.

The only difference between then and reality was that there was no
miracle in his dreams.

Perhaps because he had seen that sight countless times, whenever Lucy
looked like she was in danger, Karl moved without thinking.

“You can’t even follow simple orders, you fool. Because of
you, I must leave that fragrant, soft hair and stay on your filthy
shoulder.”

Hearing the grumbling voice, Karl snapped out of his thoughts and
pressed his lips tightly together as he looked at the fox with a
genuinely annoyed expression.

This fox, who exuded grace, was undoubtedly powerful and helpful to
Lucy.

Karl owed his life to her help in the past. How could he deny that?

Yet, whenever the forest guardian spoke, Karl couldn’t help but
wonder if something like her should really be allowed near the lady.

Regardless of her status as a guardian, the fact that she was an
outright pervert was undeniable.

“Who are you thinking of as a pervert? You’re the scumbag who
used deception as an excuse to satisfy your own desires.”

“Wha! That wasn’t an excuse!”

Even knowing Lucy never gave unreasonable orders, Karl had disobeyed
only to deceive Luca.

He insisted that there had been no improper intentions, but the fox
didn’t believe him one bit.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes! Absolutely!”

“Can you swear you weren’t the slightest bit happy when
treated like a dog?”

Karl couldn’t bring himself to say yes. Except when he was with
Lucy, he was an honest knight to the core, incapable of lying.

“Ugh… I… I should focus on the task the lady gave me!”

Thus, Karl hurriedly changed the subject.

The lady had said that Luca, once consumed by darkness, was likely to
be overtaken again.

So, his role was to prevent that incompetent junior from making
mistakes. Nothing else matters!

Anyone could see how forced this change in topic was, but the fox
simply looked at Karl with disdain and chose not to pursue it
further. As if questioning him further would be pointless.

While this exchange between man and beast went on, Lucy marched
confidently forward.

The path was entirely different from the one they had taken before,
yet neither Karl nor Luca doubted her steps.

Both of them knew very well that she wouldn’t get lost inside the
dungeon.

After walking for about thirty or forty minutes, a door leading
outside the dungeon appeared.

But the door wasn’t the only thing there.

Standing proudly in front of it was a gatekeeper.

“We meet again.”

A long, ash-colored sword.

The aura of a warrior emanating from his stance.

A clean and dignified voice that did not match the skeletal form.

Karl recognized who this skeleton was.

He wasn’t foolish enough to forget something from less than an hour
ago.

Garad.

A hero, one of those who saved the world.

One of the knights that Karl admired.

“What the? Bonehead. Not content with giving me a shield, you wanna
give me a sword too?”

“If it were up to me, I would. But unfortunately, that’s
impossible. I’m disgracefully under someone’s control.”

“Wow. That’s just pathetic. And you call yourself a hero?”

“What choice do I have? This is the reality.”

Seeing Garad raise his sword, Karl hastily drew his weapon.

This opponent was not yet someone the lady could handle alone.

He was an enemy they could barely manage even with all three of them
giving their best.

“Give it everything you’ve got.”

The moment Garad swung his sword downward, darkness enveloped
everything except for Lucy’s surroundings, swallowing up Karl and
Luka in the black mist.

‘Damn it. My lady!’

The instant Karl ran desperately to escape the mist, the scenery
around him changed.

The air was burning hot, making it hard to breathe.

In the distance, Alsatine lay sprawled.

A few steps away, the terrified figure of the lady.

A dagger aimed at her neck.

Karl, watching the scene dumbfounded, closed his eyes.

Not because he didn’t want to witness the gruesome sight he had
seen in his nightmares countless times. He just knew for certain that
this wasn’t reality.

Of course.

The lady is someone blessed by the gods. Someone under the protection
of the great deity Armadi.

Such a person could never end up in such a miserable state.

The fact that there was no miracle meant that this wasn’t real.

Do not trust your sight.

Do not trust your touch.

Do not trust your sense of smell.

Do not trust your hearing.

A knight must trust only his intuition.

The closed eyelids.

The searing air.

The stench of the volcano mixed with the metallic scent of blood.

The sound of a human-like doll collapsing with a thud.

Ignoring all these sensations, Karl could sense an impending attack.

Thus, he swung his sword by instinct.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing against metal changed the scenery around
him.

Black mist.

The past battle between a former hero and a future hero was unfolding
beyond.

The treacherous dagger aiming at the girl’s back.

And the sword that intercepted it—his own.

Seeing Luca’s eyes, filled with madness, Karl smiled brightly.

‘As expected of the lady. She foresaw all of this.

In that case, what I need to do is simple. To subdue this foolish
junior just as the lady ordered.’

“Drag out the time a bit. I’ll make him regain his senses.”

As several exchanges of swords passed by, the fox spoke up, but Karl
refused the suggestion.

“There’s no need for that. We have our own way.”

“Our way?”

“Yes. The knights of the Allen family, when someone loses their
mind, we beat them until they come to their senses. It’s the fault of
a weak mind.”

This time too, Karl decided to uphold the Allen family tradition. It
was a good chance to show his incompetent junior the authority of his
senior.

Hearing this, the fox sighed in exasperation and jumped off Karl’s
shoulder.

“Do as you wish.”

“Yes!”

‘Now, incompetent junior! Let me show you the grand tradition of
the Allen family!

Consider it an honor and be thankful!’

The sound of metal clashing could be heard beyond the mist.

As expected, Luca was swallowed by the darkness, and Karl was
stopping him.

Though she didn’t know how the fight was progressing, Karl could hold
out long enough until the dim-witted fox brought Luca back to his
senses.

“Is there time for you to be distracted?”

A sword thrust at her shoulder. She deflected it to the side with her
shield.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been an opportunity to
strike, but not this time.

The skeleton wasn’t going to allow any such openings.

Before she could even attempt an attack, he readied his sword and
threatened her again.

Attack. Attack. And attack.

Lucy let out a frustrated groan at the endless barrage, but she
didn’t strike back.

Charging recklessly would only get her diced up amidst the countless
sword paths.

“What happened to all that bravado from before? Hiding behind your
shield, like a worm in the shadows.”

The skeleton continued his one-sided offensive while throwing taunts
her way.

‘This damned bonehead.

He must have taken my words during the trial to heart.

For a so-called hero, he’s quite petty.

A grown man should be able to take a young girl’s teasing with
grace.

But man, he really sucks at this whole taunting thing.

Is it because of his chivalry?’

“Hahaha♡ Look at you, picking on a tiny girl and grinning all the
while♡ So that’s your taste, Mr. Hero?♡ No wonder♡ They say the
cleaner someone looks, the weirder they are inside—and it’s true!♡”

“You think I’ll fall for such childish tricks…”

“But I’m really curious!♡ How can a skeleton be a pervert?♡
Ah♡ You must be trying to fill the void left by what you once had
with your perversions!♡ How sad~♡ Running your mouth will only
deepen that emptiness, you know~♡”

“…”

“Hey♡ Hey♡ Can I ask you something?♡ Does pretending to
attack because of an evil god make you feel less guilty about
satisfying your own urges?♡ Hmm?♡”

The skeleton, his mouth shut tight, swung his sword again.

It was clear this time that his strikes carried more force than
before.

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