In the academy's private rooms, reserved for students to use for personal reasons, Avery sat alone, staring at her hands. The gravity of her situation weighed heavily on her—being involved with the Trash God was no trivial matter.
The continent had seen the havoc wreaked by dark entities in the past, and both nations and the Church held extreme prejudice against anything connected to such forces. As a noble lady, Avery had been educated on these dangers repeatedly. She was all too aware of what fate awaited those tied to the Trash God.
Her sin was not something she could bear alone. If Lucy Allen reported her to the Holy Church, they'd immediately arrest her. They’d extract the truth from her, one way or another, and when that was done, her head would roll on the execution block.
The real problem was that the consequences wouldn't end there. Her family would be dragged down as well. The daughter of a noble house tainted by dark forces would cast suspicion on her entire family, and the Church, along with the state, would conduct a thorough investigation.
Her family, of course, was innocent—this was all her fault. Avery, the foolish one, had acted alone. But would the Church or the state believe that? Would they fabricate charges just to make an example out of them? Even if her family’s innocence were eventually proven, they’d lose their honor, their glory, everything.
Why did I do it? she thought. Why did I take the artifact tied to the Trash God as if I were possessed?
No matter how much she hated Lucy Allen, there had to have been other ways to deal with her. Why had she trusted the words of that dark figure so easily? Why had she been so foolish to believe that she’d never be caught? Why had she been so consumed by the desire to harm Lucy that she didn’t care about the consequences?
Now, it was too late for regrets. The artifact she had held in her hands wasn’t going to vanish just because she wished it would. No matter what excuse she came up with, the fact remained that she had used dark magic, and someone had seen her do it. Even if nothing had happened yet, the moment Lucy Allen reported her to the Church, her worst fears would come true.
Lucy was right. She was like a fish caught on a hook, or an animal with a noose around its neck. The only thing Avery could do now was beg for Lucy's mercy.
“Hey, little noble slut♡”
At the sound of Lucy’s voice, Avery slowly raised her head. Lucy was seated across from her, legs crossed, with the same expression she always had—a mocking smile, playful eyes. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking. But knowing Lucy’s past, Avery had a good idea that whatever came out of her mouth wouldn’t be kind.
Maybe all of this is pointless, Avery thought. Maybe Lucy will toy with me for a while and then hand me over to the Church. She’ll probably enjoy watching me fall into despair.
The Lucy Allen that Avery knew was perfectly capable of doing just that.
“You understand your situation now, don't you, little piggie?♡” Lucy said with a sly grin.
“Yes...” Avery replied, her voice barely audible.
“Good. Now, why don’t you make a noise for me?”
It was humiliating, degrading even, but Avery had no choice. Knowing what Lucy was capable of, Avery was already little more than her slave.
“Oink.”
The word left her trembling lips, and Lucy burst into laughter, clapping her hands as if praising a performing clown. Avery’s face flushed with shame, but Lucy didn’t care. She laughed for what felt like an eternity before wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Pfft, ha!♡ Little noble slut♡ Are you stupid?♡ I didn’t mean pig noises. I meant I wanted you to explain your worth to me.”
Lucy’s laughter grew louder as she continued to mock Avery, who clenched her skirt tightly in her hands.
“Ahaha!♡ I like you♡”
Lucy got up and paced around the room, her small footsteps echoing until she came to stand beside Avery. She leaned in, whispering softly.
“For now, I’ll spare you. But you know I’m a fickle person, right? Just like your fiery little temper.”
Avery wasn't a genius, but she wasn’t an idiot either. She’d passed the academy’s entrance exams, after all. She knew what Lucy’s laughter meant all too well.
From this moment on, Avery would have to be whatever Lucy Allen wanted her to be. A tool to carry out Lucy’s will without her even needing to speak it aloud. If she didn’t, Lucy would stroll over to the Church and end her life without a second thought.
Had her tormentor been anyone else, Avery might have found the courage to resist. She might have threatened them, saying, “Can you really bear the weight of ending a life? Of destroying an entire family’s legacy?”
But this was Lucy Allen—someone who cared nothing for others’ emotions and would do anything for her amusement.
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“You understand, right?♡ Now answer me, little piggie♡ Or have you forgotten how to oink?”
“No! I understand! I’ll do anything. Anything you want.”
Please, just let me live. I’ll do whatever you say. Just spare my life. Spare my family’s life.
Even as she pleaded, Lucy only smiled.
Logically, it didn’t make sense. How could someone who couldn’t even kill an orc hope to handle the weight of an entire family’s fate? I was the one who couldn’t even make a clean decision when Bissy asked for help. If Avery had resisted, saying something like, "Go ahead and report me, see if I care," I would have been in serious trouble.
Thank God she’s a coward.
Thanks to her fear, the threat worked perfectly.
Now, my reputation will improve too. Joy and Arthur will vouch for me, and even Avery, who leads many of the noble girls, will speak well of me. Sure, I can’t stop all the rumors that stem from my Mesugaki persona, but the baseless ones should disappear.
Keeping Avery under my thumb has more perks than just this. I’ll let her stay involved with Nackrad. No, I’ll make her stay involved. It’ll make it easier for me to screw up whatever chaos Nackrad tries to stir up next.
If she plays her part well, I won’t have to threaten her again. Judging by how terrified she is, I doubt I’ll need to remind her.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way, little noble slut. Make sure you behave like a proper piggie, okay?”
“Y-yes! Of course!”
Leaving the shaken Avery behind, I stepped out of the private room and headed straight for the cafeteria. I hadn’t eaten since last night, and I was starving.
I didn’t know what today’s menu was, but I’d order something delicious and dive straight into bed afterward. I’d had a rough day yesterday, so I deserved to skip training and relax.
I was so tired I’d probably sleep like a rock.
Today was the day he would see the results of his efforts over the past two months at the Soul Academy—the announcement of the midterm results.
Arthur had never doubted his academic abilities before, but today his heart raced. The reason was obvious. Before, there had been no one who could surpass his intellect, but now there was.
Now, there was Lucy Allen—the brightest star on the continent.
“Your Highness.”
“Oh, the dim-witted noble lady. Off to check your scores too?”
On his way to the square, Arthur ran into Joy, and he called her by the nickname he’d recently grown fond of.
“Yes, I wanted to check before my morning training,” Joy replied, unbothered by the nickname that had once made her bristle. Nowadays, she barely reacted.
Hmm. Not fun anymore. It had been much better when she’d get upset. Maybe Lucy Allen will come up with another fun nickname for her.
“So, Joy, how do you think you did on the exam?”
“Of course I did well. I might even score higher than you, Your Highness.”
“Haha, now that’s a funny joke.”
“I’m serious.”
Joy’s expression remained firm, but Arthur just smiled. He knew Joy couldn’t possibly score higher than him.
Arthur didn’t underestimate her—she was intelligent and worked hard, even more so than most. In fact, she was one of the few people who could be compared to him in terms of ability.
But Arthur also knew Joy’s flaw. She always made a critical mistake at the most important moment. In the ten years he’d known her, she had never failed to trip herself up when it mattered most. He doubted this time would be any different.
“So, Your Highness, are you confident you’ll take first place?”
“Of course. Well, I’d like to say that, but I can’t be certain.”
The only person Arthur thought could beat him was Lucy Allen. And she had barely studied this semester. Who knew how much effort she’d put in behind the scenes, but common sense suggested she wouldn’t do well.
Still, Arthur couldn’t shake his unease. Geniuses were unpredictable like that—they could defy common sense without even trying.
“I wonder if Lucy Allen will once again prove her talent and arrogance.”
Arthur couldn’t help but hope she’d slip up, even as part of him wanted to see her shine once more.