I had to spend some time convincing Faybi why looting during the field trip wasn’t a bad thing.
As a fellow party member, I couldn’t force her to do something she didn’t agree with.
If it had been Bishina or Avery, I would have just yelled, “Who cares about your opinion?!” But Faybi wasn’t like that.
I didn’t want to risk doing something that would make Faybi hate me.
“So, it's like a necessary evil to improve students’ combat skills?”
‘Yes, exactly!’
“Huh, the clueless loser saint finally gets it. That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time.”
Because the number and strength of the monsters in the forest are limited, it’s difficult to gain the real combat experience the academy wants the students to have.
That’s why they encourage conflict between the students—to provide a more realistic experience.
Right now, it might look like we’re the bad guys, but if we don’t act, it’ll just end up causing problems for the other students.
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With Joy chiming in to back me up, Faybi eventually nodded in understanding.
“I’m sorry, Lady Alrn. I hadn’t thought about it like that. My thinking was too narrow.”
‘It’s fine.’ “It’s fine, loser saint. I didn’t expect anything from you anyway.”
Thanks to my unnecessary comment, Faybi’s eyebrow twitched, but that couldn’t be helped.
“But, Lucy. Does that mean we’re doing nothing for now? Just resting?”
‘No...’ “No. There’s something we need to do.”
A veteran never wastes time doing nothing.
I already had a plan for what we should do at this moment.
‘We’re going...’ “We’re going to meet the ruler of this forest.”
After all, I need to see that fox’s face at least once to clear the quest the annoying god gave me.
“The ruler of the forest? Why?”
‘Because the blessing they give is very useful.’ “That dumb fox’s blessing is incredibly useful.”
Her command was so adept that she moved like a hunter who had lived in these woods for decades. No one in the party doubted her.
They gradually made their way deeper into the forest without much trouble, but then Lucy suddenly stopped, looking up at the sky through the leaves before letting her arms fall.
“Let’s take a break.”
Hearing this, her party members blinked in disbelief.
Everyone here had been on dungeon raids with Lucy before.
They all knew how much she loved pushing them to the limit.
No one had collapsed, so why was she suggesting they take a break?
“You’re not Lucy, are you?”
Instead of celebrating the chance to rest, the group exchanged confused glances until Frey finally spoke up.
“Huh? What nonsense are you spouting now, loser swordswoman?”
“Lucy never says we should rest. Even if someone collapses, she only suggests a break when there’s no other option. She doesn’t do it when there’s still plenty of energy left.”
Both Joy and Faybi, who had experienced Lucy’s grueling pace firsthand, found themselves nodding at Frey’s words.
If someone collapsed, Lucy would throw them over her shoulder and continue marching. A break? It didn’t make sense.
Lucy sighed deeply, her tone laced with annoyance that was hard to miss.
“Alright, if that’s what you want, I’ll make you crawl on the ground unti—”
“Yay! A break! I love breaks! Let’s rest right now!” Joy suddenly shouted, sensing a crisis approaching, and Frey and Faybi quickly followed suit.
“Actually, I like breaks too.”
“M-me too.”
Though Lucy looked dissatisfied as she glanced between the three of them, she didn’t say anything more.
“Move aside, losers.”
Instead, she started pulling various items from her spatial pouch.
It was as if she had learned how to camp from the knights of the Alrn family. Her preparations for the rest were remarkably efficient.
Watching Lucy set up the rest area with ease, Faybi couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration.
She had felt the same during their last dungeon raid together. Lady Alrn is so thorough in her preparations.
For someone so young, she was incredibly capable.
Is this what it means to be loved by Armadi?
Ever since that previous dungeon raid, Faybi had been constantly thinking about Lucy.
At the time, Faybi had been overwhelmed by her emotions and hadn’t noticed many things. But after her anger subsided, those things became clearer.
Normally, people who insult the gods either don’t believe in them or worship a different deity.
Armadi is the lord of all gods except for the evil ones, so unless someone worships a dark god, no one would dare insult Armadi.
If someone like that had insulted Armadi, Faybi would have pitied them.
How could you not feel sorry for someone who denies the existence of a god who clearly exists?
But Lucy was different.
There was no way she didn’t know gods existed.
She had heard the voice of the gods countless times.
She had found the Mace of Luel.
She had twice lifted the curse of Agra.
All of it had been guided by divine revelation.
There was no way Lucy could deny Armadi’s existence.
So, Faybi thought she had to consider things from a different perspective.
How could someone who knew a higher power existed still insult that being?
How could she so freely say things that could provoke the wrath of an omnipotent being?
The reason, as Faybi saw it, was simple.
Lucy was confident that such insults wouldn’t anger Armadi.
Sometimes Faybi teased Joy under the guise of a lecture.
The reason she could do so without worrying about hurting Joy’s feelings was because she knew Joy wouldn’t get mad at something so minor.
Faybi thought Lucy must be the same.
She knew that what she was saying wasn’t enough to make Armadi’s grace falter, so she could mock him with confidence.
How could a mere mortal gauge the patience of a god like Armadi?
How could anyone guess how much a god would tolerate?
Faybi knew the answer.
It was because Lucy was Armadi’s chosen.
Since hearing about Lucy’s identity from the apostle of the dark god, Faybi had thought deeply about it many times.
Each time, she came to the same conclusion.
No matter how much she tried to deny it.
No matter how many details she examined, hoping to find a flaw.
It was clear that Lucy was loved by Armadi and had a close connection to him.
At this point, Faybi had half accepted it.
So she constantly watched Lucy, wondering what it was about her that had caught Armadi’s attention.
Each time, she saw something different. But all of Lucy’s actions could be summarized in one word.
Lucy was competent.
Whether it was studying.
Or fighting.
Even in dungeon raids, she was overwhelming, and her leadership skills were reminiscent of a highly skilled commander.
That was it.
Lucy Alrn lacked nothing, aside from her harsh words.
The question wasn’t why Armadi was interested in her.
Everything about her was extraordinary enough to capture the attention of a god.
It was hard to believe this was the same person once known as a delinquent.
No normal person could change that much in just a year.
No matter how talented Lady Alrn was, there was no way someone who did nothing for 15 years could become the continent’s greatest prodigy in just one.
Armadi’s blessing must have had a hand in her transformation.
That’s what Faybi had concluded, so she decided to focus on Lucy’s past rather than her present.
If Lucy’s change began when she became Armadi’s apostle, then there must be something from before that caught the god’s attention.
‘Lady Alrn wasn’t like this before.’
Joy, who had frequently seen Lucy at social events, told Faybi that Lucy had been a completely different person in the past.
Aside from her sharp tongue, the rest of her was unrecognizable.
‘Back then, Lady Alrn was terrifying in social circles.’
Hearing about Lucy’s past as a spiky porcupine who constantly lashed out, Faybi had been shocked at every detail Joy revealed.
If what Joy said was true, it was a miracle Lucy hadn’t been executed.
‘If it weren’t for the prestige of Benedict Alrn, there would have been a major scandal long ago.’
As Joy laughed, recounting the stories, Faybi thought it was hard to see anything in Lucy’s past that would have caught Armadi’s attention.
She wasn’t kind.
She didn’t do good deeds.
She didn’t have any extraordinary talents.
And she wasn’t particularly devout either.
No matter how Faybi looked at it, there was no reason for Armadi to have taken an interest in her.
The only thing that remained constant between the past and present Lucy was one thing.
‘Pathetic wolf♡ Is that all it takes for you to roll over so easily?♡ Pfft♡ Weakling♡ Loser♡ You’re not even a real man♡’
Her manner of speaking.
No matter who she was talking to, she would insult them, provoke them, and fan the flames of anger.
That crude way of speaking, so far beneath the dignity of a noble lady.
Could it be?
This was an utterly blasphemous thought, but could it be that Armadi liked such behavior?
That he enjoyed seeing her mock and belittle others as “losers”?
According to the teachings of the scripture, that couldn’t be true. But recently, Faybi had found herself questioning the scriptures more and more.
After all, the scriptures had never mentioned the existence of an apostle of Armadi, yet one stood before her now. Who’s to say the scriptures weren’t wrong about other things?
So, to gain Armadi’s favor, would she have to start calling others lo... los...
No.
No, that’s not it.
There’s no way Armadi would like hearing me say something like “loser” or... or “di...”
No.
This can’t be it.
There must be something else I’m missing.
Desperate to shake off the blasphemous thoughts, Faybi slapped her cheeks hard and let out a deep breath.
Now I’m even thinking about such sacrilegious things.
I really am a fool.
Just like Lady Alrn said.
It was then that Faybi heard rustling in the nearby bushes.
Huh? I don’t think anyone from the group moved.
Instinctively turning her head, Faybi spotted a white fox peeking out from the foliage.