Practice mode? Is this what you thought would calm me down?
Hah. What a ridiculous joke. You really think that unlocking some random feature is going to make me happy?
This is the most useless feature ever!
In Soul Academy, practice mode is a function that lets you test new skills by using them on a dummy. It’s designed to show you how to utilize the skills you’ve learned.
For first-time players, sure, it’s a welcome feature, but for me? Not so much.
Especially now that this world has become real, and you can’t get by with just a few skills like in a game.
There’s no skill progression, no new conditions to unlock skills by just messing around in there.
The only thing it offers is the ability to hit a dummy as much as you want. How useless can that be?!
Do I look like an idiot to you?!
Hmph. Hmphhhh.
I have so much I want to say, but I’m holding back because I don’t know how you’ll retaliate. But just know this.
You were a lousy god before, and you’ll remain a lousy god in my heart forever.
From now on, I’m never calling you Aramadi again.
Got it, you masochistic, perverted lousy god!
As I dismissed all the floating windows in front of me, Faybi opened her eyes.
She stared blankly at the ceiling, slowly turning her head to look around. When she saw me, she froze momentarily before forcing a smile.
“Lady Alrn, is this reality?”
‘Yes, it is.’ “Can’t even tell that you’re back in the real world? Some saint you are. Yeah, this is reality, you lousy saint.”
Even though she was out of danger, Faybi’s stiff expression didn’t ease up.
What’s wrong with her?
‘Faybi?’ "Lousy saint, why are you looking like a guilty puppy?"
“Uhm... It’s just...”
Her lips twitched, and her shoulders flinched every time I called her a saint.
Hmm... It couldn’t be, could it? I mean, it seems unlikely, but there’s always that tiny chance...
Did she figure it out? That she hasn’t actually been chosen by Aramadi?
“The title of saint doesn’t suit me.”
Oh no.
This is bad. She figured it out.
No way!
How in the world did she realize that?
There’s no one around her who could have told her that—except for me.
There’s no way Alsatine, who’s banking on her future with Faybi, would spill such a dangerous secret.
And it’s not like Faybi has gained the strength to crush the Church’s schemes with her own power.
As I struggled to understand, I suddenly remembered the enemy that had tormented Faybi earlier and bit my lip.
Damn it. Nakrad. That bastard must have let something slip.
Who else could it be?
No one but him—the one who had once been used as a test subject by the Orphanage of the Church of the Principal God—could have known that Faybi was a fake saint.
This is a mess. Judging by Faybi’s reaction, she seems convinced she’s a fake saint now.
Does that mean her memories of the orphanage have returned too?
Sigh. How do I clean this up?
Faybi was already unstable, unlike her in-game counterpart.
If she fully realizes her true identity and her past, her mental state will be shattered.
First, I need to comfort her.
No, I need to make sure she stays quiet.
Wait, no—what I really need to do first is—
<Calm down, my child.> ‘How am I supposed to calm down in this situation?!’
If Faybi asks the Church about herself, it’s going to cause complete chaos!
She’s a character I liked a lot, and I’ve grown even more attached to her recently after spending so much time together. I don’t want her to disappear!
Instead of wasting time telling me to calm down, tell me how I can control Faybi, Gramps!
<She seems to be stronger than we thought.> ‘What are you talking about?’ <Look at her. She’s troubled, but she doesn’t appear to be crumbling.>
That’s true, now that I think about it.
Compared to the Faybi I used to walk around with, who was always shaky, this Faybi seems different.
She could be pretending to be strong, but even being able to pretend shows she’s holding it together.
If she can still put on a strong front after having her reason for existence denied, that means her mental state is intact.
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
Has she grown in her own way after everything we’ve been through?
Back when we entered our first dungeon together, her emotions were written all over her face.
<It seems you don’t have to worry too much.> ‘Gramps, can you really vouch for that?’ <Of course. I take pride in my ability to read people.>
Sigh. Alright. You want me to trust Faybi?
Fine, I’ll take your word for it, Gramps.
But if Faybi ends up going off the rails, you’d better be ready for a tour of the academy’s trash bins.
I took a deep breath and looked around. The room was still empty, except for me and Faybi.
But beyond the door, I could hear the priests’ breathing. They could easily overhear our conversation.
So we can’t talk about Faybi being a fake saint here. If that information leaks, the high-ranking members of the Church of the Principal God will undoubtedly react in a very predictable and dangerous way.
If they act the same as in the game, Faybi wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
There are so many things I want to say to Faybi and questions I want to ask, but I’ll have to save that for a safer place.
For now, there’s only one thing I need to tell Faybi.
If I say it normally, it’ll definitely get distorted by the Mesugaki skill, right?
In that case, I might as well just say it Mesugaki-style.
“You lousy saint♡ Do you think I care about your pathetic, stupid opinions?♡ I’ll call you whatever I want. Got it? Lousy saint?♡”
Faybi, I don’t know how much you heard from Nakrad, but I’m sure he told you about me too.
You probably know I’m connected to Aramadi, right? So when I say you’re a saint, that’s what matters.
Don’t waver. Don’t doubt yourself.
“Lady Alrn? What are you talking about?”
“Are you curious?♡ Curious, are you?♡ Puhaha♡ Too bad♡ I have no intention of explaining anything to you right now♡”
“Huh?”
“You dumb saint♡ Can’t you understand even after waiting?♡”
Trust me and wait.
It won’t be long before I’ll explain everything to you.
I’ll tell you that you’ve been chosen as a saint by Aramadi.
What if the lousy god disagrees? Who cares?
If he’s mad, he can come down here himself and tell us who the real saint is.
Silence is acceptance, after all.
‘See you later.’ “See you later. Unlike you, I’m a busy person, so I’ve got to go now.”
Faybi hastily tried to stand, but Lucy was quicker, opening the door before she could stop her.
The bishop and the other members of the Church of the Principal God, who had been waiting outside, widened their eyes when they saw Faybi standing up.
“The saint is awake!”
“A miracle!”
“Praise Aramadi! We thank you!”
“Lady Alrn, we are deeply grateful! Thanks to you—”
“Whatever. Get out of my way, you pathetic priests. You stink, and it’s annoying.”
With a genuine expression of disdain, Lucy’s words made the Church members quickly back away. Taking advantage of the space they left behind, Lucy stepped outside.
A few of the priests, along with the bishop, hurriedly followed her, expressing their gratitude, but Lucy didn’t so much as acknowledge them.
It was as if she hadn’t helped Faybi for their sake at all.
“Saint, are you alright?”
“How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?”
“Are you thirsty?”
Faybi, who had been watching Lucy’s retreating figure, told the priests that she was fine.
After a while, when the bishop finally calmed the situation and Faybi was left alone, she leaned against the wall and reflected on what Lucy had said before leaving.
Lady Alrn called me a saint until the very end.
Aramadi’s apostle herself called me a saint.
Could she really have not known that I’m a fake?
That’s impossible. There’s no way Aramadi’s apostle wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between real and fake.
Lady Alrn knew everything and still told me I was worthy of being a saint.
Her words were hardly kind, and I did feel a bit angry listening to her, but still...
I couldn’t help but feel moved by the fact that someone as powerful as Lucy recognized me.
Sir Ruel, you were right. Lady Alrn may speak harshly, but she truly is kind.
Faybi looked down at the tearstains spreading across her bedsheet and wiped her face.
Though she had tried to act calm, the emotional shock Faybi had endured wasn’t going away.
The realization that all her childhood memories were false.
That she, who had lived her whole life striving to be worthy of the title of saint, was actually a fake.
These two truths were enough to shake the very foundation of who Faybi was.
It made sense that she hadn’t lived up to the title of saint from the start.
There was no reason to feel ashamed of her inadequacies.
No matter how much she tried to comfort herself by promising to become a more devout person, the shock wasn’t something that could easily fade.
Yet Lucy’s words before leaving had saved her.
That’s why, even now, as the tears continued to fall uncontrollably, Faybi could tell herself that everything would be alright.
She gained the conviction that she could improve.
After a long time, Faybi finally stopped crying. She sighed, looking at the tear- and snot-stained bedsheet.
I do feel a little better after crying out loud.
...Lady Alrn told me to wait for her before she left.
I suppose she meant that I have many questions and things I want to say, but she’s telling me to wait for now.
Don’t act on my own, but wait for her.
If Aramadi’s apostle tells me to wait, then it must be important.
I had been thinking about taking action on my own, but...
Yes. I’ll wait. If that’s what the great god wishes. If Lady Alrn has a plan, I must follow.
So, what should I think about in the meantime?
Hmm. Maybe I’ll consider how to properly thank Lady Alrn?
What does she like? That’s definitely worth thinking about.
I’ll have to ask Joy for advice.
I’d like to prepare a gift that would make Lady Alrn actually say thank you.
Imagining Lucy blushing and stammering as she expressed her gratitude, Faybi let out a soft laugh, as though she hadn’t been crying just moments before.
I’m not sure if it’s possible, but I’ll do my best.