It wasn’t difficult to guess why that number had increased.
What does that damn perverted pedo deity want?
By creating my dark history, they’re not just getting a kick out of seeing me squirm in shame, but they also want to gawk at my dress, right?
Do they have some deep intention behind this?
Do they?!
Ha! Do you really think that this lunatic has any deep intentions?!
Ugh, this is so frustrating.
I didn’t just slack off on the quest either.
I even went into the auction house dressed in gothic lolita to buy the Bracelet of Revelry.
And I didn’t even clear the quest with that. I only managed to meet four of the quest conditions.
I was still filling in the rest with my recovering body and my luck!
But now that it looks like I might clear the quest without much difficulty, they go and increase the number?!
Rubbish deity! Do you even have a conscience?!
If you’re a deity, at least hide your lewd intentions and pretend to be cool!
Why are you trying to steal the little faith I had left in my heart?!
Did you want to be insulted like that?!
Could it be that’s part of your plan? You think you can achieve three goals at once?! What a pathetic game you’re running!
Haa.
Let’s calm down. Cursing the rubbish deity isn’t going to change anything.
That guy enjoys being insulted. It’s better to think about what’s coming next rather than fulfilling the warped desires of the rubbish deity.
Letting out a long sigh internally, I turned my attention back to the quest.
The change in the quest wording wasn’t just the number. There was also something different beneath it.
[Reward: Significant increase in reputation, ???]
[Failure: Participate in the party wearing Lucy's past outfit, ???]
The first noticeable change was the word "significant" added to the reputation increase.
I don’t know how that will be achieved, but it’s clear the rewards have gotten bigger than before.
And then there’s the question mark in both the reward and penalty sections.
Based on my previous experience, this likely means there’s something additional given.
So, along with the quest becoming harder to clear, both the rewards and penalties have been upgraded.
Punishment.
Punishment.
What could that question mark possibly be?
I mean, it’s not going to be something as extreme as a game over.
It’s clear that it wouldn’t show something that severe.
While I was mulling this over, one of the humiliating past quests suddenly came to mind.
Something humiliating I encountered when I went to meet the ditzy fox.
If that came up as a punishment, it means that forcing actions as a quest penalty is possible.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, countless ideas flashed through my head.
The party being held during this Partlan festival is quite large.
It’s a party held by the Duke’s family to celebrate the festival. Most of the influential nobles should be gathered there. Even without the reclusive first prince showing up, it would be a grand scale.
What if I caused some kind of problem in that gathering? The rumors would spread across the entire continent in no time.
Bad rumors would circulate, my reputation would drop, and my dark history would become engraved.
...
No. Let’s not think about that.
Let’s focus on the positive.
If I manage to clear the quest, the rewards will only increase, right?
The rubbish deity may have bizarre and lewd intentions, but at least they provide proper rewards.
That question mark definitely contains something useful for me right now.
So, ultimately, what I need to do hasn’t changed.
I have to clear the quest.
I have to grab the best position at this festival.
I have to crush the rubbish deity’s schemes.
I don’t know why the deity is the one scheming instead of the Evil God, but anyway.
Let’s think about this.
So far, I’ve won at five stalls, meaning I need to secure nine more victories.
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.
Calculating, there are 12 stalls I haven’t challenged yet, so I currently have only three chances to fail.
The ones I have to rely on pure luck will be dealt with using the Bracelet of Revelry, and if it comes down to memory or knowledge issues, I’ll get help from Grandpa.
But the parts I have to handle physically, I must solve myself.
With my current trash-like condition.
The one saving grace is that I’ve already tackled the task I felt uncertain about.
Now what’s left are the parts I feel relatively confident in.
If my body were normal, I could manage to overcome these challenges.
Alright. Let’s not think about what’s behind me.
The problems I face right now are what’s important.
I can’t afford to fail if I can’t clarify the question mark that the rubbish deity has put out.
I’ll think about the future when the time comes.
Having resolved this in my mind, I jumped up from my seat.
“Lucy Alrn?”
“Lady Alrn?”
“I’ll be going ahead.”
“The food here isn’t quite up to my taste. I’ll be leaving first.”
“Huh?”
“Lady Alrn?!”
Leaving the astonishment of the two behind, I stepped outside, looking for someone.
Since I had been invited to the Partlan festival and had no other plans during this break, she was surely somewhere around here.
Finding her wasn’t a difficult task.
She draws attention from everyone for a different reason than I do.
As I followed the crowd to where they gathered, I naturally spotted her among them.
As I moved through the throng of people, I soon succeeded in finding Faybi, who was sharing smiles with the people from the church in the middle of the crowd.
As I stepped forward, the way opened, and Faybi confirmed my presence.
Even though we merely made eye contact, Faybi’s expression changed drastically.
She slightly raised her eyebrows before breaking into a bright smile.
That smile was so beautiful that anyone who saw it would hope it was directed at them, and the moment I realized it wasn’t, I found myself unexpectedly filled with jealousy and disappointment.
“Please wait a moment.”
As I walked along with Faybi’s smile, a knight stepped forward and blocked my path.
Despite the confusion showing on his stern face, the reason for his stance was undoubtedly his loyalty to the saint.
“Sir Knight, it’s alright.”
“But, Lady Saint—”
“Lady Alrn is a friend from the academy.”
However, that loyalty was powerless in front of the smile of someone he was meant to protect.
As Faybi gently pushed his shoulder, the wall of the knight crumbled.
“It’s been a while, Lady Alrn.”
“Likewise, Faybi.”
“Yeah, it’s nice to see you. Rubbish Saint.”
The words “rubbish saint” caused gasps not only from the clergy surrounding Faybi but also from those who had come to see her.
If Faybi had reacted at all after hearing that, criticisms would have surely rained down from behind.
Even now, it seemed she had a lot to say as she struggled to find her words.
“So you came to enjoy the festival first. If I had known, I would have come earlier.”
Maybe it was because we hadn’t met in a while, but Faybi seemed to have a lot on her mind.
Normally, I would have enjoyed talking with her, but not now.
Right now, I had something more urgent to attend to.
I used the ring Alsetin had given me to block out the surrounding sounds and spoke.
“Faybi, I have a favor to ask.”
“Rubbish saint. Even someone as shabby as you has something you can do.”
Though it was a somewhat reckless request, Faybi didn’t show any signs of doubt.
“What can I do?”
“Please give me a buff.”
“Give you a buff.”
If my physical abilities are lacking, what should I do?
Just fill in the gaps.
To a level comparable to a normal state, or perhaps even better.
“What kind do you desire?”
“Um, so...”
“First, let’s see...”
Even though I could use divine magic myself, the reason I sought out Faybi was not only because her divine magic was effective, but also because she could use a wide variety of buffs.
My body, still in recovery, was a complete mess.
Even doping with various potions was beyond my body’s limits.
So, my plan was to use Faybi’s buffs to establish a foundation and then dope to raise my stats to their maximum potential.
If my stats were up, taking on the stalls would be easier than playing a game.
While in a game, I had to compete purely on skill, but now I could use the various skills I possessed.
“Lady Alrn, too many buffs can be toxic. Ultimately, it’s your body that has to bear them.”
Faybi, hearing my request, cautioned me with worry in her voice.
She was right.
Excessive buffs lead to penalties afterward.
Just look at my body, which turned into a mess after performing miracles.
Sure, I’d enjoy having excellent stats at first, but when those buffs wore off, the aftereffects would be as severe as the strength of the buffs.
I’m not ignorant of that. Those penalties clearly existed in the game as well.
Even now, I intended to dope myself despite knowing that.
I might end up bedridden for days, but I had to resolve the issues right in front of me.
To smash the rubbish deity’s schemes.
And for my own dignity!
“It’s something I have to do.”
“Don’t say useless things; just give me the buff, rubbish saint. It’s something I have to do.”
After hearing my words, Faybi hesitated for a moment before clasping her hands together and beginning to pray.
The buff that began from her invocation enveloped my body, lightening my previously heavy form.
“Don’t overdo it.”
“I’ll try my best.”
“Who’s worried about whom? I’m not so shabby that I need to be worried by a rubbish like you!”
“And if you feel unwell later, please call for me. That’s my specialty.”
That sounds kind of appealing.
If I become a sickly mesugaki little girl, I’ll think about it, Faybi.
After saying our goodbyes with a promise to meet later, I immediately opened my inventory.
Along with the things I had stockpiled for a long time, there were many potions that Karia had taken from the Georg family.
Out of those, only a few were the ones I needed to use.
Increased physical ability. Increased vitality. Awakening effects. And a few to minimize penalties.
<You’re skilled at mixing. You’ve practiced a lot.>
I’ve done it a ton. How much effort did I put into researching to achieve maximum efficiency?
In the end, the research results of others proved to be more efficient, and I had to throw away what I’d done.
<Still, you’ll have to endure a few days of illness.>
Grandpa sighed as he looked at the potions I was about to drink.
Hmm. I suppose that’s to be expected. I did try to minimize the penalties, but there are still limits.
<Is there really a need to go to such lengths for this festival?>
“I’m being forced by the higher-ups.”
<...What could the deity be wishing for?>
After finishing the doping, I entered the stall I had marked as the starting point for the competition.
The theme of this place is strength.
I just have to smash the panel, going through both physical and magical procedures with a wooden hammer nearly as tall as me.
Receiving the wooden hammer from the stall owner, I took a deep breath and lifted it above me.
As I did, the surrounding whispers began to rise.
“Oh. She’s lifting it effortlessly.”
“How can such strength come from that small body?”
“Is this the Alrn family?”
“It’s impossible. Even Mr. Megger failed to break it; how can such a girl do it?”
“Her posture is fine, but with those thin arms, it’ll be difficult.”
I didn’t pay them any mind.
There was a reliable voice inside me that I could trust more than theirs.
<Let’s do this.>
I had practiced handling divine power hundreds, if not thousands, of times during the break.
What I was about to do now was just adding one more to that countless number.
There could be no mistakes.
As the hammer imbued with divine energy descended, it smashed the panel, splitting it in two and shattering the surrounding whispers.
Good.
With my current body condition, I can definitely do this.
I can succeed in the quest.
Just wait, rubbish deity.
I’m going to check out how amazing the rewards you’ve prepared are.