As Lucy’s divine power repelled the Evil God’s aura, Karl, who had been watching in awe, silently praised the one he served in his heart.
How much must the great Evil God love and cherish my lady to grant such a miracle through that prayer?
Karl, staring vacantly at the scene for a moment, was snapped back to reality by the sound of the golems moving and immediately took his position in front of her.
“I’ll handle these lowly soldiers.”
In a way, this was a fortunate turn of events. Recently, Karl had only been showing his shortcomings to Lucy, but now he had a chance to finally prove his worth as a guard!
Having been punished not long ago for failing to protect Lucy, Karl saw this as his chance to redeem himself by showing his true worth.
If I show my impressive side this time, she might even see me in a new light.
Perhaps she’ll praise me, just like she did with the maid, patting my head and saying, “It’s okay, you did well,” with a bright smile!
Imagining that moment, Karl straightened his expression, coating his sword with divine power, and struck at the golems controlled by the Evil God’s magic.
His sword, now glowing with a powerful aura, disregarded the normal concepts of space and effortlessly cut down a golem.
“Bring it on, filthy bastards.”
Karl, a promising knight among the monstrous group of the Alrn Knights, asserted his strength, causing the followers of the Void to hesitate and retreat. At that moment, Lucy, standing behind him, kicked his calf.
“Useless dog. What did I tell you to do?”
“...No.”
“Then why are you stepping forward on your own? You think you won’t follow commands from someone weaker than you?”
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“Th-That’s not it. How could I...”
“Hmm, I see. So you were looking at me like that. My puppy was trying to devour its owner, huh? A little scared, so can you step back a few paces?”
“No, miss! I...”
“Or you can just crawl back into your doghouse.”
Karl’s thoughts about doing his part as a guard and protecting her were spinning in his head, but he couldn’t say anything and was forced to step back.
His shoulders drooped as he walked away, his once-imposing knightly stature now reduced to a pitiful form.
Even Lucy’s friends, along with the followers of the Void, stared at him in confusion, when Lucy, having crushed one golem’s head, raised her voice to her friends.
“I hope there are no useless fools struggling against this trash. If there is, I’ll make sure you can’t sleep for a month, just so you know.”
The ones who had been through hellish training with Lucy during the vacation knew very well that she had the ability to carry out such threats.
The shock of discovering that the followers of the Void were hiding among them and the awe inspired by Lucy’s miraculous act, coupled with the fear of the hellish training she put them through, made them all quickly prepare for battle—except for one.
“Hey. Hey, Lucy.”
“What?”
“I’m gonna take a break.”
“...What?”
“If I do this, I’ll be able to train with you day and night for the next month, right?”
Lucy, seemingly taken aback by this unexpected response, stared at the innocent face of Frey, before letting out a sigh.
“Stupid knight, not for you. If you don’t do anything, I’m not doing anything for you.”
“That’s unfair. This is discrimination.”
“Do you even know what the word ‘discrimination’ means?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then tell me.”
“...Well...”
“See? You don’t know. Stupid knight, you can’t even explain what the word means, can you?”
“Ugh...”
“Pfft. Pathetic. Even your dumb little brother knows more than that...”
“I’ll go.”
Seeing Frey rush towards the enemies, Lucy giggled, watching the followers of the Void struggle to catch up.
“What are you doing?♡ Are you too scared to move?♡ Hehe, even beasts would have attacked by now♡ You guys are worse than beasts in both thought and appearance♡”
Despite her taunting tone, Lucy’s movements were precise.
She swung her mace upward, smashing the first attacker’s jaw, then kicked another in the abdomen, knocking him down, and deflected a curse aimed at her with her shield. She showed no sign of being overwhelmed.
Instead, there was a certain beauty to her movements.
Though they might seem violent, the way Lucy moved on the battlefield was more suited to a stage, as it naturally captivated the eyes of everyone watching.
Karl, standing behind, narrowed his eyes as he observed Lucy’s fight.
Is that what she’s been practicing recently?
It doesn’t seem like she’s fully mastered it yet.
There are still a lot of rough spots. Honestly, I’m starting to question whether there’s a reason to discard her old style.
But if my lady has chosen this path, she must have a reason.
As her servant, I’m supposed to support and encourage her, right?
For now, I’ll keep an eye on her and find a way to offer my advice.
Karl, thinking this way, didn't neglect keeping an eye on Lucy's friends.
He knew that if any of them were injured, Lucy would be deeply upset, so he stayed ready to jump in at a moment’s notice.
However, the more the battle raged on, the more Karl realized that there would be no opportunity for him to step in.
Simply put, Lucy's friends' strength was overwhelmingly superior to the Void followers.
It wasn’t surprising to see Lady Kent, a promising swordswoman, cleave through the golem horde like cutting through leaves.
Her ability to manipulate aura at such a young age was impressive, but given her talent, she was still growing, so there was no need to be astonished now — later, when she was fully refined, it would be nothing short of awe-inspiring.
What was more surprising, though, was the Third Prince.
Karl knew he had acquired the ability to control aura.
However, back when he trained in the Alrn Knights, the prince’s mastery over aura was still clumsy.
The biggest issue was his inability to focus on either swordsmanship or magic, as he attempted to manage both at once.
Trying to balance both without mastering either led to a situation where both were lacking, and many of the knights considered it youthful folly.
The prince had received much advice from the knights, but he stubbornly pursued his own path.
Even now, the Third Prince was far from perfect.
Pursuing both magic and swordsmanship meant sacrificing excellence in both.
But it was true that, compared to his time in the Alrn Knights, he had grown significantly.
Perhaps, if he continued to push his will, he could succeed in the end.
The daughter of the Partlan family had also improved remarkably.
When she had first joined the Alrn Knights, she struggled to handle enemies rushing at her, but now, she could deal with them while supporting her allies and preparing magic for any unforeseen situations.
Her talents had earned high praise from the professors in the magic academy. Did she know that the professors were all trying their best to recruit her into their factions?
And then...
“Professor Karl.”
“What is it, Saintess?”
“Do you see that? There’s an escape route being created over there. If we leave it like this, the followers of the Evil God may escape.”
Was she observing the entire battlefield while the fight raged on? As expected of the Saintess.
“I understand. I’ll have to move.”
Karl nodded, then swiftly moved, stepping over the heads of the golems, and sliced through the Evil God’s magic that was forming in a corner of the room.
Looking at the stunned faces of the followers, he raised his murderous intent.
“If you’re going to die, then die while fighting, trash.”
With the followers of the Void driven out, Karl crossed his arms and watched Lucy and her friends fight.
At this rate, the day when I protect my lady will come sooner than the day when she protects me.
Right before the vacation ended, it seemed as though my friends, after battling countless golems and followers of the Evil God, showed no sign of exhaustion.
Watching them, I felt proud of the grueling training we had undergone.
At this rate, when we go around together again, we might be able to endure long, grueling battles just like we did in the game.
[Quest completed...] [Rewards are being given...]
Finally, this damn quest is cleared! It feels so satisfying!
But why is the pathetic Evil God still sulking?
Was my prayer really that important to him?
Ugh, seriously. I don’t even have to show how perverted he is, he does it all on his own!
He really needs some patience. Why does the so-called “Evil God” act more like a brat than an actual deity?
[Reputation increased!]
But I won’t change my attitude that quickly.
He has no dignity. Pathetic Evil God.
Still, he's the god I serve, so could you please act more like a god? Please?
“What will we do now, Lucy Alrn?”
As I was scolding the useless Evil God, Arthur, having finished restraining the followers, asked.
“We should leave it to this useless academy to handle. They created this mess with their incompetence, so they should clean up after themselves, right?”
“That’s true. It's not our responsibility. They caused this mess by trying to uphold traditions.”
...Right. These golems were supposed to be used for the entrance ceremony.
I got so excited that the annoying issue was solved that I almost forgot something important.
Oh. Oh no.
I wonder if they can be repaired and reused?
They’re pretty destroyed, but if I piece them together carefully, I might be able to use them again.
Is that possible?
Probably not, huh?
As I tried to piece together the golems I had shattered with my mace, I realized there was no chance of fixing them as they collapsed.
<Lucy. Just asking, but do you think you’re going to be reprimanded for this?>
‘...Am I?’
<Of course not! The academy is the one that caused this problem due to mismanagement! You have nothing to be blamed for!>
‘...Right?’
<Exactly! In this case, it’s the academy that should be reprimanded! The fools. Even though the situation was chaotic, how could they not notice the followers of the Evil God infiltrating them!>
Now that I think about it, this is pretty much me solving the academy's mess for them.
If I were to argue, I would, but they can’t reprimand me!
After hearing my grandfather’s advice, I realized I had a strong case, and a wicked thought crossed my mind, making me grin.
This situation, with my status and the solid reasoning behind it, is perfect for me to throw my weight around.
‘Should I ask the academy for something?’
<Good idea. When you call them out for their mistakes, make sure to ask clearly, so they don’t repeat the same mistakes next time.>
My grandfather seemed so frustrated with this incident that instead of stopping me, he gave me advice on how to confront them.
‘...Isn’t that a bit too much?’
<Of course not! They made a similar mistake last year, and now they’re repeating it. They deserve to be properly reprimanded!>
The advice was harsh enough to make me flinch slightly.