Not long after a message appeared, the mist around us thickened.
Seeing the ash-gray mix with the pale smoke, I quickly gathered my divine power and engraved a spell on my shield.
The sacred domain I spread, based on my shield, pushed the mist away, creating a safe zone.
The Perverted Apostle beside me and Faivy didn’t just stand by.
The Perverted Apostle handed out accessories blessed by the goddess to his friends, while Faivy reinforced the area by overlaying her own divine power onto mine.
“Lady, this—”
“It looks like some pathetic evil god is trying to make a move.”
“...Is that so?”
Faivy, who had fought on the front lines against the followers of the Evil God and just recently faced the Dark Evil God alongside me, understood the severity of the situation far too well.
The power of just the Void Evil God was enough to be threatening, but now with the Evil God’s master, Agra, involved, how could anyone not feel the impending danger?
“I’m sorry.”
...Hmm? Sorry? What for? Not understanding Faivy’s words, I tilted my head, but then I heard her next words and let out a small laugh.
“I was entrusted with the others, but...”
Seeing her lowering her voice as if thinking my laughter was a rebuke, I lifted myself on tiptoe and pressed my finger to Faivy’s nose.
Startled, Faivy covered her nose with both hands and stepped back.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know a foolish saint would do something stupid?”
“...Ah.”
“Did your faith all go to your flesh? This is why you become a perverted saint.”
“Ugh. A perverted saint?!”
Looking at Faivy, her face red, I chuckled, pointing to the spot where my divine power lingered and spoke firmly.
“Trust me. You’re nothing compared to me.”
Faivy blinked, then finally relaxed, a slight smile forming on her face.
“...Okay. I’ll trust you.”
After confirming her relief, I shifted my gaze toward the others.
Though I didn’t know much about the Evil God, I was sure they would sense the danger. I was going to assure them of that.
But by the time I turned, the Perverted Apostle had already reached them.
Aside from when he was facing me, I had no doubts about the Perverted Apostle’s reliability as a servant of the goddess. He was now instilling confidence in my friends, assuring them there was nothing to fear.
Seeing this, I felt a bit of relief and turned my attention back to scanning the mist beyond us.
But there was nothing visible. The mist, now dyed black, didn’t allow me to see anything beyond it.
I almost clicked my tongue unconsciously, but I forced myself to hold back.
I can’t show any signs of uncertainty. If I break down, my friends will feel the same. In this situation, where I don’t know what danger may strike, I need to remain a firm presence.
‘...Grandfather.’
The one person I could afford to show my weakness to, I called out, and my grandfather responded in a playful voice.
<What’s wrong? Didn’t you just wish for Agra to come here already?>
‘That’s about a different dungeon! Not here!’
The reason I wasn’t afraid of Agra’s involvement lately was that I was confident his interventions wouldn’t pose a threat to me.
I knew exactly what Agra could do in any dungeon, so I welcomed his involvement.
But not here.
The variable in this place was one I didn’t know about.
It was the first time I was facing a dungeon created with the power of another Evil God, with Agra involved.
<Isn’t that exactly what you wanted?>
‘Well... yes, but! I’m not alone now! This is different from when I was by myself!’
Yes, it’s true that I wished for something new.
The forest scenery was so dull that I had shouted for something I hadn’t seen to be presented.
But that was only when I could handle the danger on my own.
Not when my friends are here!
If I get hurt or put in danger because of my mistake, I can handle that. That’s something I can accept!
But if my mistake causes something bad to happen to my friends, then I—
<...Lucy.>
Suddenly, my grandfather’s voice became serious, silencing my anxious thoughts.
<Calm down. If you panic more than your friends, what are you going to do?>
‘...Ah.’
<Settle down and trust yourself. You’re not some weakling who would get overwhelmed by something like this.>
“Pfft!”
At the word “weakling” from his old-fashioned voice, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud and, despite the curious stares from others, wiped my face.
<Hey, hurry up and answer. Lucy, you—>
‘I got it. I got it. But don’t call me a weakling with that fancy middle-aged voice. If I laugh in this situation, I’ll really look like a crazy woman.’
Yeah, grandfather was right. How long have I been in Soul Academy? There’s no way I’ll be in danger because of some variable.
And besides, the members with me now are way better than when I played the game.
Worried that something might go wrong in this situation?
That’s attacking my pride as the rotten water of Soul Academy!
Sighing deeply, I pushed those complicated thoughts away and focused on what I needed to do first.
‘Thanks, grandfather.’
<...I’m just an old man who can only speak. I have to do something like this.>
‘That’s true. If you don’t do this, you’re just a noisy weapon.’
<Lucy? Saying I’m a noisy weapon seems rather rude, don’t you think?>
‘Anyway.’
<You’re just going to skip past that?>
‘Anyway!’
I ended the conversation with grandfather by shouting, grabbed my mace, and continued.
‘Grandfather, have you ever seen something like this?’
<I have. Back in our time, when all the Evil Gods had their full powers.>
Grandfather, who had fought on the front lines when all the Evil Gods were unleashed, as opposed to now when they were sealed and couldn’t use their power, lowered his voice as he seemed to recall those days.
‘...Can you give me some advice?’
<When another Evil God’s power is present, Agra’s intervention means that power will be enhanced. No completely new variables will appear.>
‘So, it’s still limited to the Void Evil God’s power?’
<Yes. At least, that’s what I experienced.>
If it’s limited to the Void Evil God’s power, then this isn’t too complicated.
I’ve cleared countless dungeons made based on the Void Evil God’s full resurrection, and I know exactly what will happen and how to deal with it.
Alright. Now that the situation is clearer, I don’t feel as bad. I know exactly what to do.
Gathering my divine power throughout my body, I stared at the black mist with my full attention.
I can’t see beyond it, but that’s fine.
What I’m looking for isn’t the scenery of the world but the gaps within the mist.
Aesthetic sense doesn’t matter in this situation.
Right now, this feeling of everything being ugly is something I can handle.
But it’s not about finding weaknesses. This skill, which shows where the opponent is most likely to feel discomfort, pointed out the places that the owner of the mist is most likely bothered by.
“Useless.”
As I shouted with divine power in my voice, all my friends’ gazes turned to me.
I met their eyes and smiled, lifting the corners of my mouth.
“If you fall behind, I’ll leave you behind. So keep up.”
The moment I said that, my friends nodded and gripped their weapons, while the Perverted Apostle approached me and pointed out a place he found strange.
Surely, the Perverted Apostle also had an aesthetic sense, right?
He was more skilled than I was in using it, so it was likely through that sense that he pointed it out.
Seeing that the location he indicated was similar to the one my skill had pointed out, I was sure of it.
If a situation comes where even my skill doesn’t work, I’ll have to ask him for help.
“Let’s go.”
As I moved towards where the mist was thickest, my divine power caused it to part.
What was revealed was the dark landscape of the forest.
The scenery of the forest at night, darker than the dark sky, made it hard to distinguish what lay ahead.
Looking at the forest, which seemed to hide many things, I hesitated for a moment but then decided not to enter it.
After all, this isn’t a game. Why should I follow the enemy’s rules?
Right?
“Idiot.”
“What’s wrong, Lady?”
“Blow everything up until we reach that point. Can you do it?”
I asked as I pulled out a gemstone filled with mana from my inventory and handed it over, and Joy nodded with a confident smile.
“If we have this, we can do anything.”
After receiving the gemstone, Joy conjured several magic circles around her.
They looked incredibly complex, something my knowledge couldn’t even begin to interpret.
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But there was one thing I could tell for sure.
The power within those magic circles was incredibly strong.
Combining the magic circles she had created, Joy summoned a massive one that could easily be three times her size and placed the gemstone in the center.
The mana inside the gemstone was sucked into the magic circle, and it began to glow.
“Watch out, everyone.”
To describe Joy’s magic in one word—artillery.
A bombardment that would crush everything in its path with overwhelming power.
Having felt the power contained in it, I was sure that if that shot were fired into the forest, it would create a huge hole. I couldn’t help but admire Joy’s growth.
However, my certainty didn’t last.
My admiration didn’t last long either.
The mist around us, which had been swirling, merged together and blocked Joy’s bombardment.
The weakened blast didn’t penetrate the forest, only destroying the entrance before fading away.
“...Eh?”
Ignoring Joy’s bewildered voice, I raised an eyebrow as I saw the black mist dispersing.
Hmm. Were they telling me to follow the rules?
Well, fine.
Agra, I’ll do what you want. But it won’t change the result.
You’re a weakling who has lost countless times to me.