The message appeared, and shortly after, the surrounding fog grew even thicker.
Seeing the ash-gray color mixing into the previously pale smoke, I urgently summoned my holy power and engraved a spell on my shield.
The domain of holiness, which spread from the shield, dispelled the fog around us and formed a safe zone.
The perverted apostle and Fabius, who were beside me, didn’t stay idle.
The perverted apostle handed out accessories blessed by the goddess to his friends, while Fabius reinforced the area by layering his own holy power over mine.
“Lady, this...”
“It looks like that despicable evil god is trying to do something stupid.”
“...Is that so?”
Fabius, who had been on the frontlines fighting the followers of the evil gods, and even recently confronted the Dark Evil God alongside me, clearly understood the seriousness of the current situation.
Even just the power of the Void Evil God alone was enough to be a threat, and now, with the involvement of the evil god's master, Agra, it was no wonder there was a sense of impending danger.
“I’m sorry.”
...Huh? Sorry? For what? I tilted my head in confusion at Fabius's words, and after hearing her continuation, I let out a faint chuckle.
“You entrusted the others to me...”
Fabius, apparently mistaking my laugh as a reprimand, lowered her voice further.
“I... I have not repaid that trust, and now I’ve put them in danger...”
Seeing her like that, I stood on tiptoe and pressed my finger firmly against the bridge of her nose.
Fabius, startled, backed away, covering her nose with both hands.
“Do you think I didn’t know that a useless saint would act like an idiot?”
“...Ah.”
“Has your faith all gone to waste? No wonder you’ve turned into a lecherous saint.”
“Ugh. L-Lecherous saint!?”
Seeing Fabius’s red face, I chuckled softly and pointed to the spot where my holy power remained, speaking firmly.
“Trust me. You’re nothing compared to me.”
Blinking in confusion, Fabius finally seemed to relax, showing a faint smile.
“...Yes. I’ll trust you.”
Once I saw that she had calmed down, I turned my gaze toward my friends.
Though I didn’t know much about the evil god, I was confident that they could sense the danger, so I planned to reassure them.
However, the perverted apostle had already reached them before me.
Aside from dealing with me, there was no doubt that he was a trustworthy apostle of the goddess. He was instilling confidence in my friends, assuring them that nothing would happen to them.
Relieved upon seeing him, I turned my gaze outward, trying to observe the scenery beyond the fog.
But there was nothing to see. The fog had turned completely black, blocking my view of what lay beyond.
I almost clicked my tongue reflexively but forced myself to hold it back.
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I mustn’t show any signs of agitation. If I break down, my anxiety will spread to my friends. In this uncertain situation, I need to remain steadfast.
‘...Grandfather.’
The only person I could show weakness to was my grandfather, and he responded to my call with a playful tone.
<What’s wrong? Didn’t you say before that you’d love it if Agra showed up?>
‘That’s from another dungeon! This is different!’
The reason I wasn’t afraid of Agra’s interference was that I was certain the variables he could create wouldn’t pose a threat to me.
I knew exactly what Agra could do in a dungeon, so I welcomed his involvement with no hesitation.
However, this was a different matter.
The variables created here were completely unknown to me.
This was the first time I had faced a situation where Agra’s interference was happening in a dungeon formed by the powers of another evil god.
<Wasn’t that exactly what you wanted?>
‘W-Well, that’s true, but right now, I’m not alone! That’s something I wanted when I was alone!’
Yes, it was true that I had hoped for something new.
The scenery in the forest had become too boring, and I did shout for something I hadn’t seen before.
But that had been when I was alone and could bear the risks on my own.
It wasn’t the same when my friends were here!
I don’t care if I get hurt or exhausted because of my own mistakes! I can handle that!
But if my mistakes endanger my friends... then I can’t stand it!
<...Lucy.>
Suddenly, my grandfather’s voice grew serious, suppressing my unease.
<Calm down. What will happen if you panic more than your friends?>
‘...Ah.’
<Settle your heart, and trust in yourself. You’re not the type to get troubled by this kind of situation. Hmm, are you a weakling?>
“Pffft!”
I burst into laughter at the word “weakling” that came in my grandfather’s old-fashioned voice, and I tried to ignore the curious looks from others while wiping my face.
<Heh, hurry up and answer. Lucy, you...>
‘I get it. I get it! But please don’t call me weakling in that splendid middle-aged voice. I’ll really look like a crazy woman if I laugh in this situation.’
Yes, my grandfather was right. How could I be in danger when I’ve been part of Soul Academy for so long?
Moreover, the people I’m with now are far better than when I was playing the game.
Worrying about something going wrong in this situation?
That’s an insult to my pride as the “rotten water” of Soul Academy!
Letting out a long sigh to shake off my complicated thoughts, I spoke the first thing that came to my mind.
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
<...Old man who can only talk, should do at least this much.>
‘Well, that’s true. Without this, Grandpa would just be a noisy weapon.’
<Lucy? That’s a very rude way of describing me, don’t you think?>
‘Anyway.’
<You’re just going to brush it off like that?>
‘Anyway!’
I cut off Grandpa’s further questioning with a loud voice and gripped my mace tightly.
“Grandpa, have you seen something like this before?”
<Of course. Back in our time, all the evil gods were at the height of their power.>
Grandpa, who had fought on the frontlines when all the evil gods were active, lowered his voice as if recalling those times.
‘...Could you give me some advice?’
<When another evil god’s power resides in a place and Agra intervenes, it means that power has been enhanced. There’s no completely new variable.>
‘So it’s limited to the Void Evil God’s powers?’
<Yes. At least, that’s what I experienced.>
If it’s limited to the powers of the Void Evil God, then it’s not difficult to understand.
I’ve already conquered countless dungeons created based on the time when the Void Evil God was fully revived. I know exactly what will happen and how to deal with it.
Alright. Now that I’ve sorted things out, it doesn’t feel entirely bad. I know exactly what needs to be done.
I summoned my holy power and fixed my gaze on the black fog.
I couldn’t see beyond it, but it didn’t matter.
What I wanted to see wasn’t the scenery of the world, but the gaps in the fog.
Aesthetic sense didn’t matter in this situation.
The sense that everything around me was not beautiful was something I couldn’t handle properly right now.
However, this wasn’t about weakness detection. This skill, which shows where the enemy would be most troubled, had already pointed out the spots that the owner of this fog was bothered by.
“Useless.”
I shouted, imbuing my voice with holy power, and the attention of my friends shifted toward me.
I met their gazes and raised the corner of my lips into a smirk.
“If you fall behind, I’ll leave you behind, so keep up.”
At that, my friends grabbed their weapons and nodded, and the perverted apostle came closer to me, pointing out a suspicious area.
He certainly had an aesthetic sense, right?
Since he was probably better at using it than I was, he must have pointed out something based on that.
Seeing that the weak point he pointed out was similar to what my skill had detected, I was sure.
If the weakness detection stops working later, I’ll have to ask for his help.
“Let’s go.”
I stepped forward into the fog, and the fog receded from my holy power.
What emerged was a dim, forest-like scene.
The dark forest, so dark that even the moon couldn’t shine through, made it hard to distinguish what was right in front of me.
Seeing the forest, which seemed to have a lot hidden, I hesitated for a moment before deciding not to enter it.
After all, this wasn’t a game, so why should I follow the enemy’s rules?
Right?
“Idiot.”
“What’s wrong, Lady?”
“Destroy everything in front of us. Can you do that?”
I asked, handing a magic-infused gem to Joey, who nodded with a confident smile.
“If I have this, I can do anything.”
Joey took the gem and summoned a few magic circles around him.
Even just looking at them, they appeared complex, and they were something I couldn’t interpret with my knowledge.
But one thing was clear.
The power contained in those magic circles was immense.
Joey combined the magic circles he summoned and placed the gem in the center, creating a magic circle that was three times his size.
Then, the mana in the gem was drawn into the circle, and it began to glow.
“Be careful, everyone.”
Joey’s magic could be described as artillery.
It was an overwhelming force capable of destroying everything in its path.
Seeing the power contained in it, I was sure that if it was aimed at the forest, it would create a huge hole in it. I also admired Joey’s growth.
But my certainty...
My admiration...
Didn’t last long.
The fog that had been surrounding us merged together and blocked Joey’s artillery.
The weakened force of the blast couldn’t penetrate the forest, and it only destroyed the entrance before disappearing.
“...Eh?”
I ignored Joey’s dumbfounded voice and raised my eyebrows as I saw the black fog dissipating.
Hmm, so you want me to follow the rules, huh?
Alright, I’ll do it your way, Agra. But it won’t change the outcome.
You’re still an incompetent loser to me.