When Joy stepped out of the dungeon, the first thing she noticed was the strong scent of blood.
Not the blood of beasts, but of humans. Joy had smelled this blood several times before.
Unlike the other young ladies who remained in the confines of their households, Joy was someone who actively engaged with the world.
That’s why she immediately realized that the blood she was sensing in the forest wasn’t from just one or two people—it was the blood of many. Countless lives had been lost here, and it was not only the blood of those who had died, but also the blood of those who had created this dungeon and spread its ominous energy throughout the forest.
As the once dark and quiet woods began to look even more horrifying, Joy shook her head and turned her gaze to the others around her.
Most of the people present were familiar faces, even to Joy.
There was Kal, the knight who guarded Lucy, and Vici, a face she had seen often at the academy. Prete was also there, someone who had been with them during the dungeon raid.
However, there were two people Joy didn’t recognize.
One was a man with a wild, fierce look in his eyes, his sharp fangs giving him a threatening air. He seemed like someone not to be trifled with.
The other, a woman, had a captivating aura. She seemed like the type of person who would draw attention the moment she entered high society. She looked like she could easily charm someone into a trance if approached.
"Hey, Fabius. Is that woman we saw in the forest the same one?" Joy asked.
"If you’re talking about the lady, yes, that’s her. She’s Partlan's child," Fabius replied.
As Joy watched, the woman, who had been smoking a pipe while observing Lucy, suddenly smiled and approached her.
"It’s been a while. Although it feels strange to say that, you wouldn’t know, but I’ve always been near you all," the woman said.
"Wait, that fox we saw earlier in the forest—was she the forest’s guardian?" Joy asked, her mind suddenly connecting the dots.
The antics of the fox flashed in her mind, and Joy quickly understood. Though the woman appeared calm now, she was far from ordinary.
"Ah, so it’s the same fox spirit who was with Lucy?" Joy mused.
As she thought about it, she remembered how even Prete, when standing before Lucy, became a bit... strange. Even Kal, too.
"Wait, hold on. This is strange. Why do all these people act different when standing in front of Lucy?" Joy thought.
Before she could continue down this line of thought, a warm sensation brushed past her. Without needing to turn, Joy knew whose warmth it was.
The divine energy that surrounded her instantly put her at ease. It was certainly Lucy’s, of course.
Despite having been at the frontlines of the dungeon just moments ago, Lucy was always pushing herself to her limits.
"Ugh, really, you’re such a perverted bastard," Joy muttered under her breath.
"...Huh?" Joy thought she had misheard.
Lucy, who had her hands clasped together in a graceful manner, looked almost holy, even though her hair was messy from the long fight, and her armor was dented and covered in minor wounds. Despite her exhausted appearance, her beauty remained untainted and even radiated holiness.
Joy couldn’t help but doubt whether she had just heard those words correctly, considering Lucy's appearance. It didn’t seem to fit.
While Joy was processing that, divine energy began to radiate around Lucy.
Even compared to Fabius, the saint of the God Church, Lucy’s divine aura was overwhelming. It was far more potent, even perhaps stronger than Fabius' divine energy.
The divine energy around Lucy began to move, swirling with an unmistakable purpose, forming a magic circle above her head.
As a magician, Joy knew this wasn’t divine magic.
Instead, it was something that resembled a more conventional form of magic.
She could sense the energy of domains and the infusion of magical power.
It was amazing. Joy had thought Lucy didn’t know much about magic, but perhaps she simply didn’t know much about magic outside of her own field.
While Joy analyzed the miracle unfolding before her, Fabius, who had been wiping tears from his eyes, was still staring at the scene in awe.
Through Fabius' eyes, she could see that the divine energy was pushing away the malevolent forces that had settled in the forest, bringing life back to the dying woods.
The forest, which had been decaying, was now being reborn, slowly regaining its original form. This was a miracle. A true miracle that Fabius, who was a false saint, couldn’t have achieved. But Lucy, the chosen apostle of the God, could.
Tears flowed from Fabius’ eyes as he watched. Meanwhile, Myrr, the one who led the guardians of the forest, broke down, sobbing, upon witnessing the revival of the forest.
The Apostle of the Art Academy, Prete, had his eyes wide open, engraving the sight of Lucy’s actions into his memory. The fox spirit, Rina, who was of the spirit arts, licked her lips, intrigued by Lucy. Vici, the necromancer, and Adria, the necromancer's servant, hurried to find a place to escape from the divine energy.
Kal, Lucy’s knight, was smiling proudly. Frey, blissfully unaware of what was going on, had a sleepy, contented look on his face.
And Arthur was chewing on his lip, deep in thought.
He had heard Lucy's vulgar words just moments ago. Her statements, which couldn’t possibly be misinterpreted, had shocked him.
Yet, despite that, the God had granted Lucy the miracle. While people of deep faith might find comfort in knowing that the God would show mercy even to a sinner, Arthur wasn’t one of them.
He didn’t doubt the God, but he certainly wasn’t a blind believer.
Recalling the stories of the God, Arthur knew the God was merciful, but also firm. He had the strength to show mercy, but he wasn’t always lenient. Arthur wondered whether this strange behavior from Lucy was due to the God’s mysterious preferences. Could it be?
He didn’t dare voice that thought, however.
Before he could finish his train of thought, something moved behind him.
It was the bear they had just brought out of the dungeon.
Arthur tensed, but the bear’s behavior took him by surprise.
"Ugh?" Arthur heard a strange noise from the bear’s mouth, and suddenly, he relaxed.
The bear's eyes, which had once been fierce and violent, now seemed innocent, as though it was a completely different creature from the savage one in the dungeon.
When Joy received the quest from the incompetent God, the first thing that came to her mind was the skill "Defilement Constriction"—the very skill that the perverted God had given her during a moment of weakness. This skill erased any defilement in the area and prevented new defilements from entering for a period of time. It seemed perfect for the situation at hand.
However, there was one problem.
The limitation of her Defilement Constriction.
Even though she had vast divine power and the ability to recover it quickly, covering the entire forest and purging the defilements from each area was far too inefficient. She might not even be able to finish it within the week.
"How should I do this?" Joy thought as she pondered over the problem, when suddenly, the old man spoke up with the answer.
<Now that you're in your current state, there is a way.>
‘A way in my current state?’
<Yes. You have the power of the God’s Apostle and enormous divine energy. It's possible.>
The old man’s suggestion was a combination of divine magic and ordinary magic.
The idea was to enhance her Defilement Constriction skill using conventional magic to maximize its effect.
At first, it sounded like an easy explanation, but Joy couldn’t shake the doubt.
‘Can I really do that? Is it possible with my intellect?’
<Don’t worry. It won’t be difficult.>
‘...Are you sure it won’t be difficult?’
<What’s this? Lucy, are you doubting yourself? Didn’t you always say not to call yourself foolish? Now you’re admitting you’re dumb?>
‘No! Of course not! I’m totally smart!’
<Then you can do it.>
‘Of course! ...Wait, huh?’
She had been coaxed into believing she could do it, and so, reluctantly, Lucy complied with the task the old man had given her.
Luckily, the magic the old man suggested wasn’t all that difficult. In fact, it was easy enough for Lucy to pull off perfectly.
She successfully activated the spell she had never cast before.
She looked at the scene unfolding above her. The forest was coming back to life. The once dark and ghostly woods were turning into lush green fields before her eyes.
She couldn’t help but smile as she felt her chest swell with pride.
‘Look! I’m really smart!’
<Yeah, yeah, well done, Lucy.>
‘No, I want more sincere praise!’
<Wow! Lucy! You’re amazing! You’re the only one with such outstanding talent! You performed a spell you’ve never done before so perfectly!>
‘That’s it!’
The old man’s words had Lucy grinning, and just as she was basking in her success, a ding sounded, drawing her attention down.
[Quest Complete!]
[Rewards granted!]
[Skills...]
Hmm, this time, what will they give me?
[Recalculating rewards.]
Huh?
[You’ve shattered the plans set by the Followers of the Void!]
[You’ve surpassed the intervention of the Evil God Agra!]
[You’ve defeated the Alchemist!]
[You’ve saved the two rulers of the forest!]
[You’ve fully restored the dying forest!]
Wait... what?!
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
[Rewards enhanced!]
[The Gods, impressed by your deeds, are watching you!]
Wait... what?!