<Hey, girl, about that Favie girl...>
On the way back after receiving the mace from Favie, just after leaving the church, the old man cautiously spoke up.
‘What about her?’
<She seems to be going through a lot of turmoil.>
‘Favie?'
I tilted my head in confusion at his words.
It made no sense because the Favie I knew was like a mighty tree.
A person as steadfast as a tree that wouldn’t fall no matter how fierce the storm.
A person who could shelter everyone under her vast shade.
Even if a few roots were to rot, she would still grow taller without wavering.
That’s the kind of person Favie is.
Even in her personal story, where she faced countless trials, she never once frowned and always maintained the composure of a saint. There’s no way someone like that would be shaken without any reason.
<And it seemed like she was jealous of you.>
‘Come on, that’s ridiculous.’
Grandpa, if you’re going to make accusations, at least make them believable.
Jealousy and Favie don’t belong in the same sentence.
I’ve played through her route in the game countless times, and not once did I see the saint display jealousy toward anyone.
Why are you trying to paint a girl with no connection to you as some kind of villain?
<Girl, do I have any reason to lie?>
‘...Are you saying Favie is really jealous of me?!’
Huh?
Why?
What could she possibly be jealous of? Objectively speaking, is there anything about me that would make Favie feel envious?
I can’t wrap my head around it.
‘Why?’
<She seems to envy the divine favor you’ve received from Armathi.>
So, it’s that part.
I guess it makes sense. She’s spent her whole life devoutly worshiping the gods, yet she’s never heard their voice, while just recently, a Mesugaki who used to wreak havoc in the church is now receiving divine blessings. That must be infuriating for her.
If I were in her shoes, I’d probably think, “Screw this perverted god, like I’d ever believe in you again.” But Favie isn’t that kind of person.
Now that I think about it, this situation never occurred in the game.
In the game, Armathi never spoke to the player.
So I don’t know exactly how Favie would react when faced with a player who received the goddess’s favor.
But I can make an educated guess.
I know what kind of person she is.
‘She’ll be fine.’
Favie might waver.
She might even stumble.
Even though she holds the title of saint and is closer to the divine than anyone else, she’s still human.
But Favie will be okay.
In the end, she always overcomes and smiles—that’s the kind of character Saint Favie is.
I believed in the bright smile she showed at the end of her dark personal story.
<I hope so.>
‘Don’t worry. When have I ever been wrong?’
<...You do have a point.>
‘But more importantly, Grandpa, let’s talk about how I can get stronger from here.’
This is the more pressing issue.
Given that I’m marked as Armathi’s apostle, who knows how many threats will come my way.
Nakrard attacked me earlier, sensing Armathi’s presence in me, and ignored his original plan just to kill me.
Who knows how many more times this will happen in the future.
The best way to prepare is for me to become stronger.
It’s better to prepare to crush any variables rather than shivering in fear over what might happen.
<You’re already quite strong, though.>
‘It’s not enough.’
If it were just about physical specs, I could grind and improve them myself.
But combat skills are different. You can’t just grind your way to expertise.
Right now, I rely on Grandpa’s judgment in critical moments. But that’s not good enough.
When fighting Nakrard, I realized that waiting for Grandpa’s advice was too slow.
I need to reach a level where I can make the same judgments as Grandpa before he even speaks.
‘I don’t want to die.’
<...I understand. I’ll think about what we can do.>
‘Thanks, Grandpa. And one more thing.’
<What is it?>
‘You remember all the lessons I’ve taken at the academy, right?’
So, here’s the thing—a quest just popped up, telling me to take first place in the midterms.
The problem is, I spent most of the academy lectures making out with my desk.
So if someone asks me what I’ve learned so far, all I can say is, “Uh...”
I really need your help, Grandpa!
<Hah. Girl.>
‘Yes?’
<Couldn’t you invest even a tenth of the passion you show during training into your studies? Didn’t I tell you before? As a noble...>
Grandpa let out a sigh at my shameless request and then launched into a lecture.
It’s not the first time I’ve heard this, so I just let it go in one ear and out the other.
You’re going to help me anyway, right, Grandpa?
I already figured out long ago that you’re a tsundere!
As I was preparing for training with Freyr as usual, Joy came to see me.
She better not be here to say thank you again after all the thanks she gave me in the infirmary yesterday.
If that’s really the case, I’ll use my Mesugaki skills to make her forget all about gratitude.
But as I waited for Joy to speak, the words that came out of her mouth were completely unexpected.
“Please help me become stronger.”
Uh... what?
What did you say?
Help you become stronger?
Why would Joy, a mage, ask me for that? There are plenty of more reliable sources she could turn to for advice, aren’t there?
Like other professors at the academy,
Or a teacher brought in through the Partran family’s connections.
Of course, I can help Joy.
I’ve trained all kinds of characters at Soul Academy, not just melee ones.
I’m an experienced player who knows how to train every class in the game.
But I’m curious about her motive for asking me this question.
‘Why ask me?’
“Blockhead, can’t you think of anything else? Why would a mage ask a knight for help?”
“I’m not asking for guidance in magic. I want to become someone who can stand by your side. To repay my debt to you.”
I roughly understood what Joy was saying.
She wants to repay the debt she owes me for saving her life by standing by my side.
So she’s asking me to help her become someone I’d want to keep by my side?
To put it differently...
‘You want to party with me?’
“Heh~ Blockhead, you want to party with me? Did you actually enjoy being teased by me? You perverted lady~ So gross~”
“...Setting aside the last part, yes, I want to be in the same party as Lady Allen.”
Having Joy as a party member would be great.
She was an excellent mage in the game, after all.
Depending on how you structure the party, Joy was always a top choice when you needed a powerful rear guard.
Since I often feel like I’m lacking in damage during battles, I have no reason to refuse Joy’s request to join the party.
However...
‘If you want to be a party member, I won’t refuse. But...’
“If you’re begging to join, I could let you in, but can you handle a dungeon, you pathetic coward?”
That’s the problem.
Joy has a trauma related to dungeons from an incident in an alchemist’s dungeon in the past.
No matter how capable she is, a mage who can’t enter dungeons is useless.
If she can’t overcome this, I can’t accept her as a party member.
As I stared at her, waiting for an answer, Joy hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding.
“I... think I’ll be okay.”
‘Really?’
“Blockhead, I know you love me, but don’t bluff. You might actually wet yourself this time.”
“Maybe on my own, I wouldn’t be, but if you’re by my side, Lady Allen, I’ll be fine.”
I’ll be fine if you’re with me.
Hearing those careful words from Joy made it impossible for me to hold back my laughter.
I was already thrilled when I saw that her favorability had exceeded 70, but seeing my favorite character rely on me in person was too much to contain.
‘So you’ll be fine if I’m there!’
“Ahaha♡ You can’t do anything without me, can you? Pathetic~ Coward~ Don’t tell me you can’t go to the bathroom at night without me?”
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
I could see Joy’s hands trembling as she clasped them tightly, but there was nothing I could do.
I had dreamed of this moment, but never thought it would actually happen. How could I not laugh?
It was only after I’d laughed myself breathless that I finally noticed Joy standing with her head bowed, her face bright red.
Hmm, maybe I went a bit too far.
‘Alright, Joy. Let’s go into the dungeon together.’
“Alright. You’re just a helpless little lady without me, aren’t you? I’ll take care of you.”
“Thank you.”
Joy’s voice trembled as she replied.
Joy, you might be regretting this now, but it’s too late.
You can come in, but you can’t leave whenever you want.
Now that you’ve asked to be part of an experienced party, you’re going to have to reach the level I expect.
‘But there’s a condition.’
“But blockhead, I can’t take care of you for free. There’s a condition.”
“What is it?”
‘Follow everything I say to the letter, and don’t give up halfway.’
“Do everything I say. No backing out like some coward halfway through.”
In the game, I couldn’t personally manage the training schedule of my NPC companions.
At best, I could set the general direction.
But this is the real world.
I can do everything the game’s system prevented me from doing before.
In the game, all I could do was make sure they learned good skills and equipped good items. But now, I can personally shape and polish Joy from start to finish.
Is there any veteran player who wouldn’t be excited about that?
I guarantee there isn’t.
As Joy crossed her arms and gave me a confident smile, she spoke up.
“What do you take me for, Lady Allen? Do I look like someone who would give up so easily?”
‘Really?’
“Are you sure? Confident? I bet you, pathetic blockhead, won’t last a day.”
“I won’t disappoint you.”
Seeing the determination in Joy’s eyes, I nodded.
If she’s that resolute, who am I to stop her?
Ah, I have no choice.
I didn’t want to push my favorite character too hard, but if she insists, what can I do?
I’ll have to put her through the wringer.