Chapter: 242
Suddenly, my mind went completely blank, and it was impossible to understand what Joy was saying.
No. So, um…
Huh?
<...ah i see.>
‘What do you mean?’
[You find it peculiar that someone would go to visit the sick using the power of the Ducal Family, right?]
…So this is roughly how it is?
Lucy suddenly asked the Duke to visit the Burrow Family.
There’s no way she’d make such a request without a reason, so there must be something behind it.
The connection between Lucy and the Burrow Family is the Inferior Prince alone.
So it’s clear Lucy is interested in the Inferior Prince.
That last comment condenses everything that was left unsaid.
After a long struggle, I successfully grasped the context, but that didn’t erase the feeling of absurdity.
I have so much to say, but first, I need to repay the price for making me bewildered. Joy.
“Your brain is all pink, huh?♡ Are you jealous?♡ So the silly one has feelings for the Inferior Prince?♡”
“…Huh? No, I don’t!”
“Don’t worry!♡ I’m not interested in that waste either!♡ Oh, is it bad to call someone my friend a waste?♡”
“I’m telling you, I’m not!”
Seeing Joy turn as red as her brain, she squeaked loudly.
From her reaction, it looks like she really isn’t interested.
Why are you trying to connect me with a guy you’re not even interested in, silly?
Considering Joy’s age and her high school girl personality, it makes sense to be obsessed with romance, but she should keep me out of it!
I’m a bit annoyed. Really?
As I sighed, struggling to hold back my frustration, Joy subtly glanced at me.
“…Are you really not interested?”
‘Actually, the opposite…’
“Let me ask you. Silly. Why do you think I’d be interested in that kind of guy?”
“That’s… um…”
Huh? Why is she stuttering?
It’s definitely a suspicious reaction.
Not saying anything and just looking at her with a disapproving glare, Joy finally couldn’t take it and spoke up.
“…There was a rumor.”
What Joy referred to was when I tried to raise the Inferior Prince’s favorability.
I attempted to give him a necklace, but he rejected me coldly.
After that, I gave up trying to raise his favor. To me, that incident was just a last-ditch effort for survival, but the students of Soul Academy all accepted it as if it were true.
It was said that Lucy Allen had shown favor towards Jack Burrows but was rejected.
“That rumor spread widely among noble ladies back then. It quickly vanished since there wasn’t any contact after that.”
Hearing Joy’s story, my head went dizzy.
If such a rumor existed, that changes everything. The silly one probably thought it was true.
I understood why I didn’t hear that rumor. If it were true, bringing it up in front of me would strike a nerve.
…I can’t help but wonder if Jack is also under such a misunderstanding.
Could it be that the huge rejection I faced back then was because of this?
Did I confess without even knowing and got rejected?!
I didn’t mean to! Well, I did want to raise the favor, but…
Aaargh!
I shouldn’t have asked! Listening to this just ruined my mood!
Should I go to Luca and ask him to erase my memory?
“The fact that you’re not reacting great means it was just a baseless rumor, right?”
‘Of course!’
“That guy thinks he can match with someone as cute, beautiful, and capable as me? Silly. Want some glasses?”
“…Young Lady. The term ‘Young Lady’ has been gone for quite some time.”
While casually ignoring Joy’s remarks, I pondered.
In the end, such rumors spread just because I gave a gift only to Jack.
In that case, I could gradually give away the gifts I’ve prepared to the people around me.
After all, the gifts I plan to give them for their birthdays are all purchased from the auction house.
“Are you really not interested? Everything is just fine, right?”
Despite me having said it multiple times, Joy still checked as if confirming.
Why doesn’t she believe me! Is it such a big deal that I wanted to give him a necklace?!
Fine! Fine! I could just give you a gift too, Joy!
Annoyed, I pulled an item out of my inventory and held it out to Joy.
“…What’s this?”
It was a necklace with a red gem embedded in it.
It’s made to store a little bit of magic power so that it can be replenished in emergencies.
It has value as a jewel but is more practical than anything.
‘Since your birthday is coming soon…’
“Your birthday is coming up soon, right? So I prepared this, but since you keep nagging, I’ll just give it to you early. Satisfied now, you greedy silly?”
“…Huh?! No! I wasn’t asking about that!”
‘Really?…’
“Really? Then can I take it back?”
As I teased her because I was still annoyed by Joy’s earlier fluster, she snatched the necklace as if to keep it away from me.
“Y-You said it was a birthday gift! I can’t give it back!”
Seeing her clutch it with both hands as if it were precious made me involuntarily smile.
Well, anyway, I’m glad if she liked the gift.
*
After asking Ducal Lord Partlan for help, I spent this week preparing for my visit to the Burrow family.
Most of it was to ensure that I could detect any abnormalities, and a few of them were preparations for survival in the worst-case scenario.
For instance…
Preparing against the black wizard residing within the Burrow family’s territory.
Or preparations against the dangers that may arise in the nearby dungeon.
Also, prepping for the dangerous individuals harboring ill will toward the Burrow family.
Thanks to this, I almost spent all the money I received from the first dungeon clear reward at the Academy.
Money can always be retrieved later, but it’s painful to see several hundred gold coins vanish like that.
Still, I succeeded in thoroughly preparing to the extent of filling up my inventory, so I’m not disappointed.
Aside from that, during the remaining time, I focused on personal training.
In other words, I just went about my usual business.
I repeatedly trained personally.
In practice mode, I practiced handling divine magic with Grandpa and worked hard to complete the skills I had used against the Second Prince.
Whenever I had the chance, I’d visit Luca and overcome suitable trials to increase my stats.
I also shared various grind methods I know with Joy, Arthur, and Frey so they could get stronger.
And I trained Phoebe, who said she wanted to participate in training to increase her stamina.
Oh, right. I managed to secure first place in the second semester midterms.
Of course, it wasn’t solely due to my abilities. While the practical exams were okay, there were still many rough edges in the written tests.
I didn’t even receive help from Grandpa. He said I should solve it myself unless it’s urgent, so he didn’t even give advice.
So how did I successfully maintain first place? Finally, I utilized the logging function properly!
Hehe. Just before the test, I successfully recorded the test range, preventing the previous records from disappearing, and I achieved overwhelming scores.
For reference, Arthur came in second, and Joy came in third. I’m curious when Arthur found time to study written exams amidst all the grinding we did.
He truly is a genius!
Recently, I also assigned a task to tackle the Academy dungeon to Joy, Arthur, Frey, and Phoebe.
To tell them not to rely solely on me, the cheat.
The conditions were simple. Completely clear the Academy dungeon before the end of the second semester.
Even the newbies at Soul Academy could accomplish it in their first run if they focus.
With the members being that good, and with someone like Arthur leading them, I thought things would progress quite smoothly. But an unexpected variable emerged.
Frey suddenly refused to cooperate. As soon as my grip on her eccentric behavior loosened, it manifested.
“But the prince’s strategy is boring.”
“…That boring thing is usually referred to as standard, Kent Young Lady.”
“Regardless, it’s still boring!”
I could clearly see Arthur trying to contain his growing anger while having a serious conversation with Frey, but I didn’t help him.
As the group project leader, one must face a troll once in a while.
Arthur. Consider it a learning experience that will help you grow.
[So what’s your true intent?]
‘I can’t be the only one suffering.’
Let him understand how much I struggled with Frey’s antics. Arthur!
And witness Frey trolling like the users of Soul Academy while screaming in agony!
[What a personality.]
One day, while spending time like this, I received contact from Ducal Lord Partlan.
Finally, the day had come for the hospital visit preparation.
*
On the morning of the day Partlan mentioned, after finishing my preparations, I stepped outside to confirm the members I had gathered to investigate the Burrow family’s abnormalities.
“Long time no see outside.”
First was the Sloppy Fox.
He’s such a creepy pervert that I really didn’t want to have him around, but it couldn’t be helped this time.
Among the members I can mobilize, there’s no one more specialized in various techniques or mental-related matters than him.
“Let’s hope he can help Duke Burrow.”
Next is Phoebe.
Though she still possesses abilities beyond mine when it comes to divine magic, she will be a great help if the problems of the Burrow family are related to Evil Gods.
To be honest, I didn’t expect to bring Phoebe along. I was unsure whether the church would allow it.
I’m not sure if it was because she judged that it’d be beneficial to bless the Burrow Duke, or if asking Johan had some effect, but anyway, I managed to receive permission.
Thanks to that, I now have reliable support.
“Lady? Can I go back?”
– That’s right. Lady Allen. Is it really okay to be next to the Saintess? I feel uneasy about being purified!
‘Whatever you want…’
“Weren’t you the one who said to do whatever? You’re a mere attendant, are you backing down now?”
Third is Adri.
She possesses one of the top abilities among necromancers currently existing on the continent.
I reasoned that if something related to black magic were to happen in the Burrow duke’s mansion, she would detect it immediately, so I included her in the group.
So, I can’t just send her back. It would be problematic if the black magic detector decided to flee that day.
Visi? Visi is a bonus to get Adri here. Without Visi, Adri can’t move.
“If you really do that, I won’t stop you. But…”
Just as I was giving a warning, the two of them fiercely agreed with me.
Sigh. Seriously. I’ve already told Phoebe multiple times not to worry about it.
Look. She’s smiling at me playfully, so don’t freak out and greet her politely. Got it?
“Is it Visi? Since you came here, there’s no choice. Just do it. I don’t want to offend that guy.”
‘Arthur?…’
“Pitiful Prince. What have I done to you? Oh, you want me to do something from now on. Since my teacher is a fool, it seems I’ve become a fool myself. It seems like there’s no choice. From next week on, the training menu…”
“Just kidding! Just kidding! Don’t try to kill me for a mere comment!”
And last.
Arthur.
He has connections with Jack personally, so he will surely serve as a reason to meet him.
With this, all preparations are complete.
Now, I just need to head to the Burrow family to uncover the abnormalities.
‘Let’s go.’
“Let’s go, you Sloppy bunch.”
I secretly wish I was just exaggerating, hoping that the Shoddy God was just playing a trick…
But…
…That’s highly unlikely. Just like it has always been.
