Adaptation (3)
"Phoebe! You're finally here!"
Joy beamed the moment she laid eyes on Phoebe's face. The smile was born of happiness at seeing an old friend again — but underneath it lay a flicker of anticipation, too, for all the reactions that friend was about to show.
Even if it's Phoebe, there's no way anyone comes out of training with the Alrn Knight Order in one piece!
Just imagining the Saintess herself start complaining has me grinning like an idiot.
Is this how Lady Arln felt when she invited us over? I know it's a terrible attitude, but I honestly can't stop myself from smiling.
Hee hee. First up is a spar with Countess Alrn, I suppose.
Joy recalled what had happened the first time she'd stood before Benedict. She'd thought she was used to real combat after her steady training with the order — and then Benedict's strike had come flying at her from somewhere she couldn't even see, and she'd gone tumbling through the air.
It's true that Phoebe has more real experience than I do, but against someone as far outside the norm as Benedict, there's only so much anyone can do. She's definitely going to be flustered.
Joy watched Phoebe with a mischievous little thought — and, sadly for her, reality refused to follow the script. Despite being thrown into the spar without warning, Phoebe performed the work of more than one person.
Holding the rear and properly supporting the front line was only to be expected. Before she was a Saintess, Phoebe was an exceptional priestess — there was no way she'd fail at her own role.
What startled Joy was that Phoebe so casually went beyond that role.
"Thank you, Lady Saintess! You saved my life!" — the instant she spotted the front line in danger, she'd composed a holy spell on the spot and pulled them out of it.
"Whoa! You saw that coming?"
"Joy! Magic!"
"...Yes. Four!"
She'd anticipated and countered Benedict's ambush even before Joy did.
"Useless Saintess!"
"Understood!"
And even without Lucy explaining in detail, she'd understood what was meant and used her own magic to create an opening.
Throughout the spar with Benedict, what Phoebe displayed was not the figure of a frail saintess but something closer to a living saint striding through the very heart of the battlefield. Unable to witness her friend squirming as she'd hoped, Joy could only sulk a little — and, at the same time, let a gasp of admiration slip out.
No wonder so many priests look up to her.
Feeling reassured to have Phoebe standing at her side, Joy threw herself into the fight more aggressively than ever.
"Excellent! This just got more interesting!"
With an outstanding priestess like Phoebe added to their ranks, they'd gained a measure of stability — and yet the wall that was Benedict remained impossibly high. Facing a monster one could count on one hand across the entire continent, Lucy's party was simply not ready.
"Not even academy graduates yet, and this is what you can do! The kingdom has a bright future ahead of it!"
After Benedict left them utterly exhausted and walked away, Joy and everyone else who'd stood across from her began collapsing to the floor one by one. They had burned through every last ounce of stamina just holding their ground against that monster. Phoebe was no exception this time — sliding down against the wall, she was too busy catching her ragged breath to think straight.
"Dummy Papa is honestly so childish. A grown man going all-out to beat his own daughter — how is that even a thing?"
The sole exception was Lucy. Blessed from the start with transcendent stamina, she had taken on the hardest role in the spar with Benedict, yet she remained perfectly composed.
"That is supposed to be my Papa. Seriously annoying."
The moment Lucy voiced her exasperation, a heavy thud echoed from somewhere far away. It was a considerable noise — but of everyone present, only Phoebe was startled by it. Everyone who'd spent recent days at the Alrn estate could easily guess who was responsible.
"Useless Saintess."
Phoebe, who'd been glancing around for the source of the sound, hastily whipped her head back at Lucy's voice.
"You look like a blubber-ball, but you move better than expected? Guess you're not all fat, huh?"
Lucy's tone was as provocative as ever — but Phoebe couldn't spare a thought for the words. That radiant, utterly guileless smile had stolen every thought from her head.
Even through the crystal orb I was awestruck, but seeing it with my own two eyes leaves me with nothing but admiration. How can even a figure drenched in sweat look that holy?
It almost feels unfair that I'm only seeing this side of her now.
Nursing a slight pang of jealousy, Phoebe suddenly realized that the divinity dwelling within Lucy had changed from before.
The warmth of her divinity is gentler now. And the amount resting within her seems larger. Above all, it circulates through her body so much more naturally.
You've grown even further while I was away. Truly worthy of the Chief God's Apostle.
"Dopey Saintess. Did your ears grow flesh on them too?"
"...Ah. Forgive me, Lady Arln. My mind wandered for a moment."
"How can you think about something else with this adorable girl right in front of you? So disrespectful. I suppose you think being big makes you the boss?"
Even at Lucy's pouting lips, Phoebe didn't panic. After dealing with the church's hidden rot back at the Church of the Chief God, Lucy's fussing was something she could now find genuinely endearing.
Lucy, evidently displeased by her composure, glared down at her for a moment before seizing Phoebe's cheeks in both hands and pulling.
"A squishy little Saintess, and you're the disrespectful one."
"Pwease fowgive me. Wet go, pwease."
"Hey, Lucy. Let the Saintess go. Play with me instead."
While Lucy squabbled with Phoebe, Frey — who'd recovered her strength — shuffled over to Lucy's side and thrust her own cheek out expectantly. Lucy stared at her in silence for a beat, then yanked Frey's cheek out as far as it would go.
"Ow! Owowow!"
"You asked for it, pervert swordswoman."
"...Lucy mean."
Watching the scene unfold, Phoebe burst out laughing before she could stop herself.
A few days after Phoebe's return, Benedict announced that she could no longer afford to spar with us.
"I have engagements with the people of House Alrn and the surrounding nobility."
Benedict explained to me that she didn't actually want to go — but I couldn't have cared less about that. There was simply too much she'd put me through to let this slide without payback.
Having succeeded, through the dazzling movement of my lips and tongue, in turning Benedict into a coward who'd flee at the sight of me, I gathered up my friends, who lay sprawled on the ground in exhaustion.
Now that sparring with Benedict is off the table, there's no reason to stay at House Alrn anyway, right?
Everyone grumbled about having their precious sliver of rest stolen from them — but the moment they heard what I brought up next, their expressions changed completely.
"We're clearing a dungeon?"
"We finally get to escape this hell again?!"
"Are we betting this time too?"
Perhaps because our last dungeon run had been comparatively leisurely, the three who'd joined us back then lit up at the news. They'd apparently decided that real combat experience beat grinding through the hellish training of the Alrn Knight Order.
I said nothing, and just watched them celebrate.
The purpose of this dungeon visit is completely different from last time. Last time was about honing their dungeon-clearing skills — this time, we're going there to grind.
I wonder if they'll still be making those faces after being locked in a dungeon twenty hours a day, hunting monsters.
<Do you have any idea how utterly sinister your face looks right now?>
'Does it? Must be all the sinister thoughts I'm having.'
<...Perhaps a little modesty would serve you better.>
'Why bother? It's just you and me in here, Grandpa!'
Grandfather fell silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh and complained in a tone caught somewhere between exasperation and bemusement.
<This is the first time in my life I've been grateful for your insolent tongue.>
'What's that supposed to mean?'
Thank goodness for the Mesugaki Skill! Do you have any idea how much this wretched skill has made me suffer?!
"Lady Arln. May I join you this time as well?"
Just as I was about to press Grandpa further, Jackal slid in beside me. It seemed being left behind last time still weighed on him; an earnest desperation had seeped into his eyes as he posed the question.
"You want to come along with me that badly?"
"Yes! I don't want to be left alone in this hell again!"
"You look suuuuuch a desperate little thing. Like a stray dog. It's honestly pitiful."
"Th-then—"
"But what am I to do? There's no spot for the Inferior Young Master this time either. Heh heh. Guess you'll be a loner again. I suppose that's just your destiny."
It truly was a shame, but with Phoebe back in the fold, there was simply no place for Jackal. With lukewarm rapport and lukewarm usefulness as a party member, he could hardly rank high on the priority list.
Perhaps the sight of Jackal crumbling at being abandoned yet again tugged at someone's heart — Phoebe spoke up carefully.
"Um, Lady Arln? Couldn't he come along anyway? Even if we exceed the party size, we could rotate shifts."
"Useless Saintess. Don't pity an abandoned dog. A dog gets abandoned for a reason."
"...I see."
It wasn't as if I didn't feel sorry for Jackal. Even so, the reason I couldn't take him wasn't just efficiency — it was that someone else was already lined up to take him off our hands.
Back when we'd visited House Burrow, Karia had already declared she'd take Jackal and put him to work. Once she arrived, he'd be free of this hell too.
Whether the hell waiting for him after that would be even worse, or merely on par with this one, though — that I couldn't promise.
"Boss! It's been a while."
As it happened, Karia arrived at the Alrn estate that very evening — the same day I'd made up my mind about the dungeon. She met with Benedict first for a long talk, then came to me and told me about what had happened between the Second Queen and Heishan.
"At first they were ridiculously awkward around each other. But once they started talking, they warmed right back up."
The Second Queen, who'd committed the wrong in the first place, had already resolved to bow her head, and Heishan, having heard the ugly story, understood her position as well — so rather than a true reconciliation, their conversation had simply unfolded in a warm atmosphere from start to finish.
"Thanks to that, I was able to strike a deal with the Second Queen with ease."
Beyond intel on the First Queen's movements, Karia had managed to squeeze all sorts of things out of her — and there was a faintly sinister satisfaction in the way she said it.
Second Queen. You've become a complete sucker.
Can't blame her, though. How could anyone NOT get played in front of a woman who reads your feelings and thoughts from nothing but your body language? Thank god Karia's on our side. If she'd been on the other side, I can't even imagine how badly we'd have been bled dry.
"Here's some information I picked up along the way — the academy professors aligned with the First Queen's faction are moving actively inside the academy. I don't know their exact objective, but I'd be careful."
Along with the warning, Karia handed me a note bearing the names of several academy professors. Most of the names written there were ones I'd already expected — the very people who'd aided the First Queen in the main storyline.
Including Luka's.
I giggled to myself at his name and handed the paper back to Karia.
"Shouldn't you hang onto it?"
"Auntie, you're being way too paranoid. Do I really look dumb enough to lose to trash like that?"
If anything, a rise in events was welcome news — it meant even more room for me to grow. So what I needed to do right now wasn't worry about the professors' movements. It was to grow strong enough to overcome whatever hardship came barreling my way.
"Anyway — did you find out about the dungeon I mentioned?"
"I sent my apprentice to handle it. You're free to use it as you please until the semester break ends."
"Good."
"But Boss. What exactly are you planning there? That place is crawling with monsters and the rewards are garbage — adventurers avoid it like the plague."
"Auntie, you're such a dummy — you can only see what's right in front of you, huh? A place overflowing with pathetic trash-tier monsters is exactly what I want."
It's perfect for grinding, after all.