Alsetin, surprised by the dramatic reaction, let out a hollow laugh as Nick quietly appeared beside him, handing over a towel.
“Sorry about that. Maybe my ears were playing tricks on , but I thought I heard sothing strange.”
Seeing this, Karl awkwardly smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.
“You didn’t mishear anything.”
“Are you really asking if I enjoy being hit by girls?”
“Yeah.”
“Why would you ask that?”
Karl’s frown was filled with seriousness.
He didn’t understand why he was being asked such a question.
“Why? Are you seriously asking?”
“Of course! I’m a knight of the Alrn family. Just the thought of being suspected of sothing like that is offensive!”
“...Are you really serious about this?”
“On the contrary, why would you think that about ?”
“Just look at how you act around Lady Alrn!”
Alsetin raised his voice for the first ti in response to Karl’s unreasonable claim.
“You enjoy being treated like a dog by the lady! And when derogatory words are softened, you feel sad instead!”
“Ah. Is that what you’re referring to?”
“Finally understanding, huh?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“What?”
Hearing the question thrown back at him, Alsetin pressed his palm hard against the bridge of his nose.
Does this guy genuinely believe he’s completely sane?!
I always thought he was a bit off, but I didn’t expect it to be this serious!
“Why are you so clueless as an elite who graduated from the academy? Did you hit your head while working as a knight?!”
“No. I understand why you found it strange. It could definitely appear that way.”
As Karl nodded, Alsetin, frustrated, gulped down his drink and shouted.
“But why do you think there’s anything wrong with it?!”
“Take a mont to listen. I’ll explain.”
“Ugh. Fine, go ahead.”
“First, there’s sothing you need to know. My dream. I wanted to beco an ideal knight like the ones in the bards’ tales.”
Karl said this and began recounting the stories of knights he rembered.
The one who beca a skeleton knight to protect his master’s grave.
The one who stood at the front lines of battle to fulfill his master’s wishes.
The one who remained loyal even after becoming a prisoner, only to lose his head.
Along with these, Karl recounted the deeds of countless knights from songs.
“Do you know what their common trait is? They all served an ideal master.”
Karl had no desire to beco a tragic hero.
Even if his master’s incompetence highlighted the knight’s capabilities.
Because Karl wanted to achieve his dreams, not to earn pity.
“Think about it. Aside from her slightly rough tone, isn’t Lady Alrn close to being that ideal master?”
When Karl first decided to serve Lucy, it couldn’t truly be called recognition for her.
He wanted to repay the person who had forgiven him for his shortcomings; it wasn’t about recognizing Lucy or dedicating himself to her.
However, as he stayed by Lucy’s side, his thoughts gradually changed.
She was soone who would throw herself into danger for others.
If she believed it was necessary, she was soone who could overco hesitation.
In even the most extre situations, she never knew how to give up.
She had enough talent to overwhelm everyone at the Soul Academy, where the kingdom’s greatest talents converged.
“At so point, I realized. Lady Alrn is the ideal master I dread of.”
How miraculous is that?
The person I sought to serve for atonent turned out to be the one who could help achieve my dream!
Even if Lucy lacked abilities, Karl would have still followed her. His gratitude was that imnse.
However, Lucy possessed more than Karl had wished for.
She had the ability to make his dream co true!
So how could he not be grateful?
How could he not hold this bond dear?
Though Karl spoke passionately about his feelings, Alsetin’s reaction remained lukewarm.
“Right. I understand that Lady Alrn is the person you wished for. But why are you happy about her mischievous tone and actions?”
“Because it’s Lady Alrn!”
The fact that Lucy treated him like a dog ant she acknowledged him as a companion.
So, it was only natural to be happy about it.
The fact that Lucy used terms she wouldn’t use with others indicated he was being treated specially.
Again, this was sothing to be delighted about.
“Do you get it? The order is reversed. I don’t enjoy being hit by girls. I’m happy because it’s sothing Lady Alrn does! This isn’t a perverse sexual desire; it’s loyalty!”
Seeing Karl shout without a hint of sha, Alsetin stared at him blankly before taking another drink.
In the end, he was happy to be hit by Lady Alrn.
How is that any different from enjoying being hit by a girl?
It’s sothing that simply cannot be understood with normal reasoning.
Sigh. It’s truly unfortunate.
He looks decent, has great abilities, yet he carries such regrettable thoughts inside.
He’s going to struggle with marriage.
Unless he ets soone just like him, he’ll have to live alone forever.
Alsetin thought this but kept his thoughts to himself.
This lunatic would surely yell that if he could stay by the lady’s side, what’s wrong with living alone!
“Alright! I’ve answered you properly. Now it’s my turn to ask.”
“Are you asking why I followed Lady Alrn here?”
As Alsetin retorted, he naturally used the magic stored in the ring on his finger.
“...Hmm. Is it a sound-blocking type?”
“Impressive, you figured it out. It’s sothing different from the commonly known magic, so it wouldn’t be easy to recognize.”
“I can distinguish it not by sight but by the sound.”
Hearing that Karl had noticed Nick’s breathing had vanished, Alsetin chuckled.
He truly had a solid ability. Even though he’s soone who works in the underworld, he was able to sense Nick while hiding his presence.
“Well, that’s enough of that. Answer the question.”
“It’s simple. The person I’m looking for is here.”
“Is it the one nad Karia that the lady ntioned?”
“Exactly. She’s my ntor.”
In truth, he had referred to her as “aunt” more often than “ntor” when they were together.
Upon ntioning her na, Karl crossed his arms.
“She must be soone important to you.”
“She picked up when I was dying in a dumpster.”
Alsetin giggled as he began to recount his past.
He had been abandoned in an alley imdiately after birth. To survive, he had to start begging as soon as he learned to walk. He had been beaten rcilessly for failing to et the quota and was picked up by chance.
“Most of what I have now, I learned from her.”
Perhaps it was because he was about to reunite with soone he had longed to see, or maybe it was the alcohol, but Alsetin spoke more freely about the past than usual.
As Karl listened to Alsetin recount Karia’s exploits, he suddenly muttered.
“She sounds remarkable.”
“Right? She even went on dungeon expeditions with Lord Benedict Alrn in the past.”
“...What?”
Seeing Karl’s face freeze, Alsetin burst into laughter and continued.
“I’m not joking. You’ll recognize her face anyway, so I’m telling you ahead of ti.”
“Are you saying Karia, known as the shadow of the royal palace, is your ntor? Ha. You should at least make believable lies.”
“I’m telling the truth!”
While Alsetin spoke with a grin, Karl showed no signs of believing him at all.
It was only natural. How could a person who was once legendary alongside Benedict suddenly be the ntor of an informant living in the back alleys?
Alsetin didn’t seem to expect his words to be taken seriously and shrugged, moving on to other mories.
The day after taking a full day to rest for condition managent, I double-checked the items in my inventory.
The place I was about to go to was more dangerous than any I had ever visited before. After all, it was where the fire-controlling demon god was sealed.
The world of the Soul Academy is filled with countless gods.
These gods are closer to the multidinsional deities seen in Greek and Roman mythology rather than omniscient and omnipotent absolute gods, making their behavior quite human-like.
Usually, when many people gather, a group forms, right? The gods in this world are no different.
They are divided into two groups: one centered around the pathetic pervert Armadi and the other around the petty Agra.
The forr wishes for the maintenance and stability of the world, while the latter hopes for the world to be destroyed.
They fiercely opposed each other to uphold their claims and ultimately realized that words wouldn’t solve anything, leading to war.
In the end, the Armadi side, victorious, sealed the demon gods across various locations in the world.
However, there was sothing the gods didn’t anticipate.
No matter how much they are sealed, they are still gods.
Their powers naturally affected the surroundings, creating things that should not exist in the world.
That was the creation of large dungeons.
It wasn’t born from Agra’s power but from the abnormal environnt caused by the demon god’s energy.
As long as the demon god remained there, that place would never disappear.
The mont the seal breaks, it would be the starting point of calamity.
Now you understand why the quest to save nesteil from disaster was created, right?
Right now, soone is trying to break that seal.
The pathetic god wants to stop them.
The opponent I will face this ti is stronger than anyone I have encountered before.
Nakrad? Compared to him, he’s just pathetic. It’s an insult to even compare them.
An alchemist? Though he seed to possess absolute power in his dungeon, he could easily be dealt with by Karl.
But this opponent is different. If it’s that guy, he could easily overwhelm Karl.
So is it possible to tackle such a monster?
Of course. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?
That assumption only holds if I haven’t prepared at all.
Why would I fight my opponent fairly?
The basics of combat are to present the worst to the enemy and the best to my allies.
“Phew.”
Having finished checking my items, I stretched.
Alright. I’m ready to show my opponent just how annoying stagnant water can be.
I’ll finish this troubleso task quickly and then head to Joy’s territory for a visit!
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