LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 655
Chapter: 655
After Lucy left the room, everyone left behind knelt down as Phoebe began her sermon.
Normally, nobody enjoys this kind of nagging.
Especially those with a certain level of status.
However, not a single person present showed any dissatisfaction with Phoebe.
She had never acted out of line with her position as a Saintess, which made it hard for others to say anything.
“…I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong.”
“I think so too. Your Highness.”
“One person incited a fight, and the other did not intervene, right?”
It was the truth, so Arthur stayed silent, but Frey did not.
All she could think about was rushing to Lucy, pouting her lips.
“So what about Lucy? She just sat there.”
“The Young Lady could not act. She bears a curse. Instead, she sought my help, which is quite different from the Third Prince, who watched with a smile.”
“But…”
“Lady Kent?”
“Tch.”
After Frey grumbled and stepped back, Phoebe turned her gaze back to Joy and Nevera.
“Have you two reflected on your actions?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“I hope today’s events have taught you a lesson. Fighting brings nothing. It is only through cooperation that we can move to greater heights.”
As Joy and Nevera nodded, Phoebe smiled and told them to hold each other’s hands.
Though they looked displeased, the pressure from the Saintess’s smile was too strong, so they reluctantly held hands.
“Now, let’s praise each other.”
“…What?”
“You want us to compliment each other? A stranger we just met today?”
“I mean to tell each other compliments for your mentors. So you can recognize and respect one another.”
Phoebe’s words made Nevera’s lips tremble.
Compliment Erginius? That guy who’s caused us pain for so long?
Joy felt pretty much the same way.
While she was battling with Lucy to save the world, this irresponsible guy left no traces behind.
Why should she compliment the God of Magic, who does very little compared to his status?
“If you don’t want to, I can go on with the sermon for half a day.”
“I’ll do it!”
“We’ll do it!”
Both of them, knowing that Phoebe could nag all day if she wanted, hurriedly raised their voices.
Yet, neither could bring themselves to open their lips. They simply didn’t want to acknowledge one another.
Seeing this, Phoebe sighed as she looked at Nevera.
“Let’s start with you, Nevera.”
“Me? Why me first?”
“Because you’re the elder.”
“Well… Yes, that’s true.”
Among the two of them, it made sense for Nevera to extend the olive branch first.
Her social status, years invested in magic, and actual age were all greater than the other’s.
If she wanted to compliment, many things could come to mind.
I can’t deny that Erginius is the greatest Great Wizard in history.
It’s just that I don’t want to admit it out loud. She trembled her lips and exhaled.
“Saintess, can I ask one thing? If I were to ask you who is greater between the Apostle of God and God, what would you say?”
Nevera expected that Phoebe would say God is greater. So she hoped to show her situation by siding with Lucy to escape this situation.
“It’s a question that doesn’t need contemplation.”
“Yes, of course, it’s the Lord.”
“No, the Apostle of God is greater.”
“Excuse me?”
However, Phoebe responded with a smile and an answer that Nevera could never have predicted.
“I have faith in the Lord from the depths of my heart. I believe in his goodness and effort to be good. But as you’ve seen, the Apostle of God is the same. He is also noble, sublime, and revered enough to not fall behind his deity—the one who saved me.”
“Oh, yes. Right?”
“The fact that he has endured countless trials in a human body and possesses a purity close to that of a deity already gives reason enough for respect. But I have another reason. The Apostle saved me.”
Overwhelmed by Phoebe’s eye, who seemed like she could go on about how noble the Apostle is, Nevera quickly shook her head.
“Oh, what a shame.”
“Haha, I’m sorry.”
“Feel free to let me know if you change your mind.”
“L-later! I have things to do right now!”
Nevera felt a lump in her throat as she glanced at Joy, who was smirking, and somehow suppressed her anger.
“…Um, well. The multi-magic circle theory invented by Lord Erginius is still widely used and regarded as a groundbreaking theory. He created something like that hundreds of years ago, so how could I not compliment him?”
Joy was shocked by the unexpectedly solid praise.
She had thought there would be all kinds of snide remarks.
“Joy, it’s your turn now.”
“Ah, yes.”
At Phoebe’s prompt, Joy took a breath and retracted her harsh words to say something hidden deep inside.
“There’s no need to discuss how many people the God of Magic saved during the Age of Myth. He sparked the development of magic by sharing his knowledge equally with the world, not hoarding it to himself. Because of the God of Magic, Erginius exists.”
Receiving praise for her praise, Nevera felt her lips curl up and began to compliment Erginius.
The atmosphere, which had been toxic moments ago, became warm.
Their mutual compliments began to turn into respect.
Seeing everything unfold as she had hoped, Phoebe smiled brightly.
The power of words is truly amazing. If this goes on, the two of them will fully reconcile.
“…Huh? But the multi-magic theory that Lord Erginius created isn’t that, though?”
“I know. But what really matters here is that Lord Erginius had the insight to come up with the original idea.”
“I learned why the dimension theory was later modified. However, according to what I learned from Lord Erginius…”
Reconcile?
“Is your head in the clouds? Do you really think such nonsense theory would hold?”
“Do you not think you might be the one who doesn’t understand?”
…
“I now see why Lord Erginius lamented over the magic world. How can it progress when someone like you is chosen as the Apostle of God?”
“It seems Lord Erginius may have overestimated you. I’m disappointed to see such poor judgment from someone with no eye for character.”
Watching the argument between the two, Phoebe tried to mediate, but her words fell on deaf ears as the debate escalated.
At some point, Phoebe, who had fallen silent, stepped back, smiling, and drew in divine energy.
“W-wait, Saintess!?”
“Third Prince, please don’t intervene. I have a duty to mediate between these two.”
“This isn’t mediation, it’s domination!”
“It’s essentially the same thing.”
“Absolutely not!”
As Arthur desperately shouted to stop Phoebe, Frey sparkled her eyes and enjoyed the wizard’s argument.
It seemed like they would really fight soon. Which side would win?
*
Lightning decorated the sky as darkness swallowed it.
The flames that brightened the evening froze and exploded into sharp crystals that attacked the enemy, but the intense heat vaporized the ice.
A second bolt of lightning shot through the steam, but the darkness greedily devoured the current trying to reach its master.
As I watched a scene fit for a fairy tale, I reached for the snacks Karia offered me.
It’s a shame there are no popcorn. This is tasty, but nothing can beat popcorn when you’re watching.
– Wowwwww!
– It’s a fireworks display!
– So cool!
– Wanna go play over there?
– Shall we dance?! Let’s dance!
“If you don’t want to be roasted, stay still, bugs.”
I suppressed the overly excited fairies with a single line and stretched my arms back. Along with a squeak, I felt the soft cushion behind me.
“Y-young Lady. This is…”
“You said you would do something, right? Don’t tell me you were lying?”
“No! Of course not! It’s just…!”
“Well then, stay still, Sloppy Saintess. You said it was rewarding to work for me.”
“Yes, yes! It is indeed an honorable task.”
“How can being a piece of furniture be glorious? Saintess, your taste is quite unique, huh?”
“No! What do you mean taste!? I-I just…”
Phoebe spoke about her failure to mediate, but it wasn’t entirely her fault.
What can you do? Wizards are just like that.
“Lucy Allen, shouldn’t you pay attention to your surroundings?”
“If you’re jealous, just admit it, you perverted prince.”
“When did I…!”
“Don’t you usually give the Sloppy Saintess those creepy stares? Did you think I wouldn’t know?”
“I didn’t! Never happened!”
“Really? Are you a eunuch, Prince?”
At the unexpectedly blunt comment, Arthur froze, and Frey jumped in.
“Prince, are you a eunuch?”
“I think so. Poor Swordmaster. That’s unfortunate.”
“Oh, I see. But what’s a eunuch?”
“A eunuch is…”
“You really are good at slandering royalty!”
“I’m the idol of the Shoddy God, you know? What can a pathetic prince from a miserable kingdom do to me?”
Flipping the bird, I said something, and Arthur’s face twisted in anger as he attempted to strike, but at some moment he turned pale and sat back down.
Wondering what happened, I glanced between Phoebe and Benedict, but they both just tilted their heads.
“Huh. Did you get a hard-on trying to attack me, perverted prince? If that’s the case, you shouldn’t be embarrassed. It wouldn’t show anyway.”
“You really…!”
As Arthur’s fury sparked a smirk on my face, I turned my gaze back skyward.
Nevera doesn’t seem to be paying much attention; it’s awfully tense.
Just how much did Erginius mess around with Joy?
Our cute idiot should only be messed with by me! I must protest later!
“What’s going on?”
Oh. Right as I thought that, Erginius appeared.
“It’s a useless fight. What else would it be?”
“They are fighting over who’s more amazing, Lord Erginius or the God of Magic.”
As soon as I finished my words, Karia added her explanation.
Erginius stared blankly at the sky and chuckled.
“They truly are squabbling over ridiculous things.”
Indeed.