I Became The Academy’s Joker Character

Chapter 42

—–CROW—– 

I felt like I had spent half the semester in the infirmary, but finally, the day of my discharge arrived.

“Phew…”

Perhaps due to the lingering demonic energy in my body, I felt a slight tingling sensation, but it wasn’t enough to hinder my movement.

“Ah, Master!”

“Yes, Noah.  I’m glad to see you’re healthy. Are warrior-types naturally more resilient?”

“I heard, Master.  You saved Marie, didn’t you?”

“No need to thank me.”

“Stealing my chance to shine like that… Master is truly Master.”

“…?”

What was that? A compliment? An insult?  Judging by her beaming smile, I couldn’t tell.  In times like these, I should use [Observation]…

“Did you know, Master? You have an interesting habit.”

“…”

Eleanor suddenly approached and blocked my view with both hands.  It was my vision that was blocked, yet I felt suffocated.

“Your eyes look different when you’re suspicious of someone.”

Noah’s learning ability was remarkable. Was it because she was the protagonist?  Her growth was steep in the game as well.  But I never imagined she would memorize someone’s habits.  Frankly, it was frightening.

“Just to be sure, were you suspicious of me just now?”

“No…”

“Hmm?”

I couldn’t see Eleanor’s expression with my vision blocked, and I broke out in a cold sweat.

“I knew it.  I trusted you, Master.”

“Y-Yeah… I’m sorry for stealing your chance to shine.”

No, really. I was truly sorry about that. I knew what kind of mental struggles Eleanor was facing, and I knew what path she had to take as the protagonist. So, I couldn’t help but feel guilty.  Eleanor grew stronger as she received more attention. It was a fitting power source for an attention-seeker. …Conversely, it meant she had difficulty performing without the attention of others.

“Well, if you say so, I can’t help it. It wasn’t really your fault anyway.”

“…Now that you mention it, you’re right. It wasn’t really my fault, was it?”

“But it was a bit much, using me like a pawn.”

“Now that I think about it, it *was* my fault.”

Let’s just say it was my fault for using her like a game character.

“Just kidding.”

“…”

I wasn’t going to respond.  If I responded to that “just kidding,” I knew Eleanor’s attitude would change in an instant.

“To be honest, I felt a bit powerless. That’s why I said that.”

“…”

“Master, why aren’t you answering?”

It was terrifying.  Her insistence on a response was chilling.  What had I created?

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“But Master was injured, and the Saintess, Baekyang, Marie, Lucia, and… well, the Fist King wasn’t injured, but still.  I wanted to do something, but I’m just too weak.”

“Don’t worry about it.  No one starts out strong.”

“Except for the Headmaster, maybe?”

“Let’s make an exception for that.”

That unreasonableness couldn’t be helped.  She wasn’t even human.

“And Noah, if it weren’t for that blow you landed on the Hades King, we wouldn’t even be standing here having this conversation.”

“That was also thanks to everyone’s help. I can’t do anything alone.”

“Why do you think you have to do it alone?”

I regretted the words as soon as I said them.  It was still only Chapter 2 of the main story.  It was the time when Eleanor was struggling to stand on her own.

“…Anyway, we help each other.  There will be times when I need your help too.”

“Do you really need my help, Master?”

Fortunately, I could answer this question immediately.

“Yes, there will be things only you can do.”

I wasn’t just saying that.  There were definitely things only she, the protagonist, could do.

“For example?”

Honestly, I didn’t expect her to ask…  It was still too early to talk about her key. The [Key of Understanding] was a powerful ability, but it came with a heavy burden. Even now, without understanding her key, she had dealt a critical blow to the [Hades King].  There was no way Eleanor, with her strength between R-rank and SR-rank, could withstand the key’s true power.

“…Like when we need to divert people’s attention?”

“That…!  That’s definitely something only I can do.”

Honestly, anyone could do that, not just Eleanor. But wouldn’t it be better if she thought that way? Then let’s bury this topic here.  It was for the best.

“Speaking of which…”

I smoothly changed the subject.

“You’re changing the subject rather abruptly.”

“…”

Apparently, it wasn’t that smooth.  Strange. I thought it was perfect.

“Um, anyway. How are Arieta and the others? You were in the same room, weren’t you?”

“Right…”

Eleanor frowned, pressing her index finger against her temple as if organizing her thoughts.

“First, Baekyang injured her back protecting me, so she’s still hospitalized.  I’m planning to buy her some ice cream later.”

That was so Eleanor.  Assuming Baekyang liked ice cream was the epitome of prejudice.

“Lucia had minor injuries and was discharged before me.  But since she helped me, I should buy her some fresh fish later.”

“Aside from Baekyang, I think she’ll get angry at that.”

Knowing how hard Lucia worked to maintain her intellectual image, Eleanor’s prejudice brought tears to my eyes.

“And the Saintess…”

And then came Arieta’s turn, the most important person. Tia had said her condition was serious.  She hadn’t told me the specifics, but it was clear Arieta hadn’t been discharged yet.

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“She was transferred to a different room alone.”

Was there a reason for her to be in a different room?  I thought they would all be in the same room.  It was natural.  If there were other patients near someone tainted by demonic energy, it would definitely have a negative impact.  That’s why I assumed they were all in the same room.

“Ah, and Marie…”

“It’s fine about Marie. I already talked to her.”

“…When?”

“Right after I woke up last time.  So, maybe six days ago?”

“Is that so? That’s strange. Marie told me that was the first time she visited me.”

An awkward silence fell.

“I guess I was mistaken.”

“Master, with your good memory, making a mistake? That’s funny.”

Eleanor sometimes hit the nail on the head like this.  Seeing how well she remembered others, I wondered if Eleanor had a better memory than me.

“Master, I just remembered something. I should go see Marie. I miss her.”

“O-Okay.”

“Ah, and I think the Saintess will be fine.”

“Huh?”

Eleanor suddenly brought up Arieta again, as if she had just remembered.

“I might be mistaken, but… I think I saw someone who looked very skilled.”

“A doctor?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a priest?”

“What’s your criteria for ‘skilled’?”

“…A feeling?”

“Right, a feeling.”

Eleanor was royalty, even if she didn’t look like it. Or rather, she *was* royalty.  Anyway, her vague answer meant it was someone she knew from her time as a princess.

“This is a secret, okay?  If I’m wrong, it’ll be embarrassing, so only you should know, Master.”

“Okay, I’ll keep it to myself.”

“A secret between us… It sounds like a secret organization. How exciting.”

“Your enthusiasm is consistent as always.”

With those words, Eleanor left, as energetic as ever.  It was clearly her way of being considerate, telling me about Arieta indirectly.  The “skilled” person Eleanor saw was obvious.

“The Pope is already here?”

The previous Saintess, the current Pope, and the owner of the [Key of the Evangelist].  Lucia Domine.  It seemed she had already arrived at Scientia.

* * *

The person who visited Arieta’s isolated room was an elderly woman with an eyepatch covering one eye.

“Honestly…”

The elderly woman looked down at Arieta with a disapproving frown on her wrinkled face. Arieta’s condition was far from good. She was practically a pure embodiment of divine power.  That made her resistant to demonic energy, but it also meant she suffered greater damage when corrupted by it.  It was normally impossible.

“Using up all your divine power… Were you that eager to die?”

Unless her very existence became an empty shell.  Arieta’s existence was special. She couldn’t hold any other energy source besides divine power.  If she were an ordinary priest, mana would have filled the void left by the divine power. But she couldn’t.  That’s why she was more susceptible to corruption by demonic energy, which had the characteristic of ‘erosion.’

“P-Pope… nim?”

Arieta muttered, narrowing her eyes at the scolding.

“Yes, Arieta.  How is it that you’re always lying down like this whenever I see you?”

“Ah…”

“I’m not telling you to get up, so stay lying down.”

The [Pope], Lucia, put a cigarette in her mouth and grumbled.  She stroked Arieta’s head as if it were a familiar routine. Arieta exhaled evenly, not resisting the touch.

“I thought sending you somewhere peaceful would be enough, but God keeps giving you trials.”

“Haha…”

Lucia worried about Arieta like a parent. It was only natural. She, who had been a Saintess, understood the weight of the title better than anyone.  The stronger the power one held, the deeper the faith, the greater the trials the Saintess faced.  Lucia was no different.  She became the Pope after overcoming countless hardships, adversity, and sacrifices.  She hadn’t wanted it, but the position of Pope was her final destination.

‘But this child…’

Lucia touched her eyepatch, hidden from Arieta’s view.  She had lost one eye as the price for the power she held.  Then, what about Arieta?

‘One eye and two.  Just by simple calculation, she’ll walk a path twice as difficult as mine.’

But Lucia understood, with chilling clarity, that it wasn’t a matter of simple calculation.  It wasn’t just a difference of one eye.  Unlike her, Arieta had lost the light in both eyes. A being who was supposed to preach the light couldn’t see the light.

“If you’re already like this, how are you going to endure in the future?”

“I couldn’t help it…”

“Arieta, lies are useless in front of me. Do you think I wouldn’t know?  Relying on other pains to tell lies is not a good habit.”

She had been the same.  A Saintess couldn’t help but push herself.  God’s gaze was utterly objective.  It was because they possessed such a nature that they could become a Saintess.

‘It will only get worse, not better.’

Lucia sighed and began to sing a divine art. The voice, like a lullaby, made Arieta, who had been clinging to consciousness, close her eyes.

“Someday, you will have to bear this power too.”

Lucia muttered, placing her index finger on Arieta’s forehead as she slept.

“…Open.”

The demonic energy corrupting Arieta’s body belonged to the [Hades King]. The demonic energy imbued with the key’s power was constantly inflicting pain, preventing her divine power from returning.  If she could at least accept mana, it would have diluted the demonic energy, but Arieta was too pure, in both good and bad ways.  That’s why the [Hades King]’s demonic energy hadn’t faded.

“Wings of pure white.”

Then, to dispel that demonic energy, she needed the power of an equivalent key.

“Ugh…”

Lucia, having used the key’s power, covered her mouth and knelt.  Crimson blood flowed from between her fingers.

“Poor thing.”

Lucia muttered, still kneeling, as if in prayer.

“I wish you were different.”

The [Key of the Evangelist], passed down through generations of Popes, held immense divine power.

“If only you, who can accept more divine power than anyone else…”

Divine power wasn’t always benevolent. There was no power without a price.  Too brilliant a light blinded the eyes. The [Key of the Evangelist] killed its owner as the price for its immense divine power.

“…could withstand this power.”

The robes of all past Popes had red sleeves.  To wipe away the blood.  They couldn’t show such instability in the Church, which was supposed to provide hope. At the same time, it meant that none of the past Popes could handle the key’s power.

“Grow up before I die.”

Arieta was still immature. Both as a Saintess and as a person.  But time would solve that.  So, Lucia’s role as an adult was to wait for Arieta.

“I’ll try my best to live a long life too.”

She was the owner of the key, the Saintess, and the Pope.

[KP Saintess of Waiting]

Lucia Domine

Her identity was closer to Saintess than Pope. Nevertheless, she had to remain Pope for Arieta, who was still immature.

—–CROW—– 

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