As all the events were resolved, time flowed rapidly as before, without any incidents. However, due to Arwen’s statement about the ‘person whom he promised the future to,’ it got a little noisy. The ‘person whom he promised the future to’ referred to Xenon’s fiancé, meaning someone in their twenties. Some pointed to Arwen, however this was soon buried quietly.
If Arwen were human, it might have been different, but she was an elf of the long-lived kind, a race that considered a few decades as merely a “brief” time. Furthermore, she had added an additional explanation that they had met a long time ago, making it even more difficult to guess my age.
All that was left for me was returning to Helium and enjoying sweet dates with Cecily. Marie also returned to her mansion in preparation for the Academy reopening. In the midst of this, Cecily suggested once again that Marie could accompany us to Helium, but she declined firmly, saying she would go after receiving a formal invitation later. Though she was ambitious, she was being subtly considerate.
And so, in the remaining time, while enjoying precious dates with Cecily in Helium and working on writing the next volume, the day before the Academy’s reopening finally arrived.
Cecily suggested we meet at the Academy and returned me to the mansion, leaving me with a final kiss to express her affection.
Before heading to the Academy, she offered to teleport me there, but I declined out of politeness. This time, I planned to go to the Academy with Adelia.
“How is it? Is it okay?”
And back to the present. I was facing Adelia, who would soon become a guardian knight. She wore leather pants that showcased the graceful lines honed through training, along with a white shirt and a vest on top.
The sleeve of the shirt was also slightly lifted, giving off the image of a free-spirited adventurer. It was a stark contrast compared to the random things she used to wear during her days as a teaching assistant.
“Yeah. It looks really good on you. Your figure is great, so anything you wear would suit you well.”
“Really? Thanks for the compliment. And it’s not like my figure is that great.”
Adelia gained confidence from my praise, placing her hand lightly on her waist and showing off. I couldn’t help but smile at her confident demeanor, which I had seen many times before.
From now on, she would be acting as my escort knight, so she needed to dress neatly like this. Iron armor was uncomfortable, and it couldn’t be used within the academy.
However, the genuine sword could be used, but unless my life was in danger, there wasn’t much reason to use it.
“You know how to operate within the academy, right?”
“Of course. Apart from classes, I always have to be by your side. If the lord doesn’t want it, I can go separately, but I need the lord’s permission for that. Otherwise, I have to stay in the escort knight’s exclusive residence.”
“You know well.”
“I’ve been in the academy longer than you have. So, it’s not that difficult.”
Escort knights are not mandatory, and if nobles wish, they can bring them along. Looking at the fact that Rina and Marie don’t have escort knights, it’s clear that it’s a choice.
The academy is known for its much better security than other regions, and up to the second year, it’s mainly about studying like crazy. There’s almost no worry about getting in danger.
Because of this, the number of people accompanied by escort knights was relatively small. Still, it’s not entirely absent; it’ll just attract some attention and end there.
“Our cutie was appointed as the recommended student, right? So, are you going to become a teaching assistant right away?”
“Yeah.”
Although I am only a second-year student, I have been appointed as a teaching assistant as a recommended student to assist Professor Elena. I just found out now, but even non-majors take a course called ‘Culture’ starting from the second year. For non-majors, the first year is just an adaptation process. Moreover, non-majors are classified as knights and wizards for different classes, but they all take history together.
However, because literature and martial arts students study differently, they are divided by class time. So, I will simply follow the professor around and assist as a teaching assistant.
“I might know about being a teaching assistant for martial arts majors, but I’m not sure about literature students.”
“It’s not a big deal. I just handle the professor’s tasks and help with discussions, that’s all.”
“Have you seen other teaching assistants besides you?”
“Well…”
Come to think of it, Professor Elena has assistants like Cindy, but I’ve never seen any teaching assistants. It’s quite distinct from other history professors who usually have two or three assistants. Even if history is not a popular subject, there should be at least one or two assistants, but I’ve never encountered them so far.
I wonder what the reason is. As I pondered, I shrugged my shoulders. It’s okay to be alone, and I do like history as a subject and have confidence in it.
“No, there aren’t any. I’ve visited the Professor’s office frequently, but I’ve never met one.”
“Really? Hmmm… Well, it probably doesn’t matter. Are you going to keep your hair as it is and go?”
While staying in Helium, Mora was very generous in imbuing me with a lot of “kind” divinity. Thanks to that, my hair, which at first had grown to my shoulders, went down all the way down to my waist. I was horrified.
Even so, I strongly protested that it shouldn’t go all the way to my waist, but it didn’t even budge. Cutting it was meaningless, as it would grow back again.
Thanks to this, every morning after getting up, I would wash and then gently comb each other’s hair with Cecily. It wasn’t all that bad, as it was a somewhat refreshing experience.
(TL: Holy shit Mora made Cale out of him XD)
Managing it was incredibly annoying, though. The fact that I would have to manage this damn hair on my own from now on already gave me a headache.
“Probably. Since it grows back even if you cut it.”
“Is it not some kind of illness? Have you been to the temple?”
Adelia, who didn’t really know the situation, asked with a worried look in her eyes. Maybe I could tell her about the blessing Mora had given me.
As I looked at her reaction, I eventually let out a bitter smile and confessed.
“Well… actually, it’s been like this since I went to the temple.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“When I was staying in Helium, I went to the temple for a short while. It’s been like this since then.”
As I explained, a stronger sense of doubt filled Adelia’s vivid, sky-colored eyes.
Indeed, it’s hard to understand that going to a temple would make your hair longer. Usually, temples are places for clergy or patients to go.
However, I learned something while visiting the temple of Luminous and Mora. The fact that these two are very human-like. Especially Mora, who had a higher levels of energy than Luminous and was a bit of a prankster.
“Um… come to think of it, Helium worships Mora instead of Luminous, right?”
“Yeah.”
“For some reason, Mora seems to like you. Sometimes that happens. Occasionally, certain characteristics are given to the worshippers that Mora likes. Like their hair getting longer, or they grow taller, or maybe they start emitting a floral scent.”
“Does Luminous do that too?”
Mora was the goddess I got involved with, so it’s true for me, but I was curious if Luminous does the same.
“Yeah. Cutie, since you’re into history, you know what kind of flower Luminous likes, right?”
“Luminous likes lilac flowers.”
“Exactly. If a worshipper emits the scent of lilac flowers, it means they’re favored by Luminous. That’s why they often offer lilac flowers as offerings. That’s also why Luminous worshippers often use lilac-scented perfume.”
“That’s an interesting story…”
As soon as I heard that story, I rubbed my nose against my arm in haste. If Luminous likes lilac flowers, then Mora likes peaches. So, I wondered if I emitted the scent of peaches. Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind. There’s no guarantee that I would emit the scent of peaches like in the case of Cecily. But in this situation where I’m not even sweating, it was hard to tell what scent I was emitting. Cecily and Marie just told me that my scent is nice but didn’t specify what exactly the scent was.
Sniff Sniff-
“…What are you doing?”
Adelia asked in a curious voice as I pressed my nose against myself, smelling all over. I answered as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“I was just curious if I smell like peaches. Mora likes peaches, so I thought maybe since my hair has grown longer, my scent has changed too…”
“Is that so?”
Adelia replied slowly to my words. There was no change in her sky-blue eyes, but she seemed to want to say something, licking her lips with her tongue. Then she seemed to hesitate for a while, and eventually, with determination, she closed her eyes tightly. Could it be that she does it herself or something…
“Well, maybe if you ask Marie later.”
…It wasn’t an unreasonable suggestion. For a moment, greed welled up, but I held my principles firmly.
“Ah, then that should work. Thank you.”
“I-It’s fine. It’s just a… small thing.”
She was trying to smile, but a hint of bitterness couldn’t be hidden as her lips quivered. Somehow it felt a bit awkward. I need a topic to lighten the mood somehow. Fortunately, there was a suitable one, so I can smoothly transition.
“Oh, by the way, take this.”
“Is this…”
“A summoning gem. I’ll probably come to Noona’s room myself most of the time, but it’s better if you have it for now.”
I handed Adelia a small, palm-sized blue stone. If I want to, the blue light will shimmer on that stone.
Adelia looked at the summoning stone resting on her palm, then clenched it tightly. She carefully wrapped her other hand around it and pressed it against her chest.
There’s a determination not to lose it. She might still be holding onto the handkerchief I gave her.
I’m not sure if she’s aware of it herself, but her pure feelings toward me were subtly revealed.
Adelia was deeply in love with me, an unrequited love.
“Take care from now on, Sir Guardian Knight.”
Before I knew it, the eventful first year had passed.
“Yeah.”
The even more eventful second year began.
*****
You would likely know about the events where Lumineus praised Isaac and the Holy Kingdom Xavier began to canonize him as a saint.
Until now, he had only propagated the concept of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ and presented a new path in theology. However, the situation has now taken a complete 180-degree turn.
Isaac’s achievements have transcended imagination to the point where even Lumineus directly acknowledged them. No matter how much coincidence played a role, his merits will not disappear.
Xavier took significant actions, even had a Cardinal embarking on a pilgrimage, to find Isaac. The name of this Cardinal was Kate Louise Angelica. Born with potent divine power, she ascended to the position of a Cardinal at the tender age of 19, displaying exceptional martial prowess and concurrently serving as an inquisitor.
As time passed, at the youthful age of 20, she…
Crash!
She was in the midst of shattering the nest that the devil worshipers concealed underground in the city.
“Hii, h-hiiii…! Mon, monster!”
“Monster?”
The woman responded with an amused expression as the devil worshiper, clad in a dark robe, spoke in a trembling voice of fear. Despite the darkness prevalent underground, her emerald eyes gleamed brightly. Furthermore, although sprayed with blood due to the powerful blow she had just struck with her solid mace, her graceful appearance couldn’t be concealed. Rather, the splattered blood enhanced her aura of a formidable warrior.
Thud-
As she slowly raised the mace that had crushed the skull, bits of flesh and blood dripped off. The woman retrieved the mace, gazing silently at the trembling demon worshiper consumed by fear before finally speaking.
“Monsters can be redeemed. But demons… maybe. As for devils…”
“Oh, please! D-don’t…!”
The woman, regardless of whether the devil worshiper pleaded or not, flashed a cheerful smile and raised her mace high, speaking dryly.
“Only punishment.”
Thunk!!
Once again, she swung down her mace decisively, and the devil worshiper’s head burst open like a smashed watermelon, blood, flesh, and sticky brain matter splattering across her face. However, the woman didn’t even bat an eye.
“A devil worshiper dares such a thing.”
Wooo-wooom-
Muttering in such a manner, the woman swung her mace again with a satisfying motion. Various debris, including blood, scattered across the floor.
Without considering wiping her face, she scanned the scattered bodies of devil worshipers around her. All of them were missing their heads.
It was cruel without a hint of mercy, but these were devil worshippers, the ones who offered living humans as sacrifices to summon devils. The victims were obviously the ones who had gone missing recently in the vicinity. Due to the numerous reports of disappearances, she had investigated and found the presence of devil worshippers.’
If left unchecked, they would have caused even greater harm.’
She shifted her gaze towards the altar where the devil worshippers had been offering sacrifices. Bones of the victims were already piled near the altar.
Necromancy was a forbidden art of gaining power in exchange for life. The sacrifice offered became immediately a decaying bone.
“Oh, Luminous One. Please grant these souls rest…”
After mourning for the victims not yet found, the woman turned her back as if she had nothing more to see. The rest would be taken care of by the following generations.
Eventually, upon exiting the altar room, she met with the individuals who were already preparing outside. Among them, her gaze met the eyes of a woman who seemed to be giving orders.
“Ah, Lady Kate, have you finished organizing everything?”
“Yes. What about the rest?”
“We’ve contacted the organization. They will send priests soon.”
Satisfied with the answer, the woman named Kate nodded. The activities of demon worshippers had intensified lately, necessitating more hands.
She heard that it was because they were coming out in the open, since they had been already revealed and were causing disturbances. While Xenon had ignited the powder keg, it was better this way. It was more serious to not discover the victims at all, even if their numbers increased rapidly in a short period. They hadn’t even known about the existence of devil worshippers before Xenon’s incident.
This illustrated how well the devil worshippers had been concealed, even involving high-ranking nobles as collaborators.
“Understood. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Yes. By the way, may I ask where our next destination is?”
“First, I plan to head to the Minerva Empire. We need to find Xenon as soon as possible. Although I’d like to go to Alvenheim in my heart, since the queen is busy, we’re planning to proceed with the pilgrimage for now.”
“Hmm… Can we really find him?”
The priestess expressed a negative sentiment. Last time, Xenon had received help from a priest and healed his right hand, but they couldn’t pinpoint the exact location. In this world, there are many priests like Kate who embark on pilgrimages, and there are no small number of individuals who bestow offerings in return.
Xavier was initially intrigued by the news, but gave up immediately due to the lack of clues. As a result, even Xavier was in the process of sending Kate on a pilgrimage and searching for Xenon on the ground. The devotees requested hints from Luminous, but the response that came back was quite vague.
“Luminous surely gave me such a task to find him as well. While the gods may speak ambiguously, if you offer your sincere devotion, they will never grant you a false task.”
“But still…”
“It is our duty to comprehend the intentions of the gods, Sister. We mustn’t be suspicious.”
Kate spoke with a gentle yet firm voice. Her words represented her strong faith in Luminous. Upon hearing this, the priestess momentarily flinched, then quickly bowed her head in apology. If her words were misinterpreted, the consequences could be dire.
“I apologize. I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me.”
“Stand tall, Sister. Occasionally, it is necessary to harbor doubt to deepen our inherent trust.”
Kate, who touched the shoulders of the priestess, spoke with a boundlessly merciful voice, not as a blindly fanatical believer. The problem was that her hands were also stained with blood, much like the mace. Naturally, the blood had stained the priestess’s white robe red.
The priestess, who had anticipated this in advance, sighed inwardly. The blood wouldn’t easily come off even after washing, so the only solution was to purify it with divine power.
“… Thank you for your advice. Before you go, Lady Kate.”
“Yes. Please speak, Sister.”
“May I inquire about the reason why Cardinal embarked on a pilgrimage to find Xenon herself?”
Kate embarked on the pilgrimage to find Xenon not by Xavier’s command, but of her own volition. She even directly requested it from the pope.
It was a fact not widely known in the secular world, but those closely associated with the Church had a rough idea. However, they were unaware of the reason behind it.
With a beautiful smile that anyone could see, Kate revealed the reason aloud.
“Sister, as you know, Xenon has saved this world from crisis. Even Luminous has expressed gratitude personally.”
“I am aware of that.”
“Accomplishments translate to divine power. If he wishes, even the Pope will come to appear insignificant in terms of divine power.”
“That’s true.”
“I am undertaking this pilgrimage to receive the seeds of such Xenon.”
“… Pardon?”
What was that? As the priestess blinked her eyes round and displayed a bewildered expression, Kate gently stroked her lower abdomen. And despite wearing a warmer smile than anyone else, she began to make somewhat fanatical remarks one by one.
“I have risen to this position with the blessing of Luminous. A girl from the countryside, who had nothing, now possesses immense divine power… This can only be described as a blessing. It’s practically a form of grace.”
“Th-that’s right. But…”
“In order to repay that grace, I will receive the seed of someone with strong divine power. The child born between us will undoubtedly possess a much stronger divine power than me or the pope. If that child grows up to become a clergy, they will be of great assistance to Luminous. This is the way I will repay my gratitude to Luminous.”
Just to clarify, her rank was already that of a Cardinal and Grand Inquisitor. It’s an impossible position without considerable faith and divine power. Her mindset didn’t bow down to fanaticism.
Upon hearing those words, the priestess was left speechless, but suddenly, a practical problem came to her mind.
“What if Xenon were a girl?”
“It doesn’t matter. If either Xenon or I request from Luminous to change one of us into a man, it should not be a problem. It’s an actual occurrence, so there won’t be any issues.”
“… …”
She could understand why the oracle was given in such an ambiguous way.
