On the Kyren Zena continent, it is believed that deities truly exist.
This is partly evidenced by the presence of divine energy, which unlike magic, does not require mana as a medium to bring about supernatural phenomena.
The most widely followed religion on the Kyren Zena continent is Renimidism.
The chief deity of this faith is the God of Light, Renimid.
Over 99% of the human race on the Kyren Zena continent are adherents of Renimidism.
About 200 years ago, this faith emerged victorious from a massive religious war among humans, consequently becoming the sole major religion across the continent.
Hence, Renimidism is the only religion that has an establishment within the Elinia Academy.
The [Order of Light] refers to the architectural structures of Renimidism, where clergy reside and the faithful gather to participate in religious ceremonies.
6:40 PM.
With only 20 minutes left until the start of the event, [Night of Light], groups of students from the [Order of Light] were huddled backstage, chatting as they waited to participate.
"Hey, who would you like to get a recruitment offer from?"
"Hmm, as long as they're kind, I'm good. But it'd be a bonus if they also treated me to lots of tasty things."
"Ha ha ha. So, if someone kind who buys you lots of treats is ranked 150th in the school, but a cold person who never treats you is ranked 50th, and both offer to recruit you, what would you do?"
"Ah, that's too extreme. But being 150th is just... I think I'd prefer the 50th rank."
"Hmm, uh-huh, hm~"
"Why are you smearing that all over your face? Especially during the sacred [Night of Light]."
"Just because I'm putting on some makeup doesn't mean I'm any less devoted, you know? I need to stand out on stage to get more recruitment offers. I hope Eshild shows up."
"Eshild, isn't there a rumor he's a playboy? It reminds me of the Eastern Empire's proverb, 'Drawing lines on a gourd doesn't make it a watermelon.'"
"...What? Hey you, come here. Hey, hey! Where do you think you're running off to?!"
"haah, I shouldn't be nervous. But strangely, when I'm in front of people, my divine energy doesn't come out as easily."
"Nah-nah~ You said the same thing during the last practical lesson, but you managed just fine. Are you faking it?"
"No, no~ It's different now. Back then, it was just classmates... But now, Lady Aisha herself might come."
"You've really become a follower. Is your deity Aisha? Not the great Renimid?"
"That's different! And you don't understand Lady Aisha's charm because you don't know her. Even as another woman, I can't help but admire how wonderful she is."
Unlike these chattering students, a girl sat alone in a corner, her head bowed.
The students glanced at her, whispering to each other.
She had hair as white as snow.
"Ugh, why does Alphs just sitting there annoy me?"
"Exactly. Is she the only one who's nervous? She doesn't have the skills, and to top it off, her personality is so gloomy."
"Will Alphs get even one recruitment offer, what do you think?"
"Not a chance."
"I'm betting on no offers, too."
"Who'd be foolish enough to say she will? She's 18 and still a freshman. Plus, her divine energy is weak."
Of course, every whisper reached Alphs's ears, though she remained silent and still.
From the start, the students whispered loudly enough for her to overhear.
However, Alphs showed no particular reaction.
Still with her head bowed, she bit her lip, enduring the students’ mockery.
Inside, she was already quite broken.
[Save thyself.]
She had been unable to practice this renowned commandment of the god.
Not to mention saving others, she couldn't even save herself.
'Yes, their words are correct.'
The mocking words of the students were justified.
There was no falsehood in them.
The average age of her classmates in the [Order of Light] are typically around 16 years old.
But at 18, her divine energy, as well as her abilities as an Aide, were weak.
Everything was due to her own inadequacies.
‘Who would want someone like me?’
Self-loathing surged from deep within her.
An emotion that had long tormented her.
But now, no method to resist these feelings came to mind.
No, she lacked even the strength to resist.
Whether the students knew Alphs’ inner turmoil or not, they clicked their tongues and resumed their small talk.
"Huff-huff, only 10 minutes left until the event. Can you hear the noise outside?"
"Yeah. It suddenly got louder. What's that about... gasp."
"Why did you suddenly react like that?"
"He’s here, he’s come. Theo Lyn Waldeurk. And he's with Lady Aisha."
"No wonder the noise suddenly grew. Now that I think about it, didn't Theo publicly declare that he was recruiting Aides? Could it be...?"
"Ah, I remember hearing about that too. Seria and Irene. Those two are already confirmed. I'm sure because I heard it from Mina."
"Wow... The top students from the Magic and Knight Departments on the same team. It's like a dream team, absolutely. The competition for the remaining spots must be intense."
"Right, and I heard he has someone in mind for one of the remaining two spots. Could it be one of us? If you think about it, it fits perfectly.”
“That makes sense. One of us joining would make the perfect combination. Currently, there’s Theo, Irene, and Seria. Two swordsmen and one mage. The team’s offensive power is enough, what they need is someone to support the team overall."
"I wonder who it could be. Maybe it’s you? Among us, your divine energy is the strongest. You're the only one who can exhibit the third miracle of the deity."
"Ugh... I'd rather not think about it. The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment.”
"But why does your face say otherwise? Put that smile away. I didn't realize you had such a cute side."
"What smile are you talking about~!"
Alphs, with her head still bowed, took a deep breath...
She may not have had anyone to share simple stories with, but she knew much about Theo.
His stories had naturally reached her ears.
Even though he was ranked 181st in his grade when he attended the knight department as an observer, he had defeated Julia, who was ranked 2nd.
From that moment on, he became truly famous.
After defeating Julia, he wasn't wearing his usual indifferent expression; instead, his face was distorted like a demon's, covered in blood, as he gasped for breath.
"How could the lowest rank in the hero department beat Julia? Did he awaken some hidden power?"
"If he had awakened, our order would have found him by now. To me, it seems... he might have made a contract with a demon!"
"Hey, you idiot! If he was a contractor with a demon, our order would have definitely found him by now!"
"Well, maybe... But it's still impressive. How can someone change so much in such a short time?"
Regardless, after that incident, his name was mentioned more often than even Neike, who was praised as a talent of unprecedented caliber in the continent, and Piel.
Once the students started talking about him, it was hard not to hear his stories, even if you didn't want to.
There were rumors that he had become the youngest co-author to participate in an academic seminar and that he was commanding Siena, the first elf hero department student of Elinia Academy, and the academy idol Aisha, at his beck and call.
The rumors about him were expected to fade quickly, but instead, they grew day by day.
Even according to the students' own fact-checking, most of it was true.
"Perhaps, as the divine words say, those destined to succeed will find a way no matter what."
When she first heard of his exploits, she harbored a small hope that perhaps she could become like that someday.
But in a short period, he soared to even greater heights.
While she was treading water, he was taking tens, no, hundreds of steps forward every day.
She felt no inferiority complex.
Inferiority is an emotion you feel towards someone comparable to you.
To her, he had become a distant ideal, a shining beacon.
7:00 PM.
The [Night of Light] had begun.
Students of the [Order of Light] ascended the stage, collectively unfurling their divine energy.
The only evidence of their divine energy was the size of the light they emitted.
The divine energy of most students was quite similar.
Except for one, Alphs.
'Ah...'
Perhaps due to nervousness, she could muster only a fraction of her usual divine energy.
Her divine energy was at least three times smaller than that of the other students.
'This can't be.'
The more she tried to concentrate, the more entangled it became.
The weak divine energy she had been radiating was diminishing even further.
'I guess I just can't do it.'
She glanced at Theo in the audience.
His indifferent expression seemed to radiate a halo, even in stillness.
Alphs bit her lip hard, her head bowing closer to the ground.
7:30 PM.
The [Night of Light] had concluded.
After the event, spectators had 30 minutes to leave a simple message along with an offering for the students who had been on stage.
Most of those making offerings were from the Hero Department.
In front of the stage, students affiliated with the [Order of Light] beamed smiles at those who left offerings for them.
"Ha-ha-ha, thank you for your kind regards!"
"I truly appreciate the offer to recruit me as an Aide! But there have been so many offers... may I take a moment to decide before I respond?!"
"Oh my, I was so nervous on stage that my divine power was less than half of usual. If given the chance, I can show you privately later..."
The students of the Order suddenly fell silent.
Thud, thud—
The reason was the dignified approach of a silver-haired man with an indifferent expression walking towards the front of the stage.
