They came looking for me several times after that.
Those young rascals from the Theology department came in place of the professor, who has apparently disappeared, pestering me.
No, to be honest, I’ve been debating whether or not to become a saint, but when they come to me like that, it only makes me feel rebellious.
But there was an unexpected hurdle.
“Doesn’t it feel refreshing?”
It’s Plene.
Plene, who follows me wherever I go.
I’m seriously concerned about her social life.
It’s as if I’m her only friend.
“What do you mean by that?”
Now, I’m terrified whenever Plene opens her mouth.
“Miss Olivia, the arrogant genius and hero of the commoners, has even brought the church to its knees, hasn’t she?”
“Why does the story go like that?”
It’s not like the church leader is kneeling before me.
Kneeling? What?
“The Empire’s church is the largest and is infamous for discriminating against commoners.”
“Why is that?”
‘Is there any reason?’
“To put it simply, they’ve become bloated. The Empire’s church grew thanks to the nobles. Ah, but the churches in the Kingdom or the Holy Church Kingdom are a bit more generous toward commoners.”
‘Now that I think about it, the Kingdom’s church… is that normal?’
‘No, wait.’
‘Considering the Kingdom’s church produced such a hero, could it really be normal?’
“Even so, I’ve never seen anyone from the Kingdom complain about their church.”
“So, in short, it’s rotten?”
“Yes. To commoners, the church is essentially a place to get treated for their injuries. Light wounds can be easily healed there.”
“Yes, I know that.”
The nuns at the church offer miraculous healing in exchange for a small donation.
They only treat surface wounds, but for commoners who can’t afford a doctor, the church is no different from a hospital.
“But they focus solely on treating nobles. They demand exorbitant fees from commoners. And in rural areas, they take children away early to train them in holy magic to expand the church’s power.”
“Wait, hold on. Then what are they teaching in the Theology department?”
“They made it sound like you could only become a priest or nun if you studied theology.”
“So, what we’re learning is…”
“Just a fraction of it.”
“Ah, it’s meant for the nobles.”
“There’s a clear difference in the education system between commoners and nobles.”
‘If the church grew thanks to the nobles, they wouldn’t openly admit they’re squeezing the commoners to expand their power.’
“Yes, that’s right. And they’re still collecting taxes. Though the amount is small, for commoners who are barely scraping by with the taxes they already pay to the state, it’s a heavy burden.”
“The Empire’s taxes aren’t supposed to be that high, right?”
“I’ve heard the Kingdom has high taxes because of the constant wars with the Demon King.”
“Ah, now that the Empire has entered wartime, they need funds for the war effort too.”
“Ah, because of the war.”
“Yes. The Empire raised taxes to fund the war against the Demon King.”
“That’s just garbage.”
“I can understand the Empire raising taxes for the war.”
“But what if Miss Olivia, the commoners’ hero, were to become a saint? What do you think would happen?”
In short, they’re asking me to become a saint to reform the church.
Plene, you opportunist.
“Unfortunately, I’m not interested in becoming a saint just yet.”
“I mean, come on. Regular women train their whole lives to become a saint, and I—a mere wizard—am supposed to accomplish it?”
“Sorry, but my personal maid is about to contract a terminal illness tonight, so we’ll have to continue this conversation later.”
“It’s good that the commoners support me, but becoming a saint is a different story.”
“No, what do you mean ‘about to contract’?”
“With this much divine power, I can foresee these things.”
In other words, if you bring up becoming a saint one more time, I’m going to shut this down.
***
“Hey, Olivia!”
“Hmm? Croissant?”
On my way back to the dorm after class, I encountered Croissant and her gang, looking a bit dazed.
She can’t do anything on her own, so she still hasn’t kicked her habit of calling in reinforcements.
Pitiful.
“I can see you still can’t even remember people’s names. It makes me question your intelligence. You think I don’t know? You kicked us out, but you’re no better.”
Annoying.
“About what?”
“Have you forgotten the manners of a noble?”
“What’s wrong with a senior speaking informally to a junior?”
“Do they still think they’re in second year?”
“Do they not understand the difference between first and second year?”
“Hmm, no wonder people say noble ladies are thoughtless.”
“As expected, your personality is really…”
“That’s why you bullied your sister.”
“It’s no surprise the crown prince lost interest in you.”
“Exactly. With a personality like that, no wonder you have no friends and bullied your own sister. Don’t you feel sorry for her?”
Croissant and her cronies were trying to provoke me.
I know who’s behind this.
“Hmm. That girl is really being petty.”
Apparently, Pingchang, unable to defeat me in terms of skill, has resorted to dragging my name through the mud at Atlerina.
‘Do they really think that’ll work against me? Do they really think those powerless little girls can sway me?’
‘Even if they were deceived, it’s still ridiculous.’
‘Why should I feel sorry for Pingchang?’
‘Thinking about it, this part really irritates me.’
‘I’ve never used this on anyone but my sister.’
‘In other words, she already used it on me. But if she had tried using it on the current Olivia, it wouldn’t have worked. Which means she must have used it on the previous Olivia.’
‘Looking at the notes the previous Olivia left behind, it seems that at some point, her personality became more twisted, and her obsession with the crown prince grew stronger.’
In the end, Pingchang was the root cause of everything.
‘Although the previous Olivia didn’t have the best personality, that was more of an elitist attitude stemming from being part of the Ashtar family. It wasn’t to the point of obsession.’
‘Looking at the bigger picture, Pingchang was ultimately the reason why the first Olivia ended up taking her own life.’
“Why should I feel sorry for someone like that?”
“Why should I feel sorry?”
“What did you say?”
“Why should I feel sorry? When have any of you ever cared about my sister? Who’s really being petty here?”
Anyone would think these arrogant, spoiled girls who only indulged in luxuries were kindhearted women sympathizing with an illegitimate child.
“W-What are you talking about?”
“Logically, where do you think I’d end up after breaking off my engagement? The imperial family would have formed ties with a marquis family. Even if Lily became part of the Ashtar family, she still has commoner blood. So, why do you think she was able to get engaged?”
“Oh, poor, foolish Lily. She must’ve thought she was sending a strong hand against me, but did she really think it would work?”
“I am not the same Olivia from before.”
“Huh?”
“Even if I got rejected because of my personality, what about you? How incompetent must you be to not even be considered a candidate for a family connected to the imperial house?”
“How pitiful.”
“Do you really think that’s something you should say?”
“They say His Highness loves Lily so much, don’t they? You must feel pretty confident as a woman, losing out to Lily with her unimpressive figure and stupidity.”
The noble girls’ faces contorted in anger.
“How unattractive must you be for the crown prince—an able-bodied young man—to ignore other women and fall for someone as dull as Lily?”
I wasn’t lying.
If the engagement had been called off, there would’ve been a lot of eyes on the situation, and the crown prince should’ve chosen a fiancée from another family.
There’s no real reason to choose the Ashtar family again.
After all, there are many prestigious families in the Empire.
So why did they miss out on the opportunity, and the illegitimate child of the Ashtar family, who had her engagement broken, get reengaged to the crown prince?
Of course, from the crown prince’s perspective, it’s love.
But there were likely many noble ladies waiting for their turn.
And in such a situation, a half-blooded girl like Lily, who couldn’t even stir a man’s heart, was chosen.
The noble girls I’m mocking must feel like I’ve driven a nail through their hearts.
“Do you really think that’s okay to say?”
Croissant was about to foam at the mouth in fury.
“And all you can do is band together and hunt witches. Ha! Who’s really the pathetic one here?”
I covered my mouth with my hand and laughed as much as I could.
When else would I have the chance to laugh at them?
“Women who don’t even realize they’ve been brainwashed… how sad.”
“What are you talking about?”
Huh? Wait a second.
Why did I suddenly start mocking brainwashed women? That’s kind of childish.
I wasn’t even like this during my time with the hero’s party.
It seems I’m being influenced by the first Olivia.
I feel more and more like I’m Olivia rather than Noah.
“No, I am Olivia.”
Noah died, his body vanished, and I ended up in the body of the first Olivia.
So, it makes sense to live as Olivia now.
There’s no need to cling to the past glories that have disappeared.
But unlike that, it seems the first Olivia’s consciousness has disappeared, yet I’m still being affected by her.
It seems my mind is following the body.
Hmm, even thinking about it again, it’s still childish.
Even if I live as Olivia, there’s no need to follow her lead in this.
I understand that she had her grievances, but I didn’t expect them to affect me too.
“There’s no reason to act like this toward people who don’t really matter.”
Sure, these women hate me, but at least they should despise me of their own accord, not because they’ve been brainwashed by Lily.
Is this really okay?
If they know how to use magic, they should at least be able to resist something like a succubus.
How incompetent are these noble girls?
“What are you talking about? You’re saying—”
Snap!
Before Croissant could finish speaking, I snapped my fingers, and the dazed girls’ eyes refocused.
They stood there for a moment, looking at me with furrowed brows.
“What’s your deal? Why are you here?”
“That’s what I’d like to ask you. Ladies, this is the fourth floor, where the second-year classrooms are.”
There’s no point in talking any further now that the illusion has worn off.
“What do you mean by that? Oh? Wait, it really is.”
“If you have a problem, take it up with Lily.”
“Why are you talking about your sister?”
‘Did they forget everything? How convenient to anger people and then just forget about it. Must be nice.’
“Just take it for what it is.”
I couldn’t be bothered to deal with them anymore.
Besides…
As I glanced back, I saw the holy knights, priests, and nuns from the church approaching.
They were all lined up like sausages.
Anyone would think I was hosting a banquet.
Sighing, I sent Croissant and her crumbles away and prepared to deal with the unwanted guests from the church.
I accepted a teacup from Claire and took a sip before speaking.
“So, why do you keep coming to see me?”
“Please, we beg of you! Become a saint!”
Suddenly, they were bowing their heads to the ground.
Hmm, they seem desperate.
Well, I suppose it’s natural.
After all, they’ve been waiting eagerly for a saint candidate for a long time.
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