Chapter 37: New friends

Suddenly, it was fine for the Church Leader to go to the Church Nation.

But this bastard left all the remaining work to me.

“Um, Saintess, you need to approve all of these.”

“What the hell? The church isn’t a trading company or a business, so why are there so many approvals? What does the Church Leader even do normally? Can’t Priest Raffel handle this?”

“Ah, I don’t have the authority. The Church Leader transferred all of it to you, Saintess.”

At first, I thought he was insane for dumping everything on the Saintess.

But then Raffel turned out to be even worse, incapable of handling even the simplest tasks.

In the end, I had no choice but to deal with everything myself.

I finally arrived at the academy well past lunchtime.

Though I probably wouldn’t have enough time for proper classes, let alone my duties as a librarian, I had to inform them.

Getting back at the professor who caused me trouble with that history problem was satisfaction enough.

***

The first class I chose was swordsmanship.

But then I saw a familiar face.

“Hello, Saintess!”

Plene was as energetic as ever.

‘Does she follow me everywhere and sign up for the same classes on purpose?’

Today, though, she seemed especially respectful.

“Why are you suddenly being so polite?”

“You’re the Saintess now! Can you believe those nobles were bewitched by a succubus? It’s so ridiculous.”

‘Oh, right. I made that abundantly clear.’

The commoner students who had been discriminated against probably enjoyed the situation.

Those enchanted nobles must now be too embarrassed to show their faces.

Still, I decided to probe a little more.

Something about the current state of Atlerina seemed off.

“By the way, why is Atlerina so noisy lately? What’s going on?”

“Well, there’s the whole Lily situation.”

‘Even so, the uproar seems excessive.’

“Is there anything else?”

“The Crown Prince has abdicated his title.”

“…Seriously?”

‘He gave it up so easily?’

I had told him that if he proved himself worthy, Astaroth would follow him. But for him to actually abandon such a heavy burden?

‘He’s completely out of his mind.’

This would surely trigger a succession battle within the royal family.

One thing leads to another.

Due to Lily’s recent actions, the noble faction supporting Aslan has been weakened.

At a time like this, the prince should have clung to his position.

The emperor isn’t exactly a reliable figure either, so the fight for the throne will likely intensify.

***

“Yes! And Atlerina’s been undergoing some major changes!”

“What do you mean?”

I had expected this, but their actions were surprisingly swift.

“Most of the noble students involved in the recent incident have either taken a leave of absence or been held back! Some who helped Lily torment commoners even dropped out!”

“That probably wasn’t their decision.”

“Their families likely forced them to step back.”

“Nobles are unbelievably quick to withdraw when necessary.”

‘Why don’t they show this kind of decisiveness in everyday matters?’

“Won’t this pose a danger to Atlerina?”

“A drastic reduction in numbers could destabilize the academy.”

“Atlerina is the empire’s heart.”

“If it collapses, chaos will ensue.”

“The magic education system I established for the empire could fall apart.”

“Provincial nobles’ children have been admitted as replacements.”

“Provincial nobles?”

“That would mean military families, wouldn’t it?”

“In the provinces, most nobles function like warlords, so it must be their children.”

“They’re putting in quite an effort here.”

“They’re likely reforming Atlerina by bringing in elite provincial families.”

“Simultaneously, by introducing provincial nobles into the empire’s top educational institution, they weaken the central nobles while keeping an eye on the provincial ones.”

“Smart move. Who came up with this idea?”

“Yes! Especially the heirs of military families who fought on the frontlines against the Demon King!”

“Oh?”

“This changes everything.”

“I hear they’re rugged and exude wild charisma, both men and women! They’ll be nothing like those central nobles who fell for Lily’s succubus tricks.”

“Atlerina’s dynamics had completely shifted.”

“Not long ago, Atlerina was dominated by central nobles—high-ranking aristocrats from the capital and its nearby estates.”

“Even the inclusion of commoners was probably just to fill quotas. But if these students come from military families with battlefield experience, they’ll bring discipline.”

“I heard someone from the Rivelte family is joining too!”

“Rivelte?!”

“The Rivelte family, known for sweeping away the Demon King’s forces with just a handful of cavalry!”

“Rivelte had been the empire’s spear and shield since its founding.”

“The head of the family personally led three hundred cavalrymen to secure a supply route by annihilating thousands of the Demon King’s forces. The story is still legendary in that region.”

“Sure, the hero’s party shared some intelligence with Rivelte back then, but it was Rivelte who spearheaded the assault.”

“Their heir, Balen Rivelte, is the next head of the family and the vanguard captain of Rivelte’s cavalry.”

“Oh, look, he’s arriving now! He just came up from the provinces.”

Following Plene’s pointing finger, I saw a black-haired man yawning as he entered the swordsmanship classroom.

He was tall, lean, and muscular, with broad shoulders.

His annoyingly handsome face and strong leadership skills initially made me wonder why he wasn’t chosen as a hero.

Then I remembered: although kingdoms select heroes, there’s no rule against an empire citizen being chosen.

My perspective on him changed after witnessing the supply route campaign.

‘Does he really just charge in recklessly?’

“He charges because he’s confident of victory.”

‘The method isn’t bad, but it scatters the monsters.’

“Then chase them down and annihilate them.”

‘I was saying to surround and annihilate them from the start. Why doesn’t he get it?’

He was truly hopeless—a stubborn man who bulldozed ahead, convinced his path was the only correct one.

“Saintess, what kind of man do you like?”

“Why would I care about men? No way. Even if I’m stuck in this body, I’ll live alone forever. Men are out of the question. If I ever wanted a child, I’d adopt one. Definitely no men.”

“Saintess, look over there!”

“Who now?”

“A Tower mage! She’s joining Atlerina too!”

Technically, the Tower is also an academy, so it’s not wrong to call this a transfer.

The mage from the Tower was a girl I recognized.

Her short navy hair stood out.

Draped over the academy uniform was a Tower robe, marking her affiliation.

“Oh, her. She’s here too?”

I felt a chill run down my spine.

“You know her?”

“Um, sort of. Not really, though?”

“Ceria, the Puppeteer.”

“Using mana threads from her hands, she controlled puppets to fight.”

“She was quite strong.”

“Previously, the Tower had sent mages to aid the kingdom, and Ceria represented them.”

“She was undoubtedly skilled—stronger than the other two women from the hero’s party, with a far better personality.”

“Her flaw? She wanted to turn everything into a puppet.”

I vividly recalled her dissecting unique monster corpses on the spot to make them into puppets.

“Noah, can I take this?”

“It’s useless. Do as you like.”

“Thank you?”

“You crazy woman! Why are you dissecting it here?!”

Her eccentricity aside, she didn’t do anything horrifying, like turning living people into puppets.

Then, our eyes met.

“Shit. She saw me.”

I quickly looked away.

“Why are you acting like that?”

“Oh, the weather’s just really nice today.”

It would be troublesome if she took an interest in me.

Unfortunately, I underestimated just how persistent she could be.

“Oh my, is this the famous Saintess of the Ashtar family?”

Before I knew it, she was standing right in front of me.

“Ah. Yes.”

“The vicious older sister who sent her younger sibling to the gallows!”

‘This woman really knows how to annoy people.’

“Should I have let the empire fall instead?”

At my response, Ceria’s eyes curved into soft crescents.

“Just kidding! Just kidding! Hehe.”

“Why are you here?”

“I’m joining the magic department too, so I thought I’d greet you.”

‘Her? Greeting me?’

Ceria had always been interested only in people or things she could use to make puppets.

“Are you sure? Not because you want to use me as puppet material?”

“Ah! You caught me!”

‘Figures.’

A little subtlety would go a long way.

At least she wasn’t as bad as Lily, I suppose.

Though Ceria was eccentric, she wasn’t crazy enough to turn living people into puppets.

“You should learn to hide your true intentions.”

“How do you know I’m a Puppeteer?”

‘Still as pushy as ever, only focused on what she wants.’

‘Knowing wasn’t difficult.’

‘It wasn’t because I used to be Noah. Anyone with even a slight interest in the Hero’s Party would know about her.’

“I’m someone who’s very interested in magic. Naturally, I know about the Tower, and of course, I’ve heard of Ceria, who supported the Hero’s Party.”

“Wow! To be praised by Olivia, the Empire’s first Saintess—what an honor!”

‘How is that praise?’

‘But seriously, why did she come here?’

The Tower operates independently, solely focused on magical research and training mages.

It’s not unusual for someone to go from Atlerina to the Tower, but the reverse rarely happens.

“Is Atlerina that desperate?”

“Honestly, recruiting skilled adventurers from Galedo would’ve been a better move.”

“Sure, Atlerina needs to fill its numbers, but bringing someone from the Tower feels extreme. Why are you here, Ceria?”

“Aren’t there professors at Atlerina who know Noah?”

‘Well, that’s true.’

‘At least one or two professors in Atlerina’s combat education department must have met me.’

‘We interacted during battles against the Demon King’s army.’

“And?”

“If I study at Atlerina and form connections with them, I might find a way to locate Noah after becoming a Court Mage.”

‘Court Mage, huh?’

It’s just an excuse to gather materials for her puppets.

This could be problematic.

“To think you’d consider Noah as puppet material. No matter what, he was part of the Hero’s Party, so that’s a bit much.”

“What are you saying? I love Noah!”

“…What?”

‘Did she just say what I think she said?’

“Noah isn’t just a source of puppet material; he’s the one who made me feel love!”

‘Oh, come on.’

She barely interacted with me, and now she claims to love me? That’s absurd.

“His body was never found, so I’m sure he’s alive.”

‘That kind of confidence is dangerous.’

“Why do you think that?”

“Someone as brilliant as Noah wouldn’t face the Demon King unprepared. He must’ve had contingencies in place.”

‘I didn’t, though.’

‘I was caught off guard.’

‘If I’d known I was going to die, I would’ve prepared something too.’

‘Wait—did she just call me a Grand Mage?’

“You called me a Grand Mage just now.”

“Of course, Noah is a Grand Mage!”

‘Great. Out of all people, it had to be her praising me.’

“Let’s get along, okay?”

I’d always thought this woman had potential.

Though creepy like a Puppeteer, she at least had a functioning brain.

“Hmm? Could it be—”

“Yes?”

Ceria started sniffing me, moving her face all around me.

“Hmm, you smell similar to Noah.”

“I have no connection to Noah.”

‘Is this some kind of mage’s intuition?’

Maybe it’s because of my mana fusion.

Ceria used to envy my mana fusion ability.

Perhaps that’s what she’s sensing.

“Something seems suspicious. Do you, by chance, like Noah too?”

“Excuse me?”

‘Why am I suddenly being painted as some lovesick fool?’

“Fine! We can be friends, but Noah is mine!”

“Sure, okay.”

“Well, I have to meet the dean about my transfer, so I’ll see you later!”

The eccentric woman waved her hand enthusiastically as she disappeared with her companions.

***

“To think you’re in love with Noah! Don’t worry, Saintess! He’s alive somewhere!”

‘What? No, that’s not—’

“Look over there! Another handsome man!”

“What now?”

‘I’m about to lose it.’

‘Why is Plene so obsessed with men?’

“It’s Rokton Rapha Ashtar, the next head of the Ashtar family!”

“Right. Rokton is handsome, I’ll give him that.”

The Ashtar family has exceptional lineage, and their looks match.

Even Rokton has been featured on the front page of newspapers.

‘Wait.’

‘Why is that guy here at the academy?’

The next head of the family came all the way to his little sister’s classroom.

Spotting me, he approached with the elegance befitting the heir of Ashtar.

“Olivia, here you are.”

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

But…

“But, How did the first Olivia refer to Rokton?”

“Big brother? Oppa?”

“Anyway, it’s a fact that it’s definitely irritating me.”