Karen was an incredibly rational person.
Of course, she wouldn’t deny that she had a bit of a violent side.
For instance, sneaking under the bed every night to provide close protection without her permission, or secretly tasting her food to make sure it wasn’t poisoned.
But those were calculated acts of aggression.
She didn’t just try to guard her without any thought; everything was done after careful consideration.
It was such an obvious and natural thing, wasn’t it?
Losing her would be a national… no, a global loss.
If anything were to happen to her, humanity’s progress would be delayed by thousands of years.
Karen was just doing what needed to be done.
She was an ordinary, rational person, so she could coldly assess any situation in front of her.
***
“…Too much speculation. It’s probably just something like magical practice.”
“Of course, Professor Riyan was great and admirable. But he was clearly just one person.”
During her covert protection, she’d seen many human sides to him.
Most of all, if Professor Riyan were truly an apostle sent by a divine being, it would be common knowledge even in the Seonghwang Kingdom.
When a divine being sends down an angel to deliver their message, the name of the apostle is revealed through revelation.
Therefore, this was simply a misunderstanding that happened by chance.
There were magic users who strengthened their bodies or used unique magical armor, though rare; Professor Riyan was most likely using something like that.
“Moreover, it’s better to avoid getting caught by the Seonghwang Kingdom.”
She still had a firm desire to support her professor.
It was more than just the belief itself; confirming that the object of her faith was greater than she imagined was a surprisingly uplifting experience.
However, her personal desires must never take precedence over the professor’s peace.
“If things escalate, they might interfere from their side.”
Since it was another country’s matter, she didn’t know much about Seonghwang Kingdom, but she was familiar with the A-class Cristiana.
There were insane individuals there who couldn’t be understood with common sense.
The saint might be particularly bizarre, but if the Seonghwang Government was made up of people like that… Professor Riyan would surely face some troubling situations.
But if it were him, he might resolve such trivial matters effortlessly.
In fact, he might even turn it into an opportunity to achieve something incredible.
Though she had those thoughts, her priority was still the professor’s peaceful life, not her unfounded expectations.
Professor Riyan was an ordinary human.
The idea of him being an apostle of a divine being was an absurd accusation.
Karen concluded this to herself and decided to quietly leave.
***
[…After all, the human body is so uncomfortable.]
The words came from Riyan before she could leave.
The voice was completely different from his usual one.
The tone was much deeper, and it resonated more profoundly than before.
His voice seemed to reverberate in a way that made the whole world seem to tremble.
It felt like something beyond the Great Spirit.
A phenomenon only seen in transcendent beings, far beyond humans.
This alone was enough to shock her, but what left her in even more horror were his next words.
[The performance is too low. I can’t feel the omnipotence I used to. It’s a bit hard to adapt.]
‘Was he saying his own body was weak?’
‘Was Professor Riyan’s body really weak?’
A genius loved by both swords and magic.
No one could rival him in magic, and he had reached the peak of martial arts, achieving the uncharted realm of life and death, a state few could even imagine.
‘Was he saying that his blessed physical abilities were below expectations?’
Her head spun.
But regardless of her confusion, an unimaginable sight continued to unfold before her eyes.
[I repent! I no longer care about loyalty to Gettya… please… take me out of this sickness… Remember throwing me here!]
***
Constant magical reinforcement.
Without the enhanced hearing, she would never have been able to hear such a small voice.
It was amidst a mountain of dirty dishes.
In the middle of it, carelessly discarded, was a demon.
For some reason, the demon was trapped inside an empty vodka bottle.
She, a magic major, couldn’t even read the magic inscribed on the bottle.
She couldn’t comprehend it, but she understood the murderous intensity of it.
Time dilation magic that made one minute feel like ten thousand hours, among many other torturous spells.
The demon, suffering from it all, was shouting a plea for repentance.
To make a demon repent… That was an achievement no one in the Seonghwang Government had accomplished.
But her professor had done it.
Professor Riyan was no longer human.
He was something greater.
And he was personally punishing the demon.
He was making the world a better place.
So, summing it all up…
‘No matter how I think about it, he must be an apostle of a divine being.’
It seemed her misunderstanding wasn’t a misunderstanding at all.
It seemed that she had made a terrible mistake.
She couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated.
‘How could she be so unlucky?’
As always, excuses were pointless.
If she said she wasn’t a divine being, people would just laugh it off.
The girl who already knew he was an angel.
The kicker was… even she had to admit that her assumption seemed quite plausible.
‘Was all of this just a coincidence? Who would seriously believe something like that?’
All of this had stemmed from that damn phrase.
It was that guy’s fault for causing the situation to worsen by speaking nonsense through her mouth.
But she couldn’t explain it.
If the connection to the spirit left by the sage was revealed, there would be a huge uproar, claiming she had made a contract with the Great Spirit.
It was an incredibly troublesome situation.
‘…Well, I do have one solution in mind.’
Even a tiger might spare you if you figure out the right way.
As she thought, a solution quickly came to her.
‘A drastic measure enforced by the mad saint.’
‘Sending that woman to Cristiana.’
‘Calling someone who wasn’t an apostle an apostle was the worship of a false idol.’
‘If the mad saint was truly mad, wouldn’t she try to fix it?’
However, the reason Karen hesitated was simple.
‘Because I’m worried about Karen’s safety.’
She had no idea what that mad saint might do.
It might traumatize Karen.
In this situation, Karen had done nothing wrong.
It was simply her bad luck, and the strange circumstances had led to a misunderstanding.
‘Was it really right to throw an innocent girl to the madwoman just to achieve her goals?’
Karen paused for a moment to reflect…
Then, she suddenly thought:
‘Wait, how did she get in here?’
‘The door was definitely locked.’
The barrier magic had been repaired after the ancient dragon broke it last time, but at least the door was securely locked with a key.
Various strange occurrences flashed through her mind.
The strange gaze felt at midnight.
The face print left on the unfolded towel.
All the puzzle pieces clicked into place.
Without hesitation, she opened her mouth.
“Let’s go to Cristiana.”
***
Late at night.
Someone visits the student dormitory.
The one knocking on the door is Professor Riyan and a female student.
“Say the same thing to the saint that you just said.”
With those words, Riyan calmly left.
Now, in the room with only the two of them left, Karen hesitated for a moment, then asked the question.
“Is Professor Riyan an apostle of the divine being?”
It was a completely unexpected and abrupt situation.
However, Cristiana didn’t hesitate.
The answer to the question was crystal clear to her.
It was the truth, without a single lie.
She simply spoke it.
“No. He is not an apostle of the divine being.”
Her tone was firm, without the slightest doubt.
The certainty in her voice was evident.
Her face, however, was tinged with disappointment.
“Please refrain from spreading such rumors. As a saint, I have no choice but to punish you for that.”
Upon hearing those words, Karen broke into a cold sweat.
However, Cristiana couldn’t understand her reaction.
If she had understood it, that would have been more unusual.
That was because…
“He is a being far greater than any apostle.”
That was the undeniable truth.
…She had felt it from the very first time she met him.
The overwhelming, magnificent soul.
It wasn’t the soul of an ordinary human.
It was from a dimension higher than this world.
A being who descended from a higher realm to be with them.
“He is the divine being we serve.”
The saint said this with a smile.
Finally revealing her true identity.
The meaning of this was painfully clear.
He had made up his mind.
…A wind of change would blow through the Seonghwang Kingdom.