Secret Rendezvous and the Saint's Arrival
The cleric survival training had come to an end. The students took a moment to rest while awaiting their evaluations.
First, the teams that had banded together to try to eliminate Sivar. Their plans had proven utterly meaningless in the face of his overwhelming power, leaving them all fidgety and anxious. Even though they had cooperated, they hadn't achieved the ultimate goal of survival. Their evaluations were bound to suffer on multiple fronts.
But Luna didn't care. Evaluation scores be damned—she had accomplished her own objective. That was the chance to be alone with Sivar. Such an opportunity was incredibly rare.
Alright, being alone together is settled. Now, how can I create a pretext for it? She'd been pondering this nonstop since the elimination.
How could she find an excuse to meet Sivar one-on-one? Gloria and Chronos met in secret under the guise of sparring sessions. But Sivar was different. He was under even closer scrutiny at the academy than Kara. Any outing would spark rumors inevitably.
Fortunately, the president and Lord were covering for him well, but even they needed to be fooled in this situation. It was tricky all around.
A café won't convince him. A restaurant is iffy too. Sparring would be a disaster if things got broken. She'd agonized over this ever since returning to the dorms after elimination.
What pretext would convince even Lord? Not just Lord—Ellie and Kara needed buying into it too. Securing the promise had been great, but problems abounded.
All that's left is going herb-picking together every weekend... She went herb-picking with Ellie every weekend. She could subtly aim for that time. Normally, Sivar would stick by her side, but if Ratatosk guarded her instead, there'd be no issue.
Ratatosk was a spirit beast with power matching Sivar's, highly attuned to nature—it would be a huge help.
Or just the two of us, without Ellie. That was the best option. A solid pretext without raising suspicions. But as always, the first step was the hardest. Creating that situation naturally was the real hurdle.
Luna, lacking any such experience, was lost in layers of worry. But coincidentally, someone nearby had been through something similar. Or rather, was still going through it. People who had evaded suspicion from the past right up to now.
"Oh my. What did you just say?"
"I'm wondering how to make an appointment without raising anyone else's suspicions."
It was Gloria and Chronos, the mentors teaching Luna and Sivar various mana techniques. Gloria's blue eyes sparkled at Luna's question, her face brimming with interest and anticipation. She glanced back at Sivar.
Sivar was honing his grappling skills with Kara's help. Chronos had joined in too, and since grappling demos worked best with multiple people, things were proceeding smoothly.
"Does Sivar know too?"
Gloria whispered, her voice so soft no one else—especially Kara—could hear. Kara was too focused on Sivar's training to notice anyway.
Luna stole a quick glance at Sivar. The promise was made. She'd said they needed to talk and asked to meet alone. He'd nodded.
The path to the outcome was thorny, but the outcome itself was set.
"Yes. I told him during the survival training. Said we'd talk later, just the two of us."
"During the training?"
Gloria's eyes widened at the response. She knew how the training worked, so the professors likely knew about Luna's promise to Sivar. The forest monitoring equipment captured everything in real-time.
But rumors would spread slowly.
By now, even the Sword Saint probably knows... Keeping it from Kara makes sense.
Gloria glanced at Kara again. She was teaching Sivar with a bright, open smile. Gloria had only heard bits about the survival training and hadn't paid much attention. But she ought to look into it—what had happened between Sivar and Luna, and what situation had led to their promise.
Her own secret romance with Chronos was thrilling enough, but helping someone else's was just as exciting.
"I see. Alright, I'll give you whatever advice I can."
"R-Really?"
Luna's blue eyes widened, and she beamed with a pure smile that shone like sunlight, utterly beautiful. Gloria smiled warmly in return.
Love really does make people even more beautiful.
"Of course. You might be my junior someday, after all. No reason not to help a promising student."
"Thank you!"
"Shh. Keep it quiet."
As Luna thanked her enthusiastically, Gloria pressed a finger to her lips, signaling silence. Drawing attention could ruin the hard-won promise.
"Oops. Sorry."
Luna realized her mistake late and made an oh no face. Gloria found it even cuter.
"So, you've made the promise, but carrying it out is the challenge..."
"For reference, sparring with Sivar is tough, and eating out somewhere is hard too."
"Why is that? Then finding a suitable place for the meetup..."
Gloria trailed off. Sivar was indeed far from ordinary—too far. For a normal person, she could suggest various excuses, but Sivar's options were extremely limited.
So what would work? Gloria pondered her own similar-yet-different situation.
I don't know Sivar well, so I should teach the big-picture strategy first.
Drawing the big picture was Chronos's specialty. He'd fought across countless battlefields with a broad perspective. Rising from the ranks to general, his strategic ability was top-notch.
Using it for secret dating was a bit funny, but necessary.
"It's definitely tricky. Maybe even harder than our situation?"
"Th-That tough?"
"Options are so limited. But as for methods..."
Gloria racked her brain for the young student nurturing her budding love. She guessed rivals would make it a tough trial, but she was just the advisor. She could offer guidance, but the choices were always Luna's. Futures changed based on personal decisions, after all.
"Ah! I thought of a good one."
"Really?"
"Yes. But if you miss it, it might not come again. Do you know that envoys from the Holy Kingdom of Byzantine will be coming soon?"
"First I've heard of it."
It was news to her. She hadn't heard much since the survival training. Gloria nodded as if she'd expected that.
The academy would announce it soon, but knowing early wasn't bad.
"Every quarter, they visit the academy to scout talent. Students pray or hold rituals according to their faiths then. That's how they find aptitudes."
"Rituals..."
The goddess of life, Gaia, involved prayer; the god of destruction, Gulrak, required sacrifices. Her gaze naturally drifted to Kara.
Tatar was so devoted to Gulrak it could be their state religion. They wielded lightning freely as a result.
"Aim for that time. Kara's a Gulrak follower, so she'll be out. Say you're praying to Goddess Gaia and seize the chance to be alone. How's that?"
"I... that might be tough."
"Huh? Why? Don't tell me you're a Gulrak follower too?"
Gloria could only assume that. It was a rare chance, yet Luna was drawing a line first.
But it wasn't Kara—the issue was Sivar. Luna already knew which god had chosen him.
"It's not that. It's Sivar. He's been chosen by Chaos."
"Chaos? The Chaos I know?"
"Yes. The god of chaos, Chaos. I heard he received His blessing."
"Fascinating. Very few receive Chaos's blessing..."
Gloria glanced at Sivar as she spoke. He was rolling on the ground grappling with Kara—literally training, nothing shady.
"What happens to those chosen by Chaos? Byzantine has all religions, right...?"
"Who knows if Chaos followers will even show. Their faith attracts such eccentrics..."
Chaos's followers were infamous in various ways, and few in number, making them stand out. Yet they avoided persecution as a cult and were recognized as a proper religion for a simple reason.
"Chaos denominations boast an unusual number of incredibly strong figures. They rarely harm those around them, either."
"Any famous examples? I don't know much."
"Famous ones... Only one comes to mind."
Gloria looked up, thinking. A cleric who was eccentric yet held firm convictions. One who never forgot a cleric's duty while embodying boundless justice.
"Kwonseong Lize."
"Kwonseong? Someone on the president's level?"
"Yes. Like Sword Saint Lord, she wields violet mana."
She sounds insanely strong, Luna thought.
"She's also called Saintess Lize."
"Saintess...?"
Luna's face went blank. Even from her rural backwater, she'd heard of saintesses. Wandering clerics on pilgrimage always mentioned them during sermons.
But Kwonseong and saintess? What a monstrous combo.
"Byzantine's poster child and raw power incarnate. Chaos's most favored, too."
"Uh... doesn't really click. What does she even do...?"
"You probably won't get it. But her convictions are legendary."
Luna was curious. How could that combo make sense? What conviction earned Chaos's favor?
Meanwhile, Gloria explained the monstrous hybrid Lize's creed.
"A true cleric doesn't just heal the wounded. They seek and eliminate the wound's source. That's the virtue of a true cleric."
"......"
"It sounds heretical, but without addressing the root, it's pouring water into a leaky dam. She leads by example, so she's highly respected. Get a sense now?"
Luna answered curtly.
"No."
It shattered all common sense. How was that a cleric? Demon-slayer, maybe.
Gloria nodded, understanding. She'd felt the same at first.
"No need to dig deep. She's too busy and unpredictable anyway. And she won't attend events like this."
"Hm..."
Something felt deeply ominous. Especially as Chaos's favorite.
The Holy Kingdom of Byzantine. In terms of religion, it held the world's highest prestige and authority. Nations had varied state religions, but Byzantine existed solely for the gods.
Its culture was steeped in faith, with many Gulrak devotees—believers in the god of destruction—making it a powerhouse. Above all, its defining trait was neutrality.
Neutrality wasn't possible without ironclad backing. Thus, Byzantine's influence rippled endlessly worldwide. As the top producer of clerics and home to holy sites, it was inevitable.
"Please reconsider, Lady Lize! Why go to the academy all of a sudden?!"
But Byzantine was currently in internal uproar, contrasting its serene exterior.
"Chaos commanded: Go there and meet your fated one. I but obey."
A woman answered the plea from the presumed holy knight. Her voice was soft and refined, but her appearance was staggeringly imposing.
In crude terms, a muscle monster. Biceps and traps bulkier than most men's. Legs like pillars holding up a building. She looked more man than woman, her rugged features adding to the intimidation.
Hard to see her as female. Her outfit exposed most of her muscles in a shocking display, though her chest was modestly covered. Utterly confusing.
"Does that mean you won't heed the god's word...?"
"N-No, of course not! It's just so sudden! Going without warning will cause chaos!"
The holy knight replied desperately. Her heading to the academy would be pandemonium. Even just the representative going would stir things, but this figure was worse.
"At least go as the 'Saintess,' not 'Kwonseong'! In that form, it'll feel like you're judging heretics!"
The current form was the problem. Muscle-bound as she was, sending her like this? It screamed issues.
Go as saintess, not Kwonseong. Understand our position, please. Was the plea too heartfelt to ignore? Or persuasive enough?
"Sigh..."
BOOM!
As the woman sighed deeply, a small explosion erupted. More like a pop!, followed by smoke billowing out.
The holy knight showed no reaction, as if routine. He just waited silently for the 'saintess' within.
"This form won't do, but no choice."
Her tone, rigid moments ago, softened completely. A silhouette shimmered in the thick smoke, far smaller than the muscle mass before.
The holy knight inwardly sighed in relief at the figure.
No, why am I relieved?
'Kwonseong' was bad enough, but 'Saintess' was plenty chaotic. He snapped his head up toward the smoke.
Just then, the smoke dispersed, revealing her.
It was breathtaking.
"This should be fine."
No one could deny she was a 'saintess.'
"Chaos said it'd be fun, after all."
Even her sly smile was exquisitely beautiful.
