Hangover from the Saintess Festival
“I’ll head out first. My schedule’s packed.”
Christina glanced at the priest who’d come rushing in, then said her goodbyes. I nodded and bowed my head politely.
“Thanks for today.”
“No trouble at all. If anything, I’m sorry I couldn’t solve everything.”
Christina shook my hand, then Jenella’s too. Seemed like a habit of hers. A faint trace of Divine Power lingered on her palm.
“Alright, let’s go. I’ll walk you out. Looks like you’ve got a lot of people around here who don’t think too fondly of you—I could put in a good word.”
“……?”
People who don’t like me?
Hmm, who could that be?
I’d stirred up so much trouble around here...
‘Whatever. They couldn’t touch my crew anyway.’
Ashy was on my level strength-wise, Adria was an imperial princess, Mosik was the heir to a count, and Jenella was getting VIP treatment from the professors right now.
Mess with them, and they’d come after me.
No problem at all.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah.”
“Hurry up and get over here.”
Ashy yanked Jenella and me close, eyeing the saintess like a wary cat.
Christina tilted her head at Ashy.
“Have we met before?”
“No?! We haven’t!”
“Really...?”
It sure felt like we had.
‘...Not a reincarnator or possessor.’
That left just one possibility: regressor.
I wasn’t certain, but her hidden identity... had to be it, right?
Still, she hadn’t brought it up first. She’d said she’d tell me when the time was right. All I could do was wait.
“Give it your best shot. Hehe, so cute, so cute~”
Christina chuckled as she ruffled Jenella’s hair, then left with her increasingly insistent attendant.
“Hey, what did the saintess mean just now—”
Whoosh!
Jenella bolted before I could even finish.
What the...
Ah, did the saintess pick up on Jenella’s crush on me?
‘Ugh, hope she doesn’t go meddling or anything...’
I had zero interest in dating anyone.
Friends was plenty.
Anything more... felt like too much right now.
“Why’s Jenella acting weird?”
“Beats me. It’s not the first time she’s pulled something like that.”
“You didn’t do anything creepy again, did you?”
“Nah. Oh, but the saintess seemed to notice Jenella’s feelings.”
“Yeah? Makes sense—she’s got that straight-laced vibe, so if it’s obvious even to her, anyone would spot it.”
Saying that, Ashy started patting me down.
“......What’re you doing?”
“Checking if that girl did anything weird. Like, no kisses or hugs or whatever...”
“You nuts?”
“Just kidding, kidding.”
Didn’t sound like kidding. She seemed dead serious.
She’d read way too many doujins.
Sudden makeout would just be assault anyway.
...Though whether you could even report a saintess was debatable!
“You two get along now? She seemed to recognize you.”
“Kinda? She asked if we were siblings or something.”
“Don’t like her...”
“Why? ‘Cause she asked if we’re siblings?”
“No! Our concepts overlap!”
“......?”
What?
“The formal speech! That’s my thing.”
“......”
Everything’s a concept with her.
“Whoa, festival vibes.”
“Total festival.”
“Not a festival—a concert hall. Even back when I was active, crowds weren’t this big.”
We stared blankly at the saintess giving her speech below... and the students screaming their lungs out.
They called her a noble idol, but even that snobby noble who’d dissed commoners earlier was yelling, “Saintess! You’re so pretty! Kyaa!”
Didn’t know if she knew the saintess was a commoner orphan.
“Ugh, so loud. What’s the big deal?”
I got it, though. The students were still reeling from the recent terror attack.
And here came the saintess herself to lift their spirits.
What better therapy?
“Yeah. Not like she’s making bank off this...”
We trailed off, jaws dropping.
-Uwahahaha! So cool—no, so pretty, Saintess!
“Kyaaaa! The saintess looked this way!!”
Why the hell was that guy there?!
And waving a glow stick in sync with some girl I didn’t recognize.
Wait, was that even the slime?
“Um... yeah... well, Eodukshini’s not human, just a slime, so...”
“But the human next to it’s even more hyped?”
The saintess, mic in hand like a pro idol, was grabbing the crowd with some fluffy chit-chat to lighten the mood.
-Lately, I’ve put on a little weight...
“Where?!”
-Ahahaha!
Damn, that powerful voice. Pro singer level.
“I still don’t get it. What’s the appeal? She probably doesn’t even know most of them.”
“But you said you’re my fan?”
“I know the real you, and I can touch you like this!”
Oh. Fair.
“Don’t give me that ‘oh really’ face. I’m just an Eugene fan. ‘Fan’ doesn’t even cover it.”
“Right? Eugene-staring’s the trend now.”
“Shut it, would ya?”
She was a pro at flustering me.
As I fanned my burning face, Adria spoke up hesitantly.
“......So, you’re really not gonna return Jenella’s feelings?”
“Yeah.”
I gave a wry smile.
“Sorry, but I’m not looking to tie the knot with anyone. Friends is good enough. More than that... I couldn’t handle the responsibility.”
Shouldn’t a relationship form from mutual feelings? That’d mean I’d have to like Jenella first.
I didn’t. At all.
Getting confessed to when the feelings aren’t there? Ridiculous.
“Plus the responsibility. Mess up, and I couldn’t even hang with you guys. Dating but chilling with girl friends? Sketchy.”
“Still...”
“Leave it be, Adria.”
Ashy grabbed Adria’s hand, holding her back.
“If we push and they date, she might get hurt worse. Even if it starts sweet...”
Ashy’s gaze was oddly heavy. Uncomfortable.
I’d basically shot down her feelings too, with what I said.
Whether she actually liked me or not.
-Uhaha! Water! Wa—glug glug!
“......Get that idiot out first. Who threw it?”
Not dying was good, but escaping this mood was a relief.
Practically suffocated.
-Glug...
Looked like it really almost drowned.
“S-Sorry!”
The overexcited girl student who’d chucked Eodukshini into the fountain bowed repeatedly to me.
-Wh-What a life... er, slime life...
No clue why, but it seemed fine despite nearly dying, so I nodded lightly.
“Do you know compensation stones?”
“H-Here!”
She handed over comp stones, then scampered back, eyes wild, chanting saintess praises nonstop.
Full-on fanatic mode.
‘Fans are scary.’
That’s fandom? Yeah, I’m never getting one. Too freaked out.
“Hey! Students! Come get some! Bread grown and baked at the temple!”
“Spaghetti and chicken soup too!”
What? Spaghetti and boiled chicken together?
Didn’t dwell on it.
School cafeteria logic—weird combos were standard. Temples probably no different.
“Let’s eat!”
“Sure!”
“Ah, but I’m dieting.”
“I never gain weight no matter what.”
“......”
“......”
“Wh-Why?”
“Die, you!”
“Kiyaaak!”
Fandom baffled me, but we had fun anyway. Meals, snacks, drinks from the priests... wait, just eating?
“Ugh, stuffed.”
Fine by me.
I chucked the pajama-clad slime onto the desk and flopped onto bed.
Ahh, bliss! Beds rule!
“Ugh, changing’s a pain.”
“Ugh, makeup removal’s a drag...”
Adria and Ashy casually sprawled on my bed too. Or tried to.
I blocked ‘em with my feet.
“Hold up!”
“......?”
“Not tonight. Out.”
Head was a mess. Ancient monster stuff, Jenella stuff... needed solo time.
“Whaa? Why!”
“Why? Wanna sleep comfy. Out.”
“We could just sleep together...”
“I’d get reported??”
One wrong touch, and I’m done!
Adria pouted, sitting up.
“I’ll head out first. Ugh, makeup...”
“Go on ahead~”
Ashy nodded, then... opened my closet, pulled blankets and pillow, made a sofa bed?
“???”
What the—?
“This room’s basically Eugene’s now!”
“Bull! Get out!”
“Waaah!”
“No tantrums!”
Out!
“......”
“Jenella, you too. Out.”
“Tch.”
Why they always eyeing my room?
Thud!
Fun break over—back to delightful(?) classes.
Basic mana control lecture.
“Whew, that was great. Saintess really is nobler than nobles.”
“Y-Yeah...”
“Gotta get nobler myself...”
Still buzzing, students zoned out; Banana Princess burned with jealousy(?), lost in thought.
Creak! Thud!
Jayyan entered, dumping a mountain of handouts on the desk.
“Good day, everyone. Had fun?”
“Yes!!”
-Yes!!
“Even the divine beast slime’s answering well—must’ve enjoyed it. Good. Playtime’s over; study time.”
“......”
-......
Instant chill. Jayyan didn’t care, pressing on.
“From today, we’ll focus on strengthening mana control. We’ll still do an hour of Basic Mana Control daily, of course.”
Control boost?
“Some felt it during the ancient monster incident: tough foes like that make magic hard. But!”
Thud! She slammed the desk.
“You need enough mana preserved for spells or escape. And know low-cost spells for clutch moments.”
Wait... isn’t this straight-up magic combat class now?
“Theory: mana-stealing monsters and artifacts.”
“......”
She was pissed. Good change, really—bare minimum for a prof, but...
‘It’s gonna be hard!!’
Damn ancient monsters!
“Everyone, come here.”
Basic swordsmanship. Thought it’d be PT again, but prof called us over.
“From today, goal: beat this scarecrow.”
“Huh?”
“This scarecrow?”
“What kinda scarecrow...”
Grouchy reactions, but changed fast once fighting it.
Crack! Thwack! Ugh! Pow!
“Ow! It hurts!”
“M-Mana!”
“Aura won’t form!”
Eroy nodded, pleased.
“Mana and aura absorber. Brand new. Next lessons after everyone beats it.”
Where’d the budget come from?
I eyed the hopping, battle-ready scarecrow.
Hmm... can’t break it, right?
Poke.
Finger to forehead—it froze, flailing.
Mosik in a muscle tussle, Yahan hacking wildly—both stared at me baffled.
What? Kid’s weak, whaddya want?
“Eugene wins. Come here.”
“Teacher! Ow! Advanced lessons?!”
“Yes. Tailor to level.”
“Unfair! Ow! Us too! Ow ow!”
“Can’t dodge what you see—how’ll you dodge invisible?”
“Ow!”
Yeah, just stand still. Pitying the chatty kid getting pummeled, I followed Eroy.
“You dodge visible fine. Next up.”
She led to scarecrows in a circle.
Center: white line screaming “sit here.”
“......?”
What? She handed me a blindfold.
“Blindfolded, dodge magic bolts.”
“Next level?”
“Nah? Supposed to be blind melee, but you’d win easy. Better than me at fighting.”
“......”
Still hung up on that time.
“Where’d these come from?”
“Academy got noble donations—budget flush. Got pricey gear. Planning knight squads later.”
Whoa...
‘So, plenty cash even if I smash ‘em?’
Pretend to deflect and shatter?
“Oh, no breaking. Hard to make, cost aside. Break it, you toss balls instead.”
“......”
Just dodge nicely...