Festival Faces and Lanur's Madness
Dalia didn't bother asking the judges for their comments. If that was a tradition, then it was a tradition. Since the contest was meant for enjoyment, there was no need for the judges to leave stiff, formal critiques. Besides, the judges were there as part of the audience anyway... so it seemed this custom would hold true this year as well.
But the judges gave generous scores to Evelyn, a first-year, for her impressive display of saint law prowess. In particular, Professor Rohan Heywards, a priest of Celioum, spared no praise for her precise saint law even in the midst of that awkward situation.
"That was remarkably precise and splendid saint law, Miss Evelyn. Seeing how you constructed every single feather of that flying bird with such delicacy... it looks like you've put considerable effort into controlling your own divine power."
Evelyn smiled at Professor Rohan's praise. It had been an embarrassing moment, but that didn't make compliments from an authority in saint law any less welcome.
"Thank you."
"You're always so diligent in your academy life, so I'm looking forward to your growth even more."
"I'll work harder to show you even better."
"Good work."
As Evelyn exited, Granias, Jerome, and Brian—who had been hoping to see her flustered—managed awkward smiles. They'd tried to tease her, only for it to backfire into something positive.
And behind their awkward grins, Evelyn shot them a smile laced with fury.
It was just a prank, and the outcome wasn't bad. But that didn't mean Evelyn's temperament would let it slide so easily.
"You guys... we'll talk later."
"H-ha..."
As Ludenberg Lavante and Ashytara Solenute watched the trio, a voice called out to them.
"Oh, who do we have here? Isn't this Ash Heap?"
In the vast expanse of Solemnute Adem, only one person called Ludenberg "Ash Heap." He turned immediately.
"Big Guy. You here to watch the contest too?"
"Yeah. Festival or not, if I'd kept buried in erosion beast texts at the Wisdom Pavilion, I'd have lost my mind. Came out for a breather. First contestant was pretty promising, huh?"
"Evelyn? Yeah. Her saint law was pretty refined."
Professor Rohan had rated it so highly for her divine power control that Nadan Tes must have thought the same.
Ludenberg figured Nadan was praising her saint law skills highly. But Nadan's next words made that assumption look foolish.
"Huh? What're you talking about? I couldn't care less about her saint law. Plenty of kids that good in the theology faculty anyway—nothing new."
"What? Then what was promising about her?"
"Her face. She's drop-dead gorgeous. Just looking at her lights up the whole area like..."
"......"
Ludenberg covered his face. He pitied himself for even conversing with this guy.
Ashytara, beside him, just watched their banter with a bemused expression.
"But isn't that girl from your White Pavilion?"
"......Same dorm."
"Oh. Can you introduce us?"
"Not close."
"Too bad."
"You came all the way here just to ogle girls' faces?"
"I'm here killing time anyway—goals can differ. Listen, Ash Heap buddy. Theology faculty sees saint law every damn day until we're sick of it. You think any theology kids came here for that?"
"Not everyone's like you."
"You don't get it, buddy. Know what theology students are obsessed with right now?"
"What?"
"Dating."
"......What?"
Ludenberg and even Ashytara stared at Nadan in disbelief.
"Your knight faculty bashes bodies all day—better than us staring at musty scriptures and basic saint law texts in stuffy classrooms every single day. You have no idea how much we've been waiting for this."
"Guys dreaming of priesthood are that thirsty for romance?"
"That's why you rich kids don't get it. You have no clue about the poor ones' struggles. Look, Ash Heap buddy—if I had a girlfriend as pretty as the princess next to you, I wouldn't be this bad. But I don't. I got nothing. The only woman in my life is my sister!"
Something in Ludenberg's incredulous question must have struck a nerve. Nadan suddenly unleashed a torrent of pent-up frustration.
He'd clearly been suppressing a lot during his years as a saint...
"Girlfriend...?"
Ludenberg looked baffled at Nadan's words, while Ashytara quietly bowed her head—her face flushing bright red.
"Huh? What's with the lukewarm reaction? You're not gonna say you two aren't dating, right?"
"We're not? Tara and I are just friends. I don't even have time for that crap."
This time, Nadan looked utterly dumbfounded.
"Um, Princess."
"......Yeah."
"When did this guy start acting like this?"
"......Sadly, from the beginning."
"Whoa. Terminal case."
Nadan grasped the situation instantly from Ashytara's words.
'Princess side likes Ash Heap, but Ash Heap can't see her as more than a friend. Meanwhile, they act just like fresh lovebirds.'
"What's terminal about it?"
Ludenberg, oblivious to what everyone else knew, couldn't follow their conversation at all.
It made sense, really. At twelve, when most kids awaken to romance, he distrusted everyone so much he trained alone without even basic education—just endless drills. He was ignorant of common knowledge.
He knew the concept of dating, but couldn't apply it to himself, leaving onlookers exasperated.
He didn't even know what couples did together, so he had no clue his behavior with Ashytara matched it perfectly.
He'd just have to figure it out in time.
"Whatever. Real blessed fools don't even know their own luck, while I'm here scraping for girls' faces. So pointless."
Nadan stared into space with a hollow expression.
* * *
As the three chatted away, Dalia's clear voice rang out, introducing the next contestant.
But this one seemed another prank victim too—putting on a decent saint law show before stepping down.
More students followed, each displaying their saint laws.
A theology student from the flashy Mare order conjured a fountain of water in midair, then wove the spraying streams into exquisite crafts. Mostly flowers, it seemed—clearly aimed at impressing girls, just as Nadan had said. Rumor had it he was a third-year.
"See? Told you. And third-years? Man, they're parched for girls."
Nadan muttered, audible to Ludenberg, who ignored it while Ashytara gave an awkward laugh.
A variety of saint laws unfolded, excluding Lanur and Setra. Nadan explained to them why: Setra's mostly recorded pasts, risking personal history exposure to the crowd. Lanur was just tricky to wield.
The judges praised the students' saint laws, sometimes calling them quirky, for quite a while.
Finally, only the last contestant remained.
"And now, our final participant. Oh, a newcomer today? From the Lanur order—a second-year theology student, Seia Shahain. Please come up to the stage!"
At Dalia's call, a theology girl with slightly tousled sky-blue hair tied up loosely ascended the platform.
No one expected a Lanur priestess—infamously difficult to wield—to enter such a contest, so every eye in the auditorium locked onto her.
"What's that senior doing here?"
"You know her?"
Nadan, who'd been critiquing nonstop, stared ahead with rare surprise.
"Pretty famous in theology. You know Lady Hidea Rune from the Six Heroes, right?"
"Who doesn't? But why bring up the Six Heroes out of nowhere?"
Ludenberg had grown interested in them lately due to the Trial World, but he couldn't fathom why Nadan mentioned Hidea Rune.
"That senior's obsessed with recreating Lady Hidea's saint laws."
"Lady Hidea's saint laws... Piercing Arrow first?"
"Knight faculty, so yeah, that'd come to mind. But there's more. Causality Reversal and such. Piercing Arrow itself was born from Causality Reversal."
"Causality Reversal... no one's ever succeeded."
"Right. Like how Setra priests go mad seeing the future, it overwhelms the mind—taboo for that reason. Plenty of Lanur priests have cracked trying it... That's why she's famous in theology. Keeps researching and attempting Causality Reversal without losing her mind. Only one in Lanur allowed to use it now."
"What about Lanur's saintess?"
"Think, man. Even with her immense power, what if she snaps mid-attempt?"
"......Disaster."
"Exactly. So she's even more forbidden."
"Sounds like she's got insane mental fortitude."
"Fortitude, sure—but it's madness, really."
"Madness?"
"Yeah. The madness to recreate her idol Lady Hidea's saint laws in this era. Ah, starting now."
As Nadan finished, Seia deployed her saint law.