The Saint's Trap
Ten minutes before Baran and the girls’ group crossed paths.
Luden had finally finished everything and returned to the academy. The real reason she had left for an entire month was none other than Baran. After the previous final exams, her feelings for him had grown even stronger. Just seeing him made her face burn. On top of that, her heart raced faster than usual.
But at the same time, she was worried. It was only natural—she knew Baran was sick.
“Sigh. What should I do?”
During the break, she had been investigating ways to cure his illness. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to find out anything about the medicine he took. The only thing she learned was that he suffered from an unknown disease. That was it.
Should I try to find a panacea or something?
But was such a treasure something you could obtain just because you wanted it? If it were that easy to get, no one would ever die from illness.
What should I do? He’s seemed a bit better lately, at least.
Even so, the image of him coughing up blood refused to leave her mind. Luden arrived at the academy with a pounding headache.
But at that moment—
The sound of students chattering in groups reached her ears. What’s going on? Did something happen?
She tilted her head and stepped into the crowd. Then—
“Oh? Luden?”
“Miss Luden?”
She ran into Lillia and Sherry by chance. It seemed the two of them had also just arrived at the academy.
“What’s happening over there?”
“We were just about to go check it out ourselves.”
“It can’t be because of Baran, right?”
At Sherry’s words, all three of them shared the same thought for a moment before shaking their heads in denial.
“Even he wouldn’t cause trouble on the very first day back.”
“Right. Baran does cause his share of incidents, but he usually doesn’t act out like that.”
“Yeah, true.”
The three of them pushed through the crowd and moved forward. But the moment they saw what was happening—
—They froze.
The sight that met their eyes made all three faces harden instantly. Because Baran and the Saint were embracing each other.
“Baran?”
“Baran?”
“What are you doing over there?”
The next moment, they called his name in chilling voices. Baran’s head turned toward them as stiffly as a robot. He scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.
“Ahahaha. It’s been a while, everyone.”
“Yeah. It really has been a while… and yet here you are hugging another woman.”
“You look like you’re having a great time, Baran.”
“Baran…”
The pressure from the three of them made cold sweat pour down Baran’s back. It was clear all three were seriously angry. In times like this, changing the subject was the only option.
“Saintess, people might misunderstand if you keep doing that.”
“Misunderstand? About what?”
“Well… they might think we’re in a relationship.”
“Is that so? Honestly, that doesn’t sound so bad to me.”
“……”
This Saintess was being incredibly mischievous after not seeing her for so long. The seductive smile she gave him while looking up made it obvious she had orchestrated this situation on purpose.
Baran quickly pulled her out of his arms and changed the subject.
“Everyone, we might be late. Let’s head to the classroom.”
With those words, he strode toward the classroom as if nothing had happened. He could feel their piercing stares on his back, but he pretended not to notice.
And so, today’s first class was nothing more than an explanation of the upcoming schedule. Nothing more. Just as Professor Dale finished taking attendance and was about to end the lesson—
“Ah, just in case, I’ll mention it in advance. The transfer students taking the exam tomorrow may approach current students to become their partners, so please keep that in mind.”
With that, Dale left the classroom.
Baran fell into thought after hearing those words.
The transfer exam, huh.
In the original story, it wasn’t a particularly important episode. After all, the protagonist wasn’t a transfer student. But this time, the Saint had entered as a transfer student, which was different from the original plot. So he needed to think about it a little.
It has changed from the original, but…
Actually, this was better. The Saint had become an ally much faster than expected.
As Baran was organizing his thoughts—
—The back door of the classroom suddenly slid open.
The students of Class A quietly turned their gazes toward it. The Saint walked straight toward Baran, ignoring everyone’s stares, and made her proposal without hesitation.
“Baran. Could you be my partner for tomorrow’s transfer exam?”
He hadn’t expected the Saint to make her move the moment class ended.
Well, accepting would be best.
Even without him, her skills were more than enough to place her in Class A. Still, you never knew what could happen. It was better to become her partner just in case.
“Yes, I understand.”
The moment Baran accepted the Saint’s proposal, the students around them gasped in shock. The academy’s strongest first-year and the Saint had formed a team.
But among everyone present, the ones who received the biggest shock were someone else entirely.
It was the girls’ group.
They had expected the Saint to make the offer. They had even considered that Baran might accept. But they never imagined he would agree so readily, without the slightest hesitation.
The three of them felt a sudden sense of crisis.
Then—
“Then, shall we go to a café together—just the two of us—to discuss our strategy?”
The Saint gave Baran a gentle smile. He nodded.
“Let’s go right away.”
With those final words, the two of them leisurely left the classroom. As they walked, the Saint subtly turned her head and flashed a triumphant smile. It was the smile of a victor.
“Heh. How dare she show off like that?”
“We have to save Baran from the witch’s clutches.”
“Agreed.”
Watching the Saint’s annoying expression, the three girls wore determined looks. The surrounding students quietly backed away from them.
Ignoring their stares, Lillia spoke up.
“I have a plan. Let’s form an alliance and rescue Baran from the witch’s grasp.”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“We have to save him no matter what.”
Fire burned fiercely in their eyes. The students watching from afar all had the same thought.
Just how many pieces is Baran going to be torn into?
Once the two of them arrived at the café, they ordered drinks and began talking about their strategy. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say they were simply catching up on what had happened during the break.
“Hmm. From what I’ve heard, you seem like something of a training addict, Baran.”
That was the Saint’s impression after listening to his story. Since it wasn’t exactly wrong, Baran didn’t argue. He simply gave an awkward smile.
It’s strange. With so many women around him, he doesn’t seem to have any greed at all.
Most men would start getting ideas if women clung to them like that. But Baran showed almost none of that compared to other men.
Is it because he can’t see?
Curious, the Saint stared at him intently. She quietly moved her foot and brushed it against his leg.
The next moment—
“?!”
Baran’s shoulders twitched.
“Saintess?”
“Sorry. I just wanted to check if you were impotent.”
“Pardon?”
What exactly was she checking?
“From your reaction, it seems you’re not.”
“Of course I’m a man, Saintess.”
“But you don’t show any reaction even when someone like me approaches you.”
That was simply thanks to his Calm trait. In truth, he had felt a little happy about it on the inside.
“Ahem. Anyway, what about our strategy?”
“Hmm. Do we really need one? Honestly, the two of us should be more than enough to take first place.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Yes. So instead of worrying, let’s just enjoy ourselves.”
With those words, they spent the rest of the day until evening wandering around the royal capital together. Completely unaware of what the girls’ group was plotting.
The next day.
Having been chosen as the Saint’s partner, Baran skipped class and headed to the transfer exam site. The location was the same island where the previous practical evaluation had taken place.
Hmm. They really went all out on the construction.
The waiting room looked far more luxurious than the last time he had seen it. It was clear they had put real effort into this.
“You’re here? Baran? Did you sleep well?”
At that moment, the Saint appeared before him. She greeted him while tucking her hair behind her ear. Watching her, Miroel shook her head from behind.
Sigh, her behavior is starting to resemble Janne more and more.
From the way she spoke, it seemed the first Saint had acted similarly. Baran pretended not to hear Miroel and returned the greeting.
“Yes. I’ve already adjusted, so I slept well. How about you, Saintess?”
“Thanks to the special treatment the academy gave me, I slept deeply. The bed was just as soft as the one I usually use.”
“That’s good to hear. By the way, don’t the other transfer students have partners?”
As Baran asked, he quietly glanced at the three other transfer students. Since they were basically extras, he didn’t know them well. Still, it was a bit strange that none of them had managed to find a partner.
Well, it’s not really my concern.
Just as he was about to stop paying attention—
—A humming sound came from the gauge in the waiting room. It seemed someone was coming out. Probably the partners of the transfer students.
Wondering who it could be, he looked over.
What the—fuck?
The people who emerged from the gauge were none other than the girls’ group.
Why the hell are you guys coming out of there?