The Hypnotic Saint
The word hit me like a slap.
“·····Postponed?”
“Yes. In my opinion, Senior, you made your decision far too ‘hastily.’ So why don’t you stay at the academy a little longer and take your time thinking it over?”
My instincts screamed.
What the hell kind of insane nonsense was that?
But strangely, my mind was shouting at me to obey the ‘Cecilia’ standing right in front of me.
A contradictory situation where emotion and reason clashed violently.
While I was still reeling in confusion, Cecilia whispered in a voice that had grown low and heavy.
“Senior. You’ll listen to me carefully, won’t you?”
Her grip tightened.
It hurt a little, but maybe that just meant Cecilia was that desperate to keep me here?
Still, one thing kept bothering me…
“But Cecilia, why exactly can’t I leave…?”
At my question, her pupils trembled for a split second.
“W-well, that’s because Senior promised to join the Theology Club with me…”
She mumbled evasively, but she wasn’t wrong.
“Ah, right. I did say that.”
I had lied to her about it, and I’d sworn again and again that I would show up consistently.
So I really should keep my word, shouldn’t I?
But why was Cecilia clinging to me this desperately?
No matter how close we were, we hadn’t known each other for very long…
Before I could voice my doubts, her voice slipped deep into my heart.
“Senior is someone who always keeps his promises, right?”
“Uh… yeah, I guess?”
It felt like I was being gently steered in a specific direction.
Cecilia pried my fingers open as if refusing to let me pull away.
“Then let’s make a promise, okay? Here.”
Her fingers intertwined with mine.
A pinky promise.
A powerful sense of unease washed over me, but there was no reason to feel strange about something as simple as a promise.
“Hehe, I never imagined a day like this would come. Why didn’t I do something so ‘easy’ sooner…”
Cecilia wore a bright, clear smile, as if something had put her in an exceptionally good mood.
Without realizing it, my gaze drifted to her face.
Her eyes glowed with a faint crimson light.
It felt wrong to say it, but her appearance was so dreamlike that the title of Saint almost didn’t suit her.
If anything, she looked more like a devil than an angel.
“····You’re beautiful.”
The compliment slipped out before I could stop it.
Cecilia flinched in surprise, her cheeks flushing red.
“Pardon…?”
I naturally reached out and touched her face.
We were close, so this much should be fine, right?
She flinched hard.
Cecilia jerked back as if genuinely startled and cried out in a panic.
“W-what are you doing right now…!”
“Ah, your eyes are just so pretty. Can I look a little closer?”
It felt oddly familiar.
Cecilia’s red eyes seemed strangely recognizable.
I was sure I had seen them somewhere before…
The moment I leaned in even closer—
Slap.
She knocked my arm away.
Had I come on too strong?
Cecilia was breathing hard, clearly agitated, and crossed both arms over her chest.
“Haa… haa. Senior… be honest with me. Are you in your right mind right now?”
“Huh? I’ve been perfectly sane this whole time…? Don’t people usually do this when they’re close…?”
“Who says that?! Haa… Senior, the only reason I’m letting this slide is because it’s you. If you did this to anyone else it would be incredibly rude… Do you understand? You must never touch other women like that.”
“R-right…”
This was strange.
The girls I’d grown close to at the academy had always loved it when I touched their faces or stroked their hair.
Maybe because she was the Saint, Cecilia seemed unusually sensitive about that kind of thing.
“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
Guilt I couldn’t hide seeped into my voice.
For a scoundrel like me to forget my place and casually touch a Saint’s face just because we were close…
I could get dragged off by inquisitors for something like that.
“N-no, Senior, I didn’t mean I was uncomfortable. It’s just… there’s usually an order to these things, you know…?”
“Order…?”
When I asked in confusion, Cecilia’s face turned as red as a ripe persimmon, clearly imagining something.
“N-never mind. Ahem. Anyway…! I really didn’t expect to hear such a ‘serious dilemma’ today. I’m so glad I came to find you, Senior. In that case, now…”
“There’s more…?”
I’d already confessed my troubles and somehow ‘resolved’ them.
What else could she possibly want?
Today had already been exhausting. I just wanted to rest a little.
Cecilia urged me on in a languid voice.
“The consultation isn’t over yet. There’s still the most important part left…”
“The most important part…?”
The shy expression vanished from Cecilia’s face, replaced by something utterly serious.
No—less serious and more…
Infinitely cold.
“The wound on your cheek, Senior. Who gave it to you?”
“Huh? That’s…”
Obviously, Teodora had done it.
In an instant, nauseating memories surged forward like a tidal wave.
The times she had brutally knocked me down, beaten me, and threatened me all came rushing back.
“Ugh…”
“S-Senior, are you okay?”
Shudder.
My body began trembling on its own.
The memory of violence paralyzed my reason, and my already broken mind, which had nowhere left to fall, kept plummeting endlessly.
—See you tomorrow, Aren.
Teodora’s smile.
Her voice.
They refused to leave my head.
“Senior… are you alright…?”
“Move.”
I shoved the seated Cecilia aside, frantically grabbed the blanket, and pulled it over my head.
“I’m scared… I’m so scared…”
My whole body shook violently as fear swallowed me whole.
It was humiliating to show such a pathetic sight in front of my junior, but I couldn’t help it.
“S-Senior?”
Cecilia was startled by the sudden change, but soon looked at me with deep concern.
“…Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t drag you into this.”
No matter how much of a Saint she was, her opponent was Teodora, the Hero.
Even without my ‘special’ support, she was a monster capable of facing the Demon King alone.
Teodora believed she had grown strong because I supported her in every way, but the truth was her talent had simply reached a level beyond the heavens. I hadn’t actually helped her all that much.
There was no way the seemingly powerless Cecilia could stand against her.
I didn’t want to get her hurt.
“…I have nothing more to say, so could you leave? I want to rest alone.”
It was already late, and if she stayed any longer, ugly rumors might start spreading. I had to send her away quickly.
But.
Whoosh—
“·····Huh?”
Without hesitation, Cecilia yanked the blanket off me.
Then she pulled me into her arms.
The soft sensation tickled my chest, but what I felt first was a warm, gentle heat.
It had been so long since I’d felt anything like this.
Cecilia whispered into my ear, her voice wet with emotion.
“Senior. Am I really that unreliable…?”
“No, that’s not what I—”
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Cecilia.
We were very ‘close,’ after all.
I just didn’t want to involve her in something like this.
I didn’t want her to get hurt because of me.
Cecilia hugged me tighter and murmured.
“Your body is so cold, Senior. Still… it doesn’t feel bad.”
“········.”
What was I supposed to say?
In contrast, Cecilia’s body was incredibly warm.
So warm that, without thinking, I wanted to stay in her arms forever.
“Show me your cheek. I’ll heal it for you.”
“Okay…”
Cecilia gently stroked the right side of my face.
A pure white radiance bloomed, and the stinging pain vanished as if washed away.
All that remained was a refreshing, pleasant sensation.
Even after the healing was complete, she kept touching my cheek and said,
“If it’s too hard for you to talk about, Senior, you don’t have to force yourself. Tell me whenever you feel comfortable. I’ll always be on your side.”
“········!”
Something surged up inside me.
To think someone could trust me this much.
It was embarrassing, but I felt like I might actually cry.
How could I even describe this overwhelming emotion?
Just as a smile naturally formed from the warmth in my heart—
One corner of Cecilia’s lips suddenly curled upward.
A somehow mischievous, playful smile.
“Well then, this good junior will stop here…?”
“Huh…? What do you mean?”
Before I could even process what was happening,
Cecilia gave me an order.
“Aren Senior. From now on, you must answer every question I ask you ‘honestly.’ Without my permission, you cannot move any part of your body except your face.”
“What? Wait, what are you—”
I was stunned by the sudden command.
The moment I tried to protest—
“Huh…?”
Twitch—
What the fuck?
Just like she said, my body wouldn’t move.
An unknown binding force had seized my entire being.
“What the hell are you doing? No—when did you even—”
Hypnosis? Mental magic?
Whatever it was, this situation was anything but normal.
“No, more importantly, Cecilia. Why are you… Why?”
I trusted you.
I thought you were the only person who believed in me.
An unexpected wave of betrayal crashed over me.
Cecilia spoke with a slightly troubled expression.
“I’m sorry, Senior. If you had just answered honestly from the beginning, this wouldn’t have been necessary…”
“Who… who the hell are you?”
In the game, Cecilia was nothing more than a supporter who provided healing and buffs from the backline.
She had never possessed any absurd ability like hypnosis.
So who was the woman standing in front of me?
Cecilia smiled mysteriously and said,
“I told you, didn’t I? I’m a very close junior. Don’t be too scared, Senior. You’ll forget everything that happens tonight anyway.”
“No… please…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you…”
Cecilia’s hand drew closer until it filled my vision.
“Good night, Senior.”