Body and Mind
"Hello."
"... Hello."
The next day, when I entered Class 1, the first person to greet me was Ophelia with a blank expression.
"You seem to be in poor condition. You really didn't eat much at lunch yesterday."
"Haha..."
I pointedly ignored the remark and sat awkwardly beside her with a forced smile.
One after another, students filed into the classroom.
"Hey, hello~."
"Oh, good morning."
Some used casual speech, others formal. It was utterly chaotic.
I stared at the scene with my chin propped on my hand, something I could never have imagined in a Korean school.
"Miss Therese, good morning."
"Eh? Yes. Good morning."
This was the second greeting of the day.
Ange was beaming with a cheerful smile, her mood inexplicably bright.
"You don't look well. Is something wrong?"
"... I can't sleep well unless I'm in my own bed, so I barely slept."
Ange looked at me with genuine concern.
"... I see. I'm the same way. That's why I asked the household staff to move me to your room. Should I also have them move your room to mine?"
Moving rooms on such a grand scale. As expected of a noble family. I clicked my tongue inwardly.
After thanking the nameless servants who had helped move Ange's belongings, I settled into my seat.
"So, that's why people say you're lacking in virtue. Ange Leverica."
Ophelia spoke with clear disdain, and Ange spun around with an indignant glare.
"Lacking in virtue? Where in the world is there someone who cares about others as much as I do? I went around greeting the staff who worked hard for our family today."
"Ah... I see."
Ophelia regarded Ange with contemptuous eyes, then seemed to remember something and looked at me.
"Did you hear? The Saint... I mean, your friend is scheduled to receive baptism from the Church's archbishop."
"Baptism?"
"I heard it too. Those fanatics were in an uproar."
"Fanatics..."
I couldn't help but smile bitterly at Ophelia's words.
As in any fantasy novel, those who worshipped the Church or gods tended to be a bit twisted.
Endless wars with the Demon Race and the grotesque monsters that appeared everywhere in this world.
Those were the nuns and holy knights who fought them, their hands stained red with blood and gore.
To such fanatics, the appearance of a Saintess meant they had no choice but to revere her like a goddess.
As someone who had read the original novel, I found Ophelia's reaction incomprehensible.
"Everyone, hello~."
With her stack of textbooks, Diane entered the classroom, and the noisy atmosphere fell silent.
"From now on, I'll be distributing the scrolls. As you all know from the schedule, we'll start with the basic mana exercises."
After morning classes, during the lunch break before afternoon practicals, I went to look for Haru.
Earlier that morning, I had talked with Haru on the way to the academy, and she was in Class 4.
I had wanted to visit her during every break, but since she seemed preoccupied, lunch seemed the best time.
Class 4 had a livelier, more chaotic atmosphere than Classes 1 and 2.
When I opened the door, Haru's back came into view.
I walked over, but she didn't notice me.
"Ha-ru."
She was slumped at her desk, staring into space.
I rested my chin on her head.
She jumped as if lightning had struck her feet.
"Waaah?!"
Thud!
"Ouch."
Haru shot up in a hurry, and my chin collided painfully with hers.
The chair she was sitting on toppled over with a clatter.
"What the—? It was Tere? You startled me... Anyway, what are you doing?!"
"It hurts~. No, I just wanted to surprise you."
"Huh?" Haru gave me a weird look.
From her expression, it seemed less like anger and more like bewilderment.
I had come to talk to her, but the attention around us made me pull her sleeve and lead her out of the classroom.
"What's up?"
"Nothing much. Do you know about the festival on the anniversary in a month?"
"Of course. Everyone’s buzzing about it."
I took a deep breath.
Good. This was the right time to say it.
"You can't go to the festival."
I tried to say it, but my words got stuck.
Memories I had been forcing myself to forget flooded back.
Just because Haru didn't go wouldn't solve everything.
That day, not only civilians died. Many academy students died too.
So, as long as academy students didn't die, it would be fine?
What about powerless people?
Other people who would die because of me?
Was I just trying to avoid responsibility?
"... Tere?"
"Eh?"
Haru looked at me with confusion.
"Are you going to the festival too? With Eli?"
"Ah... that."
I had no good answer for Haru's question.
Eli would be safe no matter what happened. But Haru wouldn't.
Should I just tell her everything?
But if I did, I'd only burden her. Haru would get dragged into trouble for nothing.
My throat felt blocked by something solid, and only air came out.
"Are you okay?"
Haru looked at me with worry.
That must mean my expression was terrible.
The words "you can't go" wouldn't come out, so I stammered.
"... Ah, I forgot something. Let's talk later."
I made up some excuse and fled from Haru as quickly as possible without hearing her reply.
I attended practicals in a distracted state.
It was a light magic manifestation exercise.
I obliterated the targets to dust, but the worry gnawing at my insides remained.
So I wandered the school in a half-dazed state.
Unable to muster the courage to return to the dorms, I ended up at an empty courtyard where no one usually went.
There, a red-haired girl was sweating.
Her flowing twin tails shimmered orange in the sunlight filtering through the clouds.
"... What's the matter with you?"
"Ophelia."
Thud!
I was slammed to the ground by Ophelia.
I challenged her to a sparring match on impulse, and once again, I was beaten to a pulp.
This time, I managed to last about ten seconds.
I stared at the clouds in the sky and breathed heavily.
"You suddenly want to spar out of nowhere... What's going on?"
"I just wanted to get hit."
Ophelia frowned at my words.
"Did you always have this kind of taste? Let me remind you, I'm not that kind of person."
"It's not like that..."
I panted and protested in a voice mixed with air.
I didn't want to be labeled a lesbian masochist out of nowhere.
"... It was a joke. I can tell you're carrying something heavy just by looking at you."
Ophelia said with a slightly stiff expression.
"Haha. Caught."
"I didn't come here expecting you to notice."
"I didn't know you'd be here either. Still, I'm glad you did... It feels a little better. Like my chest is expanding."
Ophelia's lips curved into the faintest smile.
Then she sat down beside me with a thud.
"Really?"
A scent of strawberries and sweat drifted over.
"... How long have you been here?"
"Right after it ended."
Ophelia was this strong because she had trained without fail since childhood.
Every single day.
Haru too.
"How much training do I need to become as strong as Ophelia?"
She answered with a soft "Hmm" and a small laugh.
"A month might be enough to make you stronger. Of course, I probably won't be able to beat you."
She said it in a teasing tone.
After that, a comfortable silence settled between us.
It was quiet, yet not awkward. Similar to the feeling I had with Eli, but somehow more intimate.
Ophelia sat on the ground with her eyes closed.
Seeing her like that made me feel at ease.
I still couldn't tell her. I couldn't tell anyone.
If I told her about dozens or hundreds of monsters appearing in the kingdom's capital in a month, no one would believe me without proof.
So, first, there were things I had to do.
There was no Hero. But I was here.
I wasn't even close to the Hero's level, but I had to do what little I could.
Even if I was just a meat shield.
I grinned.
"Ophelia, can I have another round?"
"Aya! Ayayaya. Gently. Please be gentle."
"After you suddenly started, what happened to make you like this...?"
That night, my body trembled at the sensation of the medical tape Haru gave me... the feeling of a bandage, as we knew it.
Afterward, I sparred with Ophelia enthusiastically, getting beaten and defeated.
I asked for feedback and advice.
Then I sparred with Ophelia again, armed with that advice.
I lost again. Got advice again. Sparred again.
Lost once more.
Again and again.
Until the sun set and the night watch called me away.
Ophelia taught me until then.
In the end, I achieved a record of ten losses in ten matches.
As expected, Ophelia was a powerhouse even among first-years.
Originally, the Saint, the original Hero, then Ophelia, and finally the unseen Seysel were the top four in the first year.
There were other hidden strong ones, but overall, Ophelia was probably the strongest without considering mana.
After being hit by Ophelia ten times, my entire body was covered in small wounds.
"What are you doing, treating a girl's body like that?"
"... Sorry."
My body was a mess of bruises. Some might say it looked ugly on a girl, but I didn't think it was worthless.
I felt Haru's gentle hands wrapping bandages around my wounds.
I had told Haru I was being trained hard lately.
She understood but looked displeased.
While bandaging my wounds, Haru said,
"... I don't know what you're worrying about, but if you want to talk, tell me anytime. And be careful with your body."
The next day.
Two days.
Three days.
Four days.
Whenever I had even a little time, I asked Ophelia for a sparring match.
And she accepted without complaint every time.
I was grateful to Ophelia, who didn't mind my fussiness and gave advice on what I lacked, and to Haru, who worried about me every time and helped.
Of course, I wanted to give up sometimes.
I wasn't a heroic figure with unbreakable will, nor a talented genius, nor a chosen Hero or Saintess.
But every time, Ophelia would lift me up and say,
"I don't know what you're worrying about, but is this really something worth giving up over?"
It wasn't.
Because it wasn't, I could lift my heavy, leaden body.
And I wondered why she helped me so much.
So I asked her, and she smiled slightly and answered,
"I don't like people who don't try for something."
The last commute to the academy before the weekend.
My body was covered in bandages. No matter how much recovery magic there was, I couldn't use it every time, and using it would prevent my body from training, so I only used natural healing.
When I entered the classroom still in pain and fatigue, some classmates who had become familiar greeted me.
They were surprised to see the bandages on my body and exclaimed "Oh my."
As always, Ange welcomed me with her faction invitation, and Ophelia and Ange bickered.
Then, smiling, the professor entered, and class began as usual.
But today was different.
Eli had entered the class yesterday after receiving baptism.
Every student in the class stared blankly at Eli in awe.
Eli gave them a faint smile and greeted the frozen students.
"Hello?"
Her gaze seemed to land on the bandages wrapped around my body. It couldn't have been my imagination.
But for a moment, her eyes seemed to turn dead. I hoped it was just my imagination.