A Surprise Reunion and the Search for the Four Poison Alliance
We had obtained evidence by probing the distribution routes, and we were now inside the Athens Cathedral. The Saint had mentioned she would be visiting the school through the cathedral.
There was another reason as well. Since we had uncovered the group distributing the Mutation Stones, it was to entrust their investigation to the cathedral.
When I relayed that the group had the snake emblem wrapping a sword on the back of their hand to Cardinal Yohan, he replied with a grave expression.
“That’s the Four Poison Alliance. It’s a notorious assassin organization, but I never imagined they’d be involved in Mutation Stone distribution.”
Cardinal Yohan went on to vow that using the captured members this time would allow for an international investigation of the Four Poison Alliance.
An assassin group wasn’t necessarily dangerous, though. A flicker of that worry had crossed my mind, but recalling the Saint’s strength, I dismissed it.
Climbing to the position of Cardinal meant he was an exceptionally skilled priest, and if he wasn’t quite as strong as the Saint, he was more than sufficient.
“Only one thing left to do. Chloe goes to the school.”
“Yes. Chloe, how do you feel?”
I looked at Chloe at the Saint’s question. Honestly, I was curious. After all, the Royal Magic Academy held deep meaning for her.
It was the place where nobles had tormented her, yet it was also where she could realize her dreams.
“...Honestly, I still can’t quite believe it. I never imagined I’d be able to come back so soon... This is all thanks to the Hero and the Saint. I don’t know how to repay this kindness.”
“Don’t think like that. We helped because we wanted to.”
“~What’s this, the little Hero giving such grown-up advice~♡”
...I’m the one who’s small here. My height is a good deal shorter than yours.
“...Anyway, Chloe. Don’t think you have to pay us back or anything. Just accept people’s goodwill as it is.”
“......Yes.”
Chloe smiled faintly and said.
“Thank you, everyone.”
“...No need to thank us.”
#
The visit was quickly decided. As one would expect from the Solaria Church’s influence, once the cathedral requested it, the school immediately approved.
“It’s fine even if we come tomorrow.”
“For now, it’s only a nominal tour.”
“A tour? Then Chloe is....”
“We’re taking her inside first. Then, boom, we reveal everything.”
“...What are we revealing?”
The Saint replied with her signature playful eye-crinkling smile.
“Here’s a dummy asking the obvious~♡”
...He might not know.
“We’re revealing the facts we uncovered. What else would there be?”
“...Can you just say it like that?”
Are you treating me like a lunatic? The Saint said, “It’s fine,” though.
“Just believe and follow me~♡”
“...Yes.”
Then I suppose I just have to stand there like a totem. Standing like a totem—I’m good at it. It’s the Hero of Order on standby.
“Is there anything we need to prepare before going?”
“Um...let’s fix my hair.”
“Hm?”
“Your hair, Hero-nim. It’s gotten so long it’s a proper mop now~♡ Like a shut-in nerd living in a corner~♡”
...It really was that long? But even in this era, do they have hair salons? Where do I get my hair cut?
“Where do I get it cut?”
“The Hero could cut it himself...but would you like me to do it~?”
“Eh, if you’ll do that?”
I’ve never cut my own hair. If I cut it myself, I might end up with a straight bowl cut.
...Just imagining it makes me cringe.
“Hoo hoo♡ Okay. I’ll fix it for you~.”
“Thank you.”
At that moment, someone poked me from the side. It was Chloe, the pretty purple-haired girl.
“Chloe?”
“I can cut your hair beautifully too.”
...Eh...okay.
But I already asked the Saint for help. What can I do, Chloe.
“So the Saint will cut half, and I’ll cut the other half.”
...What kind of situation is this? Not even half-and-half chicken, what nonsense...
“The Hero entrusted it to me, right? Don’t try to snatch it!”
“That’s cheap! I was going to touch the Hero’s hair too!”
“Get lost, you creepy cat!”
“I-I was going to touch it!!”
...Don’t fight over weird stuff, you crazy girls.
“...Just let me cut it.”
“Ah.”
“Ah.”
Both girls were startled at the same time. Fine, then stop fighting.
“Should I cut it? Or should we stop fighting?”
“...So half-and-half....”
“What kind of haircut is half-and-half?”
Chloe puffed out her cheeks. Tsk, even if she acts cute, my opinion doesn’t change.
The Saint smiled satisfied and raised the scissors toward me.
“All right, I’ll cut it for you~♡”
“Yes.”
The Saint’s hair was always neatly styled, so I trusted her skill.
The Saint’s slender fingers began to stroke my hair. When those soft fingers touched my scalp, something felt oddly nice.
...It’s not bad.
Snap, snap—the sound of the scissors tickled my ears. I closed my eyes and focused on the sound, waiting for the cutting to finish.
“All done~♡”
“Really?”
It felt noticeably shorter. I asked Chloe.
“Did you cut it well?”
“...I won’t admit it, but the Saint did a good job.”
Oh, really? It’s a shame there’s no mirror in this room.
“Saint-nim, is there no mirror?”
I asked because I figured the cathedral would have at least one. The Saint replied that there was one, then added.
“There is, but...you might be disappointed to see the Hero’s goblin-like face~♡”
...Still the same old line.
“Saint-nim.”
“Yes~ Why did you call, you weakling Hero~♡”
“...I know my own face is handsome too.”
“...Eh?”
The Saint looked flustered.
“I confirmed it a while ago, you know! The look on your face suggests you were surprised. How amusing. Is this the kind of teasing you do, Saint-nim?”
“So give me the mirror.”
“...When did you find out?”
You’ve been teasing me thinking I didn’t know, huh? You’re downright vicious.
“A while ago. Chloe and I went to the fountain and, by chance...”
“...Eh?”
Eh.
“...Went to Chloe’s place?”
“...Eh...that.”
Damn it, I’m screwed.
Chloe looked at me with wide-eyed shock.
...Sorry, I’m the idiot here.
The Saint’s eyes narrowed. However, the corners of her mouth didn’t lift. The Saint wore a scary expression—one where her eyes smiled but her mouth didn’t.
“When I went to the cathedral alone, you were there to play~. Ah, I bet you had fun~. While everyone else was working, the two of you had a secret little date~?”
“...N-no, that’s not it. Chloe returned to the capital after a long time, so we decided to go sightseeing together...”
“Hmm, I see~. It was nice, wasn’t it, you lolicon Hero~♡ You had a full date with Chloe~!”
...I have no choice. If I’d originally been trying to act jealous, I should have just been fair.
“...No, next time if we go with the Saint...”
The Saint was startled. Why so shocked.
“...If I do that, do you think my anger will disappear? It hurt that the two of you were playing somewhere while I was working!”
Even though she said it that way, the Saint’s expression had already softened. Her mouth curved up in a smile.
...This woman is easy to appease.
Now it was time to wrap it up. I changed my expression and said.
“I’m sorry, Saint-nim.”
“I-It’s okay. It was just a little hurt, that’s all...”
“You forgive me?”
I stabbed the final nail in. The Saint trembled slightly, then looked at me for a moment, sighed, and said.
“...Next time, don’t go secretly and please tell me.”
“Yes.”
...She’s secretly soft-hearted, huh? That’s a relief.
“So where’s the mirror?”
“I’ll bring it right now!”
Chloe quickly held up a hand mirror. In this era, hand mirrors were supposedly a luxury of the nobles, and there was one here too.
I looked into the mirror and honestly said I was surprised.
My face is handsome.
...It was a joke. Not that, but I was surprised that the hair the Saint had styled looked quite decent. I would have believed her if she said she was a hairdresser.
“It looks beautifully cut.”
“I said I’d cut it beautifully, right~? Did you think I couldn’t trust even a weak Hero like you~?”
“That’s not it. I just didn’t expect you to cut it this well.”
This should be enough. There won’t be anything weird for the students to see tomorrow.
#
Minerva Kingdom, Athens Royal Magic Academy.
This was a prestigious academy where students from not only Minerva Kingdom but also surrounding nations lined up to enroll. Most students were nobles and mages, and those who came seeking serious education made the school’s atmosphere relatively quieter than others.
It was normally like that, but today was different. Word had spread like wildfire that the Hero of Mars Empire and the Saint of the Solaria Church would be visiting the school.
The Hero was one thing, but the students showed even more interest in the Saint, who had the largest church influence on the continent. Among the academy students, those of the Solaria Church were the most numerous.
“I’m so happy the Saint is coming!”
“You, you must maintain your dignity as a noble, Lady Eileen. I’m happy she’s coming, but you mustn’t do anything reckless!”
“You seem to be enjoying it a lot...”
Each student waited for the two with happy hearts. And finally, the tightly closed main gate opened, and a white-haired man and a black-haired woman entered. The students immediately recognized them.
“Wow...that’s the Hero of the Mars Empire?”
“He’s so handsome...”
“The Saint! I can’t believe I’m actually seeing the Saint! This is the blessing of the Solaria Goddess!”
Each student reacted differently, and the atmosphere was joyous. Meanwhile, several students stiffened their expressions upon seeing the purple-haired girl who appeared behind the Hero and Saint.
Except for those few, the other students all showed stunned faces.
“Huh, that kid....”
“Isn’t she Chloe who was in the first year? Didn’t she drop out?”
“Wasn’t she expelled?”
The one who appeared alongside the Hero and Saint was Chloe, the student who had originally attended this school—a mage from a commoner background, called the ‘Commoner Wizard’.
“Where did you go, and now you’ve come back?”
“More importantly, why are you with the Hero and Saint?”
“I don’t know.”
The attention of the crowd was focused on them. Not just because the Hero and Saint appeared, but because Chloe, who had suddenly disappeared at some point, was there too.
The Saint, Estelle, stepped forward slightly and smiled kindly as she surveyed the students.
“Hello, students of the Athens Royal Magic Academy. I am Estelle, a faithful servant of the Solaria Goddess. The gentleman here is the Hero of the Mars Empire, Sir Abel.”
The students, especially the followers of the Solaria Church, responded with cheers and applause to Estelle’s greeting. Estelle spoke to them in a gentle and pretty voice.
“Is there a student named Anais Cesar among you?”
“I know where she is, Saint-nim! Should I call her?”
“Please do, kind student.”
Estelle smiled faintly, and the student nodded vigorously and went to find Anais Cesar. To Estelle, Abel whispered.
“Saint-nim, what are we doing here? First, we should go inside the building and...”
“No? We’re doing it here.”
“Eh?”
“Wait and see~♡”
The student who had gone to find Anais Cesar returned with a brown-haired female student.
“Ah, what is it....”
“Hurry up. The Saint is looking for you.”
“Saint?...Eh.”
The brown-haired student’s eyes widened when she saw Abel. It was as if she was asking, “Why are you here?” Abel wore a bitter smile upon seeing her reaction.
‘From the reaction, it’s Anais, my childhood friend.’
As expected, Anais stepped forward and acted familiar with Abel.
“Abel! What the hell is this! You became the Hero!?”
Before Anais could celebrate, Estelle suddenly blocked her way.
“...Are you the Saint? Ah, sorry. You were surprised. The Abel here and I are childhood friends, so I was happy.”
“Anais Cesar, right?”
“Eh? Yes, why?”
Estelle smiled and said in a voice loud enough for the surrounding students to hear.
“Anais Cesar student, I’ve come to arrest you on charges of purchasing and using Mutation Stones~!”