Ep.06 Please Just Leave Me Alone
Unintentionally, I was getting a taste of vacation ahead of schedule.
'Who knew it could feel this good to legally skip classes.'
I lay comfortably on the bed, munching on some healthy food. What I really wanted was to train, but...
"Training's out of the question, right?"
"If you wanna blow up trying to circulate your circles, be my guest."
"...Yup."
No matter how strong my body's healing was, I wasn't invincible. I could move around a bit now, but anything strenuous was still off-limits. Sitting still made me antsy, though—nothing I could do about that.
'Once I'm better, I've got a ton to do...'
I had plenty lined up to prepare for Act 2, but my prep time had shrunk against my plans. At least the others dropped by often enough to keep things from getting too boring—that was a small mercy.
"Want some?"
"...Nah. But you're pretty good at peeling those."
"Nothing much to do at church, so I picked up all sorts of skills along the way."
Honestly, none of it mattered. Resting was fine, not training was fine. But this? This was too much.
"Saintess."
"You can just call me by name, you know?"
"...Um, if you don't mind me asking—your body's much better now, so do you really need to stay here?"
Yuria sat beside me, smiling innocently as she carved an apple into a bunny shape without a care in the world. She showed no signs of leaving—the second-most awkward person in the academy after the chairman.
"Of course! We can't just abandon the hero who saved students from a demon, can we?"
"...I'd rather be alone."
"No can do. And having me here is speeding up your recovery, isn't it?"
".........Can't argue with that."
She had me there. My body was healing faster thanks to her holy spell, a type of healing magic. Holy spells ran on holy power—the purer and more abundant, the stronger the effect.
'And this girl's basically a walking tank of human holy power.'
Not that I was eyeing her holy power pouch or anything. I knew the massive reserves inside her were real.
"...Sigh."
"Am I bothering you?"
"............Well, since I'm still not well, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you, Saintess."
"It's fine. I'm just assisting from the side, and skipping class myself."
Was a saintess really supposed to be like this? No matter how I spun it, dodging class seemed more her true motive than healing me. Even saints hated lectures, huh.
Ding!!!
Riiiing!!!
I was already worn out from the saintess's chatter when the academy bell rang through the open window.
"Ah."
The regular lunchtime chime. For me, it meant chow time... but also...
"Shall we pray, then?"
...this endless prayer session.
"...Didn't we just do it?"
"Prayers three times a day are courtesy to the gods."
"Hmph."
"The gods will surely bless you for praying after slaying a demon."
In a game, I'd never skip this event. Pick the holy route, pray more, get stronger. Easy.
Except now I had subjugated a demon and absorbed its magic. If anything, I was closer to a demon worshipper. No way holy prayers would grant me holy power.
"Um... it's hard for me to sit up right now."
"No! That's exactly why we must! I can sense unclean energy in your body."
Ah. Saints gonna saint. She could still pick up on my demonic energy even with Lilia dormant.
'Absorbing demons with the Seal of Original Sin probably amps it up.'
Absorbing demons meant taking their magic too. If she'd sensed it before, it'd be even stronger now. No surprise there.
'Can't refuse, then.'
Look on the bright side: I wasn't in priest custody getting tortured. Grateful to be alive, especially with the saintess calling out my "unclean energy."
"...Got it."
I swallowed a mad laugh and bowed my head. No point arguing with her in prayer mode—she wouldn't hear it. Devout to a fault. Skips class but saint is saint.
Wooooong!!!!
Yuria closed her eyes and clasped her hands. A solemn scene straight out of scripture. Impressive at first, but two days in? Old hat.
'And this part got old too.'
Talent: Miracle's Manifestation absorbs holy power.
Vitality surges through your body.
Yuria's prayers sped up my recovery even more. Normally, I'd clasp my hands and join in... but
Trait: Seal of Original Sin rejects the overwhelming holy power.
...the trait from absorbing that dying knight rejected holy power, leaving me more fatigued. Recovery slowed despite the boost.
'Didn't used to be like this.'
It started after absorbing the demon. Rejecting holy power stalled my healing, piling on the exhaustion.
'Saintess, please just leave me alone...'
I prayed silently for that, eyes closed, head bowed. If only she'd chatter and peel apples instead. No prayers.
Belloa Lamier, vice-top of the academy's magic department, stared blankly out the window during basic elemental magic class.
'He's fine, right? Not because of me...'
Usually diligent with notes and lectures, she couldn't focus lately. One man filled her thoughts: gray hair, sharp features—the academy's, no, maybe the empire's top handsome guy. The magic department topper who'd surpassed her: Dante Vergilius.
'...Gotta thank him.'
In a way, his injuries were her fault. Facing that dying knight, seeing no chance of winning, she'd bolted on instinct—right toward Dante. Unknowingly, she'd trusted him.
'And thanks to that, I'm alive...'
True to her faith, he'd repelled the demon alone. Magic mastery and combat skill unbelievable for his age. He'd even captured it, incomplete or not.
"Th-tha...nk..."
Belloa rarely thanked anyone. Class forgotten, she mumbled it awkwardly. Just three syllables, but they wouldn't come out right.
"Sigh... Why can't I say it...?"
She'd visited with Luel and Yuria before but still couldn't. What to say? Her face heated up just thinking of facing him. First time feeling this—she defaulted to her usual self.
'But he helped... and he was cool.'
Magic department top wielding a greatsword with expert poise. Deploying spells to pressure and seize control. That image replayed in her eyes. Anyone would've called it cool—like a hero from a romance novel she'd read at home.
"Dante... Vergilius."
Her lips whispered his name unbidden. A nearby student glanced curiously, but she played dumb. Her face burned.
'Does he have a fiancée...?'
Fiancées were standard for empire nobles. Her lack of one was unusual.
"Fi...ancée?"
An unpleasant twinge rose inside. Shoving it down, she recalled rumors about Dante.
'Playboy... empire's ugliest, was it?'
Now she knew they were lies. But rumors lingered. Even she, who ignored gossip, had heard—practically empire-wide knowledge.
As she pondered, another rumor flashed by.
'Ugly enough to get dumped by his fiancée.'
With that face? Even talentless, someone would've snatched him. Hard to believe.
'Fiancée's name...'
The Valencia count family, close to Vergilius counts. Their sole lady. Dante Vergilius's ex-fiancée.
"Celine... Celine Valencia."
The name of the girl she'd synced with before surfaced in her mind.