Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Experiential Learning (4)
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Even as she asked Tiona what she thought of their teacher, Cynthia herself couldn't quite put her own feelings about him into words.
It was clear that being with him made her feel drawn in.
But deep in her heart, the hooded archer who had saved her in the past still lingered.
A childhood crush she had to let go of now that graduation loomed.
She knew she had to release it, to forget it... yet every time she tried, a sharp pang stabbed at her chest.
Whenever she looked at their teacher, though, her heart fluttered, and a pleasant warmth spread through her.
Torn between clashing emotions and the guilt they stirred, time simply slipped by as she remained stuck, unable to move forward or back.
Cynthia had learned from the recent commotion that Tiona would enroll as a first-year at the academy next year.
At the very least, Arthur was aiming for that.
So what about her? What would become of her, the assistant teacher and living textbook for Tiona's sake?
If he stopped being a teacher, there'd be no reason for an assistant teacher to stick around either.
Maybe he'd just up and leave for somewhere far away? Elves, the Magic Tower, beastkin... or distant lands she couldn't even imagine, brimming with mystery and adventure.
Leaving her behind.
"Arthur... with Arthur?"
Watching Tiona tilt her head in confusion somehow eased Cynthia's mind.
Hmm, I see? The answer doesn't come to you right away, huh?
"...You're right."
So she gave a small smile.
"Even if he stops being our teacher... he'll still be himself."
And with that, she made up her mind.
There was nothing tying her down—no land, no family business, no one.
So she'd throw herself into his orbit.
She'd follow him wherever he went. If he protected her, she'd be safe from swindlers and thieves alike.
If Arthur stayed in the capital, that was fine. If he went elsewhere, that was fine too.
What mattered was that Cynthia had resolved to stay by his side from here on out.
With that, Tiona and Cynthia's emotional states flipped.
The anxious Cynthia found peace in her decision.
But Tiona, who hadn't given it a thought before, now felt ripples stirring in her heart.
Those ripples reminded her.
Next year, Arthur would get her into the academy and then leave. At least, that was his plan.
...This pisses me off.
Who exactly was pissing her off?
Why?
And how could she make that irritation go away?
For some reason, answering the question Cynthia had asked earlier felt like it would sort everything out.
What did she think of Arthur?
"Hmm..."
Tiona started pondering again to find that answer.
"Ugh... Hmm... Hmmm...! Arrrgh!!"
"Eek!?"
At the sudden outburst, Cynthia dove under the table, peeking out just her head.
Tiona shouted with gusto.
"I don't knowww!"
What was Arthur to her?
She didn't know. No one like Arthur had ever existed in her life before.
He made delicious food, took care of her when she was upset, taught her what she didn't know. He could be a bit hateful when forcing her to study, but when trouble arose, he felt more reliable than even the Duke.
In the end, she could only repeat her initial words.
"Arthur is Arthur!"
The difference was that this time, she could shout it with full force afterward.
"That's enough for meee!"
"...What are you two doing?"
"Arthur!"
Tiona's eyebrows shot up into a sharp 2:50 shape. For some reason, she wanted to snap at him more viciously than usual.
"You're lateee!"
"I never said a time, so how am I late?"
"You made me wait, so you're late!"
"That's fallacious reasoning. Even His Imperial Majesty wouldn't go that far."
Cynthia sighed and glanced around him, realizing no one else was there.
"Um, what about the Tower Master?"
"She went home."
Coming and going as she pleased, just like a magic-obsessed weirdo would.
Arthur recalled the conversation he'd had with the Pink Tower Master before parting.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Like I said before, if the apocalypse you're worried about is an invasion from cosmic horrors..."
She said it reluctantly.
"...Isn't it possible it's already over?"
"...No."
No matter that it was his master's words, he couldn't agree.
The Outer Gods' collective power grew stronger by the day, and eventually, there'd come a tipping point where no amount of bolstering humanity's forces would matter.
That was why the Pink Tower Master was saying this.
If the world really was doomed by the Outer Gods as he claimed, wasn't it already too late? So whether their threat was real or not, wasn't all his running around pointless?
But he didn't see it that way.
The tipping point existed, but they hadn't reached it yet. Knowing the original story gave him that certainty.
"It's not over yet."
"...I see."
The Pink Tower Master glanced at him sidelong.
"You really think it's not over?"
"Yes."
Unable to agree easily, she crossed her arms.
"...Fine, I get that you think so. Hmm... Yeah. I'll respect it since you seem to know more about this than I do... but you still think it's not enough...?"
"Hold onto hope."
"Huh? Hope?"
"?"
The conversation felt slightly off-kilter, but... it was nothing major.
If anything, perfectly syncing with the Tower Master's talk would mean he'd become just as much of a nutcase. Staring into the abyss while the abyss stares back... the opposite, actually.
Anyway.
Before heading home, the Pink Tower Master brought up one more thing.
"That girl who'll become the greatest saintess ever."
"Miss Cynthia."
"Don't say it. I won't remember anyway."
"Sorry. You have trouble remembering non-mages' names."
"Want me to smack you...?"
The Pink Tower Master grumbled.
"I'll see her again anyway, so let's nickname her... since she's black-haired—"
"That's a no."
"...Why?"
Truth be told, there was no real reason she couldn't. The word didn't carry racial connotations here.
But it made him uncomfortable.
"...The sound of it isn't pretty. She's still a girl."
"What? You see her as a girl?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Do you see her as a guy?"
The Pink Tower Master muttered as if conceding the point.
"Then Kaman it is. That sounds good, right?"
"Tch..."
"Anyway, you know it's dangerous to leave Kaman like this, right?"
"...Pardon?"
From her explanation, it was indirectly a problem caused by the Heavenly God.
Holy power was a gift granted only to those chosen by the Heavenly God. Thus, all saintesses drew Her attention.
But Her attention attracted others' as well—like how celebrities' follows draw crowds to an account.
And where attention gathered, weirdos inevitably slipped in. Like crazies DMing a random person just followed by a celeb.
In a world where spirits were commonplace,
evil spirits were equally so.
"Awakening to holy power makes her untouchable by weak evil spirits, but from what you say, she's got a long way to go."
Too powerless, yet drawing massive attention. Attention she'd been receiving for a while and would continue to for some time.
In terms of risk, it was the worst.
"...Can't the Heavenly God protect her?"
"She'd want to. But it's not that simple, apparently."
She cited real cases of prospective saintesses—reserved by the Heavenly God but not yet awakened—who'd been attacked by evil spirits.
So.
"Get divine protection. You could do it yourself, but... better to leave it to the church. You know why."
Therefore.
"Miss Cynthia, Lady Tiona, let's do experiential learning tomorrow too."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The capital had four Heavenly God Church branches, one in each cardinal direction.
The day after the Pink Tower Master's visit, Arthur brought Tiona and Cynthia to the northern church and requested divine protection. The administrative clerk replied:
"The priest is currently receiving an important guest, so you'll have to wait a bit."
"Will it take long?"
"About an hour and a half."
"...Hmm."
It was an annoyingly ambiguous time—too long to wait comfortably, too short to give up entirely. An hour and a half...
"Is the person needing protection heading somewhere spiritually dangerous?"
"No, that's not it."
"Then how about receiving it from a deacon instead? We can do it right away."
A deacon was a rank below priest.
Not exactly an apprentice priest, but close enough.
"...Alright. Please do that."
"Do you have insurance?"
"No insurance."
After paying, he looked around and noticed Tiona and Cynthia had vanished from his side.
But finding them was easy. They were gawking up at the Heavenly God statue.
"Whoa..."
Tiona pointed straight at the goddess's bosom.
"That's amaz—mmph!"
"I get what you want to say, but hold it in while we're in church."
Tiona shot him a wronged look.
"But it's so distinctive—"
"I know. I know, but please hold it."
He was a guy, after all. He knew exactly what Tiona meant.
The oldest and most effective jab against the Heavenly God was precisely: How could something with such a lewd figure be anything but a seductive evil god?
And that's exactly why he couldn't let it fly in the middle of church.
"Whoa, Mommy! Goddess boobies are huuuge!"
"Shh! Sorry, so sorry!"
A mother with a child hurriedly backed away, apologizing to those around.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Even an innocent kid got that vibe.
Our villainess lady had a similar mental age but a mismatched body—if she said it, it wouldn't go over well.
Cynthia gazed up at the Heavenly God statue again and murmured.
"A god with a veiled face..."
As she said, a cloth draped over the statue's face, concealing its features.
The Black Saintess, Cynthia.
The greatest saintess ever, skeptical of the Heavenly God's existence.
The clerk from inside called to them.
"The deacon is ready. Please follow me."