The Pioneer Arrives
The Pioneer barked, “Hey! Who the hell are you to be hanging around the Hero like that?”
“I don’t know either.”
“Huh? You don’t know? What kind of bullshit is—” The guy blinked, confused. “Wait… who was I even talking to…? Huh…?”
I ignored the fool spouting nonsense in broad daylight and stepped into the classroom. The students who had arrived first glanced my way, but they quickly looked back down and returned to their own affairs. I dropped into my seat, let out a small sigh, and rubbed my forehead.
It was because I’d been with the Hero yesterday. My presence had apparently brushed against their perception after all. I had been careful, but she was a celebrity comparable to the Saintess, and my ability had never worked properly on her to begin with. It seemed the low probability had been overcome, and the recognition-blocking veil I’d woven had been disturbed.
That was why pests like the one earlier kept bothering me. Still, as you just saw, ordinary people quickly fell back under the power’s influence, so there was no real need to worry.
Even so, one thing did concern me: the people who spent time near beings capable of seeing through my ability.
The One Who Has Always Seen Through Me
and
The One Who Originally Cannot Recognize Me
if the three of us spent a long time together, the latter would gradually begin to perceive me. Of course, the phenomenon only appeared “by chance” in a small number of people with especially keen senses, but it never hurt to be cautious.
So I thought first of the people most likely to become entangled with me. For example, Yulia, who stuck to the Saintess like a bodyguard, or anyone close to the Hero and the Regressor…
‘……’
Hmm. Actually, it didn’t seem like something I needed to worry about. The Regressor’s whereabouts were a mystery even to me, and the Hero didn’t appear to have any friends besides me right now. There was no way either of them had close companions.
Feeling considerably lighter, I pulled out the textbook the professor had told us to open.
At that moment—
-Thump.
“Hm?”
The familiar sensation made me turn toward the window. The refreshing breeze that had been blowing just seconds ago had fallen completely still, as though it had never existed. The birds that had been chirping softly were now frozen in fear, not daring even a single wingbeat. Every small insect had vanished into hiding.
I recalled the sensation from a moment earlier. The familiar feeling of space itself resonating. It was the exact feeling that occurred when a Transcendent other than the principal entered the Academy’s barrier.
It looked like that “Pioneer” who had declared he would come find me had finally arrived at the Academy.
The Saintess and Yulia had missed morning attendance for the second consecutive day. The reason was obvious: the incident from that time. Because the Saintess was a student who had suffered direct harm from the intruder, the investigation could not be rushed.
The questioning only took place briefly each morning. The principal had declared that the students’ rest must be protected no matter what, so they were sent away without fail at lunchtime.
Yulia was grateful for the principal’s consideration, but the Saintess seemed slightly discontent.
“Hehe……”
“Saintess, is something uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s nothing… Hehe. Will the investigation finally end today?”
“If you keep speaking in such a meaningful tone, the investigation really might be extended.”
“……”
The Saintess let out a gloomy chuckle, her expression somehow melancholic. Yulia’s worry was no small thing, yet the true reason for the Saintess’s gloom was surprisingly trivial.
‘I need to meet him as soon as possible… It doesn’t look like our afternoon classes overlap any time soon.’
The Saintess recalled the moment she had entered the classroom on the first day. She had opened the door so quietly that no one noticed anyone had come in, successfully pulling off the surprise entrance she had planned. However, unlike the somewhat slow-witted Yulia, the Saintess had seen it clearly the instant the door opened. For the briefest moment, her eyes had met someone else’s…
Curiosity had drawn her closer, but for some reason he had pretended not to know her and acted startled. Yes. It had been an act. And it was such a flawless performance that even Yulia, who had accompanied her as escort, had been completely fooled…! On top of that, he possessed a faint presence so subtle it could make even the ever-vigilant Yulia forget he existed. Above all, the black hair and black eyes that perfectly suited a hidden mastermind. Everything about him had struck her as ideal.
He was the perfect talent the Saintess had always imagined. Though she burned with the desire to approach him immediately, she had endured and waited, hoping their first meeting would begin as a coincidence.
‘Looking back now, I’m starting to regret that decision a little…’
Still, the principal had said the investigation was proceeding smoothly and would likely conclude today or tomorrow. From the Saintess and Yulia’s standpoint, there was no reason to be uncooperative, so smooth progress was only natural.
Thinking of the “subordinate” she would soon meet, the Saintess glanced at Yulia, who was staring blankly into space beside her. In truth, Yulia had not needed to attend the investigation with her. The interviews for those who had stayed in the church dormitory—including Yulia—had ended after a brief session on the first day. Yet Yulia had refused both the Saintess’s and the principal’s suggestion that she did not have to come, insisting on staying glued to her side for every session.
The Saintess found the behavior adorable, but she also felt a twinge of guilt for causing Yulia unnecessary trouble.
“Hehe, Yulia. Do you remember what I told you before?”
“Which words do you mean?”
“The ones about not needing to blame yourself… Well? Do you understand now why I said that?”
It was the Saintess’s own way of offering comfort, but Yulia’s expression stiffened slightly at the words. While sitting through the investigation together, Yulia had learned several details about the intruder. She now understood just how dangerous the being who had targeted the Saintess truly was, and she knew that she alone could not have altered the outcome.
Yet even with that knowledge, Yulia’s heart refused to lighten.
“…Yes. It seems my thinking was shallow. Just as you said, Saintess, the result would not have changed even if I had remained awake.”
Yulia’s face was dark as she spoke. The Saintess wondered briefly if she had misspoken, but she was forced to abandon the thought at once.
“Sorry I’m late.”
The principal had finally appeared before them. Trailing behind her—later than usual—was a man. The Saintess tilted her head curiously while Yulia asked first.
“This person is…?”
“He came along for the investigation. You’d recognize the name Paern, yes?”
“…?!”
The moment she heard the name, Yulia’s eyes flew wide. The Saintess kept her expression neutral, but she too was shocked inside.
Paern. It was a name impossible to forget. Only a few years ago, his fame had spread far and wide after the Tomb exploration. One of the Great Pioneers. A being who had obtained near-mystical powers from within the Tomb. That was Paern.
The Saintess instantly understood why he had come to the Academy. Just as she had predicted, the Great Pioneers had begun to move. They were searching for the entity that had stolen every treasure they had brought back.
Paern ignored Yulia, who was watching nervously from the Saintess’s side, and spoke directly to her.
“I came because there is something I wish to ask you privately.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
“You saw the intruder directly, correct? Then can you tell me exactly how you were defeated?”
Paern’s expression was gravely serious. The Saintess answered without hesitation.
“As I already told the principal, the moment our eyes met I sensed danger and thought it best not to provoke him. Even when the holy relic was taken, I offered no real resistance.”
“No, that is not what I am asking.”
“……?”
Paern shook his head at her response.
“I want to know precisely how he neutralized you.”
“Neutralized…?”
“Yes. You stand at the threshold of transcendence yourself, so you should understand what I mean.”
The Saintess fell silent for a moment. Having experienced it personally, she understood Paern’s question perfectly. Neutralized. The moment she had stood before that being, the Saintess had been unable to do anything at all. The divine power that had always accompanied her had vanished, forcing her into a body no different from an ordinary person’s. Even if she had wanted to resist, she could not have.
‘Hmm. Is it all right to tell him the truth as it happened?’
Since he was asking so specifically, it seemed Paern had suffered something similar. Answering honestly should not cause any problems. Yet the Saintess could not help but hesitate.
Throughout the sincere questioning from the principal, she had answered almost everything truthfully. There was only one fact she had concealed until the very end. The one thing she could not reveal to anyone.
She could not say that the being had blinded the eyes of the gods. Considering the dignity of the Holy Kingdom that Yulia constantly emphasized, the fact that the gods’ sight had been obscured—even briefly—had to remain hidden. If the Saintess, who was closer to the gods than even the Pope, spoke of it directly, it could throw the entire Holy Kingdom into chaos…
‘I had better obscure the truth.’
Having decided, she paused deliberately before answering.
“Well… For some unknown reason, my divine power stopped obeying me…”
“As I thought…! So the intruder’s ability is definitely connected to neutralization.”
“I’m glad my answer was satisfactory. Hehe……”
Fortunately, Paern showed no interest in anything beyond the failure of her divine power. The principal, seeing that he had fallen into deep thought, spoke in his stead.
“The investigation ends today. You do not need to come tomorrow.”
“Did you find any clues related to the intruder?”
“Hardly. It’s simply… obvious that further questioning would yield nothing.”
Though the principal spoke lightly, her expression was far from bright. Yulia thought she understood why. The sudden increase in incidents and accidents lately, along with the steadily rising voices of concern. Up until now it had been manageable. This year was especially bad, but energetic students caused trouble every year. There had been occasional infiltrations, yet the intruders had always been small fry who could not even bypass the Academy’s barrier, and for some reason the situations had always resolved themselves nicely.
Various rumors had circulated, but the barrier’s long-standing reputation for stopping even the strongest challengers had allowed them to brush the talk aside. This time, however, even that barrier had been pierced so easily… The faith of the powerful in the Academy was bound to crack.
Yulia, who understood the Academy’s current situation fairly well, could roughly predict how things would unfold. In the worst case, closure was possible, but the empire would not so easily abandon the continent’s one and only Academy. The most likely outcome was that the current principal would step down and someone else would take her place. Until then, the principal would not simply sit idle. She surely had some plan in mind.
Whatever measures she took, it would be welcome news for students who wished to keep attending. Yet Yulia secretly hoped the Academy would close and they could return to the Holy Kingdom together with the Saintess.
Even the church, upon learning the holy relic had been stolen, had suggested the Saintess return. But the Saintess had fiercely opposed it, insisting the intruder was an unavoidable calamity akin to a natural disaster. Even the church’s final order had proven useless…
Yulia had therefore resolved to focus solely on escorting the Saintess properly from now on.
‘As long as she doesn’t cause any trouble…’
But Yulia still did not know. The Saintess was thinking of nothing but causing a massive incident together with a certain someone in the very near future.