The Headmaster's Loose Ends
If someone at the Academy were to ask who the most noble person here was, everyone would point to one woman without hesitation: the headmaster, Sabina. She was the academy's chief administrator, a Transcendent with unparalleled expertise in barrier magic. For years she had protected this place from countless Transcendents who coveted it, a genius whose barriers had even drawn admiration from the Great Pioneer Paern himself.
But after the major incident not long ago, her barriers had lost the students' trust. Those who believed they could no longer count on a Transcendent's protection began dropping out one by one. Fortunately, the presence of another Transcendent staying at the academy for the time being had drastically reduced the number of departures. Still, once trust has been shattered, restoring it is never easy.
So Sabina had decided it was too soon to feel at ease. Not until she proved this place was truly safer than anywhere else.
In the headmaster's office where she spent most of her time, Sabina had summoned Paern for an important conversation.
"...As I thought, simply repairing the barrier won't be enough."
"You're going to tear it down and rebuild it at this point?"
"Just a few minor adjustments."
Strengthening the barrier alone wouldn't solve the problem. The 'entity' that had invaded that day had shattered it with a single strike, without so much as a scratch in return. Even Sabina, a Transcendent, couldn't begin to understand how he'd done it. What she did know was that he hadn't broken it through brute force alone. There had to be something more.
"I have several designs prepared in advance. The type that restrains attackers seems most suitable..."
"Hah, so you actually plan to capture him? I see no chance of success."
"I know that. This is only to ensure we can properly detain any intruder who appears in the future."
Even as she used the example of another Transcendent invading, her mind was still fixed on him. The chances of him returning were low, but if he ever targeted this place again...
There could be more injured students claiming to have fought him, or in the worst case, the entire academy could be put at risk. If that happened, talks of closing the school might actually become reality.
"Since I'll need to work on the barrier, you'll have to leave the academy for a while."
"...This feels a lot like being kicked out."
"You mentioned you had somewhere to go anyway. Consider this the perfect opportunity."
"Well, I understand. I'll clear out soon."
With those words, Paern's figure vanished without a trace. It was an unidentified mystery that even Sabina's Transcendent senses couldn't detect. She found the power rather unreasonable, but then she remembered the opponent Paern and his colleagues were hunting and could only nod quietly.
"Well, to face a monster like that... Ugh!"
Suddenly, as she muttered to herself, Sabina's body staggered. She quickly leaned back against her chair and pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Haa... How annoying..."
Her current physical condition was far from ideal. The academy's barrier was incredibly powerful, but creating it was difficult, and restoring damaged sections consumed enormous energy. On top of the recent string of incidents and accidents, even a Transcendent like her was feeling severely drained.
Once I properly fix the barrier, I'll need to rest for a while.
If she finished this task safely and Paern returned to the academy, Sabina would finally have some breathing room. Then she could focus entirely on recuperation or treatment, whatever was needed.
However, at that moment she couldn't possibly have imagined it—that someone half-mad was still watching the academy with hungry eyes...
"......"
"......"
"......"
An awkward silence hung in the air. The situation made it difficult for anyone to speak first. Sandwiched between Arie and Yulia, I walked as carefully as possible to avoid making any noise with my footsteps.
"...Um, Yulia?"
"......What is it, Saintess?"
Arie, who disliked this kind of heavy quiet, spoke up first. Well, she was the one at fault here, so starting with a submissive approach was probably the right move.
"Oh dear, are you very angry?"
"I do not allow myself to be swayed by emotion, Saintess."
"Hehe... Is that so...?"
Yulia maintained an almost perfectly blank expression, rivaling even Hestia's. A hint of unease flickered across Arie's face as she let out a small laugh. She was probably thinking something like, This is troublesome. She really is upset.
Honestly, why did you leave Yulia alone and make her sulk like this...
Unfortunately, as an outsider, there wasn't much I could do to help mend things between them. The best option was to finish the promised practical lesson and excuse myself as quickly as possible.
"Ahem. Miss Yulia? Would it be alright if I asked about the practical lesson for a moment?"
"Yes, please speak."
"How did handling magic feel today?"
"...Nothing in particular stood out. However, it still seems difficult to control at will."
"More complicated than holy power, you mean?"
"Yes. Handling holy power definitely feels much easier."
Just to be clear, this wasn't a common occurrence. Magic was simply converted to suit the user's body before use, while holy power was a 'borrowed force' received from the gods. For a priestess raised in the church, claiming it was easier to handle borrowed holy power than magic converted to fit her own body was simply absurd.
The reason Yulia felt this way was likely due to Arie's influence.
"It isn't normal for you to handle holy power better than magic, Miss Yulia, but it's not something to worry too much about. Cases like this aren't unheard of."
"......"
"Even Lady Arie beside us handles holy power better than magic. Though... given how exceptional she is, her magic control seems to be at an advanced level as well..."
Arie had to be considered an exception among clergy. After all, comparing the talent of a saintess who was already approaching the realm of Transcendence to that of an ordinary person was pointless.
"You were able to follow the faint traces I left behind, Miss Yulia. Considering that, your sensitivity doesn't seem below average. It simply appears that you're currently too accustomed to holy power."
"Then... there isn't a major problem?"
"None at all. With a bit more experience, your body will feel even lighter than it does now. There's no need to worry."
When we had gone to find Yulia after I was recruited as Arie's subordinate, she had already been crossing the forest and heading toward me. In other words, although she was slower than Arie, she had successfully detected the traces of magic I left behind and determined the correct direction.
Considering she had zero prior understanding of magic, that was actually quite talented.
"Will future lessons continue in this manner?"
"I'm not sure. We'll have to see how it goes."
Most things effective in real combat came from experience anyway. No matter how hard I taught, her skills wouldn't improve dramatically overnight. Still, I couldn't keep assigning only basic magic control exercises, so I planned to occasionally include combat-related training as well.
Though how helpful that would be remained to be seen.
"I recommend that you try to reduce your dependence on holy power, Miss Yulia. As for Lady Arie... just continue as you've been doing."
"......No matter how much permission you have been given, you must not casually speak the Saintess's name..."
"There, there, Yulia. That's enough... Anyway, thank you very much for today. I'm sure it will be helpful."
The scolding from Yulia that I'd heard to the point of exhaustion in the previous round was naturally interrupted by Arie, who had jumped into the conversation.
"I'm honored that you think so."
"Hehe, you don't need to be so stiff. If you want, you can speak more casually with me."
"No. I find this more comfortable..."
She was probably worried she'd get scolded by Yulia if she actually spoke casually. Besides, I used polite speech with almost everyone anyway...
I deliberately ignored Yulia, whose eyes were gradually turning strange, and spoke carefully.
"Well then, I'll be taking my leave now."
"Where are you going?"
I had been about to excuse myself with a simple greeting when Arie caught me.
"...The lesson is over, so I was planning to..."
"If you don't have anything urgent, I'd like you to spend a little more time with us."
It wasn't urgent, but this time I had to refuse no matter what.
"I have an important appointment, so I need to return quickly."
"Is that so? Hehe... What a shame."
Despite her words, Arie didn't seem particularly bothered as she waved her hand.
"I'll be counting on you next time as well."
"...Thank you for your hard work."
Yulia, standing beside her, gave a slight bow with a reluctant expression. She still didn't seem pleased about me acting as their instructor, but she must have acknowledged me at least a little, since she no longer offered any harsh criticism.
Feeling somewhat encouraged, I smiled faintly and spoke.
"This might be none of my business, but I think it would be good if the two of you tried trusting each other a little more."
"......?"
"......?"
Leaving the two of them with puzzled expressions, I quickly slipped away.
Back at the dormitory, I took out 'that outfit' for the first time in a while. The black robe I hadn't even glanced at since the day I stole the holy relic... No matter how many times I saw it, the thing was downright sinister.
The reason I was pulling out this outfit that didn't even suit my tastes was, of course, because I had a use for it. I wasn't planning to steal anything like last time. I simply needed to take care of some minor loose ends.
Some time had passed since I stole the holy relic. Since the academy was a place where people lived, interest in past events had begun to fade, and things had grown quiet. Even the headmaster had lowered her guard and was focusing her energy on the barrier. That small moment of carelessness would bring a major incident to the academy.
It was the first round, when even Elisha hadn't known about the existence of regressors. The academy had once faced the genuine threat of closure.
As you might expect, in that first round I hadn't stolen Arie's holy relic. Therefore, there had been no irregularities with the barrier, the headmaster hadn't lost trust, and Paern had never come to the academy.
At first glance, one might think that time had been more peaceful, but reality was different. Someone who had been quietly waiting for the academy's security to loosen had finally made their move... and the students and professors injured that day ended up carrying a blood-infused curse for the rest of their lives.
It was a tragic affair. They would have walked the path of ruin eventually, but the curse had drastically shortened the lifespans of those with such bright futures ahead of them.
The culprit had been subdued by the hero and the saintess, but the lifespan-devouring curse could not be lifted. Because of that incident, the headmaster lost trust in a short period of time, and the academy was pushed to the brink of closure. Fortunately, an actual decision to close the school never came, but the damage to the academy's reputation was unavoidable.
Since my regression, Elisha had handled things well enough that it hadn't escalated into a major accident like in the first round. However, her handling of the situation was still sloppy. That was why my job was to clean up after her.