The Teacher Who Appeared Again
The flash of light exploded around me, and I felt my body being pulled toward the Holy Kingdom. I'd thought about it before, but it was never a pleasant sensation. It carried this unpleasant feeling, like my body was being forcibly dragged somewhere against its will. Of course, this only happened to someone like me—whose senses had reached Transcendence—or to other Transcendents. Normal people probably just felt their bodies floating for a brief moment before it was over. With the simple mindset of 'As long as it's fast, that's all that matters,' I entrusted myself to the warp gate.
Soon the light completely faded and the teleportation ended. I slowly opened my eyes, and standing right in front of me was a priest dressed in robes that clearly marked him as someone important. He was praying into thin air. He hadn't noticed my arrival yet. Even though the warp was finished, he remained completely focused with his hands clasped together. Ah, right. This guy was just an ordinary person, so he couldn't properly perceive me. I'd spent so much time around people who could see through my authority without batting an eye that I'd momentarily forgotten.
I was about to ignore him and move on since making eye contact would be annoying, but then I wondered if this priest might have been waiting for me. Arie had mentioned she'd contacted the Holy Kingdom in advance. Just in case it caused problems for her later, I decided it would be better to let him know I'd arrived. With no other choice, I approached him and spoke first.
"Um, excuse me..."
"Ah, you've arrived. Greetings. I am Cardinal Deodore, tasked by the Saintess with welcoming her guest."
"Oh, I see."
She's using a Cardinal for something like this? Arie was using her power more effectively than I'd given her credit for. For a moment I pictured her scheming like some kind of hidden mastermind, then quickly snapped out of it and focused on what the priest named Deodore was saying.
"I've heard the details. Thank you for traveling such a long distance to examine the symptoms of Lady Yulia, the Saintess's escort."
"I used the warp gate, though. It's really not..."
In truth, the only distance I'd actually walked was from my dormitory to the Order's dormitory. That was hardly enough to complain about being tired.
"Hmm. What a rare humble student you are."
Humble? It had been so long since I'd heard that word. Still, it was a compliment, so I decided to let it pass.
"...Thank you."
"Not at all. Then I shall escort you to the Papal Palace immediately."
"Yes, please do."
Deodore nodded with a perfectly warm smile. His kind demeanor was exactly what you'd expect from a priest—carefully constructed like a flawless machine designed to earn everyone's favor. As I followed behind him toward the Papal Palace, I smiled quietly to myself.
So there's a bug here after all…?
Deodore escorted me all the way to the entrance of the Papal Palace. It would have been easier to go alone, but I went along with it to the end, thinking this was also a way to preserve Arie's dignity. After that somewhat uncomfortable journey, we arrived in front of the tallest building in the Holy Kingdom. I offered him a formal thank you.
"Thank you for escorting me."
"It's nothing at all. This is all for the sake of treatment, so we should be the ones expressing gratitude."
...Wait, I only came to check on her condition. I never said I could actually treat her. Just what exactly had Arie told them? I had an ominous feeling that the story was getting twisted with each retelling, but I trusted Arie would handle it properly, so I wasn't too concerned.
"Then I'll take my leave here. If you require my assistance with anything, please contact me through one of the priests."
"Understood."
Deodore maintained his friendly attitude until the very end before departing. I could roughly guess his intentions, but... it wasn't something I needed to worry about. I pushed all thoughts related to him out of my mind and entered the Papal Palace.
The Papal Palace was the largest building in the Holy Kingdom and housed the greatest number of priests. Because of this, it was also known as the continent's finest and largest treatment facility. I casually slipped between the holy knights guarding the main entrance and headed straight for the treatment ward. The closer I got, the stronger the smell of medicine and disinfectant became. The sight of injured patients everywhere and the numerous priests caring for them confirmed I was in the right place.
I roughly remembered where Yulia's room was, so I was about to head there without guidance when someone approached me.
"Hello. What brings you here today?"
"...Your senses are quite sharp, aren't they?"
"Pardon?"
"Never mind, just talking to myself. Where are the private rooms located?"
I'd intentionally revealed my presence, but I was still inwardly impressed by how quickly this priestess had noticed me. We continued our conversation as I followed her.
"...May I ask the name of the patient you're looking for?"
"It's Yulia. I've come from the Academy regarding her treatment."
"Ah, just a moment please..."
The moment she heard I'd come from the Academy, the priestess hurried off somewhere. Since I already knew exactly where Yulia's room was, I didn't need to wait. But now that my presence was known, I decided to let her guide me.
I waited quietly until she returned. When she came back, she kept bowing deeply while apologizing repeatedly.
"I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I had no idea you were the Saintess's guest...!"
"That's true, I suppose. ...But there's no need to apologize like this, so please raise your head."
Only after I spoke did she slowly lift her head. She was still sweating nervously and watching my every reaction, but honestly, I was the one feeling flustered. She hadn't been rude or done anything wrong, yet the mere fact that I was connected to the Saintess made her this cautious. It really drove home just how powerful Arie's position was in the Holy Kingdom.
When I waved my hand to tell her it was fine, her expression brightened considerably and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Th-thank you... Shall I guide you to Lady Yulia's location right away?"
"Yes, please."
Following her guidance, I made my way to the area with the highest-grade private rooms.
"Uuuuh..."
Yulia had been lying in her hospital bed for days now. She'd grown somewhat used to the pain, but moving her body remained incredibly difficult. High-ranking priests and even the Cardinal had visited her room, but their treatments only eased her suffering for a short while. They couldn't find a fundamental solution. The uncertainty of how much longer this life would continue was slowly planting seeds of terror deep within her heart.
'Sister...'
To fight against that fear, Yulia thought of the one person she wanted to see most. Her sister—the Saintess of the Order who was probably diligently attending classes at the Academy right now. Arie. She was always a headache of a Saintess who only thought about causing trouble, but to Yulia, she was still a precious older sister. Still, it was undeniable that she was a walking disaster. That's why Yulia worried about what kind of incident Arie might cause while she wasn't there to watch over her.
'I should have asked the teacher beforehand...'
The day before she collapsed, Yulia had instinctively sensed her condition was deteriorating rapidly. She'd somewhat expected to lose consciousness. So just in case, she'd gone to find the practical combat teacher she was acquainted with, intending to ask him to keep Arie from causing any unnecessary trouble. Unfortunately, the appearance of Elisha—who seemed to be in a romantic relationship with the teacher—had caused the conversation to fizzle out before she could say anything.
'I should have brought it up somehow, without caring about manners or anything...'
She deeply regretted not managing to tell him then, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She had already been brought to the Holy Kingdom, and she wouldn't be able to meet the teacher again until she recovered.
With her mind filled with worries about the future, Yulia suddenly recalled the teacher's appearance from her dream. On that night when the pain had been at its worst... The teacher had appeared in a place where he absolutely shouldn't have been and muttered something to himself while looking at her. At the time it had felt so vivid that she'd stayed vigilant, refusing to fall asleep out of wariness toward his sudden appearance. But now that she thought about it, it was probably just an incredibly realistic dream.
After waking up, Yulia had dismissed him as a figure from her dreams. But that day, her pain had lessened considerably, allowing her to rest comfortably. Unfortunately, everything returned to normal the next day. Still, strangely enough, whenever she thought of him afterward, she felt the pain ease just a little. Maybe the teacher possessed some special ability.
"Just one more time..."
Yulia moved her dry lips and pleaded in the smallest voice.
"...If I could just see him one more time..."
Her desperate, lonely struggle to end this pain and return to her normal life. Thinking no one would hear her, she had spoken without thinking—and someone answered.
"Do you miss the Saintess?"
"......?!"
Startled, she slowly opened her eyes. Standing before her was the teacher she had desperately wanted to see again.