Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Persephone - (1)
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Sophia and Helena had barely arrived at Erebos Royal Academy before they knocked on the door to the dean's office.
"Aquilova, what brings you here so suddenly... No, how did you even get in here in the first place?"
Dean Cornelius was puzzled that a mere cadet had breached the academy's strict security to knock on his office door.
But his confusion turned to a scowl when he spotted the guards sprawled in the hallway.
"What is the meaning of this insolence? As cadets of the academy, you must uphold a certain dignity..."
"Elise has been kidnapped."
Cornelius fell silent at Sophia's words.
"E-Elise? You mean the Saintess Candidate?"
"Yeah."
Coincidentally, there was only one Elise at Erebos.
Saintess Candidate Elise Aurora de Lua.
Among all the cadets at the academy, she was undoubtedly the most important figure.
"Who on earth would kidnap the Saintess Candidate? Don't tell me... the one from that Twin Towers incident last time..."
"Archbishop Balua. That bastard kidnapped her."
"Archbishop? What are you... Aquilova, one must take responsibility for their words. Even so, slandering the man who oversees the Grand Cathedral..."
"I can vouch for it."
"And you are... from Ophelia Hall..."
"I'm Maid Helena. I serve Lady Elise. I saw Holy See knights abduct her with my own two eyes, under the archbishop's orders."
With even Elise's closest attendant, Maid Helena, testifying, Cornelius had no choice but to frown.
"...I'll assemble an investigation team. We'll send an official letter to the Grand Cathedral..."
"That'll be too late. Let us use a messenger bird."
"A messenger bird?"
"Yeah. We're asking the princess for help."
Cornelius's mouth fell open.
No matter that Erebos was a royal academy, the princess's name carried immense weight.
Of course, everyone knew that First Princess Ciris Leisander sponsored Sophia Aquilova, but involving the princess would put the dean and the academy in an awkward position.
"...N-No, even so, letting word reach the princess..."
"Shut up."
But Sophia's resolve didn't waver despite Cornelius's earnest pleas.
In fact, the chilling intent in her eyes made Cornelius shrink back.
"Aquilova, why go this far?"
"There's someone else I need to rescue besides Elise. That archbishop bastard kidnapped my master too."
"Your master?"
Cornelius frowned.
"Just out of curiosity, who is this master of yours?"
"The priest from the western chapel."
The priest from the western chapel.
Coincidentally, Dean Cornelius had recently heard about him from Professor Everett Ruttinger of the magic department.
"I'll summon Professor Everett. While we're at it, we'll find some support from the magic department."
This was no trivial matter.
Otilie Kete von Ihen Dorp was a failing student.
No ifs or buts about it—she'd received a failing grade, so she was a failing student.
Though the professor who'd given her the grade, Gregor, had long since perished in the Twin Towers incident, the red mark remained on her transcript.
The point was...
"Boring..."
"Otilie, focus. This part will be on the exam."
It was remedial class.
The magic department had scheduled makeup classes over the break, and the targets were the failing students.
In other words, failing student Otilie had no choice but to attend.
"Sigh..."
Otilie propped her chin on her hand and gazed out the window with a sigh.
She had wanted to return to her estate and boast to the butler about the semester's events, so this was a bitter loss.
To make matters worse, the remedial classes would take up more than half the summer break.
It might be bearable just sitting through lectures, but the news of a separate exam hit like a bolt from the blue.
And Otilie had one more piece of bad luck.
"Instead of that, why don't we study together? Hm?"
The woman with chestnut hair sitting next to her, beaming a bright smile.
She had propped her unnecessarily large breasts on the desk and wore prim-looking horn-rimmed glasses.
"We both have to pass the exam anyway, right? It'd be easier in every way if we studied together."
"...You'd pass without studying anyway. You're top of the class."
"True, but you're not, are you, Otilie?"
There was one other remedial student besides Otilie.
None other than the department's top student, Isolde.
If asked why a top student like her was in remedial class, it was due to the inter-department exchange match last semester.
Sophia Aquilova, the mad dog of the knight department, had sidelined Isolde for nearly a month, causing her to miss required attendance days.
As a result, Isolde had become a fixture next to Otilie, pestering her with constant chatter.
'...I want to see Leo.'
Otilie's mind was filled with the single-minded desire to improve the automaton Leo.
To do that, she needed to meet the real-life model.
Priest Leo was nothing less than her muse.
Sure, women had been flocking around him lately, but Otilie firmly believed she was his one and only hope.
"Oh, by the way, once class ends today, can I see that doll you made, Otilie?"
"Don't come. I hate you."
"Aw, come on. I like that doll."
Otilie scowled and brushed off Isolde's clinginess.
—Creak.
Then the back door of the lecture hall opened, and a woman with faded blonde hair entered. It was Professor Everett Ruttinger of Gray Tower. Unlike usual, her expression was stiff.
"Sorry to interrupt class. Something urgent came up."
"Professor?"
Everett gave Isolde a wry smile.
"Isolde, pack your things. We need to head to the dean's office right now."
"The dean's office? Why all of a sudden..."
"Lady Elise, the Saintess Candidate, has been kidnapped. The dean is forming a rescue team. It wouldn't do for the magic department's top student to be absent, would it?"
The lecture hall fell silent.
But Isolde nodded without much panic.
"Yes, Professor. I'll go right now."
Meanwhile, Otilie stifled a yawn and turned back to the window.
Kidnapped.
Whether that Saintess Candidate got kidnapped or not had nothing to do with her.
She didn't want to get dragged into anything troublesome.
"Otilie."
But the moment Otilie turned her head, Everett addressed her.
"Why don't you come along too? No matter what anyone says, I believe your talent is among the best in the magic department."
"...Too much hassle."
Such flattery didn't please her one bit.
Otilie's sole patron was that one priest.
A muse was like that.
But that thought didn't last long.
"Oh, by the way, I heard the priest from the western chapel was kidnapped too."
Everett casually dangled the bait.
"Where do I go?"
Otilie bit hard.
Her hand clenched tightly around the wind-up key.
Papal Knight Captain Gregorius had thrown me into a deep interrogation room on the first floor of the Grand Cathedral.
"Stay here. I'll call for you when the ritual begins."
"I came without complaint, and now you're locking me up like this? Isn't that a bit much?"
"You're an outsider. The archbishop's ritual has been meticulously planned for twenty years. We won't let any impurities interfere."
Gregorius was as rigid as his game dialogue suggested.
"Then let me ask one thing. Is the Saintess Candidate okay?"
"She has to be. She will become the vessel to share the divine power with us as the holy sacrament."
"Not asking her opinion?"
Gregorius's brow furrowed at my question.
"You're a real pious one. Brainwashing a young girl and using her as a conduit to suck up power—your god would fly into a rage if he knew."
"One more word, and I'll cut you down right here."
Gregorius glared at me with murderous eyes.
"The only reason you're alive is to serve as lubricant. It makes it easier to control the Saintess Candidate during the ritual. Remember that well."
Gregorius vanished abruptly, and I sighed while twisting my bound wrists.
"Yeah, figures."
Whatever the case, Elise had a tendency to rely on me.
Gregorius had seen through that and chosen me as the tool to keep her docile for the ritual sacrifice.
'This is dangerous...'
If things continued like this, we might head down the bad ending route. The one where Elise becomes the sacrifice, absorbs the power, and turns into the fallen saintess.
Sophia would surely do something from outside, but I had to prepare for the worst.
"Guess I'll start by ruining their plan."
The best move was for me to escape, grab Elise, and delay the ritual.
In the original story, the descent ritual always proceeded, spawning the Act 3 boss, the archangel. But this world wasn't a game. We could prevent Balua's plan entirely.
"Escape methods... Huh. None."
I had a handkerchief infused with holy power, but I couldn't use holy magic to untie these ropes. My feet were bound too, so running wasn't an option.
I was pondering ways out when...
Knock knock knock.
A rhythmic knocking echoed.
It wasn't from the door.
It came from the barred window.
—Tweet tweet.
When I looked over, a small bullfinch stared at me from outside the window.
Golden eyes.
It was the bird that often visited the chapel when it got bored. It fetched a stone from somewhere, shattered the glass, and hopped inside.
Then it started pecking at the ropes binding my hands and feet.
A few minutes later, the worn ropes snapped.
"Thanks."
I stroked the bird's head.
It chirped and cocked its head at a 90-degree angle.
I still didn't know what this white bird really was. But after helping me multiple times, I could consider it an ally now.
"Alright, let's go."
I placed the bullfinch on my shoulder.
According to the original setting, the ritual wouldn't start until evening. So I had about half a day.
"Elise is... probably blaming herself."
In the original, Elise always faulted herself. If I couldn't save her then, it led to the worst bad ending: the fallen saintess Elise route.
That would mean ruin.
I had to stop it.
"First, let's go meet Elise."
"Tweet tweet."
Above all, before she was the original heroine or saintess, Elise was my first confessor.
I'd unintentionally turned the academy's saintess into a deviant addict. I knew things had gotten messy.
But Elise was a parishioner who'd come to me.
So didn't I have to check if that parishioner was walking the right path?
"AS is important."
I left the room with the bullfinch.