Your Power Is No Joke
My head is pounding.
I pressed firmly on my temples, trying to steady my mind.
'No need to rush things right now.'
It was true that Isana had been taken in on charges of treason. But that didn’t mean she would be executed on the spot.
The treason had taken place outside the academy. Isana, who resided within the academy grounds, was simply being investigated for “suspicion of treason.”
'Still, it’s dangerous.'
Isana herself had committed no crime. However, if her family had committed treason, she wouldn’t be able to escape punishment either.
I didn’t know exactly what kind of verdict she would receive, but one thing was certain—she would be handed a severe sentence.
That was simply how treason worked.
“Linea, how exactly was Isana taken away?”
“S-suddenly the imperial guards showed up and asked for her cooperation. They were polite with their words, but the atmosphere made it clear that refusing would cause big trouble…”
“I see.”
It wasn’t particularly helpful information, but I could roughly grasp the situation. At least Isana was okay for the moment.
'Time to go see the dean.'
I needed to explain the mess I’d caused. Acting on my own again could cause even more problems.
It would be best to discuss things with the dean, the one person I could trust. I was about to head out when—
“Master.”
Linea stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“What is it, Linea?”
“...”
There was no answer. Instead, Linea gracefully knelt before me.
Then she took both of my hands in hers.
“...Please. Help Isana.”
Linea lifted her face. Because she was looking up from below, her expression was crystal clear.
Tears pooling in her eyes. Trembling lips. Shaking pupils.
She gazed at me with pure desperation.
“I’ll do anything… so please…”
Having finished her plea, Linea lowered her head deeply, as if she couldn’t bear to see my reaction.
'Sigh. How did things end up like this?'
If this had been me when I first arrived at the academy, I would never have granted Linea’s request. In fact, I would have welcomed Isana’s arrest.
It would have been the perfect legal opportunity to deal with the villainess once and for all. But I’m only human.
I had grown attached to Isana.
We attended classes together.
We participated in club activities together.
We drank together and shared honest conversations.
I knew full well that I shouldn’t have done any of that. You’re not supposed to grow attached to a villainess.
And yet, in the end, I had.
“Linea.”
I called her name in a calm voice. Linea tightened her grip on my hands.
“I’ve heard your request clearly.”
“...Yes.”
“You know it well, don’t you? That I’m a commoner. That I’m reluctant to get involved with Isana.”
Linea listened to me in silence. With every word I spoke, her hands loosened their hold little by little.
“If I save Isana, I’ll probably get dragged into all sorts of trouble. I might even have to make an enemy of the imperial family.”
By then, my hands were completely free.
“...I’m sorry. I asked for too much…”
“However.”
She flinched—Linea, who had been about to bow her head, trembled at the shoulders.
“What does any of that matter?”
I was confident I could handle it all. Even if the imperial family and the Holy Empire came pressing down on me, I was sure I could endure it.
That was exactly what all my training had been for.
To keep anyone from interfering with what I wanted to do. To never yield to the storms that tried to block my path.
I had built up my strength for that very reason.
“Professor Seah said it herself, didn’t she? That I’m a once-in-a-generation genius. For a genius of my caliber to live while worrying about what others think? It would be strange if the heavens didn’t get angry.”
I placed my hand on top of Linea’s head.
“Besides, this is your request, Linea. Of course I have to grant it.”
“M-Master…”
“I called myself your master with the resolve to take responsibility. If I can’t even do this, I don’t deserve the title.”
A small chuckle escaped me. Linea’s tear-streaked, pathetic face looked so ridiculous that I couldn’t help it.
“So trust me.”
“Hic…”
Linea staggered to her feet and threw herself into my arms. Then she burst into heavy sobs.
I gently stroked her hair with one hand and patted her back with the other.
“You were glaring at me like you wanted to kill me when I went out with Seris earlier.”
“...Idiot.”
Linea mumbled from within my embrace.
“Master really is an idiot. You make people so confused like this. You’re a terrible person, you really are.”
I listened to Linea’s grumbling. After a while, I felt Seris’s gaze on us.
She was staring at me with eyes full of guilt. She kept fiddling with her necklace, as if it had become a habit.
“Linea, excuse me for a moment.”
I lifted Linea—still clinging to me—clean off the ground, then carefully set her back down.
“It’s late. Go get some sleep first.”
“B-but I can’t—”
“Look at yourself, Linea. You’re in no condition to help right now.”
“...Yes…”
“Besides, this is something we’ll have to watch for a few days anyway. I know you’re worried, but Isana will be perfectly fine for the time being.”
“I understand. Please don’t come back too late.”
“Well, I might not come back at all tonight.”
“Then I won’t sleep either. Idiot.”
Linea stuck her tongue out and scampered away. How could she look so ridiculous?
With tears and snot still streaking her face, she was simply adorable.
“Isn’t she cute?”
“Indeed she is. Quite different from the rumors.”
“The rumors even reached the Holy Empire?”
“Yes. They say she’s a famous good-for-nothing. The Saintess was told never to associate with such a person.”
Linea’s notoriety truly knew no bounds. The fact that it had even reached the ears of the Holy Empire was, in a way, awe-inspiring.
“Ethan, I—”
“Later.”
We could talk about it after.
“...Understood.”
“I’m not telling you to stay down.”
I gave the Saintess a meaningful look and stepped forward. My destination was the dean’s office.
'I’m probably going to get an earful.'
I was prepared for it. After all, I had broken my promise.
When I arrived in front of the dean’s office, I closed my eyes and opened the door.
“I’m sorry.”
“Just kidding. We have to consider the circumstances.”
“Did you already know?”
“You tend to stir up quite a lot of trouble, after all.”
The dean smiled as if he found the situation amusing.
“So, what is it you want to do?”
“That’s rather sudden.”
“There’s no need to drag this out. You came here to get my approval anyway, didn’t you?”
I flinched.
“You probably want to save that friend who got caught up in this treason case, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then do as you wish. You’ll simply have to bear the corresponding responsibility. I respect your opinion, but I am not your father.”
He was right. The reason the dean had covered for me at the temple was because the incident had happened inside the academy. If I had gone to the temple myself and caused a scene, he would have completely washed his hands of me.
“Thank you. That helps a lot.”
This was more than enough.
“Do your best. As the dean, I’ll offer what assistance I can.”
In other words, he would help with anything that happened inside the academy.
“Understood.”
After bowing and leaving the office, I saw Seris fidgeting anxiously near the door.
“I told you it was fine to come in with me.”
“How could I possibly…”
“Don’t underestimate yourself, Seris. Thanks to your help earlier, we were able to win.”
“It’s embarrassing, but I’ll humbly accept those words.”
Seris met my eyes. Her gaze burned with determination.
It looked like she had finally made up her mind to reveal her secret to me. Sensing that, I asked her directly.
“Seris, I’ll be blunt. I believe the Holy Empire is behind this incident. And…”
I hesitated for a moment. I wasn’t sure if I should ask this, but there was no one else I could ask.
“I think the Goddess of Chastity stands at the center of it all.”
Seris fell silent. She seemed to be organizing her emotions before she slowly opened her mouth.
“...Actually, I’ve been having more and more doubts lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“I received education about the previous Saintesses. They taught me that a Saintess loses her power when she loses her chastity or her faith.”
“Which means…”
“Yes. Lately, I’ve been losing my faith. But there has been no change in my power.”
Seris explained with a complicated expression. A mixture of relief, anxiety, and guilt was written all over her face.
“When I was appointed as the Saintess, I followed and served the Goddess of Chastity more devoutly than anyone. Thanks to the Goddess, I became a Saintess and was able to bestow blessings upon many people. But recently, doubts began to arise.”
“Was I the trigger?”
“No. I had been feeling it little by little even before that.”
As if it were a habit, Seris touched her necklace before continuing.
“As you know, the Holy Empire is rotten.”
“That’s a strong way to put it.”
“It’s not strong at all. The Holy Empire truly is completely corrupt.”
“I already knew that… but you feel it that strongly too?”
“Yes. The Holy Empire no longer upholds its doctrines. Instead of using its power for the weak, it fulfills its own ugly desires.”
Seris gritted her teeth.
“The Holy Empire doesn’t even bother hiding its vile nature anymore. It exploits the weak and mocks its own doctrines. Yet the Goddess continues to bestow her grace upon such a nation.”
“Even though they mock the doctrines?”
“Exactly. Even though they deny the doctrines and break the laws, there has been no judgment or warning. They instantly execute anyone who disagrees with them as heretics, yet the Goddess keeps granting them power.”
Seris’s words made sense, but they still weren’t enough to deny a god.
Of course, I would have denied it immediately. But a Saintess was different.
She was someone who served and followed the gods unconditionally. It felt too early for her to lose her faith over something like this.
“If it had only been to this extent, I wouldn’t have lost my faith. But… but… the Goddess…”
Seris’s body began to tremble violently.
“She denied the weak. She affirmed the old men drunk on power and even bestowed rewards upon them. Even so, I still believed in the Goddess. But if this treason was also the Goddess’s will… then I… I don’t think I can believe in the Goddess any longer.”
Stumbling over her words, Seris finally revealed her true feelings.
'So it was this bad.'
In the original story, not much information about the Saintess had been revealed. I had thought she had fallen after being crushed by the pressure from the Holy Empire and seeking freedom.
But there had been circumstances like this behind it all.
'It’s a wonder she became a villainess at all.'
It meant the Holy Empire and the Goddess of Chastity had become so rotten that even a girl like her had fallen.
“Haa…”
After pouring everything out, Seris let out a deep sigh. As I quietly watched her, a good idea suddenly came to mind.
Seris had lost her faith, yet her divine power remained intact. And from what I had experienced, there was nothing wrong with the divine power itself.
“Seris. You still want to save the weak, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then how about using the gods?”
“...Pardon?”
If the gods didn’t take away her power even after she lost her faith, then couldn’t she just suck out that power for herself?
It was the so-called “Your Power Is No Joke” strategy.
"If the gods won't take it back even after you stop believing..."
⟨ Your Power Is No Joke ⟩