Is This Really the Saintess?
Rion regarded the Saintess in silence for a moment, then quietly took the seat across from her. The Saintess, for her part, tilted her head as if mildly surprised.
He hadn't stammered in flustered panic the way some people did. He hadn't flushed red while stealing glances at her body, either. And he certainly hadn't scolded her for her appearance the way those of the Holy Church would.
What an interesting man.
The Saintess smiled, then slowly rose and composed herself.
"A pleasure to meet you. Instructor Rion, was it?"
"That's right. It's an honor to meet you, Saintess."
Rion bowed his head, and the Saintess waved a hand with a little hum of dismissal.
"No need to be so formal. I may be the Saintess, but when you get down to it, I'm just another Hero who'll have to enter the Tower. And you're the one who trains those Hero Candidates."
Rion said nothing.
"I'm late with my introduction. Anastasio Seria. The first name was just something the Holy Church tacked on, so feel free to call me Seria."
The Saintess — Seria — smiled brightly, as if to say, You can do that for me, can't you?
It was a peculiar smile, and Rion caught the feeling of it perfectly. At first glance it seemed brilliantly warm, but looking again, a cold killing edge lingered beneath it.
So this is what happens when you belong to the Combat Priest Corps and spend your days carving through Demonic Beasts.
She was no one to take lightly. Someone he needed to be as careful with as Enril. If she'd had that much contact with Demonic Beasts, she'd be intimately familiar with their presence. Show even the slightest opening, and there was no telling what might happen.
"You don't seem bothered at all, Instructor."
At Seria's question, Rion looked at her without a word — as if asking what, exactly, she meant by bothered.
Seria pointed at her own clothes and continued.
"Most people, when they see me, either get flustered, steal glances, or start lecturing me about how I look. But you, Instructor, don't fall into any of those three."
The flustered ones would have been ordinary people. Those stealing glances would have been drunk on a woman's beauty. And those who scolded her would have been affiliated with the Holy Church.
But Rion belonged to none of those groups. He was neither ordinary, nor intoxicated by beauty, and he had even less to do with the Holy Church. He was the type to focus on — and concern himself with — something else entirely.
"My clothes are embarrassing to look at, aren't they?"
"Not at all. If anything, I understand."
I understand. An answer that sat strangely against the present situation. When Seria stared at him, Rion merely shrugged.
"Saintess. No — Miss Seria. I didn't notice at first, but sitting across from you like this, I can tell. You have a unique constitution. You circulate mana not just through your breath, but through your skin as well, don't you?"
A low hum resonated through the air. The moment Rion finished speaking, the mana surrounding Seria trembled in fine ripples. Surprise? Fluster? Or had a cold wariness reared its head?
"...Heh."
After a brief silence, Seria smiled once more. This one was different from before — carrying a chill.
"Impressive. I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly. How...?"
"How did I know? I simply looked a little more closely at the flow of mana around you, Miss Seria, and read it. That's all."
"Could you explain in more detail?"
"It was alien. The flow of your mana. Most people concentrate it through their breathing, but that wasn't the case with you, Saintess. Resonance occurs throughout your entire body. It isn't centered on a Mana Heart."
As Seria quietly regarded him, Rion spoke again as if it were nothing.
"That much was enough to predict that you possess something that sets you apart from others, Miss Seria. It wasn't difficult."
"You're quite something. That's precisely the part most people find so difficult — which is why so many of them jump to conclusions about me."
He can see the flow of mana? And read it?
It was possible, sure — if you had enough time. Even seasoned mages and knights would struggle to do it at a glance. If just anyone could manage it, mana wouldn't be a mysterious force. And yet this man, Rion, had finished the job in a matter of minutes.
That feeling I had a moment ago wasn't a mistake.
Just as Rion had sensed something peculiar the moment he faced Seria, she too had detected something the instant she laid eyes on him.
A powerhouse. The flow of his mana is extremely stable.
If he simply didn't know how to handle mana at all, that would be one thing. But if that wasn't the case, then the man across from her had to be someone of tremendous skill. Seria had seen countless real battles and met countless strong opponents, which was precisely why she knew so well what a true powerhouse felt like. By that standard, this man named Rion ranked among the very highest.
I think I understand why those fussy old elders of the Holy Church specifically named this man.
Seria nodded, cleared her throat, and parted her lips.
"You saw it exactly. Just as you said, Instructor, I have a constitution that circulates mana through the skin as well. These days, simply existing like this is more effective than breathing techniques."
"Then the clothes you wear would be similar to what you have on now."
"I could wear more if it weren't a combat situation. But..."
"It would feel stifling, wouldn't it. Like your Mana Heart is being clenched in a fist."
Rion's observation was so precise that Seria actually clapped as she agreed. The feeling of her Mana Heart being wrung out — yes. That was the most accurate way to put it. Which was why, no matter what the elders of the Holy Church said, she couldn't easily change it. Especially not for someone who had been fighting Demonic Beasts every single day until now.
"Miss Seria. Then what do you do when blood gets on your body during combat with Demonic Beasts?"
"I circulate mana and burn it off."
"Hmm. That would overheat your Mana Heart quickly and raise your body temperature."
"That's why I run so hot. It's another reason my clothes are like this."
A unique constitution that circulated mana through the skin, combined with a body that ran constantly hot. Looked at this way, it wasn't all strengths — the advantages and weaknesses were clearly defined. Circulating mana through the skin in addition to breathing would certainly be effective. But if that skin was blocked by contaminants or thick clothing, the efficiency would be halved. And heating up so quickly also meant prolonged battles wouldn't be viable.
Wearing clothes that thin, the stares from other people would be a burden in themselves.
Saintess or not, at a glance she was a blonde, blue-eyed beauty. And people, in the end, were just another animal that followed primal instinct. There would be moments, however brief, when instinct outran reason — and the blatant stares pouring in during those moments would be hard for anyone to endure.
A cheat character. A total broken build...
This wasn't a game. He couldn't think of it that way. This was reality. And yet the framework, the foundation, was ultimately rooted in that world. Which meant the Saintess Seria possessed something that surpassed even Enril.
"Miss Seria."
The conversation had been enough. Now it was time to confirm with their bodies.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to see your skill — even just a light demonstration."
"I had a feeling you'd say that. You really are an instructor of the Hero Academy."
Seria rose from her seat and asked him to go down first and wait. She would follow after fastening her loosened clothes more securely. She was right — assessing her level in that state would be a bit much. The fabric was far too airy. Even a slightly excessive movement would reveal every curve of her body.
But wait. Come to think of it — why was she fastening her clothes? When the Academy said they wanted a light look at someone's skill, it was usually a mana contest. They'd just raise their mana against each other and that would be it, so there was no reason to check one's clothes...
"All right. I'm ready, Instructor. Shall we give it a light go?"
Shing—
Not wooden swords — live steel. And Seria had drawn two of them. The way she handled both blades with practiced ease made it clear she was deeply versed in Dual Swordsmanship.
She's not even a knight. She's a Saintess.
Rion let out a disbelieving snort of laughter and glanced at the reactions around them. The Holy Church's Saintess had drawn her swords and come down, and not a single person showed any sign of trying to stop her. They merely wore expressions that said, Here we go again.
Wow... she really is an astonishing Saintess, in more ways than one.
As Rion shook his head, Priest Blon approached his side. A sword was in his hand as well — clearly with zero intention of stopping anyone.
The Combat Priest Corps. The Combat Priest Corps, huh. I like them better than the cadets.
A faint smile on his lips, Rion drew his sword without hesitation.
Whether fortunate or not, the exchange between the two didn't last long. They'd used live steel, but the clash was only enough to confirm each other's level. Both knew that if either of them got hurt, the other would be in an extremely awkward position. They'd also focused more on the use of mana than on swordsmanship itself.
"Well? Does my skill meet your expectations, Instructor?"
At Seria's question, Rion slowly nodded.
The Dual Swordsmanship alone was enough to mark her as a formidable expert. Wielding two swords meant handling with one hand what others managed with two, and Seria compensated for that with mana circulation twice as superior as anyone else's. Speed, power — there wasn't a single area where she fell behind. And she was utterly unrestrained in her attacks. These were the movements of someone who had cut down a great many things.
Compared to Enril... it would be hard to call a winner.
And her ability to utilize mana — that, too, was remarkable. It had been only a brief exchange, but he'd read the general picture. In that regard, she held a slight edge over Enril. Looking at just this much, he could see why she'd be called a cheat character.
And the real reason lay somewhere other than mana or swordsmanship.
Divine Power. Healing ability. Overwhelming sustain that no other Hero possesses.
Healing magic existed, but it was only effective for first aid or minor wounds. Reattaching severed limbs and restoring damaged organs was impossible. But the Divine Power Seria possessed made all of that possible. No matter the injury, as long as it wasn't instant death, she would be fully healed on the spot. In the Tower, where one had to fight entirely alone, that was an overwhelming ability.
"I assumed that being a Saintess meant you were the type who only knew how to pray."
"Hehehe. The previous Saintesses may have been like that, but I'm not."
She sheathed her swords and undid the clothes she'd bound tightly in various places. Seria stretched lightly and took a step closer.