The Holy Studies Department (1)
Within a dark, cavernous expanse thick with sinister energy, a voice echoed.
"Olfer has been defeated."
A plume of black mist, coiling out of thin air, addressed a robed figure standing in the shadows.
Hearing those words, the robed entity shuddered with a dry, clattering rattle before voicing its suspicion.
"[Who was the opponent?]"
"It appears the Hero and Saintess of this era have surfaced at the academy."
"[...]"
The robed figure began to tremble with simmering rage.
"They seem to have grown even more since their time in the Demonic Realm. Naturally, judging by how thoroughly they were pressured by a creature like Olfer, they have yet to reach full maturity. Even so, she was capable of intercepting Olfer's all-out assault with her bare body."
The trembling ceased.
From beneath the shadows of the cowl, a pair of eyes burning with spectral blue fire flickered into view as it muttered softly.
"[A sprout like that must be plucked before it can take root.]"
The growth rate of a Hero and a Saintess was beyond absurd.
Centuries ago, when they invaded under the cover of the War of Ruin—a continental conflict that had brought the world to the brink of collapse—the monstrous growth rate of the 'Hero of Salvation' who emerged against all odds had drawn awe and vexation from the Demon King himself.
Even now, merely remembering how many centuries of preparation it had taken to ignite that War of Ruin made their blood boil.
Despite the mortal realms reeling from the devastation of war, that Hero had carved through their overwhelming legions, breached the Demon King's citadel, and managed by a hair's breadth to seal the sovereign away...
This time, they had to nip the threat in the bud and ensure history would not repeat itself.
"[The Demon King commanded that the Hero and Saintess be slain before they could fully mature.]"
"In that case..."
"[We must hasten your plan.]"
"...Very well. That would be best."
There was no telling where a Hero or Saintess might emerge.
One could be an ordinary citizen of the Empire, or just as easily a barbarian roaming the frozen north.
To prepare for a Hero and Saintess who could arise anywhere, and to plunge this world into ruin, they had spent centuries plotting in the shadows.
All for the sake of the Demon King.
For hundreds of years... all for the monarch to whom they had pledged their eternal allegiance.
Morning arrived the following day.
Finally, classes...
Lectures!
Back when I went to school in my past life, the mere thought of sitting through class made me dread getting out of bed. But this wasn't about memorizing dry facts for exams; this was a place where one learned magic, theology, and diverse combat arts. My expectations were through the roof.
Above all, this was an academy from my favorite game. How could I not be hyped?
In the game, standard lectures were skipped over with a brief throwaway line, and you only got to experience the classes that were intertwined with major plot incidents. I'd always been curious about what daily academy life was like, so this was a welcome treat.
Granted, it was only our first class while the other students were already on their second, but that didn't dampen my excitement one bit.
Who wouldn't be thrilled to step into the very academy from their beloved game and attend lectures in the flesh? It would be weirder not to love it.
And yet...
"It'd be so much easier studying in the dorm..."
In stark contrast to me striding toward the academy grounds in high spirits, Stella trudged beside me, radiating dark, suffocating gloom. Her face screamed that she wanted to bolt back to bed this very instant.
She grumbled endlessly, claiming that if it weren't for me dragging her out, she wouldn't have stepped a foot outside today.
What on earth am I going to do with this girl?
She was the one who swore just yesterday that she would give it her all, yet the moment morning came, she was whining about skipping class. I guess innate human nature really never changes.
It was a bit of a shame that she seemed so devoid of ambition, but... wait, maybe that didn't apply to her?
With Stella's terrifying talent, she'd probably achieve absurd efficiency just by holing up in the dormitory with a stack of grimoires.
Regardless, compared to the first day when she was utterly shattered, she had reclaimed most of her original feisty personality, which was a massive relief. Even if people said it wasn't my fault, she had suffered a severe mental blow because of me.
Frankly speaking, to avoid letting anyone see me like that or worrying them, I kept the demon raid a secret and went out to face the threat entirely alone. But those two insisted on chasing after me.
I was the one who got wronged here!
Still, it was undeniably true that she got traumatized because of me. More importantly, we would have to slay the Demon King together down the line, so she needed to overcome this hurdle now. That was the only reason I was offering this level of care.
If not for that, I wouldn't have bothered going this far. Normally, healing someone's injuries is where my job ends—since when does a healer provide comprehensive psychological counseling?
Without Stella, conquering the Demon King would be an absolute nightmare. She was the dedicated mage of the Hero Party. She was irreplaceable.
Naturally, that was why I had worried about her more than anyone. I had been sick with anxiety thinking she might never bounce back to her old self, so seeing her return to her grumbling ways was a tremendous relief.
And then...
"[Good morning, Brother Evan~]"
"U-Uh, yeah... Morning, Aria... And, uh..."
"Stella."
"Morning to you too, Stella..."
Seeing Evan greet me with such an awkward, bewildered expression, a pang of doubt struck me. He looked utterly deflated, as if all his confidence had been drained right out of him.
As expected... is he still hung up on being powerless against that High Demon?
Even in the original game, hitting a wall against a High Demon early on served as a catalyst for his growth. Since plenty of similar turning points were slated for the future, I figured he would be fine.
Besides, with someone like me right beside him who knew the most optimal speedrunning routes for his power progression, I thought I could smooth over any bumps in the road. Except when I tried tampering with things, the situation nearly spiraled into a catastrophic mess. It was clearly best to let the main scenario unfold as close to canon as possible, supporting him from the sidelines without derailing the narrative.
Well... the steps that led us here differed somewhat because of me, but thankfully the overarching plot seemed to be tracking correctly. Moving forward, it would be wiser not to go around rewriting the future on a whim.
"[What a coincidence~ Shall we walk to the academy together?]"
"Are you sure that's okay?"
"[Of course. Though once we reach the grounds, our class schedules will differ, so we'll have to part ways.]"
I replied with a mild, bashful smile.
Naturally, bumping into Evan here was anything but a coincidence. I mean, look at the layout and the distance between the boys' and girls' dormitories. People naturally take the shortest, most direct route to their destination. In other words, under ordinary commuting paths, running into each other like this was practically an impossibility.
The only reason we crossed paths was because I deliberately steered our course in his direction. Using my spatial awareness, I pinpointed Evan among the crowds in the vicinity and adjusted our steps to intersect.
Stella had no sense of direction here anyway and was just mindlessly following behind me, so she didn't suspect a thing. If she felt anything off, it was probably just a fleeting thought that the walk was taking longer than usual. Though judging by her blank face, she didn't even notice that much.
Or rather...
Does she just not care at all...?
I certainly wanted her back to her old self, but being completely lethargic and checked out was a whole other headache...
Nah, she'll snap out of it, right?
Anyway...
Evan's mental recovery was lagging behind Stella's, but the human psyche is like a coiled spring. Even if the rebound is slow, it eventually snaps back to form. Back then, the fact that he retained enough presence of mind to sever that arm upon hearing my command proved that his mental trauma wasn't entirely debilitating.
So by meeting up frequently like this, chatting, growing closer, and naturally letting the memory surface so it loses its sting, he would grow desensitized to it.
Well... sorry to Evan, but he was going to witness far more gruesome horrors down the road. If he was already crumbling over something like this, we were in big trouble.
My torso getting turned into a doughnut was relatively mild. I endured way worse back in the Demonic Realm. And considering what was slated to happen in the future, getting doughnut-holed really was on the lighter side.
So... please hang in there.
Because I'm going to help you.
After all, it felt a bit cruel to make him conquer the Demon King while forcing him to watch a close companion get killed in all sorts of creative, gruesome ways. I planned to assist from the sidelines so he could build romantic sparks and fool around with Stella and the other party members who would join later.
First up...
Is it Stella?
The plan for Evan's mental therapy: make Stella fall head over heels for him so the two of them can get all lovey-dovey...
Let's do this!
"Ugh... I wanna go home..."
"..."
Watching her mumble about how everything in the world was a chore, I felt a slight pang of skepticism over whether she would ever fall for Evan.
Still, I knew everything Stella liked and all the little sentimental gestures that touched her heart. All that was left was nudging Evan to do those things for her.
Though he might just end up looking like her personal errand boy.
Hey, he was building a harem—what's a little manual labor?
I looked at Evan and beamed warmly.
This bro of yours will back you up with everything he's got. Even though, as someone who never even dated a girl in my past life, playing wingman leaves a pretty damn salty taste in my mouth. But what can you do?
If I was that salty about it, I should've rolled the Hero class myself.
Haah.