An Outing (1)
Life at the academy gradually returned to normal.
The demonic raid had been officially made public, drawing the vigilant gaze of the entire continent. The mere revelation that demons had breached the protective barrier was terrifying enough to set countless hearts trembling, prompting several students to be summoned home by frantic families. Yet setting those panicked departures aside, daily routines within the academy grounds resumed an air of ordinary quiet.
Then, without warning, that fragile peace was upended.
The cause was utterly absurd.
"Holy knights...?"
"Are they real knights?"
"I heard they came all the way from Varkan..."
"Did they come because the Saintess is here?"
The Knights of Protection—the supreme military power of the Holy Kingdom of Varkan, renowned to rival the Empire's Imperial Guard—had arrived at Arhen Academy. And they came serving as personal escorts to none other than the supreme leader of Varkan himself: the Pope.
"My, what a grand entrance you've made..." Arhen muttered, cold sweat trickling down her neck as she peered through the window at the Pope disembarking from the carriage. "I know it couldn't be helped, but did you really have to stride in with your chest puffed out like that?"
Crunching the candy in her mouth with an exasperated huff, she stepped down from the windowsill. She unlatched the door and headed out to greet her uninvited guests. Whatever the circumstances, now that they were here, turning them away was out of the question.
What's this?
An overwhelming tide of thought waves washed over my senses.
Given the sheer number of enrolled students at the academy, I was accustomed to sensing stray thoughts floating about, but the current resonance felt distinctly different from the usual ambient noise. Rather than scattering loosely across the campus grounds, a dense, powerful cluster of mental echoes pulsed from a single concentrated location.
That meant someone of great significance had arrived.
It's a day off anyway. Maybe I should head outside...
It was the weekend, free of scheduled lectures. Stella was sitting by the desk in our infirmary room, thoroughly engrossed in magical research, and not wanting to disrupt her concentration, I merely whispered that I would be right back before slipping out the door. A fleeting thought crossed my mind about whether I should have prepared lunch for her first, but since I only planned to check who had arrived and return immediately, I figured it wouldn't take long.
Thought waves were curious phenomena: even at a considerable distance, whenever a massive crowd gathered in one place, their collective presence resonated with intense clarity, even if I couldn't yet decipher their specific meanings. If someone were to ask why I could detect visitors from so far away when I hadn't been able to locate Evan while trapped in the underground chamber, this was precisely why. Had only a handful of guests arrived, I wouldn't have noticed a thing.
Now it's finally becoming clearer...
My perception of the surrounding environment worked by dispersing my divine power outward like a sensory net. Back when I didn't possess enough divine power even to mend my own wounded body, I could barely distinguish whether an object merely existed or not. That didn't mean my vision was utterly blank; I could still perceive rough contours so long as they were substantial in size, and because I could read emotional thought waves, identifying people wasn't impossible. That was how I managed to hold hands and embrace others despite my blindness.
Though I hadn't fully recovered, I was well enough to walk around on my own. While subtle facial expressions, the curve of an eye, or tiny twitches of the lips still escaped me, I could at least distinguish familiar features. To be honest, mere idle curiosity wasn't the only reason I ventured outside. Granted, a massive delegation descending upon the academy was intriguing enough on its own, but what truly caught my attention was something else.
Faintly woven among the commotion was an aura I knew all too well—a familiar presence that prompted me to come check just in case.
No way... Could it really be them?
If my suspicions proved true, matters were about to become rather complicated. Although the timeline had already deviated substantially from the future I once knew, they certainly hadn't taken up residence at the academy this early in the original story. I needed to understand why they had come and how long they intended to stay so I could roughly anticipate future variables.
And besides...
I wonder if he's here...
There was someone I had been eager to see after so long. There was also a favor I desperately needed to ask of him.
Whether he'll agree to it is another matter entirely...
Around this period, there was a crucial item Evan had to acquire. Obtaining it now would make his upcoming training and growth infinitely smoother.
The thought waves are spread so wide, I can't pin down his exact location...
If my guess was correct, the Holy Knights had arrived. While the contingent currently visiting wasn't the permanent garrison yet, they were destined to eventually serve as the academy's standing defensive guard. Since the Holy Kingdom and the Empire were currently allied, safeguarding the academy—one of the most critical keystones on the continent—was only natural. Not to mention the deep personal bond shared between Asselina and Arhen.
If so, he's most likely among that cluster over there...
Stepping out into the courtyard, I oriented myself and walked toward the dense pocket of thought resonance. The closer I drew, the more vividly their inner voices echoed in my mind.
— I wonder if Lady Saintess is all right...
— Ah... I miss the Saintess so much...
— I just want to go home...
As the distance closed, a chorus of voices murmured from the gathered assembly. Hearing those mental echoes only solidified my conviction about our visitors' identities. To have so many people gathered in one place, worrying over me and addressing me as their Saintess, made their origins unmistakably clear. The only people who would travel this far as an escort while fretting over me with such devotion were them.
It really is the knights...
The Knights of Protection from the Holy Kingdom of Varkan.
Danas...!
Could Danas be among them? Having spent two grueling years together in the Demonic Realm, we had grown deeply attached, and I longed to greet him as soon as possible. Filled with anticipation, I hastened toward the throng of holy knights.
"S-Saintess?!"
"Why are you out here...?"
The moment the holy knights laid eyes on me, their expressions swung between ecstatic greeting and sheer horror as they took in my attire.
"L-Lady Saintess, what in the heavens are you wearing...?!"
"More importantly, you look severely injured! Aren't you pushing yourself far too hard...?"
Their minds churned with frantic worry, wondering why on earth I was wandering around in such a state. Only after witnessing their hysterical reactions did I realize I had strolled all the way to the academy gates in a flimsy patient gown, but such trivialities hardly mattered to me right now. I was a patient, after all; why would I bother changing into formal robes?
"[Danas! Are you here?!]"
Finding Danas took far higher priority. I broadcast my thought resonance across the area in an urgent call. If my intuition held true, he was bound to be among the escort ranks.
Sure enough, catching the wide wave of my mental resonance, Danas's flustered thought echo bounced back.
"L-Lady Saintess...?"
Never imagining I would seek him out in person, Danas hurried toward me with sheer bewilderment written across his face.
I knew it! I knew you'd be here!
And...
This thought wave... this silhouette... Even though barely any time has passed since we last parted...
Perhaps because the events in between had been so turbulent and harrowing, seeing him filled me with immense joy. More than any other holy knight, Danas and I shared a special bond; having weathered two years of bloodshed together in the frozen wastes of the Demonic Realm, we were extraordinarily close.
Overjoyed, I bounded straight toward him and grasped his hands with a radiant, beaming smile.
"[It has been far too long, Brother Danas!]"
"F-Far too long, my lady...? It has barely been ten days since we parted..."
"[Still, a happy reunion is a happy reunion, isn't it? Did you not miss me at all, Danas?]"
What splendid timing. I desperately needed an excuse to leave the academy grounds in order to lay the groundwork for Evan's rapid advancement. Though the narrative had shifted, I was thankful it afforded me enough leeway to make preparations.
Before long, Maleficent would launch a full-scale assault against Arhen Academy. Even if Evan couldn't decisively defeat the Lich on his own just yet, I had to ensure he grew strong enough to at least hold the line. Of course, Arhen would repel the brunt of the invasion, but unlike Maleficent's supreme combat craft, she was not primarily an offensive-type Archmage, leaving her relatively vulnerable in a war of sheer attrition.
While Arhen's personal magic had been specifically tailored to counter Maleficent, she was no longer an unburdened adventurer as she had been in the Hero's party. Now, she carried the responsibility of protecting the entire academy, creating an unavoidable tactical flaw. To patch that fatal weakness, Evan's immediate growth was paramount.
Danas... I'm counting on you for a little favor!
Wait a second...
Was it just my imagination, or had the stares from the surrounding knights suddenly turned pricklingly sharp?
...It had to be just my imagination, right?