Chapter 133
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: The Hot-Headed Saintess in Heat (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Birds chirped and flowers bloomed on this beautiful spring day.
A new year at Carnea Academy had begun.
For some, it was a time brimming with dreams and hope, but not for me—at least not this time.
...
Starting this semester, the forces of the 'final boss' would begin appearing in earnest.
'Already feels like I can't breathe...'
If you're wondering why I'm panicking now when things have been tough all along, well, Garcia and Maisha were in a different league altogether, so let's set them aside.
Wolves and tentacles might have had some indirect influence, but they weren't part of the 'final boss's' forces.
But starting with Chapter 4's boss, "Revived Corruption", every single one from here on out would be a calamity-level threat.
'...Someone, save me.'
I'd cleared most of the main events so far using tricks and loopholes.
Chapter 1 with Loreos's help, Chapter 2 by blackmailing the now third-year top and second students, and Chapter 3 with Tristia's aphrodisiac.
...But for Chapter 4, there was no one I could turn to for help.
Not even Lucia.
Chapter 4's boss, 'Revived Corruption', lived up to its name with a skill called 'Corruption'.
This ability instantly corrupted the minds of those around it, turning them against their allies. The more people in the raid party, the worse off you were—it was a truly nasty power.
'...In the end, it'll just be me and the Saintess holding back Revived Corruption...'
The Saintess's unique ability, 'Purification', was one of the only things in this world that could resist Corruption. No matter what, she had to come along.
In fact, without the Saintess, beating Revived Corruption was practically impossible.
The fog shrouding its weak point could only be weakened with 'Purification' before you could deal any damage.
'...At least there's some small mercy—we've still got time.'
'Revived Corruption' revived right after midterms.
The semester had only just started, so we had a few months' buffer.
In that time, I planned to tame the Saintess, purify the tentacles and make them parasites in my body, then set up a ton of traps at Revived Corruption's spawn point to skip the first phase the moment it revived...
If I could pull off that devilishly simple plan, clearing it was possible.
...If everything went according to plan, that is.
Drag—
No sooner had I thought that than the plan's biggest wildcard made her entrance: Her Highness the Princess.
"Hi~ everyone! Miss me? ♬"
For an imperial princess's greeting, it was far too casual and friendly.
But the Class 1 students were used to Liana's demeanor by now, greeting her warmly regardless of whether they were commoners or nobles.
"Liana! We missed you!"
"Yeah, yeah! How've you been, Liana?"
"Helena! Yufi! Oh, you know, bored to tears in the palace~."
Liana ran over like any ordinary student and hugged them both.
At first glance, it seemed to showcase the princess's remarkable character—getting along with everyone regardless of status.
'...Scary.'
But I knew the true nature hiding behind that mask. All I felt was dread.
Then the princess spotted me and flashed a mischievous grin.
"Oh, and it wasn't all boring. Eugene came to visit the palace, and we had some real. Fun. Times."
"Eu... Eugene? You don't mean... Eugene Calliope, do you?"
"...Oopsie. Did I let that slip? Keep it our little secret from everyone else?"
Was she trying to screw me over on the first day? It was 100% deliberate.
"O... Of course. My lips are sealed."
Judging by Helena's expression, if I left it at that, she'd blab to the whole school.
'Haa...'
On the big picture, showing high intimacy with the princess wasn't a bad thing. But it sure as hell wasn't that high.
Her line had crossed way past any reasonable boundary, so I stood up and approached her.
"Oh, Eugene? What's up?"
"...Your Highness. Please refrain from any words or actions that could cause misunderstandings."
"Hmm? What misunderstanding?"
She blinked innocently, playing dumb.
"The part about us having 'fun times'."
"Oh, that? We did have fun, didn't we?"
"...Nothing happened between us, did it?"
I stated firmly, and Liana gave me a fond look, tracing her lips with her fingertip.
"...Eugene, you plan to dismiss it all as a midsummer night's dream, don't you?"
"Kyaaah!"
Helena and the other girls turned beet red, screaming as they jumped to some wild conclusion.
Part of me wanted to yell, What the hell are you even talking about?!
'But I have to hold it in...'
As I closed my eyes to steady myself,
the princess leaned forward slightly, tilting her head to look up at me.
"Hmm, if you get that serious over a little joke, it hurts my feelings~."
"...Your Highness."
"Hee hee hee. Fine, fine! Anyway, impressive! Jumping straight from Class 5 to Class 1? I never would've imagined... ...And two of you, no less."
Following her gaze, I saw Vivian with her head bowed, fidgeting awkwardly by herself.
"...Her name was Vivian Beatrice, right?"
Before I could stop her, Liana strode over to Vivian and struck up a conversation.
"Hi, Vivian! ♪"
"...H-H-Her... High... ness...!"
Vivian clamped her mouth shut, trembling all over. She'd clearly bitten her tongue in panic.
'Kinda feel bad for her...'
I should've given her a heads-up beforehand...
Suddenly assigned to Class 1 wasn't enough; now the princess was talking to her. For someone as timid as Vivian, it had to be overwhelming.
"Haha! ♪ No need to be so scared. We're classmates now—let's have a great year together, Vivian."
"Y-Yes...! P-Please... t-take... c-care... of me..."
Vivian couldn't even meet her eyes, as if it was an honor just to hear the princess say her name.
Amused by the novel reaction, Liana kept chatting her up.
"Oh yeah, you were in the same class as Eugene back in first year, right? You two close?"
"...Eu... Eugene... nim."
Vivian glanced at me and almost added the honorific out of habit, so I shot her a desperate look to deny it.
"...Eu... Eugene and I... are... just... classmates..."
Thankfully, she got the message.
"Hmm... Is that so?"
Liana brushed her golden hair behind her ear, grinning like a kid who'd found a new toy.
"But Vivian! From afar, your clothes hid it, but up close? You've got some serious assets!"
"H-Huh...!? Y-Your... Highness!"
Liana casually groped Vivian's massive chest without a second thought.
"Ah, sorry~. My hand just moved on its own."
"I-It'th... f-fine..."
"No, no, can't have that. Here, Vivian—feel mine! Not as big as yours, but I've got some pride in these~."
The princess lifted her own chest a bit, and Vivian shook her head furiously, eyes wide.
"N-No...! H-How could I...!"
"Come on, it's fine! Go ahead!"
The moment Liana grabbed Vivian's hand and pulled it toward her chest—
Drag—
"..."
Lucia's entrance brought instant silence to the entire class.
But it was short-lived. The students snapped out of it and greeted her one by one.
"Lady Lucia. I trust you've been well."
"Yes, Lady Helena. And you as well?"
If the class showed affection toward the princess, their feelings for Lucia bordered on reverence.
Not saying one was better than the other, but it felt like their positions had flipped.
Spotting the princess, Lucia bowed in greeting.
"Your Highness..."
"Lucia~ Hi! I told you, no need for such stiff greetings! ♬"
"...As a noble of the Empire, I merely show proper respect to the imperial bloodline."
"Aw, c'mon. This is Carnea. If you act like that, it'll make everyone else uncomfortable?"
They'd only exchanged greetings, but sparks seemed to fly between them.
"The Empire's sun and moon together—it's a picture-perfect scene even just standing there."
"Totally. I wish I could be even a fraction as graceful as their toes."
...Guess it was just me.
By Class 1 standards, they'd all been raised pampered, so their heads were full of flowers, apparently.
After greeting the approaching students, Lucia shot me a brief glare before walking past without a word.
"...Looks like those rumors about Lady Lucia and Eugene fighting are true."
"It was famous even back in first year that they didn't get along, but to think it'd show in public like this..."
Whispers broke out here and there at the sight, but that was actually a good thing.
The better I hid my relationship with Lucia, the smoother the big picture would come together.
"Hey! Everyone, quiet down...!"
Then came Professor Amy's voice from somewhere.
I looked around but couldn't see her, just her antennae-like hair poking up over the lectern.
"Professor Amy, we can't see your face behind the lectern!"
"Quiet, you...! I'm thtill growing, you know...!"
"Rise!"
Using incantation magic to float into the air, Professor Amy crossed her arms and struck a haughty pose.
"You should all feel honored that this great Professor Amy ith your teacher...!"
Coming from any other professor, it might've sounded authoritarian, but from her, it just came off as adorable whining.
"Now, time for roll call...!"
With Professor Amy's lispy voice ringing out, my second year began.