Sepenteria Continental General Academy
Sepenteria Continental General Academy
It was incredibly burdensome to escort the Saint-nim to the Hall of Beginnings, where the entrance ceremony was being held.
Throughout the walk to the Hall of Beginnings, everyone—freshmen, upperclassmen, school officials, and even outsiders—had their eyes glued to us.
This was probably because of the Saint-nim's presence.
While the Pope is the most influential figure in this world, if there is a number one superstar, an idol of the masses, it would be the Saint-nim.
Of course, most people in this world wouldn't even know her face, but this is the Sepenteria Continental General Academy. Anyone here would have seen the Saint-nim's face at least once in their life at an event hosted by the Goddess Church.
So, isn't that why all eyes are fixed on us?
'Ah, I'm tired.'
And as you know, I am the Saint-nim's escort.
If everyone's gaze is directed at the Saint-nim, I must treat them all as potential threats.
Among this crowd, I don't know who might be a heretic targeting the Saint-nim, or what methods they might use to attack her.
Of course, since she is wearing protection artifacts, she would likely block most attacks with murderous intent, but the opponent is a heretic.
They might use some unknown method to pierce, neutralize, or ignore the protection artifacts.
So, I needed to increase the detection intensity.
I took the platinum ring, the Halo, from the belt at my waist and wore it on my head.
A blinding light flashed in an instant.
"Ugh, ugh! What is this!"
"My, my eyes!"
"Argh..."
"Kyaak!"
Those who had been staring at the Saint-nim grabbed their eyes.
I hadn't raised the Halo's output, so it would end with just a moment of dazzling light. I wasn't particularly worried.
"Huh? What is this light? Ch, Chief Inquisitor?"
"Chief Inquisitor-nim?"
The Saint-nim and her attendant Lesha looked at me, slightly startled.
"Saint-nim, there is no need to worry. This is just a precautionary measure. It's not that heretics have revealed themselves right away."
I offered a faint smile, as if to reassure her.
"I am simply raising the alert level due to the large crowd."
The Halo on my head rotated once.
A platinum-colored 'eye' shaped mark was engraved on my forehead.
At the same time, the flow of power in the area began to become visible.
A picture woven and layered with the powers possessed by those in the area.
I was looking for a being with heterogeneous power within that picture...
"Lu, Lu Niginna Chief Inquisitor...!"
"..."
"Lu Niginna Chief Inquisitor!"
"Eh?"
I glanced down and saw the Saint-nim's face, which looked angry for some reason.
Was there an attack I didn't know about?
Did I miss it, by any chance?
With that thought, I asked, slightly startled.
"What is the matter? Is there perhaps some raid or attack on the Saint-nim..."
"St, stop that Halo on your head right now!"
"Yes? What do you mean... if it's for security..."
"Right now!"
An expression of panic, or perhaps anger, that I had never seen before.
I didn't know why, but I stopped the Halo's activation for now.
The Halo lost its light and fell onto my hand.
I caught it, hung it back on my waist, and asked.
"Is there perhaps a problem with my use of the Halo, Saint-nim...?"
Then, the Saint nodded her head vigorously, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and said,
"Of course! It's completely obvious! Inside the Academy, the emission of power is prohibited, except for specific places like sparring rooms or laboratories!"
"...Yes? Then how am I supposed to provide security... And actually, this is for detection purposes rather than power emission. It's a Rune technique that cannot inflict harm or cause damage."
Power emission?
I didn't understand.
It was a power that didn't cause any physical damage or any effect on others, so what did she mean by power emission?
Of course, the Halo flashes when it starts, but that's unavoidable.
That's just how the Halo is.
However, my thoughts and the rules here were different.
"That's not allowed either! No! This isn't a battlefield! This is an Academy! You can't use power at all! Not Aura, not magic, nothing! Especially for outsiders."
She said that and pointed somewhere with her finger.
There, two Academy guards wearing heavy armor were running over in a hurry.
"Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna-nim. You just violated the Academy rules."
"Eh...?"
"I don't know what will happen, but go somewhere with those people. You might have to write a report? A statement? Something like that."
"..."
At those words, I slowly looked around.
Aside from a few, most people still couldn't open their eyes properly.
...
This is just a passive effect of the Halo.
When I used it, the flashing light wasn't because I intended to attack anyone...
Anyone could see that was the current situation.
It looked like I had suddenly attacked others' eyes for no reason.
...
Ah, I'm totally screwed.
"Academy rule vi, violation... Violation! What is your name, affiliation, and rank!"
The two guards who arrived shortly after ran up breathlessly and recited the manual.
"I am Lu Niginna, Chief Inquisitor of the 1st Special Inquisition Department of the Goddess Church's Holy Inquisition Bureau. I am currently in charge of the Saint-nim's escort."
He had the expression of a fawn facing a lion, but even so, he continued to recite the manual.
"Cough... If, if you do not comply with the instructions, I will ar, arrest you! Su, submit to the transfer!"
Submit to the transfer.
I thought about it for a moment.
If I submit to the transfer, I have to be separated from the Saint-nim.
Since the entrance ceremony is about to start soon, the Saint-nim has to go straight to the Hall of Beginnings.
If that happens, I won't be able to provide security.
That means dereliction of duty.
I would be committing the sin of failing to properly carry out the orders entrusted to me by His Holiness the Pope.
So, I have no choice, but for now, I will refuse...
"I'm sorry, but I cannot follow that order right now..."
"Go. Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna."
Words much colder than the Saint I had known until now.
I felt my whole body freeze and answered immediately.
"Yes. I will comply."
"Th, then move immediately..."
But even so, I can't just leave.
I need to take measures.
Just in time, a suitable measure to use at this moment came to mind.
"Ah, just a moment before that. Saint-nim?"
"Yes? What now..."
I took something out of my pocket and handed it to the Saint.
"This is a Rune containing a part of me."
It was a Rune made of white mineral.
"A, a Rune containing a part of you? What does that mean...?"
"Yes, it will protect the Saint-nim in case a potential danger arises. I apologize for not being able to perform my duties properly. I will handle the matter quickly and return."
She seemed not to understand what I was saying, but she blinked her eyes and accepted the Rune.
After telling Lesha, who was next to her, to please look after the Saint-nim's safety for a moment, I followed the guards.
"Then let's go. Let's finish this quickly. I shouldn't leave the Saint-nim's side for a long time."
+++*
Just before the entrance ceremony of the Sepenteria Continental General Academy began.
The sound of buzzing filled the Hall of Beginnings from all corners.
This buzzing sound was different for each person, but it consisted of stories limited to a few topics.
About the blindingly beautiful Saint of the Three-Eyed Goddess Church,
About the noble and benevolent 5th Prince of the Golar Empire,
About the High Priestess of the Lekhatos General Bureau, who is like a tomboy but has the greatest lineage,
And...
About the incident that happened earlier...
─ Hey, earlier... you know... the Inquisitor called the demon in an angel's mask, that person used power at the Academy.
─ What? Really? Why? Was there even a heretic?
─ I don't know... but the story going around is that he did it because there might have been a heretic?
─ No, really? Is he trying to commit murder even in the sacred Academy grounds?
"Ahem."
─ My eyes still hurt...
─ Me too, I only saw the light from that ring floating above his head once... and I still can't see well.
─ What on earth is he doing at the Academy... Is he going to hunt down heretics here?
─ It's called a heretic, but if that person says it's a heretic, then it's a heretic. I heard he tortures them until they confess to being heretics?
─ Right, I heard that rumor. They say the number of people who died like that could fill a mansion?
─ Surely he wouldn't do that inside the Academy, right? To the students?
─ No way!
"Ha..."
─ How can I live my Academy life in fear like this?
─ Why on earth does the Saint-nim... keep such a murderer...
─ They say they are madmen who don't even listen to the Goddess Church Headquarters.
─ Then why do they leave him alone? Shouldn't they take measures?
─ Heretics are mostly crazy lunatics, right? So they say it's filled with lunatics, and they consider the collateral damage caused by those lunatics as a minor sacrifice for the greater good. That's what they say, right?
─ That's ridiculous, then what happens to the people who died like that! That's too pitiful.
"I'm really going crazy."
The Saint had a terrible headache.
She could feel that her Academy life had been twisted from the very beginning.
+++*
At that time.
"Nice to meet you."
A simple room located on the top floor of the most magnificent and largest building in the Academy.
"What should I call you?"
The protagonist of the topic blinked and looked at the woman in front of him.
"The Saint-nim's escort?"
With sharp, long ears, silver hair, and skin as white as jade.
"Or... Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna?"
She, who had an heterogeneously beautiful appearance—
"Both refer to me... but I would appreciate it if you called me the Saint-nim's escort."
A woman who has lived for many years, incomparable to her apparent age, and a being who was there at the beginning of this Academy.
"Really? I don't think so... In my opinion, it seems like you wanted to be 'Chief Inquisitor' today, Lu Niginna... isn't that right?"
And a great Archmage...
"Haha... No. Dean."
She was the Dean of the Sepenteria Academy.