Freshman, Possessed (3)

No matter how much influence the male leads wielded in this world—whether they were sons of the powerful or not—it meant nothing before this girl.

It wasn't just because Iris was the protagonist of Saintess's Faith Life. Beyond that, Iris possessed elements that set her apart from all other characters.

...Status Window.

Behold these radiant stats. Could a single person truly possess such a status window?

It was worlds apart from her own, which only listed Status Window.

Now she understood why she'd so quickly decided to join the heroine.

Fortuitous encounters? Training? Such things held no meaning against overwhelming bloodline supremacy!

This world was a romance fantasy, after all. Unlike other genres, raw power growth wasn't paramount.

Need martial prowess? Then awaken it through the power of love (bloodline cheat) at the right moment—that was the romance fantasy combat formula.

There is a way to monopolize early-game fortuitous encounters and grow strong... but!

Jenia could declare with certainty.

I could never grow stronger than this girl!

In the original story, the male leads grew strong through fortuitous encounters, while Iris's pattern was to sweetly stick by their sides and awaken her latent powers at pivotal moments.

Even so, she never fell behind the male leads.

She occasionally achieved meaningful growth through rare encounters, but those were types ineffective without her bloodline.

Even in this world teeming with bloodline cheats, Iris's was unparalleled.

To put it bluntly, not even the gods surpassed her bloodline.

How could a mere pure-blooded god compare to one who inherited divine sanctity, demonic authority, draconic flesh, and spirit senses?

Luckily, Iris didn't enjoy fighting; otherwise, Saintess's Faith Life's genre would have shifted from romance fantasy to munchkin rampage.

The late-game even subtly hinted she might be unbeatable even against all the male leads combined...

No possessed soul had the heart to clash head-on with such a heroine for first dibs.

Better to meekly join and snag some crumbs.

As Jenia nodded to herself, Iris spoke up.

"Where should we go first, Jenia? The academy's huge, so we need to move fast."

"Got any place in mind, Iris?"

"Hmm... How about the training grounds? I heard all sorts of amazing people hang out there. I wanna catch a glimpse, even from afar!"

"Training grounds it is, then?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

Following the beaming Iris, Jenia thought.

Training grounds episode. It starts with that, huh.

The training grounds episode—one of Saintess's Faith Life's early arcs.

In the original, Iris toured the academy before classes to scout it out.

While typical freshmen flocked to the commercial or sanctuary districts, she—who disliked crowds—headed toward the academic district.

Wanting to check study spots before real academy life began—a perfectly wholesome reason—she naturally wandered into the training grounds.

And that's where the episode kicks off.

By the time Iris arrived, two cadets were already locked in fierce combat.

Startled by their brutal clash, she tried to leave, but their power surged toward her.

Iris's potential was top-tier in the world, but at this point, she was an unawakened ordinary cadet.

Fortune spared her major injury, but she still ended up hospitalized.

The two cadets visited to apologize, launching the episode.

The key? Those two cadets' identities.

Who else? The first male lead candidates Iris encounters at the academy.

Richard Hansen. Edward Terminus.

Characters with opposing personalities.

As male lead candidates, they were no ordinary folk, both heirs to prestigious northern divine families.

Not mains, but solid subs with real presence.

After some deliberation, Jenia decided to let this event play out unchanged.

Little room to intervene in the incident's flow, and no gains from convincing Iris elsewhere.

On the contrary, skipping this contact point would complicate things later.

With countless incidents ahead, minimal martial backup was essential.

Iris had the makings of a powerhouse—but only in the future. Pure potential.

Without passing specific episodes, she'd remain average cadet level.

Shield-bearers were needed until then.

Sorry, Iris. You'll get a scare, but nothing serious.

Apologizing inwardly, Jenia followed Iris to the training grounds.

And there, she witnessed it.

Boom!

"That was close. You okay?"

"Y-yes..."

A variable that absolutely shouldn't exist in the original story, per canon.

Jenia thought.

In possession stories, divergences from the original were inevitable... but

Too soon, isn't it?!

She clutched her head.

*

The two cadets' attacks were impressively sharp.

Though a lifelong mage, Cain possessed knowledge of other fields too—deeper than most aura users, even.

He was a war veteran, after all, and warriors wielding aura were the most common foes.

To counter them, such knowledge accumulated naturally.

From that perspective, the cadets were excellent.

Well-regulated aura emission. Immature in spots, but prodigious for their age.

Even by Eldrion standards, they'd shine as prospects.

Of course.

"And who might you be?"

Personality couldn't be ignored.

"A mage? Mages still exist in this day and age?"

The burly cadet scowled, while the slender one seemed shocked by the magic itself—like eyeing a rare beast, having rarely seen mages.

Neither attitude suited addressing a professor... but post-spar adrenaline lingered, so Cain let it slide.

"Sparring's fine, but dragging bystanders in? Not on."

"A professor? A magic-using one?"

"Heard the name somewhere..."

To the surprised pair, Cain continued.

"Cain Dravel, in charge of the magic department. Just call me Professor Cain. And you two?"

After a hesitant pause, they answered.

"Edward Terminus... sir. New enrollee here."

"...Richard Hansen. Fellow cadet."

"Right, Cadet Richard, Cadet Edward. Quick question: planning more?"

"...And what's that to you?"

Richard growled.

Cain replied calmly.

"I'm a professor. Even spars need moderation—or intervention."

Obvious to Cain, but Richard bristled.

He ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sneered, frowning.

"Hah, since when do academy profs meddle like this? Isn't it all about blessings and raw power here?"

"Mind your manners with the professor, Cadet Richard."

"Tch, sorry—not. I'm just that hopeless."

Richard snorted, tilting his head insolently.

"If it's just between you two, I wouldn't interfere. But endangering innocents? Can't call it personal then. Satisfied?"

"......"

"Got it? Exercise restraint. Same for you, Cadet Edward. Public venues demand crowd awareness, even training grounds."

"...Understood."

Edward nodded reluctantly.

Magic department. He'd heard of it—a fallen ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠relic, barely functional.

Its professor couldn't be impressive.

But as a freshman, ignoring even a minor prof risked trouble.

That was Edward's take. Richard's differed sharply.

"Ha! A relic from a bygone era lecturing me like he's hot stuff?"

Mages. In this era, impressions were uniform: rejects clinging to obsolete tech, denied divine favor. Inferior to aura or miracles.

And such a prof blocking his path?

Infuriating for Richard.

Not even from a renowned department, no noble lineage—just trash acting cocky?

Already annoyed at pausing his beatdown of the twig next to him, this interruption boiled his blood.

Matching his mood, violent aura swirled around him.

"Cadet Richard. Defying a professor?"

"Not defiance. Just a spar. You won't dodge a freshman, right, prof?"

"That's defiance."

"Shut it."

Richard's aura intensified over time.

A normal person would buckle under the pressure, but Cain's face remained impassive.

"Prof or not, shove your standards at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me? Prove you qualify!!"

Richard launched like a spring, fist swinging at Cain.

Bang!

A swiftly conjured barrier blocked Richard's punch.

Sighing at Richard's blatantly hostile glare, Cain muttered.

"...Kids these days."

Some needed a good thrashing to learn.

"Looks like I need to teach you how to respect your elders first."

Whirr.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Magic unfolded around Cain.