Chapter 23: Winter’s Arrival: A Mystical Presence

As soon as Senior Arthur left the room, I rushed to Ethan to ask him about the crazy nonsense he had just spouted.

“Ideological verification??”

“Alex, lower your voice.”

A hero can never fall.

If any man in the world works in a party composed only of stunning beauties, with the world recognizing him with honor and wealth…

Why would he side with the Demon King?

…Although the second Hero sided with the Demon King because he fell in love with him at the time.

That was a special situation.

I looked at Ethan, expecting a proper answer.

Ethan, enduring my intense gaze, sighed and answered.

While pulling out some documents from his pocket.

“Sigh… Alex. I’ll summarize Arthur’s recent actions.”

“…8?”

“Encountered the new health teacher, who is suspiciously strong in both power and magic, before even entering the academy. Since then, has maintained a close teacher-student relationship…no, a relationship so close that they could be seen as comrades.”

“If that’s all…”

“…There are records of hostility and engagement with the Emperor of the Akio Empire. Because of that, there’s a rumor that the fire at his mansion was also the Akio Empire’s doing.”

“…That’s…”

Why would the hero…attack a country allied with us?

If that’s really true…

Senior Arthur…?

Seeing my bewilderment, Ethan sighed again.

He also put down the documents, which were filled with information he hadn’t told me, as a bonus.

“Ideological verification is a matter of course for such people. The Holy Empire…since they are acquainted with him, I should be the one to do it.”

Although it was something I really didn’t want to hear…it was reality.

I had no choice but to agree.

Seeing me nod, Ethan smiled.

Then, as if to change the subject, he put the documents back in his pocket and said,

“Come to think of it…the teacher kept saying he wouldn’t go there by himself.”

“Ah, right. Saying it would smell with only men…”

Then it means he’s sending a woman, right?

I’m a little excited…

“Um…Ethan.”

“Yeah?”

When I hesitated and started speaking, Ethan widened his eyes in surprise and looked at me.

Slightly embarrassed, I covered my mouth and asked Ethan,

“Are all the women in the capital pretty?”

Ethan smiled at me and answered,

 

***

 

“Yeah.”

I returned to the hotel, took off my mask, and organized the Saintess’s memories.

A woman from a village attacked by demons.

Rescued by Duke Inverness and secretly working at the academy.

This is my past past life.

But in the middle of my past past life, some knowledge entered my head…

Thanks to that, it seems like she prepared quite a few things that would be helpful in this life.

These clothes, mask, and bag were all secretly obtained by her…

But how that knowledge entered her head, even she doesn’t know…

This is troubling, troubling~.

I sighed as I put the notebook written in Korean into subspace.

That’s when it happened.

Ding!

My magic tool phone notified me of a message.

I don’t have anyone to send messages to…

Checking the message, it was from our cute Crown Prince.

A message sent in the chat room with Alex.

‘Would you like to have dinner today?’

Hmm. I guess so.

I’ve been forgetting for too long, so I should have dinner today.

I checked the money in my wallet and smiled.

I know a good restaurant.

Since the Saintess’s memories are now completely mine, it’s practically a restaurant recommended by the Saintess.

I couldn’t help but be surprised when I saw the restaurant in the Saintess’s memories.

Because that restaurant was…

A Japanese restaurant.

Here, it was described as a restaurant from a country in the East.

Anyway, it’s natural to be excited.

I’ve only been eating Western food since I came here.

“Hmm…but the only problem is,”

that I’ll be participating in the meal in beautiful girl form.

I’ve already roughly decided on the setting for that.

One of Raven Pest’s colleagues.

The name…if I keep it as Ileia, it’s dangerous…no, Aire.

Since I can freely change my speech pattern now that I’m not wearing the mask, I should go with a polite speech concept to fit the beautiful girl concept.

Even though I decided on the concept, there was one thing I hadn’t decided yet.

The outfit.

If I just wear a coat, it’s obvious that it will slip down.

Honestly, thanks to the twenty years of memories from being the Saintess, I didn’t feel any particular aversion to skirts.

The problem is that I only have a coat to wear.

Since it’s too much trouble to go buy women’s clothes now…

Should I use color-changing magic?

I decided to go back to the dormitory to prepare for going out with Alex.

Tap, tap.

The sounds from the school garden were always pleasant to hear.

By the way, it didn’t rain yesterday, so why do I hear this sound…?

I brushed aside the slight question and looked at Alex.

Perhaps because he was really looking forward to the meal with the teacher, he had a big smile on his face.

Since it was a bit far to just walk in silence, I spoke to Alex.

“Alex, is there anything you want to eat?”

What I learned while spending time with Alex was that he had an appetite I had never seen before in my life.

Even if I combined the three biggest eaters I’ve ever seen, they wouldn’t compare to Alex.

I didn’t know a person could eat dozens of servings.

“I want to try some gourmet food now.”

“Gourmet food…”

Having been born and raised as royalty, I’ve tried countless gourmet foods.

It’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve received hospitality from every country except the Eastern countries.

The food I received in the Akio Empire was really delicious…

The exquisite food created with their excellent magic engineering technology.

I really wanted to try it again.

And if I ever get the chance…I want to eat it with Alex, who became my first true friend.

“I’ll treat you to some real gourmet food later. It’ll be a taste that ordinary people can’t even imagine.”

“…Yeah. Thanks, Alex.”

Alex thanked me with a slightly darkened expression.

Why is his face so gloomy? I’m going to give him gourmet food that he can’t even buy with ten years of a commoner’s salary…food that requires status.

Alex straightened his darkened face, looked at the flowers blooming in the garden, and muttered.

The flowers were blue roses recently created with magic in the Akio Empire.

“In the slums, you can live for a day just by selling this flower.”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing.”

Alex smiled and quickened his pace.

Perhaps he put a little strength in his steps, as his footprints were deeply embedded in the garden ground.

…Without another word, we arrived at the dormitory.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward, but the conversation continued in the dormitory.

I dressed in brand-name clothes, and Alex just took off his vest and wore a shirt and a coat.

The coat was a gift I gave him before.

It was a luxury brand that provided both elegance and magic resistance.

“You’re still wearing that? Why don’t you change it?”

“No, it’s fine, Ethan.”

Alex smiled and adjusted his coat.

I also adjusted my suit and moved to the restaurant I had promised to meet the teacher at.

The restaurant’s name is…

Love?

“Irasshaimase!!!”

A woman in unfamiliar clothes was saying strange words to the reserved guests at the restaurant door.

The woman had black hair and eyes, which are rare to see in this region.

Alex was also scanning the restaurant as if he had never seen such a place before.

“It’s like…a restaurant from the East, right?”

I knew almost everything Alex didn’t know.

It was almost the first time that both Alex and I didn’t know something.

But I couldn’t just leave something I didn’t know alone.

“Ah! Are you perhaps His Highness the Crown Prince?”

When I approached the staff member, she smiled and bowed.

Etiquette and respect…a perfect attitude for ripping off money.

And I didn’t particularly dislike such people.

“Indeed. Could you tell me what kind of food this restaurant sells?”

“Uh…we mainly sell a dish called sushi.”

Ah, I’ve heard of that dish before.

It’s rice topped with raw fish.

“Our restaurant mainly sells nigiri sushi (L), which is made by the chef directly hand-pressing the rice and fish. The nigiri sushi is made directly by the chef!”

“Oh? That sounds exciting. Um…excuse me, but can I ask how many years of tradition you have?”

“Today is our 458th anniversary! It’s a golden opportunity to eat the special sushi of the first-generation chef!”

I glanced at Alex, wondering if I was the only one who didn’t understand, and Alex’s eyes were rolling back.

“Four hundred and fifty-eight…?”

“Yes! Our chef has reached the pinnacle of the East through martial arts training…but he hadn’t reached the pinnacle of taste! So he practiced cooking very hard!”

The staff member was so enthusiastic about explaining that she kept telling me things I didn’t want to know.

The chef was even called the Heavenly Demon, and when he took a single step, all the masters knelt…

Exhausted from this conversation, I asked Alex for help.

“Alex! When did the teacher say he’d be here?”

“Ah…it’s about time he should be here…”

Alex’s words, which were saving me, were cut short.

It wasn’t just Alex.

The lovers chatting on the street.

The street vendors selling food to people.

The students gathered together, chatting excitedly.

Everyone was speechless.

“Are you the students? I’m sorry. It’s been a while since I went out because of an appointment.”

What kind of blue sky would you have to cut and paste to get those sapphire-like blue eyes?

Is it even a color that can be created?

And what about her silver hair?

Silver hair, whiter than the purest, untrodden snow.

It fluttered brilliantly, befitting her flawless, beautiful face.

As no one could speak due to her mystical atmosphere, the staff member muttered with a dazed expression,

“Snow skin, flower face…closed moon, shy flower…”

Before us stood winter.