Ch.22Saint Candidate – 3

“…First, the thread that connects starlight.”

Despite her sulky face, Priscilla began her explanation. Ever since I returned to my room yesterday and explained everything that happened with the Saint candidate, she’s been giving Rosaria that kind of look.

It was a reaction I had somewhat anticipated. I had expected it, but I told her because I didn’t think there was any reason to hide it. If she were to hear it from Rosaria’s mouth instead of mine, the situation could become even more awkward.

Even after hearing about what happened with Rosaria, Priscilla didn’t show much of a reaction. She just absorbed my warmth much more meticulously and carefully than usual.

Since it seemed her anxiety hadn’t completely disappeared, we ended up sleeping in the same bed under one blanket, but nothing special happened. Just that my patience was tested much more severely than usual.

“Yes, the thread that connects starlight. And?”

Rosaria didn’t seem bothered at all by Priscilla’s openly sullen reaction. That was because she had heard about Priscilla’s past on her end.

It was quite entertaining to see her surprised reaction when she heard about the number of regressions, asking if it was really true.

“The eternally shining holy grail. These two will do. Oh, and money too. As much as possible.”

“The eternally shining holy grail? Even for me, that would be difficult to take out of the papal office… Of course I’ll try, but just know there’s a high chance of failure. Among the three, money would be the easiest. Just like before, I’ll send about 10 carriages full of it when you request. In gold coins, of course.”

The two items Priscilla just mentioned were originally sacred relics of the Starlight Order, but they became demonic relics after being contaminated by demonic energy during the Demon King’s army’s attack on the papal office.

The thread that connects starlight is reborn as a vicious weapon that links the senses of thousands of humans, causing all connected thousands to die if even one dies. The eternally shining holy grail is reborn as an item that creates buff zones exclusively for demons and demonic beasts.

Later, they are purified by Aria when she becomes a Saint and she handles them, but until then, they are the sacred relics that cause the most damage to humans, so the intention was to retrieve them in advance.

Given that the plot has been twisted enough for the Demon King’s 3rd Corps Commander to visit the Academy just two weeks after enrollment, we don’t know when they might invade the papal office.

There is one more, but since the Pope always carries it, it’s impossible at this point.

“It’s okay. I don’t need them right away, just need to retrieve them before the Demon King invades the papal office.”

“I can easily get the thread that connects starlight. They’ve tried to make clothes out of it for me to wear several times before. If I say I want to try it, they’ll bring it to me on their own.”

“…They tried to make clothes out of that?”

This time, Priscilla’s expression became peculiar. Rosaria nodded with a sigh.

“What exactly is it?”

“It’s a bundle of thin, translucent threads that can stretch infinitely according to the user’s will and holy power. But that’s not the important part. The real key is that without holy power infused, it’s just translucent thread.”

“…”

“What happens if you make clothes with that? You don’t even have rags like now, you become a crazy woman with just a few strands of thread on your body. They tried to make me wear that as my new holy garment. I was dumbfounded. Why not just tell me to be naked outright?”

Rosaria ground her teeth as she vented her frustration along with her explanation.

“But for some reason, they brought a nun to try it on, and then canceled it saying I wasn’t ready to wear it yet. Oh, and that nun was branded a heretic and expelled for ‘defiling a sacred object with her dirty body’? Complete lunatics. They tell her to try it on and then punish her.”

Just hearing a few explanations made it clear how internally corrupt the Starlight Order had become.

Even though it was meant to build up to Aria’s holy war and purification of the Order in the original story, where she becomes the new Pope and Saint, this was a bit much.

“Are you sure we can get rid of them properly even without Aria? I hate to say this myself, but what they’ve accumulated so far is no joke. Just in terms of wealth, they might be on par with the Emperor?”

“If I wanted to, I could do it right now. I’m just holding back because there are still things to milk from them.”

“Really?! How?”

Priscilla raised one corner of her mouth toward Rosaria, who sat up in surprise. Rosaria’s surprise turned into a disgruntled expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Your doubtful look is pathetic. If Mira says he can do it, of course he can. Do you need to ask if it’s true or how he’ll do it? We just need to believe in Mira and follow him, that’s all.”

“…”

Rosaria stopped grumbling and closed her mouth. I also quietly stopped talking. Priscilla’s eyes suddenly looked chilling. Rosaria, unable to find more words, quietly sat back down.

Priscilla took my palm and rubbed it against her cheek with a “Did I do well?” expression. A happy smile returned to her face.

“I heard the news. They say you were attacked by a Demon King’s Corps Commander. Are you alright?”

The day after the school closure ended, Aria grabbed my hands with a worried face as soon as she met me during the morning lecture. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“I tried to visit you yesterday, but they stopped me saying the Saint candidate was talking with you. I couldn’t risk causing trouble, so I had no choice. The Starlight Order isn’t known for having a nasty temperament for nothing.”

Brunhild had a similar reaction. Unlike Aria, who was 100% pure concern, Brunhild was half worried, half exasperated.

“You’re a hero. Do you still have to be mindful of them?”

That was the very reason Rosaria bullied Aria in the original story. She held a grudge against Brunhild, but since Brunhild was a hero and couldn’t be touched, she chose Aria who was close to her instead.

“The higher-ups tremble before me. But not the lower ranks. They’re so devout they threaten with their own lives. If I had retreated a little later, one of them would have died. I could see it in their eyes.”

“…”

A nun threatening a hero that she would commit suicide right there if they didn’t retreat immediately. Whoever came up with that idea was quite clever, since Brunhild wouldn’t push forward if someone was going to kill themselves.

“So, how was the Saint?”

“What do you mean?”

“You met her in person. Was she like the rumors? Torturing nuns, extracting their blood to smear on her body or drink it?”

I wondered what kind of rumors had spread. I answered with a bewildered face.

“Who says that? She was nothing like the rumors.”

“…Really? So the rumors were wrong?”

From here, I needed to mix in some lies.

“The rumors must be wrong. She was extremely kind, except for being a bit mischievous. Haven’t you ever met the Saint? You’re a hero after all.”

“Unfortunately not. I thought I might meet her when I went to the papal office for some Starlight Blessing or whatever, but there was nothing like that. I just met the Pope and left.”

Brunhild tilted her head at the statement that the Saint was actually kind, but she seemed inclined to believe me since it was my word. Aria just smiled brightly listening to our conversation.

Soon after, the professor entered and changed the atmosphere to begin the lecture. Brunhild seemed to concentrate at first, but couldn’t even last 15 minutes before nodding off.

“…There she goes again.”

Aria looked at Brunhild with a troubled expression.

“Shouldn’t we wake her up?”

“Even if we wake her and tell her to listen to the lecture, she’ll just say she can rely on me for the complicated stuff for the rest of her life and go back to sleep. Just leave her be.”

She apparently had no connection with theory, and even got the lowest score on the written part of the entrance exam. She still seemed to have no intention of listening. In contrast, Aria was the model student, diligently taking notes and focusing on the class.

I was also concentrating on the lecture, considering the importance of note-taking and ignoring Brunhild, when suddenly a silent notification appeared on my magical device screen.

I checked Aria’s and Brunhild’s screens as well, but there was nothing on theirs. It seemed the notification was only for me, so I checked it immediately.

—Could you see me briefly after the lecture ends?

“…?”

Just that one sentence, with no sender indicated. As I was wondering about it in my head, another notification appeared.

—This is the Chairman. I have something to discuss with you about what happened in the dungeon, so I would appreciate if you could spare a moment. It won’t take long.

‘The Chairman?’

I heard he was being grilled at the imperial palace by the Academy’s opposition faction because of the planarization incident in Bellium Forest.

And that’s just a nice way of saying “opposition faction” – in reality, they were people whose children failed the entrance exam due to lack of intelligence, and who were now embarrassed and angry, advocating for the abolition of the Academy.

Until now, the Academy had been running so well that there was nothing to criticize, but this incident apparently gave them ammunition.

—Where should I go?

Since it was clear that this must be important if the Chairman was calling for me directly, I quickly sent a reply.

—Come to the Chairman’s office. I’ll leave the door open.

The reply came very quickly.

After our brief exchange, I headed straight to the Chairman’s office as soon as the lecture ended. Aria and Brunhild sent me off with wide eyes when I told them the Chairman had called for me.

The Chairman’s office was on the very top floor of the main building. The entire floor contained only the Chairman’s office. As promised, the door split open on both sides as soon as I stood in front of it.

I awkwardly stepped inside. The Chairman, who was sipping tea while sitting on a sofa with a table, spotted me and smiled with his eyes.

“You’ve come.”

Still a head taller than me, with long legs crossed and clearly visible. If I were an enemy, I might feel intimidated just looking at him.

The Chairman flicked a finger to create a teacup on the opposite side of the table and invited me to sit there. I obediently followed.

“I apologize for the late introduction. I am Erestica, serving as the Chairman of Bellium Academy. I have 63 more words in my name by human standards, but you don’t need to remember them all, just Erestica will do.”

It seemed he had no intention of mentioning the name Meligor that the 3rd Corps Commander had referred to. There was no reason to bring it up since he had reacted so fiercely upon hearing that name.

“I’m Mira Crate.”

“I know. Mira Crate. A very bold student from the entrance ceremony. Didn’t you say you would stand in that spot for all three years, so you’d give your congratulatory speech next year?”

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“The reason I called you is simple. Let me get straight to the point.”

The Chairman put down his teacup and met my gaze. His vertically slit pupils observed me as if appraising me.

“How did you destroy the Maker’s core?”