Ch.333Volume 25 (3)

I unexpectedly lost a day to a sudden fever, but that hasn’t disrupted my daily routine.

In fact, the Church of Luminus was truly apologetic, promising to be more careful in the future, and blessed me with abundant holy power.

Thanks to that, unlike the previous day when I nearly died from illness, I was able to bounce back completely. I felt no fatigue whatsoever—to the point where others were concerned about me.

Anyway, after returning to my normal life, the first thing I needed to do was visit Elena’s laboratory.

I’ll continue attending the academy, but I have absolutely no intention of inconveniencing those around me.

So if Elena finds it difficult to work with me, I plan to resign from my assistant position, however regrettable that might be.

It would be much better to return to being a student and attend her lectures rather than continue as her assistant.

“Not at all? Why would I want that?”

But Elena expressed incomprehension at my suggestion. Her green eyes behind her glasses were filled with puzzlement.

This wasn’t just Elena’s reaction—Cindy, who had been quietly reading a book nearby, shared the same sentiment. Though her eyes were still sunken with exhaustion, they contained questions.

Seeing their reactions, I spoke with a somewhat bitter voice.

“I could cause trouble for you all because of me. Plus, you might even face threats from devil worshippers…”

“Let them come. I’d like to capture one and conduct some research.”

Elena answered confidently while Cindy nodded in agreement. I stared at them in astonishment before breaking into a smile.

Come to think of it, the Chancellor had mentioned that Elena and Cindy were once explorers who traveled all over the world.

They must have enough combat ability to protect themselves, so I shouldn’t worry about that aspect.

“Besides, I can’t miss this opportunity. A professor who taught history to Xenon? I can hear my reputation rising already, kid.”

“Was that your original purpose?”

“About half of it? The other half is that it’s hard to find someone with your capabilities. Leona will be coming in as an assistant, but the more the merrier, right?”

“With you around, there’s no problem with papers and data organization…”

Elena and Cindy each expressed what they wanted. In particular, Cindy has been writing various papers since I taught her composition methods.

I’ve been helping them while living essentially like a graduate student. When it comes to history, I still have much to learn from them.

“I understand how you both feel. So I should continue as your assistant?”

“That’s up to you. If you want to leave, how could we stop you? Just tell us what happens in the future before you go.”

“It’s not like that, I told you.”

“Or tell us about history that’s been erased from records or similar events. Like the newly interpreted elven myths.”

I gave a wry smile at her joke that wasn’t really a joke. Elena glanced at my face and let out a faint laugh.

Now I see it’s not that she doesn’t care—she just doesn’t want to lose a big catch. The opportunity to legally put Xenon to work isn’t common.

Anyway, it seems my position as an assistant is confirmed, and there’s one thing left to do: introducing my guards.

Since I plan to bring Adelia and Kate to class from now on, they should get acquainted in advance.

“I am Adelia Cross, Master Issac’s faithful servant. I look forward to working with you.”

Adelia went first. She was wearing comfortable clothes for movement rather than a maid uniform.

While a maid uniform would suit her well, her figure allows her to pull off any outfit. If a maid uniform combines sexiness and cuteness, her current appearance exudes dignity.

“Adelia Cross… You were originally a martial arts department assistant, right? I’ve heard of you. They say you were one of the most promising talents along with a student named Nicole.”

Elena pushed up her slightly slipping glasses as she spoke. Apparently, Adelia’s reputation wasn’t limited to the martial arts department.

The same goes for Nicole. If even a literature professor who’s far removed from martial arts knows about them, practically the entire academy must know.

Adelia responded humbly in her distinctive husky voice after hearing Elena’s words.

“You flatter me. Nicole was a much more outstanding student than I was.”

“Hmm… I understand. I look forward to working with you. And…”

Elena’s gaze shifted sideways, where Kate stood wearing white nun’s attire and a gentle smile.

“Are you Cardinal Kate?”

“Yes. I am Kate Louise Angelica, serving Luminus and Master Issac.”

“I’ve certainly heard of you. Not only did you drive out a corrupt cardinal, but there are rumors you might be the next Pope…”

“That vermin was driven out by Master Issac, not me. I merely acted according to his will.”

As expected, Kate is merciless toward anyone associated with demons. While her tone is impeccably polite, her words are brutal.

Even Elena seemed slightly taken aback by Kate’s unexpectedly harsh words. Cindy blinked with her characteristically exhausted face.

Regardless, Kate continued with a smile as saintly as ever.

“And I have no intention of becoming Pope. My duty is to bring divine punishment upon the evil that pollutes this world and to protect Master Issac, who spreads the light.”

“Ah… I see. I understand. My name is Elena Heavensinger. I’m a professor of history at Halo Academy.”

“I’m Cindy Skywalker… Pleased to meet you…”

After Elena, Cindy introduced herself in a voice heavy with fatigue. Her voice alone conveyed extreme exhaustion.

Perhaps concerned about Cindy’s condition, Kate stared at her for a moment before slowly walking toward her.

During Kate’s approach, Cindy merely blinked, taking no action and looking at her with a puzzled expression.

“You said your name is Cindy?”

“Yes…”

“Could you hold out your hand for a moment?”

“My hand?”

“Yes.”

At this sudden request, Cindy looked at Kate with questioning eyes. Kate silently waited for her response.

Eventually, Cindy cautiously extended her hand in permission. Though her face had lost some of its beauty due to severe sleep deprivation, her hand was pale and delicate.

When Cindy offered her hand, Kate extended her own and gently placed it on Cindy’s palm.

Just as an intriguing atmosphere was forming with these two beautiful hands overlapping, something happened.

Shaaaa—

A golden light emanated from Kate’s hand and transferred to Cindy’s. It then gradually flowed up her arm until it enveloped her entire body.

I had seen this phenomenon several times before so I wasn’t surprised, but this was Cindy’s first experience, and she was staring with wide, amazed eyes.

Elena was the same. Her green eyes had widened in surprise.

Sssss—

After enveloping Cindy’s body for a while, the golden light gradually began to fade. Naturally, the next step was to check if anything had changed about her.

And I could immediately spot the differences. First, Cindy’s trademark dark circles had completely disappeared.

The vitality returned to her previously exhausted face, and her skin looked much firmer than before. While she was definitely still Cindy, she looked like a completely different person.

“Your body was quite damaged from sleep deprivation. Are you unable to sleep at night?”

Kate, who had instantly restored Cindy’s condition, asked with a gentle smile. Cindy faced her with a bewildered expression.

“Um… yes. Somehow I’m afraid of the night…”

The confused Cindy spoke with her characteristic drawling speech. While her mind might be clear now, it seems difficult to change speech patterns that have been with her for years.

Well, if even ingrained habits are hard to break, how much more so with speech patterns? I was somehow relieved that her distinctive trait hadn’t disappeared.

“You react sensitively to even slight sounds.”

“Yes…”

“Hmm… It seems to be a stress-related illness acquired during your explorations with Elena. I can only improve your condition; you should visit the Church of Mora for this field.”

So she wasn’t just buried in papers and data every day—she simply couldn’t sleep. I had overlooked that post-traumatic stress isn’t something only soldiers like my father suffer from.

If I had paid even a little attention, I could have helped fix this earlier. I must have overlooked it because I just thought of her as a colleague with a unique personality.

“…How do you feel now?”

“Like I could fly. Like I could stay up for days and still be fine.”

In response to Elena’s careful question, Cindy looked at her hands with a bright smile. Just removing her dark circles made her look like a completely different person.

Her comment about staying up for days didn’t sound particularly good to me, but I suppose that was her way of expressing how great she felt.

After hearing her words, Elena made a subtle expression before speaking with admiration.

“Even visiting temples never helped before… As expected of a cardinal, you’re different.”

“This is nothing. If you want more, you should ask Master Issac.”

“Issac? Were you secretly a cleric?”

“What?”

Why is she suddenly pointing at me? I only know how to receive blessings, not give them.

While both Elena and I were confused, Kate spoke with the warmest smile in the world.

“Master Issac is one who spreads light in this world. Elena may not know, but there are already people who have received light from Master Issac. Not only his fiancée Marie, but also the Princess of Helium, and finally the guard knight Adelia here.”

“…”

Ah, right.

This woman, despite being by my side all this time, has zero social skills.

More precisely, her focus is in such strange places that she can’t distinguish between things that should and shouldn’t be said.

“So if both of you wish for the seed…”

“That’s enough.”

I hurriedly covered Kate’s mouth. She had just made a good impression, and I didn’t want her to ruin it all.

But then I realized my mistake—I had covered her mouth with my own hand.

Looking at Kate with disbelief…

“Sniff. Sniff. Haah…”

“…”

“The scent of Master Issac’s hand… Ah, I shouldn’t be doing this…”

She arbitrarily sniffed my hand, and her face rapidly turned red. The drug-like look in her eyes was an added bonus.

I sighed deeply at the difficult-to-manage Kate and gently removed my hand.

“Ah, Master Issac? I’m sorry, but…”

“…I’ll wait here until you return, so please hurry back.”

“Th-thank you.”

And so Kate left the laboratory with a somewhat urgent expression. She’s probably returning to her quarters to have some time alone.

If just holding hands makes her go into heat like Cecilly during her devil cycle, covering her mouth must take even longer to recover from. That’s what I’m thinking.

“She’s… quite a unique person.”

Elena tried to break the awkward atmosphere by putting it nicely. Cindy was too busy examining her improved physical condition to care.

As for Adelia… she just stood there as if used to it. Though she seemed embarrassed too, clearing her throat and maintaining a solemn expression.

The embarrassment was naturally mine to bear. I covered my face with one hand and said sincerely:

“Thank you for putting it that way… Please forget everything Kate said earlier.”

“Don’t worry. I’m married, believe it or not.”

“What?”

This is the first I’m hearing of this! As I looked at her with a shocked expression, Elena tilted her head and asked:

“Didn’t I tell you? My occasional trips back to Alfheim are to see my husband. I do research while I’m there too.”

“This is the first I’m hearing about it.”

“Is that so? Well, now you know.”

“…”

Fortunately, I had a feeling that my activities as a history assistant would continue smoothly.