Ch.89Chapter 89 – Heading to the Grendillet Mountains

# What is a Vacation?

A period, long or short, between semesters when one temporarily sets aside learning.

And today was the end of that vacation.

The faces of students visible through the dormitory window were a mix of half expectation and half worry.

The excitement of starting a new semester, and the concern about whether they could do well in the new semester.

As I watched students walking from the dormitory to the lecture hall, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

‘Come to think of it, why don’t I see other heroines?’

The world I’m living in is known as the setting for a bishoujo collection RPG called “Erasto Chronicle.”

‘Glesius Academy is one of the most frequently appearing locations in the game’s story… why haven’t I met many heroines so far?’

The heroines I’ve met so far are only three.

The swordswoman who wields the legendary sword Diamant, Serin Ekatos.

The novice magician who dreams of becoming a great mage, Mina Endras.

The saint of the Sun Order, Eterna Lumio Sol.

‘…Only three?’

The number of heroines I’ve met so far is just three.

It was shocking that I had only met three people despite more than four months having passed.

‘Wow, when will I meet all 100+ heroines?’

The Demon Cult, demon worshippers, and demons, who are the antagonistic forces in Erasto Chronicle, are very dangerous beings.

What they want is only one thing.

To enslave all living beings on this land so that only they can reign eternally.

Ah, I saw this in the loading text while playing Erasto Chronicle.

Since the game was modeled after this world, I believe that information is accurate.

Anyway, what I want in this world is to spend a comfortable retirement without anyone’s interference.

The ordinary life everyone dreams of.

Having a loving family, and living out one’s natural lifespan without worrying about poverty or illness.

That’s all I wanted.

A conquering monarch who rules the world? The king of the underworld who claims the shadow realm as his domain?

Such grand positions or goals are not what I desire.

What I want is simply to live a comfortable life.

Isn’t it better to fulfill the dreams I couldn’t achieve in my previous life here?

‘When this world becomes safe from demons… then I’ll go to a quiet place and enjoy a leisurely life.’

Until that day comes, I’ll need to stay busy for a while.

“Count Severio. The carriage sent from the Imperial Palace has arrived.”

A servant working at the academy informed me that the carriage sent by His Imperial Majesty had arrived.

“I understand. I’ll be out shortly.”

I packed my belongings.

My luggage consisted only of an all-purpose bracelet and a few changes of clothes.

All the supplies needed during the journey would be loaded in the carriage we were taking.

It was natural to prepare ample supplies for a journey that would take more than a month.

After packing, I headed to the main gate of Glesius Academy, where Eterna was waiting for me with a bag on her back.

“Count. Welcome.”

As I approached, I noticed she was wearing different clothes than usual.

As the Chief Inquisitor, she always wore form-fitting priestess robes.

Unlike most priests who wear loose robes, I once asked her why she specifically wore form-fitting priestess robes… and her answer was somewhat shocking.

“The priestess robes I wear appear as just loose robes to ordinary people. However, demon worshippers or those influenced by demons become unable to control their lust when they see this outfit.”

In other words, she was deliberately wearing it for a kind of sting operation.

But now, she was wearing something a bit special, different from her usual attire.

“Why are you wearing different clothes today?”

A white shirt with a yellow ribbon decoration, and a skirt of the same color as the ribbon.

Plus, she was wearing earrings, and the earring decorations were quite large.

One peculiar thing was that the size of her holy power pouch seemed to have decreased a bit.

“Oh, this? I bought it when I went to the market briefly because it looked pretty, and I decided to wear it while on vacation.”

Then Eterna suddenly twirled around once.

“How is it? Does it suit me?”

Looking at her approaching me with that question, I think if I could have seen her eyes, they would have been sparkling brightly.

So how should I answer Eterna’s question?

To speak my honest thoughts, it suited her extremely well.

The most versatile white shirt harmonized with the yellow ribbon and skirt, giving off a bright and vibrant impression.

If one didn’t know she was the Chief Inquisitor and a saint, she would look like a young lady from a noble family going out for a stroll.

“It suits you very well. You look very pretty.”

“Oh, um. Is that so? Hehe, thank you for saying I’m pretty.”

After hearing my compliment, Eterna pretended to scratch the back of her head slightly as if embarrassed.

“Actually, I don’t remember the last time I wore clothes like this.”

“You don’t usually wear such clothes?”

“Huh? Isn’t that obvious?”

Eterna made a puzzled expression after hearing my question.

“Those who decide to become priests cannot take off their priestly robes without special reasons, according to the priestly vows. That’s common knowledge.”

“I wasn’t interested in priests, so I didn’t know.”

“Hehe. It’s fine as long as you know now. It seems the coachman is waiting, shall we depart?”

“Let’s do that.”

Eterna and I packed our belongings and boarded the carriage.

Our luggage was received by a waiting knight who loaded it into the luggage compartment at the back of the carriage.

“Is there anywhere you need to stop by on the way?”

“Let’s go to Belsarem. We’re supposed to meet one more person there.”

“Yes, Count. Then we’ll head to Belsarem. Everyone, we’re going to Belsarem!”

I told the knight who would be escorting us our intermediate destination, and soon the carriage departed.

Looking at the passing scenery outside the slightly swaying carriage, I could feel that our journey to the Grendillet Mountains had begun.

◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈◇◈

Eterna Lumio Sol.

Riding in the carriage with Pathos toward the Grendillet Mountains, she was feeling very embarrassed inside.

‘Compliments from someone you like feel even more embarrassing…’

Eterna had revealed her feelings for Pathos to Elena.

She had gradually developed feelings for Pathos while accompanying him.

At first, she was simply escorting him for protection, but naturally, affection grew as they spent time together.

And more importantly… he was chosen by Epitrina.

Pathos was a man who had been chosen by the Great Goddess Epitrina and received abilities from her.

Especially for someone like her who had risen to the position of a saint, essentially an apostle of the gods, who had chosen the other person was very important.

This was because when she became a saint, she learned about this rule of the Order:

‘Those chosen as apostles of the gods who have risen to the position of saint or holy man cannot form marital bonds with just anyone. The only people an apostle of the gods can marry are those chosen by a higher god or those recognized by the god they serve. If this is violated and one marries anyone of their choosing, irreversible consequences will follow.’

In fact, this regulation was meant to protect the apostles from those who would try to exploit them, but it had created a situation where some people didn’t want to become apostles because of it.

Eterna had already been active as the Chief Inquisitor, and she became a saint because crushing more heretics’ heads would be considered mitigating circumstances later.

Because of this, Eterna had essentially lived without thinking about men.

What was the point of being interested in someone who could never be with her anyway?

But her small wish was to experience romance at least once before dying.

And then Pathos appeared…

By being chosen by the Great Goddess Epitrina, he qualified as a potential partner who didn’t violate the Order’s rules.

While one typically wouldn’t even look at a tree they couldn’t climb, wouldn’t anyone be tempted if there was even a slight possibility?

From the moment she realized this, Eterna began to take an interest in the man named Pathos.

So she wore the most fashionable clothes in the capital, and asked Pathos for his opinion.

“It suits you very well. You look very pretty.”

It suits you well.

You’re pretty.

When she heard these words from others, she felt nothing, but hearing them from Pathos gave her a new feeling.

And so, Eterna was gradually solidifying her feelings toward Pathos.