Could it be… Lady Clea?

Maris Academy.

Built on the border, this place has emerged as a place of peace after the war, and as such, it’s a location where many people gather and many incidents occur.

The fact that it remains standing despite this is because resolutions are equally swift.

Similarly, the friction between Haide and Lagrid was also resolved smoothly after an agreement was reached between the parties involved.

‘I apologize once again for causing inconvenience.’

‘No, rather, I pray for blessings upon your future.’

These weren’t merely words of courtesy.

After all, the doctrines that must be upheld within the church can sometimes stand above international law.

Moreover, if a believer who has awakened Holy Power approaches other denominations due to conversion or apostasy issues, it could lead to political problems if they’re taken in with misguided sympathy.

Given his own responsibilities, if things hadn’t gone well, he would have reluctantly entrusted her care to others.

‘Yes, if it weren’t for the teacher…’

No, if she had dismissed his words as nonsense.

The astronomical probability of a sacrifice being reversed into an idol wouldn’t have occurred.

And such miracles are the ultimate symbol for those who serve God.

The child they took in will surely become a pivotal point of transformation as a symbol of a saint’s reincarnation under Lagrid’s protection.

Unlike until now, when they lashed themselves with respect, it will be in a more positive direction.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

As she smiled, foreseeing such a future, someone approached the saint as she was leaving the entrance.

A middle-aged man with striking black eyes and hair, just like herself.

It was Vincent, the leader of Haide’s Black Knight Order and her guardian knight.

“Good morning, Saint.”

No, let me correct that.

He’s not wearing armor now, so he’s not a holy knight, and I’m not wearing my ceremonial robes, so I can’t be called a saint.

“Right now, I’m not a saint but a visiting student, Sephin. Father.”

“Ah, um… That’s right. Good morning, daughter.”

That’s right, we promised to act as father and daughter when it’s not official business.

It’s just ‘acting’, but since we agreed to do it, we should do it sincerely.

“Hehe, good morning to you too, Father.”

Such a relationship is one of the small joys she’s been feeling lately.

Satisfied, Sephin quietly turned her back on her father.

“Then I’ll be going now. I need to leave before the school gates open, or it’ll take a long time to get in.”

“Ah, wait. Let me escort you partway.”

“There’s no need. You must be busy too, Father.”

“No, still…”

“Vincent.”

A sudden cold voice.

Along with a soft laugh that followed, Vincent’s face turned pale.

“I-I’m sorry. I was being too meddlesome…”

“No, it’s understandable since this relationship is unfamiliar.”

After all, it was out of concern for her, so she couldn’t keep pressing the issue.

Sephin finished her greetings and soon stepped onto the school road after passing through the alley connected to her residence.

This wasn’t Haide’s sacred domain, and there were no escorts like Vincent in place. Nevertheless, the faces of passersby showed no sign of concern.

It’s natural. The law enforcement capability of this city is arguably the best on this continent.

Of course, there shouldn’t be any problem with her attending school while hiding her identity. If anything, having guards and making a fuss would only be a nuisance to those around her.

‘I appreciate the concern, but… it’s excessive, I’d say.’

While she understands the sentiment, it’s still burdensome.

Or to put it more extremely, it’s annoying.

Although she’s only half a year away from her coming-of-age ceremony, it feels frustrating to still be treated like a child.

“…Is this what they call puberty?”

As she walked down the street, Sephin felt her heart flutter at the unfamiliar sensation she’d been experiencing lately.

Puberty.

A period of rapid mental growth where everything is sensitively perceived, and defense mechanisms are activated especially against interference towards oneself.

Even for someone like her who had been constantly chased by responsibilities, there was a backlash to such a period.

It’s just that she became directly aware of it only after coming to this city.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve undergone many changes.’

She wore a school uniform, something a nun’s attendant would never wear.

The acquisition of knowledge, which had been limited to broadening her horizons, took on a professional nature. She provided first aid to students with her own hands rather than using Holy Power, and interacted with them as a student rather than a saint.

And in most of these processes, that person was present.

‘Seine Velvet, the health teacher of Maris and a believer of Cleas.’

And her mentor and teacher.

Furthermore, an ‘idol’-like existence that even evokes admiration, succeeding Haide.

‘The teacher is truly an amazing person. Even with the incident that was just resolved… She achieved results that no one could have imagined.’

It wasn’t just a matter of good luck…

It couldn’t be dismissed as such. A miracle created by a series of coincidences means that if any single element was missing, it couldn’t have been achieved.

She was one axis of such a miracle, and played the most crucial part. Moreover, she even went as far as to take a once-in-a-lifetime gamble of projecting their idol against the inquisitors who were thought to be unbreakable.

Boldly, and without a moment’s hesitation, on something that could be considered blasphemy in itself.

‘If I were in her position, could I have done such a thing?’

No, it would have been impossible.

The same goes for anyone else in that position. Because she’s the only one in this world who could do such a thing.

‘It’s not something that can be achieved with respect alone. She possesses something that members of Haide or Lagrid don’t have.’

Then what exactly is it?

Sephin already knew the answer to that. She didn’t have to look far; she could tell just by recalling the moment when she embraced the child she had saved with her own hands.

A hymn to the miraculously born life, respect…

And beyond that, the moment when she bestowed the emotion of ‘love’.

‘Love, the most beautiful emotion humans can feel.’

It’s undeniably an embarrassing word to mention directly, but the emotion it speaks of isn’t just directed towards a romantic interest.

It can be towards a child, or parents…

Yes, the love she shows is closer to that kind.

After all, she has the quality of becoming infinitely gentle towards those she perceives as children or students.

Considering it natural to care for and nurture them, having the magnanimity to admonish rather than scold their mistakes, and giving them opportunities to correct themselves…

As she reminisced about such aspects, a certain figure commonly spoken of began to form in Sephin’s mind.

‘Is this what it feels like to have a mother?’

She couldn’t be certain.

Coincidentally, having lost her mother at a young age, she didn’t really know what it felt like to have a mother.

It was just that the emotion she showed towards the child seemed similar to what the child’s birth mother might have shown.

‘Even without blood ties, one can have such emotions.’

Even if they’re not related by blood.

If one can show such emotion just by guiding and being guided…

‘Perhaps such feelings can develop even in a teacher-student relationship?’

Now, quite some time has passed since her stay in Maris began.

Sephin was gradually realizing what caused the flutter in her heart whenever she thought of her.

---

And now, as she entered the infirmary with those feelings tucked away as usual.

“Teacher. It’s been a while since I’ve seen… Huh?”

The moment she opened the door and stepped inside, the greeting that should have been uttered was swallowed by an exclamation.

As soon as she entered the infirmary, she was greeted by a completely unexpected presence.

‘Teacher?’

Seine Velvet.

As always, she had taken her place at the infirmary desk, but unable to withstand fatigue, she had fallen asleep with her head resting on the desk.

What illuminated her was the warm sunlight streaming through the window.

As the breeze blowing through the gap left open for ventilation gently rustled the curtain fabric, something was revealing its presence in front of her, using the light fully exposed from it as illumination.

Like a messenger of God often described in the Bible.

‘An… angel?’

As if sensing her presence, the being began to turn its head towards her.

A white one-piece dress, white hair, and skin equally bleached white.

The only place with color was the clear red eyes that were opened towards her.

Along with the wings sprouting behind, the bandages wrapped around both arms were also white…

“Could it be…”

The moment she took note of the bandages.

Sephin carefully voiced another being that came to mind.

“Could it be… Lady Clea?”

Clea.

The main deity of the Cleas Order that worships the god of medicine, and the being served by her mentor sleeping there.

Although its history only goes back 20 years, there are detailed descriptions of its true form in the records passed down in Cleas.

An otherworldly appearance as if all the color had been drained from the entire body.

The object that symbolizes her is a winged staff with two snakes climbing up it, and her divine form as a god was created based on this tool.

The reason it’s not just a result of imagination but a concrete form is because she, like Yeshua of Lagrid, is a god created based on a real person.

‘Asclepius.’

A tragic seeker who attempted to spread the discipline of medicine to this world hundreds of years ago, but was ultimately burned at the stake in a witch hunt.

-Smile.

The halo that blossomed from respect for such a great figure began to smile silently at the one who recognized her.

A smile that doesn’t feel like it belongs to a being of authority.

Such an innocent smile.