In the end, the next morning arrived without having learned anything about the sage’s whereabouts.
From the moment the day began, thoughts of him filled my mind so completely that I couldn’t remember a single thing from my lessons.
And so, the morning’s theory class passed in a blur, and after parting ways with Kiana, it was time for yet another class.
The subject I was heading to now was Theology.
It was a course taken by both second-year students like Aria and first-years like Seria.
Due to the nature of the subject, grade levels were meaningless. Students of all years attended the same class.
I wondered if that many students in a single course would be too much, but in reality, not many enrolled in Theology to begin with.
There were two reasons for that.
The first was that Theology, as its name suggested, required the ability to wield divine power.
Unlike aura or mana, divine power was far rarer. Only a small percentage of people had it.
On top of that, there were very few who could even learn divine spells.
The second reason was… the class was simply boring.
It was fine when it focused on divine magic, but the constant praise of those so-called gods was unbearable.
The defining trait of Theology was its endless chatter about the history of the gods, their blessings, their grace, and their mercy. And this was all delivered in the dullest way imaginable.
I had been an atheist in my past life, and I still didn’t believe in any gods now, so none of it held any value for me.
Even in the game, I had found it so tedious that I would spam the skip button.
…It’s not like you need to believe in gods to use divine power anyway.
It was becoming increasingly clear just how much had changed over the past 1,000 years.
Of course, even back then, it wasn’t unheard of to receive divine power through a connection to the gods.
However, in the past, there had been multiple ways to wield divine power without faith in them.
But now, it had reached the point where if you had no connection to the gods, you couldn’t use divine power at all.
And it was all because of those damned bastards who controlled the Holy See.
The same ones who deserved to be torn apart alongside the Emperor of the Empire.
I should have killed them when I had the chance.
Regret always came too late; it had become a daily routine.
But spilled water could never be gathered back.
Letting out a deep sigh, I finally looked up at the building I had arrived at.
…I saw it in the game, but seeing it in real life, it’s ridiculously huge.
Following the map’s directions, I had arrived at a large cathedral.
It was on an entirely different scale from the one I had seen in the nightmares of my childhood.
Just looking at this monument to vanity made it obvious where all those countless donations to the Holy See had gone.
I rubbed my furrowed brow and stepped inside.
.
.
.
What a spectacle.
On my way to the prayer room where the class was held, I clicked my tongue at the expensive artifacts displayed along the corridor.
I knew exactly whose money had paid for these extravagant decorations, which made them all the more infuriating.
[Prayer Room]
At last, I reached the classroom door.
Like in the Magical Engineering class, I could hear the presence of many people inside.
The difference was that, instead of noisy chatter, the murmurs I heard resembled quiet prayers.
Just hearing it was enough to make me feel disgusted by this class already.
***
“Welcome, believers! I am Cardric Hopesell, a devoted follower of the God of War Ureta, and the bishop in charge of the Ella Academy branch.”
A man with perpetually narrowed eyes greeted us with a prayer.
In response, the students attending the class followed suit and offered their own prayers.
Of course, I didn’t.
There wasn’t a single prayer I was willing to offer for a bastard like him. Hell, even a simple greeting felt like a waste.
Seeing him face-to-face for the first time in a while made my mood even worse.
Cardric Hopesell.
The man who served the God of War. His current demeanor might have seemed mild and composed, but in reality, he was the complete opposite.
Anyone could tell just from the name of the god he worshiped. He was a psychopath who found nothing more exhilarating than the blood and flesh earned through battle.
Of course, the God of War Ureta was a problem in and of himself.
His rank in the divine hierarchy was quite high. He was positioned just below the Sun Goddess and the Moon Goddess.
Yet he was constantly consumed by petty inferiority, harboring a deep-seated hatred for the two deities above him.
He would frequently, whether overtly or covertly, use his followers to torment the worshippers of the Sun Goddess and the Moon Goddess. It had practically become routine.
“I, Cardric, am absolutely overjoyed right now! This year, we have none other than the famous Saintess of the Moon Goddess Seora gracing my class with her presence!”
“Believers! Let us offer our prayers to the Saintess, who tirelessly devotes herself for our sake!”
With that absurd declaration, he began praying again.
Following his lead, every student turned toward Seria who was seated at the very front and offered their prayers.
For the followers of the Holy See, the title of Saintess, bestowed upon a servant of such deity, was something sacred and completely beyond their reach.
This sentiment applied just as much to the young student believers, making their actions somewhat understandable.
…What an absolute shitshow.
Even so, I couldn’t help but feel disgusted.
Was this supposed to be a theology class or a gathering of some fanatic cult?
The sheer absurdity of the scene made my head throb.
Since I was seated toward the back, I couldn’t see Seria’s expression, but she was probably feeling just as burdened by all this as I was.
That aside… where’s Aria?
As I glanced around while keeping an eye on Seria, I couldn’t spot her anywhere.
…Did she skip class today? On the very first day?
A sense of unease crept over me.
Before long, the bishop’s voice rang out again.
“Ah, and… I have been informed that Saintess Aria will not be attending today’s class due to health reasons.”
“Let us all offer another prayer for her swift recovery!”
The unexpected news snapped me to full attention.
She’s sick? Already?
It was a variable far beyond my expectations.
It was nothing like what had happened with Ren Aizel.
If she’s already falling ill, she won’t even make it through the first semester before dying.
Seria and Aria.
In the game, both of them lived with a ticking clock over their heads.
Since they were chosen by the Sun Goddess and the Moon Goddess, they were different from the other saints and saintesses.
Unlike those who merely received a fraction of their god’s power, these two were more like incarnations that inherited the full divine authority of their respective deities.
The problem was that their bodies were still nothing more than fragile human vessels.
And the beings inhabiting them were gods of the highest order in this world.
Those two factors combined meant that their bodies were constantly on the verge of breaking down under the strain.
It was similar to how Ren had been burdened with the power of a hero.
…Shit. This means I need to move up my plans.
Originally, I had intended to monitor their conditions and visit the Sanctuary sometime before the first semester ended.
But seeing how Aria was already showing symptoms, waiting that long would be far too late.
A sense of urgency gripped me as I lifted my gaze to Seria.
Is she still okay?
If Aria’s changes had started externally, then Seria was more likely rotting away from within under the influence of the Moon Goddess.
Perhaps she was the one in more urgent danger.
“…This is really bad.”
The sudden variable was alarming enough to make me mutter out loud.
***
After half-listening to yet another unproductive theology class, I locked eyes with Seria for a brief moment.
But for some reason, she quickly averted her gaze with a strange reaction and avoided my stare altogether.
Her behavior was noticeably different from a few days ago, and it filled me with a growing sense of unease.
Wasting no time, I left the cathedral and headed straight toward my destination.
The headmistress’s office.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
A familiar voice greeted me.
I immediately opened the door and stepped inside, coming face to face with her.
As always, she was buried in paperwork.
“…Hmm? Student Ain?”
“We meet again, vice headmistress.”
“You can just call me Sharine. I’ve already heard about what happened yesterday with Master.”
So the headmistress had already told her about me.
“…In that case, Sharine. I have a favor to ask.”
“From me, not from Master?”
“Yes.”
A sudden, unexpected variable had emerged with Aria and Seria.
The overload had occurred far earlier than it had in the game, likely because she had become a saintess sooner than originally intended.
And the reason for that… was probably me.
Nothing is going the way it should. Not a damn thing.
I had so many plans, yet I couldn’t seem to execute a single one properly. What a useless bastard.
After berating myself, I turned to Sharine and made my request.
“The Witch’s Orb. Would you be willing to lend it to me?”
“…Where did you even—no, never mind. Considering it’s you, Student Ain, I suppose it’s not surprising that you know about it. You did figure out Master’s identity, after all.”
“So, is it possible?”
“Master did tell me to grant you any reasonable request, so… yes, it’s possible.”
She looked at me with a worried expression.
“I assume you already know how to use it… Are you really sure about this?”
“This is an emergency.”
“…Alright. I’ll lend it to you.”
She set down her paperwork and rose from her seat.
Then she gestured for me to follow her.
It was a movement eerily similar to what the headmistress had done before.
“You’ll be forcibly recalled in ten minutes. Make sure to finish the transaction before then.”
“Understood. Thank you for accommodating my sudden request.”
“…Student Ain. As the vice headmistress, may I say one thing to you?”
“……?”
She looked at me with sad eyes and gave me one last piece of advice.
“Don’t sacrifice yourself too much.”
“….…”
Snap!
Following that sharp sound, my vision went black.
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