The aftermath of the No Entrance Exam Festival was more intense than expected.
First of all, the fact that students could showcase their value in front of a large audience seemed to ignite their motivation, and those selected for public sparring devoted their remaining time to training, striving to leave a good impression.
I had thought of the event as just a simple festival, but for the average student, it was said to be a rare opportunity.
If the festival had been held at another academy, only a few students would have been selected to attend. However, since our academy was the host this time, naturally there were more opportunities available.
No one would be foolish enough to miss a golden opportunity to build their reputation and advance toward their desired career path, so many students began immersing themselves in self-training after classes.
The professors who were busy keeping up with the hastily arranged event schedule seemed to welcome this self-directed training and even encouraged it further.
“Even so, you seem pretty relaxed, don’t you?”
“Relaxed…?”
At the moment, I was evaluating a magic demonstration being performed by the noble lady in her private training room.
It was mainly because I appeared to have the most free time, and since I had no real argument against that, I let her drag me here to help.
“Do you know how hard it was just now, running around trying to shake off all the people asking me to help them practice sparring?”
“If you’ve got nothing else to do, you might as well help. Everyone’s probably eager for a chance to spar with someone of Lord-level skill.”
“If I agree even once, they’ll swarm me non-stop…”
To them, the chance to spar with someone like me, an Aura Lord, would be an incredible opportunity and honor. But for me, if I help one person at a time, it’ll never end.
I really can’t stand such bothersome things.
“Who knows? Among them, there might be someone with talent on your level who could become an Aura Lord and help shoulder your burden.”
“…Hooh?”
Huh? I found the noble lady’s unexpected suggestion intriguing.
If I could raise someone to the level of an Aura Lord, it might actually relieve a lot of the pressure I’m under.
“That was a joke… you didn’t take it seriously, did you?”
“You never know. There might actually be someone out there with that kind of talent.”
Since Pollo was also of the bloodline of Helios, there was a chance he had the necessary potential. I figured I should pay close attention during this No Entrance Exam Festival to see if any student shows the qualities of a Lord.
“Enough with your pointless daydreaming. Just watch my magic already. How is it? Pretty good, right?”
Dismissing my grand vision for a glorious future as mere fantasy, the noble lady spoke nonchalantly as she demonstrated a magic spell she was currently refining.
Shwaaak! Shupapapak!!
“Ice-type magic. The casting speed is fast, and the freezing temperature seems a lot lower than before. Is that correct?”
“Exactly! I worked really hard on it!”
She proudly stuck out her chest as she spoke, and the contrast with how she used to be almost made me laugh, but I managed to hold it in.
“Hmm… It’s good progress, but honestly, your magical ability is already well-established, isn’t it? Instead of just increasing firepower, wouldn’t it be more impressive to highlight your mana control skills?”
“Hmm… Like how?”
“Well, for example…”
I grabbed a small wooden sword from the corner of the training room and set up a practice log as a stand-in.
Shak! Shashak! Seogeok!
After propping up the log, I carefully trimmed only its surface, turning it into a finished sculpture.
“…It’s a dragon.”
“Yes. I’m not saying you need to go to such painstaking lengths with detail, but if you’re going to use ice magic, showing off this level of mana control would be more impactful, don’t you think?”
After all, everyone already knew about the noble lady’s talent. She was born into a prestigious family of mages, and her abilities were widely recognized.
If she were to use magic to create a sculpture that was closer to a work of art, it would not only please the viewers’ eyes but also give them a glimpse of her mana control, making it easier to leave a good impression.
“If you just overwhelm your opponent with firepower, it ends too quickly. So showing a bit of talent like this isn’t a bad idea.”
“Maybe so… It looks like a pretty difficult trick, but I’ll give it a try.”
Apparently agreeing with my point, the noble lady stared closely at the wooden dragon sculpture I had made.
“Still, you carved it really well. It’s hard to believe you made something like this in such a short time…”
“Oh, I just made the surface look decent. Compared to real works of art made by actual craftsmen, it’s nothing special.”
Even though the noble lady praised my work like it was something amazing, the truth was, it really wasn’t that impressive.
“Come to think of it, I heard you’ve been going in and out of the student council room lately?”
“Oh, yes. I don’t have much to do these days, and the student council members seemed busy, so I’m just helping out as a volunteer.”
“Hmph…”
A sound that clearly suggested discomfort.
Was she upset that I hadn’t been spending time with her lately?
“Don’t worry. I’ll still stop by from time to time like this and give you advice on your magic.”
“You really are… haah, never mind.”
But when I replied, the noble lady let out a deep sigh and had a complicated look on her face. Though behind that expression, I thought I saw a hint of relief.
“I was the fool for expecting anything. Whatever….just make sure you drop by. I’ll need your perspective as an Aura Lord before the duel.”
“Mhmm, got it.”
Would an Aura user’s perspective really be necessary for a mage practicing magic? I wasn’t so sure. But I just nodded in agreement, not wanting to get an earful from her.
***
Inside the Church.
Following a recent major incident, the Church had undergone an internal shake-up and was now in the midst of discussing how to win back the Saintess’s favor.
“Cardinal Bailey, what can we do to bring the Saintess back to the Church…? She’s the very symbol of our faith. We must bring her back as soon as possible.”
“I’d like nothing more, but… wasn’t she deeply wounded by our mistakes? Now that things have come to this, even if we beg her to return, I doubt she would listen.”
The Saintess brought immense benefit to the Church by her very presence.
Because there were so many followers of the Goddess across the continent, the Saintess served as a unifying figure for the faithful while also greatly enhancing the Church’s influence.
At the same time, with her warm and gentle heart, she had always engaged in charity work and volunteer activities for the people, earning her widespread recognition. So her sudden departure was a major headache within the Church.
“Um…”
Just then, someone raised a hand.
“Hmm? What is it, Bishop Wellia?”
“Well… I was previously in charge of communication with our agents at the academy. Thanks to that, I was able to gather some information about the Saintess’s life there.”
Before the Saintess drove out all the Church’s informants from the academy after her departure, Bishop Wellia had been gathering information through them.
And among the things he had learned, he believed there was one piece of information that might help resolve the current crisis.
“What sort of information?”
“Well… it might be a bit inappropriate to say, but…”
“It’s fine, speak freely. The Church’s reputation is already suffering. What does it matter at this point?”
If there were even the slightest chance of winning the Saintess back, Cardinal Bailey would’ve been willing to go out dancing in his underwear, so he urged the bishop to speak.
“What if… we tried to pair the Saintess with Mars Noctus in a formal relationship?”
“…Hmm?”
At his unexpected suggestion, not only Cardinal Bailey but everyone else present turned to him with wide, startled eyes.
“You mean that Mars Noctus who saved the Saintess during the recent incident?”
“That’s right. He’s also famous for being the youngest Aura Lord on the continent.”
The rise of an Aura Lord always drew the attention and gossip of many.
Mars himself, who had only ever traveled between his territory and the academy, was unaware of just how much influence his name carried.
“The last bit of information we received was that he’s the only man who doesn’t trigger the Saintess’s fear of men. We don’t know how their relationship stands now, but at the time, our informant reported that it was better than expected.”
“But… couldn’t that simply be because he was the one who saved her? Isn’t it a bit much to try and pair them off based on just that?”
“Actually, it was said that the way the Saintess looked at Mars Noctus was far from ordinary. She may not have recognized her own feelings due to her limited interaction with men, but it wasn’t a negative emotion, wouldn’t you say?”
“Hmmm…”
“Besides, Mars has no scandal to his name, his abilities are well-proven, and his appearance isn’t lacking either. She may be emotionally shaken for now, but being matched with a knight in shining armor who rescued her…. surely that wouldn’t be a bad thing for the Saintess.”
“Still, meddling too deeply in her personal affairs…”
“And sooner or later, the Saintess will have to find a partner. If the youngest Aura Lord on the continent were to become that partner, just imagine how much it would elevate the Church’s prestige. It could be beneficial to all. For us, the Saintess, and even Sir Mars himself.”
“That… makes sense!”
Though the Church prided itself on compassion and love, even such an institution could not do without financial support.
If both the Saintess and an Aura Lord were to shine together under the Church’s name, it would surely increase new memberships and attract more benefactors.
With that thought, the cardinal and bishop shifted the focus of the meeting. They were now determined to devise a strategy to bring the two together during the upcoming festival.
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