The Saintess standing in front of her left a strong impression, one that could only be described as peculiar.
She was certainly beautiful and elegant, yet there was something about her that seemed slightly off.
To Iris who valued perfection, this flaw in the Saintess’s demeanor was enough to make her furrow her brows. But in the presence of the Emperor, the Saintess, and the priests of the Holy Empire, she couldn’t afford to express her thoughts openly.
Moreover, she hadn’t even properly returned the Saintess’s greeting yet.
“Ah, I am Iris Luasa Ermunt, the Moon of the Ermunt Empire. Welcome, Saintess.”
The Saintess paused briefly, as though reflecting on the word “welcome” before her face broke into a clear and bright smile.
It was a smile so pure that it gave the illusion of purifying everything around her.
“…….”
But the Crown Princess strangely felt uncomfortable with that smile.
“Haha, our Saintess truly lives up to her title, brightening the world with just a smile.”
“Your Majesty, you flatter me. Oh, and His Holiness asked me to convey his apologies for not being able to attend due to being ill.”
“There is no need to apologize. We are already grateful that he made the effort to at least show up at the party despite his illness.”
Of course, the Emperor was completely unaware of his daughter’s state of mind and simply chuckled and busied himself with praising the Saintess.
“Now then, Iris, come and take a seat. Since the Saintess is here, I thought we could exchange greetings and have a brief discussion. I apologize for summoning you at such a late hour.”
“It is no trouble, Your Majesty. How could I, as the Crown Princess of this empire, not come to greet the Saintess in person?”
The conversation between the two was formal and somewhat stiff, but given the presence of the Saintess and the priests, it was only natural.
Normally, the Emperor and Iris enjoyed a much closer relationship than most noble parents and their children.
“As you know, Iris, we are currently in the process of negotiating proper diplomatic relations with the Holy Empire.”
Ermunt and the Holy Empire had long been on poor terms.
Ermunt did not believe in any deity, whereas the Holy Empire was a country built on faith that believed in the one and only God.
As such, the two nations had clashed in countless wars with their interactions bringing only losses and no gains. Over time, this enmity between them had hardened into a deep-seated grudge.
However, the current Emperor of Ermunt was determined to break that cycle of enmity and pursue harmony with the Holy Empire.
For Ermunt to grow stronger and rise to greater heights, we need the Holy Empire.
The Emperor of Ermunt pretended to seek peaceful reconciliation. However, his ultimate goal was to absorb the Holy Empire into Ermunt.
Of course, the Pope of the Holy Empire was not ignorant of Ermunt’s true intentions.
Even so, the Holy Empire accepted Ermunt’s self-serving peace treaty because, in the end, they had the same ambition.
“To demonstrate the harmonious relationship between our two empires, Iris.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It has been decided that you and the Saintess will attend the Imperial Academy together.”
“The Imperial Academy… together, you say…?”
Iris was already set to enroll in the Academy naturally next year.
Some might find it unusual for someone of her status as Crown Princess to attend the Academy, but it was quite the opposite. It was an opportunity to mingle with noble peers, build alliances, solidify her influence, and engage in politics.
At the same time, it was a long-standing tradition of the Ermunt Empire for its leaders to live alongside commoners. To foster unity and work towards creating a better world for all.
“Next year, Iris, you were going to enter the Academy anyway. Arrangements will be made for the Saintess to enroll alongside you. Since she is not familiar with our empire, I hope you’ll provide her with plenty of guidance.”
When her father raised his hand to pat her shoulder encouragingly, Iris felt, for the first time, a flicker of resentment toward him.
Iris felt overwhelmed by the demands of securing her own position in the academy and barely had time to look back. The addition of what felt like an extra burden only deepened her irritation.
“I’ll do my best too, so please don’t worry too much, Your Highness.”
It seemed that Iris’s expression had betrayed her feelings to some extent, as Estelle was the first to approach her with a feigned air of familiarity.
“Ah, no, I should be the one trying harder.”
“But you were just making a face like you’d been saddled with extra baggage.”
Estelle, who bluntly voiced the expressions she read on others’ faces, had a remarkably straightforward personality.
She spoke her mind freely and never hesitated to say what she thought.
To Iris, this unreserved personality was deeply unpleasant.
“No, not at all. Why would I think of the noble Saintess in such a way?”
“You’re being sarcastic even now.”
“I assure you, I’m not.”
The Emperor and the priests could only watch in bewilderment, unsure of how to react as Iris forced a strained smile while the Saintess spoke with an expression that showed she was enjoying herself.
It was the beginning of an ill-fated relationship between the two.
***
Time passed by steadily.
After hearing the news that the Crown Princess and the Saintess would be enrolling in the Academy next year, I began training for my own admission. It had already been six months.
During that time, quite a few things had changed.
First of all…
[Status Window]
Name: Theo (Kim Min-seong)
Age: 20
Job: Amazing Villager
Titles: Proud Son, Village’s Best Handyman, Skilled Swordsman
My job had advanced all the way to Amazing Villager.
Wow. That’s just… so. Great.
Damn it! Why on earth can’t I break free from being a villager?!
Not long ago, while practicing swordsmanship diligently, I earned the title of Skilled Swordsman. The moment I received it, a message appeared saying that the advancement requirements had been met, so I advanced to become an Amazing Villager.
Seriously, how does it make any sense to grant me a Skilled Swordsman title but still leave my job as Villager?!
It even says I have the “appropriate” title!
Is Skilled Swordsman supposed to be the appropriate title for an Amazing Villager?!
Ugh, frustrating. So frustrating.
“Hey, Theo! Stop slacking off and hit every scarecrow over there a thousand times!”
“I’m not slacking off, I swear!”
The man yelling at me, as I despaired over the incomprehensible connection between the new title and my job, was none other than the butcher. Since I decided to aim for the Academy, he had become my swordsmanship instructor.
At first, even I had my doubts. “What? Learn swordsmanship from a butcher? Yeah, right.” That’s what I used to think…
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slaaash!
The wind sliced through the air. Invisible flashes of light darted toward the pigs who were fleeing among the scarecrows.
“Squeeeeal—!”
In an instant, every pig collapsed in a single stroke.
Yes, the butcher was a hidden master. He was one of those rare, hidden experts.
“Damn pigs always run here causing a ruckus. Hey, hurry up. I’ve cleaned them up already.”
Then, with effortless strength, he carried off the five or six pigs he had taken down like it was nothing.
Honestly, I couldn’t understand why someone with such incredible skill was running a butcher shop in a small village.
Slash! Slash!
“Yes. I’m on it, really.”
So, I tried my best not to slack off and trained diligently most of the time…
“But seriously, how am I supposed to gain the skills for the Academy by only cutting scarecrows?”
Even though he claimed from the start that the basics were the most important, several months had passed, and he still refused to teach me anything beyond the fundamentals.
Damn it! How important could these basics possibly be…?!
At this rate, I was itching to try slicing through a pig’s neck myself!
Should I just make a run for it? Should I sneak into a pig farm and have a one-on-one fight with a pig?!
“You little punk, are you thinking about going to the pig farm to hunt pigs?”
“Huh? N-No…? Wh-What are you talking about?”
Slash! Slash! Slaaaash!
“Hey, I’m really working hard cutting down scarecrows.”
“Really? That’s strange.”
And why is that guy so ridiculously perceptive?
No, at this point, it’s not just being perceptive. This is practically mind-reading, isn’t it?
Seriously, I’m so unlucky.
How did I end up with someone like that as a teacher?
Swooosh—! Slaash—!
“Huh? Master! I hit this thing 999 times, and it broke!”
The scarecrows that wouldn’t even budge no matter how many thousands of times I struck them had started breaking one by one.
“Oh, really? How many are broken?”
Even if I tried counting how many had been destroyed…
“All of them.”
Everything in front of me had been completely annihilated, making counting pointless.
“Oho, so you finally destroyed them all? How does it feel? Do you feel like the basics are starting to sink into your body?”
[You have earned a title!]
[Scarecrow Slayer]
Hmm, I don’t know about building up my basics, but thanks to this, I’ve gained the title of a scarecrow slayer.
“Well then, now…”
“Ah! Are we finally moving on to the next stage…?!”
Yeah, who cares if I’m a Scarecrow Slayer!
Isn’t moving on the real priority here?!
Moving on to the next stage; that was what really mattered!
“What are you talking about? There are still that many scarecrows left.”
“Huh…?”
Behind the warehouse where the pigs and cattle were kept, there was another area that was easily twice the size of the one where the scarecrow cutting had taken place. It was filled with an overwhelming number of scarecrows.
“Once you’ve destroyed every single one of those, then we’ll move on to the next stage. Keep it up!”
Haha, shit.
Life as a transmigrator sure isn’t easy.
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