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At first, I beamed a big smile at her, thinking she was just joking, but no matter how much I smiled at her, it didn’t seem to improve her mood.

My face stiffened realizing that she was genuinely displeased.

She had every right to be upset. After all, I had broken our promise even though I had a good reason to do so.

I sensed a change in the Saintess, who had been displaying a cold smile, and wondered if it was because of my sincere efforts.

Even though the change was only in the form of a pout and a shake of her head, she was so beautiful that it was like looking at God’s work of art. Her beauty and cuteness made my heart flutter, not to mention, her breasts…

No, no, no, I mustn’t have such indecent thoughts. I composed myself and continued my best efforts to appease her anger.

“It was inevitable. Didn’t God say so himself: ‘Help the sick and needy by your side, for what you do for them, you do for me.’”

“You could have at least said something. Really, I was so surprised to hear the news…….”

I thought that if I had, she would have tried to stop me. That was how strongly opposed she was to my participation.

In this situation, a hasty retort would only backfire, so it was important to pretend to empathize with her first.

I nodded enthusiastically as if the Saintess was undeniably correct.

“I was too careless. I was so focused on saving my friend… do you think I would have been so reckless otherwise?”

“Yes.”

I clamped my mouth shut at the Saintess’ stern reply. She crossed her arms, looked at me with a piercing gaze, and let out a small sigh.

She smiled bitterly.

“…… But I guess that’s like Brother Ian and what makes you who you are.”

I stared at her, confused and unable to figure out what she meant. She then shook her head.

“It had to be done, didn’t it?”

Her question was blunt.

Yes. It had to be done.

If I hadn’t done so, countless people would have been hurt, Seria would have been stuck in Delphine’s shadow for the rest of her life, and Emma would have helplessly lost her life.

It was an excruciatingly painful fight. My arms were mangled, blood forced its way out my mouth, and my organs were damaged. Nevertheless, I had to fight.

It was something that had to be done. So, when the Saintess spoke, her words were a source of comfort, and I remained quiet.

Honestly, it was scary. There were many times when I wanted to give up, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

If I had given up, I would have been haunted by guilt for the rest of my life. As I thought about that possibility, a bitter smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. And with great effort, I managed to squeeze out a word.

“…….Yes”

As if that single word was enough, the Saintess nodded silently and gently placed her hand on my arm with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“The wound is deep and there are bound to be some lingering effects… I was able to use my divine power to administer first aid, but if it was any worse, we may have had to amputate it.”

It was something I was prepared for just from the look of my arm that still hadn’t regained feeling.

It was numb. It wasn’t just the lack of sensation, it was that every movement felt different. The discrepancy between my actions and reactions weighed heavily on my mind.

I didn’t know if I had to retrain my swordsmanship from scratch. That was how precious an arm was to a swordsman. Even with only subtle differences, it was wholly possible for one’s swordsmanship to fall apart.

Still, I didn’t think it was a bad price to pay in exchange for the lives of Emma and the countless students who might have died.

I had no intention of taking credit either.

I sincerely believed it. I’d rather rebuild my swordsmanship from the ground up than live with a lifetime of guilt.

Naturally, the journey ahead would have been challenging, but the rewards this time around made it all worth it.

An elixir that could cure my inherently limited mana capacity.

The “Dragon’s Blood” I received as the prize for winning the Hunting Festival was an imperial treasure. Although I couldn’t accurately measure its effectiveness, I knew it would at least double the amount of my current mana.

It was possible to retrain my swordsmanship with a few more years of hard work, but opportunities to increase my mana were extremely rare. In the long run, I stood to gain more than I had to lose.

Still, I couldn’t shake off the bitter taste in my mouth. When I nodded without a word, she asked me with concern.

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ve made my peace with it.”

Those were the only words l I could offer in return. She looked at me in disbelief before letting out a deep sigh.

She momentarily averted her gaze as if she were struggling internally, then cautiously called out to me.

“……Brother Ian.”

When I moved to meet her gaze, I saw her wearing a bright smile.

“Shall we keep a secret?”

“……?”

I wanted to ask what she meant, but before I could ask, she pulled out a small, blood-colored orb from her bosom.

It was something I had seen before. It was the blood essence that Yuren had brought from the Holy Church. At that time, he had said it was worth more than a castle.

Then, without hesitation, she placed it between her clasped hands and channeled her divine power.

A terrifying storm of divine power erupted before seeping into my left arm. Without any warning, an agonizing pain akin to being engulfed in flames consumed me.

It was as if my previously numb senses had been overloaded. I wanted to scream, but remembered the Saintess mentioning a ‘secret’ and clenched my teeth shut.

The pain didn’t last long. It vanished in just a few seconds, but all the damage had been treated like new.

I dazedly turned to look at the Saintess. She playfully squinted her eyes and winked at me in return.

At a sudden realization, I jolted upright off my seat, and words tumbled out of my mouth in a jumbled mess.

“T-that… worth… a castle!”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t that mean even a Saintess can’t spend it as they please?”

“That’s why it’s a ‘secret’, right?”

With a mischievous grin, she separated her clasped hands and showed me the blood-colored orb on her palm.

It was still intact. It had shrunk slightly, but it wasn’t to the point people would be able to spot the difference unless they examined it closely.

“I can partition it so that it’s not so noticeable. Of course, I normally have to get permission from the Holy Church to use it, but…….”

She trailed off while giving me a coy glance as if urging me to respond. I immediately stammered.

“……I, uh, I didn’t see anything.”

“Good.”

She nodded in satisfaction. Then, she gestured towards the entrance, implying that it was time to say goodbye.

While feeling uneasy about the whole ordeal, I stood up to leave. At that moment, a question suddenly popped out.

“Saintess, why are you doing this for me?”

She slightly tilted her head with her gentle smile still ever-present as if she didn’t know what I was asking.

I immediately clarified.

“Even for you, it should have been risky to use that essence… and yet, you still…….”

“Brother Ian… didn’t you say it earlier?”

She placed her hands on her curvaceous breasts and spoke with a benevolent expression.

“First help the weak and needy by your side, for what you do for them, you do for me.”

It was a passage from the holy scriptures. I stood there dumbstruck for a moment before cracking a weak smile.

She was quoting me.

“I just thought that for every good deed, there should be a reward. So, may God look down on you. Emmanuel.”

After returning her greeting, I left the treatment room.

It was still the afternoon, with the sun hanging in the sky.

A sudden thought crossed my mind. That perhaps, God was watching over this place.

**

After the festival, a wild drinking party ensued the following night.

It was a way to unwind from the Hunting Festival, but the main reason was to relax and de-stress before our final exams.

The Month of the Wheel came after the Month of the Bow, and that was also when the final exams for the first semester began.

At the Academy, failing meant expulsion. Therefore, during this period, all students had no choice but to devote themselves to studying and training. In other words, there was no time to play anymore except today.

It was in the nature of young people to drink without reserve if they were told that they wouldn’t be able to drink from the following day–Even if they were destined to become like beasts and roll around vomiting.

I was certain that the Academy would be littered with drunken bodies by dawn since it was the same every year.

Naturally, I was no exception. As soon as I sat down, I filled my glass to the brim and drained it in one fell swoop, and everyone else did the same.

For the third-year students, the exams were replaced by a slightly less challenging practical training in preparation for their fourth year. We were still required to take the theoretical exams, but the practicum was of utmost importance.

As the day approached, everyone became keen on not only training but also taking care of their physical condition. There would be no more opportunities to drink, so it was only right to let loose and satisfy all our alcoholic cravings today.

Celine popped her head over to the table where Leto and I were sitting, but she was soon led over to her friends’ tables. Overall, she seemed to be in a very good mood which she had every right to be. Being one of the victors of the Hunt meant she was recognized as one of the Academy’s best.

It also meant that Celine’s ‘value’ was bound to skyrocket and be of significant assistance in her endeavor to revitalize the Haster family.

“Speaking of which, what happened to Delphine?”

Leto’s face contorted as if he couldn’t believe what I was asking.

I didn’t have time to listen to rumors since I had been busy all day with Emma’s illness and her treatment, but Leto on the other hand, has had a lot of free time.

He shrugged and answered.

“Apparently, she’s in hiding and no one has heard from her. Not even a single footstep out of her room.”

I clicked my tongue and shook my head in disbelief.

“I hope she’s not too distraught. You win some, you lose some.”

“…Are you being serious?”

As I leisurely continued chatting with Leto and his friends, a small staggering drunk approached from afar.

It was Senior Elsie who was leading a group of several familiar faces.

They greeted me with stiff and awkward expressions and were the same ones I had beaten to a pulp before when I had first met Senior Elsie.

I looked at Senior Elsie inquisitively when she suddenly rested her arm on my shoulder.

Our height difference along with the fact that I was sitting down had made it easy for her to do so. A boisterous laugh erupted from Senior Elsie’s small mouth.

“Hahahaha! Guys, say hello to my new little brother, his name is Ian Percus. You’ve heard of him, right?”

Senior Elsie was already considerably drunk, and her breath reeked of alcohol. Her circle of associates looked at me awkwardly, making it clear that they weren’t completely wasted and were feeling quite uncomfortable.

I shared their sentiments, so I softly whispered into her ear.

“Senior, I think your friends are a little uncomfortable…….”

“What do you mean? You’re my little brother now. We should be like family! Hey, Temar, come over here! We might have had a bit of a shitty past, but we should all forgive each other and get along!”

However, seeing how she was yelling at her group, the drunken senior must have also been intoxicated in her self-righteousness.

I heaved an exasperated sigh.

At this point, there was only one thing to do.

“Puh-ha-ha-ha! You should have seen that bitch, Delphine’s face then! Oh, how terrified she was when she saw me… Hiiiit! H-help me!”

As soon as I flashed the hatchet, Senior Elsie threw away her pride and began to tremble. She pushed down her big-brimmed hat like it would go away as long as she couldn’t see it.

“Senior Elsie, you should really listen to me.”

“Hik…Y-yes… I, I’ll listen to you. I’ll do anything, even pee……!”

After hearing such an answer, I gave her a satisfied look and gently stroked her head.

Senior Elsie’s eyes immediately glazed over, and upon witnessing this sight, her groupies glanced at me, terrified.

But what was I supposed to do? This was the only way to stop her antics.

“Now, go and enjoy the rest of your time with your friends.”

I thought things were finally getting better, but she was sulking.

When I looked at her questioningly, she blushed and shyly kicked the ground like a child.

“…… Can you pet me a little more?”

I looked around after hearing such an absurd response and saw that her group had even more incomprehensible expressions. Even Leto was looking at me like I was trash.

Leto, you were the one who told me to do this.

I didn’t want to, but I had no choice but to comply.

Then, the most important guest of the evening came last.

Someone suddenly tugged at my collar from behind. I quickly turned around and saw a cascade of silver hair that seemed to capture the moonlight along with deep, blue eyes that were reminiscent of the sea.

“……S-senior Ian.”

It was Seria.

“Can we… uh… go somewhere… just the two of us?”

Under the moonlit night, the girl invited me out with fleeting glances and flushed cheeks, giving rise to a strange atmosphere.