“Ah! It was the year 546?! In 536, there was an assassination attempt on Prince Florence!”
“That’s right. Looks like you got confused.”
Professor Galeon wore a satisfied expression. I could hear students whispering to each other, wondering what the answer was—seemed like there were more who didn’t know than I expected.
It seemed like the history subject wasn’t too popular, both in reality and here.
“Millia, you scored 82 points on the transfer exam in history. I’m expecting great things from you.”
“Hehe, thank you!”
82 points. High, but a bit ambiguous.
Seeing the professor’s delight made me think that the scores in history weren’t that great among students. Professor Galeon’s eyes sparkled with admiration. It was rare to see a student studying history so diligently. Wasn’t this the kind of student you’d rarely see in a history lecture?
Maybe he was even considering her for graduate school too.
The professor seemed to be pleased, and the students were in a good mood, so it felt like everything was wrapping up warmly.
That is until Millia raised her hand.
“Professor! I have a question about the drought incident that occurred in the Empire during the year 656!”
Millia, enough already.
At this rate, you might actually become a grad student.
Professor Galeon’s eyes curved into crescents at Millia’s question. Anyone could tell he was very pleased. The other students were buzzing at Millia’s eagerness to ask questions.
“Is there someone asking questions in the lecture?”
“Isn’t this the first time this year?”
“No way, it can’t be that much!?”
“No, she didn’t ask anything in the first semester. She might be the first among the first-years!”
“Guess she really is a transfer student.”
Are these people really elite? If they were elite, shouldn’t they be firing off questions left and right? I felt a mix of horror and camaraderie at the educational situation in this world.
Still, at the very least, I attended a school on the outskirts of Seoul. But isn’t this place like Harvard in reality?
…Well, whatever.
It’s still a place where people live, so it makes sense for there to be unpopular classes. The history of the continent is one of those classes.
I glanced back and forth between Millia, throwing a rapid succession of questions, and Professor Galeon, kindly answering them with a sparkling face, while leaning against the wall.
Since all I needed to do was keep an eye on Karina, it didn’t really matter how many questions Millia threw out.
Anyway, there was at least an hour until the next lecture.
Let Millia do as she pleases.
——————————
No people in the safe zone. No abnormalities with the wall. No abnormalities with the ceiling. Many hostile gazes, but they are not directed at Karina. The secret passage entrance is clear. Emergency evacuation route memorized.
“Hehe, look at me! I asked so many questions!”
After the flurry of questions ended and the professor left the classroom, Millia showed me her notebook while I was on guard. The notebook was filled with slightly crooked handwriting. Just from her notes, she looked like a student overflowing with zeal for learning.
“You had many questions, it seems.”
“Yup! It was fun!”
“Millia might not like homework much, but she’s very enthusiastic about studying.”
“But homework feels like a chore.”
Karina, moving in her wheelchair, quietly interjected to compliment Millia. I hadn’t seen her study before, so I didn’t know how hard she worked. It was like she passed an elite university after studying for a few months. Maybe it was thanks to Karina’s good teaching…
“I, I was surprised… I’ve never seen someone raise their hand to ask questions before…”
“If you’re curious, isn’t it normal to raise your hand and ask?”
Millia looked genuinely confused as to why others weren’t doing it. Seeing her expression made me chuckle. Is there ever a professor who dislikes students asking questions?
“That’s right. Still, it might be better to ask questions in private.”
“Why?”
“Because other students might dislike the class running late.”
“Is that so?”
Karina, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, tilted her head. It seemed that since this was her first time in school life, she didn’t know much about it. After all, Karina was a saint, and as long as she didn’t go crazy and start causing trouble, she would be liked no matter what.
However, considering Millia was just an unknown female student, it could draw unnecessary attention and gossip.
Isn’t it true that you get scolded for standing out without doing anything wrong? Thinking about this world, full of people armed with a sense of superiority, it was hard to judge whether standing out was a good thing.
Should I do something like build connections and take a noble title?
If I save up some money and buy a title, things would probably proceed a lot smoother.
…Maybe I should seriously consider it.
“Yes, yes. Just like what the uncle said, a lot of kids dislike classes running late.”
“That’s surprising.”
“Even the Saint would understand after attending some classes, right?”
“You can call me Karina.”
“Ah… but calling you by your name feels like too much of a hurdle…”
“Y-you’re right…”
Viola seemed awkward, as it had only been a few days since she met Karina. Seeing Elisa nodding along indicated that Karina still seemed hard to approach.
That makes sense.
The relationship with Karina felt more like a friend of a friend rather than a true friendship. For Elisa, who’d spent the most time with her, it would be awkward to drop formalities.
Besides, there was the problem of how the people around them viewed things.
She wasn’t just some noble; she was a Saint. The only being treated like royalty.
If I casually called the only Saint on the continent by their name, who knows what kind of trouble might come my way?
Fanatics can be found anywhere, so it was wise to be cautious, just like Viola said. Apparently, the theology department students had gritted their teeth looking at Millia and Elisa. But as long as Karina and I were watching over them, they probably wouldn’t face any serious trouble.
“Is that so…”
A slight shadow crossed Karina’s face. It seemed Viola’s words were bothering her. I felt sorry for her, even though I wasn’t the victim.
Knowing the original story, I had a rough idea of Karina’s feelings at this point.
The pressure of the title “Saint.” The distance that prevented her from being called by her name even by close friends.
Loneliness.
“Is it wrong to call you Karina? I’m going to call you that anyway.”
Millia suddenly spoke up, undeterred by the gazes of those around them. Karina’s lips curved up at Millia’s words. She looked pleased with it. To encourage her mood, I chimed in.
“Karina. Don’t be too disappointed. It’s only been a few days since you met Viola. It’s fine to get closer before dropping formalities.”
“True, it has only been a few days…”
Karina’s face visibly relaxed. Yes, just like that. No need to frown over such a beautiful face.
Ridiculously, the gazes around us softened almost immediately due to the change in our Saint’s expression. It was clear they were mesmerized by her face. Our Karina truly is beautiful.
Just looking at that face, it’s safe to say anyone would be patient enough not to lose their minds.
“Then, let’s slowly move to the next classroom. Millia, gather your things.”
“Okay!”
At my words, Millia began organizing the long table. Seeing her skillful hands, I wondered if she had been taught that too. Maybe Karina does have the qualities of a teacher.
“Johann, wait a moment.”
“What’s up?”
Was there something left to do? Karina looked around slowly, then carefully made a request to me.
“Can I talk to my classmates for a bit?”
From the perspective of a bodyguard, I should have immediately said no, but I had no intention of rejecting Karina’s earnest request. After all, I could just be a bit more cautious in my duties. I naturally took two steps back and replied.
“…If that’s what you want.”
“Thank you.”
Karina’s bright smile was directed at me. That alone confirmed my compliance with her request. I carefully tapped Rue hidden in my clothes twice with my finger and spoke.
[Haa, is the boring history class over?]
“…Rue. Attach yourself behind Karina’s chair, and if you detect any hostility, let me know immediately.”
[Ugh, that’s annoying…]
“If you want to stay hidden forever, you might as well just sleep longer.”
[That’s just abuse!]
This was my so-called magic book alarm.
Rue had particularly strong self-awareness among the magic books, making it possible to assign tasks this way. Thanks to her specialty in mental and summoning magic, she could accurately sense the emotions around her, fulfilling her duty of alarm without a hitch.
Rue immediately bounced and stuck to the floor of the wheelchair. It was a feat possible thanks to her tentacles, but because everyone’s attention was on Karina, nobody noticed.
“Saint, I am Neville of the Moore family. Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
Hey now, who does this guy think he is, getting all up in her space? I seriously contemplated giving him a whack with my shovel as I took note of his clueless face, which was about to receive some serious side-eye.
Should he act like that again, I’d have no choice but to step in.
“I am Martina Raymond. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Saint.”
“You can call me Karina.”
“I’m…”
“I’m Millia Quartz! Nice to meet you!”
Millia seemed to have quite a few people around her. I subtly shifted my gaze from Karina to Millia and noticed a crowd of guys trying to connect with Millia, who was looking chummy with Karina.
Millia, with her usual high energy, kept talking nonstop to the people gathered around her. It seemed she genuinely enjoyed being around a lot of people. Considering her goal was to make a hundred friends, it made perfect sense.
Being surrounded by people must be an exhilarating event for her.
I approached Viola and Elisa, who were watching the two, looking worried.
“Uncle, is it okay to leave them like this?”
“I’ve attached a magic book to the wheelchair. If it senses any hostility, it will send me a message immediately, so there’s no need to worry.”
“You’re thorough…”
“Impressive. I’ve heard it’s difficult to use a magic book like that…”
“You can use yours this way too when you get one.”
No, I was going to make sure of that.
With her personality, if I gave her a strong-willed magic book, the chances of it working would be high, but I had no intention of just leaving it to chance.
I’d make sure to put that magic book right into the fire if I had to, just to get it to listen.
“The magic book… How could I even…?”
“You have more than enough qualifications.”
At your age, using level-2 magic is already rare.
And if we consider the unique magic known only to witches, Elisa was bound to become a great sorceress in the future. I placed my hand firmly on Elisa’s shoulder and said with conviction.
“Be confident. You’re already an amazing magic user.”
“That’s true. If the top student of the Magic Department says that, what does that say about the other students? You got the highest score in the final exam this time, too, right?”
“Well, that’s true but…”
How do I get rid of this awkwardness? It feels like if this awkwardness goes away, would it still be Elisa? Still, some improvement was necessary. I quietly pushed Elisa’s gloomy hair back and pinned it in place.
“Y-Yo, Johann?!”
“Just a moment, Viola. Do you have a brush?”
“Here.”
Using the brush Viola handed me, I styled Elisa’s hair. Though she hid her face with her bangs, Elisa was quite a beauty when she dressed up nicely. Her figure was also fairly voluptuous. The fact that her shrimp-like figure didn’t come across was a problem, though.
Brushing her hair, pinning it up, and applying Viola’s makeup—Elisa quickly transformed from a gloomy girl into a fairy-like student who would turn heads.
“Uncle, have you done this kind of thing often? You’re quite skillful.”
“Who do you think brushed Millia’s hair all this time?”
“Oh.”
While I hadn’t done it every day, I’d done it often enough.
“U-Huh…”
As she finally had her view cleared, Elisa covered her face with her hands. The redness of her face through her fingers clearly showed she was embarrassed. I slipped my hand under her armpit and scooped her up.
Suddenly lifted into a long cat position, Elisa looked surprised and turned to me, but I paid no heed as I dashed through the students. As I engaged in this bizarre act, the other students parted like the Red Sea.
“Y-Yo, Johann?!”
I slyly cleared out a noble lady trying to attract attention next to Karina and set Elisa beside her. The sudden appearance of Elisa and I drew everyone’s gaze towards us.
I chuckled softly and said, “I just remembered something.”
I gave Elisa’s shoulder a quick pat and backed away. Meanwhile, I made sure to send an unspoken message to Martina, and she seemed to understand, nodding her head.
Finally, I thoroughly stepped back and observed the situation.
Elisa’s tense face was frozen in place. Viola was staring at Elisa with worried eyes due to my antics.
“Will it be okay?”
“Sometimes bold actions are necessary. Nothing will change if we huddle and act scared like prey.”
I listened closely again. Some of the gazes that had been focused on Karina started shifting toward Elisa. The overall atmosphere felt much closer to bewilderment.
“Since when was there a girl like this?”
“Why was she suddenly placed here?”
“Elisa, you look really good while doing that.”
“M-Martina…”
“Martina, do you know her?”
“She’s Elisa from the Magic Department. She was the top student last semester.”
A look of surprise filled the room as amazement poured onto Elisa.
Being the second top student in a competitive Magic Department was a good friendship to have, whether in public or private.
With her face flushed, Elisa opened her mouth but stumbled over her words, eventually managing to say in a strained voice:
“It’s, um, too much praise…”
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