“Is it always this busy for the Saint?”
“It’s the Feast of Saint Sabrina, so it’s only natural.”
It’s a festival to honor the first Saint, so of course, the current Saint has to be busy. It’s a classic event where the contemporary Saint carries on the legacy of the first Saint, bestowing blessings upon the world.
In essence, it’s a big party, but it’s one of the most important occasions for a Saint.
This was the time when various dignitaries flocked. Conversely, after the festival, things should calm down for a while. The last incident of the second semester usually occurs toward the end…
“I think I would never be a Saint even if I were reborn.”
“Don’t say such terrible things.”
A drunken, reckless Saint?
Just what kind of demand could there possibly be for that combination? I contemplated whether to smack Jerico on the back of the head for spouting such nonsense, but decided it wasn’t worth it and let it go.
“Stop saying weird things and get back to work. If you can’t finish on time, it’s going to be a hassle.”
“…I know. I know.”
Jerico replied with a pale face and resumed wrestling with the paperwork. I glanced around to see how the others were doing; thankfully, they were all busy wrestling with their own stacks of documents just like Jerico.
As expected, you get used to it quickly once you roll with it.
Feeling satisfied, I turned my body. I had my own schedule to handle.
“I’ll be going out now. You all handle your stuff.”
“Yes, yes, have a good trip…”
“Take caree~”
With the staff seeing me off, I exited the office filled with the furniture I had personally made.
—————-
“Haha, the atmosphere is quite… festive.”
The old professor, who teaches the history of the continent, suddenly piped up at the end of the class, and the distracted atmosphere focused on him.
This old professor was known for his sleep-inducing lectures, but whenever he spoke like that, it usually meant he was about to share something that piqued students’ interest.
From my position, watching in real-time from the back, it was something of a relief.
It meant I could feel a little more at ease in this boring class.
“At this time of year, the leaves fall, and when I see the students preparing for the Feast of Saint Sabrina in the refreshing breeze, I think to myself, ‘Ah, this time of year has come again, the end of another year is approaching…’”
The old professor concluded with a wistful voice, glancing out the window. At that moment, all the students followed his gaze simultaneously. It’s funny how their focus goes right up when it’s not class-related.
“I wonder how many more times I’ll be able to celebrate the feast at the Academy. I hope it’s a festival that can be enjoyed peacefully while the Saint is still here. Well then, let’s wrap up today’s lesson.”
The old professor, perhaps noticing that nobody was in a studying mood anymore, smiled and announced the class’s end. After all, the festival was only two days away, so no one could concentrate.
Some students had probably even skipped class to work on festival-related tasks by now.
“I can’t wait for the festival to start!”
Millia said, looking at Karina with a face full of expectation. Karina replied in a slightly excited voice at her enthusiasm.
“I’m a bit nervous since it’s my first festival.”
“W-What’s everyone doing at the f-festival…?”
“Elisa. Are you okay?”
“Hmm?”
There’s no way Elisa would be the one to ask first.
I seriously doubted Elisa’s condition. Unless she had a fever making her lose her mind, she wouldn’t be asking something like that. I placed my hand on her forehead to check for a fever.
She seemed fine!
“A-a, ah, ahhhh…”
“Johann, what’s wrong?”
“It’s just that Elisa asked a question she wouldn’t usually ask.”
“Is that so?”
Millia tilted her head. The pose she struck was overtly cute, and Karina let out an elegant giggle. It seemed Millia appeared adorable to her. Well, she was clearly older but still acted like a younger sister.
“N-no, I-I’m also g-going to the f-f-festival…”
“Sorry, I misunderstood.”
Our Elisa simply wanted some courage to hang out with her friends, and I had misread the situation. I fidgeted and apologized to Elisa, who was glancing at me with her big eyes.
“N-no, it’s okay. I can understand that…”
Elisa waved her hands dismissively, graciously accepting my blunder.
“…So, are you going to be participating in the events for the entire festival, Karina?”
“Yes, it seems so. The Saint must attend all the major events.”
“That sounds really tough—”
“Hehe, but it’s my duty as a Saint. It’s something I have to do, so even if it’s difficult, I’ll manage.”
“Still, if it gets too tough, you should say so. I’d even disguise Millia and send her in as a stand-in.”
“Then I’d be called the Saint too? That would be fun!”
Millia’s eyes lit up at my joke. Current Saint Karina might not have been overflowing with confidence, but if Millia became the Saint… hmm.
Having a Dullahan as a Saint itself would be an error, but still, maybe she’d perform surprisingly well.
She might be a bit of a troublemaker, but she’s hardworking, kind, smart, and quite sociable, so she might actually pull it off better than expected.
Just random thoughts, but anyway.
“Yawn… Is class over?”
“Yeah. Use this to wipe your mouth.”
I thought it was quiet because someone was sleeping. I pulled out a towel and handed it to Viola. Viola, with a slightly flushed face, thanked me and wiped the drool from her mouth.
“I’ll wash the towel and return it.”
“It’s fine.”
“Nope, I’ll wash it and return it.”
I chuckled as I watched Viola quickly stuff the towel into her pocket to avoid letting me take it.
She seemed a little embarrassed to have a towel stained with her drool.
Usually so care-free, she suddenly felt shy about this.
That was rather cute.
“Alright. Just return it later.”
“I’ll definitely wash and return it.”
There’s no need to stress that you’ll wash it. I stared at Viola, who had a band-aid on her nose.
Today, everyone’s faces seemed quite flushed.
“Johann, Johann, I think I have something on my face.”
“Nothing is on it.”
“No, look closely.”
Millia leaned closer, pointing to her cheek. I didn’t see anything on her face.
Despite Millia’s continued demands, I examined her closely and still didn’t see anything at all.
Sigh.
She really loves being pampered. I pretended to wipe her cheek with my thumb and then backed away.
“All done. Is that okay?”
“Thank you!”
“You all seem to be getting along well today.”
Martina approached us, always wearing a smile on her face.
She seemed to be in a livelier mood than usual, likely influenced by the festive atmosphere just before the festival.
So this is what youth is…
…no wonder they say I’m getting old.
“Is the Magic Department preparing well?”
“We’re working hard to aim for the Philia Award.”
The Philia Award, huh. It’s a popular award that’s given to the department that receives the most positive feedback during the festival… sort of.
The name Philia is derived from one of Sabrina’s attendants, who was legendary for her artistic skills.
Among users, Philia is often associated with a comedic image due to items she left behind, making her seem like a clown.
Speaking of which, somewhere in the Theology Department, there should be relics of Philia.
Should I retrieve them before the festival?
They’re practically novelty items, but they come with some seriously wacky effects.
Using them in a pinch could be quite effective.
I’d rather not use them, but if I end up having to, it means I’m really in a bind or am in a situation where chaos is an advantage.
…For now, let’s put off the Philia-related relics.
I quietly turned my gaze to the kids chatting with Karina.
The usual five-member group was all excited talking about the festival.
If I were a student instead of a knight, would I have dared to join their group?
Honestly, wearing a school uniform at my age feels like a crime.
But I am the same age physically…
It’s just their appearance is so different that it’s hard to convince myself we’re the same age.
“Johann? Johann?”
Was I lost in thought too deeply? I looked up at the beautiful voice calling me and saw Karina.
Karina, seeing my reaction, requested in a gentle voice.
“Should we move on since we need to get to the next class?”
“Is it already that time?”
Class feels endlessly long, but break times seem eternally short.
Feeling the simple truth, I grasped the handlebars of the wheelchair. It was a wheelchair I no longer even needed to call Patrasche, rolling smoothly with swoosh as it moved back.
As the wheelchair rolled back, the other kids also grabbed their bags and stood up.
As always, we surrounded Karina and headed to the next class.
————
“Karina, I need to stop by somewhere for a moment.”
As the sun began to set, I casually spoke to Karina, who was about to head home after all classes had ended.
Karina tilted her head at my words and then nodded.
“Where is it?”
“Underground.”
“Underground?”
“Yeah.”
I was thinking of getting Philia’s relic while I was at it.
The relic is just a small flute, easy to find, and since it’s likely shoved away in a corner of the underground, nobody would pay it any attention.
“Are you not planning something strange…?”
“Don’t worry. Have I ever done any such thing?”
“Yes. Quite a lot.”
“…Anyway, it’s also a rare spectacle that you might enjoy.”
I quietly wheeled the wheelchair to a secluded place. Although eyes were still on me, the location I was heading to wasn’t particularly special.
It was just a storage room in a corner of the underground.
Normally, I would need to get a key or use a secret passage, but who am I?
Making a key or breaking down a door and remaking it is no big deal.
I confidently descended to the underground and stood in front of the storage room door.
“This is the room.”
“Eh? This room?”
Karina seemed surprised that the place I brought her to was a storage room.
“Just wait a moment.”
I examined the keyhole in front of the storage room door. Should I just smash it? Nah, that’d be too noisy…
Picking up a piece of metal from nearby, I crafted a long, thin L-shaped stick with my skill and inserted it into the keyhole.
Of course, in fantasy, you have lockpicking.
I had never done it before, but I should trust my A-rank craftsmanship skills.
Fortunately, true to the rank, the storage room door opened.
…Alright. No one’s following me.
“I’m just going to grab something.”
“W-wait, taking things from here is stealing, isn’t it?”
“The things here are just discarded junk. Look at that doorknob. Isn’t it covered in rust?”
I pointed at the doorknob inside the room with my finger.
The doorknob had turned completely brown, as if it hadn’t been touched by a person.
It was evidence that no one had touched it for a long time. It was a place where items had been tossed aside without a care.
Was it left like that even 50 years ago?
That’s how it was in the original story. It was a room completely forgotten.
“Still…”
“It’s something we need, so don’t think badly of it.”
“Eh?”
I picked up an old box that was shoved in the corner of the storage room, just like in the original story.
The box, about two feet long, was worn, but its contents were intact.
“What’s inside this box?”
“It’s a relic of Philia. A flute she used to play often when she was alive.”
“Eh? How did such an item end up here… it wouldn’t be strange if it were designated as a holy relic.”
“This item has a bit of a troublesome history. It probably ended up here after being forgotten and rejected.”
“Troublesome…?”
“Yeah. So, I came to retrieve it.”
“How did you know such an item was down here?”
“I had a dream where Lady Philia appeared and told me she wanted me to use it.”
Since I couldn’t just say I remembered it from the game, I made up a reasonable excuse.
“In a dream…”
Karina looked at me with doubtful eyes, but I countered by wearing my most poker face.
“Knowing odd things isn’t new for Johann, so I’ll let that slide.
And it’s proper to ask for permission before taking something like this, you know?”
“I know that. I just didn’t want it to be known that I had it.”
Because it could’ve been taken away by the Kalon Church under the pretense of being a holy relic. Or I might not be able to use it in time if it had to go through holy relic inspection.
That would be a problem.
“Hmm…”
I carefully opened the old box.
The condition of the contents seems solid.
Not like such an item would easily break.
“Well then, let’s head back.”
“…Yes. Alright.”
I got what I needed, so let’s go back and prepare for the festival.
A truly joyful festival.
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