It had been several days since the Witch of Resentment exposed my secret, and yet the heat of the situation hadn’t cooled down at all. In fact, it seemed that the longer I stayed holed up without saying much, the more the rumors evolved. Apparently, I was sharing opinions with the gods after something that shouldn’t have been revealed came to light, or I had been disappointed by how recklessly people acted towards me, or maybe my mission was just to catch witches.
All these were baseless speculations, but maybe it was because it was my first time encountering creations of the gods. The more I refrained from refuting them, the deeper the people’s doubts grew.
But what could I do? I had neither the thought nor the will to clarify all those stories. I just wanted to leave the 1st District as soon as possible. My plan to disappear unnoticed once things settled down just didn’t pan out. Well, my plans usually go that way.
…Still, I somehow managed to escape the 1st District safely without getting caught up in those ridiculous speculations.
In truth, it felt absurd to even say “somehow,” as no one had tried to legally stop me from leaving the 1st District.
The authority of the Central Church had vastly increased with my mere existence, so even if the government had no means to restrain me, the Pope, who held the same position as me ‘legally,’ had not bothered to stop me either. This could be seen as fortunate, but the problem was the Pope’s attitude towards me.
“I have finished what I needed to do here, so I would like to return to the 21st District to focus on my studies.”
There were still demons left, issues regarding the Elven District hadn’t been resolved at all, and originally, the trial involving Krah, which was supposed to end without any punishment, had transformed into a huge event for another reason, leading to an unexpected postponement. The longer I stayed here, the more I felt like I might truly never return, so I went to the Pope to give such formal greetings.
“Is that so? If the Saintess says so, then it must be for a reason. Understood. We will take good care of this place.”
He said with those innocent, clear eyes, looking up at me.
Yes, I was certainly shorter than the Pope, yet the way he looked at me was as if he was “looking up” to me.
So, the “exposing the ugly history hidden behind the Elven District” that I intended in the trial had been completely overshadowed by the fact that a being, created by the gods themselves… well, I don’t know how to define it, but something regarded as either a creature or a savior had actually appeared.
I immediately wanted to smack the Holy Bomb on the head of the Witch of Resentment, but since I couldn’t do such a thing in the most densely populated area of the 1st District, I could only grind my teeth.
“Ugh, how are you still doing this after all that I testified!?”
Of course, while I couldn’t use the Holy Bomb, I could at least drop kick her.
Just before I left the 1st District, I once again sought out the Witch of Resentment. As soon as the door opened, I lunged in and delivered a drop kick right to her face with all my might. No one could stop me.
I caught her collar after she spun in the air seven times and glared into her eyes fiercely.
“What made you say such things?”
“I only testified because the judge asked. When he asked if I had anything left to say, I just told him what was left. Is that a problem?”
Seeing that she still had a crooked smile on her face after taking my drop kick and spinning in the air shows that she hasn’t lost her witchy charm.
“…How did you know?”
At my question, the witch let out a short laugh and replied.
“When I see one of the highest beings in the world not pushing things he could easily brush off with his power, it gives me an idea. You aren’t simply holding back your power, are you? You completely crush your enemies if you see them as foes. But you’re more like someone who hesitates to accept power coming to him, so even if you don’t want to, you can’t help but notice. Seeing your reaction makes it seem like it hit home.”
“…”
I opened my mouth to argue but just shut it again. Anything I said would just be pitiful excuses anyway.
“Rather, I thought it was strange that you’d played such a significant role in catching all seven witches yet couldn’t take care of Arlil with a word. We, who became witches after receiving a baptism of sorts, wield absolute power within our respective domains. Yet, you managed to accomplish what humanity hasn’t for 500 years! How about enjoying life a bit?”
…Should I have told her that we weren’t the same?
Ah, of course, I was different. I wasn’t truly a criminal.
And my perspective was off. Having gained power, I just wanted to live freely without interference from others. My dream isn’t to be a dictator with absolute power, but simply to be a wealthy NEET. I want to live a leisurely life where I don’t have to worry about money, just rolling around at home reading web novels and playing games!
Interpreting my expression in some way, the witch grinned.
“And so, since it has come to this, I’ve given you that much power. I was curious about how you would act with this power. More importantly, if you want to eliminate Arlil, it wouldn’t hurt to have this level of power, would it?”
I mean, this whole time I’ve been rejecting that, but— ah, forget it. There’s no point in trying to reason with someone who has been steeped in power for 500 years.
“So instead of just hating it, why not grab that power that has come to you and shake it a little?”
…But thinking about it, maybe hitting her with a headbutt wouldn’t be too bad either.
*
I tried to sneak out of the church without encountering other reporters, but somehow I managed to avoid the throngs of journalists lined up at the airport, which had gotten wind of my departure, and boarded a private jet to finally return to the 21st District.
Although it was already past midnight, why did the dilapidated convent feel so comfortable?
Could it be that I regard this place as my hometown in this world?
Fortunately, there were no people camping out near the cathedral. I don’t know how that was even possible. After all, it wouldn’t make sense if they didn’t know that I usually spent my time in the 21st District.
Having thought about too much in the span of a few days and thoroughly exhausted both mentally and physically, I jumped into bed without even washing up and fell asleep.
…And when I woke up, it was already lunchtime the next day.
“I told you not to wake me up.”
It was a weekday, and even though I was a Saintess, when I asked the Mother Superior why none of the other nuns had woken me up even after morning had passed, I got that response.
“…Why not?”
Just in case, I asked, and the Mother Superior responded as if it were obvious.
“Previously, we thought of you as one of us, but now we understand that you are different.”
In other words, they thought I was like a daughter of the gods who descended to Earth in accordance with divine will, and thus every action I take carries the divine intent, so no one should dare to suppress me, and even attempting to do so would be seen as blasphemy against the gods.
“However, if I don’t go to school regularly, I would surely be held back.”
When I said that, the Mother Superior displayed a rare, gentle smile and shook her head.
“How can a system created by humans be above the will of the gods? I believe the academy staff will understand.”
Upon hearing that, I envisioned the Principal’s face. That man, who would definitely give off a vibe as though a lion had turned into a human, likely wouldn’t budge even if told to cancel my holding back in the name of the gods. I could imagine confronting him after death and inquiring why he acted that way.
Moreover, Ariel and Baal nominally respect human free will. They would hardly go out of their way to support me and disregard the societal system.
If that were the case, I wouldn’t have to worry about my grades.
But ultimately, this person was a church member. Even after becoming an adult, she had lived her entire life as a nun. It was only natural for her to have stronger faith than ordinary people.
…Now, there wasn’t a single person left in this cathedral to restrain me.
Hmm, that doesn’t exactly make me happy.
From now on, I must get up right away when the alarm goes off.
As I left the Mother Superior’s office, I let out a long sigh.
*
Ultimately, when I hurriedly prepared and headed to school, I found Rina sitting at my desk, eating soboro bread and spilling crumbs all over.
Ah, how do I hold back on drop kicking in this situation?
“Still, throwing a drop kick during lunch seems a bit much. It gets dust everywhere, you know?”
Selena, who had taken Satsuki’s seat, said as she took a bite of bread.
Linea and Aurora, who had followed behind me, nodded in complete agreement with her statement.
“……”
All eyes were completely on me, and even I knew there was no way to argue against that in that moment, so I just shut my mouth tight.
“Yeah, they say not to disturb even a dog during meals.”
Said the one who was eating while spilling crumbs all over my desk—
Ah, right. I’ll bear with it. I have to endure. After all, the one who drop kicked was me, and it was I who caused a ruckus during lunch.
Though I didn’t get anywhere near my target.
You’ve grown, Rina. It’s not like I’m happy about it.
I waved my hand, and Rina obediently moved aside at my gesture. Her giggling really bugged me, though.
The reason she seemed so happy was probably related to my identity being exposed.
…At this rate, I can’t avoid the Pope’s position. No matter what claims I make, I can’t win against the justification that I’m a being created by the gods.
“Is everyone in the auditorium?”
As I patted myself down and took a seat, I asked. Selena nodded.
“Since Rina came here to tell everyone, they’ve really been working hard.”
“Definitely. The last time I saw Satsuki, her skills had improved significantly. She practices with Kihmuhir every day.”
Linea chimed in. I could feel Satsuki’s skills progressing as I had been present in the training area when Linea was.
Even though they had only been seriously training for a short time, having just started, the improvement in skills was quite remarkable, which spoke to her talent.
The fact that they could keep clashing in a practical way likely contributed to that. The academy’s auditorium allowed them to unleash their utmost strength without worrying about seriously injuring or killing each other. Perhaps with someone like Jian, that might not be entirely true, but…
However, this also made me worried.
“But what if the two actually end up clashing outside the auditorium?”
So I cautiously asked. It might seem a bit overboard to bring it up at this occasion, but I was still concerned.
No matter how many attacks you endure in the auditorium, the sparring won’t stop until someone is knocked out or the referee intervenes. But in reality, even just one hit can end the fight.
And while one hit doesn’t have to be the strongest or best strike, if it gets through at all, it’s sufficient to claim victory.
Moreover, since they could easily just focus on landing the last hit while dodging all along, the possibility of one of them miscalculating their strength is also minimal.
…Well.
I don’t particularly want to admit it, but it seems like Rina judged correctly.
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