In the classroom with a large cross adorned on the wall, it resembled a cathedral with stained glass. Today’s final lecture is on [Understanding Divine Power]. Four stone statues were arranged around the podium.
“Hello, little lambs.”
A nun with short golden hair opened the front door and walked in. Tick-tock, tick-tock. She’s wearing heels.
“I’m Beatrice. This is my first time teaching Divine Power Studies.”
I’ve never seen her before. I can’t discern her eye color through her squinted eyes, but she’s definitely not who I’m looking for in her black habit. Is she really not here in this academy?
‘I thought I could find her in this class.’
I looked around. No one with wolf ears in sight.
The only people around me are the dense Hero, the tsundere Elf, and the quiet Glass Knight.
The Crown Prince has wolf ears, but according to my game memories, that’s common among beastkin.
..That guy is definitely not it. Even if dirt got in my eyes, I wouldn’t mistake him for her.
“..What are you doing?”
“Nothing at all.”
My sense is really sharp, huh? Just a glance and he’s already looking my way. Must be a genetic thing from the Ten Heroes.
“Little lambs, what do you think Divine Power is the force of?”
“Isn’t it faith in God? Like with Tardun or Akasa?”
Ariel bravely answered, but the squinting nun showed no reaction.
“That’s incorrect. Let me demonstrate.”
Immediately, the professor brought out something from behind. A creature the size of a watermelon.
‘Oh, that’s it.’
I felt a strange sensation and leaned forward.
“..It’s a Fox Slime?”
“Why are you bringing out a Rank 1 monster suddenly?”
“That’s strange.”
What does a monster have to do with a Divine Power class? The four of us felt a shared sense of something wrong. The slime chuckled with its eyes narrowed from the nun’s arms.
‘The mascot from [Night Heart Trilogy].’
A slime with fox ears and a tail. A monster that loves humans and is quite harmless. A cute creature with a wide range of expressions.
One of the Nameless Saintess’s favorites. After placing the slime down at a distance, she returned to the podium.
“Divine Power isn’t the force that comes from believing in God. If that were the case, such acts would never be allowed.”
From Beatrice’s hands, a shining bow and arrows started forming, aiming at the distant Fox Slime.
The poor trembling monster. I was breathless at her actions that were unimaginable for a professor.
“Um..?”
“What’s that? Licht, what the hell am I looking at?”
“Ha. Seriously..”
“What’s going on? Is she really going to shoot?”
The atmosphere in the classroom was tense, the chill in the air making everyone shiver.
Suddenly, the imminent situation triggered memories from the past in my mind.
[Did you know? Fox Slimes are the most afraid of being attacked by humans. They are so cute. It’s sad.]
When I gifted her a large Fox Slime plushie, that’s what she said. A sense of discomfort washed over me.
‘Damn it.’
This game doesn’t just have bad monsters. That’s what the Platinum Wolf said.
My body reacted first.
Three moves.
Wings fluttering.
I dashed out and deflected the arrow that flew with Divine Power. The concentrated light projectile embedded itself into the ground, and as I watched that scene, I felt something strange at my fingertips.
“Oh my, that’s quite unexpected. I never thought four students would stand in the way. This year’s fresh recruits seem promising.”
With an expression suggesting she had no intent to harm, Beatrice gave a small smile.
“There should be training slimes separate for this, teacher.”
Lowering my sword, I felt puzzled by that statement. The force that actually collided was a bit weak. It seemed aimed directly at the slime’s front paw.
She must’ve anticipated this kind of occurrence.
“Well, of course. But I wanted to see your humanity.”
Unbelievable. Is that why she did this? Never trust squinty-eyed characters.
Wait, but four of us?
‘..Why is there a glass wall in front of me?’
I became flustered seeing a large mirror-like object that hadn’t been there moments ago.
“That was excessive.”
With golden light shining, another knight, Mardol, stood in front of the slime. My favorability towards the Crown Prince increased.
“This teaching method is flawed!”
“It’s too much. It’s just a monster that loves people. It can even be kept as a pet…”
Kainel and Ariel stood behind me. The slime was now in the embrace of the red-haired Mage, looking rather calmed down compared to before.
“I can see my eyes aren’t mistaken.”
Clap, clap.
Just then, applause rang out.
“Excellent job. Kainel, Ariel. Mardol, Licht…good work.”
The professor praised the four individuals blocking the way. Her eyes unchanged but a fake smile gracing her lips gave me chills.
“I think being good at healing is less important than this humanity as a quality of heroes. You did well.”
What a twisted person. Has she rolled around in battle like Dennis?
Without a hint of expression change, Beatrice approached Ariel.
She stood before the fiery Mage.
“Divine Power is the manifestation of desire built upon reason. So, above all, I wanted to test your hearts.”
“W-What are you planning to do next?”
“Don’t be afraid. I wasn’t originally targeting this slime.”
She gently patted the Fox Slime and joined her hands in prayer. A light swarm gathered again and descended on the slime like snow.
The slime twitched slightly before springing back to life, bouncing around on the floor. Now it looked less scared, free from the Mage’s arms.
“Most believers are high-ranking clergy or priests, so this kind of bias often occurs.”
Returning to the podium, her heels clacked as she continued.
“There are also many who do bad deeds in the name of that title. So I wanted to inform you guys as a reminder, please do not misunderstand.”
The nun smiled sweetly.
“It’s better to experience something firsthand rather than just hear a few words.”
Is she referencing some cult that appears as the villains? They really belong in this time frame too. I sighed.
“Today, we will learn the healing prayer you just saw.”
No, this class never ends quickly. Why is it full? My memories from the past reemerged. The first OT in college is a promise.
“Think of your strongest desire for a simple method. If you have none, just pray to God.”
Once more, the short-haired professor joined her hands in prayer.
If I knew her role in [Night Heart] or [Black Heart], it’d make sense. Someone that peculiar surely wouldn’t just disappear.
But this is the past. There should be a lot of unknown information for me.
‘I can’t be sure yet.’
Mardol hasn’t triggered any rivalry events, so I need to think more cautiously.
Our group returned to our seats. Beatrice gave a small nod, as if to say she wouldn’t cause any more trouble.
We began to pray.
Oh, wait, could I raise Ariel and Kainel’s affection level?
“Ariel.”
“Licht, do you want to burn? I can set you ablaze.”
“No, I’m sorry.”
Ugh, failed.
Maybe yesterday’s events have made me a bit frazzled. Well, it makes sense since I got carried by my childhood friend. I changed my target.
“Kainel.”
“Why don’t you just think about that white-haired guy?”
“Let’s stop. I… I lost..”
This route isn’t working either. Even the clueless yellow dog couldn’t draw out the options. I bowed my head in defeat.
“White-haired?”
“…”
Now even the Crown Prince overheard. Kainel, I’ll see you later. I mustn’t let him form a love line with the Saintess.
If she enters the harem route, she’ll be left in a terribly sad state. An underdeveloped character can’t compete with the other heroines.
Event CGs featuring other outstanding female characters or fully dubbed videos? The Platinum Wolf didn’t provide those.
At the very least, she should end up with someone who pays exclusive attention to her.
‘This is a disaster.’
Sighing repeatedly, I closed my eyes and joined my hands. I hoped that even without mana, Divine Power might exist, immersing myself in learning the healing prayer.
With just one wish, no one would follow me.
*
Pina was tilting her head, looking at Licht repeatedly. His eyes were closed, so he wouldn’t see her.
‘If he has white hair..’
No matter how she thought about it, it matched her own hair color. She glanced down at her armor.
A specially ordered item from the royal family that defends against all magic. It wouldn’t be easy for something of masterpiece quality to pierce through.
‘Could it be that he has good eyesight, just like me?’
His instantaneous judgment ability was sharper than hers. The thought that he might be stronger crossed her mind. Her fists tightened.
‘Or a similar masterpiece-level item—how fascinating.’
She gazed at the Black Knight’s helmet. The wolf ears within his helmet twitched as he squeezed his eyes shut and mumbled softly.
A slightly deep and restrained voice.
“Please.. I hope I can protect this time.”
His earnest demeanor sparked her curiosity. The tail within the armor swayed and moved slightly.
Reacting instinctively, Pina turned her head to avoid being noticed.
‘The posture I saw earlier.. was it defensive?’
She recalled the image she had just seen with her own two eyes.
Swordsmanship created to catch a dragon flying in the air.
It definitely could fill in the gaps that she was missing.
‘You can’t be my older brother’s daughter!! Your mana capacity is so great it’s better to use magic!’
She reminisced about the time she asked Drake for guidance, only to be rejected.
His hearty laughter. That sneaky smile remained firmly lodged in her memory.
“Mardol? Aren’t you going to pray?”
Beatrice acted the same way, seen looking at Pina with her hands together.
She surveyed her surroundings. It looked like no one besides her was praying.
“Hmm.”
Though the Glass Knight didn’t like him, she thought she should at least give it a try since the two next to her were also praying.
So, they just needed to think of their wishes, right? She only had one.
‘I need to get stronger.’
Only then did Pina close her eyes and join her hands.
The four individuals were each trying to learn the healing prayer with different mindsets.
