The next morning.
“Ugh…”
With his chin resting on the desk, Rudell was gazing out the window.
“You’ll see.”
Who in the world was that priest, making Jade react like that?
That thought consumed Rudell’s mind.
Given her reaction, he was sure that this person wasn’t ordinary.
But Rudell had no idea who it could be.
It made sense—gods’ churches only made their grand entrances in the later parts of the story, and even then, only a few survived the kingdom’s civil war.
If he were to think of the priests he knew, there were a few who came to mind.
However, there was one major problem with them coming to the academy.
“They’re all too old…”
The priests he knew were all elderly men even at that point.
Plus, since they held high positions in their temples, they wouldn’t have the means or the time to come here.
So, the one coming this time must either be a random minor character or someone completely new…
“What are you deep in thought about?”
Just then, Leje, who had been watching him, asked.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing, huh? It’s all written on your face.”
Leje said with a faint smile, shaking her head.
“Is it about the priest the princess mentioned?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“Your thoughts were obvious.”
At Rudell’s question, Leje stifled a giggle.
“Don’t worry too much. Sure, they can have fanatical tendencies, but priests are generally kind people.”
While they might fervently follow their god, most priests in this world had a normal way of thinking.
Of course, there were a few extremists like the Heresy Inquisitors, but those were in the minority…
Most were gentlemanly and kind-hearted.
“Well… I suppose so?”
Whatever the case, he would find out once they met.
With that thought, as Rudell was preparing for class…
“Everyone, take your seats.”
With a familiar voice, the classroom door opened, and the homeroom teacher of class A-1, Fernand de Pasel, walked in.
“It doesn’t feel like long since Kurt transferred in. But we have another friend to introduce to you.”
With an annoyingly tousled hair, he scratched his head and turned around.
“Come in.”
Simultaneously, all the students in the classroom turned their heads to the entrance.
Rudell and Leje also turned, holding their breath at the strange sensation coming from outside the classroom.
“Did you just feel that?”
“Uh… what in the world…?”
It felt like a gentle spring breeze or a refreshing wind cooling the summer heat.
It seemed to evoke the essence of autumn leaves falling and the warmth of a fireplace in winter.
Something that couldn’t be distinctly described.
But at the same time, it was filled with positive energy.
-Creak-
Right after that, the door opened, and a girl walked into the classroom.
Dressed in a pure white priest robe like a cloud, with hair the color of the summer sky.
Her golden eyes sparkled like gemstones, radiating a brilliant light.
“Ahem… step forward…”
Fernand, clearly uncomfortable, said.
The girl nodded and slowly walked up to the podium.
As an indescribable aura spread around her…
“Introduce yourself and take a seat.”
“Hello, everyone! My name is Eleor, an apprentice priest of the Gaia Church. I will be studying in the same class as you from today. Nice to meet you!”
The girl, introducing herself as Eleor, bowed her head.
And then…
“Wait, what?”
At that moment, an incredulous voice escaped Rudell’s lips.
*
Eleor.
She was the saint of the Gaia Church, the largest church in this world.
And in the original work, her character was mentioned only briefly as having died, never appearing again.
“No way, why is the saint appearing here?”
Rudell wanted to confront her immediately, but that was impossible.
“Are you really a priest? I’ve never heard of a priest enrolling in an academy before.”
“If it wouldn’t be rude, could we talk for a moment? I know a nice cafe nearby.”
“Wow… your skin is really beautiful! How do you take care of it?”
Students of all genders were crowded around her.
In the midst of them, she was answering their questions with a gentle smile.
“Rudell… that person…”
“I guess she’s the priest the princess mentioned.”
Should he be happy about this or not…
With that thought, Rudell let out a low groan.
Logically, he should feel happy about it.
Because saints typically possessed tremendous powers in any story.
In fact, the Pope, known to have the second most divine power after the saint, was said to be capable of resurrecting dying people.
Just in the original work, he erased a mid-level officer, Rich, and the entire undead army and buffed nearby soldiers to knight-level prowess just by existing.
In short, he was a top-tier S-rank supporter.
And a saint with even more divine power could potentially bring the dead back to life.
But…
“I have a feeling this is going to complicate things…”
Based on past experiences, whenever things seemed to be going well, massive problems always followed.
From a chimera in the back alleys to a monstrous beast attacking their territory, to Leje chasing after the church’s facilities.
To Rudell, the saint’s joining felt like a signal that challenges would soon come crashing down.
“She looks unusual; can someone like her really be an apprentice priest?”
“Hmm…”
Meanwhile, the perceptive Leje quickly picked up on something unusual about Eleor.
What kind of reaction would she have if she found out Eleor was a saint…
Just as Rudell was watching Eleor, surrounded by people, letting out another low groan…
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“Huh?”
Rising from her seat, Eleor walked over to Rudell, who looked at her with curious eyes.
Then, standing before him, Eleor smiled softly and said.
“Count Weinstein? Shall we have a chat after school today?”
“…”
It seemed challenges were already approaching.
*
“…”
“…”
As expected, what Rudell faced afterward was a wave of jealous stares from the crowd.
And…
“Honestly, you have something to tell me that you haven’t shared yet?”
“I swear, it’s true! I’m just as frustrated!!”
Leje was among those people.
Of course, for Rudell, it was frustrating.
If they had met previously, he wouldn’t be feeling this guilty.
But today was the first time he’d met her.
“Is it really true?”
“Really! I swear on the Goddess Gaia!”
Though he didn’t believe in gods, he had to say something to clear Leje’s misunderstanding.
“Hmm…”
Whether it was his oath that worked or not, Leje’s expression softened.
“Why am I in this situation…”
All the male students were glaring at him deathly, while the female students were looking at him as if he were some untouchable thing.
[I believe in Count Weinstein…!!]
“Thanks for saying that…”
“You don’t need to worry too much. It’s only natural for strong men to attract many women. They’re just jealous of you.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I really wish you wouldn’t say anything right now…”
The glares from the female students seemed to grow even more sinister.
With that thought, Rudell sighed deeply.
Meanwhile, oblivious to his situation, Eleor was in deep conversation with other students.
He wanted to punch something, but who knows what might happen if he crossed the saint of the church?
All he could do was push that thought to the back of his mind.
“Sigh…”
Why was this happening again…
With a short sigh, Rudell gazed out the window.
