“Hey kids, have you heard? The Saint transferred in!”
“Apparently, she’s got some scary-looking knight escorting her!”
“I saw him in person, and he was terrifying… I’ve seen Orc gladiators in the Empire’s capital arena, and he was no less intimidating.”
“Come on, stop lying. People can’t look like that.”
…Honestly, it’s not like he was that ugly, right?
I mean, he’s definitely not a flower-boy, but don’t you think he has a certain rugged charm?
Listening to the gossip drifting far away made my appetite disappear. But doing something to deny those rumors would be problematic. It could put Karina in a bad spot.
Still, my evaluation would naturally improve over time. With the incidents happening from the second semester, my reputation would have to rise.
“Johann, let me go give them a piece of my mind!”
“No need for that.”
I appreciate Millia’s intentions, but there’s no reason to ruin our image.
“Just finish your meal.”
“But…”
“I’m grateful for your concern, but there’s no need.”
Millia still looked displeased as she angrily cut into her steak and shoved it into her mouth. I caught her gaze, which was filled with worry, and locked eyes with the lovely Saint.
“Johann, are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. And you can call me Johann. I’m your knight after all.”
“…Hehe. Then I’ll call you Johann.”
Karina doesn’t really like adding titles to names. It’s a little trick I learned from playing hard to get with her before. Realizing this now feels ridiculous, but hey, it’s better than nothing.
“Didn’t you say the next class is Basic Theology?”
“Yes. Johann… I mean, I’m not sure if you can endure it. I hate to say it, but… it might be boring for you.”
“It’s fine. I can handle boring.”
At least it’s much better than chatting endlessly with my lame air-head buddy who doesn’t even answer me. What was that air-head’s name again? I can’t even remember now. Should I even like him?
As I mechanically stuffed food into my mouth, my plate emptied in no time.
Yep, pork over rice is the best.
“I’m so glad there’s a Korean among the production team.”
“Johann, is that delicious? It’s super red.”
“Try it.”
I nudged my plate forward so Millia could grab some of the meat. Millia, with curious eyes, speared a piece with her fork and immediately popped it in her mouth.
But will she be okay?
For me, this level of spiciness just tastes like nostalgia, but it wouldn’t be the same for Millia. As I worried, I couldn’t help but keep my eyes on her. Soon, that rare red meat disappeared into Millia’s mouth.
“Is it okay?”
“Ho-hot…”
Millia’s eyes quickly misted up. Just as I thought, she seemed overwhelmed by the spiciness of the pork over rice. I quickly pulled out a napkin and dabbed at the corner of her mouth, which had turned slightly red.
“If you can’t handle it, spit it out.”
“No, I can do it.”
“Millia, are you really okay?”
See? Even Karina is worried. But Millia, as if she couldn’t bear to spit it out, eventually swallowed the meat and started panting. Where’s the water?
“I’ll get you some water.”
I quickly fetched water and handed it to Millia. She gulped it down and looked like she had just found life.
“This is super spicy! But somehow it’s tasty…”
“Is there really a demand for this? I’ve been eating at the cafeteria all semester and I had no idea they had such a dish.”
“It’s a tiny note on the menu board in the corner that I’ve never seen anyone order… but why do you eat it without a problem, Johann?”
Elisa looked at me as if I was amazing. What’s so special about finishing a plate of pork over rice? As I polished off my plate, I felt a little uneasy under their admiring gazes and avoided eye contact.
…Thinking I have to endure those looks every time I eat pork over rice made me feel a bit queasy.
“…Just eat.”
Stop staring at me.
At my words, my friends returned their attention to their plates.
—————
“Hey uncle, see you later!”
“Me too…”
The schedule at Kalon Academy is divided into general studies in the morning and majors in the afternoon. Naturally, it meant we’d all scatter for our classes.
Viola has Alchemy, Elisa has Magic, Millia has General Studies, and Karina has Theology.
We stopped, looking at each other on the path leading to our respective departments.
“I’ll see you in the evening…”
“See you later.”
“Take care!”
After exchanging our last goodbyes, we went our separate ways. I turned back to watch the kids disappear far away and resumed pushing the wheelchair. Karina, too, was staring ahead with a complicated expression now that we were separated.
“Looks like it’s just the two of us left.”
“We’ll meet again at dinner, so don’t worry.”
“I’m worried about Elisa and Millia.”
“They’ll be fine.”
Millia was actively participating in class discussions and interacting with students the whole morning.
As for Elisa… well, she needs a lot of time. A whole lot. Though I’ve set the stage for her, actually stepping onto the stage is up to her. Still, if I take care of her throughout the second semester, she should at least make a few friends, right?
It’s a bit of a futile hope, but it’s better than having none.
Viola seems fine in terms of her social standing and relationships. Things got a bit weird after she lost an arm, but it seems she’s become quite popular in the Alchemy Department with the prosthetic arm she developed over the break.
She was the only student who participated in product development from the first year and produced results.
Especially for Alchemy students, prosthetics are vital since it’s common for alchemists to accidentally lose fingers or an arm during experiments. They’d realize the importance of prosthetic arms right away and are probably waiting eagerly to order them.
After attending the department’s general assembly before the second semester started, I doubt anyone will dare to say anything to Viola now.
If they don’t want to buy, that’s their loss.
“Johann…”
“Why did you call me?”
“I, um, please understand that the Theology students might be a bit extreme. They don’t have any ill intent, you know…”
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at Karina’s sudden request. What on earth is that supposed to mean?
Karina, what are you saying?
“Got it.”
I casually replied to Karina and made my way to the Theology building. Fortunately, the Theology building wasn’t too far from the main building of Kalon Academy.
When I saw it before, I thought it was unnecessarily grand.
Just by eyeballing it, it seemed at least two to three times bigger than the other department buildings. Considering that Kalon Academy is the best theological institution on the continent, it wasn’t surprising.
Especially since it’s the place where the Saint is being educated.
It better be this impressive.
“I can’t believe I ended up here…”
Karina looked up at the department building with a nostalgic expression.
“When I woke up on the deserted island, I thought I would be trapped there for life.”
“I thought I would be stuck on a deserted island too. After living there for ten years, I lost all hope of getting out.”
“…Ten years is unimaginable. I could barely handle two months there, but you…”
“It was a painful time. But it’s okay now.”
It’s already been nearly half a year since then. Sometimes it feels like a distant memory, as if the time I spent on the deserted island were merely a lie.
Honestly, I was so busy with the events after coming to the academy that it felt like a whirlwind.
“You’ve worked hard until now.”
“Thank you.”
As we chatted, we quickly entered the building. The sound of hymns echoing from somewhere reminded me that this was indeed the Theology Department.
“Is it prayer time?”
“Yes, it probably is. Normally, I would join them in prayer, but…”
Karina lowered her head.
“Can’t you start now?”
“Ah, you’re right.”
Karina worries too much. But when you’re at her level, it’s hard not to be concerned.
“I wonder where the lecture room is?”
“Hmm…”
Neither Karina nor I had been here before, so we didn’t know the way to the lecture room. I recall it should be on the first floor. While I was examining the map attached to the building wall…
“E-excuse me, it’s the Saint!”
“Saint! Saint! Saint!”
“I have no regrets even if I die now…”
“You can’t die!”
“Ahhh…”
So this is what Karina meant by ‘extreme’.
I sighed as I watched the group of students rushing toward us.
This lecture will certainly not be an easy one.
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