“Johann, shall we go back a little?”
I looked down at Karina after her words.
All I could see was her veil, but somehow I imagined her face behind it wore a playful smile.
By the way, I wondered why she made such a suggestion today.
Was it because the weather was nice?
It was indeed a lovely day. The breeze was cool, and aside from Karina, the other students had been mobilized for the preparations for Saint Sabrina’s Day, meaning there weren’t any usual prying eyes on us. It was a situation that justified Karina’s suggestion to return.
“Let’s do that.”
I turned the wheelchair’s direction 90 degrees, changing our course towards Yeomyeong-gwan. Since we were out for a walk anyway, I decided to take the long way around the outer wall. It was more comfortable to go that way rather than zigzagging back and forth, plus there was little worry about getting lost along the way.
“It’s my first time walking along the outer wall.”
“Me too.”
Although I’d taken Karina around different places, I had never traveled along the outer wall before; there had always been no need for a detour. Instead of wasting time taking the long way, we typically hurried back to Yeomyeong-gwan.
Karina was particularly sensitive to the gazes of others.
To escape the stares, it had often been a routine to return quickly. Except for days like today. Throughout my push of the wheelchair, she engaged me with a peppier voice than usual.
“Have you ever seen a festival, Johann?”
“A festival… Well, as you know, I’ve been trapped on a deserted island for ten years. I don’t remember any of it.”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry too much about it. Life throws all sorts of things our way, doesn’t it? I’m actually looking forward to this festival.”
Perhaps my urgent attempt to salvage the mood was appreciated, as our lovely pink saint chuckled gracefully, shaking her veil.
“Hehe. You seem to be kind-hearted despite your rugged face.”
“Isn’t that just ordinary?”
I didn’t think I was praiseworthy. It’s pretty typical to try and salvage situations before they go south. In that regard, I might be considered more on the average side.
“Well, you see… Hehe. When I observe people, I often come across pretty faces that are completely unremarkable.”
“Is that so…”
Could it be that as a saint, she often meets high-status individuals? I listened intently to her words; Karina talking bad about someone wasn’t something I’d encountered often.
Talking bad about others may seem commonplace to a regular person, but Karina was the only saint on this continent.
“Those nobles roughly shove people blocking their path, punish others for being in their way, and the royalty act rudely to their subordinates while claiming to be all about etiquette… But when facing me, there are hardly any righteous folks around.
Watching them pretend to be polite with a sparkle in their eyes, I can’t help but wonder if I became a saint for this.
Every time I see such people, it feels like a stone in my gut, so I kept Renny by my side until I met you, Johann.
At least Renny was honest with me.”
It’s not surprising, given how much Karina dotes on Renny. Though, it does feel like an excessive master-servant fixation.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“Thank you. This is the first time I’ve been able to open up like this without holding back.”
“If a knife were to come at my neck, I wouldn’t tell anyone else, so feel free to spill to me. I won’t mind if you talk bad about Kalon.”
I hope that saying something bad about him wouldn’t lead to some penalty from some petty god. Probably not.
“Hehe, you’re quite mischievous.”
Karina chuckled and lowered her head, clearly amused by my comment. I hadn’t meant to be funny, but something seemed to hit her right.
Feeling awkward, I glanced up at the sky. The sunset painted the sky in orange hues, but that vivid red was being devoured by the inky blackness drawing near. By the time we reached Yeomyeong-gwan, it would likely be a dark night.
“It’s already gotten this late. Usually, we’d have already been inside Yeomyeong-gwan by now…”
“As it’s getting chilly, would it be best to head inside soon?”
“Is that right?”
With the weather turning brisk, we might catch a cold if we linger too long. I reached for Rue, who was hanging at my waist, and placed her on Karina’s lap.
“If you get cold, at least cuddle with Rue.”
“Rue?”
[Contractor? I’m not some portable blanket!]
“Just once, can you prevent Millia from taking you out for a walk?”
[Tch. Just this once.]
So, that’s why you were reluctant to go for a walk? Seeing Rue snugly nestled in Karina’s arms, I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
“Only Millia would think to take a magic book for a stroll.”
“…I can’t deny that.”
Is there even another magic book capable of taking a walk besides Rue? I’ve never seen a magic book that could act of its own accord, even in games.
We made our way to Yeomyeong-gwan while discussing the extraordinary Rue.
—————
“There’s only a week left until Saint Sabrina’s Day.”
“What’s the Alchemy Department planning to do?”
“We’re having an alchemy demonstration and a fun potion-making event.”
What’s a fun potion-making event? I couldn’t help but anticipate a dreadfully ominous outcome. Viola, fiddling with her prosthetic arm, kindly enlightened me about the event.
“They’ll provide various combination ingredients to let you try making potions yourself. Since we only select safe materials, it’s not dangerous, and you can experience alchemy!
With a bit of luck, we might discover some promising new talents to bring into the Alchemy Department, so it’s an event we must hold! Jeron, the department head, strongly insisted on it.”
“Sounds like they’re keen on recruiting new talent.”
“The Alchemy Department is less popular than other faculties. Given how dangerous experiments can be, accidents happen often, and noble daughters definitely avoid risking their precious bodies.
Thus, mostly just boys come through; and honestly, they’re more likely to aim for becoming knights or wizards rather than joining the Alchemy Department. So, mainly the younger sons or third sons of prestigious alchemy families join us.
But if you graduate well, it’s not a bad way to earn a living.”
“So the Alchemy Department has its own struggles.”
“Well, everyone in the world has their own burdens, right? We’re no exception.”
“That makes sense.”
“But, speaking of which, Uncle, don’t you have any worries? You always help us with ours, but you’ve never really shared your own concerns, and I’m a bit curious…”
“It’s not like I don’t have any.”
“Really?”
But there’s no way I could say anything. First off, the Status Window was bizarrely silent, and secondly, I had no clue what the True Ending DLC entails, plus I was figuring out how to quietly handle the incident that would occur during Saint Sabrina’s Day—three bloomin’ worries piling up at once.
I couldn’t speak openly, so I’d have to come up with something manageable to share.
“I’m worried that Renny’s got too much work on her plate. I’m afraid she might collapse again.”
That was my immediate concern.
“Renny… the escort knight?”
“Exactly.”
Oh, now that I think about it, I might have seen her once before? Renny should’ve stepped out of the office for once, at least. In any case, Viola nodded knowingly.
“She looked super tired last time I saw her… But say, is it just you and Renny guarding the saint?”
“Yeah.”
“For a saint, you’d think she would have many escort knights at her side… Why only two?”
“Well, the escort knights that were there all died in a shipwreck… Since then, I haven’t replaced them.”
Viola looked at me as if to say, “Why not just pick from the holy knights?”
“Isn’t it easy to recruit among the holy knights?”
“Well, that’s the thing…”
I explained the situation to Viola, detailing everything from Lorelei to the Academy. Once she was clued in, she nodded as if she understood.
“So that’s why it’s just the two of you guarding her… But for administrative tasks, can’t you just enlist some students to help? Elisa works around here, doesn’t she?”
“What did you say?”
“If you shout ‘Is there anyone worthy to assist the saint?’ to the students, I bet a ton would swarm in wanting to help!”
…Thinking about it, that does seem likely?
Yet, I couldn’t fully accept it.
“I’m not sure those zealots would get the job done well. Also, they’re likely pretty busy preparing for Saint Sabrina’s Day right now.”
“Is the feast more important? Or is the saint more important? I bet as soon as you say a word, they’ll come running.”
“…That thought unnerves me.”
“Right?”
Viola seemed to chuckle, picturing the students lost in thought. But there’s a downside to it.
“Karina doesn’t really like those loudmouthed types.”
“Well, can’t you just set strict guidelines for them?”
Hmm… I can’t say that would be a bad idea. As long as there’s a cultist among the students, I could brainwash them with Rue to spill all the information.
That is actually not a bad idea at all.
“Thanks, Viola.”
“Oh, uh, no… Considering how much I owe you, this isn’t much at all…”
Viola looked a bit flustered from my compliment, scratching her cheek while averting her gaze. She could be a bit brash, but in this light, she seemed very much like a girl her age.
“…Anyway! That’s what I think! Now, back to work!”
“Sure.”
“Don’t laugh!”
“Alright, alright.”
Well then, back to work it is.
I turned my gaze away from the tomato-red Viola, diving back into the finishing touches on the prototype of the item I’ve been developing lately.
In my mind, I was polishing up on the ‘Student Slave Plan’ Viola suggested.
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