「――Please, I beseech all of you, lend me your strength. This country is ailing. Now is not the time for endless conflict; it is paramount that we join hands with our neighbors. At this moment, only Crown Prince-denka can save this nation. I pray that all of you, with your pure hearts, will make the correct decision…」
Before the devout nobles gathered in the temple, a lone girl was delivering a “sermon.”
However, while the sermon was one in name only, its contents crude… one might even call them childish idealism, the reason so many nobles gathered for it was because that girl was the ‘Saint’.
…
She wanted people to listen to her not as Lady Alicia Melsis, the Viscount’s daughter, but as ‘Saintess Licia’. Nasanitar, who had heard such a wish from her, watched the scene from the darkness of the stage wing.
Nasanitar thought. Licia was, indeed, the true Saint.
Raised in devout faith, he never once doubted that the teachings of God, as proclaimed by the Holy Church, were the very truth of this world. But those absolute values of his were shattered by the Pink-Haired Girl, the princess’s guard.
However, it was Licia who saved his wounded heart. To Nasanitar, who had been agonizing that his values up until then were nothing more than ideas confined to the narrow world of the church, she affirmed everything about him, telling him that his way of thinking was not mistaken, and that it was the world, unable to understand Nasanitar’s pure heart, that was distorted.
It… like a sweet “poison,” corroded Nasanitar’s heart, and he grew increasingly devoted to Licia, as though he had reverted to a small child. Having lost the chance to mature as a person, Nasanitar became one who only sought to be doted upon, and Licia indulged his every desire.
This wasn’t right… Nasanitar was deeply troubled by it as well. The Crown Prince and the King’s younger brother were both devoted to Licia. And, Licia too, probably, just like Nasanitar, must have felt some affection for them. If that were so, then there was surely a possibility that Licia could become the Crown Princess. To continue such a relationship with her, one that even went against the teachings of the Holy Church, was not a good thing.
However, after conquering the Dungeon, Licia obtained the ‘qualification as a Saint’ that she had applied for. Dan convinced himself that the kind Licia had accepted Nasanitar out of the Saint’s compassion, and he fell even deeper in love with her.
When he actually met Licia, the anxiety and doubts he had felt up until then disappeared, and only his love for her filled Nasanitar.
Whenever Nasanitar saw Licia’s face, his anxieties would vanish, and she would envelop him solely in a sense of comfort. Before he knew it, Nasanitar had begun to worship her as if she were a goddess.
That, I suppose, was the benevolence of a ‘Saint’. As proof, even his grandfather, who until meeting her had only seen Licia as an ally of the Crown Prince, acknowledged her as a Saint after actually meeting her.
(…You’re amazing, Licia.)
And the nobles of the Royal Capital who had gathered at the temple, too, had at first come merely out of piety. But upon seeing Licia and hearing her voice, their skepticism vanished. Now, their gazes upon her burned with a feverish ardor.
Licia is an indispensable figure to this country. By her becoming the Crown Princess, and in time the Queen, this kingdom will surely become a splendid realm, filled with divine benevolence.
However, to achieve that, there were those who would stand in my way.
Clara Dandole, Elvan’s primary fiancée and the foremost candidate for the next Queen Consort.
First Princess Elena Claydale, who had taken a high-ranking noble—once Elvan’s aide—as her new confidant, and was scheming to usurp the Crown Prince’s position from Elvan.
But the greatest problem was the existence of Aria Layton, the baron’s daughter protecting that princess, and the dangerous individual, Karla Lester.
If he could eliminate those two, at the very least, the greatest obstacle to Licia becoming Crown Princess would be removed.
(…Ngh.)
Even now, his face throbbed with pain whenever he remembered Karla. The wound burned by Karla’s flames, though Cured on the surface, had left his expressions stiff, sometimes even frightening the children of the believers.
(I will never forgive them…)
Nasanitar could never forgive those two girls who had engraved such terror into him.
The humiliation and fear inflicted by Aria Layton had shattered Nasanitar’s mind.
The agony and terror inflicted by Karla Lester had driven his spirit to the breaking point.
Ordinarily, he would never have even conceived of defying them. But Licia had erased all that torment from his heart.
“…You understand, don’t you?”
At Nasanitar’s muttered words, three black Shadows materialized from behind him.
Nasanitar, having reached the Innermost Sanctum of the Dungeon, sought the power to stand beside Licia, who was to become the Saint.
His Light Magic was equivalent to level 2, and while excellent for a student, it was not enough to stand alongside the Saint.
The spirit of the Dungeon, upon hearing his wish, promised that even if it couldn’t grant power equal to that of a Saint, it could bestow something close to it.
However, the Divine Protection (Gift) that was bestowed, while granted as Nasanitar had wished, was far removed from what he had truly hoped for.
Nevertheless, it was a power he could use in the current situation where enemies were present.
Even while finding the entity that had possessed him—an arrangement brokered by the Dungeon’s spirit—to be detestable, he convinced himself that shouldering the sin himself was precisely ‘devotion to Licia,’ and he considered it a trial given to him by God.
“Licia… for your sake.”
Upon hearing that murmur, three Shadows faintly sneered, careful that Nasanitar wouldn’t notice them.
＊＊＊
Our second year at the Magic Academy began.
Last year, there was that whole commotion involving the Evil Race, so I’d thought some prospective students might decline enrollment. However, this year, just like any other, the usual number of students attended the entrance ceremony and have embarked on their new academy lives.
“Well, that’s the thing. For nobles, if they don’t graduate from the Magic Academy, there are cases where they aren’t even recognized as adults. That’s why those noble folks are so desperate.”
“I see.”
As we patrolled the Magic Academy to check its security, walking with Viro who was disguised as a janitor, I nodded at his explanation.
Security had become noticeably stricter than before. While the number of academy knights hadn’t changed all that much, noble families of middle rank and above had increased the number of their escorts, and the Shadow Unit had also increased its personnel.
Elena’s guard detail also saw the addition of Rockwell Dandole, who became an Escort Knight starting this year, alongside the Royal Guard Knights. While he is their equal in terms of combat strength, his mere presence as a high-ranking noble is enough to deal with any individuals who might cause trouble for Elena, which has also broadened my own freedom to act.
The nobles’ escorts were all skilled individuals, and among them were even Rank 4s with combat power close to 1000. The reason we’re going around the academy with Viro this time is to ascertain which faction those Rank 4s belong to, and where they are primarily stationed.
And it’s also so the Shadow Unit personnel at the academy can remember “her.”
“…Still,”
Viro, who was walking with his presence suppressed to the point that he wouldn’t linger in anyone’s memory, directed his gaze at the girl walking silently beside me.
“Your existence is a glaring incongruity, Jesha.”
“I’m well aware of that!”
Starting this year, Jesha also joined my guards within the academy. That much had been planned, but as a result of drilling etiquette into Mira so that she could, at the very least, present herself before nobles, Elena—who had known Mira since her time in the desert—got carried away and ended up forcing her into one of the academy’s new student slots.
I’m truly glad they seem to be quite familiar with each other. If Jesha, who is Rank 4, is there, then I too can move with a certain degree of freedom. With Elena, a Rank 3 Magician, and Roakwell, a Rank 3 Knight, they should be able to hold their own even against a Rank 5 opponent.
Jesha isn’t an adopted child of the Layton family like I am; he’s enrolled as the adopted son of Dolton, who has officially become a baronet. It’s not that there haven’t been demi-human students before, but his appearance was so conspicuous that Viro didn’t even feel the need to avoid attention himself.
“Why the hell do I have to be Dolton’s ‘daughter’?! And in this getup, no less…”
“It suits you… pfft.”
“Don’t mess with me, Viro! I’ll send you flying!”
The reason they were saying such things to each other was because Jesha was wearing the Magic Academy uniform. Jesha, large for a Mountain Dwarf, is the same height as me but weighs three times as much, and most of that is muscle. So, for Viro, who is accustomed to seeing delicate noblewomen, such an impression was probably unavoidable.
But more than that—
“Jesha, your language.”
“Aria…”
When I chided them for fooling around, Jesha looked at me with a rather pitiful expression.
I’m hardly one to talk, but from now on, Jesha will be seen as the First Princess’s guard—a clear deterrent.
I don’t think Elena would mind if it were just among us, but loud and vulgar language will be a problem.
I am obvious bait. For that reason, I sometimes leave Elena’s side, so I really need Jesha to give it his all.
“—Viro, Jesha.”
“What is it, Aria?”
“Jesha, concentrate. You understand, don’t you?”
Viro must have noticed it too, because at his words of caution, Jesha also became aware of that presence.
“…What is this unpleasant presence?”
The Magic Academy is surrounded by a deep forest. There’s no flat land wide enough for a group of people to pass through, and intelligent Monsters avoid places with many people.
Besides, other than low-level Monsters with high reproductive rates, any Monsters around the academy would be subjugated, and Nero is somewhere in this forest, so even if such a Monster wandered in, it should have been defeated.
If that’s the case, and there’s a Monster there, it means it suddenly appeared. Viro seemed to share this opinion, as he spoke not to me, but to Jesha.
“Jesha, you go stand guard by Her Highness the Princess. Aria and I will handle things here.”
“Why just me?”
“You don’t have your weapon, do you, Jesha? Someone has to go back anyway, so just accept it.”
Our priority is to protect Elena. In that case, Jesha’s main weapon, his two-handed axe, is at Elena’s mansion in the academy, and since Jesha only brought a small hand axe, it’s best for him to return.
Following Viro, I also judged it that way, and although he probably wanted to fight, he rationally accepted it.
“Alright, leave the princess to me! You two, be careful.”
“Understood.”
As Jesha ran off towards Elena, Viro and I erased our presence and plunged into the forest.
We had Jesha fall back because we figured he wouldn’t be able to fight at his best, being unfamiliar with the dense forest. In that regard, Viro and I wouldn’t be at a disadvantage due to the terrain.
He himself should understand that, but even among comrades, these kinds of exchanges are necessary.
“This ain’t a living thing.”
Right after entering the forest, Viro grimaced at the drifting presence.
“Undead?”
“…Might be more troublesome than that.”
Undead are moving corpses born from defilement.
Setting aside higher-level beings like vampires, born from curses and indistinguishable from humans in appearance, generally, human corpses start moving when Miasma—Magical Element tinged with negative emotions—combines with strong resentment.
Undead have no intellect or wisdom, and no soul resides within them.
There are also incorporeal cases like evil spirits, but they don’t appear in large numbers because the original human must have possessed a Magic Stone, and Miasma dense enough for Undead to naturally occur rarely exists.
Therefore, if Undead were to appear, it would either be in a place where a large number of living beings died, or they were intentionally created by someone like a necromancer.
“Here they come.”
“…”
We spotted nearly ten corpses walking from deep within the forest. But they weren’t human. They were zombies of Goblins and Hobgoblins, which are occasionally sighted in this forest.
“Viro, I’m leaving them to you.”
“H-Hey!”
Ignoring Viro’s complaint, I leaped over the heads of the goblins, from which a putrid stench drifted.
Monsters like goblins don’t become Undead even with Miasma. This is because Monsters have weaker obsessions compared to humans. Master taught me… if there were Undead Monsters, there would be someone controlling them.
And the unpleasant presence I felt wasn’t them.
Hyuun!!
Still in my uniform, I leaped between trees, erased my presence, and unleashed my two Pendulums, which tore through the darkness. From there, a figure clad in a tattered cloak revealed itself.
So, it was here.
“Who are you?”
“…”
It didn’t answer my question, instead dancing through the forest as if weightless, and fired a dark bullet like a Dark Gimlet.
“—Levitate—”
I used Levitate, kicking off a tree trunk to evade the dark bullet, and then unleashed Dark Magic towards the entity as it tried to escape to a safe zone.
“—Corrosion—”
“—!?”
Level 5 Dark Magic, Corrosion, reduces the target’s health by 1 per second for several tens of seconds. However, if the target is a spiritual life form, it shaves away its outer shell, which serves as its health value, and reduces its magic power.
I wasn’t certain. But I had my suspicions.
The hood of the cloak, which had taken the Corrosion, crumbled—it was probably part of its outer shell—revealing its true face.
“…A demon?”
“…”
The immense Miasma leaking from its true face caused the surrounding leaves to lose their color…
Revealing a true face like a monkey’s skull, it let out a silent sneer, its bones seeming to distort, and then vanished deep into the forest.
…It looks like things are going to be troublesome, just as Viro said.
The first volume is getting a reprint. Thank you very much.
I’ve also posted the new book band image in my activity report.
Nasanitar obtained something more akin to a curse than a Divine Protection. It’s the result of the Dungeon spirit’s kindness.
Next time, academy life.
*The demon in this story is not related to the seaweed processing craftsman from another world.