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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Karina…”
“I’m fine. It’s bearable…”
Karina, guided to her seat by the students, forced a smile and pulled out her textbook. It was thick enough to be used as a pillow.
How long were they going to stare? Even celebrities didn’t get this much attention.
I glared at them, trying to ward off the intrusive gazes, but my fierce glare was apparently no match for their fervent faith.
The best I could do was prevent anyone from getting within three meters of Karina. Even that had required considerable effort.
I couldn’t do anything about the students clinging to the windows, though.
These weren’t even ground-floor windows, they were at least two stories high.
How did they even get up there? Were these priests or ninjas? Were they really Theology students, with their faces pressed against the glass like that?
I desperately hoped this class would end soon.
The problem was that this wasn’t the only Theology class.
After Basic Theology, there was History of the Kalon Church and Understanding the Kalon Church. A triple whammy of theological indoctrination.
Which meant I had to endure this hell three more times.
“Look at her hair… it’s so…”
“The Saintess looked at me!”
“I can die happy now…”
“Heal! Heal! Heal! Heal! That’s the fourth time! My heart stopped!”
…If Karina sang, it would be a funeral dirge.
Every student in this lecture hall would clutch their chests and collapse. Or maybe they would just faint from a single sigh.
Escorting Karina in this environment was exhausting.
I would rather fight a hydra again.
Twice, even.
“Ahaha…”
Karina let out a hollow laugh.
The sound was enough to make my sanity crumble.
I couldn’t bring myself to touch her shoulder, surrounded as she was by those ravenous gazes, so I whispered from behind,
“Karina, be strong. The lecture hasn’t even started yet.”
Surprisingly, it was still five minutes before class.
We had arrived at the back of the lecture hall about five minutes ago. Five minutes had felt like an eternity, and there were five more eternal minutes to go.
This was torture disguised as a break.
Things would get better once the professor arrived, right? He was their superior, he would be able to control them.
I clung to that futile hope and stared at the entrance of the lecture hall. The door began to open amidst the commotion.
Creak—
“G-Goodness… Saintess…!”
The professor, his head gleaming under the light, locked eyes with Karina and promptly clutched his chest and collapsed.
The same reaction as several other students.
The blissful expression on his face, however, was unsettling.
He looked like he had died peacefully.
“The professor collapsed!”
I rubbed my forehead, watching the professor sprawled on the floor by the door.
This was giving me a headache.
I wanted to take Karina back to Yeomyeong-gwan.
“Quickly, use healing magic!”
“Let’s ask the Saintess!”
“Are you crazy?! How can you ask the Saintess to do that?!”
The Theology students rushed towards the professor, arguing amongst themselves.
It was like a sitcom, but for us, it was more like a thriller disguised as a sitcom.
They were supposedly worried about the professor, but their focus was still on Karina.
Saintess. Saintess. Saintess. Saintess.
It was driving me crazy, let alone Karina.
“Heal! Heal! Heal! Heal!”
A white light flickered in front of the professor. It was the healing magic Karina had used before.
It was faint compared to Karina’s usual healing magic, but it was still healing magic.
The professor opened his eyes and sat up.
“Th-Thank you, Taylor.”
“It was my duty.”
“Then let’s resume the lecture… Gasp.”
“Professor!”
“Johann… I feel dizzy.”
“Me too.”
This place was a madhouse.
That much was certain.
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“I-I’m exhausted…”
Karina, after enduring the full Theology schedule, looked more drained than when she had first been cursed, or even when she first woke up on the deserted island.
It was understandable, considering what she had just gone through.
Even the most fame-hungry person would lose their desire for attention after experiencing that.
“Be strong. We’re almost back at Yeomyeong-gwan.”
“Do I have to go through this every day?”
The students were too awestruck to even approach her.
The professors were too intimidated to even ask her questions.
It was like she was a visiting dignitary, not a student.
Even I, as a mere observer, felt like I was sitting on pins and needles.
How must Karina feel?
Of course she was exhausted.
And the thought of having to endure this every day made her haggard appearance even more understandable.
Though her exhaustion couldn’t diminish her beauty.
“I’m just going to… have dinner and… rest…”
Normally, she would have spent the evening studying, but she was too tired.
I doubted she even had the energy to eat dinner.
She might even collapse from exhaustion. Or pretend to be sick, which wouldn’t be surprising.
If I were her, I would have faked an illness.
But Karina, being the kind soul she was, wouldn’t even consider such a thing.
All I could do was escort her back to her room.
[Ugh, those creepy guys are staring…]
Were the Theology students stalking us now?
I resisted the urge to look around and opened the gate to Yeomyeong-gwan.
We were finally free from the prying eyes, at least within the walls of the estate.
“…Being the Saintess must be difficult.”
“…Hee hee. I can’t deny that. Today was really tough…”
“You did well, Karina.”
“Thank you, Johann.”
A weak smile appeared on Karina’s face.
It was the smile of a patient, a beautiful flower slowly wilting.
The sight filled me with a sense of urgency.
At this rate, she would die from stress, not the curse.
I needed to find a solution, and fast. A permanent solution.
“Karina, I’ll take care of it.”
“But…”
“I know it’s not going to be easy.”
But I couldn’t let Karina continue to suffer. She was my companion.
Or… friend?
…I would think about that later. Now was the time to find a solution.
“Johann?”
“Ah, Milia. You’re here already.”
“Yeah! I only had two afternoon classes! But what’s wrong with Karina?”
“Hello… Milia. Did you have a good day…?”
“Should I call a doctor?!”
“Let’s just get her to bed.”
“Okay! Let’s go!”
We rushed down the hallway and gently laid Karina on her bed.
She was half-asleep by the time I placed her on the bed. She must have been truly exhausted.
“Milia, keep an eye on Karina.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to discuss this with Renny.”
This couldn’t continue.
“So that’s what happened…”
Renny, her eyes heavy with fatigue, glared at her desk with annoyance.
She looked like she was about to fall asleep, but she was forcing herself to stay awake because it concerned Karina.
“At this rate, she won’t be able to attend any classes properly. It’s worse than self-studying in bed at Yeomyeong-gwan.”
“Ugh. This is getting complicated. I didn’t hear of anything like this happening with the previous Saintess…”
“Previous Saintess?”
“I haven’t heard of anything like this happening when Saintess Cassandra enrolled in the academy a hundred years ago. The church’s influence has grown considerably in the past hundred years, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad…”
“Was that part of the game’s lore…?”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Damn it.
I must have been more tired than I thought.
My thoughts were slipping out before I could filter them.
“So, could you take over escort duty for a day?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m going to devise a solution.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“I have a few ideas. I’ll make them and then we’ll see.”
Renny pondered my words, then nodded with a resigned expression.
“…Fine by me, but you’re going to finish in one day, right?”
“Trust me.”
“…Okay. I’ll take care of Karina. Hurry up and finish whatever you’re making.”
“Of course.”
It was time to call Sif.
I formulated my plan as I left the office.
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