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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Johann, should we take a detour?”
I looked down at Karina.
All I could see was the veil, but I imagined a playful smile hidden beneath the fabric.
Why was she suggesting this today?
Was it because of the nice weather?
The weather was nice.
A gentle breeze, and none of the usual stares from the Theology students, who were all busy preparing for Saint Sabrina’s Day. It was a perfect day for a leisurely stroll.
“Alright.”
I turned the wheelchair ninety degrees. I planned to take a longer route along the outer walls of the academy. It was easier than navigating the crowded pathways, and there was no risk of getting lost.
“This is the first time I’ve taken a walk along the outer walls.”
“Me too.”
While I had taken Karina to various places, we had never walked along the outer walls. There was no need to. We usually rushed back to Yeomyeong-gwan to avoid the crowds.
Karina really disliked being stared at.
So we often prioritized a quick return to the estate, except for special occasions like today. As I pushed the wheelchair, Karina chatted with me in a more cheerful tone than usual.
“Johann, have you ever been to a festival?”
“A festival… As you know, I was trapped on a deserted island for ten years. I don’t remember.”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. These things happen. I’m looking forward to this festival.”
My quick save of the conversation seemed to have worked. Our pink-haired Saintess chuckled, the veil fluttering around her face.
“Hee hee. You’re surprisingly considerate, despite your gruff appearance.”
“Isn’t that normal?”
Was it praiseworthy?
Anyone would try to salvage a conversation that was about to go south. I considered myself relatively normal in that regard.
“Perhaps… hee hee. But I’ve met many people with handsome faces and unpleasant personalities.”
“Is that so…”
As the Saintess, she must have met many high-ranking officials. I listened intently. It was unusual for Karina to gossip.
While gossiping was a normal activity for most people, Karina was the only Saintess on the continent.
“Nobles shoving aside commoners on the streets, whipping servants for minor inconveniences, royals lecturing others about etiquette while being disrespectful themselves… And then they act all polite and righteous in front of me. It makes me wonder why I even became the Saintess.
It makes me feel so… disgusted. That’s why, before I met you, Renny was the only person I kept by my side.
At least Renny is honest with me.”
It made sense, considering Renny’s devotion to Karina. Though it was a bit… obsessive.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“Hee hee. Thank you. This is the first time I’ve been able to talk about this so openly.”
“You can tell me anything, even if a knife is held to your throat. I’ll even listen to you badmouth Kalon.”
I doubted there would be any divine retribution for that. Kalon wasn’t that petty. Probably.
“Hee hee, you’re so mischievous.”
Karina giggled, lowering her head. I hadn’t intended to be funny, but it seemed I had struck a chord.
I looked up at the sky, feeling a bit awkward.
The sky, painted in hues of orange and red, was slowly being consumed by the encroaching darkness. It would be night by the time we reached Yeomyeong-gwan.
“It’s getting late. Normally, we would be back at Yeomyeong-gwan by now…”
“It’s getting cold. Should we head back?”
“Perhaps.”
It was getting chilly, she might catch a cold. I took Rue, which was attached to my belt, and placed it on Karina’s lap.
“Hold Rue if you’re cold.”
“Rue?”
[Contractor? I’m not a portable blanket!]
“I’ll prevent Milia from taking you for a walk.”
[Fine. Just this once.]
So it really hated going for walks.
I chuckled, seeing Rue obediently snuggle into Karina’s lap.
“Milia is probably the only person in the world who would try to take a grimoire for a walk.”
“…I can’t deny that.”
Were there any other grimoires capable of independent movement? I hadn’t seen any in the game.
We chatted about the unusual Rue as we headed back to Yeomyeong-gwan.
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“Only a week until Saint Sabrina’s Day.”
“What’s the Alchemy department doing for the festival?”
“We’re having an alchemy demonstration and a ‘fun potion-making’ event.”
A fun potion-making event? That didn’t sound good.
Viola, who was fiddling with her prosthetic arm, explained,
“They give you various ingredients and let you experiment with different combinations. They only use safe ingredients, so it’s not dangerous. It’s a way to experience alchemy!
And we might even discover some promising new talent for the Alchemy department! That’s what Dean Jereon insisted on.”
“He’s eager to recruit new students.”
“The Alchemy department isn’t very popular. The experiments are dangerous, so accidents are common, and noble ladies don’t want to risk injuring themselves.
So we mostly get male students, but they usually prefer the Knight or Magic departments… We mostly get sons of alchemy families or second and third sons of noble families.
The pay isn’t bad if you graduate.”
“I didn’t know the Alchemy department had such problems.”
“Well, everyone has their problems. This is ours.”
“That’s true.”
“So, Mister, do you have any worries? You always help us with our problems, but you never talk about yours. I’m curious…”
“I do.”
But I couldn’t tell her. The strangely silent status window was one. The unknown contents of the True Ending DLC was another. And then there was the upcoming Saint Sabrina’s Day incident… I had three major concerns.
I couldn’t tell her the truth, so I had to come up with something else.
“I’m worried about Renny. She’s overworked. I’m afraid she might collapse again.”
It was the first thing that came to mind.
“Renny… the other knight escort?”
“Yes.”
Come to think of it, had Viola even met Renny? Renny rarely left her office.
Viola nodded, seemingly understanding.
“She looked exhausted when I saw her… But are you and Miss Renny the only knight escorts for the Saintess?”
“Yes.”
“I thought the Saintess would have a large escort… Why only two?”
“The other knight escorts died in the shipwreck… and we haven’t recruited any replacements.”
Viola looked at me as if I was missing something obvious.
“Why not recruit from the Holy Knights?”
“Well…”
I explained the situation. Viola, after hearing about our journey from Lorelei to the academy, nodded in understanding.
“So that’s why it’s just the two of you… But for administrative work, you could just ask the Theology students. Elisa works here, doesn’t she?”
“What?”
“If you just asked for ‘devout followers to assist the Saintess,’ you would have a flood of volunteers.”
…That was true.
But there were problems with that approach.
“I’m not sure if those fanatics would be competent. And they’re probably busy preparing for Saint Sabrina’s Day.”
“What’s more important, the festival or the Saintess? I think they would drop everything and come running.”
“…That’s a terrifying thought.”
“Right?”
Viola chuckled, imagining the frantic Theology students. But there was still a problem.
“Karina doesn’t like a lot of fuss.”
“Couldn’t you just… train them?”
Hmm… That wasn’t a bad idea. If there were any cultists among them, I could just use Rue to brainwash them and extract information.
It was a brilliant plan.
“Thank you, Viola.”
“Oh, n-no… it’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me…”
Viola blushed and looked away, embarrassed by my praise. Despite her usual bluntness, she was still a young girl.
“A-Anyway! That’s what I think! Now let’s get back to work!”
“Alright.”
“Stop laughing!”
“Okay, okay.”
Time to get back to work.
I turned away from the blushing Viola and resumed working on the prototype I had been developing.
And refining Viola’s “Theology Student Enslavement Plan” in my mind.
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