Chapter 15

A new wind blew through the Empire’s Academy.

The first rumor was that a Hero, chosen by the Sacred Sword bestowed upon the Empire, was to enroll in the Academy. The fact that the Hero was none other than a student of the Empire’s Academy only added to the excitement.

Once it was revealed that the rumor was not false but true, it was natural for countless students to feel a mix of anticipation and thrill.

Just being from the same generation as a Hero, who appears only once in a century, was a tremendous honor.

However, if that had been all, the Empire would not have been so elated.

Naturally, another rumor was circulating, one that further fueled the Academy’s excitement.

From the Holy Kingdom of Valkran, it was said that a Saint would come to enroll in the Academy.

As the Saint with the greatest Divine Power and talent in history, she was almost revered as a god by the people of the Realm.

Encountering either a Hero or a Saint was a rare occasion, and to have both enrolling in the Empire’s Academy from the same generation was unprecedented in the Empire’s history.

Moreover, with the Emperor’s children already studying at the Academy or approaching enrollment, many speculated that a new era might be on the horizon.

“Extra! Extra!”

A freckled boy shouted towards the people on the street while unfolding a newspaper stuffed in his bag.

However, with so many newspapers already strewn across the ground, no one was interested in buying one after hearing the boy’s shout.

“Get lost.”

“Ugh…!”

Instead, people frowned at the boy blocking the street while handing out newspapers, and in some cases, they spat as they bumped shoulders with him.

“Ugh… ugh…”

The boy, knocked off balance, fell to the ground.

“Oh no…!”

As he dropped papers all around him, he scrambled to pick them up, forcing himself to ignore the pain in his knees, fearing that he might ruin his hard-won task.

At that moment.

Swoosh.

“Uh…?”

A shadow fell in front of the boy, and a pure white hand picked up a newspaper for him.

He looked up with a dazed expression, following the flow of long platinum hair.

Before him stood a beautiful girl dressed in neat clothing, smiling gently as she handed him the newspaper.

“[Are you alright?]”

Although the girl did not speak, her voice felt as if it flowed directly into his mind.

Only then did the boy realize that her words were directed at him, and he nodded his head.

He tried to stand up and express his thanks, but the pain from falling on the rough ground was considerable.

Noticing the boy’s pained expression as he grimaced from the ache in his legs, the girl chuckled lightly and reached out her hand.

As a warm energy enveloped him, the boy was stunned as he noticed the changes occurring to his body.

“My wound…”

The knee that had been bleeding moments ago, now simply bore torn clothing, and the wound had healed.

“[Please be more careful next time.]”

Though the boy looked up at her in surprise, the girl had already left the scene.

“Saint…”

Staring at the direction she had gone, the boy muttered in a daze.

“It was definitely the Saint…!!”

Could today possibly be the best day of his life?

He looked down at his torn knee and smiled broadly.

Soon after, he began selling newspapers with newfound fervor, shouting in joy.

That day, he succeeded in selling out.

*

Years had passed since being chosen as a Saint.

…

Literally, years.

My daily life after becoming a Saint had been a continuous whirlwind of activity.

I had only just become the Saint, and there was still a mountain of things I needed to learn and the world had to recognize my existence.

As I learned the basics of what it meant to be a Saint, the first thing I did, as one could naturally expect, was to heal those who were injured.

And currently, I headed towards the Realm, where most people were struggling in battle.

The Realm… was nothing special.

There were regions in the northern part of the Empire that were known for having many strong Monsters roaming about.

In games, it was considered a mid-level growth area that needed to be cleared.

“I’ve already been there, so the strategy is flawless.”

Since I would need to go back and conquer that area after meeting the Hero at the Academy, I decided to choose it as a pilgrimage site.

Thanks to that, I also built connections with the Northern Duke, which was a positive outcome.

Truthfully, I wanted to join the people of the North in their battles, but since becoming a Saint, I had to be careful with my words and actions…

More importantly, those people treated me like a precious gem, so it became even more difficult to step into battle.

They still said there was a shortage of Priests in the North…

I stayed there for quite a while, helping many people.

In a place aptly named the Realm, it was common for people to lose at least a limb or two, so to be honest, those days were sheer bliss for me.

I even came close to being caught in overwhelming ecstasy a few times while healing people.

After becoming this body, I had never comforted myself as a woman, but at that moment, I felt as though there was no need to, as each day was filled with primal happiness.

Fortunately, most people didn’t seem to think of pain as pleasure, so no one looked at me strangely.

However, I couldn’t just watch my close friends die, so I did my utmost to save them.

It became the norm for me to sacrifice a few limbs and brace myself for the possibility of breaking a torso or a head while continuing to heal, so perhaps that’s why I was welcomed even more than the Emperor by the people of the Realm.

…

I don’t know why, but they treated me like a daughter left out at the market.

That can’t be helped, can it?

As I felt the pain in my legs fade away, I returned to my seat, hearing a familiar voice beside me.

“Saint… did you use your power again…?”

“[It’s fine~ You’ll let me slide for this, right?]”

“… You won’t listen to anything I say, will you…?”

Dannes sighed heavily.

Seeing Dannes in the armor of a Paladin felt strange.

“[I never thought I would meet you here again, Dannes.]”

I really didn’t expect to reunite with Dannes as he served as my Guardian Knight to head towards the Academy.

When I went to the Realm before, I was so surprised to see him following me as a Guardian Knight.

Until that time, I had only known that Dannes had quit being an adventurer to become a Paladin; I had never met him in person.

Since I became a Saint, my life had become busier, making it nearly impossible to meet someone as ordinary as Dannes back then.

That made this reunion even more delightful.

“[How are things with Melana?]”

I asked teasingly, giggling at Dannes.

“W-why are you asking that all of a sudden…?!”

Dannes stammered, clearly flustered by my question.

Oh ho, judging by his reaction, it was almost certain that something had happened between the two.

Having lived for a long time as a Saint, I had grown somewhat sensitive to the happiness of others.

Especially in Dannes’s case, he was someone I had saved at the cost of my life during his apprentice days, so I felt particularly attached to him.

Back then, he seemed to have a somewhat delicate relationship with Melina; I wondered how that turned out.

“… We’re getting married next month.”

“[Gasp… Congratulations, Dannes!]”

I never would have expected a marriage!

And hearing he had a child meant he was essentially off the market now.

“How enviable…”

I had wanted to date someone, experience various things, and eventually get married myself as a man.

Well, that had become an impossible dream for me now that I had turned into a woman.

“That’s why I’ve worked long and hard to support you, the one who saved me from almost going to God’s side by sacrificing yourself, Saint.”

“[It’s a bit embarrassing to bring up such a topic out of the blue…]”

Hmm.

Dannes is just the same now as he was then…

Since I saw him witnessing me bleed while focusing on my healing in the Realm, it seems he has become even more difficult to approach.

While I sighed at the rigidity of my Guardian Knight, we finally arrived.

“We’ve arrived.”

At last.

I expanded my senses, which had become as familiar to me as my own limbs, and surveyed the whole of Argen Academy.

Thinking about how much hardship I faced to come here almost brought tears to my eyes.

“[This is…]”

“The Empire’s best educational institution, Argen Academy.”

We had finally reached the main storyline.