Chapter 18

“Please forgive my rudeness, Saint…”

The female professor bowed her head and apologized to me.

“[It’s really okay, please raise your face…]”

At first, I had been obsessively questioning why she used the sacred magic without permission, insisting that it should never be used outside of authorized areas.

However, it seems she didn’t recognize who I was. As soon as another professor beside her asked if I was a saint, she froze and started trembling, mentioning that she hit the saint on the head, which led to this situation.

The hero, along with others who were eager to fight the hero, appeared to be quite surprised to learn that I was the saint, their eyes wide in disbelief.

‘It’s nice not having to explain…’

At first, I panicked at the thought that she might refrain from taking action out of concern for my status as a saint, but thankfully, it seemed that being a saint did not exempt someone from facing consequences.

No matter how saintly one might be, one cannot bypass the rules for unauthorized actions within the academy…

It’s only fitting that even nobles are treated no differently from commoners within these walls, as this institution preaches equality.

Thus, even though I am virtually the leader of the Holy Kingdom Valkran, cases like this are too problematic to overlook just because I’m a saint.

In any case, it wasn’t going to be a major issue for me.

After all, I came here wanting to face consequences.

“So… does this mean the two students almost fought in the training ground, and the saint used sacred magic to stop it?”

“[Yes, that’s correct.]”

The truth is, they already fought.

If it hadn’t been for me, there would have been a sword fight long before this.

I tried to frame it in a way that suggested we nearly had a fight, so that I would be the only one facing consequences, but of course, I had to get involved right there.

At least I seemed to have prevented the situation from escalating by sharing my side of the story.

“I see…”

The professor pondered my words for a moment, displaying a thoughtful expression.

I worried she might raise some further complications, but luckily, she was not so dense as to speak up, remaining silent.

Sure, I’ll help you avoid getting suspended, so just stay quiet.

“[Professor, I’m okay, but could you please let these two go?]”

“Excuse me? What do you mean all of a sudden…”

Seeing that I was thinking she would ask for leniency since I stopped something more serious from happening, the professor looked greatly taken aback by my request.

“[These two were trying to duel fairly, but it was I who misunderstood and intervened, so it’s actually my fault.]”

That wasn’t true at all.

It wasn’t a fair duel; the hero, frustrated after being ignored by his mentor’s sword, drew his weapon, and once he saw the other party draw theirs, he just swung his sword, thinking it was self-defense.

Noticing I intended to cover for both of them, the professor sighed deeply and asked if I was sure this was okay.

She even hinted that I might end up getting suspended.

But honestly, I welcomed that!

‘The academy could take a break legally…’

What’s not to love about that?

I nodded with a smile.

Seeing my willingness to take responsibility, the professor looked genuinely apologetic as she offered her regrets.

‘It’s really fine.’

As I mentioned earlier, this situation was a beneficial one for me.

If there was a disappointment, it might be that it didn’t seem like they would hit me anymore.

I wanted to experience a little more of the joys of everyday life; would they not give me a playful hit on the head or something?

That part was a bit of a letdown.

*

In the end, I received a three-day suspension.

Normally, the suspension period wouldn’t be this short, but they seemed to take my action of intervening to stop the fight into account when considering the penalty.

Or perhaps it was simply because I was a saint.

“…”

As soon as I stepped outside, the male student I had fought earlier, no—was it Albert Lakhar?

The boy named Albert glanced my way for a moment, clicked his tongue in annoyance, and then walked away first.

It felt strange.

In the game, his exact name wouldn’t appear, and he was merely used as a sacrifice for the future growth of the hero.

Now, unlike back when it was just a game, I found myself in a different world based on that game…

Here, names seemed to have been properly established.

‘Eventually, he will become a demonized version of himself…’

If the story from the game continues as it is, I can’t pinpoint the exact reasons, but one day he will likely fall into corruption and become demonized, causing significant damage to the academy.

As I said before, even though I enjoy healing people and feeling that sensation, I hope no event occurs where too many people lose their lives.

Thus, I want to step in and prevent such significant incidents from happening right from the start…

‘But I don’t know why.’

The issue is that I don’t understand why that guy ends up becoming demonized.

To preemptively mitigate a crisis, I need to recognize what drives him to such corruption…

How am I supposed to prevent incidents from occurring without knowing anything?

Does it make sense for me to play a game for so long and not know this?

While I’ve been immersed in the game for ages, I have no way of finding out information that the game doesn’t provide.

If they had withheld information, I’d try looking through the game files to uncover hidden data, but since it wasn’t mentioned at all, there’s no way I could know.

Of course, there couldn’t be hidden data even if I looked through the game files… it was clear that this part was something the developers simply overlooked.

‘Well, the story still has a long way to go, so maybe I shouldn’t worry about it for now.’

While it weighs on my mind, something more important requires my attention right now.

I turned to my side.

Even without looking directly, I could feel everything happening right next to me, but to behave courteously as humans, making eye contact is a foundational courtesy.

Looking at their expressions, the hero seemed at a loss for what to say in this situation with only the two of them left.

The hero, who was visibly struggling with indecision, eventually gathered his resolve. Swallowing hard, he offered his first words to me…

“Um… thank you.”

A heartfelt expression of gratitude.

‘Honestly, I didn’t expect that.’

He looked like he was pondering something significant, so I thought he might have something important to convey.

But yep, he was just the hero I knew.

I smiled and replied.

“[It’s fine. However… you might want to make sure to request fair duels next time.]”

Otherwise, you might end up facing dire consequences as a student.

Of course, I meant from that professor.

Getting on the bad side of an educator in such an institution is serious business.

“Uh-huh, I’ll do that next time.”

“[Hehe… that’s enough for me.]”

With that, I had completed my buildup.

I smiled as I responded to the hero and turned my body.

Then I said, “[Well then, I’ll be on my way. Take care~]”

I said that and began to walk away.

Huh? Doesn’t something feel off?

Is it right to leave after meeting someone when you want to get closer?

One knows, and the other doesn’t.

I’ll share a tip on how to build rapport with someone who has a hero’s personality without directly showing that you want to get closer.

It’s not too complicated.

By helping like this and then not seeking any return, you present an image of leaving.

Why go through such a cumbersome act, you ask?

It’s simple.

While I do have a legitimate reason to want to get closer to the hero, showing that I’m excessively eager to bond with him is not the best strategy.

Thus, I act accordingly.

I make him think that he wants to get closer to me.

In other words, this isn’t a demand for excessive gratitude; it’s merely groundwork to make it easier for us to bond.

After all, I don’t have anything to gain from him in the first place.

It’s like playing hard to get.

Having demonstrated this expertise, it was now time to reap the rewards.

A guy who dedicates his life solely to swordsmanship, described positively as righteous and negatively as naïve, wouldn’t just let such valuable assistance slip away without reciprocating, right?

I was confident that if I pretended to turn away without having shared a proper conversation, he would undoubtedly call out to me.

With that thought, I headed toward the dormitory.

And sure enough…

“Hey, wait a minute!”

As I distanced myself, I heard a voice calling out from behind me.

See?

They had no choice but to come forward.

I couldn’t help but smile at how things unfolded just as I had anticipated.

Now, all that remained was for us to learn each other’s names while naturally growing closer.

I grinned.