I can’t believe the team would be arranged like this…
I cautiously observed the atmosphere between Evan and Albert.
As expected, their relationship was the worst, likely due to previous events.
If they had met without me, they might have ended up fighting right away.
Even though I was doing nothing, it felt like I was playing the role of mediator in this team.
Even now, Evan seemed to be suppressing his anger because I was beside him, and the boy named Albert Lakhar…
“What’s with him…?”
Why is he acting like that?
The feelings I sensed were rather unusual.
His expression remained filled with pride, just as it was when we first met, exactly like the Albert Lakhar I knew.
When we first met, he had a face full of irritation and seemed wrapped up in pride, exuding an air of vanity…
For some reason, while his expression and atmosphere were the same, the feelings emanating from him were completely different.
No, in fact, the feelings were hardly present at all.
“Did something happen?”
Feelings are closely tied to the magic power that unconsciously flows out, similar to surface consciousness.
At this point, emotional residue from the day before the entrance ceremony might still linger, and if Evan had already investigated who I was, he would know that Stella was close to me, so he should understandably be exuding jealousy toward Evan.
Given Albert’s strong pride in magic, he would likely have feelings for Stella, who was publicly recognized as the hope of the Dark Magic Tower and a genius in magic, so it made sense that he would feel that way toward Evan, who was close to her.
In other words, it could be said that their relationship hit rock bottom after Evan became friends with Stella.
And right now, those two were, as I intended, acting like friends.
Yet, there was no feeling of jealousy or even awkwardness, which raised questions.
“Am I unable to sense it…?”
That shouldn’t be the case…
If I couldn’t sense their feelings, then either he had reached a level high enough to conceal them… or he lacked consciousness—one of the two.
The latter was obviously not the case, so it must be the former…
“Don’t act like you matter. Black-haired beast.”
“That brat…”
How could that be?
Has he grown to the point that he could conceal all the magic power flowing out and suppress his feelings except when speaking?
That’s absurd.
Looking at the current situation, the foul atmosphere was continuing due to Albert’s provoking behavior; it could be said that he had not grown mentally at all.
If he had matured, he would have either apologized for what happened that day or not worsened the situation like this.
“What should I do…?”
Albert’s issues were one thing, but leading a party with such a foul atmosphere that it wouldn’t be surprising if a fight broke out was enough of a problem.
To reach Class A, high scores were necessary, but how could I survive and earn points with these people who were on the verge of a brawl?
Despite the numerous rotten experiences I had gone through, I felt unsure about this.
“I want to change teams…”
Could this be my fault…?
Did I change the tutorial story, leading to this situation?
Should I have just let him get suspended?
“I’m going crazy…”
For now, I need to survive and aim for Class A.
Since I have my entrance exam scores, I won’t be placed in the lowest class, but if I land in a low class, it would jeopardize the essential training of the Hero.
I must at least make it to Class B…!
With that, I silently set my goals and began thinking about how to achieve the scores that would meet them.
The best approach would be to hunt down the command creature, but…
With this team, it seemed pretty tough.
Unlike before, the command creature we would face now was purely a monster, just a hostile species to humans, so my Divine Power wouldn’t be effective.
Essentially, I was reduced to a healing or buffing role.
In other words, these two had to do the fighting, and judging by the current situation, it seemed impossible for them to work together to defeat a strong boss monster.
The best strategy we could take was to minimize fighting, establish roles, demonstrate cooperation, and hunt down the monsters as efficiently as possible.
That said…
“Then… let’s begin the exam.”
I wondered if they would follow through with my thoughts.
Sigh…
—
The Academy was being swept by winds heralding a new era.
Rumors were spreading that the Hero who pulled the legendary Sacred Sword and the Saint, famous for her story that resonated with countless imperial citizens, had enrolled in the Academy.
Among those rumors, there was also one about the Saint personally offering confessions.
Such rumors likely contributed to the rapid spread of the Saint’s recognition within the Academy.
The story of how she was chosen as the Saint was also well-known.
There were tales of her willingly walking the path of asceticism, sacrificing her life to save mere adventurers, or departing towards the dreaded Realm with only a single Paladin to rescue many people.
Moreover, the Paladin she saved with her life was blind and deaf, yet the story of the benevolent Saint dedicated to the world became very famous among adventurers and mercenaries alike.
There was no need to go far; just asking people around would reveal that almost everyone knew stories about the Saint.
Evan initially had no interest in it, but he learned about it right after getting to know Aria.
Even Stella, who usually seemed indifferent to the world, was aware of such a famous story, making it somewhat embarrassing for Evan not to know.
However… when Evan first saw Aria, the only feeling he felt was one thing.
He couldn’t just stand by and watch.
With her small body… bravely facing the Demon despite her physical limitations was something he could not ignore, not just as a Hero but as a person.
Her actions, pressing forward without regard for her own safety to save Stella, looked incredibly precarious.
No, Evan did not just sense precariousness from Aria; he felt awe and fear from her.
How… could she sacrifice herself with just the desire to save a complete stranger, someone not even related to her?
Could he ever do something like that?
Some might argue that it doesn’t matter because she wouldn’t die anyway.
But looking at all of Aria’s past actions and understanding the ‘power’ the Saint possessed, he thought that dying might be the easier option.
Using her powers must be painful, so how could she employ them without hesitation?
Aria was a person just like them.
She felt the same pain if she got hurt.
Yet how… could she act without a hint of hesitation, knowing that she could sustain injuries that would kill an ordinary person?
Evan was not entirely unable to understand such feelings.
As a human wielding a sword rather than a Hero, he had learned from his master about the responsibilities that come with holding a sword.
And his thoughts about that responsibility had not changed since he pulled the Sacred Sword.
He believed that he must uphold his fate and duty as a Hero now that he had drawn the Sacred Sword.
Even though defeating the Demon King felt far off, he was continuously training with the single-minded intention of someday defeating it and saving the world.
However…
She was different; Aria was different.
Initially, Evan believed that Aria, as the Saint, also acted with the thought of defeating the Demon King… for a peaceful world.
Yet after the recent incident, he realized that her thought process was something entirely different.
Aria’s thoughts were something else.
“Aria… you…”
Evan shifted his gaze from Albert to Aria.
Seeing her serene and benevolent smile, still oblivious to his thoughts, he was engulfed in complex emotions.
Even though he was a Hero… he could not comprehend the ‘resolve’ that Aria possessed.
What on earth had happened that would enable her to act like that?
He could not understand.
