127 - How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

### Return to Chapter 127: They've All Grown Up --- When Mirexia reflected on what she and Wenny were like during their childhood, she could barely recall. It felt as if it was so long ago that she hardly recognized the boy and girl in her memories. Both had changed significantly since those times, especially herself. Discovering that her mother had passed away long ago, rather than having traveled to a distant place, made Mirexia realize she no longer knew her past self. Looking at Wenny, who had also undergone a great transformation, brought a wave of melancholy to her heart. The change in one's character often brings about intense growing pains, and she suspected the young man before her had experienced the same. No matter how strong their bond may have been, the winds of time had blown them further and further apart. There was no returning to the past. Ever since she was established as the future queen of the kingdom, their paths were destined to diverge. Would it continue like this, always? Mirexia could not be certain. "Civic Virtue +120." "Current Civic Virtue: 1554." The cake was finished, the tea drank, leaving them with no reason to continue sitting together. After all, they had grown up. For adults, friends are often more absent than present, and as people change, it becomes harder to understand the transformations happening in each other's lives. It's inevitable. Mirexia had responsibilities she had to attend to and goals she had to achieve, and she believed Wenny was no different. Mirexia returned to her office while Wenny resumed his investigative work on the streets. As they parted, they exchanged only a few pleasantries. Wenny offered to see Mirexia off, but she declined, and with that, they bid each other farewell. Their relationship truly could not return to what it once was. Perhaps it was simply because they had grown up, each consumed by their own lives and responsibilities. Watching Wenny's retreating figure, Mirexia pondered this. With midterm exams approaching, the students of Carleyman Academy had no time to waste, and the student council's workload multiplied. After completing his investigative tasks, Wenny was promptly summoned back to the student council for more duties. Of course, given his lack of expertise, his tasks consisted mainly of serving tea and learning from his senior colleagues. Reflecting on his exhausting week, Wenny felt more like a workhorse than ever before. Apart from his studies, he was always busy, reminiscent of the corporate drones from his previous life. Aesphyra was probably busy too, but it was odd that he hadn't seen her these days. Logically, she should also be overwhelmed with tasks, but Aesphyra was quite high-ranking. It's possible she was filling in elsewhere, conducting more crucial work. "I'm just a workhorse," Wenny hummed a strange and off-key tune while delivering some midterm exam documents to Mirexia's office. Knocking on the door, he announced his arrival. "President Mirexia, it's Wenny. I'm here to deliver some midterm exam documents. May I come in?" There was no response; the office was silent. "President Mirexia?" He assumed she was too engrossed in work to hear him and tried again, still without an answer. Was Mirexia not in the office? "Excuse me," Wenny turned the handle and opened the door. Indeed, Mirexia was not there, though the lights were on, indicating she would return shortly. Intending to leave the documents on her desk, he did just that and left. Just as he opened the door to leave, a short-haired girl with thick glasses carrying a tea tray approached nervously. "Ah, ah!?" The girl, clearly startled by someone emerging from the office, lost her grip on the tray, which began to fall. Quickly, Wenny caught the tray and handed it back to her. "Th-thank you!" she stammered, taking back the tray. "Who are you?" Wenny asked, recognizing her as a fellow newcomer in the student council. If he remembered correctly, her name was Zoe. "S-sorry, I was too careless," Zoe apologized, steadying the tray. "You should be more careful," Wenny chided, frowning. Walking without watching was dangerous. It was almost as though she was carrying something explosive. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," she replied, bowing her head repeatedly. Observing the trembling tray in her hands, Wenny wondered why she seemed so nervous. Was he that intimidating? He didn't understand. Zoe was usually quite introverted; she rarely spoke with anyone in the student council. When she did, her tone was as if she feared being bullied. "I'm not blaming you. Just be more cautious to avoid hurting yourself or someone else," he advised, glancing at the tray. It held a student council-use enchanted porcelain cup, now half-spilled. "Y-yes, I understand." "What's with your demeanor? Like you're hiding something," Wenny remarked, squinting at her. "Uh, I..." "Need a hand?" he offered. "No need, thank you," Zoe replied softly. "Well, I suppose I did scare you a bit. We're classmates, after all. I'm happy to help. This tray looks heavy for you, so I'll carry it," Wenny insisted, taking the tray and placing it in the student council room. He even poured himself tea from a nearby enchanted porcelain cup, took a sip, and casually shook it. "Thank you for your help. I should go now," Zoe said timidly before leaving. Watching her exit, Wenny chuckled at the cup in his hand, realizing how absurd his thoughts had been. This place was Carleyman Academy. His workload must have driven him mad, imagining implausible scenarios. That girl seemed genuinely shy and socially anxious. Reflecting on his actions, Wenny felt as though he had bullied an innocent introvert. "Alright, time to get back to work," he sighed, shaking his head. As he prepared to leave the president's office, he noticed a familiar doll in one of the display cases. Upon closer inspection, he recognized it as the blond doll he had gifted Mirexia before they enrolled in school. Evidently, she appreciated it, placing it where she'd see it often while working. Wenny then left the president’s room, back to his tasks. Soon enough, the midterm exams began, and their locations were set. Given the vast size of Resmir, an annual expedition was required to clear out monsters, necessitating military intervention from every nation. Carleyman Academy contributed by dispatching its students to areas with lesser magical corruption. This both helped with the cleanup effort and provided practical experience for the students, achieving two goals at once. Considering the safety of the students, Carleyman Academy ensures that a number of instructors accompany them to protect them during their missions. Given that this is the first time first-year freshmen will be venturing into Resmir to hunt monsters, and lacking both experience and adequate strength, the academy allows freshmen to form teams. These teams are led by instructors for the purpose of monster hunting. Upperclassmen, on the other hand, do not have instructor supervision. Since the areas that Carleyman Academy students visit have low levels of contamination and the upperclassmen are quite experienced, they mostly operate independently. It’s impractical to assign instructors to supervise each student one-on-one. Though the likelihood of upperclassmen running into trouble is slim, they are regarded as prodigies of the academy. Even one serious injury counts as a major accident. Therefore, they are issued a token to crush in case they encounter dangerous situations, signaling instructors to swiftly come to their aid. As for the first-year student Wenny, he was allowed to form a team. Initially, based on Fred's suggestion the prior day, they planned to form a Five Card Bond team for the midterm monster hunt. However, plans changed, as the academy mandated that freshmen form five-member teams according to their Sorcery Soul class, each team led by an instructor. As a result, Shikondell, who wanted to team up with Wenny, was assigned to a different group. While other Sorcery Soul classes consisted of dozens of students divided into multiple groups, Wenny’s class happened to be five people exactly, forming a single group. Their leading instructor was naturally their class advisor, Feykolin. "Alright, you brats, I won't repeat the rules since you should have already read them on the forms, right?" Feykolin, unlike other teachers who repeatedly warned their students, could barely be bothered with formalities. "In our class, we don't have any illiterates who don't understand the written word." “You all know about Resmir, right? The northern lands tainted by the Demon Pillars, constantly spawning monsters, or rather, servants of the Demon Pillars. It requires annual purging; otherwise, the growing number of monsters would threaten the entire southern continent." "Tomorrow, we’ll be heading to Resmir for monster hunting. The rule is simple: the more you kill, the higher your score. Normally, it would be a free-for-all, but since you're all a bunch of rookies, I have to babysit you. Remember not to cause me trouble or get separated and carried off by wolves. Losing your lives isn't the real issue; making me accountable is. Do you understand?" Feykolin spoke with his hands in his pockets, a thuggish disposition that left the five students momentarily speechless. "Are you all mute? I asked if you understand!" "Understood," they finally responded in unison. Wenny began to question Feykolin's reliability once more. "You better understand because if you claim to understand now and then ask me unnecessary questions out there, I won't be happy." “Oh, and remember to bring enough food and water. The monsters are inedible, and you can't drink the water there." "After so many classes, this will be our armor class's first time fighting side by side. You might feel a bit rusty, but take it slow; there's a first time for everything, and you'll get used to it. That's all for now, go home and prepare. Dismissed." With that, Feykolin left the podium and exited the classroom, leaving the five students looking at each other helplessly. They all seemed to understand each other's thoughts with a shared sense of resignation. With a teacher like this, they realized they could only rely on each other and themselves. Except, perhaps, for one person. "Fellow comrades! I shall take my leave first. See you tomorrow!" Bardoss shouted loudly and left the room. The next day, the convoy set out for Resmir, drawn once more by unicorns. This time, however, the convoy's size was far greater, as it included nearly all the students of Carleyman Academy and numerous instructors, sparing only the headmaster and upper management. After about a week, the convoy from Carleyman Academy finally arrived at Resmir. The weather was already quite chilly, and upon stepping out of the carriage in Resmir, a gust nearly blew Wenny backward. Wow, it's freezing! Wenny felt so cold that he almost considered stealing Fred's coat to keep warm. Fortunately, he wore a warm winter uniform, though it barely alleviated the chill. Many other freshmen, like him, were so cold that their noses ran as soon as they exited the carriages, wishing they could get back inside. The upperclassmen, however, seemed accustomed to the cold, though they also felt chilly, it wasn't unbearable. Soon, the students found themselves herded like convicts in front of a fortress. Above the fortress flew a griffin banner, the standard of the ancient empire and Carleyman Academy. Freshmen gathered before the fortress while team leaders retrieved maps that showed areas of high and low contamination in Resmir, also indicating their operational zones. “Why are you standing around? Do I have to line up yourself, Captain Ferris?" Feykolin snapped at Wenny, who stood still like a statue. "Oh, right," Wenny slapped his forehead, having become dulled from playing cards nonstop during the journey — forgetting that before departure, Feykolin appointed him as team captain. As to why him? Who knew? Perhaps Feykolin truly saw the potential in his armor-type Sorcery Soul, or perhaps it was a decision made on a whim. After collecting the map, all the students and instructors gathered beneath the fortress, where they saw a middle-aged man in white robes, wearing a high white cross hat and holding a mithril cross staff, ascend grandly. Flanking him were two knights clad in cross-emblazoned helmets and silver cross robes. Upon seeing the trio, Wenny's brows furrowed almost immediately. Those hypocrites from the church had shown up again. Like how the Peono family has the Dragon Knights as loyal protectors, each "Saint" family also has its own Sorcery Soul bodyguard squads. The knights beside the bishop were the Church of Dawn's most elite forces, once the personal guardians of the Saintess, known as the "Holy Radiance Cross Knights." Their equipment consisted of the "Saint’s Instruments," but unlike the clergy and nuns, they specialized in combat. Ironically and tragically, it was these very knights, once the Saintess’s guardians, who raided the Ferris household back in the day.