035 - Leslie Berdandy (2)

"By the way, what are we going to study today, Teacher?" asked the young and elegant brunette girl with an interesting expression. She smiled as she held out the books she'd collected.

"Shall we begin by uncovering the question of the origins of supernatural powers that are first appearing in this world?! Aaah!~ This is a subject I enjoy!" Leslie, the brunette girl's name, began shouting with delight. Not to mention, she kissed numerous books as though she adored the stack of books in front of her.

Leslie Berdandy is a brilliant student who is full of excitement about studying, and any teacher who has the good fortune to have her as a student will be overjoyed.

But not for Faerie, a former lecturer who was sick of her exhausting job. Faerie does not want to teach again in the other world.

Especially if the person she is going to teach is one of the important characters, the great genius who only appears once in 300 years.

'It's incredibly difficult to teach someone who is already smart....'

She appeared to be recalling a dreadful experience that she never wanted to recollect again in her life.

An annoying laugh, which Faerie detested but secretly liked a little bit, started to ring in her head all of a sudden.

"…er!"

"Teacher, do you prefer magic or divine power?" Leslie, entirely unaware of Faerie's worsening mood, asked in a bright tone.

The warm and pleasant voice brought Faerie back to reality.

"..."

Faerie glanced at Leslie's innocent face with an odd expression on her face.

Leslie is a genius who is essential to the survival of the world, if only she could do something about the sacred artifact that mysteriously appeared 16 years ago.

Even though Faerie had no idea what kind of precious artifact it was, with Leslie's ability and Faerie's help, discovering the mystery behind the sacred artifact could increase the success of Faerie's contract.

'Well… If it's only a sharing of opinions, it shouldn't be an issue,' Faerie thought as she scratched the back of her neck.

"Teacher... Torenia...?" Leslie worried as Faerie didn't respond to her talk.

"I'll go with divine power...!" Faerie responded promptly when she noticed Leslie's glum expression.

Leslie's face lit up when she heard Faerie's response. "Really? How come our preferences are so similar?! I'm also more interested in divine power!"

"Although I am also interested in the system processing of a magic power that uses natural energy as a power source. But I'm more interested in the mindset of believers who believe that by believing, worshiping, and praying to God, they will be granted divine power even if it takes years."

"Don't you think that seems like a scam, Teacher?" Leslie asked, hoping to have the opinion of a fellow girl with whom she believed she could communicate her opinions without fear of repercussions.

Faeries who heard those words could only broaden their eyes.

'Hey, doesn't your family, no, the Empire you live in, believe in Gaia as Goddess...? How can you speak something so dangerous to a stranger like me so openly?!' Leslie's reckless behavior was causing Faerie to panic.

'What if the Priests arrested you for insulting their beliefs?'

But Faerie couldn't help but agree with what this smart girl had said, but she was also foolish since she trusted strangers too easily.

"If divine power can be earned by judging how attentively you worship the Gods, pray, worship, and do good to the needy, then people won't have to bother being a Priest and purposefully remaining in temples to isolate themselves from worldly cravings," replied Faerie, who was also seriously discussing it.

"People can be kind anywhere, pray and worship anywhere, without having to wear the title of Priest or anything like that."

"But if it does happen, it will generate quite a stir because people will begin to doubt the idea that the temple is the only sacred place where they can hear voices of the great and mighty God and Goddess."

"However, there is one absolute word that can make people accept it voluntarily without arguing about it further."

"If—" Leslie, who appeared to be about to interrupt Faerie's words, caused her to pause for a second. Leslie seemed certain of what Faerie was going to say.

"—Fate wills!" yelled Leslie, her face beaming.

When Faerie saw Leslie's face, she flinched. '... Why is your face so excited?'

Leslie's expression indicated that she was talking about the type of ideal man she likes rather than heavy theories like these.

"Hahaha! That's correct! Fate cannot be untangled or researched. If what I want to study is directly tied to fate, I have to give up!" Leslie agreed, causing Faerie to unconsciously nod.

Fate.

There is a fate that cannot be changed, such as the parents from whom you will be born.

And there is a fate that can be changed, such as how you who were born poor can become rich if you work hard enough.

If a mere lowly human type tried to meddle with something as powerful as a wholly unknown 'fate', and even the Gods themselves merely dared to watch 'fate' move without interfering, then there would be a fair price to pay to cope with it.

'Am I entering this novel's world with the 'unchangeable fate' or the 'changeable fate'? Whatever it is... It is also fate to meet the Goddess and make a contract with her....' Faerie pondered as she gazed at the transparent screen hovering in the air just in front of her.

[The system suggests you ask 'Leslie' about the main character! ^_^]

Faerie ignored the system's gibberish sentences on the screen.

"... I, too, can gain diverse powers through the Goddess' system." Without realizing it, Faerie mumbled under her breath.

'Well, considering I came to this novel to make the world better, which means I have to deal with the fate of this annoying world....'

When Faerie realized how heavy the weight she was bearing, she shook her head.

'How unlucky I am....'

"Teacher? Do you say something?"

"Hmph!!" She quickly covered her mouth, as if she had just realized she had accidentally revealed a piece of personal information about herself in front of a character.

"Teacher? What's the problem?" Leslie observed Faerie's sudden strange motions.

"No!" Faerie responded with a brief smile and shifted the subject. "How about you quit calling me Teacher? I only pledge to be your listener when you're talking about significant issues like these."

Faerie, as previously said, did not accept Leslie's offer to teach her when she returned from the academy.

'What more should I do for a genius kid like her other than support her and listen to her hypothesize?'

To be honest, she no longer wanted to cope with a genius.

Leslie pursed her lips for a second before widening her smile. "All right, I'll call you Torenia, but you should call my name too."

"Since we are only a year apart!"

'Ah, so Leslie is 15 and Princess Faerie is 16? Hm… If my real identity is not known, we can become good friends, which will help my contract succeed!' Faerie's mind immediately bloomed with the idea.

Faerie seemed to accept it right now, but she had to pretend to be troubled by the friendly offer first.

"Hmm... I don't know...." Faerie dipped her head to avoid Leslie's expectant stare.

"D-Drink this tea first, Torenia! You haven't tried the delicious tea you make yourself, have you?" Leslie, concerned that Faerie might reject her offer, quickly offered her the tea that Faerie had prepared and told her to sip it so that her mind would be clear before Faerie made a decision.

"… Okay."

Faerie took the teacup and sipped it gracefully. She didn't make the slightest mistake that common people who didn't understand noble etiquette should frequently make.

"..."

As a result, Leslie was temporarily fascinated by Faerie's elegant movements while drinking tea.

'As I had anticipated... So beautiful....' Leslie blinked her eyes before returning her attention to waiting for her response.

Faerie closed her eyes and placed the teacup back on the table, enjoying the tea that came into her mouth.

'OK! I've been pretending to be lost in thought for a while now, so it's time for me to accept the offer!'

"Um...." Faerie stared at Leslie, scratching the nape of her neck. "Okay," said Faerie, as if she had made up her decision after much deliberation.

"Thank God! I was afraid you'd reject me! So, it means now that we are no longer master and servant, Torenia!" Leslie giggled warmly as she took both of Faerie's hands in hers.

"...Huh?"

Leslie's hands fully grabbed Faerie's, and she was transported into a big white space that looked to be very sacred.

"Whoa, what's that?" Just as Leslie was about to look a little deeper, the scene vanished, as if she had been ejected from that sacred space.

[Warning!!]

[The character, 'Leslie' has subconsciously activated the hidden ability to see the true figure of 'Faerie'.]

[If you don't want to be found out, remove her hand from you immediately!]

As soon as a warning appeared in the information window, Faerie swiftly withdrew her hand from Leslie's grip.

"I apologize. I'm not used to being held by a noble."

Leslie gazed at Faerie with dilated pupils, but it only lasted a second since Leslie had moved the discussion as if nothing had happened.

"Why don't you marry my brother?"

"I assumed you can control my brother's dumb and annoying behavior when you're with him!

Faerie, who was scared because she felt Leslie had suspicions about her, was even more taken aback by Leslie's unexpected and horrible remark.

"H-Huh? Who will marry whom?"

"You and my brother!"

"W-What?!"