Chapter 033. Cecilia de Frey

"Hmm."

Singing a little tune, Cecilia started her day with a light step as she headed to school.

Today was the day the temporary school closure, imposed due to a recent incident, was lifted. Thanks to that, Cecilia walked joyfully towards S-Class.

"Hello, Saintess."

"Nice to see you! Oh my, Matilda, you seem even prettier today!"

"Haha! You're too kind, Saintess!"

Cecilia's journey to school was generally like this.

Whenever students recognized her, they would approach and greet her warmly first, and Cecilia, who remembered each precious connection, would respond cheerfully.

It might not be necessary, but since Cecilia considered everyone a valuable connection, she couldn't push them away.

"By the way… I see a ring on your finger that I haven't seen before?"

Matilda's eyes sparkled as she made the initial greeting.

It seemed that the silver ring adorning Cecilia's finger caught her attention after a long time.

"Yeah, I found it by chance."

Cecilia smiled bashfully and raised her finger to show it off.

It was unfortunate, but it was impossible to wear the ring on her left ring finger as she wished. They weren't even at that stage yet… thanks to Arwen and Maria's vehement objections.

In the end, Cecilia agreed to wear the ring on her left pinky finger.

As expected of a ring of immense value, it adjusted its size automatically. Although she felt a bit disappointed, she thought to herself that this was acceptable.

"The left ring finger symbolizes the depth of love, right?"

"Is that so?"

"Then do you know what the ring on your pinky finger symbolizes, Saintess?"

Cecilia hesitated at the bold student's question.

How could she not know? In truth, Cecilia had secretly hoped that Veris would recognize the ring on her pinky.

"What could it be? I don't know."

But Cecilia was a girl who was more bashful than she appeared, so she couldn't reveal that fact. With a benevolent smile like the usual Saintess, she asked back with a composed face.

"Hehe, it symbolizes the beginning of a new connection."

"I see…"

Even though she already knew that, hearing it from someone else felt different. Thinking that, Cecilia slowly caressed the ring.

The sight was as beautiful and sacred as a watercolor painting. Matilda was radiating an even more intense light in response.

'Oh my, oh my!'

Though Matilda was just a girl who could hardly joke about having many experiences with men, she was quite perceptive.

Look at the benevolent Saintess Cecilia now. That kind and beautiful Saintess, who bestows the blessings of the gods upon all life in the continent, had a face similar to that of a girl in love.

'This is certain.'

The Saintess has a man in her heart. So Matilda began to think quickly.

'Is it Gunther Haruen? Or someone else? Perhaps a clergyman?'

There weren't any particular men around Saintess Cecilia.

Rumor had it that a few days ago, at the request of the dean, she had gone on a dungeon exploration. Could it be one of the men who were with her then?

'I've heard that a person named Veris is also famous.'

Matilda soon thought of one person.

Even though he was already enrolled in B-Class, his power was said to far exceed that level, making him a unique man.

Moreover, it was said that his appearance was more beautiful than a dragon in human form from legends, so there was a possibility that he was the man Cecilia had in her heart.

"Saintess…"

"Yes? Why are you looking at me like that?"

With narrowed eyes, Matilda gazed at Cecilia.

Her expression was full of hidden secrets. But Matilda understood the delicate sensibility of the girl well. So she knew that now was not the time for a direct approach; she needed to take a roundabout way.

"I'd like to ask for some advice."

"Hmmm… What kind of advice? Don't worry, lean on me."

At Cecilia's gentle response, Matilda flinched.

She had secretly wanted to test Cecilia, but the pure-hearted girl's answer pricked Matilda's conscience.

However, Matilda soon shook her head. It was already spilled water, a task that had begun. Backing down now wouldn't sit well with the merchant's blood flowing in her veins.

"Actually, there's someone I like these days."

"Oh my, oh my! What should I do? Should I congratulate you? Or should I worry?"

Cecilia jumped in place at Matilda's confession, which was full of falsehoods.

It was an adorable and lovely sight overflowing with cuteness, but Matilda didn't show it and continued speaking.

"I don't know if that person knows how I feel. Even though they're always by my side, I can't seem to bring myself to say it."

"That can't be…"

Cecilia's face quickly fell at Matilda's not-so-serious dilemma. It was obvious that the usual Cecilia would react like this, so Matilda continued her act.

"I'm afraid that if I honestly confess my feelings, that person will leave. You wouldn't know what to do in such a situation, would you, Saintess?"

Matilda shamelessly played the role of a lovesick girl.

Even she thought that her appearance was so heart-wrenching that it would make anyone's heart ache. Just as she expected, Cecilia looked at Matilda with tear-filled green eyes.

"Don't worry."

"...Huh?"

Cecilia quietly raised her hand and placed it on Matilda's head.

Since she was naturally small, Matilda was bigger in stature, but strangely, Matilda felt as if Cecilia was embracing and comforting her.

"Matilda is an attractive woman. I don't know who that person is, but I wouldn't dare give advice on Matilda's heart."

At Cecilia's soft voice, Matilda trembled.

She was a girl with an incredibly pure and beautiful heart. Before long, she began to move the hand she had placed on Matilda's head to gently stroke her.

"However, one thing I can assure you is that Matilda's heart will always be rewarded. So don't worry at all."

"...."

Matilda stared at her blankly.

No matter how she thought about it, this Saintess was too kind-hearted.

* * *

Class began.

Today's lesson was about mana, but unfortunately, all the students in S-Class had a very high understanding of mana.

Because of that, Matilda rolled her eyes repeatedly, glancing at Cecilia during the boring class.

Cecilia, sitting diagonally in front of her, seemed to be lost in thought, caressing her ring, then suddenly burying her face in her arms or wrapping her arms around herself as if lost in some imagination.

'It's certain.'

Earlier, she had been so captivated by Cecilia's saintly voice, but she hadn't dismissed her doubts.

If someone were to see that scene, even someone who had suffered great visual hardships would surely understand that Cecilia liked someone.

"That's quite unbecoming."

"Hehe."

The one who scolded Cecilia was Arwen, who sat next to her. An elf swordswoman. Rumor had it that she had gained the power of spirits, but what mattered now was that she was Cecilia's close companion.

Or rather, there was a somewhat ambiguous aspect to calling them close companions. They were said to live together because they got along well, but sometimes the two looked more like rivals than friends.

'Hmm.'

Matilda turned her gaze to Arwen's back.

She had an incredibly beautiful face. Cecilia was also a beauty in her own right, so the two always had the power to draw everyone's attention.

'I should talk to her again after class.'

Matilda thought that and turned her eyes back to the professor lecturing.

Unbeknownst to her, a ring identical to Arwen's was resting on her finger.

* * *

"Saintess."

"Hmm? Matilda, aren't you going back to the dorm yet?"

"No. I have something to ask."

Matilda replied to Cecilia's innocent question.

During the breaks in between the lectures, Matilda had persistently approached Cecilia. But since she hadn't gained any significant insights each time, Matilda decided to take a bold step.

"What is love?"

"...Love?"

However, unlike before, this time there was a noticeable gain.

Look at that girl, her face lighting up just by uttering that word. It was hard to believe that someone with such a demeanor had no one in her heart.

"Yes. I suddenly thought about it during the lecture. There's a world of difference between loving someone and just liking them."

"Uh-huh… That's true?"

"Have you ever experienced loving someone, Saintess?"

"W-Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?"

Matilda internally cheered.

The girl with the kind expression had turned as red as a ripe apple. Was that not enough? Her ears were also flushed bright red, so the answer was already clear.

"Love…"

Matilda silently watched as the girl mumbled absentmindedly.

After a while of pondering, Cecilia began to fidget with her fingers.

"Love is a good thing."

"...Huh?"

That was an unexpected answer.

"Matilda knows, right? Just thinking about that person makes you happy, and you always want to be by their side. So love can only be a good thing. You try not to fall short compared to that person and move forward to be together, so love is definitely a good feeling."

It was a completely different answer to her question. But Matilda felt she understood a bit of what she meant, so she could only stare blankly.

'I'm sorry.'

A heavy sense of guilt weighed down on Matilda, one she couldn't express in words.

What kind of cruel prank had she intended to play on this benevolent Saintess?

Deep down, it was a moment that made her reflect on her actions today.

"Ah? Veris! Matilda, see you tomorrow!"

Cecilia ran towards a man walking slowly in the distance.

Though she hadn't heard a clear answer from her, it was impossible not to understand what it meant.

* * *

"Are you just now heading back? Why are you so late?"

"Mari was being a nuisance. I didn't want to just leave her behind."

"Tsk, she's really too much."

"You're also coming back late, so what's that about?"

Cecilia smiled brightly at Veris's usual gentle tone.

Despite his cold demeanor, he was an incredibly kind-hearted person inside. "Hehe."

Walking in step with Veris, Cecilia suddenly looked up at the sky.

Love, love.

When did she start to become aware of that feeling?

It must have been a long time ago. From the moment this man, who quietly walked beside her, saved her in the past, to now, countless feelings had tormented her. "Phew."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

Cecilia brightly replied to Veris, who was worried about her.

The feeling she harbored now was something she found hard to ignore. The hot, swirling lump in her chest only grew stronger the more she was with him, bringing even bigger waves.

"If you have any worries, just tell me."

"...Okay."

In response to his reassuring voice, Cecilia spoke softly.

The sudden illness that had come upon her seemed to require a lot of time to heal completely.

[TL: If you can't wait on updates and want to read more, please support me to read the whole novel here: https://buymeacoffee.com/mythictranslations.]