92

"Everyone, calm down and run toward the back door!"

Amid the chaos caused by the monster's attack, a red-haired male student shouted.

His voice carried a compelling authority that seemed to draw attention. Gradually, the panicked students began to regain their composure, one by one, and followed his command, fleeing toward the back door.

Meanwhile, he drew his sword and charged straight into the middle of the monster horde, holding them off.

It was a heroic sight, as if he were the protagonist of a grand story. Brave and valiant, though…

Regrettably, he soon faded from my sight.

"Iris, are you okay?"

That might have been because of the person standing before me—the very first friend I ever made.

"Th-thank you…"

As I took Lily's outstretched hand, I felt her warmth radiate through me.

Once she confirmed I was unharmed, she began scanning our surroundings with a calm, calculating gaze.

"This is ridiculous."

"Huh?"

Lily let out a brief sigh before pointing toward the stage where the principal had been standing.

Following her finger, I turned to look.

"…What?"

The teachers, as well as the principal, were all standing there with sharp, watchful eyes, observing the students with great interest.

"This is a test. They must have staged this to assess the students' abilities."

"…Then these monsters…"

"Most likely illusions."

Upon hearing Lily's deduction, I looked around.

Sure enough, as if confirming her words, the terrifying monsters that had appeared out of nowhere didn't match the severity of the situation—they had not actually injured a single student.

Having grasped the reality of the situation, Lily calmly sat down again and waited. Soon, the red-haired boy and other standout students began methodically taking down the monsters.

Not long after,

Clap, clap, clap.

A smattering of applause echoed through the room, growing louder as it filled the space.

"This year's batch is truly exceptional. I can't believe they wrapped this up so quickly."

"They said there were a lot of promising students this year, and they weren't wrong. It's a whole different level compared to last year."

"Hoho, the seniors better watch out."

The voices of several instructors conversing on the stage reached us.

As the students remained bewildered, still trying to grasp the situation, the principal stepped forward and began to speak once more.

"All of you new students have worked hard to get here."

With a single wave of the director's hand, the monsters that had surrounded the area turned into smoke and dissipated into the air in an instant.

It didn't take long for the students to realize that it had all been an illusion. Some began to complain, saying the prank had gone too far.

Amid the heated atmosphere, the director calmly quelled their unrest.

"Everyone, why did you come to Regis Academy?"

The director's question elicited a variety of responses from the students.

"Some of you may have come here to hone your skills. Others might have come with hopes of future success. Perhaps some were even forced to come against their will. The reasons are many and varied."

The director's gaze swept over the students as he observed their reactions.

"But at our academy, we have only one purpose."

With a solemn expression, he continued.

"To help you grow into better versions of yourselves. That is our one and only goal."

"To achieve this, you will face many experiences during your time at the academy. All of these are stepping stones designed to foster your growth. I hope you will face them with unwavering resolve."

"Now, once again, welcome to Regis Academy. That concludes my speech."

With those words, the director gracefully left the now-silent auditorium.

It was only after some time had passed that the students, snapping out of their daze, began to clap hesitantly.

The atmosphere had shifted dramatically from the earlier discontent.

"I don't know why, but I feel moved…"

"Looking back, it wasn't such a bad experience after all…"

"This is… kind of exciting!"

In the midst of this warm and uplifting atmosphere, I felt a wave of relief that no one had been hurt.

Come to think of it, the only person who had fully grasped the situation was Lily.

"Amazing as always, Lily…"

I turned my head in her direction, but the seat where she had been sitting was now empty.

Where could she have gone in such a short time?

From figuring out the illusion to her mysterious nature, she truly was an enigmatic girl.

But now that we were friends, I was sure we'd have plenty of chances to talk in the future.

With a faint smile, I looked up at the sky.

"Goddess,"

It seems my life at the academy will be much more enjoyable than I had anticipated.

***

Since that incident, my days at the academy had been a whirlwind of activity.

Time flew by so quickly.

"It's already been a month…"

I muttered to myself as I lay sprawled across my bed.

Then, a girl with brown hair that suited her well, Annie, who had been assigned to the same room as me, responded with a bright smile.

"Exactly. Time really flies, doesn't it?"

"Annie's right."

One month.

In that time, quite a lot—enough to call it substantial—had happened.

The enormous amount of training that began right from the first day after the class assignments.

Grueling practical exercises that inevitably made us sweat.

And the dreadful exams that repeated every week. Every single one of these was a nerve-wracking experience.

My classmates all wore expressions as if their spirits had been drained.

But I found it all enjoyable.

Of course, I would.

Until now, I hadn't had a single close friend and had lived my life confined to the cathedral.

Compared to that, everything about the academy was fascinating.

I feel a little guilty toward the Archbishop for saying this, but…

Honestly, the cathedral was too boring.

Meeting and engaging with so many people here was absolutely delightful.

While I was reminiscing about these past memories, Annie suddenly jumped onto my bed, lying down next to me, and started talking.

"Listen, Iris. These days, Robin hasn't been paying any attention to me at all!"

"Oh my."

Isn't love talk supposed to be the most entertaining?

I perked up my ears at Annie's words.

I listened to her story to the very end.

A boy named Robin.

Annie said he was her childhood friend, someone she had grown up with, and admitted she had feelings of affection for him.

Come to think of it, I had recently met him.

A calm personality and striking red hair.

When I first met him, I couldn't help but be surprised.

It was because I could sense the power of the goddess within him.

My curiosity led me to observe Robin further, and I discovered that he had the same type of unique ability as me.

There had been rumors about a unique ability user entering the academy, and it turned out to be Robin.

Unique abilities.

Special powers bestowed by the goddess.

As these powers are gifts from the goddess, those of us with divine power equivalent to high-ranking priests or above can discern the nature of a person's abilities just through contact.

In my case, it's healing magic.

A power capable of healing any wound, as long as the person isn't dead.

Of course, the greater the wound, the more it drains my energy. But if I can save a life, I'm more than happy to do it, so it's fine.

Robin's power was the 'Unyielding Will.'

A force that enables him to fight on without faltering in any situation, as long as he doesn't give up.

I thought it was the kind of ability truly befitting a hero.

But the hero was someone else.

"…Lily."

I softly called out her name.

When I first found out she was the hero, I was utterly shocked.

Lily, the first friend I made after entering the academy.

I always wanted to look at her and talk to her more.

Even though I didn't have many opportunities to interact with her after that.

Every time our eyes met, my heart raced with joy.

A feeling distinctly different from what I felt toward others.

…To be honest.

I know exactly what this feeling is.

Of course, I've known for a long time.

I know who I am.

At first, I thought it was destiny.

After all, Lily was the hero, and…

And, though it's embarrassing to admit… I was a saint after all.

The hero and the saint. The bond between the two of us is inseparable.

An absolute relationship, indispensable for defeating the Demon King.

We're bound to spend a lot of time together moving forward.

At first, I was simply happy about it.

But as time went on, I gradually came to face reality.

I'll probably never reveal these feelings.

Because these emotions… would be a great betrayal to countless believers who trust me, including the Goddess and the Archbishop.

And besides, even Lily would likely not accept these feelings warmly.

She's far removed from ordinary people.

…Still, just being able to stay by her side from now on might be enough for me.

While I was soothing my bitter feelings like that,

Annie, who had puffed out her cheeks, was staring at me and said,

"Iris. Are you even listening to me?"

"Ah? S-sorry, Annie… What were you saying?"

"Iris, honestly… What's got you so lost in thought?"

I wanted to come up with an excuse, but since I'm not good at lying,

I had no choice but to twist the truth.

"I was just thinking about the Hero."

"Oh, you mean Lily?"

Did Annie know too?

Well, of course, she would.

After all, the hottest topic at this academy is none other than Lily.

"Oh, that reminds me!"

As if something had come to mind, Annie clapped her hands together with a sharp clap.

"What is it, Annie?"

With her eyes sparkling, she looked at me and said,

"This weekend, Robin and Lily are having an official duel!"

"…What?"

What in the world is she talking about?