Three days left until the first class.

 

————-

 

The saint, Tara, disliked the goddess’s temple.

 

The tedious and useless rituals of the temple, the complicated and twisted procedures, the restrictions that a saint must adhere to, the atmosphere filled with silence, and the incessant chatter.

 

If you’re a saint, you must be quiet. If you’re a saint, you must be an example to the followers. If you’re a saint, you must not be promiscuous. If you’re a saint, you must use polite and refined words…

 

A heap of demanding words.

 

Someone argued that she should be grateful as she had risen dramatically from being a commoner. What’s the problem when you have no worries about your livelihood your whole life?

 

Someone said, “How can anyone reject the benevolence bestowed by the gods and not rejoice in undertaking the most honorable task with mere human emotions?”

 

Another argued, “Since things turned out this way, shouldn’t one just live as things flow? After all, what’s past is gone and can’t be brought back; it’s inevitable.”

 

However, Tara had never desired anything from the list they enumerated.

 

The former Miss Clothing Store, Tara, understood the subtle nature of transactions. Demanding money after declaring it unnecessary is called coercion.

 

Tara, who initially refused a trivial thing she wanted, found it astonishing when they threw money, honor, and other things, saying, “How about it, isn’t it great?”

 

As a result, Saint Tara deviated.

 

She had firmly decided to act in direct opposition to what the sect demanded.

 

————-

 

According to the rules the saint of the sect must adhere to, the saint’s attire should be designed in a modest form that conceals the figure.

 

This is to prevent various scandals, such as when a saint acquires a lover and escapes in the name of love or when walking through an alley for volunteer activities, to prevent trouble from uneducated individuals.

 

They said not to do it.

 

She fully utilized her experience in the clothing store. She tailored the loose saint’s attire to make it completely tight, revealing the navel when worn. She even cut out the sleeves, exposing the shoulders and armpits, as the rules emphasized not to reveal them.

 

She bought a completely black transparent underwear with ties, violating the rule that underwear should have no transparency and ties are absolutely forbidden.

 

She exposed a daring side slit at the hem. The hip was clearly visible, and even the panty strap showed. It was against the rule that clearly stated not to do so.

 

She defied everything that was prohibited.

 

“…Is this clothing or a rag?”

 

Of course… the person wearing it felt so embarrassed that they could die!

 

But she didn’t yield. To tarnish the sect’s reputation, she could endure a bit of shame. After wearing it for a while, she even got used to it.

 

Thus, the monster known as the “Couple Destroyer” was born. Like a sunflower turning towards the sun, when she walked down the street, half of the passersby turned their heads.

 

Then, several couples passing by were completely wrecked.

 

The attempt to infiltrate the Goddess Academy wasn’t ending here. They dropped formalities and adopted informal language. When nobles, along with substantial sponsorships, requested the blessing of a saint, they cursed inwardly, anticipating becoming miserable.

 

(Exceptions were made when blessing a newborn. That was done with utmost sincerity.)

 

They messed up the room as they pleased, eating snacks that scattered crumbs on the carpet. Even if the priests begged them to attend the prayer meeting today, they absolutely refused. No volunteering either.

 

They always walked around with a scowl, staring at others. Ignoring greetings. If cursed, they welcomed it. They even tried to attract men to maintain an image, but that was also futile.

 

But appearances being appearances, rumors of their indecency spread effortlessly.

 

The reason the saint of the Goddess Academy was unexpectedly attending the academy was this. Unable to handle her eccentric behavior, the Goddess faction sent the saint to the academy as a form of exile. Hoping for a change of heart.

 

Thus, the academy was graced with the presence of a saint dressed provocatively like a seductive frog.

 

————-

 

As a result, the saint’s daily routine resembled more of a repeat cycle, much like Lupin’s form. Wake up, attend classes, sleep. At the current point when the academy hasn’t officially started, the middle part was skipped.

 

Wake up, sleep. The repetition.

 

If bored, she went to the library to read books. And if there was still time, she pondered on how to upgrade the saintly attire (about 45% left in its original form). Delicate adjustments were now necessary as a snap could lead to more than just a change of clothes.

 

The saint’s duties were more than expected. Participating in various sacred ceremonies, and when a significant event occurred, she had the responsibility to command priests and holy knights to resolve it. Gratitude letters also had to be written to those who made substantial donations.

 

With such tasks efficiently delegated to the priests below, there was inevitably leftover time.

 

Amidst the repetitive monotony of such daily life…

 

“…”

 

The incident of exchanging panties for a demonic sword happened.

 

The tragedy on the balcony was still ongoing. The saint swung the raised demonic sword through the air, contemplating, “Who the hell is this?”

 

The demonic sword was a serious offense.

 

The reason was simple. It was incredibly immoral and destined for destruction someday. Attempts to instill consciousness into a weapon had been made since ancient times, but there was only one successful method. Entrap someone’s soul within the weapon.

 

The soul undergoes infinite agony within the confines of a cold, bloodless lump of iron. Although capable of thought, it remains motionless, akin to being trapped in a narrow coffin.

 

Therefore, the existence of a “kind ego sword” was impossible.

 

No matter how noble a soul may be, spending around 300 years in a sealed space leads to madness. The ultimate destination for all ego swords was the corrupted demonic blade.

 

Hence, simply possessing consciousness and speaking was enough to be judged as a demonic blade. There was no other method of creation aside from infusing a soul. The decision to seal it after hearing just the first verse was for this reason.

 

“Is it a provocation?”

 

If they had just thrown the demonic blade and retreated, one might think they wanted to avoid getting involved in troublesome matters with the Goddess Church. However, destroying a delicate laundry stand and taking away panties, no matter how you think about it, was a provocation.

 

How should the culprit be caught? Just as the holy maiden was contemplating, a smart knock on the door echoed. Then, the priestess peeked her face through the door crack.

 

“Um, Lady Saint.”

 

“I’m not going. Whatever you called me for, I won’t do it. I won’t go.”

 

“Just paid the consultation fee, wanted to meet Lady Saint, so…”

 

“I said I’m not going. Do you want another knife sheath added to your holy robes?”

 

At the threat that made one dizzy just by hearing it, the priestess’s expression turned pale. However, to retreat from here was quite a weighty matter, so the priestess closed her eyes tightly and continued speaking.

 

“P-Professor… Professor Alejandro has something important to say!”

 

“Professor?”

 

Alejandro Menuba. The professor in charge of “Elementary Principles of Elements.”

 

His skills were outstanding, but he was an annoying person. It could be said that his narcissism could be felt in every accent, and just looking at him made one feel dirty inside. As if half the world had to love him. Didn’t want to meet him.

 

Still, he was a professor, and if he had paid a consultation fee enough to make an ordinary household stagger, one had to meet. While feeding information to the lectern was important, being proud of oneself was also crucial.

 

Fair trade had to be upheld.

 

If a reasonable fee was paid without any favors, it was the law to receive the goods.

 

Saint Tara strapped the demonic blade to her waist and descended to the reception room.

 

Professor Alejandro, stroking his mustache, spoke solemnly.

 

“The sorcery is unmistakable.”

 

“?”

 

“I pondered for a long time how I, who reached the realm of fiction, fell victim to the illusionary magic of an inept sorcerer. Then, this morning, as sunlight streamed in through the window, a beam of light passed through my mind. The benevolence of the goddess is unmistakable.”

 

“There’s no sunlight in the symbol of the goddess.”

 

Professor Alejandro paid no mind. Lost in his thoughts like any person, he poured out his words. The sorceress quietly cast a magic shield. Spit flew.

 

“I distinctly heard at that time, Alejandro, do not despair. The sorcerer of the violet tower used sorcery! Yes, dark sorcerers enhance their magic effects by using the souls of pitiful victims! He definitely used dark magic… no doubt!”

 

“Yes, well… so what?”

 

“This time, I will expose the wicked dark sorcerer who entered the academy, disguised as a professor! I cannot tolerate it for the safety of the students and the future of the empire. Hurry and handle it, if the one who noticed the pursuit erases the traces and escapes, what will happen!”

 

Thanks to the following 30 minutes of ‘It’s not because I lack skill,’ the sorceress could grasp the whole picture. The newly appointed mage in charge of ‘Illusionary Magic Response’ seemed to have given Alejandro a hard time.

 

The sorceress thought it was trivial. Alejandro’s grandiose stumbling due to inferiority complex, that’s all it was. It wasn’t the first time something like this happened. About four times a year, Alejandro pushed too hard like this.

 

So she knows how to resolve it.

 

Even if she doesn’t know who it is, she’ll go to the mage in charge of illusions. And if she says, ‘Please, even if it’s just one chocolate, pack it nicely and give it to Professor Alejandro.’ everything will be resolved.

 

He’d loosen up as quickly as he’d accelerated. If the mage gave him a little compliment, saying, ‘Your talent shines like a star! I misunderstood before, I apologize.’ he would blush immediately.

 

For that, she needs to meet him.

 

The sorceress listened to Professor Alejandro’s words with one ear and let them flow out with the other, declared the end of the meeting time, and stood up. She was thinking of taking a walk and looking for the illusionist mage.

 

Meanwhile, at the same moment.

 

The dark sorcerer Venet felt the need for a deep investigation into the illusionist mage. Knowing more about how the second prince’s faction planned to attack the third prince, when it would happen, the more specific information he had, the easier it would be to manipulate.

 

The mission couldn’t be accomplished with just one Artifact. Even the seemingly meaningless actions, like a Jatap mage meeting a woman as if he were looking for something, or visiting an underwear store, all had their own intentions.

 

The mage still had many secrets. And the appropriate way to unearth those secrets was… to shadow. Wearing the academy uniform, Vernet melted into the crowd.

 

He would shadow the Jatap mage at an appropriate distance.

 

————-

 

Meanwhile, at the same time.

 

Niole was contemplating while looking at the panties. I have to return them, but how should I? Who was the original owner of the panties anyway? Since they were hanging on the balcony laundry line, the voice heard from inside the balcony door… must have been the owner of the panties.

 

He briefly imagined himself holding a whiteboard and heading to the Goddess Building. And then,

 

[“Looking for the owner of the underwear!”]

 

If he were to walk around holding the whiteboard with both hands…

 

It was absurd. No matter how much he thought about it, the image was strange. It seemed better to return them quietly to the balcony at night. Niole tucked the panties into his pocket.

 

Then came the second concern.

 

It was about the Second Prince’s wicked scheme. A great storm was about to hit the academy… Many people would die or be dragged into it. Even those who were innocent would be affected. As heavy as the royal blood was, so would be the aftermath.

 

[Can’t I stop it?]

 

He wrote on the whiteboard. He looked at the sentence deeply. Could he, who was only good at reading people’s intentions, really protect the peace of the academy against the storm?

 

“……”

 

No, he wasn’t alone.

 

The man who fled with the Artifact. He said he stole it because he thought it was valuable, but upon reflection, it was a strange statement.

 

How did he know it was an Artifact?

 

In Niole’s eyes, the longsword the man had left on the balcony looked ordinary. Wasn’t it because Niole thought the person buried in the pit was a human that he chased after him? It was only after the man revealed it was an Artifact that Niole found out.

 

In Niole’s thoughts… it seemed like the man was trying to thwart the Second Prince’s wicked plan. Wasn’t there no other reason for him to flee with the buried Artifact? Perhaps he might even be on the side of justice.

 

He mistakenly ran away, thinking he was on the side of the second prince, but if they meet again, they should be able to clear up the misunderstanding. And then, let’s seek cooperation. Since he also wants to prevent the academy from being engulfed in flames, let’s join forces and stop it together.

 

To meet that man again…

 

Those who sought the Demon Sword. A magician and a beauty, these two. They were the core of this incident. Let’s tail them. Gather information and thwart their wicked plans.

 

If that man is also trying to thwart the second prince’s plans, he’ll eventually chase the magician. They might cross paths again during the pursuit. Alright, fighting! You’re not alone, stay strong.

 

Niore rose energetically and set out to find the duo of the magician and the beauty.

 

————-

 

“We’ve got a tail. Three of them.”

 

“Why would they tail an academy’s newly appointed professor?”

 

I couldn’t believe it and let out a dry laugh. What did I do to have three people following me? I haven’t even had my first class yet.