Lucia spoke while taking a deep breath.

“...Yes, by changing the order of the Prayer a bit, the effectiveness of the Grace becomes significantly greater. It might be a bit challenging, but with some practice, you’ll get the hang of—”

“Like this?”

“...”

Lucia fell silent as she saw a two-colored divine barrier appearing before Dowd.

Internally, she struggled to suppress a scream.

Anyone would harbor such feelings upon witnessing Dowd immediately putting into practice what she had just taught.

‘You said it's your first time…’

She looked at him while hiding her tearful expression.

Back when she started teaching him, she was really enthusiastic about it.

After all, it was her one in a thousand chance to correct this man’s ‘attitude’.

While she didn’t want him to treat her with reverence like what other people did because she was the Saintess, she at least wanted to prevent him from whimsically involving her and Yuria in various matters and just disappearing afterwards.

To put it simply, she didn’t need him to treat her like a Saintess, she just didn’t want him to treat her like a slave!

‘This is definitely supposed to be challenging though…’

Among all Special Powers, divine power was a power that was possessed by everyone, but it was clearly the most unpredictable and volatile out of them all.

In essence, it was easy to start learning it but difficult to master it.

So when this man claimed that he would raise his divine power to a third of hers within a month, she had merely snorted doubtfully.

In the first two days, her prediction actually seemed accurate.

When Dowd struggled to memorize any Prayers and couldn’t even correctly implement the most simple of Graces, she inwardly yelled in delight.

‘I knew it, this person isn’t perfect!’

‘I finally found his flaw!’

That was why she decided to help him with his divine power study, to make him realize how important she was and to prevent him from leaving Yuria behind while casually playing around with other women. Also, she wanted to make him more dependent on her in the future.

Once upon a time, she dreamed of such a scenario.

But all those hopes and dreams had vanished today.

“...”

He was learning fast.

Way too fast.

He was undoubtedly a beginner when it came to ‘handling’ divine power. However, once he grasped the core of the matter, he absorbed all the knowledge she taught him like a sponge.

She could not even begin to fathom how much he had learned in no more than half a day, from lunch to dinner.

Even she had struggled for at least a week to master the ‘Intercessory Prayer’ she had just taught him!

‘No wonder he set such an unreasonable condition…’

Suddenly, realization struck her.

The goal that he had set when starting these lessons…

He had genuinely thought that it could ‘happen’! There was no doubt about that now!

‘So this is how it feels.’

Compared to Lucia, who looked at him as if he was an actual monster, Dowd himself was just manipulating his divine power absent-mindedly.

He was someone who was well-versed in the skill system of Savior Rising. He literally knew everything. Merely ‘utilizing’ something like this was something he had done hundreds of times in the game.

The only challenge was the difficulty in ‘handling’ divine power, but he managed to overcome that after struggling with Lucia for a few days.

Basically, it was like being in a game where he had memorized everything from start to finish but he couldn’t plug in the controller.

“And the next thing I will teach you i-is…”

Half in tears, Lucia rummaged through the paper she had prepared.

She had thought that she could finally take the initiative instead of always being at the mercy of this man.

However, after only a few days of starting the lessons, more than half of the one-month curriculum she had prepared was already gone.

“Uh so like, Activating um, multiple Graces, uh in combina–…”

“Ah, I think it works like this.”

With a Swoosh, several divine shields appeared around Dowd.

“...”

Lucia trembled as she put down the paper.

“Just do it on your own.”

“...What?”

“You’re doing well even without my teachings! I even prepared several tips suitable for beginners…! You, idiot, hic, sob…”

“...”

At this point, she was beyond tearing up, as she even started sniffling.

As Dowd remained silent, the classroom’s door, which had only the two of them inside, creaked open.

While rubbing her eyes, Yuria entered.

After glancing around at the awkward atmosphere in the classroom, she opened her mouth with a drowsy voice.

“Mr. Dowd, are you bullying Big Sis again?”

“I’ve never bullied her...”

“Big Sis is a lot more delicate than she seems so please treat her more attentively. She really wants to play the role of the eldest so at least pretend to depend on her, okay?”

“...”

‘Was this really something you should say in front of the person in question?’

As Lucia pondered such thoughts, Yuria yawned again and continued.

“It’s better for you to stop for today and come out. Dame Ophelia asked me to tell you that.”

With that, Yuria disappeared from the classroom. Seeing her leave, Dowd spoke with a monotone voice.

“Hasn’t her condition suddenly improved recently?”

When they first met, she couldn’t even properly use her voice, so she communicated by displaying words in the air.

However, nowadays, even when Lucia was not around, she could still speak properly in most cases.

It was to the extent that it seemed like there was almost no inconvenience in her daily life.

“Lately, the curse from Severer has been corroding her at a much slower rate. It’s all thanks to you. Thank you.”

Lucia offered her thanks even as she sniffled.

Indeed, she was the Saintess. Even in such a situation, she didn’t forget the manners ingrained in her.

However, instead of responding, Dowd only narrowed his eyes.

“You should watch over her carefully for the time being. You need to be careful after all.”

“Excuse me?”

Rather than giving her an explanation, Dowd only gave out a bitter smile.

After all, that was because…

He had experienced cases where the ability of a ‘Vessel’ increased explosively.

It was the same phenomenon with Eleanor after the Purifier event. The fusion rate of the Fragments and Vessel increased, causing a drastic enhancement in the target’s physical specifications.

And along with that, there was also an event that would follow.

“...”

Frankly, there was nothing he really needed to say to Lucia. After all, the one who needed to be careful was Dowd himself.

When the fusion rate of the first Vessel, Eleanor, increased, it didn’t take long for the second Vessel, Yuria, to appear.

And now, the fusion rate of the second Vessel, Yuria, was increasing.

In other words…

It was a sign that another ‘Vessel’ would appear once again.

System Log

[ Successfully mastered divine power! ]

[ The proficiency of ‘Mastery: Divine Power Mastery’ has increased. ]

[ Proficiency has made rapid progress! ]

[ The Mastery’s grade has been promoted from ‘Basic’ to ‘Common’! ]

[ Mastery Info ]

Mastery: Divine Power MasteryGrade: Common

Description: Manifests various Graces using divine power. This ability is the foundation for all techniques wielded by Battle Priests.

[ ■ Can manifest up to two identical Graces. ]

[ ■ Can use all Graces derived from ‘Beginner-Grade Prayers’! ]

‘Not bad.’

I nodded at the results achieved by receiving lessons from the Saintess for a few days.

'With this, I could now activate buffs myself other than the built-in Graces in Ultima.

Of course, they only had simple and brutish effects because they were only Beginner-Grade Prayers.

‘Red Grace’ increased offense, ‘Blue Grace’ increased defense, ‘Yellow Grace’ increased agility, and so on… As mentioned, they were very simple stat boosts.

While the effects themselves did not seem that impressive, from the perspective of someone possessing skills like ‘Desperation’ or ‘Image World’, which amplified the efficiency of such buffs several times over, it was quite exceptional and significant.

‘Alright, time to check it one more time.’

「Dowd Campbell」

< Status Info>

[ General ]

Strength: F ( Rank-Up: 98% )Agility: F ( Rank-Up: 98% )Endurance: FLuck: FPower: D

After days of enduring muscle pain all over my body while training with Talion day and night, it seemed like all my efforts were paid off. At this point, with just one day left until the Exchange Student Selection Test, my stats were on the verge of ranking up.

‘Considering I had only been doing it for a week, it really has increased a lot.’

Originally, I expected it to take about a month for this amount of growth.

However, thanks to the Lion’s Necklace, not only was my training speed extremely quick, but my body also continuously recovered even while I exercised.

‘...This should barely be enough.’

Since I would go straight to the ‘Forge of Struggle’ as soon as the test ended, I would barely make it to the ‘bottom line’ if I were to combine both my stat increase and buffs.

After all, if I remembered correctly, as soon as our journey began, there would be an event where I needed to excessively use my body.

“...”

I gazed at the system window in silence.

[ Main Quest ]

〖 Chapter 3: Apostle of the Reversed Sea 〗

[ Related Event will occur soon! ] [ D-1 ]

So, about this…

Unlike Chapter 2, where the stage’s main actor, Valkasus, would kindly inform the player his plan when he would attack, Chapter 3 was filled with an incessant and suffocating progression that poured various hardships onto the player right from the beginning.

That was why I needed to prepare in advance.

“–Let’s end today’s lesson here. Enjoy your lunch.”

While I was contemplating such thoughts, the professor descended from the platform while saying such words.

As my surroundings instantly got noisier, I watched the students scatter towards the cafeteria in groups of three to five. This was probably the happiest time of the day for a student.

Except if that student was me.

In any case, I needed to find an exit.

The side door nearby, which I had been eyeing since I entered the classroom for the first time, looked the most ideal.

I didn’t have a lot of time. I swiftly turned towards the direction of the door as naturally as possible.

“Dow—”

Fortunately, I managed to leave the classroom before I got a chance to hear anything.

With that, I seamlessly blended into the crowd and walked through the corridor. I continued until I arrived at a place where there was no indication of anyone’s presence.

“...”

I let out a sigh of relief.

Once again, I survi—!

“...Are you okay?”

Because of the voice right next to me, I jumped in surprise.

When I turned to look, Iliya was sitting with an awkward smile.

“Did you chase after me too?”

“I usually eat my packed lunch around here. The restaurants nearby don’t taste good.”

“...You have time to eat?”

Fuck, I’m so jealous…!

“...Teach, what has been bothering you so much lately?”

“...”

Gee, I wonder what?

< Gift-Related Character Alert >

♥ Eleanor Elinalise La Tristan

[ Love Level 2 ][ Related Event is pending! ]

Well, this was what was bothering me.

Unlike other events that displayed how many ‘days left’, it was terrifyingly marked as ‘pending’.

Almost as if encountering her right now would instantly result in her stuffing a ring onto my finger.

And if I were to actually accept it…

“...”

I didn’t even want to think about it.

It’d make me think of how the White Devil within Yuria would go berserk before slowly chewing, tearing and devouring me in delight.

“...Why are you sweating so much?”

“You know, just because…”

“...”

Iliya looked at me strangely and then let out a fake cough before handing me something.

“Anyway, good timing. I was planning to go look for you soon anyway.”

“You too? Why? For what purpose…?!”

“...What kind of life are you even living these days…?”

When I responded as such because of the shiver down my spine, Iliiya narrowed her eyes before handing me something.

It was a stackable lunchbox wrapped in cloth.

“...Eat this. Don’t you always eat sparsely, Teach?”

“Huh?”

“I heard you often skipped meals before because you were always busy. Anyway, I made it, so please eat it.”

“...”

I accepted the lunchbox with bewilderment.

Well, it was true that I actually skipped a lot of meals because of various things.

“...Thanks.”

As I blinked my eyes in astonishment, Iliya smiled widely.

“Mm, I didn’t really like it when I heard it was homework. But as expected, I did well listening to her.”

“Homework?”

“There’s something like that~”

With that, Iliya hummed a tune and unfolded her own container next to me.

It seemed that just the act of giving me the lunchbox made her feel a lot better.

“...”

I silently sat down next to her and unfolded the cloth.

The lunchbox was much more normal than expected.

Meat, noodles, and vegetables were neatly arranged inside.

As I tried a few of them, all of them were tasty.

Hell, even the seasoning was spot-on. This was hella impressive!

“Woah, it’s tasty! I’ve never known you’re so good at cooking!”

“...”

Once again, she let out a wide smile.

A smile that reminded me of a blooming flower.

“He…hehe…hehehe… R-Really?”

“...”

Seeing her squirming while smiling like that made me creeped out.

After doing that for a while, Iliya suddenly cleared her throat.

“...Actually, there’s one more thing I’d like to request from you. Because I have two homework assignments.”

It felt like she had been pondering for a long time before finally managing to bring it up.

“What is it?”

“...If you don’t have time to eat properly these days, from now on, I could take care of—”

Before Iliya could finish speaking, the building suddenly shook and a loud noise echoed nearby.

The screams of students drowned out the end of Iliya’s sentence.

“...”

Iliya narrowed her eyes and I got up from my seat.

If an event was happening at this time, I had a rough idea of what it might be, but it was still better to confirm it with my own eyes.

As I looked out the window a pace away from me, I could see what was happening in the plaza outside the building.

‘...Just as expected.’

The person I had been anticipating appeared in my sight.

“What kind of bullshit were you spouting?”

It was Riru Garda wearing a contorted expression like an evil spirit. And in front of her, there was a male student who had turned purple out of fright.

The previous tremor was probably caused by Riru stomping her foot in front of that student. The ground under that very foot had shattered into pieces, leaving behind a crater.

“Woah… It’s that person again.”

After seeing this, Iliya clicked her tongue beside me.

“I heard she had already beaten up over 10 people after picking a fight with them, just as she is now. Does she even get tired of this?”

“...”

I smirked instead of responding.

No, she wasn’t picking a fight.

Riru would never try to fight an unworthy opponent. She wasn’t interested in something like that at all.

However, the reason her reputation was the worst was probably because when dealing with someone who disrespected her, she didn’t consider the opponent’s status or background and ruthlessly tried to kill them with her full power.

As a result, she was judged for being too noble-like and arrogant by those with lower status, while those with higher status criticized her for being vulgar and mannerless.

“...”

It really was absurd.

She should just suppress her temper…

“I asked you, what kind of bullshit did you just say? What did you just say about my family?”

“I-I didn't say any—”

Nah, bro, you most definitely said something.

Considering the progression of the game, that male student was probably someone who had acted arrogantly in front of Riru and had already been violently beaten before. Since he probably had some personal grudge, he provoked her once again.

Riru’s eyes narrowed.

Her fist rose. She was probably intending to beat the male student half to death, but…

The male student’s face showed a momentary yet triumphant expression.

That was probably because he had set a ‘trap’.

Teuk. Someone grasped Riru’s arm from behind her.

“Why don’t you stop here?”

I knew that person as well.

He was the Barbarian Warrior Luca.

Behind him, his comrades, who were preparing to eat, widened their eyes.

Archer Falco. Mage Grid. Priest Trisha.

Excluding Iliya, they were all the members of the ‘Hero Party’.

It seemed that the male student insulted Riru knowing that if she retaliated with force, there were people who would block her.

Considering Riru’s current reputation, the Hero Party would never tolerate such ‘injustice’ after all.

“...Huh? What are they doing over there?”

While Iliya voiced her surprise beside me, Riru shrugged off Luca's arm with a frown.

“Get lost.”

“I told you to stop. I don’t know what you heard, but immediately punching someone first isn’t right.”

Honestly, from my perspective who knew everything, she was justified in using such violence. Forget the law, that male student deserved to get beaten to death.

After all, he severely insulted Riru’s family…

Considering the state of Riru’s ‘family,’ the people who were currently living with her, she was more than justified to do so.

“...”

Riru sighed and turned towards Luca.

Killing intent flashed in her eyes.

“I said, get lost.”

“I can’t do that. I don’t know how many times you’ve beaten up your department’s classmates, but you’re going too fa—”

Before Luca could continue, Riru’s fist struck him squarely in the face.

Yep. That temper was the issue here.

Instead of explaining a little so he could understand her, she would always hit first, ask questions later.

The male student who provoked her probably set up this trap because he knew that.

“T-That! What a crazy bitch!”

Although Iliya screamed as such, Luca only grimaced slightly as he took a few steps back; he appeared to suffer no significant damage.

A fist-sized shield of divine power was created in front of his face. It was Trisha, holding her Catalyst with a nervous expression.

“S-Stop! Why are you being so violent!”

At Trisha’s cry, Grid and Falco, who had been watching the situation from afar, tightened their expressions and drew their weapons.

It seemed they couldn’t just watch quietly when their friend was getting hit.

“...You wanna try me?”

Seeing that, Riru laughed even more fiercely.

Not only was it a four-to-one situation, but the four people were in a group that were rumored to be the strongest among the freshmen. Even so, she didn’t back down at all.

“Fine. Bring it on.”

“...”

Luca, who had been silently watching this, sighed before speaking.

“...How long are you going to live like this?”

Riru stopped for a moment.

“...What?”

“Even if this is a faraway foreign land, there are still a few people who are from the same country.”

Luca’s calm voice continued.

“I am Luca Han-Chai from the Hyrule Mountain Range. I know about the situation of the Tribal Alliance and who you are. The Daughter of the Chieftain. The last bloodline of the Great Leader.”

Riru’s eyes widened slightly.

“I heard you were exiled all the way here because of your violent temper. Was it not enough for you to smear the Chieftain’s reputation to such an extent? Do you wish you spit on his face even further?”

“...”

Riru fell silent for a moment.

However, it was not because he hit the mark.

Laughter trickled out of her mouth.

However, the emotions that filled her pupils were the complete opposite of such laughter.

After all, that, of itself, was Riru’s Royal Ire.

The face of every student nearby turned purple.

It was because the killing intent that oozed out of Riru seemed to burn the entire surrounding atmosphere.

“Luca Han-Chai of the Hyrule Mountain Range.”

Without a single ounce of emotion, a voice as cold as ice flowed from Riru.

“I will remember you. I will kill you. No matter what.”

“...It seems we already passed the point where we can resolve this peacefully, right?”

Upon hearing Riru’s words, Grid and Falco sighed.

“I-I'll go help them and come back!”

“Just leave them be.”

“...Huh?”

I stopped Iliya who was trying to rush over to them.

“They aren’t weaklings. If it’s four-to-one, they can win against her.”

Assuming Eleanor’s combat power was 10 after absorbing two Fragments and Iliya’s combat power was around 5, the combined combat power of those four would be approximately 7.5 when fighting together.

In essence, no matter how strong Riru was, she couldn’t handle such a level alone.

‘...I’m pretty sure she gets fucked up here.’

After that, Riru experienced some changes in her mental state and felt her own shortcomings, thus becoming friendly to the members of the Hero’s Party.

That was how the story progressed if I remembered correctly.

As such, all I needed to do was let it happen just like the original game and only get the things that I needed.

If it was a Riru who had killed her temper, it wasn’t difficult to persuade her into returning to her ‘hometown’ through this Exchange Student Event.

Probably.

System Message

[ Devil’s Aura is sensed. ]

[ ‘The Fallen’s Seal’ reacts! ]

At least it should’ve turned out like that, smooth sailings all around. Except this fucking message decided to pop up in front of me.

“...”

A chill ran down my spine.

When I gazed at Riru, a ‘blue aura’ was densely emanating from her body.

It was familiar. After all, I had already seen something ‘similar’ twice already.

Devil’s Aura.

“...”

‘Are you kidding me?’

‘I know I recognized the signs from Yuria that a new Vessel will appear, but still, isn’t this way too quick?’

More chills ran down my spine.

Riru was considered a main candidate to be a Vessel even in the original game, but it was the case where she held the ‘Blue Devil’...

The Hero Party? Those fodders didn’t stand a chance of withstanding her in combat. I wasn’t kidding when I say it wouldn’t be strange at all if all four of them were to die here.

“...”

And, of course…

That couldn’t happen.

Even though they were far inferior to Iliya, the Hero Party was still a crucial part of the story. If even one of those bastards died, the whole scenario would come to an end.

Then, what was I supposed to do in this current situation?

“...”

My thoughts were fast and my decision was even faster.

I opened the window and took a deep breath.

“...Teach?”

Even after hearing Iliya’s voice filled with suspicion…

I immediately threw myself out of the window.

It was quite high, but I had to get there as quickly as possible.

“...! This crazy fucker—!”

Although I could hear Iliya cursing behind me, my body had already started falling out of the window.

Thud.I landed on the ground with a loud noise. Everything around me was completely obliterated in my wake.

“...”

One of my legs was obliterated as well. It seemed like a severe fracture.

However, this level of injury was not enough to make me scream. It was merely a scratch to my current self.

I got up nonchalantly and limped towards Riru and the Hero Party.

Every person in sight was staring at me with widened eyes. Their faces seemed to say, ‘What the fuck is with this lunatic?’

In such a situation…

“You guys.’

I stood in front of Riru. As if shielding this person behind me.

Then, I spoke to the Hero Party.

“If you continue, you’ll die, you know?”

“...”

Riru’s eyes widened.