Chapter 10: The Warrior Albert and Saint Antiopeia
‘So, what should I do?’
I thought as I observed the prospective student who was still being stubborn.
Strictly speaking, I didn’t want to cause a scene in Lapland Town, especially with a student.
This place is a peaceful resting place for academy officials.
Wouldn’t it be a demerit for my staff appointment?
However, at the same time, I thought it would be better to establish a clear hierarchy here.
I have no intention of being swayed by unruly students for a whole year.
Since her prospective number is 1, wouldn’t it be helpful in establishing dominance over the other students if I showed her what I’m capable of?
As I was contemplating the better choice between the two…
“Alber!”
Just then, someone approached quickly.
They then went to the impertinent kid and scolded her.
The uninvited guest, who was scolding her with arms crossed, was…
‘A nun?’
“Didn’t I tell you to stay put? Did you cause trouble again while I wasn’t looking? And with an ordinary person, too?”
“T-that’s not it! I waited patiently! I didn’t even talk about my identity! But… but…!”
At the nun’s scolding, the girl named Alber clenched her fists.
Trembling as if she couldn’t stand it, she pointed at me and shouted.
“That woman took the last limited-edition sausage! She stole the sausage that Pea promised to buy me! I was just angry and arguing about that!”
“…Sausage?”
The nun’s gaze finally met mine.
The sausage skewer, still steaming hot.
Seeing this, she seemed to understand the situation.
“I’m sorry for getting angry, Alber.”
Looking at the girl with puffed cheeks, the nun put her hand on her forehead.
Then, phew, a deep sigh escaped her lips.
“This is my fault, no excuses. If I had known that the church business would take so long, I would have bought it in advance, but I was afraid it would get soggy and tasteless if it cooled down…”
“Hmph! Anyway, I kept my promise! So I have to eat the sausage now! Pea should keep her promise too!”
Pea? Is that nun the guardian of the kid named Alber?
It didn’t seem like a strictly vertical relationship, but Alber seemed to be obedient to the nun.
Meanwhile, the nun, with a troubled expression, slowly approached me.
As she got closer, I had the chance to carefully observe her appearance.
Dark blue eyes and light periwinkle blue hair.
An innocent, yet firm and determined impression.
And a slender, yet well-balanced body.
She was wearing an ordinary nun’s habit, but there was an unusual aura about her.
“Um, excuse me?”
The hesitant nun, Pea, carefully opened her mouth.
“I’m sorry, but could you sell me that sausage? I’ll pay double the original price.”
“…”
“I apologize for Alber’s rudeness. This is actually my responsibility. Of course, I know this is an unreasonable request, but… couldn’t you? Please?”
At my silence, Nun Pea pleaded with an anxious look.
Her hands clasped together, she looked almost pathetic.
“…Take it.”
“Ah! Thank you!”
Nun Pea’s face brightened as I handed her the sausage.
She smiled brightly and took out a coin purse from her waist. It was a high-quality item with a sacred emblem on it.
Nun Pea paid me twice the original price of the skewer and said.
“I’m really, really sorry. I hope you can find something else delicious. May God’s blessings be with you.”
I responded with a simple nod and turned around.
I heard the two women bickering behind me.
“Oh! Heh heh, this is the legendary…”
“Alber! What did I tell you to do first at times like this?”
“Ugh… s-so… sor…ry…”
A sullen voice, as if her pride was hurt.
After hesitating for a while, the kid’s scream pierced my ears.
“You crazy b*tch! You were the one who did wrong first!”
“Alber-!!”
Nun Pea shouted and pinched the kid’s cheeks.
I glanced at the funny scene and quickened my pace.
It wasn’t just to buy new food.
Rather, I wanted to leave the place as quickly as possible.
‘It would be better not to get involved with her.’
She was a nun belonging to the church, who could control academy students.
Moreover, she was a being who hid an unusual power behind her innocent face.
I sensed it when our fingers briefly touched as I handed her the sausage skewer.
The fierce energy and fighting spirit hidden beneath her seemingly fragile and benevolent shell.
‘Who is she exactly?’
A crusader disguised as a nun? Or perhaps, an inquisitor?
I wasn’t bothered by the woman herself, but the presence of the church backing her was annoying.
Descendants of the ancient witch Altra.
Wasn’t it the church who persistently tracked and eradicated them?
I wouldn’t say it’s unfair because of the heavy karma, but I had no intention of being lumped together with my ancestors and being purged.
I am now resurrected as a witch of the Altra family, who were known to be extinct.
It was best to avoid any chance of conflict with the church.
‘Let’s get a job first.’
I muttered to myself, looking at the academy built on the highlands.
I don’t know what Nun Pea’s relationship with that prospective student is, but once I get the staff position, I won’t have to see them again.
The academy is a neutral space, isolated from outside power and influence.
There would be almost no cases of surveillance from the Holy Kingdom or the church for the staff.
By the way, I’ve given away the sausage, so…
‘Should I try the tornado potato instead? Or the special carp bread with banana cream?’
I fell into deep thought, scanning the street vendors lined up on the street.
Originally, whatever I do, food comes first.
Choosing a menu has always been a matter of utmost importance for mankind.
“Alber! Are you going to keep being rude to people? I think I’ve taught you manners over and over again!”
“Bwee…”
The light blue-haired nun pinched her cheeks and scolded her.
The girl Alber, holding a halberd, made a crying face at the nun’s harsh touch.
A few seconds later, as her cheeks were finally freed, Alber pouted and grumbled.
“But it’s Pea’s fault, isn’t it? You won’t let me reveal my identity because it’s before the entrance ceremony, and you won’t let me leave the dorm until your work is done. If I just reveal my identity, that woman wouldn’t even dare to make eye contact with me.”
“That bad talk again. I told you to try to be humble in character before considering status.”
Nun Pea clicked her tongue, speaking in a slightly softer voice.
A benevolent smile appeared on her lips as she gently stroked the girl’s head.
“The position of a Hero isn’t that light, you know.”
“Tch.”
At those words, Alber Cornelian Tarrasque, the next Hero candidate and academy prospective student number 1, hung her head dejectedly.
She seemed upset that the nun wasn’t taking her side.
It was understandable.
Immaturity due to her experience of living isolated from human society.
And the peculiarity of a half-blood, due to the influence of her mother, a Gold Dragon.
Because of these two reasons, there was no one who truly understood Alber Cornelian Tarrasque, who involuntarily shouldered the duty of a Hero.
Except for one person.
Saint Antiopea Zarq, who volunteered to be Alber’s guardian.
“Honestly, Pea is the same.”
Alber grumbled, glancing at Antiopea, the Saintess of the Western Church who had come along as an observer.
“If you had just revealed that you are the Saintess, it would have been over. Pea didn’t have to grovel. I feel uncomfortable seeing you like that.”
“Heh heh, is that so? You’re so thoughtful, our Hero.”
Antiopea’s gentle smile hardened slightly.
“But don’t underestimate that person. She’s definitely not ordinary.”
“Huh? Do you know her, Pea?”
“No. I don’t. But…”
The fingers that briefly touched when she received the sausage skewer.
And the chilling sensation that flowed from it.
She couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, but she could confidently assert.
The opponent was a tremendous force.
Perhaps someone with unknown skills, whom she might only be able to face if she used all her power.
“…Don’t provoke her unnecessarily.”
Antiopea said, staring intently at her left hand in a leather glove.
“Judging by her visit to Lapland Town, she seems to be an academy official. If Alber enters the academy, you’ll see her often. But it’s best not to pull the whiskers of a sleeping lion.”
“A sleeping lion?”
Alber’s expression changed as she pondered Antiopea’s description.
The childish expression that had been sullen until just now disappeared.
Instead, a wild look, filled with competitiveness and excitement, surged.
“Then does that mean that woman is that strong? Enough for Pea to acknowledge her personally?”
‘Oops.’
Antiopea bit her lower lip with a small sigh.
The next Hero, Alber, is a half-dragon born between a dragon mother and a human father.
Isn’t it her nature to want to compete when she encounters a strong competitor?
‘As her guardian, I made such a mistake.’
It was because the woman’s potential was that shocking.
‘…Shocking.’
Come to think of it, it’s a fitting modifier for this year’s academy situation.
The Prince and Princess of the Vǫlsunga Empire are scheduled to enter as freshmen.
With the surge in the appearance of magical beasts, vigilance against the demonic realm of Pandemonium has exploded.
Moreover, as the Magic Tower and the academy are presumed to be even more dangerous, alarm bells have rung in various countries.
Wasn’t it because of this concern that the church dispatched her and Alber almost forcibly?
And there’s even the unknown mage who made Antiopea feel intimidated for the first time in her life.
A splendid lineup, unprecedented since the academy’s founding.
The beautiful phrase that had captivated Antiopea in her childhood came to mind.
‘…The Spring of Magic.’
“It’s literally the beginning of a spring that feels like it’s under a spell.”
A warm afternoon with a gentle breeze.
The Saintess’s heart, watching the academy, was gradually becoming restless.