Chapter 32: The Swordsmanship Prodigy Saintess

The Birth of a Hero (5)

1.

Etel, a professor of Summoning Magic.

His black hair, mixed with few strands of gray, framed his gentle expression.

Round glasses softened his already mild demeanor.

Though his speech might come off as a bit arrogant to some, his deep, resonant voice had a pleasant way of settling in your ears.

“Ah, if it isn’t the Saintess.”

Etel recognized her at once and greeted her with a respectful bow.

Within the Academy, professors held the highest authority.

However, before being a professor, he was a citizen of the Empire, so it was only natural to show respect to the priestess of the state religion, the Celestial God Church.

“Hello.”

The Saintess greeted him with a bright, radiant smile.

“Are you Professor Etel?”

Etel gave a nod.

“Etel Hauserd, Professor of Summoning Magic.”

A clean, dignified introduction that suited his neat appearance.

“To what do I owe the honor of such a distinguished guest visiting this humble place?”

The Saintess looked up at him.

Her sparkling crimson eyes seemed like they could pull you in.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No.”

She shook her head and cut straight to the point.

“I was wondering how the investigation into the recent incident was going.”

“By recent incident… you mean the one during the entrance exam?”

“Was there another incident I should know about?”

“Well, the Maigc Department is never short of incidents. During magic research, summoned creatures occasionally break loose and run through the halls, or sometimes magic circles explode and blow out entire sections of the outer walls.”

Etel chuckled sofftly.

“But this isn’t the best place to talk. Please, come inside.”

Etel tapped the doorknob lightly.

A magic circle resembling clockwork appeared above it.

The complex circuits that made up the magic circle each rotated, before clicking and unraveling like falling dust.

Creak.

The door opened.

“Please, come in.”

Etel stepped into his labotary first.

“Ugh…!”

Just as she was about to follow, the Saintess frowned deeply and stopped in her tracks.

A foul stench.

A wretched, piercing odor struck her nose.

It was a familiar smell—

One she hadn’t encountered in decades—

It was always present on the battlefields of the Demon Realm.

Why was that smell coming from a place like thiss?

The Saintess glanced at Etel, who still had his hand on the doorknob.

He smiled gently, just like any kindly man would.

“Brother Rael.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you smell anything odd?”

At the Saintess’s question, Rael sniffed the air.

“Not particularly… I don’t smell anything unusual.”

There was the faint smell of parchment, the cool scent of magical reagents…

Other than that, there was nothing unpleasant enough to make him frown.

“Really? That’s strange…”

The Saintess tilted her head.

“There’s a strong stench of demonic energy in the air.”

Beneath her long eyelashes, the Saintess’s crimson eyes gleamed sharply.

Her gaze was directed straght at Etel.

“Oh? So you can sense it?”

Etel responded, as if genuinely surprised.

“It’s probably the smell of this.”

He held up a piece of parchment.

Drawn on it was a single magic circle.

“What is this?”

“It’s the restoration of the curse that was cast on the dagger you found last time, Saintess. I’ve been analyzing it for a while to identify its nature.”

“Really? But shouldn’t this be the work of a professor in summoning magic?”

“Before I started teaching summoning magic, I used to study curses and related fields. That’s why I’m overseeing this matter.”

Etel gestured toward the Saintess, signaling for her to come inside.

“I’m sorry, but let’s talk out here.”

Something about going in felt too unsettling.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly felt ominous—

But her instincts were warning her not to step inside.

“It seems the Saintess is quite sensitive to demonic energy. I understand. Then let’s head out to the terrace.”

Following Etel, they stepped onto the terrace at the end of the fifth floor.

“How is the investigation going?”

“It’s at a standstill. As I mentioned earlier, we still haven’t identified the nature of the curse yet, and we’ve questioned everyone involved, but there's no one who seems to be related to this incident.”

“I’m sure the culprit is someone on the inside…”

“We’re considering multiple possibilities and continuing the investigation.”

The fact that the truth still hadn’t come to light meant danger could still be lurking.

The Academy was aware of that too, and had been investigating diligently—

But they hadn’t uncovered a single meaningful lead.

They were dissecting the curse, which was their biggest clue, but even the Academy’s professors were struggling with how advanced it was.

“Thank you for the information.”

The Saintess gave a slight bow to Professor Etel and turned to leave.

“Saintess.”

She had only taken a few steps when Professor Etel called out to her.

The Saintess turned back.

“Do you prefer dogs? Or cats?”

“…Pardon?”

The sudden question made her tilt her head in confusion.

“Hmm… I like dogs.”

“I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Keep it in mind?”

“We’ve prepared a small congratulatory event for the entrance ceremony. Some adorable summoned creatures will be greeting the new students.”

“Oh, I’ll look forward to that.”

“I’ll make sure it lives up to your expectations.”

And with that, their conversation ended.

The Saintess continued walking down the hallway.

Then, on a sudden impulse, she looked back.

Professor Etel had already disappeared into his laboratory.

“Rael.”

“Yes.”

“Keep an eye on Professor Etel.”

“Understood.”

He did not question the Saintess's order.

His unwavering loyalty was something the Saintess found quite pleasing.

*

2.

Evening had come.

I took off my nun’s habit.

“Ugh… I’m exhausted.”

Each day living as the Saintess was a continuous stream of fatigue.

People would constantly approach and speak to me whenever I walked anywhere.

There were also duties I had to perform as the Saintess.

And even at the Academy, I had to regularly attend training lessons for the Saintess role.

“Finally, some rest.”

I unhooked my bra.

My softly swollen breasts spilled free.

I also took off my panties.

Slightly racy panties with lace.

The first time I wore these, I was so embarrassed I thought I’d die.

I remembered how uncomfortable it had felt when the fabric wedged between my crotch and buttocks…

But now, I’d grown used to them.

So much so that if I didn’t wear them, my lower half felt strangely exposed and unsettled.

Now fully naked, I headed into the bathroom.

With every step, strands of slender hair tickled my plump buttocks.

“Huaaah… That’s refreshing.”

I sank into the bath, hot steam rising from the warm water.

A cool, soothing sensation spread through every inch of my body.

This was the best moment of the day.

The time to bathe after finishing all duties, just before bed.

Even during my time on the battlefield, this was the time I looked forward to most.

It felt like all the fatigue just melted away.

I hadn’t been able to enjoy this peaceful luxury during the first few days.

That was because four nuns had suddenly burst in, insisting on helping me wash.

With the four of them surrounding me and scrubbing every part of my body with foam, there was no way I could relax.

So I politely asked them to stop, saying I appreciated it, but I’d rather bathe alone.

At the very least, I wanted to feel comfortable in my own room.

I swept my damp bangs back.

“…Etel Hauserd.”

I recalled the magic department professor I’d met during the day.

He had a kind face, but something about him felt off.

Just thinking about him left a foul feeling in my chest.

It wasn’t like he had done anything wrong to me—

But my instincts strongly rejected him.

That alone was enough for me to distrust him.

Though I had already told Rael to keep an eye on Professor Etel, the unease lingered.

It felt like sticky mud clinging to my skin.

His lab had certainly reeked of demonic energy, but I hadn’t sensed any of that directly from him.

“…Hmph.”

This won’t do.

I need to get to the bottom of what’s causing this unease.

I’ll have to visit Professor Etel’s lab again.

I stood up resolutely.

But just then—

I felt a presence.

Someone had entered the room through the window.

I held my breath.

I perked up my ears and listened closely from inside the bathroom.

The presence seemed to melt away, as if it had never been there.

Was it just my imagination?

No, the disappeared presence was felt again at that very moment.

A chill ran down my spine.

I immediately turned around.

The darkness was wriggling.

“Urgh…!”

A foul stench assaulted my nose.

It was the stench of thick, concentrated demonic energy.

Pop!

The darkness, which had been squirming quietly, suddenly sprang up and tried to engulf me.

“Not so fast…!”

I conjured divine power with my left hand.

The sacred light swept away the shadows.

From within the dissipating darkness, a face with rolled-back eyes in its head emerged.

I lashed out with my right hand and grabbed the intruder by the collar.

The darkness clung persistently, but I forced it back with my divine power and managed to drag the figure out.

“A student…?”

The figure was a male student wearing the academy uniform.

He was unconscious, his eyes showing only the whites, and foam bubbled from his mouth.

The darkness gaped wide, trying to swallow him once more.

“Get lost.”

I shoved my fist into its gaping maw and released a burst of divine power.

The darkness, which had been greedily gulping down the sacred light, finally burst and dissolved into nothing as it scattered shadows in every direction.

There was no longer any doubt.

Somewhere within this academy, a minion of the demons was lurking.

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