To Alicia, sensing the emotions of others—what she preferred to call their desires—was her innate gift. She had not been blessed with a great amount of divinity, only this. But for her, it was enough.
Desires. To Alicia, everyone carried them.
They were what drove people to keep on living.
A human, or rather any living being, without one was something she had never truly encountered.
But there was one exception. Besides that person.
From ordinary folk to the most revered figures, even those thought farthest removed from worldly wants—Popes and fellow Saint Candidates alike—she could still feel a speck within them.
The man in front of her. Someone who didn't exhibit a single speck of desire when completely dominating the fight against the crown prince.
Not for glory. Not for valor. Not a single bit of satisfaction. It was just cold. So cold that she felt chills all over her. Not a single individual she'd encountered had possessed such coldness.
Something she'd never encountered in her life.
That's why, when she felt warmth from this man, she felt ecstatic. After all, it was so overwhelming that she was swept away by its embrace.
The only being Alicia could call truly without a single speck of desire was the true Saintess.
To Alicia, she herself never desired to become one. After all, she was a woman full of desires—far too many, in fact. Sometimes, no, at more than one point, she had wondered why she, someone so clearly incompatible with this role, was given such a fate?
Regardless, it was not a question she could afford to dwell on now. Her own desire seemed to be turning against her. All it took was a single gaze.
It wasn't instantaneous.
But after a moment—when the clarity of his gaze met hers—an unfathomable wave of malice drilled through her.
Fear ran through her entire being.
But it disappeared in an instant.
A single moment.
A single second.
She felt all of it.
A warning.
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She flinched back, her body jolting. Her leaning posture staggered—clearly taken aback.
Nyx, Elaris, and the short girl in glasses only looked on in puzzlement.
After all, to them, it had been nothing more than a fleeting moment.
"Is something the matter, Miss Saintess?" the girl in glasses asked.
Alicia shifted her gaze. Thankfully, her eyes were naturally narrow enough that the emotion she felt was not completely visible. That was why...
She drew in a long breath, steadying both her heart and her composure.
"There is nothing wrong," she replied, though her face flushed slightly. Her lips curled into a smile, though it was an awkward one—at least to her own estimation.
"It seems I have yet to properly rehearse my address for the entrance ceremony... That is why I will be proceeding separately from you all."
Her voice was calm as she turned her back to them. After a brief pause, she looked over her shoulder once more and parted her lips.
"That is all from me. Fufu... I wish everyone the best. In any case, we shall meet again in the classroom."
But Nyx's expression showed she wasn't fully convinced. After all, to her, the way the Saintess's gaze lingered on Cael carried a tone filled with playfulness, her posture reflecting the same, and more importantly, that flustered expression...
'There's no way it isn't that...'
Nyx glanced at Cael with a bewildered look, then let her lips curl into a faint smile.
"...You really are a sinful man, aren't you? Already making a Saintess fall for you..."
But all she got was a flick to the head.
"Ouch!"
Nyx grumbled inwardly, her hands clutching her forehead. The spot where Cael had flicked her throbbed. She looked at him with an annoyed expression.
"Hey, what was that for?"
Cael was now the one who sighed inwardly at this girl, oblivious to the entire scene that had just unfolded, and...
"It's nothing. Let's keep going."
He had no intention of changing that.
Though, on the other hand, someone else was also getting the wrong impression. Elaris looked at Nyx with a weary expression. After all, she knew her young master's heart already belonged to someone else.
She, too, was on a completely different page.
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In truth, Nyx more or less understood why the Saintess was so deeply interested in Cael. After all, there was no way she wouldn’t know that the Saintess could sense the emotions of others. That was why the scene that had just unfolded was something she had fully expected.
In fact, every time they crossed paths, it usually ended up like this. Which was precisely why, in the game’s most difficult mode, the Saintess was one of the few available romanceable characters. So, to Nyx, this scenario was nothing surprising—it was simply playing out as expected.
That's why, Nyx asked what she thought could be of help.
'Hey, is this world still following the original timeline in some capacity?'
The system woke up. Or rather, it had just woken up after being disabled by Nyx.
As of my current capabilities, the world is still, in some capacity, following its original Providence. However, the course of this world has already been derailed due to your presence, Master.
Nyx mused as they walked along the pristine marble floors of the Academy. It was quite a long walk. Normally, there would be carriages available for transport within the Academy, but during events like this, they were off-limits. The reason was partly due to the massive number of students, which made it harder to maintain order, but also, as the administration claimed, to instill discipline.
As they walked, Nyx glanced at the girl walking quietly at her side.
The girl was very short in stature, even shorter than Nyx herself. Actually, by Earth's standards, it wouldn't be considered extremely short. But in this world, it could be significant considering that the Sun affects individuals' growth in various ways.
Though this girl wasn't truly the shortest she could be. Theoretically, she could become the tallest one of all. With that thought, Nyx focused her gaze and willed something. A prompt appeared.
Of course, the girl beside Nyx wasn't exactly short whenever she used that ability of hers. Regardless of such thoughts, they continued walking side by side in what should have been silence. Or rather... not exactly silence.
"Umm, thank you for having me!" Faye exclaimed, her voice carrying across the space.
"...Uh, yes. Faye... Don't worry about it," Nyx replied with a weary sigh.
The girl had spoken her name after their brief meeting. Nyx recognized her immediately—as expected. She also understood why the girl hadn’t mentioned her last name. But that wasn’t Nyx’s main concern right now.
After all, the girl had been repeating those words of gratitude for quite some time now, constantly glancing over at them. With Elaris absent, there was no one else to ease the mounting tension or manage the situation.
Faye's nervousness seemed to stem from walking alongside what she perceived as nobles. Yet Nyx wasn't one herself, a fact she had already explained to the girl. But that revelation only seemed to make Faye's eyes shine brighter. Nervousness had transformed into pure admiration.
Cael, for his part, didn't even bother to respond, which was entirely predictable to Nyx since he rarely bothered with such things in the first place. However, when their eyes met as she unknowingly found herself staring at him, he spoke up.
"What's wrong?" Cael asked.
Nyx flinched slightly, suddenly aware that she'd been staring without realizing it. What's done is done, she thought. With a small cough, she replied.
"Hmm, why not try speaking more...?"
"Why?" Cael replied instantly.
His blunt response caused Nyx to falter as she hastily continued.
"J-just... Y'know, you'd be attracting attention from others... maybe forming connections with people. Don't you care about such things?"
She had unknowingly voiced one of the questions she'd always wanted to ask. After all, the only reason she felt this way was because she was the only one talking to Faye, and she didn't have much in the way of social skills herself.
"...I don't care about it," he said, his tone completely indifferent and detached.
Nyx looked at him in bafflement. What did this man see that made him so dismissive? Every student here, especially the S-rank ones, and even the teachers, could be invaluable assets if the world truly was moving toward its end. She wanted to argue, but the words stuck in her throat. And in such a public space, she couldn't say anything anyway.
So they continued on in what should have been silence.
"...Don't trouble yourself over such things. It isn't your burden; it's mine to resolve. That doesn't mean I don't care..." His voice softened, becoming calm. "...I apologize."
"No need to apologize, it's fine," Nyx replied. After all, she truly didn't know the full extent of Cael's worries. "I'm just curious, that's all."
Meanwhile, the girl walking beside them had been silently observing the entire exchange. This in itself was unusual, almost unsettling, to see her so quiet.
But in her mind, the sequence played out: conflict leads to misunderstandings leads to resolution. She squealed inwardly, ecstatic at what she was witnessing. To fill the sudden silence, she blurted out:
"U-um! Are you two in a relationship?!" she asked, her voice trembling with excitement, her eyes darting eagerly between Cael and Nyx.
Nyx was completely bewildered. What on earth led this girl to that conclusion? The thought flashed through her mind as she replied flatly,
"...Uhh, what?"
Faye flinched at the clear confusion and slight disgust in Nyx's tone. Her body jolted, and she began bowing repeatedly.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
At the display, Nyx could only sigh in resignation. She simply didn’t have what it took to deal with this girl. Her gaze drifted toward Cael, his reaction was…
'Yeah, I’m going to lose my mind at this rate.'
With that thought, she resumed walking toward her destination, as if the two individuals walking alongside her didn’t exist.
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Nyx, along with the two individuals she had chosen to ignore, found herself among hundreds—perhaps even thousands—of students seated in an open enclosure with elevated rows, much like a stadium. In fact, Nyx recalled it had been stated that the design was clearly inspired by one. The ground was laid with cobblestone, while the seats were crafted from polished wood. When Nyx touched the surface, it felt smooth beneath her fingers. The entire place was spotless and neatly maintained.
This space, she realized, could be used for purposes beyond ceremonies. But one thing was clear—it was filled entirely with freshmen students. That's why...
The place was teeming with students. It should have been deafeningly loud, yet Nyx, with the two beside her, sat in the center within an enclosed section reserved for S-rank students. Only a handful of others shared the space.
Outside, the scene was far from orderly. Finding a needle in a haystack would not have been difficult here; mages could pick it out in seconds. In the same way, Nyx, even without enhancements, could clearly see the chaos unfolding: students scattered across the arena, arguing, some already forming factions, others harassing their peers. Tensions flared, and a few looked seconds away from unleashing their magic at one another.
It had not even been thirty minutes since they were admitted into the arena, yet there's already too much chaos.
There was so much disorder that no one noticed the small girl standing among them. Her eyes shimmered as though stars resided within, and her golden hair bloomed like sunlight. A hat sat neatly atop her head, and though her youthful appearance could have passed for a student, her attire clearly suggested otherwise.
She was even shorter than Nyx. Her gaze swept across every student present. Then, placing her fingers gently against her lips, she gave a single command,
"Silence."
Her voice was serene and calm. It wasn't loud, and even if it were, there was no way it could carry through the entire place. A microphone stood beside her for that purpose, but she wasn't using it.
It was simply her voice.
That alone pacified the crowd. Their chatter died, their words silenced. No words came out of their throats. They couldn't speak a single thing.
"Good morning, my dear students. First of all, I would like everyone to settle down. I personally dislike having my time wasted on such frivolous matters, you see."
Her eyes gleamed with authority.
The sound reached so far that even Nyx felt compelled by her words. But in truth, it didn't.
It never reached Nyx at all. Yet to Cael, it appeared otherwise. And even if it hadn't, he couldn't be certain.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yes. How about you?" Nyx replied.
"I'm fine. Such a level wouldn't even touch me in the first place." Cael's eyes shifted, resting blankly on the principal.
The principal, as if sensing something, turned her gaze toward the distance. Her monotone expression softened only slightly, her lips curving into the faintest smile.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Now then, to begin today's program... good morning, everyone. I congratulate all of you for passing. To introduce myself, I am the principal of this Academy, as well as its founder."
The students looked at her with reverence. Previously, her words had only compelled them to sit. Yet this time their hearts stirred with awe, for before them stood the kingdom's greatest mage.
"I am known as Miriem Starfall."
The one closest to the stars.
The strongest mage of the Solarion Kingdom.
Miriem Starfall.
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| Chapter 31 - Miriem Starfall