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Celine let out a long sigh.

Emotions I could hardly understand.

But Senior Elsie was all I could think about.

Celine had always been particularly possessive towards me.

Naturally, she wouldn’t view Senior Elsie’s confession to me favourably.

To her, it must have felt like someone was stealing away a beloved older brother.

Yet, there was a hint of pity and sympathy in her eyes. No matter how much I thought about it, there could only be one possible reason for that.

As a fellow woman, she must have been empathising with Senior Elsie’s miserable feelings.

This made my heart sink even more.

Did I hurt her too much?

Senior Elsie, who appeared strong at first glance, was actually a woman hiding a fragile inner self.

No doubt, she would need quite some time to overcome the pain of heartbreak.

And my suspicions were soon confirmed.

It was thanks to Celine’s bitter muttering.

“Yeah, I see… No wonder I heard the sound of her crying every night.”

“…Was that all?”

“And I could also hear her cursing you, Ian Oppa.”

I could now understand why Celine had come to me so urgently.

That was just like Senior Elsie.

Lately, whenever she encountered me, she seemed either downcast or would blush while awkwardly clearing her throat, only to then go back to cursing me in her room. Ŗ

Even so, she continued to act submissively toward me.

She would bow her head every time I greeted her and would quickly carry out even the smallest requests I made of her.

Yet, it seemed that the resentment she harboured as a woman could not be quelled.

It was heartbreaking.

Seeing my sombre expression, Celine cautiously offered some words of comfort.

“D-Don’t worry too much! After all, someone like Senior Rinella will surely find a better match than you, right?”

“…Was that meant to be a compliment?”

I couldn’t help but ask, feeling a bit offended.

It would be a good thing if Senior Elsie could move on from her heartbreak. But did Celine really need to comfort me by saying there are plenty of better men than me?

She wasn’t wrong, which made it sting even more.

But Celine didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

Her expression that had once held a trace of pity, was now completely relaxed.

I found it a bit absurd, but decided to leave her be.

After all, her carefree demeanour was rather endearing.

After a while, Celine suddenly seemed uneasy and added a few words.

“…But Ian Oppa, you know, right? I’ve never bullied anyone.”

“Who said you did?”

I dismissed her worries with a scoff.

Though, truth be told, she did have a history of stirring up bad rumours about Seria.

Did she ever fully resolve that matter with Seria? I vaguely remember her apologizing at some point.

As I made a mental note to someday look into it, I spent the rest of the night catching up with Celine, just the two of us, after what felt like a long time.

But even then I couldn’t completely shake off the shadow of Senior Elsie that lingered in a corner of my heart.

**

Still, there was one fortunate fact.

Defeating the Corpse Giant resolved many of my worries.

Not only had we saved hundreds of lives, but we also preserved their homes and livelihoods.

That alone made risking my life worth it.

However, there was someone who seemed even more invigorated than I was—the Saintess.

She proudly placed a hand on her chest and squared her shoulders.

Once again, her prominent bust was accentuated and each time she did that, it always brought back memories of the enjoyable moments I shared with her.

That soft yet elastic feel.

It was wonderful.

I almost found myself unconsciously nodding, resting my chin in my hand, but managed to stop just in time.

It was one thing if it had just been the Saintess, but Yuren was right next to her.

I had no desire to give him any strange ideas.

The last thing I needed was him confronting me with a sword, asking if I’d done something inappropriate to his sister.

The thought alone was horrifying.

As I felt a cold sweat trickle down my back, I watched the Saintess as she proudly boasted.

“Ahaha… Ian, you should’ve seen Archbishop Aindel’s reaction back then! That old geezer was about to explode when he realised we used the reserve Heart of Blood but then he just clamped his mouth shut… Pfft.”

“…Is defeating the Underling of the Evil God really such a great achievement?”

“Of course it is!”

Still seemingly caught up in the excitement of victory, the Saintess clenched her fist as she spoke.

It had been a long time since I’d seen her this excited.

Not long ago, she was clinging to me, crying her heart out when I first woke up but it seemed like getting one over on this ‘Archbishop Aindel’ really made her day.

So, all I could do was offer her a faint smile.

If she was happy, then so was I.

“The Church of Heavenly God exists to protect humanity from the Evil God. And it’s no exaggeration to say that the Underlings of the Evil God are at the very forefront of that threat! So it is nothing short of a legendary feat.”

Of course, I was the one who ended up being credited for that shining achievement.

The Saintess might have felt it was a bit unfair.

Even though I had risked my life by rushing in to fight, it was ultimately the Saintess who had weakened the Corpse Giant, creating the decisive opportunity.

Not to mention, the Heart of Blood she used was worth as much as an entire fortress.

Yet, the Saintess showed no sign of resentment.

On the contrary, she looked at me with eyes full of pride.

As if my success made her even happier.

“…S-Still, you can’t go doing something as reckless as that again, okay? Ian, I’ve told you time and time again, you really almost died back then.”

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

As we exchanged what felt like a promise I was unlikely to keep, I subtly shifted my gaze to Yuren.

He was watching the Saintess and me with a satisfied look in his eyes.

Whether the Saintess and I talked or not, he never interfered.

Still, it felt awkward to leave him standing alone like a solitary pine in the snowy plains, so just as I was about to say something…

“Ian, then I’ll leave my sister in your care for a bit. I have some packing left to do…”

Then he winked and walked away.

Today was finally the day we were leaving the manor and heading back to the Academy.

If there was still packing left to be done, it made sense for him to prioritise that.

However, the fact that the escort knight had left with a request meant that I would have to stay by her side for a while.

In the end, I had to listen to the Saintess’ proud boasting for quite some time.

But that was fine.

Spending time with the Saintess was always enjoyable.

Thanks to that, I was able to pass the time until I had to say my final goodbyes to my family.

The farewells with my family were always the same.

I hugged my father, mother, brother, and Ria tightly in turn.

My father and mother both reminded me to take care of myself, while my brother handed me an opal gemstone. Considering that I had never even seen this particular gemstone before, it made me wonder if he recently discovered a new ore vein.

The most heartfelt hug was, as always, reserved for Ria.

She buried her face in my chest, tightening her arms around me. The soft feel of her body pressing against mine made the situation somewhat uncomfortable in more ways than one.

With tearful eyes, Ria looked up at me..

“…Take care of yourself, okay?”

“Of course, Ria. We’ll see each other again next vacation.”

It was the usual farewell.

With that, I turned to leave and the Percus family stood there, watching as my carriage slowly disappeared into the distance.

However, today, a new mystery was added to our usual parting.

Just as she always did, Ria gave me a quick peck on the cheek, but this time, she left me with a cryptic remark.

“I won’t wait that long, Oppa.”

What did she mean by that?

The thought puzzled me for a moment, but my companions were already waiting for too long.

In the end, I had to push Ria’s words to the back of my mind and continue walking away from the manor.

Inside the carriage, I could already hear the chatter of my companions.

Most of it centered around Senior Elsie.

The Saintess covered her mouth, sending a pitying glance toward Senior Elsie.

“Sister Rinella, I heard… that you confessed to Ian and were rejected. That must have hurt. If you ever need the Heavenly God’s help, please don’t hesitate to come to me.”

It wasn’t something that could be hidden forever.

Eventually, the incident between Senior Elsie and me became known to the entire group and as a result, Senior Elsie was being subjected to some humiliation today as well.

Had I known this would happen, I would have made sure to keep everyone’s mouths shut.

But since the rumour didn’t originate from me, there wasn’t much I could do.

Apparently, Senior Elsie, falling for the Saintess’s provocation, had accidentally let it slip.

As expected, the Saintess’s skill with words, honed in the treacherous political arena of the Holy Nation was indeed formidable.

Naturally, Senior Elsie wasn’t one to sit back and take her teasing.

She immediately bared her teeth and growled.

“…Hey, move that hand of yours.”

In response, the Saintess silently and subtly lowered the hand that had been covering her mouth.

It was only for a brief moment, but I clearly saw it.

The slight smirk that curled the corners of her lips.

Unable to hold back any longer, Senior Elsie raised her voice.

“You bitch, just because I’ve been indulging you, you really…!”

Ahem, it was at that moment that I cleared my throat with a deliberate cough.

Senior Elsie’s eyes shot towards me in surprise, and, flustered, she quickly avoided my gaze.

Blushing furiously, she hesitated for a moment before sitting back down.

She still didn’t seem ready to talk to me.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed, but the Saintess simply wore a victorious smile.

In the end, I let out a sigh.

It seemed I’d have to find another opportunity to talk with Senior Elsie once we arrived at the Academy.

And so, after several days of exchanging conversations like that with the group.

I finally found myself standing in front of the familiar campus.

After all the chaos I had been through, the scene felt strangely unreal.

The central avenue was also especially quiet, likely because the vacation hadn’t ended yet.

Am I really back at the Academy?

What snapped me out of my daze was a sudden, unexpected roar.

“…Raaawr!”

The voice was small and cute.

It seemed like someone was trying to imitate a fierce beast, but the tone was far from intimidating.

My eyes drifted toward the source of the sound.

There stood a young girl with dark blue hair.

Her hands were curled like a beast’s claws, her eyes closed and her upper body leaned forward in a pose that was rather endearing.

I could only ask in bewilderment.

“…What are you doing?”

Ahem, the girl cleared her throat with an awkward cough and straightened her posture.

Though a blush spread across her cheeks, revealing her embarrassment.

Lowering her light grey eyes, she spoke softly.

“W-Well…I’m a dragon! I figured the puppy spot was already taken…”

Watching her, I couldn’t help but faintly smile.

I was finally back.

There was only one place in the world where such an oblivious princess could reside.

The long vacation had finally come to an end.