Chapter 96: The Saintess’s Visit
Chapter 96: The Saintess’s Visit
Because the person standing before them was—
Saintess Vespera.
Andras was genuinely surprised.
Of all the people he had expected to find standing outside his room at this hour, Vespera was certainly not one of them.
Aurelia, perhaps.
Seraphina was another possibility.
But the Saintess?
That was unexpected.
Vespera offered him a gentle smile.
"Hello, Lord Andras."
Andras recovered from his surprise almost immediately.
"Oh..."
He studied her for a moment before returning the greeting.
"Hello, Saintess Vespera."
His gaze briefly drifted down the empty corridor.
"I thought the person visiting my room this late at night would be my fiancée."
A faint trace of amusement touched his expression.
"So, what brings you here?"
Vespera clasped her hands lightly in front of herself.
"I came to meet you, Lord Andras."
She paused before continuing.
"This is our first proper meeting, but I’ve heard quite a bit about you."
Her eyes remained fixed on him.
"To be honest, I was genuinely surprised by the results of the entrance examination."
She glanced down the corridor.
"Since our rooms are so close to each other, I thought this would be a good opportunity to speak with you."
Andras studied her quietly.
"So you’re interested in me because I ranked third despite having an A-Rank talent?"
Vespera smiled.
"That is certainly one reason."
Andras stepped aside.
"If you want to talk, you can come inside."
Vespera’s gaze shifted toward Lyra.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she gently shook her head.
"Actually, how about we talk while taking a walk?"
She gestured toward the corridor.
"I’d like to see more of the academy . We can talk while exploring the grounds."
Andras considered the suggestion.
It was reasonable.
Still...
Something about her choice caught his attention.
Why had she specifically chosen to speak with him outside?
And why had she come to his room so late at night?
Perhaps there was something she didn’t want to discuss in front of Lyra.
Or perhaps she simply preferred privacy.
Either way, there was no point guessing before she revealed her intentions.
"That’s a good idea."
Andras turned toward Lyra.
"Well, Lyra, you should go to sleep."
He paused.
"I’m going with Saintess Vespera. I’ll knock when I come back."
Lyra nodded.
"Okay, Young Master."
Andras turned toward Vespera.
"Let’s go."
"Of course."
The two walked away together.
---
The residential district was quiet.
Most of the students had already returned to their rooms after the exhausting entrance examination.
Magical lamps illuminated the stone paths, casting soft pools of light across the academy grounds.
The academy looked completely different at night.
During the examination and ranking ceremony, Andras had barely paid attention to his surroundings.
Now, with the academy nearly empty, he could finally appreciate its enormous scale.
They passed several lecture halls, training grounds, gardens, and other academy buildings.
Vespera occasionally pointed toward different locations.
"This is one of the main lecture buildings."
Andras glanced toward the enormous structure.
"It’s quite large."
"Most first-year classes are held there."
They continued walking.
A short distance away stood a massive training arena surrounded by reinforced walls.
Andras looked at it with interest.
"I suppose we’ll be spending quite a lot of time there."
Vespera smiled.
"Probably."
Their footsteps echoed softly against the stone path.
For a while, neither seemed in any hurry to speak.
The silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
If anything, it allowed Andras to observe his companion.
Vespera walked with an easy, relaxed posture.
There was no obvious tension in her movements.
No hesitation.
No sign that she felt threatened by walking alone with him.
Interesting.
Eventually, Vespera broke the silence.
"So..."
She turned her crimson eyes toward him.
"How did you get third place in the examination?"
Andras glanced at her.
"Why are you so surprised?"
Vespera gave him an incredulous look.
"You ranked third while having an A-Rank talent."
She paused.
"Some students with S-Rank and A+ Rank talents didn’t even make the top five."
Her curiosity was obvious now.
"Yet you did."
Andras shrugged.
"You could say I was lucky."
"Lucky?"
"I stayed hidden until nearly the end of the examination."
Vespera listened without interrupting.
"Then, when I finally started hunting monsters, I heard the sounds of fighting."
Andras’s tone remained casual.
"There was a student fighting a monster. Both were already exhausted and injured."
He paused.
"So I waited until they were weak enough..."
His expression didn’t change.
"...and killed them both."
Vespera’s eyebrows rose.
"You killed the student as well?"
"He was another participant."
Andras shrugged.
"I wanted the points."
Vespera stared at him for a moment.
There was something almost unsettling about how casually he said it.
But she didn’t comment.
Instead, she continued.
"And then there was Elaria."
Andras nodded.
"Yes."
"I heard another battle near the end of the examination."
He looked ahead.
"It was a B-Rank monster fighting a student."
"Elaria."
Vespera said the name quietly.
Andras nodded.
"By the time I arrived, she had already pushed the monster to the brink of death."
He paused.
"When she was about to finish it, I stole her kill."
Vespera’s eyebrows rose even higher.
"And then you killed her."
"She challenged me."
Andras’s tone remained indifferent.
"She was already injured and exhausted, so I defeated her."
Vespera shook her head slightly.
"You can call yourself lucky..."
She looked at him.
"But you still defeated Elaria Sylvanis."
Her expression became more serious.
"She’s an elf with an S-Rank talent. I’ve even heard she’s a Peak Fourth Circle Mage."
She studied him for another moment.
"So you must be powerful, even if she was injured."
Andras looked at her.
"Yes."
His answer came without hesitation.
"I am strong."
Vespera blinked.
Andras continued walking as though he’d said nothing unusual.
"I’m telling you that I was lucky."
He glanced at her.
"I never said I was weak."
For a moment, Vespera simply stared at him.
Then she laughed softly.
"Right."
She shook her head.
"My mistake."
The two continued walking.
After a short silence, Vespera spoke again.
"Then how did you become this strong despite having only an A-Rank talent?"
Andras thought for a moment.
"Some time ago, my fiancée came to the Darkmoor estate."
"Your fiancée?"
"Seraphina."
Andras nodded.
"We had a duel."
"And you lost?"
"Yes."
There was no embarrassment in his voice.
"But that defeat made me realize that I wasn’t strong enough."
His expression became slightly more serious.
"So I trained."
Vespera nodded slowly.
"I see."
Andras glanced at her.
"You are the Saintess, after all."
He changed the subject.
"How does it feel to be the Saintess?"
Vespera’s expression softened.
"I feel very happy."
She looked toward the night sky.
"Being the Saintess means I can serve the Goddess and the people who place their faith in her."
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"It’s something I’m proud of."
Andras listened quietly.
There was sincerity in her voice.
Whether that sincerity came from genuine faith or simply from years of fulfilling her role, he couldn’t yet tell.
They continued walking through the academy.
They passed several more buildings and training grounds, occasionally stopping to look around.
Vespera seemed genuinely interested in the academy.
Andras, meanwhile, quietly memorized the locations of the important facilities.
After some time, they reached a quieter section of the grounds.
Several wooden benches had been placed beneath a large tree.
Andras stopped.
"Let’s sit here."
Vespera nodded.
"Okay."
They sat beside each other.
For a brief moment, neither spoke.
The rustling of leaves filled the silence.
The academy around them was almost completely still.
Then Andras’s expression changed.
The relaxed look disappeared.
His eyes became cold and focused.
"So, Saintess..."
Vespera turned toward him.
"Yes?"
"Now can you tell me what you actually wanted to talk to me about?"
Vespera’s expression froze for the briefest moment.
Andras noticed.
He continued.
"I can understand being interested in my examination results."
His voice remained calm.
"But you didn’t come to my room this late at night just to talk about that."
Vespera remained silent.
Andras looked directly into her crimson eyes.
"I also noticed you watching me during the ranking ceremony."
A faint pause.
"You looked at me several times."
Vespera’s expression changed.
She hadn’t expected him to notice.
Andras leaned back against the bench.
"So..."
His gaze never left hers.
"What do you really want to talk to me about?"
For several seconds, Vespera said nothing.
She simply looked at him.
Then she slowly exhaled.
It seemed there was no point hiding it anymore.
"I wanted to talk to you about...