Chapter 91: So they finally decided to take steps toward recovery
Is the Saintess back?
Eiros stopped mid-stride, half-asleep. He was currently right in the bridge corridor connecting the tower where he entered to the building where his class was held.
His gaze landed on some gossiping students, leaning against the corridor as they looked out the window at the sprawling landscape of the academy and its forest.
"I heard she just got back recently. Trust me! You’re going to be shocked."
"What’s going on?"
"Heh!" the student smirked.
"The Saintess looks totally different now. She always used to wear her Saintess robes, right? Now she’s wearing the women’s academy uniform instead!"
If it was the women’s academy uniform, then it had to be the one with the short skirt that didn’t even reach the knee. Of course, underneath that, they wore long black pants for ease of movement.
"Wow, seriously? The Saintess did that?"
"Wanna go see her later?"
"Of course, man! I can’t miss this!"
Hearing that, Eiros mulled it over for a moment, then kept walking down the corridor. Something had apparently happened—Eiros had no idea what, but it was probably a good thing.
Right?
Considering the Saintess, who’d shut herself away, was suddenly full of energy again, as if she’d made some kind of decision.
Luckily, that meant Eiros wouldn’t need to get involved anymore. So he could relax a little, now that one item had crossed itself off his to-do list.
He arrived at his classroom, opened the door, and immediately spotted a few familiar faces.
Alen, Lovia, and Valkas—as expected, they’d grown a lot closer. Meanwhile, off to the side, there was also Crown Prince Rein, surrounded by his own circle of noble students.
When Eiros looked his way, Rein turned, met his eyes, and gave a small nod.
Eiros nodded back. It was their daily routine by now. Since Rein, as crown prince, stayed busy building connections with other nobles, he didn’t really have time for simple, casual friendships.
It had to be tough for him.
"Oh, look who finally showed up after skipping."
Only then did Eiros hear Lovia call out to him, a smirk on her face.
"I heard a pretty girl from the support class skipped too. I wonder, surely—"
Her words cut off, because Alen raised his fingers, positioning them against her forehead, then flicked her—hard.
Flick—!
"Ugh...!"
Lovia flinched, feeling a sharp sting on her forehead as she stared at Alen with a mix of confusion and irritation.
But Alen remained perfectly calm as he said,
"Stop meddling in other people’s business."
"Hey! What was that for?! I didn’t even say anything!"
Watching the ordinary atmosphere of the classroom felt genuinely strange. Especially considering the incident that had happened in Clathria.
He then felt Valkas’s gaze, so intense that Eiros blinked as he met it, tilting his head.
"What’s with that look, Lizard?" Yeah, he wasn’t about to forget how he was supposed to address Valkas.
Valkas clearly wasn’t comfortable with it. But a bet was a bet, and he clicked his tongue in irritation before saying:
"This isn’t fair, seriously!" After that, he said nothing more, turning away as if he had no interest in talking to Eiros at all.
Eiros’s lips twitched watching that. Of course—with Valkas being a dragon species, it wasn’t exactly surprising. Even if he might not know the exact details, he could definitely sense that Eiros’s aura had changed.
Basically, he’d already picked up on the fact that Eiros had grown significantly stronger in such a short span of time.
Eiros wouldn’t hold it against him—after all, he had plenty of resources backing him up.
"By the way, where’ve you been?" Alen, his hair currently getting yanked by Lovia, asked him.
"The professor made an announcement to all the first-year students yesterday, you know."
An announcement?
"Is it important?" Eiros asked back, settling himself into a seat across from Valkas.
Alen seemed to have already expected that question, so he answered smoothly.
"Yeah, apparently all first-year students are going on a trip to the capital, Augusta, next week."
’Oh? A trip?’ Eiros went still for a moment at that.
Of course, considering everything that had happened, the academy’s decision made complete sense. They probably didn’t want the first-year students—who’d been targeted by that organization—sinking into despair or depression.
’So they finally decided to take steps toward recovery.’
That was the right call. Still, Eiros himself felt differently about it. There wasn’t really anything wrong with the decision—he just felt paranoid.
In pretty much any story, events like this trip always seemed to end up leading to some kind of scenario. Hadn’t everything gone completely sideways ever since Eiros arrived in this world?
Not a single event had gone smoothly. Ah, right, except maybe the early-semester exams?
Still, after everything, Eiros genuinely felt uneasy. But he didn’t really have another choice either.
Keeping his worries to himself, Professor Erick stepped into the room.
Class had begun.
***
Unlike the start of the semester, when lessons had been packed with theory, explanations, and textbook notes, the academy seemed to have restructured the curriculum, shifting first-year students toward hands-on practical training instead.
Given that they’d been targeted, it wasn’t exactly an exaggeration to say the goal was to make sure the first-years grew stronger, and fast, so they could at least hold their own if another attack happened.
Like today—Professor Erick had every student in the combat class doing physical training. Not just physical conditioning, either; they were also forced to dodge relentless waves of incoming attacks, relying on their stigmata and their own agility.
Basically, here’s how it went:
A student would rush forward, their goal being to reach and touch a magic-powered machine that fired a rapid stream of projectile orbs.
The speed of those orbs seemed fast enough to be classified as nearly Luminous Tier. That machine had to be an incredibly expensive resource, a clear sign of just how much dedication the academy was now pouring into things, to the point of using equipment like that.
Back to the student—he raised his weapon. It was a paintbrush. Eiros remembered him as one of the strongest students in the first-year class, though obviously nowhere near comparable to the main cast of characters.
Still, there was no denying the boy had real talent, paired with a genuinely unique type of stigmata.
He swung his brush, watching the orb streak toward him in a near-invisible blur, and drew a square in the air.
Then, the next instant, a black square appeared, its edges chaotic and unevenly colored, hovering in midair. It genuinely looked like a two-dimensional drawing that couldn’t quite merge properly with the real world.
Crash!
The orb slammed into the square, revealing its tremendous power.
Curious, Eiros looked the student over once more.
[Stigmata Profile]
Name: Painter of Reality.
Activation: Paint until the world itself becomes a painting.
Potential: Sovereign [Tier-5]
’Sovereign?’
Eiros was mildly surprised—that was an extraordinary level of potential. Thinking back to the current Tower Keepers, it was worth remembering that every single one of them stood at the fifth tier: Sovereign.
So that student essentially had a real shot at becoming a Tower Keeper himself, given his talent.
At that moment, the boy managed to push forward and, despite the difficulty, touched the machine, completing the training exercise Professor Erick had assigned.
Eiros glanced around the room for a moment, watching the others go through the same drill, while plenty more waited for their own turn.
He was tempted to peek at how everyone else was progressing, but just then, his name was called.
His turn had come.
***