Lightly ignoring Professor Rahell's orders, Rete slipped out of the chapel and walked quickly through the cathedral's office halls.
Mumble, mumble, mumble.
The Efnel students started whispering when they saw him.
Rete, First Chosen in her year and a strong candidate for the next Saintess, is the center of attention wherever she goes.
"Sister Rete!"
At that time, a girl in a white Efnel uniform ran and called Rete's name.
"?"
Rete turned around with a bored face.
"Benedictio deae, Sister Rete. May the blessing of the Goddess be with you!"
"Benedicto deae. Is something wrong?"
"Oh, about that…"
The girl blushed and muttered,
"Who will you go with on this Visit?"
At Efnel, surface delivery missions are called 'Visit'.
"No one~"
"What? That's supposed to be a task done by a group of four!"
"It's tiring. And if it takes four people, then I can do it alone."
"As expected of you, Sister Rete!"
It's time for the Visit… Things are about to get tricky.
Rete put her hands in her skirt pockets and yawned.
And it really started to get annoying. The Efnel students started to crowd around him.
"Benedicto deae, Sister Rete!"
"Have you formed a team yet?"
"Sister Rete!"
It was a natural move, as there is no better insurance than having Rete on the team.
Of course, Rete responded to this coldly.
"I'm going alone, so please leave me alone."
As Rete gave his sarcastic reply and continued walking, someone accompanied by a group of students much larger than the one Rete had formed was walking from the other direction.
He was a very popular boy at Efnel, where less than one in five students is male.
His dazzling red hair fluttered in the wind, his face was like a statue perfectly carved down to the nose, and his gentle smile was enough to melt a girl's heart to the core.
Walking from the opposite direction, he saw Rete and started a conversation with a smile.
"Benedicto deae, Rete Best Student! Good morning."
He raised his hand and greeted her, but Rete passed him.
"Benedicto deae, Romeng the Second Best. It's a good morning, so please go."
"Ahaha! Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Rete ignored him and continued on his way while Romeng walked behind him, trying desperately to get his attention.
"What's wrong? I'll make this Visit myself."
"N-No, it's not that. I was just wondering how your sacred object project from Professor Renai is progressing."
"That's none of your business. Please excuse me."
"Actually, I just found a place to get 'moon pearls' which can be used as a material for making prayer beads, you know."
Rete gave little reaction at the mention of moon pearls.
That was understandable. Moon pearls were sacred objects of incalculable quality, and if one could find even one, they would gain the highest value for the project.
He took out two tickets.
"I'm taking the train down to the surface tonight. You want to come?"
Several girls around her groaned in envy, but Rete waved them away with a cold wave of her hand.
"Congratulations in advance on your first place in the sacred object creation project. And didn't it occur to you that, if I took that precious object too, your ranking would drop?"
"It's okay, Rete."
Romeng blinked.
"This is a small consideration from me as your only rival. Let us become better together."
"Huh…"
Because Romeng was still following him, Rete started to feel annoyed.
"I was trying to behave a little because Professor Rahul was scolding me, but you really acted up non-stop."
"R-Rete?"
"What do you mean by rival? That's ridiculous, so stop lying to yourself.
There was no one he considered a rival, at least in this school.
"What else would the best and second best students be other than their rivals?"
Romeng laughed and added,
"Also, those white robes you've been wearing lately? They're a bit outdated."
Romeng put his hand on his shoulder.
"I'll buy you a new one when we start surfing—"
Woooooosh!
Romeng felt his vision suddenly turn upside down. A terrible pain shot through his back and neck. When he came to, he was lying on the floor.
"Who do you think you're touching with your dirty hands?"
Spit Rete.
At the same time, Romeng felt his patience waning as well.
Just when he forcefully pushed himself up and was about to slap her cheeks…
Thud!
Her shoe slammed into his stomach, forcing the wind out of his lungs.
'I-I can't break through—!'
Grabbing.
Rete grabbed the back of Romeng's head with one hand.
"This is what I like most about Efnel."
Destroy!!!
Then, he slammed his face into the glass wall. Tempered glass, a material known for its toughness, cracked and shattered.
"I don't have to worry about killing bastards."
His eyes filled with ice as he tightened his grip on Romeng's head before dragging him into another glass. This time Romeng's nose broke first and was crushed into a fine paste.
"Besides, I don't have to worry about leaving any scars or marks on their faces or bodies even if I just beat them up."
Then, just like that, he kept walking.
Creeeeeaaaaaaak…
Romeng's face made a horrible sound as it slid down the wall, leaving a long line of blood on the wall like gruesome paint.
"Even if I beat them to the brink of death, it doesn't bother me at all, because the great healer Efnel will bring them back from the brink."
He rarely uses any light magic.
Only a solid foundation in fighting techniques supported by a large amount of divinity.
Romeng, the second best student, couldn't even fight back.
"It was a close fight, as expected from my rival Romeng the Second Best."
He ended the torture with that while wiping away a drop of Romeng's blood that had ungratefully landed on his cheek.
Romeng, his face more blood than flesh, lay on the floor with his eyes rolled back into his head.
There was a deep silence around them.
Rete turned around, and the Efnel students who had been watching quickly averted their gaze.
"Hey, those sisters over there, I want you to take this bastard to the healer."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
The students rushed to help the fallen Romeng, and Rete exited the hall as his white hair fluttered behind him.
* * *
* * *
Click!
Arriving at the door of his dorm room, Rete opened it and entered.
"Benedictio deae~ Sister Rete!"
Her roommate, who was writing her homework, waved in greeting. Rete returned the greeting with a nod.
"Benedictio dear, Lilinette."
"Did something happen at school? It's quite noisy."
"Defeat me."
Pretending not to know, Rete took off his robe and hung it on a hanger. The robe was white on the outside, but the black lining was visible inside.
"Oh, I got a letter from him so I left it on your desk."
"A letter?"
"Yes. The old lady who always comes to visit…"
"!!!"
Rete's face, which had been expressionless all day, suddenly lit up.
"Don't tell me!"
He rushes and sees a letter on the table.
Dear Rete,
Beautiful and elegant handwriting that exudes a sense of class. He recognized it at a glance.
After all, he had seen that handwriting thousands, no, tens of thousands of times.
"Aaaaaah!! Gururrrrrr!"
Finally, a letter from Anna!
Rete was so happy that she jumped for joy with the letter in her arms.
To send a letter from the Dark Territory to the Holy Federation, a somewhat unofficial route had to be used, and the sender of the message was the old woman who delivered the letter.
Lilinette flashed a mischievous smile.
"I wonder how people would react if they found out that Sister Rete actually has a childish side? I'm so curious!"
"You little—! I'm in a good mood, so please be quiet."
He first went to take a shower to cleanse himself.
He wanted to read Anna's letter with respect.
After taking a bath and putting on comfortable clothes, he placed the letter on the floor and knelt down respectfully.
One thing that kept him going through the difficult life in Efnel.
The rays of light.
The thought of opening the letter made his heart beat faster and drove him crazy.
"By the way, Sister Rete~"
Lilinette leaned back in her chair and started a conversation.
"Who is this letter from that makes you so excited? Could it be a man?"
"Do you think I'm crazy? If you don't want to be beaten, please be quiet."
He carefully unsealed the envelope as if performing a very reverent ritual and unfolded the stiff letter.
Just by looking at the graceful black handwriting on white paper, the world seems to be immersed in a substance called happiness.
Hi Rete! It's me, Teacher Anna. How are things at Efnel today?
"Ahhhhh!"
Rete squealed with joy as she read the letter. A wide smile formed on her face.
At that time, as he continued reading the letter in his world filled with lollipops and gum…
Failure.
Another letter fell out of the envelope.
It turned out there were two letters. Rete looked at the last sentence with a strange look.
Also, Simon wrote a letter saying you should read it. I attached it next to mine.
"…!!"
He blinked in surprise and his face stiffened slightly.
'AA letter from that bastard?'
He was very confused.
Who is he who sent me a letter that I have to read?
What is he planning to say…?
Hesitating like someone about to touch an active bomb, he carefully reached out his hand to the fallen letter.
Shiver.
Her arms were shaking violently. She quickly pulled her hand back—she hadn't managed to grab the letter before she pulled it out—and held it in front of her chest in embarrassment.
'W-What happened? Why am I nervous?'
His heart was beating fast out of nowhere. Beads of sweat were also forming on his forehead.
After hesitating to take the letter several times…
'Oh, damn it! What did I do, hurt my own pride?!'
He bravely took the letter and tore it open. Then he read the contents.
Hello, Rete. How are you?
His eyes shook from the force of the earthquake.
Thank you for helping me during the holidays! I will be forever grateful to you. Please convey my regards to Israfill as well. How is Ran? You sometimes come to my mind. I miss you.
I miss you.
I miss you…
I miss you, my ass!
Rete bit her lip and read further into the letter.
However…
His expression turned cold as he continued.
Remember the evidence we got from the train? Can you see if you can find the name 'Judas' on there?
"Ah! This bastard, honestly!"
He threw the letter against the wall. He just wrote his greetings at the beginning, and the rest was just a bunch of things he wanted to ask.
Trembling with anger, he paused for a moment.
'But why do I feel disappointed in him for writing a short greeting?'
While Rete is daydreaming, her roommate Lilinette secretly reads the letter that Rete threw away.
"Oh! It's a boy! Is this a boy's handwriting? Wow, what is this? You sometimes appear in my mind? I miss you?> Kyaaaaaah!!!"
Rete raised his arm, his hand glowing a dazzling white.
With a brilliant flash of light, the air opened and her sacred beast, the baby dragon 'Ran', came out and coiled around Lilinette.
"Kyaaaaaaaah!"
He was quickly subdued by Ran, being lifted off the ground in the process.
"I told you…"
Rete started, his eyes blazing with anger as he picked up Simon's letter.
"Shut up."
"Waaaaaaah! P-Please forgive me, Brother Rete!"
"I won't do it!"
Rete began to gently tickle Lilinette's exposed armpit. Her face quickly turned red with blood, Lilinette twisted her entire body and laughed out loud.
"Hahahaha! Ahh! Hahah! H-Help…!"
"I want to ask something."
Rete said, giving a brief pause to the tickling torture. Lilinette, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes from laughter, quickly replied,
"Please, please give the order, Sister Rete."
"You said your uncle is an active inquisitor, right? Can you contact him?"
Eventually, Lilinette was released in exchange for contact with her uncle.
"By the way, what do you need from my uncle?"
"Just do it."
Lilinette took out her communication crystal ball and called her uncle.
"Yes, yes, uncle! I'm fine. Yes, I have a friend who wants to talk to you."
"I'm Rete."
Rete stuck his head out and took the communication crystal ball from Lilinette's hand. A thick old man's laughter came from the crystal ball.
(Hahaha! Rete? I've heard a lot from my nephew!)
"Like what?"
(That First Choice, who was placed in the same room as my darling, was very short-tempered—)
"Run."
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Lilinette is hanged again by Ran, and Rete hides the torture behind her back so that Lilinette's uncle does not see her niece's humiliation.
Then, Rete continued,
"I want you to find someone."
(Of course. This is help from my nephew's friend. Who?)
His face turned serious.
"A man named Methyn. An inquisitor."