Chapter 3: Exam Preparation Period

The next day, at the academy.

With the sound of classmates’ pens moving around him, Ren faced his notebook and wrote as well.

It was a history class. Even with midterms approaching, lessons were continuing as usual.
Maybe because of the recent study fatigue, his eyelids felt heavy. As Ren fought off sleepiness, Lishia let out a soft, voiceless laugh.

“Sleepy?”

Ren nodded honestly. 

“Yeah.”

To Licia, that honesty made him seem a little cute.

“Just a bit more—hang in there.”

She whispered again.

Today’s lesson covered the era after the Demon King was defeated, when temples across Leomel were rebuilt or newly established.

Ren forced himself to listen to the professor while lowering his eyes to the reference book.

…This deity… if he remembered correctly—

A certain rebuilt temple, a place the Lion King had prayed during his lifetime.
The deity enshrined there was the Creator God, Aris.

She was the girl-shaped deity depicted in the stained glass of the Geno Institute, mentioned in Ragna’s report.

A very, very ancient god—the first of all gods, as her title suggested. Though there were few temples dedicated to Aris now, many were built instead for the four other gods.

The God of Time.
The God of Wisdom.
The God of Life.
And— the Chief God.

All four were goddesses born from Aris, known as the Four Goddesses of the Beginning.

According to creation myth, in the dawn of the world, Aris drifted alone in the pitch-black emptiness. Her loneliness brought her to tears, and from those tears came the land, the sea, and the sky. When she scattered the water from a small spring at the world’s center, the four goddesses were born.

Later, other gods—like the God of War—were created, and that led to the world as it exists today.

For people everywhere, the Chief God Elfen was the most familiar. She was known as a great goddess with followers across the world.

It went without saying that the existence of the hero Ruin—who bore Elfen’s blessing—greatly contributed to her renown.

(Did her mother, the Creator God Aris, never create a hero-like being…?)

At least, no records stated anything like that.

—

The bell rang, and the professor left the classroom. The students sagged in unison.

Lessons before exams always felt more tense, so most students quickly filed out.

Ren and Licia, on the other hand, weren’t particularly nervous.
They went to the dining hall after a short rest and met up with Fiona, who had also just finished class, though the hall was more empty than usual.

After a calm lunch, Ren parted with Licia and went out to the courtyard, walking toward the fountain.

There were only a handful of students eating outdoors today. Because it was quieter, the sound of water seemed louder than usual. As Ren walked past the fountain, Fiona spoke beside him:

“How are second-year classes lately?”

“They’re just… getting harder. What about fourth-year?”

“Ahaha… actually, I feel the same way.”

Fiona Ignat—the Black Priestess.

Her long, obsidian-like hair and amethyst eyes gave her an air of mystical beauty, yet she also showed moments of innocent youthfulness that made her seem delicate.

As a child, the Black Priestess’ immense power nearly overwhelmed her, and she almost lost her life. Ren had saved her then, and again later during the Baldor Mountain incident. Because of that, she held deep affection toward him.

She continued talking.

“History lessons around this time… aren’t they usually about how the temples were founded?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what we’re covering. Today was mostly about the goddesses—lots of detailed stuff.”

“The second-year reference books are pretty thick too…”

Her hair swayed in the wind as she gave a wry smile.

Walking in the shade of trees in their summer uniforms, a cool breeze passed by, making them forget the heat for a moment.

“The Four Goddesses of the Beginning had a huge impact on history, and there are lots of temples outside the capital too.”

“And we still haven’t covered all the regional legends yet… I’m already dreading it.”

When Ren said that, Fiona offered kindly.

“Should we study together again?”

He found her reliable and answered immediately, “Please.”

“Lishia was saying classes will get even harder after summer.”

“Right… she mentioned during lunch that she has to review.”

“She did. Then she left right away with Riohard.”

“The library, right? He said he needed help studying for the exams.”

After lunch, Lishia had stepped away to keep a promise with Sera.

As they talked, Fiona remembered she also needed to visit the library. She wanted to borrow some reference books anyway, so checking in on Lishia sounded like a good idea.

“Oh, right. I need to look for reference books too.”

“Then can I come along? I want to find a few myself.”

“Of course.”

But choosing the library meant walking through sunlit paths again. Completely exposed to the sunlight, the two braced themselves.

Their faces were brightly lit in the harsh light as they traded tired smiles.

“…It’s really hot.” 

Ren muttered.

“It is… and it’ll only get hotter.”

“…I regret saying anything.”

“…Same.”

A thin line of sweat slid down Fiona’s pale neck.

Tomorrow would probably be even hotter—they both knew it, but neither said it aloud.

That silence lasted only until they reached the library.
Like the main building, its cooling magic tools kept the interior cool. Ren expected the library to be packed with students studying for exams, but surprisingly, it wasn’t.

On the second floor, they spotted Lishia and Sera seated together, so Ren and Fiona approached.

Licia noticed them first and looked up.
Seira, however, was hunched over her notebook.

“…Weird. These calculations don’t match…”

Seira Riohard—the girl who was positioned as the main heroine in the Legend of the Seven Heroes—let out a weak groan and collapsed onto her desk. Her normally neat, composed features were dimmed with exhaustion.

Her silky brown hair spread across her notebook as she lifted her face slightly toward the newcomers.

“Oh, Ren. What brings you here with Lady Ignat?”

“We came to look for reference books. And we thought we’d check how you two were doing.”

“Hehe… well, you’ll only get to see me looking pathetic.”

“N-no, I don’t think that at all…”

Ren had thought this before—Seira didn’t have bad grades. If she repeated things properly, she could solve hard problems too. She wasn’t inefficient, just overwhelmed.

“Do you want to take a short break?” 

Licia asked.

“…Yeah. I do.”

“Okay. I’ll go look for another reference book. Take your time.”

Licia gave her a gentle smile and left the table with Ren and Fiona following.

While searching the shelves, Ren remembered something.

“…If it’s this hot, tomorrow’s work is going to be rough.”

Hearing that, Licia sighed.

“Really.”

Fiona recalled earlier. 

“Ren, weren’t you not going to say it was hot anymore?”

“…I forgot.”

Looking awkward, Ren tucked the reference books under his arm.

He wasn’t planning to mention the heat again, but if he remembered correctly, the forecast said tomorrow would be even hotter… and—

“I think it’s supposed to rain tomorrow evening.”

“But since our work starts early, we’ll probably be home before then.”

Ren narrowed his eyes against the dazzling light.
As he moved toward another shelf, Lishia asked Fiona:

“Fourth-year exams really do seem hard, don’t they?”

“They might be… Studying for them was definitely easier last year.”

“…I knew it…”

Fiona added:

“And… there’s also waiting for the results before summer break.”

“Yes! Isn’t that so nerve-wracking?”

“It is! No matter how many times we go through it, I never get used to it!”

Recently, they had grown much more comfortable talking casually.
Especially Licia—when excited, she sometimes slipped into a more expressive tone like now.

Older, younger.
Senior, junior.
Romantic rival, different faction—

There were many words one could use, but none could fully describe two girls who had shared so many experiences with Ren.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The cloudless blue sky looked even brighter than yesterday. Just looking at its color made it obvious the day would be hotter.

At the hour they normally boarded the magic train for school, Ren and the others boarded a train headed in a direction they didn’t usually take.

The three had a job to do.

Normally, there would be other passengers too, but today they saw only a few knights and civil officials.

Wrapped in that quietness, time passed peacefully.

They occasionally chatted with Lishia and Fiona sitting across from him… and while Ren enjoyed the scenery:

“Ren, has there been any word from Ragna?”

Lishia changed the subject casually.

“Not yet. It’s been a while since the key was fixed, so I think he’ll contact me soon.”

The “key” referred to the magic tool indicating the hideout of Mudi, the legendary bard.

Because Ren had accepted the emblem bearing Ragna’s crest, numerous events had unfolded, eventually leading to the key’s repair.

‘If the key was at the orphanage, the song might be about Cecil Ashton.’

Those were Ragna’s words when Ren received the emblem.

There should be some contact eventually—including whether Ren would join the investigation.

Even if it wasn’t necessarily tied to the adventurer Ashton, it was worth looking into.
For Ren, who was troubled by the sword demon’s last mention of “the oracle child” in Roses Kaitas, it was as significant as the matter of Eve.

“Maybe they’re still preparing,” Fiona suggested, lightly touching her lip with one finger.

“If it’s Mudi’s hideout, there might be defensive magic tools made by Milim Altia. That might be why there’s no message yet.”

“That’s a good point…”

It was almost certainly true.
He supposed Ragna could have mentioned it, but knowing him, the lack of updates wasn’t surprising.

—

Before long, the magic train stopped on a stretch of tracks beside a wide plain.

There was no station platform—just the scenery they’d seen through the windows.

A temporary wooden step structure had been set up next to the stopped train. Descending the simple stairs and stepping onto the grass, they saw tents used by road guards, knights, and civil officials.

A few of them approached upon noticing the three.

“Thank you for coming. We’ve been expecting you.”