A clamor ran through the soldiers.
“Where did the infiltrator go?!”
“You—what’s your name and class?”
“I’m Stella Millesia, a first-year.”
“Stella?!” the soldiers exclaimed, recoiling. Apparently Stella was so widely hated that even they knew about her. Ridiculous.
“Did you see any suspicious, black-robed figures run by?”
“Um, there was some hooded person who ran to the dormitory...”
“The dormitory?! Not good!”
“We need to get him, and fast. Our pride as the king’s soldiers rely on it!”
“Return to your room, girl!”
The soldiers left Stella behind and rushed off. Once they were gone, Stella and I exchanged glances (so to speak). It was 11:50...
Stella ran back to the plaza.
“Hooray! Now’s our chance to touch the statue.”
The troublesome soldiers had all dispersed. They were now hunting for some guy that didn’t exist by the dorms. Our victory was absolute.
Before us stood the towering Goddess statue. It was looking down at us with a compassionate smile.
As we approached, the massive amount of paper at its feet came into view. They were tiny slips with complex black patterns on them. I started to look at them, but then—
“I see. Well done,” came a voice from above.
“Who is it?!” Stella exclaimed with a jerk of her head.
A woman riding her staff was floating in the sky.
With amber hair that stood out against the night sky, she was a natural beauty. Her polished armor went perfectly with her good looks, and her long, fluttering robe had gold embroidery lining its hem...which took the shape of a divine staff.
“Captain Hamiel...of the Opti Baculus...” Stella forced out, her voice cracking.
Captain Hamiel of the First Saint Squadron... One of the strongest saints in the country, and possessor of a Grand Spirit of Wind.
Hamiel landed gently before Stella. She was one head taller than her, and gave her a kind smile. “Return to your room; you are too promising a student to fall here.”
Stella trembled.
“I can imagine your objective. You came to touch the statue and see the Goddess, no? I once snuck out of the dormitory to do the same in my student days. It felt so important to meet the Goddess,” Hamiel said, a hint of nostalgia arising in her eyes. “My attempt failed, of course. The soldiers assigned to guard the statue are anything but incompetent. Those you dispersed earlier left only because they knew I was here; otherwise, they would never abandon the Goddess statue to chase someone.”
Stella bit her lips in frustration. Hamiel continued, in a consoling tone. “If you wish to see the Goddess, devote yourself to pious worship. She sees all those of faith.”
Stella tightened her grip on me.
I thought that was the end for us...but Stella didn’t falter, not even before the mightiest saint of all.
After some silence, she muttered, “I don’t want to.”
What?
Both Hamiel and I were equally shocked.
“What was that...?”
“I don’t want to leave! I want to meet the Goddess and make my request directly, no matter what. I’m going to speak to the all-knowing, all-powerful paragon of compassion herself!”
What are you saying, Stella...?!
Caution was a virtue at times like this. We had both seen that Grand Spirit of Wind. A head-on fight with Hamiel wouldn’t end well with either of us.
Still, the conversation went on despite my panic.
“You cannot be sane. To touch the statue, you will need to first defeat me. You will stand your ground knowing that?”
“I never thought meeting the Goddess of all the heavens would be easy. Nothing will get in my way.”
“Fascinating. To think a student would not balk in fear before me.”
Hamiel spun her staff with practiced movement; the look in her eyes grew sharp.
“I am Elise Hamiel, captain of the First Saint Squadron of the Oravina Army. I shall be your opponent.”
What am I even supposed to do here?!
A duel was about to start at any moment. Hamiel looked utterly confident, and Stella was burning with clear determination. This wasn’t good. I had to do the one thing I could...speak.
“Calm down and think! We’re talking about the strongest saint there is here. We need to fall back!”
“We don’t have time for that. The ceremony is ending soon. We lose if we take a single step back.”
Hamiel paused and furrowed her brow. “You have a talent for ventriloquism?”
“Uh-huh. This is how the coward within me speaks.”
This isn’t cowardice. It’s caution!
I wanted to protest, but kept it to myself. I didn’t want Stella looking like a sad, lonely girl who talked to herself.
The needle on the clock tower ticked. We were now two minutes away from midnight.
Falling back would indeed mean running out of time, but in front of us was the mightiest saint of all.
There are no good choices here!
Our goal was right in front of us, but we couldn’t reach it.
Stella inhaled, having seemingly steeled her resolve. She lifted her staff and began to chant.
“O Spirits of Wind. O breath of the Goddess, O atmosphere in the sky...”
“Oh?” Hamiel muttered. Her voice had both shock and exasperation. “You would oppose me with a Wind miracle despite knowing my staff has a Grand Spirit of Wind...? Do you think your Wind capable of blowing away mine?”
It seemed Stella attempting to cast a Wind miracle left Hamiel in disbelief. She didn’t even try chanting a miracle of her own.
What are you planning, Stella...?
This was different from when she bluffed earlier. Was she actually trying to cast a miracle...? No, not a chance. She was fully aware her own miracles were useless. That was why she hadn’t even tried to use miracles. She had gotten this far using flour, knives, and bluffs—her own power.
Why, then, was Stella trying to chant?
“The faithful are gifted joy. Spirits belong to them. The Goddess’s might covers the world eternal, and brings about unending peace...”
She swung her arm hard, and in that moment I understood her intentions—for better or worse.
“Stella! Don’t! This wasn’t what I wanted. We had vowed to touch the statue together.”
“One question,” she asked out of nowhere. “What exactly is an ‘idol’ like you were talking about?”
I found that curious, but as an otaku I answered on instinct.
“An idol is one you devote your eternal love to f—”
“AAAAH, STUPID STUPID I SHOULDN’T HAVE AAAASKED!”
Stella’s arm was made mightier through shame. She had played me like a fiddle, but I didn’t notice until it was too late.