We safely arrived in Luzarigue. The defeat of the Pestilent Guardian Dragon had made it less dangerous, and as a result, a full-fledged effort to wipe out the rest of the curions and free the city had begun. Of course, there were so many that it wasn’t going to happen overnight. That was why they had gone so far as to mobilize students as well.
With Hector gone, it was probably a good idea for me to remember the city’s actual name—I couldn’t just call it the Pestilent Guardian Dragon’s city anymore.
“It’s been a while...or not, I guess.” Having already dismounted from the carriage, we gathered as a squad by the gate. I spotted a few actual saints nearby as well.
“Indeed. It still feels like it was only yesterday,” said the princess. Her combination of cuteness and beauty was as exquisite as ever. Her blue eyes and silver hair tied up in two long pigtails seemed to sparkle, and her pale skin seemed nearly translucent. Pushed up by her holy woman uniform, her chest made it hard to believe she had only just turned fifteen. “Albert, my knight, I can feel your disrespectful gaze.”
“I would never.”
“Can you swear that to the goddess?”
“If being captivated by my master’s charm is disrespectful, then by all means, punish me however you see fit.”
“H-How am I supposed to respond to that...?” The princess blushed as I kept my composure and maneuvered out of the situation.
“Excuse me? Since we’re a squad now, would it kill you two to not go off into your own little world?” A dazzlingly beautiful girl with a toned body and red ponytail was frowning at us. Irritable yet compassionate, Cuphea also had an ample bust.
“I’m fond of your fitness and beauty as well, Cuphea.”
“Quit it,” she said. Although she turned away from me, I could see her flushed cheeks.
“Naturally that goes for you as well, Linum.”
The blue-haired Linum giggled softly. “Thank you, Albert.” She was a little shy, but once you got to know her, Linum was easy to talk to. She had a presence about her that calmed everyone around her and made them feel at ease. In terms of bust, she was every bit as impressive as Cuphea.
“Monia and Hypericum too.” The bully who had turned over a new leaf, Agrimonia, had long, golden hair and slanted eyes. She wasn’t nearly as stuck-up as she had once been. She even let me shorten her name to Monia. It was a concession the old her never would have made. I’d even seen her apologize to Cuphea and compensate her for her uniform the other day. That didn’t automatically make things better, but it was clear she was genuinely remorseful. Since Cuphea had moved on, there wasn’t anything for a bystander like me to say.
“I’m impressed you’re so relaxed,” said Monia. She seemed to be nervous—and it wasn’t just her. The blonde beauty with an androgynous appearance, Hypericum, was shaking ever so slightly.
“How can I calm myself down like you all?” Hypericum asked. Fear was pretty foreign to me to begin with, so it was difficult for me to answer. It was possible there would come a day when I feared something and finally understood it. Lately I’d been feeling tremendous pressure from the glares of the princess and Cuphea when I talked to women. Perhaps that indescribable feeling was fear.
“I’m afraid too,” said the princess. “However, my desire to free the souls of the curions is even stronger, and that’s what motivates me.”
“For us, it’s our family. Yeah, we’re scared of dying and it saddens us to see curions, but we wanna return home to our family safe and sound,” Cuphea followed up, exchanging a glance with Linum and nodding.
Then it seemed like it was my turn. “If you’re afraid of dying, just stay close to me. I’ll always protect girls.” The princess shot me a look that said, “that doesn’t solve anything,” so I continued. “But if that’s the case, it’d be safer for you to stay outside the city.”
Monia and Hypericum’s eyes went wide, then they closed. When their eyes opened again, all their doubt had vanished. Their fear was probably still lingering, but they’d realized who they were. The memory of the classmates we’d lost on the previous visit was still vivid. However, even though we could have run away, we’d all decided to stay at the academy. That meant we’d already chosen to continue fighting—there was no reason to hesitate now that we were in front of the gate.
All right, I’ve confirmed that our squadmates are all ready to go. It’s about time to enter the city... However, it seemed not everyone was present yet. The final carriage arrived, and a group of saints stepped out. Among them were some faces I recognized. The students surrounding the carriage started freaking out.
“Eek! It’s Gold! Lady Palustris, who broke the record for maintaining divine protection for the longest time, and the knight of steel who protects her, Sir Ozias! They’re so cool!” a nearby holy woman shouted. Gold was the pair the princess and I had fought during our entrance exam. They were members of the academy’s twelve most talented pairs—the Colors. The blonde-haired holy woman Palustris had fought alongside us during the hands-on training. Ozias had probably been there too, but that didn’t matter. Not responding to the shrieks and cheering, Palustris calmly stepped away from the carriage.
“Look! Violet’s here too! Lady Setigerum, whose attack strengthening is said to be the best in the academy, and Sir Craig! Rumors say he was able to cut right through a stone building using her divine protection! It’s an honor to fight alongside them!” Setigerum was a beautiful girl with distinctive long, wavy, purple hair. In terms of age, she was definitely a girl, but the allure she possessed was too captivating to belong to a teenager.
The standard holy woman uniform had a gap that exposed the chest, and because hers was larger than usual, it looked like her bountiful chest was on the verge of spilling out. She had a bewitching gaze and a mole by her lower lip. Everything about her was right up my alley—except her age. There was a serious-looking man walking next to her, but I didn’t care about that.
“Princess, why don’t you try dressing like that?”
“Do you want me to curse you?” she asked with a beautiful smile.
“I’m already cursed...” I responded, dejected. Not giving up, I whispered into Cuphea’s ear next. “I’d like to see you in an outfit like that.”
“It’s not appropriate for the children, so no,” Cuphea replied.
“R-Right.” While I enjoyed making her blush, I had no choice but to relent when she mentioned the orphanage. Something like that could certainly influence the children’s sexuality.
Oh well. I’ll just have to burn Setigerum’s outfit into my eyes. The princess and Cuphea shot me cold glares as I stared at her.
“Lady Setigerum is seventeen, you know,” said the princess.
“So you’re not interested, right?” Cuphea asked.
“Being in or out of my strike zone has nothing to do with attractiveness.” As I explained, the next pair stepped out of the carriage.
“Wow! Even Bronze is here! It’s Lady Euryops, the princess of a foreign country who wields a sword even as a holy woman, and Lady Serrulata, who swings her two swords like a raging storm!” This time both members of the pair were women. Excellent.
Euryops had silver, shoulder-length hair, tanned skin, and red eyes. It was pretty unusual to see someone wielding a sword while wearing a holy woman uniform. Although her eyes looked sleepy, she didn’t have any openings. Serrulata had two swords and similarly brown skin and red eyes. Her long, black hair was shaggy, and her teeth were razor-sharp. She had a wild look that was charming in its own way.
“I knew they would come! It’s Black! Lady Orlaya, who was said to be a shoo-in for the Twelve Saints the moment she entered the academy, and Lady Myra, who’s called the second coming of the hero!”
Orlaya was the princess’s older sister. She had long, silver hair, icy blue eyes, and a slim yet voluptuous figure. Aside from the wintry aura she gave off, she looked quite similar to the princess.
Myra was a holy knight with blonde hair, blue eyes, and straight bangs. She was my adoptive brother Robert’s descendant. That made her something like a niece to me. When she noticed me, her face lit up and she waved. She was kinda like an overly affectionate dog in a way. It was cute. The sharp hostility I’d felt when we’d first met was nowhere to be seen.
“It doesn’t seem like Pink is here, but there’s nothing more reassuring than having Lady Orlaya’s squad here! They’re the strongest squad on campus!”
Thanks for the play-by-play, unknown holy woman. Apparently, everyone who had just arrived was part of the same squad. The missing pair, Pink, wasn’t participating. Five of the academy’s twelve top pairs being in the same squad was a ridiculous concentration of strength. Orlaya’s charisma must have been on another level to bring them all together.