The Strongest Student And His Mischiefs (VIII)

"Aestrea! Do you want to go around the capital with us?"

One of my classmates called out, their eyes bright with excitement.

I shook my head.

"Sorry, I'm busy today. Maybe next time."

"Ah..."

Their expressions fell, and they exchanged glances before sighing.

"Alright... see you later then."

"We're gonna miss you!"

One added dramatically, waving a hand.

"Yeah, yeah... it's not like I'm going on a long trip or anything."

I sighed.

Before meeting up with them earlier, I'd already dealt with enough for one day—specifically, trying to peel that slime girl off of me.

She'd been clinging on since the morning, and somehow, I'd managed to convince her to stay put in the room before sneaking out.

Anyway, I had plans for today.

I needed to pick up some things at the capital.

Merchant Street was my main destination—famous for its fair pricing system where everything was sold at a "performance-to-price" ratio.

A perfect spot to get supplies.

So, everything got the perfect price for their use.

But more importantly, I had to meet someone today.

The Saintess.

If I'm not wrong, she should be at the cat8hedral right now, so I should pass by it later.

"Aestrea?"

A soft voice suddenly reached out to me.

I turned around to see Vivian, one of my teachers.

"Do you have time?"

Her lips curled up as she said so, giving me a small smile.

"I should have some time. I was planning to head to Merchant Street, but sure."

"What's up?" 

"Well..."

She paused, looking almost sheepish as she scratched her cheek.

"First, I want to apologize in advance..."

She began, bowing slightly.

"Uh... for what?"

"You've been selected as our exchange student!"

"After the competition, you'll be attending Eternum's Royal Academy for a semester."

For a minute I thought I heard wrong.

Did she really say that I was the exchange student?

I mean, I'm the one who usually keeps the peace within our academy so that no other outside students threaten any of the students...

And she really said that I'm the exchange student this time?

I must be dreaming.

"Can you... repeat that please?"

"Ah..."

As if expecting my reaction, she let out a sigh before parting her lips.

"You've been chosen as the exchange student."

She repeated, her smile faltering slightly.

Me?

An exchange student?

"...You're serious?"

Vivian nodded at my words.

Um...

She really doesn't seem to be joking.

...

After that interaction...

"Ugh… just my luck."

"This is the last thing I wanted to happen."

I said so, running a hand through my silky hair.

Not that it helped my mood.

Normally, being chosen to attend the most prestigious academy would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Any student would kill for this chance.

But for me, this is a huge problem.

That academy is a demon-attracting rat!

Every week there's going to be at least one demon attack, not to mention that the whole plot of the novel revolves around it.

Catastrophes are happening because of the protagonist.

"Dammit... my idea of getting my academy into a higher rank so I could get a higher ranking job didn't work that well..."

Aestrea's wish and mine were pretty much on the same path.

He wanted to make his academy shine and get to the higher ranks so he could get the recognition he always wanted, and I just wanted to live a leisurely life.

And for that same leisure life, I didn't give a single fuck about the plot, and if I needed to ruin to live a relaxed life, I would do so.

"It seems that the competition isn't the only thing I'm going to prepare for..."

I muttered, and at the same time, I had finally reached the merchant street.

The place was packed with people—shoppers and vendors all shouting over each other.

The smell of fresh bread, grilled meat, and a faint tinge of magic filled the air.

Every stall was stacked with colorful goods: enchanted tools, rare herbs, shiny trinkets—you name it, they had it.

But, amongst all of them, one stood out the most, just like a king among peasants.

There, a giant queue of people stretched out the front, all waiting their turn to enter.

[Luxuria's Commerce.]

The store of the most prestigious merchant family, Luxuria.

Just by the name, it already sounds extremely extravagant, and it isn't exaggerated, since it was mentioned in the novel that their wealth is superior to the royal family.

Crazy, isn't it?

And of course, the heiress of this business is none other than "Violet Von Luxuria".

A heroine.

Well, not really...

She is a heroine... but also isn't.

She was one of the final villainesses which were mentioned by the novel's author, but he also said that she was also one of the hidden heroines...

A character that could potentially be seen as a heroine in the side stories.

"She's the last person I want to interact with..."

Shooking my head, I passed right in front of the big shop and started walking around the merchant street.

There were plenty of other shops to visit.

And I had a long list of things to buy.

That alone... took me a few hours.

"Ahh... a spatial pouch is so useful..." I sighed with a smile.

Nothing could be more useful than this little thing.

So, after a while, I reached the cathedral.

It's huge.

Its spires shot up into the sky like giant spears, their tips catching the sunlight and glowing faintly.

The walls were made of smooth white stone, covered in intricate carvings of battles and blessings.

Stained-glass windows lined the sides, each one was a masterpiece showing pictures of the many saints that once were alive.

The entrance was grand—a pair of tall, golden doors wide open, welcoming visitors.

A steady flow of priests and priestesses in white robes moved in and out, keeping a quiet atmosphere.

When I stepped inside, the cool air hit me, calming and refreshing at the same time. Rows of polished wooden pews stretched towards the altar, which sat bathed in golden light.

Above the altar was the largest stained-glass window I had ever seen.

It showed the figure of a very beautiful lady with golden locks and golden eyes, behind her, four wings stretched out giving her an ethereal grace.

Our Heavenly God.

It was truly beautiful...

The cathedral of the capital.

And somewhere inside was the saintess.

Christina Solene.

The one I needed to meet.

"But where is she?"

Before, she told me she was going to be at the cathedral, but where exactly?

With a sigh, I turned toward the nearest hallway, prepared to start a tedious search.

But just as I took a step, I felt a hand grip my shoulder.

"Ah... John?"

I exclaimed in surprise, turning around to see a familiar face.

"Yo!" 

He smiled in response.

This man right here was the bodyguard of the Saintess and a very skilled swordsman who could probably kill me with a single swing of his sword.

"Hehe, you really came here as the Saintess mentioned."

He chuckled, before then starting at my body from below to above.

"Let me guess… broken leg? No, maybe an arm? Or could it be—"

"Rib, a broken rib."

I shortcutted his response.

in response, John's grin widened, clearly amused.

"I know you can easily see my injuries, why pretend not to know?"

"It's just fun."

He shrugged his shoulders, before then walking away and uttering to me.

"Follow me, I'll guide you to the Saintess."

I nodded and started following him.

We climbed a few stairs before t8hen reaching a hall that led to a single room.

John stopped, placed a hand on the door, and glanced back at me with a wry smile.

"Good luck."

He smiled wryly before closing the door.

And before I could respond, he shoved me inside.

The door clicked shut behind me.

"This fuc—"

"—what did I say about cursing?"

A familiar voice that had the tone of a seductress reached out to my ears, cutting off my words.

My hand instinctively reached for the door handle.

Locked.

Of course.

"Dammit..."

I turned around.

And there she was.

Christina Solene.

A tumble of gold, her hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, glimmering faintly in the soft light streaming through colored-glass panes.

Her pink eyes locked onto mine, full of amusement and something unreadable.

She was in a bright, snowy white dress that clung to her form with golden patterns embroidered upon it and slightly glowing.

The fall of the material was beautiful, but this was a poor camouflage for the utterly sensual form of her body

Her arms held the dress up just so, taut over her generous curves.

It was almost ironic.

For a person with the title "Saintess," her body was anything but saintly.

"It seems that you got injured again..."

Her lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile as she took a single step forward. I stiffened as her eyes narrowed, gleaming with a sharper edge than before.

"What's this, Brother Aestrea?" she continued, her voice dropping just slightly.

The way she said my name felt heavier, like the weight of a dagger next to my neck.

"If I recall correctly…"

Christina's smile widened, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"This is the ninety-first time this month, isn't it?"

Her voice was calm—too calm.

The air in the room seemed to grow heavier as she tilted her head slightly, her golden hair cascading like liquid sunlight.

Her eyes narrowed, and that smile…

That smile somehow grew even more unsettling.