Her eyes were excessively clear, as if they had never been tainted by the world. However, in violent contrast to her saintly face was a figure that a normal young girl could never hope to possess. Judging by her looks, it was at least an E cup, and the startling curves stretched the fabric of her ordinary school shirt until the buttons seemed ready to burst.
Moving downward, her waist was so slender that even Mahina, a woman herself, was shocked; it looked as if it could be snapped with one hand. Yet immediately following that, the line of her waist widened abruptly in a sharp turn, sketching out the rounded, full curves of her lower body. She wore the black and white uniform of Zelion, and those excessive curves pulled the fabric so taut that it seemed to groan. Her stockings squeezed her fleshy thighs tightly, creating a slight indentation and forming a dazzling absolute territory between the fabric and her short skirt.
Mahina was stunned. ‘Who… who is this?’
As the former Student Council President, Mahina should have remembered the names and faces of every student in the school. However, regarding the girl before her with such an overwhelming presence… even after searching every corner of her memory, Mahina did not have a single shred of an impression.
No… since the other girl was wearing the Zelion uniform, Mahina wasn’t stupid. She was likely the Saintess Candidate Orino had mentioned. Why would she appear in such a remote place like the Old Library during the lunch break? Mahina, who now held the title of Student Council President in name only, naturally wouldn’t know when the Saintess Candidate was scheduled to arrive at the school.
Out of politeness, she did not hesitate for long before replying, “Yes… it is a bit different from the vows I have seen at weddings.”
The girl with green and white hair leaned in closer, and a fragrance that mixed the scent of lilies with a certain sweet, milky aroma wafted over, instantly overpowering the library’s original scent of old ink. She stretched out a slender, rounded finger and gently stroked the vows on the page.
“Perhaps it’s because they were too heavy,” the girl said, her voice soft and clear. “Or maybe people felt such vows were a mood-killer at a wedding, or… simply that almost no one could uphold them. Since they became promises that no one fulfills, it was better to make them more dignified. Some churches gradually changed them to this common version…”
“But I still prefer the previous version.”
“‘A fickle heart changes its locks and keys every day’… something like that?”
“Yes… if you don’t prepare for the worst at the very beginning, how can you have the courage to go on?”
The girl blinked her clear eyes, her tone still soft and gentle. “But… if the foundation is so terrifying that it scares people away from building at the start… if they give up on all the possibilities, isn’t that a pity? Since no one can do it anyway, leaving a bit of dignity is a good choice. After all, if you can trick one person into marriage, that’s one more, right…?”
‘She’s clearly a person from the Church, and likely a key figure at that, yet she speaks quite bluntly while wearing such a pure face.’ But regarding those vows, Mahina was speechless. As someone who had promised the old vows and ultimately failed to keep them entirely, she felt their weight. ‘Yes… they were too harsh, weren’t they?’ After all, Mahina was the one who had failed. On this point, Mahina absolutely had no right to speak.
Seeing Mahina fall silent, the green-haired girl did not press her advantage. Instead, she let out a light laugh as pleasant as a flowing stream, skillfully changing the subject. She scanned the vows in the book carefully, wearing a thoughtful expression.
“However, books with this new version of the vows should be quite rare in Zelion. Surely some uninformed student must have left it here on a whim. After all… Zelion is part of the ancient faction that believes more in the ‘Full Moon.’ If a responsible teacher saw this, they would remove it. The Capital might have it, but not this library. And vows… perhaps if the interpretation is different, the effect is different too, just like a Magic spell.”
‘But isn’t the reality just that there’s nothing there?’ Mahina felt nothing. Even as a former Duke’s Daughter, Mahina had spent most of her time training and on campaigns, rarely participating in social occasions. She held no interest in things like the Church. Even so, as a Duke’s Daughter at the center of power, she had learned about the Empire’s undercurrents through osmosis.
From the time she joined the Talan family until she left, regardless of whether it was internal or external, people were always arguing over whether the Moon Goddess was the “New Moon” or the “Full Moon.”
“It seems the former Duke’s Daughter is not interested in such matters. To put it simply, the ‘Full Moon’ focuses more on tradition, while the ‘New Moon’ is the opposite, including etiquette.” The green-haired girl smiled and withdrew her fingertip from the text of the vows. “In the Capital, the North, and the East, most people likely still retain the old customs. Since you are from the North, it is only natural that you are not familiar with these vows.”
“I am no longer a member of the Talan family. Moreover, in the life I have lived so far, I have spent more time as a peasant.”
“Even so, you are a person of the North.” Then, as if suddenly remembering something, the girl playfully stuck out her tongue and tapped her forehead lightly with her finger. “I am sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Mia, a Saintess-in-training who has come from the Holy Kingdom to the Capital.”
‘As I thought.’
“Although you already know who I am, please allow me to introduce myself. Mahina Harriet, an ordinary peasant.”
However, Mia did not have much of a reaction to Mahina’s deliberate emphasis. “I have heard of your name. The Hero of the North—your fame rings loudly even in the South.”
“That is already… a thing of the past.” Since Mahina had left the Talan family, there was no need for her to fight for the North. Merlin and her childhood friends had also remained in the Capital, and she doubted she would ever return to the North again.
“As a high-ranking Saintess-in-training, why would you travel thousands of miles to come to Zelion?”
Mia then struck a devout pose, her full chest heaving slightly with her movements. “Because in order to face the coming prophecy, even if I am only a Saintess-in-training, I should stay in the Capital to be ready at any time. It just so happens that I also longed for the Empire’s Zelion Academy, so I came as an exchange student.”
“I see… on behalf of Zelion Academy, I welcome you. The Star Moon Festival is approaching, so please enjoy the atmosphere of the academy.”
The smile on Mia’s face did not waver in the slightest, like a white lotus blooming in a dark corner. “Thank you.”
“But… on the upcoming Radiance Day, do you intend to stay at Zelion instead of returning to the Holy Kingdom?”
“Yes.”
Whatever was about to happen no longer had anything to do with Mahina. Besides, on Radiance Day, she was supposed to go to the Elven Forest with Ophelia. Mahina placed the book in her hand back onto the shelf, her tone distant and polite. “Well, afternoon classes are about to begin, so I will take my leave now.”
“Goodbye, Mahina.”
Without any further small talk, Mahina turned around. Accompanied by the crisp sound of her loafers tapping on the old wooden floor, she walked straight toward the library exit. In the air, the thick scent of lilies from Mia was gradually left behind, replaced by the comforting, stale smell of mildew.
Mia was indeed a perfect Saintess in both appearance and conduct, but Mahina felt that this dilapidated library clashed with the scent of lilies on her. Of course, the same applied to herself. The current Mahina was like an old book forgotten in a corner, silently growing mold, only wanting to linger on in the shadows. She felt that she would not be able to get along with this Saintess.
Just as her hand was about to touch the heavy wooden door, Mia’s clear, soft voice drifted from behind her. “Perhaps we will meet again soon? After all, as students of Zelion, going to war is inevitable.”
A moment later, Mahina pushed the door open, and the afternoon sunlight instantly stung her eyes.
“We will talk about that when the day comes.” As the wooden door shut heavily, it sealed the Saintess away in the shadows behind her.