[Alisha's POV]
The night after the welcoming ceremony for the Saint candidates, Leon and I hurried toward the Temple of Goddess Diana in this city to meet Ana before she departed for the Holy City of Notredame to undergo her Trials.
Upon arriving inside the Temple, many armored Knights were seen guarding the vicinity. We had to undergo several checks before we were permitted to enter.
"Sister Alisha! Leon!"
I saw a beautiful girl with shoulder-length grey hair waving her hand at me. It was my beloved younger sister, Anastasia. She looked more mature wearing those Priestess robes. After not seeing her for several months, I suppose I missed her innocent smile quite a bit.
"Heee~ Look at my little sister now; she already has fans in a foreign land," I said, attempting to tease her.
"It's a bit uncomfortable, actually, Sister Alisha..." Ana said with a slight pout. "I'm not used to being the center of attention like you."
"Don't worry, Ana... You'll definitely get used to it," I said while stroking her soft hair.
It was true; Ana had never been accustomed to attending state events or regional visits in our country. For every visit of the Monarch of the Slavia Tsardom, I was always the one to go if Father could not attend.
"So, what about you, Sister?" Ana asked with a mischievous smile. "Is your future husband a handsome man? Is he as strong as Leon? Or... is he a bad man?"
Hearing all of Ana's questions, I smiled softly at her. It seemed she was curious about my life in this country. I suppose that's only natural; with Leon and me gone to the Empire, she must have been a bit lonely at home.
"I can say he isn't a bad man, Ana."
"Leon, you must always be able to protect my sister, okay?" Ana said, looking at Leon seriously.
She really is adorable...
"Of course, Princess Ana," Leon answered earnestly. "As long as I still draw breath, I will not allow any threat of danger to approach Princess Alisha."
After the pleasantries, I then asked Ana about the state of the Slavia Tsardom since we left it several months ago. She said that thanks to the financial aid and investments provided by Duke Alvaro, the Slavia Tsardom's economy—which had plummeted due to monster attacks—was slowly beginning to recover. All food and goods production sites had started operating, causing the unemployment resulting from the destruction of citizens' workplaces to decrease.
It seems that making the deal with Duke Alvaro was indeed the right decision we made.
"Ana, what activities will you be doing later while in the Holy City of Notredame?" I asked her.
"Upon arriving there, we will undergo three Trials before the Selection Ritual on the Night of Blessing," Ana replied.
The Night of Blessing is the moment when one of the candidates will be chosen as a Saint through the Chosen Miracle ritual. Legend says that when the First Saint was chosen, Goddess Diana descended directly into this world to bless her. That woman was Saint Yeriel—a woman so holy among other holy women that the Goddess herself descended to appoint her as her representative in this world.
I do not know what awaits Ana during the Trials, but I am certain it will not be easy. Ana is a gentle woman, very naive and kind toward others. I know why she was designated as a Saint candidate. However, I do not know if she can truly face the pressure of the obstacles she will encounter later.
***
[Ariel's POV]
A few days after the welcoming of the Saint candidates, our academy activities continued. With so many new students now and the graduation of the Seniors, the academy atmosphere felt different.
"Hey, isn't that Senior Brian?"
"Yes... He is the Head of the Swordsmaster Club, and yesterday he demonstrated some cool techniques to us new members!"
We heard the new students talking about the blonde-haired man sitting beside me. Currently, Brian, Valeria, Geralt, and I were in the academy canteen after learning hours had ended.
"You're quite famous now, aren't you?" Geralt said, trying to tease Brian.
"He demonstrated excessive sword techniques during the club demonstration for the new kids," Valeria said cynically.
Hearing his friends' banter, Brian only chuckled sheepishly. Currently, he looked more cheerful than before. It made me feel a bit relieved compared to seeing him always gloomy and without spirit like in previous days.
"Next month we will start our Field Work Practice, won't we?" Geralt said, bringing up a new topic.
"You're right; every student will be placed in regions of the Empire that are currently experiencing problems," Valeria added, explaining further. "With this program, it is hoped that all students will have experience after graduation."
"But, shouldn't this activity start mid-year?" I asked Valeria.
If I recall correctly, the Seniors last year didn't go straight into field work. So, why is the schedule different this year?
"Actually, there are still many places lacking personnel because the Seniors' terms have ended," Valeria answered. "Because of that, they requested us to immediately fill the posts they left behind."
"In that case, the schedule shift makes sense," Brian remarked. "We must go there immediately to help them."
What Brian said was true. However, just last year, six students died while participating in this program. That indicates that the field work practice is quite dangerous.
"The Northeastern region of the Empire, specifically near the Montana mountains and the Callisto Forest, is the area currently most lacking in personnel," Valeria revealed. "That is because this region has a very high concentration of monster distribution and is the most dangerous region in the Empire."
What I heard from the Seniors last year was the same. The Northeastern region of the Empire is indeed very dangerous. Of the six students who died during the program, four of them were those placed in the northeastern region.
This world is a dangerous place...
I initially didn't realize this because I was too comfortable living in a safe place like the capital. However, for those who have no choice but to live on the edges of the Empire with minimal security personnel, this world can be considered hell. What would the citizens who are suffering and terrified there think, seeing us city dwellers happy and feeling safe without fear of monster or bandit attacks?
Jealousy and a feeling of being ignored.
I hope the Empire resolves this soon. Everyone should experience happiness and security equally—not just for the central regions, but for every region throughout this country.
***
[Raul's POV]
It has been several days since I officially became a member of The Masquerade. However, they haven't called me to perform a mission yet.
In the game, The Masquerade was initially formed to protect and house the Cursed Children. They are children who possess terrifying abilities. The Temple Authority hunts them because these Cursed Children cannot control the power they possess. Just once a Cursed Child's emotions become unstable, an entire city can be destroyed.
Actually, the Temple Authority had taken gentler actions toward the Cursed Children by quarantining and researching their powers. However, this project did not go well; they failed to enable the Cursed Children to control their strength. Ultimately, the Temple Authority made the decision to eradicate them before they brought destruction to the areas where they lived.
At that time, children who possessed characteristics indicating they were Cursed Children were immediately kidnapped, and once confirmed, the child would be killed. Their parents had to weep tears of blood seeing their beloved, innocent children snatched away by the Inquisitors. They are a Temple Authority unit specifically tasked with eradicating Heretics and anything that opposes the Temple's teachings.
Disgusted by these cruel practices of the Temple Authority, someone established a group to protect Cursed Children and fight against the Authority. He named this group The Masquerade.
The group is divided into three sections: Sitters, who care for the Cursed Children; Tracers, tasked with finding and detecting where Cursed Children are located for adoption; and finally, the Performers, who only have seven members. Only the Performers have identity-concealing masks. This is because they are the ones who will fight against the Inquisitors and Holy Knights hunting the Cursed Children, so their identities must be kept secret. They also perform dangerous missions, such as the assassination of key Temple Authority officials deemed very hazardous to the group.
I hope my first mission won't involve a direct encounter with a Holy Knight. My strength is still not enough to fight them. One single mistake in fighting powerful people like that and it's all over... Game Over.
Currently, I am heading to the Student Council Building to hold a meeting discussing the Field Work Practice taking place next month. Another problem I have to think about is Ariel.
There is only one way for Ariel to have a chance of being chosen directly by the Goddess to become a Saint. There are three Trials that the Saint candidates will go through. The function of these Trials is to forge the candidates—physically, mentally, and in their resolve—to become the new Saint. These three Trials are not easy; there are even cases where candidates who were not chosen suffered trauma after the Trial process was completed. After undergoing the Trials, a Ritual will be performed to choose who is most worthy among those candidates.
I will sabotage their selection by making the Goddess choose Ariel before the Temple determines their Saint. However, this plan relies heavily on Ariel herself. She must awaken the Codex she possesses before the selection arrives. I will replicate the Trials performed by the Temple during the field work practice for Ariel to undergo. But this plan is easier said than done.
There are several factors that must be perfect in this regard, namely timing. I must predict and create a suitable scenario for Ariel to awaken her Codex after giving her the same Trials as those undergone by the other Saint candidates.
After walking for a while, I reached the Student Council Building and entered the meeting room, which was already filled with members.
"You're late, Raul," said Elena, looking displeased. "We were just about to discuss student placements."
"My apologies, President. There was an urgent matter I had to resolve," I said, making an excuse.
I sat in my chair and began listening to the explanation from the Student Council Secretary—Sarah Volkswagen.
There are ten locations that will serve as sites for the students' Field Work Practice. With approximately 190 third-year students, there will be 20 students going to each location, though one location will only get 10 students. Among every twenty students, there must be at least two or three Priestesses, four or five mages, and twelve or fourteen fighters. These students will assist the security forces there in dealing with monster threats and bandits roaming the region.
"The most dangerous regions currently are the Margraviate of Cataluna and the Duchy of Menorca," Sarah revealed, reading the report in her hand. "A dozen people have gone missing recently in the Cataluna region; the cause and reason for this have not yet been confirmed, but it is likely caused by goblin activity."
No, what is happening there isn't goblin activity causing people to disappear; rather, it's the work of demons looking for Brian. At least, that is what happened in the game.
"In the Duchy of Menorca, it is reported that taboo magic experiments have been discovered by patrol officers in the villages," Sarah continued. "It is highly likely that the Devil Cult is active there."
Okay... this is something new; I don't think there was a plotline like this in the game. Many events occur in this world that weren't fully told in the game because it only took from protagonist Brian's point of view.
"Very well, now we all know the situation. Both of these places are in the northeastern region of the Empire," Elena said, standing from her chair. "Now, I will ask: who among you wants to lead the students to one of these two dangerous regions?"
Silence followed; not a single person raised their hand. I suppose it's natural to see the others acting like this. They don't want to serve in a place that could easily get them killed. This isn't a survival test; it's real work.
However, Elena's gaze met mine. That was because she saw me raising my hand.
"Raul, you want to lead the students to one of these places?" Elena asked to confirm.
"I will take the disciplinary committee members to the Margraviate of Cataluna," I answered her. "However, I want Ariel de Lusignan to be one of the Priestesses in the group I lead."
"Very well, I will prepare the draft after this," Elena said.
"One more thing, President," I added, not yet finished speaking. "If Brian questions this decision, tell him to come directly to me."
Elena's expression turned suspicious after I said that. However, she still nodded and agreed.