The joint summer retreat, day two——.
At last, proper ‘Saint’s training’ begins on this day.
The time is seven in the morning.
Students from both academies, changed into their gym clothes, gather in the great cathedral and listen to Cardinal Kerkis Odmuir speaking from the stage.
“——As is widely known to the public, the Saint was a perfect lady who possessed martial arts, magical ability, and intellect in equal measure. According to the Saint’s Scholastic Society’s findings, the Saint’s reincarnation is also said to be a talented young woman who has inherited this lineage.”
(Oh, I wouldn’t say all that……)
Luna scratches her cheek and smiles, looking somewhat pleased with herself.
“What begins now are the grueling ‘Three Trials’! I want each of you to overcome these challenges and prove that you yourself are the Saint’s reincarnation!”
And so one of the three trials, the ‘Trial of Strength,’ begins.
The students of both academies spread out into exercise formation, do light warm-ups, and wake their bodies from sleep.
With adequate precautions against injury taken, they are instructed to complete ‘one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats’——the full routine, ‘three complete sets in total.’
As this is a trial to forge the body, magical reinforcement of the physical form is naturally strictly forbidden.
One hour after the trial begins——
“Hahh, hahh……I-I’ve hit my limit……!”
“Hhh, hhh……my arms won’t……move……!”
“It’s so hooot……I’m dying……”
One by one students go down and are carried off to the infirmary.
Among all this——
“98……99……100……done!”
Luna completes the entire menu without breaking a single sweat——
“Phew, that was a good workout.”
——Ro, who consistently scores at the top in practical subjects, clears it with ease——
“Having ‘magical reinforcement prohibited’ is rather novel and interesting.”
——Sarko clears it with only a light sheen of sweat——
“It’s hot today, so everyone make sure to keep drinking water.”
——and Wendy, having been trained as a secret agent, dispatches it all as though it were a light warm-up.
Luna’s group was a cut above the rest, looking across both academies combined.
After that——short sprints, distance running, wall climbing, and more——nothing but merciless punishment for the body——and when the sun sinks to the western sky, the Trial of Strength finally ends.
“Hahh, hahh……!”
“I’m done……can’t move……going to sleep……”
“Food……bath……bed……”
While students who have safely completed the full program trudge back to their rooms with movements like zombies——
“Phew……that was tiring, I have to say.”
——the Saint says this and wipes the sweat from her forehead.
She is performing a suitably pained expression so as not to stand out too much——but in truth she has plenty left in the tank.
Her stamina is, in the most literal sense, ‘infinite.’
Give her mental work and she wilts and starts complaining immediately, but when it comes to physical work she can keep going like a ‘perpetual engine.’
(Heh. I heard the retreat was grueling, but at this rate it’s completely manageable……!)
Day three of the retreat. Today the ‘Trial of Magic’ is imposed.
The students gather in the great cathedral in their gym clothes as before, and listen to Kerkis speaking from the stage——but the fatigue on their faces is plainly visible.
“Everyone, well done pushing through the Trial of Strength. As someone involved in education, I find your efforts gratifying——and a source of pride.”
Kerkis claps his hands, and the Holy Nation’s Saint Academy teaching staff respond with generous applause.
“And——beginning today is the ‘Trial of Magic’! Let us start with ‘Magic Bullet Sparring’!”
At Kerkis’s words——
“……Magic Bullet……Sparring……?”
“What would that be, I’ve never heard of it.”
——voices of puzzlement rise from the Kingdom’s Saint Academy students.
“Magic Bullet Sparring is a very familiar practice in the Holy Nation, but……I understand it is not widely known in the Kingdom. Jurale-sensei and I will demonstrate now, so please watch carefully.”
At Kerkis’s glance, Jurale nods without a word.
The two take positions about ten meters apart on the stage and face each other directly.
“Jurale-sensei, shall we?”
“Yes, whenever you’re ready.”
Their gazes meet——and Kerkis extends his right hand smoothly.
“Hah!”
A mass of fire-attribute magical energy——a ‘fire magic bullet’——is released.
Sighting it, Jurale——
“Hmph!”
——immediately generates and fires a magic bullet of the same attribute and the same power, intercepting the incoming shot.
Then Jurale fires a water-attribute magic bullet, and Kerkis shoots it down precisely.
Taking this exchange as one unit, the two conduct a full rally of magic bullets.
The intervals between each shot and interception grow shorter and shorter, and when they have completed exactly ten exchanges, both bow and the Magic Bullet Sparring concludes.
This practical exercise, resembling a formal performance——analyzing the information of the opponent’s magic bullet and immediately intercepting it with one of identical attribute and output——is a traditional Holy Nation practice for honing magical skill, passed down since ancient times.
“Thank you very much, Jurale-sensei. And yet, a mastery I would never have guessed was your first time……I, Kerkis, am truly impressed.”
“Not at all, I am still very much a novice.”
The two, having put on a splendid demonstration, receive wholehearted applause.
“Now then, we will pair up partners for the Magic Bullet Sparring. I have lots prepared here, so please have both academies’ students each draw one, then move to the schoolyard for the practice session.”
Ten minutes later, students from both academies gathered in the schoolyard face their respective partners.
The result of the fair lottery draw: Ro, Sarko, and Wendy are each paired with a student from the Holy Nation’s Saint Academy——
(Wh-why……why is it always like this for me and nobody else……!)
——and Luna’s partner turns out to be the one opponent she had most wanted to avoid: Sofia Snowhaive.
Villainess and villainess are apparently drawn to each other after all.
“P-pleased to……work with you……!”
“Pleased to work with you.”
After bowing to each other, Sofia opens with a little small talk.
“Still, yesterday was incredible.”
“Um, what do you mean……?”
“In the grueling Trial of Strength, while everyone else was completely spent, you alone looked perfectly at ease. An entirely out-of-the-ordinary level of stamina and physical strength.”
Sofia says this and praises Luna’s physical abilities.
“W-well……I’ve always been good at physical things, since I was young……”
“……You really are the Saint, aren’t you, Luna-san?”
“N-no no no no no, of course not……!”
Luna wears an awkward smile and waves her right hand back and forth.
The Saint is constitutionally incapable of lying——at the soul level.
Her eyes dart left and right restlessly, her voice cracks obviously, and cold sweat pours off her without stopping.
As Luna is putting on a ‘magnificently suspicious display’ she could show anywhere with no shame, Kerkis clears his throat.
“Everyone, are you ready? Then——Magic Bullet Sparring, begin!”
At the signal, several pairs begin exchanging magic bullets.
“Uh, um……”
Luna looks around anxiously, and Sofia, reading her state of mind, smiles gently.
“The Kingdom’s students are doing this for the first time, right? Magic Bullet Sparring?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll match my timing to yours, so please start whenever you’re ready, Luna-san. Don’t worry about the others——let’s just go at our own pace.”
“Th-thank you very much.”
Receiving Sofia’s kind words, Luna slowly steadies her breathing——and extends her right hand smoothly.
(About……this much, roughly……?)
She fires a magic bullet that, by ‘Saint standards,’ is pathetically weak.
However, by ‘ordinary person standards,’ it is an ultra-high-speed, ultra-high-output, ultra-massive magic bullet——and——
“You cannot be serious.”
——Sofia is unable to intercept or dodge it, takes the Saint’s magic bullet full in the face, and is blasted far into the distance.
“S-Sofia-san……!?”
The Saint’s magical technique is critically deficient.
Since she normally just blasts everything with full-firepower magic——this outcome was clearer than daylight.
“Sofia-san, I’m so sorry——are you alright!?”
“……”
Luna calls out desperately——but Sofia is completely unconscious.
“Th-this won’t do……! Medical team, get Sofia to the infirmary immediately!”
“[Team]: Sir!”
Following Kerkis’s instructions, the standby medical team moves into swift action.
Sofia is quickly transported to the Holy Nation’s Saint Academy infirmary, receives treatment from a skilled recovery mage, and somehow manages to return that same day.
Day four of the retreat.
Today the ‘Trial of Intellect’ is held.
The students of both academies gather in the great lecture hall at the top floor of the main building and work through examinations covering every subject——Saint Studies, Pharmacology, Magic Theory, Magical Instrument Studies, Demonology, and more.
And on this day——Luna sees ‘hell.’
Saint Studies, the first subject, goes extremely smoothly.
The sole ‘perfect score’ among roughly three hundred students.
“Wonderful! You have studied this so diligently!”
“To solve even this difficult problem……impressive!”
“You are a genius! It would be no exaggeration to say you have truly ‘mastered Saint Studies’!”
“H-heh heh……not at all……well, maybe a little?”
The Saint, praised to no end by the teaching staff, is in very good spirits and feeling rather smug——but.
Everything after that is nothing short of ‘catastrophic.’
Pharmacology: three points. Magic Theory: fifteen points. Magical Instrument Studies: eight points. A torrent of failing grades comes rushing in.
Scoring miserably doesn’t result in being scolded.
But——with each failing grade comes a stack of supplementary assignments, and the mountain of problem sets piles higher and higher.
And——until every last one of these is completed, the summer retreat is not over.
Even if the scheduled final day passes, she will be forced to stay on for one day, two days, three days.
(This retreat with the Holy Nation is……hell……)
The Kingdom’s Saint Academy that Luna attends has a ‘liberal educational philosophy’——nurturing and developing each student’s strengths.
The Empire’s Saint Academy that Wendy attended has a ‘progressive educational philosophy’——providing the highest-efficiency instruction suited to each student with a first-rate teaching staff.
And the Holy Nation’s Saint Academy’s style is an ‘ultra-cramming educational philosophy straight out of another era’——making students slog through sheer volume on pure grit and determination.
(Even if there’s a similar retreat next year……I’m absolutely not going. I’ll hole up at home. Sprawl out in a cool room, read villainess novels, and spend the time slowly with Tama……)
Luna stares into the abyss and just keeps moving her hand.
Ten hours later, the Trial of Intellect finally ends.
“Phew……I’m so tired……”
Ro finishes with zero failing grades across all subjects, demonstrating her usual excellence.
“Even so, that volume……my shoulders are killing me……”
Sarko scores near perfect on every subject, achieving the top results across both academies combined——so much so that the teaching staff call her ‘the foremost Saint candidate.’
“I’ve used my brain so much, I’m absolutely starving……”
Wendy records a high average of seventy to eighty percent across all subjects without exception.
Luna’s group remains outstanding as ever.
With the sole exception of the one and only Saint.
“……He, heh……heh heh heh heh……”
Luna is sitting slumped deep in her chair, mouth hanging half open, wearing an eerie vacant smile.
“Luna——you okay——?”
“This is……quite a serious case.”
“Luna-san, pull yourself together! That is not a face a young lady should be making!”
Ro, Sarko, and Wendy call out to her——but she responds like a corpse.
The following day, the final day of the joint summer retreat arrives at last.
To honor the students who have overcome the three trials, and in celebration of both academies’ future growth, a grand party is held in the great cathedral.
A beautiful performance by the orchestra, a spread of traditional Holy Nation cuisine and sweets, entertaining events like a bingo tournament.
As the students of both academies mingle in warm and lively company——our beloved Saint is——
“Uuuu……why is it only me……”
——moving her pen endlessly in the great lecture hall on the top floor, same as yesterday.
The enormous pile of supplementary assignments from the Trial of Intellect is not yet finished, and she has not been granted permission to attend the party.
“……”
Her vaunted Saint brain has long since burned out, and she just keeps solving problems like a machine stripped of all feeling.
“——Luna-sama, your calculation there is wrong.”
“……Oh, you’re right……”
At Ro’s correction from beside her, Luna fixes her answer.
In the great lecture hall, there is one other person besides Luna: Ro.
Sarko and Wendy had also said they would skip the party and keep her company——but Luna turned them down herself, feeling far too guilty about that.
Ro alone, however, refused to stand down——and Luna, knowing her duties, had asked her to stay.
Six hours later, as the lively party draws to its finale——
“……F-finally……done……!”
Luna, having solved every last problem, throws down her pencil and looks up at the ceiling.
“Good work.”
Ro offers words of encouragement and begins gathering her mistress’s finished problem sets and answer sheets.
“……I’m sorry, you know. Dragging you into something like this when it was supposed to be a fun retreat……”
“Please don’t worry about it——this is part of my duties. ——More importantly, Luna-sama, we’re running out of time, so let’s go hand in the assignments.”
She says this and answers, matter-of-fact as always.
They put out the candles, make sure nothing is left behind, and just as Luna puts her hand on the great lecture hall door——she turns around.
“Ro……are you happy?”
“What do you mean? I’m not sure how to take the question.”
“I mean, you know——everyone is having a lovely time at the party, and I’ve dragged you into this dull thing……. And there are all the other little things I put you through……. I’ve been wondering if you’re not enjoying yourself, Ro……”
Luna’s eyes are wavering with unease.
“Well, it’s true……Luna-sama over these past few months has put me through quite a lot.”
“Uggh, I-I’m sorry……”
“But——it’s a bit like having a troublesome little sister. I find I’m enjoying it, in its own way.”
“Ro……!”
The moment Luna’s eyes fill with moved tears——a jet-black sword bursts through Ro’s chest.
Red droplets splatter across Luna’s face, and blood sprays through the great lecture hall.
“……Ro……?”
“……Luna……-sama……please……run……”
The jet-black cursed blade is wrenched free, and Ro crumbles like a puppet with its strings cut.
At the same instant, the Holy Nation’s Saint Academy building shakes violently and a <Transmission> call blares out at full volume.
“——Emergency report from the front gate! Our academy is currently under attack by a large force of demons! Teaching staff, prioritize student evacuation above all else! Repeat!”
Suddenly, from crimson ‘summoning magic circles’ deployed across the entire Holy Nation’s Saint Academy, an enormous army of demons pours out one after another.
Fear and chaos rage, and unprecedented pandemonium seizes the place——and the demon in the jet-black robe, the one who ran Ro through, drops his shoulders with a look of disappointment.
“So this is ‘the Saint’s reincarnation’……? Hahhh……I didn’t realize ‘reincarnation-based weakening’ could be this severe……honestly, what a letdown~.”
He says this and kicks Ro’s cheek aside carelessly——and in the next instant, a monstrous surge of magical energy erupts.
“Wha——!?”
A sensation like his heart being seized in a fist. He senses a dense, suffocating presence of death and whips around in a panic——to find the ‘calamity’ that, three hundred years ago, had driven every last demon to the depths of despair.
“——If it’s the Saint you’re looking for, she’s right here.”