Even after the incident in the confessional, Theodora continued to keep company with Ashen and his group in accordance with the Order’s command.
Not only studying in the library, but lunch and training as well.
Among the noble students of the Misery dormitory, rumors even began to spread that Ashen had gotten hold of some weakness of Theodora’s, but Theodora dismissed them outright.
“They are my friends. There is absolutely nothing strange about our relationship, so I would ask you to mind your words and behavior.”
Despite her firm attitude, unlike her usual self, the noble students still did not seem convinced—but at times like that, Ramsey stepped in.
“Ah, you’re curious about the Hero’s recent activities? I’ll tell you all about them.”
Any student who spoke with him privately no longer questioned Theodora’s behavior.
It was as though they had been changed into different people.
Theodora did notice that fact, but she tried not to concern herself with it.
There was no need to risk triggering the geas for the sake of people she was not even particularly close to.
And so, Theodora was able to spend an enjoyable time.
“This time, let us settle it with barehanded combat.”
She often sparred with Ashen.
She learned that sparring without any intent to kill one’s opponent could be enjoyable.
“Let’s eat this today.”
She often ate snacks with Lena.
The taste of food she had never tried before was always new.
“I think this kind of accessory would suit you, Miss Theodora. What do you think?”
Cecilia gave her accessories as gifts.
For the first time, she dressed herself according to her own will, rather than the will of the Order.
In that way, Theodora spent her days like an ordinary student, and all of it was new and joyful.
If only time would stop like this.
She prayed so in her heart, but time was a cruel thing.
Time passed, and after two weeks, she began to grow increasingly impatient.
There were now only about two weeks left until the midterm exam—the deadline the Order had specified.
During that time, Theodora had learned absolutely no important information related to Ashen.
At most, she had learned only that, contrary to his appearance, he had a warm side and was considerate.
She had obtained no high-level information, such as his origins, his goals, or the source of his power.
What if it ended like this, without her finding out anything at all?
Cold sweat ran down Theodora’s back.
‘This is dangerous.’
She could endure simply suffering from the geas herself.
That was a brand that had followed her for her entire life.
If anything, this present time had been like a blessing.
The problem was that if she failed to find out anything, she did not know what the Order might do to Ashen.
If Ashen were tamed by the Order, just as she had been….
‘I don’t want that.’
Theodora shook her head, trying to cast away the horrifying image that had surfaced in her mind.
‘I have to create time alone with him, no matter what.’
Suppressing her anxiety as much as possible, Theodora waited for a chance to be alone with Ashen.
Fortunately for her, that chance came only a few days later.
A training ground located behind the academy.
Ashen and Theodora faced each other, holding a wooden spear and a wooden sword respectively.
Of the two, Ashen had lowered his body like a wild beast, taking a stance from which he could spring forward at any moment.
Theodora, on the other hand, stood motionless, holding her wooden sword in proper form like a towering fortress wall.
A brief silence.
The first to move was Ashen.
Bang—!
With the sound of something exploding beneath his feet, Ashen’s body shot toward Theodora like an arrow from a bow.
In response, Theodora held her sword in her right hand and spread open her empty left hand.
At the same time, holy flame began to burn.
At first, the holy flame was small enough to gather in her palm, but soon it grew to a size larger than Theodora herself.
Then, with a thunderous roar, Ashen’s wooden spear collided with Theodora’s divine barrier.
For an instant, a dull ache ran through her wrist, but Theodora smiled instead.
In this moment, there was no Order, no geas.
There was only the testing of each other’s skill.
At first, the barrier seemed to protect Theodora solidly, but soon cracks spread across the wall of pure white holy flame.
At the same time, the tip of Ashen’s spear accelerated.
Its target was her chin.
If it struck properly, it was a place that would certainly make her lose from a concussion.
Theodora did not panic and immediately recited a spell.
Momentary Acceleration.
A spell that accelerated the body’s speed up to fourfold for a single instant, at the cost of a tremendous consumption of stamina.
The moment the spell took effect, the wooden sword in her hand moved like a whip.
Kwaaang—!
With a roar so loud it was hard to believe it had come from a wooden sword and wooden spear clashing, both their weapons broke and flew into the air.
Seeing this, Theodora relaxed her stance and bowed her head to Ashen.
“This is a draw, then. It was a good match.”
“It was a good match for me as well.”
“As expected, your martial skill is beyond imagination, Mr. Ashen. Had we fought head-on, I would have lost.”
“I’m not so sure. I was surprised by you instead, Miss Theodora. I had no idea that using mana, divine power, and swordsmanship at the same time could be this troublesome.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“It is.”
Ashen stepped down from the training ground and began wiping away his dripping sweat with a towel.
Theodora dried her own sweat with magic as she stared intently at Ashen.
‘The situation is perfect.’
They had just finished a long sparring match, so both of them were still excited, and there was no one nearby except Ashen and herself.
According to the contents of the book she had read before, How to Read a Man’s Heart, this was the optimal situation for a conversation.
Even so, Theodora only moved her lips and could not speak.
‘But what should I say?’
I’m curious—what kind of power do you use?
Theodora shook her head inwardly. Wrong. This was too direct; it practically revealed that she had ulterior motives.
Do you perhaps have any interest in the Order?
No good. Wasn’t that exactly the sort of thing a completely inexperienced missionary would say?
‘Then what should I….’
“Miss Theodora. I saw your swordsmanship during our spar just now. It was excellent swordsmanship, shifting between stillness and acceleration. Where did you learn it?”
As she was lost in thought, Theodora was startled by Ashen’s sudden question and returned to reality.
“Y-yes? I didn’t hear you. What were you saying?”
“I said your swordsmanship was excellent, Miss Theodora. Where did you learn it?”
“I learned it from the Order.”
“The Order, I see. The holy knights must have taught you well.”
“Yes, they were very attentive.”
Whenever her movements were off, they corrected her by breaking her bones with maces, so yes, they had certainly been attentive.
“In that case, did you live in the Order from childhood, Miss Theodora?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What was life in the Order like?”
“Mm….”
At Ashen’s question, Theodora faltered for a moment, unable to continue.
Life in the Order. To her, it had been no different from hell.
But the moment she showed even the slightest hint of that, the geas would activate again.
After briefly gathering her thoughts, she slowly opened her mouth.
“It was a very warm place.”
During etiquette lessons, whenever she made a mistake, she was punished by having her body seared with holy flame.
“I had many friends, too.”
Children who were not chosen as Hero candidates were killed to destroy the evidence.
“And I learned a great deal.”
She had to read the scriptures without sleeping until she could recite their contents without getting a single letter wrong.
“It was truly a wonderful place.”
Those were days when she would rather have wished to fall into hell.
Theodora looked at Ashen with her usual smile.
An empty, artificial smile devoid of emotion.
It was a smile she had not shown in front of them ever since she had grown close to Ashen’s group.
“What about you, Mr. Ashen? What was your past like? Surely you won’t unfairly make only me talk, will you?”
“My past? Well, I doubt it will be a very interesting story.”
“I still want to hear it. Please tell me.”
At Theodora’s urging, Ashen seemed to think for a moment before continuing.
“I grew up in an ordinary rural village. I was an orphan who didn’t even know who my parents were.”
“I see. You as a child, Mr. Ashen. I feel like you would have been mature, just as you are now.”
“Not at all. Back then, I was a little troublemaker.”
Ashen scratched the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed, and smiled at Theodora.
“Still, I met my master and was able to learn martial arts.”
“Your master? What kind of person was he?”
“He was a man named Sir Renfield. He was the one who gave me a dream.”
A dream.
As Ashen said that, his expression was more animated than usual.
At the sight of that expression, like a child proudly showing off his precious toy, Theodora smiled a genuine smile, not a mask.
‘So this person has this side to him, too.’
She had thought he was always solemn and serious.
To be honest, she was a little happy to see this face.
“A dream, is it? What is your dream, Mr. Ashen?”
“To become a knight.”
“A knight?”
Theodora tilted her head and asked. A knight—did he simply want the title of knighthood? Or was he talking about reaching a knight-class level? Either way, now that he had entered the academy, it would not be difficult.
When she asked him this, Ashen nodded.
“Yes. A mere title or level is not the knight I want to become.”
“Then what kind of knight do you have in mind, Mr. Ashen?”
“One who carries out justice according to his own will. One who stands as a wall to protect those he must protect. One who faces injustice and never gives up. That is what I think a knight is.”
Ashen spoke in a calm tone without hesitation.
His demeanor was the same as usual, but Theodora could tell that he was excited like a child.
‘A knight. How wonderful.’
Theodora smiled as she looked at Ashen.
He looked truly happy as he spoke of his dream.
Could she, too, dream like Ashen? Could she, too, become the wonderful knight he spoke of?
Theodora shook her head inwardly.
She had no will.
She was one who betrayed those she should protect.
She stood on the side of injustice and was being raised like livestock by them.
Theodora had to live as a doll that moved according to the Order’s will.
The smile slowly vanished from her face.
In the end, Theodora wore a twisted expression, one that seemed neither smiling nor crying.
‘I can’t let him see this face.’
Turning her head slightly so that he would not notice, Theodora bowed to Ashen.
“Then I’m afraid I have something to attend to, so I must be going. I apologize.”
“Ah, if that’s the case, of course.”
Letting Ashen’s reply go in one ear and out the other, Theodora ran toward the dormitory.
Because she wanted to run away from Ashen’s dream.
Because she wanted to escape from her own circumstances.
But the one who stopped her was, rather, someone who made her aware of them.
“Hero.”
In the corridor leading to the Misery dormitory, Theodora immediately stopped at the familiar voice calling out to her.
When she turned her head toward the sound, Matthew emerged from the darkness.
“So this is where you were. I’ve been searching for quite some time.”
“Matthew… Priest?”
“I have something to discuss with you alone. There has been a change in the operation we are carrying out. So would you come with me?”
Matthew smiled as he waved the command authority in his hand before Theodora’s eyes.
“Of course, you do not have the right to refuse.”
“…Understood.”
Feeling the geas engraved into her body and soul begin to burn, Theodora followed Matthew.