Chapter 504: Request for the saintess.

“Haah…! Haah…!”

Ragged, uneven breaths escaped from behind me, mixing with the crunch of melting snow beneath our feet.

The sun was finally starting to warm up the earth, its light peeking over the rooftops and slowly chipping away at the last remnants of winter.

The fresh scent of early spring lingered in the air—cool but clean.

The kind of morning that made you want to stretch, breathe deep, and move.

The cobblestone pavement echoed with our footsteps—heavy, consistent, and steadily picking up speed.

Most students were just starting their usual routines, enjoying the season’s quiet shift with casual walks, warm drinks, and early club meetings.

But not us.

“Hey, bastard! When do we stop?” Kagami’s voice cut through the crisp air like an exhausted bark.

I turned my head slightly, glancing at him over my shoulder. “Hm? Do you want to take a break?” I asked, casually.

He looked at me like he was about to punch a tree.

“Tch… No, not at all, bud! I was just asking,” he grinned, face flushed and dripping sweat. “Hahaha!”

“Is that so?” I replied, stretching my arms behind my back as I picked up my pace. “Then let’s go. I haven’t even started sweating yet.”

And with that, I turned my light jog into a run, pushing off the ground and gaining distance.

“T-This bastard—! Wait, you fucker!” Kagami shouted from behind me.

“Lucas! Janica! Let’s go!!!”

Their voices trailed behind me as I heard their footsteps scramble to keep up.

We didn’t slow down for the next thirty minutes.

Which—if you added that to the hour and a half we’d already been running—meant the four of us had been at it for roughly two hours straight now.

Eventually, we reached a familiar bench near the edge of the plaza, shaded under the bare branches of a tree that hadn’t quite bloomed yet.

I slowed to a stop.

Behind me, the sounds of suffering followed.

“Huff…! Haah…! Fuck…!”

The trio practically collapsed onto the bench, their shoulders heaving, faces red and covered in sweat.

Janica was wheezing into her scarf, Kagami had his head thrown back like he’d just survived a war, and even Lucas—who was usually unfazed—had a visible glint of fatigue in his eyes as he leaned forward, hands on his knees.

Still, out of all of them, Lucas held up the best.

“You guys look like you’re dying,” I said, sitting down beside them like I’d just taken a light stroll.

Kagami glanced at me, eyes narrowed like he wanted to punch me purely out of principle. “You’re not human…”

“You say that every time,” I shrugged, pulling out a bottle of water and taking a sip.

Honestly, I wasn’t even winded.

If there was one thing that was becoming more and more clear lately, it was that my stats couldn’t really be compared to normal standards anymore.

At this point, trying to line them up next to anyone else’s felt kind of pointless.

Take Lucas for example.

By all logic, he should’ve had the edge in physical attributes—his strength and endurance stats were supposed to be actual S-rank right now and in fact lore wise even greater than most S-rank thanks to his racial advantage.

In theory, he should’ve been leagues above me in stamina alone.

And yet…

Even he had to push himself just to keep up with my pace.

Not that I was trying to compete or anything—I was just jogging at what felt like a natural rhythm. But seeing the results with my own eyes kind of confirmed what I’d been suspecting.

My normal, day-to-day self wasn’t really “normal” anymore.

Was it a side effect of nearing ascension?

Maybe. It wasn’t like I had a clear guidebook to follow on that front.

Still, whatever the cause, it wasn’t exactly a bad thing. If anything, it was a reminder of how far I’d come.

Though, to be honest… I kind of missed the sensation of being tired after a good workout.

That satisfying ache in your legs, the burn in your chest after a long run—those little things made you feel alive.

But now?

It just felt like a light warm-up.

Kind of disappointing.

Even so, I didn’t regret it.

Growth was growth.

And I did get a better read on Lucas’s current specs through all that, so it wasn’t a waste.

Looks like what Evelyn told me yesterday was right after all.

“Fufu~ don’t worry. I made sure our dear protagonist had proper guidance toward his growth. Though I may have decided to take a slightly longer route… to spice things up a little. After all, clearing a path with one stone instead of two makes for a more elegant story, doesn’t it?”

“What do you mean by that exactly?”

“You’ll see. But rest assured—even if it doesn’t seem obvious right now, soon enough… his title as the Lord of Light will reveal itself to this world. And maybe… it’ll even spark something in the heart of his poor heroine. For now, though, the only thing I can guarantee is his physical strength.”

She ended it with a shrug and a smirk, her eyes gleaming with that usual cryptic flair.

I still couldn’t figure out why she always had to talk like some riddle-writing NPC.

Sure, she’s technically just a clone—my clone, no less.

A weird amalgamation of my memories across timelines, wrapped up in her own weird identity… but still.

She’s me. Just with a different packaging. Girl or not.

I sighed inwardly.

As annoying as her mysterious tone was, I had to admit—if she said Lucas’s physical growth was real, then it probably was.

So far, she hadn’t been wrong.

“Haha… as expected, you really have gotten stronger, Riley,” Lucas suddenly said, snapping me out of my thoughts. He looked at me with curious eyes, golden irises glowing just a bit more than usual. “Is this your way of inspiring us, maybe?”

This guy seriously thinks too highly of me.

“You can think whatever you want,”

“Haha, is that so?”

“Don’t be fooled by this guy, Lucas!” Kagami cut in, still catching his breath and clearly annoyed. “This freak just wanted to show off and mess with us. There’s no noble meaning behind any of this!”

I gave a small grin.

He wasn’t wrong. But hey, no one said getting stronger had to be all heartfelt and motivational, right?

Now that I think about it, this might actually be the first time I’ve ever spent this much time with the protagonist of this world without having some direct or urgent motive.

For the record, I wasn’t particularly surprised when Lucas and Janica suddenly joined our little morning jog with Kagami.

Evelyn already gave me the heads-up, so all I had to do was act mildly surprised when they showed up.

Sure, I used this whole thing as an excuse to get a better read on Lucas’s specs, but… that wasn’t the only reason.

Maybe a part of me just wanted to see what he was like in a more casual setting.

“Haha… I don’t think Riley’s that mean” Lucas suddenly chimed in from the bench, wiping his forehead with a towel, his smile way too relaxed for someone who just finished running for two hours. “You did slow down a little near the end, right? That kind of kindness… makes the gap between us all the more inspiring. Don’t you think?”

“…Right.”

Seriously, why does he always look at me like I’m some sort of guiding light from the heavens?

The guy’s eyes glimmer like I’m about to hand him the meaning of life or something.

“Actually,” he continued, glancing at me again—too long, too warm. “I was really looking forward to training with you today. Even if it’s just light endurance work, it meant a lot. So… thank you, Riley.”

Then—as if he rehearsed this—he lightly dipped his head in a small, respectful bow.

“I know we don’t really have the most normal kind of friendship yet,” he said with a nervous chuckle, “but I hope you do consider me a friend. And maybe this sounds dumb, but… I also see you as my rival. I swear—I’ll make my sword reach you. All the will I’ve poured into my blade… I’ll let you witness it yourself at the Grand Festival this semester!”

He stood up, his golden eyes gleaming like a shonen protagonist declaring his challenge to his rival.

“It’s a bit early… but will you accept my call for a duel, Riley?”

This damn battle junkie.

Still trying to justify all this tension with a “sword match,” huh?

Well, at least that part of him hasn’t changed.

Shaking off the weird undertones, I just gave him a faint smirk and grabbed his hand when he reached it out to me.

“Sure,” I said.

He smiled so brightly, it was almost blinding.

“That’s a promise, okay?”

And then he leaned in. Way too close.

His face was just inches from mine, his voice a soft murmur like it was something sacred.

I resisted the urge to physically step back.

As Lucas continued laughing to himself, all bright and carefree at his own pace, Kagami stared at him like he’d lost a few brain cells during the run.

I ignored our ever-sparkling protagonist and turned my attention to the quieter one on the side—the leftmost heroine in the party.

Janica.

Out of the group, she was by far the weakest right now in terms of raw power.

But even then, she managed to keep up through the entire two-hour run without complaining.

Hell, she looked like she had more stamina than Kagami, and he’s supposed to be the musclehead of the group.

I wasn’t sure what Evelyn did to her, especially with how agility-based her stat makeup was, but whatever it was… it worked.

I wasn’t going to question it. Not now, at least.

Janica hadn’t bothered to make small talk.

She kept to herself mostly, her sharp green eyes focused on tying her long red hair back into a ponytail. Her expression was calm, composed—but clearly distant.

Just then, she glanced briefly at Lucas.

Her gaze lingered—not long, but long enough for me to catch the subtle shift in her eyes.

It wasn’t anger or anything dramatic… more like assessment.

Uncertainty.

Lucas noticed it too.

“Ah, right—Janica, are you okay?” he asked, his usual cheer slightly dimmed.

“I’m fine,” she replied flatly, eyes not even meeting his.

“Ah, y-yeah… uhm, here—some water,” he said, awkwardly offering a bottle toward her.

“It’s fine,” she cut in again, pulling out her own canteen. “I still have some.”

“I-I see…”

Lucas scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

I watched them quietly.

Yeah, something was definitely off between the two of them.

Ever since this semester started, there’s been a weird tension hanging around whenever they’re in the same room.

Not exactly hostile… but far from close.

Before I could dwell on it longer, Janica stood up from her spot and dusted off her training gear.

“Well then,” she said, her tone polite but firm. “Since we’re done here, I’ll be going. I still have a junior to train today. Thank you for letting us join your light training, Riley—even if it was short notice.”

I gave her a nod, nothing more.

She didn’t wait for any replies and turned around, walking off without looking back.

Lucas watched her leave, visibly unsettled.

“Ah—wait, Janica! I’ll go too then!” he stammered, grabbing his stuff in a hurry. “You two—again, thanks for having us!”

Then, quickly turning, “J-Janica, wait for me!”

He jogged off after her, his voice trailing behind like a loyal puppy chasing after someone who didn’t want to be caught.

…Yeah. Something definitely happened between those two.

“Hey bud, you know what happened?” Kagami asked, arms crossed as he leaned back on the bench beside me.

“Nope,” I replied casually.

“Lovers’ quarrel, perhaps?” he guessed, tilting his head toward the direction Lucas and Janica had walked off to.

“Maybe…”

“Tch… the gates were already opened, the gifts were unsealed— he was practically already at the finish line and yet that fool Lucas still managed to fumble such a blessing…” Kagami muttered, clearly frustrated on Lucas’s behalf.

“Well… I guess not everyone’s perfect.”

Kagami turned to me with a blank expression. “Except you, right?”

“Even I’m not perfect—”

“Hah, shut up, bastard,” he groaned, cutting me off with a wave of his hand. “With all the girls floating around you, you might as well be. Seriously, why is life so unfair…”

I laughed lightly. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m sure your time will come, Kagami. Speaking of which, how’d things go with Senior Lorraine? You followed my advice, right?”

He went silent.

“…Nothing happened.”

“Huh?”

“She rejected me the moment I approached her,” he said, voice flat. “Didn’t even let me finish my sentence.”

I blinked. “Seriously?”

His face twitched.

“She said that I looked like an orc.”

“……”

Yeah.

They always say the worst she can say is no.

But that?

That was divine punishment.

Kagami looked like he was about to cry.

And honestly, I couldn’t blame him.

“It’ll be alright bud….”

All I could offer was a silent, heartfelt prayer to the goddess on his behalf.

May she grant him peace and a slightly more forgiving face in his next life.

Without another word, I gently patted his back twice.

I checked the time on my watch.

Most of the other students were probably still busy mentoring their juniors right now, which meant I had some time to breathe and move freely.

Good.

I had some things to prepare—and one person in particular I needed to meet.

Emilia.

My meeting with the saintess had already been delayed far too long as well.

…..

Meanwhile, back on the bustling academy streets—

“J-Janica, wait…!” Lucas called out, jogging after her.

She stopped in her tracks, just barely glancing over her shoulder. “Hm?”

“Did I… did I do something wrong again?”

“No,” she answered flatly.

“Then… why are you mad?”

“I’m not mad.”

“B-But—”

“Lucas.” She turned to him now, properly facing him. “I said I’m not mad. I’m just… tired. That’s all.”

His brows furrowed, voice softening. “Is that really it? You’re really not mad?”

“Yes. I told you before, didn’t I? I’ve already gotten over it. Even if you did hurt me… you’re still my one and only childhood friend.” Her voice cracked just a little, but she kept steady. “So what else can I do but still be your friend?”

“S-Sorry…”

“Don’t apologize,” she interrupted, brushing past him again. “Everything’s already done. Just be a good friend and don’t worry about me, okay? Like I said… I’ve already forgiven you.”

“…Alright,” Lucas mumbled, falling into step behind her, clearly unsure whether to believe her words or not.

But Janica didn’t look back.

Her thoughts drifted elsewhere—toward the one girl she couldn’t bring herself to forgive.

….

“Don’t be such a foolish, naïve girl~ You’ve never truly loved him, have you? So why are you so mad that I’m making a move on him?”

“N-No… I had feelings for him first… h-he’s mine—”

“Fufu~ quite possessive for a girl who owns nothing. Trust me, try expressing those ‘feelings’ and you’ll see they were nothing more than fragmented illusions… little fantasies born from your longing to be loved. You’ve never truly loved him, right?”

“I-I… I love him…”

“In the past, maybe~ But then why is your heart beating for another man?”

….

The voice was relentless, and the more Janica thought about it, the more her chest tightened in frustration.

Her hands curled into fists as she shook her head, trying to chase away the poisonous words.

Yet… deep down, she knew.

Now that she had spent time with that someone who fractured her feelings.

Someone she never expected to affect her like that.

And that subtle shift in her heart—she hated it.

Hated what it meant.

Hated herself for it.

As she kept walking, she stole a glance at Lucas from the corner of her eye.

A small, hurtful expression flickered across her face.

One she quickly buried.

‘I’m the worst…. Truly… the worst.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep