The next morning, after breakfast, the cadets gathered at the assembly grounds.

Professor Kane looked at them and said, “Now then, the commotion from yesterday has been resolved without any major issues.”

The moment the word “commotion” left the professor’s lips, all eyes turned toward me. I could feel the sharp stares piercing into my back and instinctively bowed my head. It was an insane experience.

While I had been inside the ruins eradicating the Ember, I had felt like only an hour or two had passed. However, once I came out, I realized it was more than five times that amount. This had definitely happened because I was in the mindscape. Just like how people said that they lost track of time when fully immersed in something, the flow of time inside the mindscape often didn’t align with how one’s body perceived it.

Still, even accounting for that, a fivefold difference was extraordinary. Then again, it wasn’t a normal situation. After I had absorbed the Ember, the Primordial Flame had gone wild like an unchained beast, and the mysterious power capable of extinguishing fire itself had subdued it. Moreover, I had even tested out the newly obtained Cataclysmic Flame.

Considering that, the fact that only twelve hours had passed was almost fortunate. No, calling it fortunate felt wrong considering how much I had lost in return. Moreover, I had received endless scolding last night. Yurina, Iris, Camilla, and Laneige—basically everyone had taken turns chewing me out. I had to spend almost three exhausting hours just to explain what had happened inside. At least, they had finally let me go after that.

Professor Kane continued, “Now then, it’s time for the award ceremony for those who found the treasure tokens during yesterday’s hunt.”

Pope Marianne and the Order of the Seven Stars had returned to the capital due to their busy schedules. Therefore, the professors themselves were presiding over the ceremony.

“Now, the cadets who secured first place—Yuren, Iris, Camilla, and Albert—step forward.”

The four of them walked up onto the stage.

“As promised, the top-ranked team will receive the Blessing of God along with special bonus points.”

Professor Kane handed Yurina a finely crafted box engraved with ornate patterns. Thunderous applause and cheers filled the hall.

“Next, the second-place cadets—Sophia, Laneige, Berald, and Jules—will receive...”

After the brief ceremony ended, the cadets who earned bonus points were granted a full day of rest and free time to enjoy the hot springs at leisure.

Professor Kane looked at the remaining cadets. “All right! The rest of you will head to the Light of Life Exhibition Hall. So, board the magi-cars!”

The mention of the exhibition hall brought collective groans from the cadets.

“Ugh!”

“I wish we could go to the hot springs too.”

“Haah!”

A few of the more history-minded cadets seemed genuinely interested as the exhibition contained a detailed chronicle of Grace’s life, but most simply watched Yuren’s and Sophia’s parties with envious eyes.

That envy didn’t last long, though.

Professor Kane barked, “Quit your whining and move!”

The cadets slumped their shoulders and trudged toward the magi-cars. Naturally, I—who hadn’t found any treasure, let alone secure first place—also turned to follow them.

Professor Kane had described it as an exhibition hall visit. It was supposed to be a classic field-trip itinerary, something one would call educational, but I doubted anyone was truly looking forward to it, especially not me. After all, my supervising professor was tagging along as a personal watchdog.

Professor Kane turned to me, “Dale, you’re staying by my side during the entire tour.”

I sighed deeply and followed him.

***

When all the magi-cars had departed, the once-bustling hot spring inn, filled with hundreds of noisy cadets, fell eerily quiet, like a festival venue after the crowd had gone home.

Iris tapped the ground with the tip of her boot, watching the departing vehicles shrink into the distance. “Mmm. Maybe I should’ve gone to the exhibition hall with Dale.”

Yurina chuckled softly beside her. “Even if you had, you’d still be stuck walking around with Professor Kane.”

“Ugh, you’re right. That’d be awful.”

“Well, Dale brought that on himself. Let’s just relax and enjoy our free time today.”

Iris nodded. “Yeah.”

As they talked, Elisha approached them. “Then how about joining me for a soak in the hot springs?”

“Hm? Professor Baldwin? I thought you were going to the exhibition hall?”

“Well, usually, yes. But...” Elisha shrugged casually. “I decided to let a reliable junior handle the babysitting duties.”

“Is that really okay?”

Instead of answering, the professor placed a cigarette between her lips. “Heh.”

Iris silently offered a prayer for Lucas, who had now been saddled with both Dale’s supervision and the student escort duties.

Elisha looked at Iris. “In any case, if you’ve nothing else to do, why not join me?”

“Hmm. It’s still early, but we don’t have any other plans anyway,” Iris replied.

“Yurina, you’ll come too, right?” asked Elisha.

“Ah, yes.”

The professor’s gaze turned toward Laneige. “And...”

The girl, who had been clinging to Sophia like a shadow, froze the moment their eyes met.

Elisha continued, “Laneige, would you like to come as well?”

“Eh? M-me? I, uh...” Panicking, Laneige tugged gently at Sophia’s sleeve. “Sophia. C-come with me?”

“No,” replied Sophia.

“Whyyy not?”

“Hmph. Do I need a reason to say no?”

It was a flat rejection. Laneige’s face scrunched up in despair as she stomped.

Elisha chuckled at the sight, then turned to the two who pretended not to have heard any of this and conveniently slipped away since hot springs were mentioned.

“Seems Camilla and Sophia aren’t interested, so it’ll be just us then,” Elisha said.

Laneige murmured, “I-I’m fine, really.”

Elisha dragged her along by the collar. “Come along.”

Laneige yelped. “Eek!”

Elisha smiled faintly as she glanced at the three remaining girls—Iris, Yurina, and the reluctantly abducted Laneige. “Now then, shall we?”

She looked at the others. “I’ve actually been wanting to have a nice, quiet chat with just us girls for a while.”

“Us girls?”

Elisha grinned slyly, the corners of her mouth curving upward. “Mhm. There’s only one thing all four of us here have in common, isn’t there? Why don’t we soak in the hot springs and have a little talk about Dale?”

At once, Iris, Yurina, and Laneige all stiffened, exchanging uneasy glances without saying a word.

Elisha snuffed out her cigarette, the last wisp of smoke curling away, and casually headed toward the hot springs.

***

The annex hot spring was empty except for the four women. Steam drifted lazily through the air, filling the quiet space with a tranquil warmth.

“Hoo! Soaking in the morning hits differently, doesn’t it?” Elisha muttered.

She clicked her tongue as she recalled what Dale had told her the night before. “According to Dale, these hot springs in the Termal region will disappear in a few years. What a pity!”

“Well, we can’t just leave the seed of calamity left by the Demon God here for the sake of the hot springs, can we?”

Elisha nodded. “That’s true enough.”

She turned to Iris with a teasing smile. “By the way, Iris, what made you fall for Dale in the first place?”

“Ehem! W-what? That’s so sudden!”

“Heh. Isn’t that what girls usually talk about when they’re together? Especially...” Her eyes glinted mischievously as she glanced around at the three women beside her. “When they all happen to have feelings for the same man.”

Her bluntness left the three girls frozen. They swallowed hard, faces stiff, as if admitting guilt without saying a word.

Iris fired back. “Then, Professor Baldwin, what about you? Why did you start liking Dale?”

“Oh? Are you saying I should go first?”

Elisha poured herself a glass of chilled liquor from the ice bucket she had brought before entering the bath, then took a slow sip. “Haa! Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’ve ever told anyone about it.”

Her voice softened, eyes drifting toward the rising steam. “My hometown was wiped off the map by the Archbishop of Beast’s beast legion. My parents, my friends... everyone died, except me.”

The others were shocked.

“What?”

“That’s terrible.”

Elisha faintly smiled. “It’s ancient history. No need to look at me like that.”

However, her smile held no warmth. Her tone was calm, but her eyes carried something heavy. She spoke of the moment she took an interest in Dale, how they chased the Archbishop of Beast together into a remote village and descended into the Abyss during the demonic monster’s invasion.

“So, that’s what happened.”

They had known fragments of those events before, but this was the first time they had heard what Elisha herself had felt through it all.

Elisha quietly said, “To be honest, I sometimes felt jealous of you, Iris.”

Iris looked at her, confused. “Jealous?”

“It’s obvious who Dale holds dearest. You can see it without him saying a word.”

Iris flinched slightly. Yurina and Laneige both smiled faintly, resigned, as if they had already known.

Iris replied, “T-that’s...”

Elisha gave a self-deprecating smile. “There’s no need to look so apologetic. If anything, I’m the foolish one for knowing and still being unable to let go.”

Iris hesitated before softly saying, “That’s not true.”

“Oh?”

“If our roles were reversed, I don’t think I’d be able to give up either.”

Elisha blinked in surprise as though she hadn’t expected that answer.

Iris continued, “And. I know it might sound strange, but I don’t think this kind of relationship is necessarily a bad thing.”

“That’s a strange thing to say.”

Iris let out a small laugh. “Heh, isn’t it?”

She drew her knees close to her chest. “But I mean it. I don’t know about everyone else, but before I met Dale, the only person I could really call a friend was Camilla.”

Yurina and Laneige nodded earnestly, smiling at Iris’s words.

“Same here.”

“M-me too! Before I met Dale, I didn’t even know being around other people could be this fun!”

The four women looked at one another for a brief, silent moment, then broke into soft laughter all at once.

Amused, Elisha said, “My, my! Dale really is a sinful man.”

“Haha, he really is.”

Elisha’s gaze shifted back to Iris, a teasing smile playing on her lips. “Mhm. Still, Iris, just how far have you gone with him?”

“W-what? F-far? What do you mean?”

“Have you two had sex yet?”

Iris’s face turned crimson as she splashed in the water, legs flailing. “W-what kind of question is that?”

“Isn’t physical intimacy natural between lovers?”

“W-well, yes, but...”

“Or could it be that the Saintess herself has no interest in such indecent acts?”

“T-that’s not it!”

Red as a tomato, Iris sank until only the top half of her face was above the steaming water. Tiny bubbles rose where her nose met the surface.

Elisha smirked, her tone playful yet sly. “Hm. Then how about this? Tonight, why don’t you share a room with Dale?”

“What?”

“Heh. If you take the first step forward, the rest of us might finally be able to relax and follow suit.”

Iris’s eyes widened, trembling violently at such an unexpected proposal.