Academy Saintess of My Chūni Writing Days

When I arrived at school, our homeroom teacher, Seo-A, was standing in front of the classroom.

With an incredibly grim expression.

And just looking at her, I instinctively knew.

It seemed our deployment date had been set.

Since the time that Lina, Aurora, and I arrived at school was no different than usual, there were only the four of us in the classroom: Seo-A and us.

“…Let’s talk for a moment.”

Without giving us a chance to greet her, Seo-A walked over to our seats and plopped down in the chair that Selena usually used.

“You guys should sit down too.”

“…”

We exchanged glances and slowly sat down. It wasn’t the kind of atmosphere where we could say, “We need to clean up.” Though, to be fair, no one had actually asked us to clean.

For a while, Seo-A pressed her thumb and index finger into the bridge of her nose in silence before finally letting out a deep sigh and opening her mouth.

“I’m just asking in case, but are you guys really not thinking of changing your minds?”

The gazes of Lina and Aurora fixed on me.

“…I’m not.”

That was all I could answer. Maybe because my head isn’t that bright, I couldn’t think of a better response.

It was a matter of whether a witch would descend in the middle of the city or if we could deal with it far away on the battlefield. I had decided that Lina would be the only death in the story, but I wrote ‘quite a few injured’ instead. I’m not quite sure how this world is structured, but one thing is certain.

The more firmly I wrote the settings, whether absurd or not, they would manifest in this world exactly as I described.

Like how a nun might wear a mini skirt as a one-piece, or despite being in a time of scientific advancement, a group of knights wield cold weapons, and how children who aren’t even adults are trained to kill something.

If I had casually described something or not thought about it at all, it’s been arranged according to the laws of this world.

I hadn’t written anything specific about the relationship between Andrea and Matthew, yet there was something between them. Aurora, who hadn’t even appeared in the story yet, had the setting of not liking the Inquisition, so for some reason unknown to me, she did not like it.

And what if I wrote, “Quite a few people got injured”?

How bad would it get, could those people even survive afterward, would they have permanent disabilities?

The witch was ultimately sliced by the overpowered Jian, but from an ordinary person’s perspective, the witch could indeed be seen as a calamity. There’s no way it wouldn’t be more than a light scratch. I had no idea how the nameless extra student from another class, who wouldn’t appear again, would be injured.

It was all due to what I had written.

If that’s the case, then I, who knew a bit more about the witch’s situation, should deal with it from as far away as possible. Especially since I was backed by the goddess’s power.

At least, that was the best option I could think of.

Not waiting and confronting the enemy head-on.

“But… I don’t want the other kids to go.”

But that’s why I wished the other kids wouldn’t go.

Especially Lina. I wanted Lina to be safe. The kid who sacrificed herself when the fight was getting tough.

“Do you want that?”

Seo-A asked. It wasn’t a question directed at me. It was directed at Lina and Aurora.

“No. If the Clara sisters go, then I’ll go too.”

“I will too.”

The responses came out as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“To be honest,”

Seo-A said in a voice mixed with a sigh. Now that I looked closely, she seemed as tired as I was.

“I don’t want to send you guys. I’ve already experienced what happens on the battlefield.”

You could see it by the scar that crossed Seo-A’s nose. In this world, where most injuries heal instantly with holy power, how bad must the injury have been for such a noticeable scar to remain?

I hadn’t described it in detail and didn’t set any conditions that would let me imagine it well. She might have deliberately chosen not to heal it.

“Regardless of your skills, you can’t understand the atmosphere of a battlefield without seeing it for yourself. Even if you don’t go now, if you become a hero, you can participate after graduation. I think it’s not good for you to see such sights so early, at least as your homeroom teacher.”

Seeing the expression on Seo-A’s face as if to say, “How about it?” almost broke me.

It was likely that she looked tired because I had said I would participate. She was probably quite busy with various responsibilities. As a homeroom teacher.

Right.

If I hadn’t known the future, that would have been a perfectly valid point. The battlefield is a terrible place, and there’s no need for students to see it beforehand.

But even so, we’d end up seeing it eventually. Not on the battlefield, but in this city.

The section I had written covered the aftermath of dealing with the witch that had invaded and the foreshadowing for what would happen next, but I had briefly written about the events that would occur afterward.

Regulars don’t die. Characters like Satsuki and Selena, who belong to the protagonist party, will absolutely not die. By simply sticking close to the protagonist, they could survive. They wouldn’t suffer any permanent disabilities either. They were the characters I classified as ‘heroines who shouldn’t die.’

But if the plot requires it, I can create characters that don’t need emotional investment and kill them off. Just to keep the readers feeling as minimally uncomfortable as possible.

For example, the very first character to die, Lina.

I couldn’t know who the character would be, who would become emotionally detached and die right after their introduction. It could apply to any of the upcoming characters.

And probably, some of those characters would begin to form deep relationships with me.

Like Lina, who was sitting right in front of me, a character I hadn’t even named in the story.

No matter how detailed the story was, there aren’t any novels that write out a character’s life 24/7. If they aren’t important characters, parts where relationships form could be skipped. A character could suddenly be introduced as, “Actually, they’re really close,” minimizing the emotional impact felt by the readers or the author while using them as a catalyst for the protagonist’s awakening.

For me, it’s different since the goddess personally intervened, but just being next to the protagonist doesn’t guarantee survival.

“I… I have to go.”

That’s why, I have to go.

The best way is for someone who knows what will happen to prevent it before it occurs.

“But still, I oppose everyone going.”

Including Lina, who was definitely meant to die.

If I were a character in some novel, and someone was reading that novel, there might be a character from this group who would get excluded from the plot when I said I would participate. The protagonist would be Lee Ji-An, and events would revolve around him.

Characters at the center of a specific event, like Lina and me, might be fleshed out, but I couldn’t guarantee the same for Lina and Aurora, who followed me. Other kids who occasionally chatted with us during breaks would probably just be seen as “kids who play together” or “kids from the same group.”

Since that’s how I wrote it.

“If you’re going, I can’t stop the others from going. You, your friends—everyone else is a student too.”

“…”

What should I do?

Should I suggest some kind of test? Go and see if I can perform well, and those who can’t should stay behind?

No, if that happened, Seo-A would definitely step in. She might challenge me to a duel and say I could go if I succeeded in hitting her. Of course, that way, I wouldn’t be able to go, and I’d end up facing the witch at the academy.

“You think a lot, don’t you?”

Seo-A stared at me for a while before saying.

“By any chance, do you have something I don’t know about? …As in, religiously?”

Well, there is something. I’m the nun who drop-kicked a cardinal. For some reason, it doesn’t seem to pop up in the news.

Wait, religious?

In an instant, a bright idea flashed through my mind.

“Yes, I do.”

Seo-A seemed taken aback by my unexpected response, while Lina and Aurora’s eyes widened in surprise. Well, given the religious nature of the issue, they should have known too, but they had never revealed it.

How could I openly say that I was talking with a goddess in my head?

“I received a revelation.”

Ariel, could you at least promote your name a bit?

[That’s quite irreverent.]

Ariel, saying that, seemed to chuckle softly.

*

So, what was the outcome?

Well, it created a bit of a commotion.

Surprisingly, Seo-A remained calm after hearing that directly. Even though she was around my age, being an adult and a teacher, she accepted it naturally, as if she had sensed it somehow.

“I see.”

With that, Seo-A leaned back in her chair.

“A revelation from the gods…”

She murmured in a very bitter voice.

“When I was in the battlefield, I heard people say they heard the voice of the deity. Most of them were church members.”

That could be real or a hallucination. Since they’re from the church, they wouldn’t likely lie in the name of the god, but there could be instances of extreme situations causing delusions.

Seo-A gazed at me for a while before standing up.

“Alright, then I have nothing more to say. Even if I wanted to oppose more, the church would probably stop me.”

The church doesn’t know yet.

They probably don’t know that Lina and Aurora are sticking to me.

“You’re indifferent too, goddess.”

After letting out a deep sigh, Seo-A said.

The weight of the name of a god, with all its evidence and witnesses, was heavy. For those living in this world, while their levels of faith might differ, the truth could not be denied.

I guess this was all due to the meticulously crafted settings I had made.

“Alright. I’ll try to convey your intentions. Should I tell Andrea?”

Huh?

“…Do you know her?”

When I asked blankly, Seo-A nodded and replied.

“She was someone I knew when I was ‘active.’ We occasionally met up for drinks. Right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lina answered.

They knew each other?

…Oh, right.

On the frontlines, there are not just church forces but also regular troops and heroes fighting together. Especially since heroes often lend support in dangerous areas, it wouldn’t be strange if they would have met and strengthened their bond. After all, Andrea’s setting indicated she carried a holy sword and swiped demons.

In that case, Lina, who was always following Andrea, might have at least seen her face.

Of course, she wouldn’t have explained why she pushed three nuns in the same class.

“The deployment date is two weeks from now. Due to being students, they won’t send you to the very front lines; however, I doubt your resolve is such that you don’t want to go. Given that you’ve claimed to have received a revelation.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

Upon hearing my response, Seo-A readily nodded.

“Okay, I won’t say anything further. If you’ve resolved yourself to that extent, I’ll do my best to accommodate your request.”

As she passed by me, she placed her hand on my shoulder and squeezed slightly.

“Make sure to come back alive. I still want to teach you many things.”

After smiling and chuckling softly, she added,

“Well, I guess I can say this in two weeks.”

With that, she left without any hesitation.

“Oh, hello.”

“Yeah, see you later?”

Seo-A waved to Selena and Jian, who had just entered, before leaving the classroom.

…In the end, we didn’t have time to clean today.

“Ah-!”

Just as I was thinking that, Aurora, who had been frozen with her mouth agape until then, suddenly screamed, startling me.

“What’s that! The goddess’s words!? Is it true? Really true!?”

Aurora grabbed my shoulder, shaking me vigorously, and the fatigue that had felt chronic up until now instantly vanished.

“Goddess?”

Jian, who had approached without me noticing, said.

“Did you really hear the goddess’s voice? Is it true?”

Hearing Jian’s question, Aurora kept repeating, “Is it true?” and when I answered, “Yes, that’s right,” her expression turned dazed.

“Certainly, if it’s a miraculous evidence, it’s an extremely personal piece of evidence.”

Lina said with a wry smile.

“No way to know just by looking.”

“Right…”

With a tremendously deflated expression, Aurora knelt down and leaned against my desk.

“Do you really believe me?”

Well, I expected a strong reaction, but honestly, I didn’t think they’d believe me this easily. Not just the homeroom teacher, but these kids too. Though obviously, they were hearing things.

“‘……’”

And there was a momentary cold silence.

“We can’t not believe you. We witnessed that level of holy power firsthand. In just a day… no, just a few minutes, creating a bottle of holy water? Even the Pope can’t do that…”

“To be honest, the physical ability of Clara Sisters goes beyond just talent to the level of being blessed. Plus, we can’t even see the muscles on your bare body. I doubt even knights bigger than Clara could wield a weapon like that.”

“As a knight, I think it’s quite a remarkable talent. Besides, she’s getting stronger every day.”

“Exactly. I’ve heard the goddess’s voice directly from Clara.”

As Selena said that and flopped down into her seat, silence descended upon us once more.

“…What’s wrong?”

Seemingly sensing the suddenly tense atmosphere, Selena asked.

“No, uh… was there a funeral for Selene’s family?”

Aurora, who had seen the video filmed back then, asked. Now that I think about it, Lina was there too. However, since the footage focused on me, they wouldn’t have clearly known what was going on around me.

“Yeah. It was my sister’s funeral.”

Seriously, how could I calmly say that? It was only three months ago.

“Ah~ don’t worry about it.”

Realizing why the atmosphere had turned so awkward, Selena waved her hands reassuringly.

“I was able to brush it off, thanks to what you did.”

Selena looked at me while smiling.

“Me?”

I had only drop-kicked a cardinal and threw soup on myself back then.

“Yeah, or could it be thanks to the goddess?”

That might be possible. For whatever reason, goddess Ariel used my body to give a speech. Maybe it’s because she knew Selena was at the center of it.

…Wait, didn’t she say she read my notebook? Could she possibly have that black history notebook?

[Yes, all three volumes.]

Ggahhh!

I wanted to scream, but given the warm atmosphere, it wouldn’t be a good idea to break it, so I had no choice but to suppress it.

*

“So, the total number of people who can go to the battlefield is three: Clara Anderson from the church, Lina Vikander, and Aurora Ranieri.”

And just like that, the warm atmosphere was shattered by our homeroom teacher, Seo-A, when she entered during homeroom after final classes.

I didn’t manage to achieve my goal of going alone, but perhaps the church’s influence was at play. Maybe Andrea the Inquisition head or Miracle Investigator Priest Matthew had moved behind the scenes. Did they hold more power than I thought?

Well, they were both people who could proclaim what I said as heretical or establish it as proof of miracles. Plus, the cardinal, if she could send just me, would likely be fine with that.

If they were to send several students unrelated to the church and they ended up dead, public opinion wouldn’t stay quiet this time.

Besides, everyone knew that this academy was strongly influenced by the church, so it would be very convenient to say they were forced to go.

Though it was unfortunate that I couldn’t serve a big slap to the cardinal, so what? I managed to achieve a more important goal.

…However, there was one problem.

All the kids sitting around me turned to look at me with horrifying expressions.

“From what I hear, you’ve been training hard after school every day,”

As the teacher, Seo-A seemed to have grasped that Lina and I had been competing intensely. Recently, even Satsuki, who had watched our match, seemed to have pushed a strange switch and stayed along to train with Jian, Lina, and Selena.

“In my experience, it’s better to start lightening up a bit a few days before you go to the battlefield. Training is good, but if your body stays too tense, you’ll lose your movements. So, take a few days to rest and adjust your condition.”

Seo-A said that without pretending she didn’t see my situation.

No matter how much I tried to signal for help with my eyes, she just stuck out her tongue.

“Alright, today’s homeroom ends here. So…”

Seo-A smiled for a while while looking my way before saying.

“You all should take it easy.”

That person was on the same wavelength as the kids.

But this was my fault, I guess. Hm.

As I resolved myself, I sighed and suppressed it.

“See you tomorrow.”

After the teacher left, the classroom descended into an atmosphere akin to the calm before the storm. No, precisely, it felt like being directly in the eye of the typhoon. If I stepped even a little outside of that space, I felt like I’d be swept away.

“U-Um…”

Before I could say anything,

Kbang!

A loud noise echoed as something fell over.

Lina jumped up, causing her chair to fly backward. It didn’t break, thankfully.

With that, Lina glared at me with intense eyes, raised the weapon I had leaned against my desk, and left the classroom with the intent to shatter the next thing she saw.

Seeing that, all the other students stood up in unison and walked toward the weapon storage in the back of the classroom to grab their weapons. Of course, Selena, Lee Ji-An, and Satsuki were included.

Then, one by one, they turned to look at me, before marching out of the classroom.

“Well then, shall we go, Clara sisters?”

As I stood there dumbfounded watching the kids leave, Lina, who had been sitting in front of me all along without moving, suddenly stood up and said.

“They’re all waiting in the gym!”

And then Aurora stood up alongside her, saying.

“…”

Seo-A had told me to rest a bit, but seeing everyone not listen, they really were bad students. Heh heh.

I couldn’t help but feel a desire to lie down on the green fields and stare at the sky.

I realized that the next two weeks would be even more exhausting than this.

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