How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Chapter 748: A Goddess’s Advice to Godhood 5

"Emmy?"

"Oh, Vanny!"

After Emilia and Riley’s conversation came to an end, the young saintess quietly hummed to herself while preparing the room for tonight’s ritual.

Although she could have simply asked one of the cathedral’s sisters to prepare everything on her behalf, Emilia always preferred doing it herself. Something about personally arranging the ritual made her feel more at ease.

Perhaps it was because, to her, communicating with the Goddess was never something to be taken lightly.

Just then, the door slowly opened, and Vanessa stepped inside.

"So your talk with Senior Riley is over?"

"Mhm!" Emilia happily nodded. "Though I actually wanted to talk with Senior a little longer."

Vanessa smiled faintly before looking around the room.

"I didn’t see him leave."

Her eyes were full of vigilance.

It wasn’t that she doubted Riley.

Rather, she couldn’t afford to lower her guard.

Ever since meeting Emilia and getting closer with her, Vanessa had become increasingly cautious. The academy was no longer occupied solely by students.

Merchants, nobles, adventurers, and influential figures from every corner of the continent now walked its grounds because of the Continental Grand Festival.

Even a simple misunderstanding could become tomorrow’s biggest rumor.

For that reason, Vanessa had intentionally remained near the hallway while Riley and Emilia talked.

On the surface, she appeared to be helping the sisters with their work, but in reality she was keeping watch over the area, making sure no suspicious individuals wandered nearby or noticed Riley entering the nun’s quarters.

An hour and a half had passed.

Yet no one had come out.

Unable to ignore it any longer, Vanessa finally decided to check on them herself.

Only to find...

The room occupied solely by Emilia.

"Ah, Senior already left." Emilia answered innocently. "He suddenly opened a red portal and said it would be better to leave that way rather than walking out of the cathedral. He said people might misunderstand if they saw him leaving a nun’s room."

"...A portal?"

Vanessa blinked.

She knew Riley possessed extraordinary magical talent. That much had become obvious after everything that had happened during the festival.

But...

A teleportation portal?

And not just any portal.

One capable of bypassing every magical barrier surrounding the cathedral without producing even the slightest ripple of mana.

Vanessa had been standing only a short distance away.

She should have sensed something.

Anything.

Yet she hadn’t noticed a single fluctuation.

Not even the cathedral’s own defensive formations had reacted.

"..."

A thoughtful expression crossed her face.

The more she learned about Riley...

The less she understood him.

Every time she believed she had grasped the limits of his abilities, he casually demonstrated something that completely exceeded her expectations.

"...He’s becoming more and more mysterious."

"Hm?" Emilia tilted her head. "Did you say something?"

Vanessa smiled and gently shook her head.

"Nothing."

She decided not to dwell on it any further.

After all...

If there was one person in the academy capable of making the impossible look ordinary...

It was Riley.

Though, in reality, it wasn’t nearly as mysterious as Vanessa imagined.

Riley had simply replicated the portal Alice usually used and concealed the mana fluctuations with a small application of his Authority. The spell itself wasn’t impossible for him to perform anymore.

Unfortunately...

Vanessa had no way of knowing that.

And even if Riley had explained the truth, it likely would’ve only led to even more misunderstandings.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Vanessa decided to stop dwelling on the matter. Trying to understand Riley had become an impossible task long ago.

Instead, she shifted her attention toward Emilia, who had already begun busily moving around the room.

Books were returned to their shelves, chairs were neatly arranged, and the small table in the center of the room was carefully wiped clean.

"What are you doing, Emmy?"

"Oh?" Emilia looked over her shoulder before smiling. "I’m just cleaning the room a little."

She folded one of the ceremonial cloths before continuing.

"Actually... since it’s you, Vanny, I don’t think Senior would mind me telling you."

Vanessa quietly listened.

"Senior asked me to help him commune with the Goddess."

"So..."

"I’m preparing the Ritual of Light."

"..."

Vanessa blinked.

"The same ritual as last time?"

Emilia’s cheeks immediately turned slightly pink.

"...Yes."

"I see."

It didn’t take long for Vanessa to understand the situation.

The fact that Emilia was preparing everything herself instead of requesting assistance from the other sisters or the cathedral’s clergy meant only one thing.

They intended to keep tonight’s ritual a secret.

Which honestly wasn’t surprising.

If word somehow spread that Riley was secretly entering the Saintess’s room in the middle of the night...

The academy would probably be thrown into another uproar.

Vanessa let out a small, understanding smile.

"Then... I’ll help you."

Emilia’s eyes immediately brightened.

"Really?"

"Mhm."

"Thank you, Vanny!"

Seeing Emilia’s innocent smile, Vanessa couldn’t help but smile herself.

She had always admired that part of Emilia.

No matter how many responsibilities she carried...

No matter how much pressure came with being the Saintess...

She somehow never lost that gentle sincerity.

Being around Emilia simply made people want to help her.

Perhaps that was why so many within the Church cherished her.

She possessed a warmth that naturally drew people closer.

As Vanessa quietly watched Emilia continue preparing the room, a certain thought suddenly crossed her mind.

"So... When are you planning to perform the ritual?"

Emilia carefully folded another cloth before answering.

"Senior seemed to be in a hurry so... We’re planning to do it tonight, here."

"I see..."

Vanessa slowly nodded before glancing toward the wardrobe where the ceremonial garments were kept.

"In that case... Leave the garments to me."

Emilia looked at her without the slightest suspicion.

"Sure! I don’t mind."

"..."

Vanessa smiled.

"Leave it to me."

As Emilia happily continued preparing the room, Vanessa quietly walked toward the cabinet containing the ritual garments.

Tonight...

She decided...

She would help Emilia, even if only a little.

After all...

If the timid Saintess wished to become just a little closer to the person she admired...

Then perhaps...

Her best friend could give fate a tiny push in the right direction.

....

Liyana approached Emilia...

Liyana approached the Saintess.

She met her.

Spoke with her.

And I had absolutely no idea.

Riley let out a quiet sigh as those thoughts continued to echo in his mind. Walking through the familiar corridors of Heavenly Hall, the headquarters of the Student Council, he absentmindedly rubbed his temples.

He already knew involving Liyana in his life would inevitably create unnecessary and unpredictable complications.

That much was expected.

What bothered him wasn’t the fact that she had spoken to Emilia.

It was the fact that she had done so without him ever knowing.

For someone like Liyana to make a move...

There was always a reason behind it.

The problem was...

He had no idea what that reason was.

Should I have placed someone to keep an eye on her?

The thought crossed his mind before he immediately dismissed it.

Impossible.

Someone like Liyana would notice surveillance almost instantly.

Trying to secretly watch the daughter of the House of Heavens was practically asking to be discovered.

And she was a literal god like dragon whose expertise was surveillance no, probably closer to stalking so it was literally impossible.

...What about spending more time with her?

That way I’d at least know where she was most of the day.

"..."

No.

That sounded even worse.

Knowing Liyana, she’d happily take that as an invitation and make sure he never left her side again.

At that point, he’d probably be stuck accompanying her for the rest of his life.

"...Yeah."

"Definitely not happening."

He quietly shook his head.

Liyana’s daily schedule was already difficult to predict.

Despite claiming to be busy with official duties alongside the Emperor, she somehow still found enough free time to casually approach Emilia in the middle of the commercial district.

That alone meant one of two things.

Either...

She wasn’t nearly as busy as she claimed.

Or...

Meeting Emilia had been important enough for her to set everything else aside.

Neither possibility made Riley feel any better.

"..."

Another sigh escaped him.

Before he realized it, he’d already arrived at the Student Council building.

Heavenly Hall.

The large doors stood open as students and council members busily moved throughout the building, carrying documents and discussing preparations for the remaining festival events.

Riley walked toward the Student Council Office and gave the door a few light knocks.

Knock.

Knock.

Almost immediately, the door opened.

"Oh."

A familiar face greeted him.

"Bud?"

Kagami smiled as he stepped aside.

"Hello, Kagami."

"Didn’t expect to see you here."

Kagami scratched the back of his head before laughing.

"You here for a visit?"

"I mean..."

He glanced behind him into the office.

"The Student Council Office isn’t exactly meant for casual visitors. But..."

A helpless smile spread across his face.

"I’m pretty sure our overly stressed president would appreciate seeing you right about now."

He pointed deeper into the room.

Following his finger, Riley’s gaze landed on Snow.

"..."

Dark circles had formed beneath her eyes.

Stacks upon stacks of paperwork surrounded her desk like miniature mountains, covering nearly every available inch of space.

Contracts.

Budget reports.

Festival requests.

Compensation forms.

Administrative documents.

Snow silently signed another page before immediately reaching for the next one without even looking up.

The once elegant and composed princess now looked like someone who hadn’t properly rested in days.

"..."

"...She’s still at it?"

Kagami let out a defeated chuckle.

"You can thank yesterday’s match for that."

"The academy’s practically drowning in paperwork."

"Compensation requests."

"Damage reports."

"Event revisions."

"And since the Student Council oversees most of the festival..."

He looked back toward Snow with obvious sympathy.

"...Guess who ended up handling most of it?"

Riley didn’t even want to imagine dealing with that mountain of paperwork.

Just looking at the stacks of reports made his head hurt.

Incident reports.

Compensation requests.

Budget revisions.

Festival schedules.

Damage assessments.

There were enough documents piled on Snow’s desk to bury an ordinary person alive.

Even though she had been one of the main reasons all this paperwork existed after yesterday’s battle with Rose, she still chose to sit here and handle everything herself without a single complaint.

It only made Riley admire her even more.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment.

She’s really amazing...

As if sensing his eyes on her, Snow finally looked up from the report she had been reading.

"...Riley?"

"Hi, Snow."

A small smile appeared on her tired face before she glanced at the papers surrounding her.

"Why are you—"

She stopped herself halfway.

"...No, wait for a moment."

"I’ll finish these reports in a few minutes."

Riley shook his head with a small laugh.

"Take your time. I’m sure those are all important."

I’ll just wait over there."

Snow hesitated.

"...But..."

Her eyes lingered on him for another second before she finally sighed.

"...Alright."

She lowered her gaze and returned to work.

The scratching sound of her pen immediately filled the room once again.

Riley quietly walked over to one of the sofas and sat down.

Watching everyone work, he couldn’t help but realize just how much responsibility the Student Council actually carried.

Without them...

The academy staff would probably be drowning in paperwork right now.

Managing an event on the scale of the Continental Grand Festival was already difficult enough.

Now add yesterday’s unprecedented battle between two monsters capable of rewriting the battlefield itself...

It was honestly a miracle the academy was still functioning.

At this rate...

The academy would probably have no choice but to increase the Student Council’s budget after the festival.

They had more than earned it.

Leaning back into the sofa, Riley quietly observed the room.

Everyone was busy.

Far busier than he’d expected.

Some familiar faces immediately caught his attention.

Clara sat near one of the windows, surrounded by ledgers, receipts, and financial documents. Every now and then another council member would approach her desk, only to leave moments later after receiving instructions.

I guess she’s still helping the Student Council.

It made sense.

As the president of her own merchant guild, budgeting and financial management were practically second nature to her.

If anyone could make sense of the academy’s expenses after yesterday...

It was probably Clara.

Not too far away, Kagami was organizing several files while occasionally discussing security arrangements with members of the Discipline Committee.

The festival wasn’t over yet.

If anything, yesterday’s incident had only increased the need for tighter security.

Crowd control.

Emergency response.

Protective barriers.

There were countless things that still needed to be arranged before the next event.

Even Snow’s personal assistant, Senior Amy, looked completely exhausted.

She hurried back and forth carrying stacks of documents, occasionally stopping beside Snow to organize reports before rushing off again to handle something else.

Seeing everyone working this hard...

Riley couldn’t help but feel a little impressed.

The Student Council wasn’t simply maintaining appearances.

They were genuinely holding the academy together behind the scenes.

...

Though...

There was one familiar face missing.

Alice.

Knowing her personality, she would’ve undoubtedly volunteered to help the moment she saw everyone struggling.

She’d probably insist on working overtime despite not even being an official member of the Student Council.

Fortunately...

Snow was well aware of Alice’s condition.

There was no way she’d allow a pregnant woman to bury herself under mountains of paperwork, no matter how much Alice insisted.

Knowing Snow...

She had probably forced Alice to rest.