I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 761 - Side Story 34: Tying Up Loose Ends (2)

Let's turn back the clock a little.

It was when Rudger created a massive barrier of shadows with Aether Nocturnus to signal the start of full-scale combat.

Catherine looked at the pitch-black tidal wave rising high into the sky and instinctively knew that was the signal.

"He said he'd give a signal, but he never mentioned it would be this flashy. Well, it's easy to spot, so that's good."

It could only be seen from inside the forest; from outside, nothing would be visible because of the darkness.

With rustling sounds, people emerged through the grass, parting the bushes.

They were people wearing robes marked with the symbol of the Order, which people now shunned.

The remnants of the Lumensis Order, those who couldn't forget the past and were still trapped by it, froze in place when they saw Catherine.

Because the target they intended to kidnap wasn't hiding at all, but rather waiting for them.

"I'll show you mercy even now. This is my final warning."

Catherine spoke in a calm tone.

She was in a good mood today. A long-time friend had returned, and she'd spent a rather rewarding time.

Catherine liked her current life.

She was happy living with her family, not needing honor or glory.

She was joyful working in the fields with her sisters.

She enjoyed having trivial conversations with the villagers.

Yes.

Even the daily life that others would find boring and insignificant.

To Catherine, it was so precious that she wouldn't trade it even for all the wealth in the world.

That's why Catherine wanted to protect her current life.

She wanted to live as Catherine Earnshaw, not Saint Catherine.

"I chose not to dwell on the past. Because we are human. Because we can only live in the present and hope for the future."

The assailants listened silently to Catherine's words.

There was still a certain power in Catherine's voice.

"You have them too, don't you? Reasons to live. Even if you don't, it's okay, you'll surely find them. So leave this place. Go and search for new possibilities."

"Do you think we have such things?"

The one who stepped forward was a senior priest who appeared to be leading this group.

Though he must have lost a considerable amount of power, holy power was still surging abundantly through his body.

No, that wasn't his power alone.

The other priests had transferred their own holy power to him for this very moment.

"I have received the wishes of my brothers and sisters. Did you think our resolve in coming this far would stop at a few words?"

"It's not a wish. It's just greed and stubbornness."

"Call it greed if you like. As long as we can reclaim our former glory."

Catherine shook her head as if in pity.

"Even if you take me, you can't reclaim past glory. You know that, don't you?"

Of course they knew.

No matter how much they took Catherine to use her as a focal point, the Order would never be revived.

Even wearing the guise of the Lumensis Order's name, compared to the mighty days of the past, it wouldn't amount to even a speck of dust.

They weren't unaware of this.

Some would still be caught up in vain delusions, believing they could reclaim the brilliant glory of old.

But reality wasn't that easy.

Lost power wouldn't suddenly return, and scattered people wouldn't gather as if bewitched by something.

It would be stronger than the current near-cellular organization.

But ultimately, the only ending they would face was becoming an anti-social organization larger in scale than before.

"I know it's not easy. But this is your last chance. Stop here. Go back and find your own life."

"This is our life. Having come this far, we cannot stop."

The senior priest spoke as the representative.

Everyone behind him showed hostility in their eyes as if agreeing with him.

Catherine let out a deep sigh.

"Right. So this is how it ends."

In truth, she had known.

If a few words could persuade them, why would there be conflicts in the world, why would there be wars?

In the end, people cannot understand each other.

For their own desires, they exclude and suppress others.

She knew there were people who weren't like that, but still she lamented because in the end, what ruins the world is always the selfishness of people like these.

"Fine. Enough with the pointless heartache."

Catherine clenched her fists and then clashed them together.

Kwa-ang!

That alone created an explosive sound and intense wind pressure.

The hoods the assailants wore were blown off by the wind.

They seemed unable to adapt to Catherine's sudden change in attitude.

"I gave you a warning, and you said you wouldn't listen, so I won't try to persuade you any further."

"What do you—"

"You said you can't retreat after coming this far, right? I can't compromise either, so all that's left is for us to clash with full sincerity."

A reaction too different from just moments ago when she was trying her best to resolve things peacefully with words.

Just as the senior priest felt uneasy and was about to say something.

Peo-eok!

Catherine's fist drove into his mouth.

Broken teeth flew out along with blood.

Even though he had strengthened his body with surging holy power and protected himself with sacred magic, it was useless.

His body flew backward and collided heavily with the remnants of the Order.

The people tangled together tumbled down in a heap, while some who remained unscathed stared with disbelieving eyes.

"What. First time seeing me throw punches?"

Catherine clenched and unclenched her fist.

It was unbelievable how such power could come from that delicate fist.

"For the record, I gave you a chance, okay? Not going was your choice."

"H-how could a saint—"

"I'm not a saint anymore. So there's no mercy or anything like that either. Did you come here not knowing that?"

A cold smile formed on Catherine's lips.

"You were unlucky to come looking for me on a day like today."

The ones sent before, she had quietly dealt with to avoid being caught by her parents.

She had minimized her power as much as possible and moved stealthily to prevent noise from spreading outside.

But now it is different.

Thanks to Rudger, no matter what commotion was caused here, the disturbance wouldn't reach the mansion.

In other words, the restraints on Catherine, who until now had to suppress her nature and hold back, had been properly released.

"You should all think of yourselves as dead here and now."

The fight ended so quickly and easily it was anticlimactic.

"Is that the last one?"

"Yes."

Rudger looked down at the priest who had been beaten by Catherine.

The one who had once been a senior priest was so mangled that the original shape of his face was unrecognizable.

For an ordinary person, it would have been a fatal injury, but the remnants of holy power in his body wouldn't allow that.

Ironically, because of the holy power, he couldn't even die and was only suffering in pain.

"H-how can this be?"

His face swollen to about three times its size with bruises, he barely opened one eye and gazed at the disaster.

His proud comrades had become cold corpses lying on the ground.

Not a single one was alive.

Those who had once been promising had been struck down in that brief moment.

"Who on earth?"

His pupils turned toward the perpetrator of this disaster.

"Y-you are!"

His pupils, looking up at Rudger, widened to the point of tearing.

Disbelief, shock, and fear.

His trembling body and contorted expression spoke for his emotions.

"To think there would be someone who recognizes me. You—you're not a remnant of the Order dispatched to the continent, but a survivor who lived through the main temple in the homeland."

"H-how are you here? You were supposed to be dead!"

His pupils, slightly recovered by holy power, turned toward Catherine.

"Saint! Why! Why are you joining hands with the Demon King!"

It was unbelievable.

The fact that the Demon King, who they thought was dead, was alive was already shocking, but the Saint was joining hands with him.

"I'm getting tired of answering that now."

Rudger lightly swung his sword stick.

The severed head rolled across the ground.

Soon the earth wriggled and moved, swallowing all the corpses.

It was a scene as if an endless swamp was devouring people.

Having dealt with all the enemies, Rudger stored his sword stick in his cane and asked Catherine.

"You're not going to criticize me for killing people, are you?"

"At this point?"

That answer contained many meanings.

Rudger chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

Well, in the forest on the opposite side, there would also be those who died from being hit by her fists.

"More importantly, even though you've become much weaker, you still seem quite fierce."

"Right. So watch yourself. Got it?"

Catherine showed her neat teeth and shook her fist.

The next morning the daily routine at the Earnshaw household was the same as usual.

The villagers went out to the fields early, and the people at the mansion moved busily, starting their daily tasks.

No one knew what had happened in the forest last night.

As if it had never happened from the beginning, the world remained peaceful.

Having finished breakfast, Rudger prepared to leave.

He had enjoyed his reunion with Catherine sufficiently, so now it was time to go meet other people.

"You're leaving?"

"What. Are you sad now that I'm actually going?"

"Are you really going to keep being cocky?"

Catherine showed a vein on her forehead.

Her tightly clenched fist trembled as if crying out, but Catherine soon relaxed her shoulders.

"If I said I was sad. Would you stay?"

"..."

Catherine's voice trembled but Rudger couldn't answer properly.

He had never expected her to suddenly show weakness.

Catherine, with her head hung low, soon trembled her shoulders.

It was when he was considering whether to comfort her.

"Puhahaha! What's with you! Did you actually worry about me?"

Catherine, lifting her head, laughed while holding her stomach.

"Seriously, look at you all flustered! Ah, that's really funny. How cute."

Rudger sighed watching Catherine wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

"Haa. I feel like a fool for worrying."

"This big sis can take care of herself just fine, so don't you worry."

Catherine lightly hit Rudger's chest with her fist.

"You have a lot left to do, right? So don't stop and go. That's your strong point."

Not stopping.

At those words, Rudger's face went blank for a moment before he nodded.

"Right. I'll do that."

"But still, you can do that space movement thing, right? So come visit whenever you're bored. Got it?"

"I'll think about it."

"Oh my. Don't tell me you're sulking because I just teased you? That's not it, right?"

"No."

"It's not? Sure it is."

"I said it's not."

"I said it's not~"

Catherine chuckled and waved her hand at Rudger.

"Well then, take care. See you next time."

"Yeah. See you next time."

Catherine immediately turned around and disappeared into the mansion.

She would probably help with housework together with her adoptive sisters today.

It was just as Rudger was about to leave too.

"Do you have a moment?"

Bradley Earnshaw, the head of the Earnshaw family, approached and asked Rudger.

"Yes. What is it?"

"I just wanted to say thank you."

"I believe I received enough thanks yesterday. Please don't say such things."

"What I'm thanking you for is because of what happened in the middle of the night afterward."

"..."

Rudger didn't react to those words and gazed at Bradley Earnshaw with an indifferent look.

"You don't need to try to hide it. I'm not completely ignorant of these things."

Rudger realized the moment he saw Bradley's eyes that he couldn't hide it.

"How did you know?"

"This is our land. This is the family I've lived in for a long time. As the head, wouldn't it be a disqualification not to know even that much?"

"Then surely from before..."

"Catherine. I knew that child was secretly fighting a difficult battle. But I couldn't properly help her as a father. Because I'm a weak human who doesn't even know magic."

Bradley smiled kindly at Rudger and patted his shoulder.

"So I'm truly grateful to you. Thanks to you, a great weight has been lifted. It's also been a while since I've seen Catherine so happy. Though I couldn't do anything for her."

"You don't need to blame yourself. You, as the head, haven't done nothing."

At those words, Bradley's eyes widened.

Rudger spoke in an unwavering tone.

"Just being together. That alone allows Catherine to find strength."

"Is that alone enough?"

"Yes. That's sufficient. Because you're family, aren't you?"

That's what family is.

Without words, without conveying.

Just being together gives strength.

At Rudger's words, Bradley let out an exclamation, then nodded with a much more relieved smile.

"Hearing you say that comforts me."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Come visit again when you have the chance. We'll welcome you anytime."

"Yes. Let's do that. I really liked the food here, after all."

Rudger nodded once and then disappeared from the spot along with shadows.

Catherine approached behind Bradley, who was watching that scene.

"Did he leave?"

"Catherine."

"Idiot. He really left."

Catherine looked at the spot where Rudger had disappeared, took a deep breath, and shouted.

"See you again next time. My friend!"

"..."

Far away from the Earnshaw mansion Rudger chuckled at Catherine's voice echoing from afar.

While pretending otherwise, she was inwardly sad to see him go—her personality hadn't changed from before to now.

"Right. Let's meet again next time."

Rudger leaped across space using shadows.

And the place where Rudger appeared was the Kingdom of Yuta, where cold snowstorms were raging.