Vol 2. Chapter 10: Holy Healing Day

The annual Holy Healing Festival was approaching. This festival originated from the time when the Goddess of Graceful Radiance, out of compassion for all living beings, selflessly offered the “Holy Envoy” to establish the Church of Radiance, saving countless lives.

To commemorate the day when the Goddess of Graceful Radiance saved the world, the Holy Healing Festival was born.

It is a festival celebrated by all human nations and even many other races that once received the goddess’s blessings. It can be said that apart from the demon race, almost no other race does not observe this festival.

During such a festival, the students of Carillian Academy are often the most relaxed, as they get a holiday and start discussing how to spend it.

However, the student council is the busiest, preparing for the festival celebrations, notifying students about safety through various means, and handling various lists and reports.

The student council was already swamped with work. The senior who had interviewed Vinny was the group leader this time. She was aware of Vinny’s work efficiency and the capabilities of his core processor, which is why Vinny wasn’t assigned any mentally taxing tasks. Instead, he was sent out to purchase essential items for the festival.

“What? The decorative rings are sold out? Boss, please, do you have any hidden stock you can sell me? I’ve been to several stores, and they all say they’re out!” Vinny felt like the sky was falling when he heard the decorative rings were sold out.

He had run through the entire street, and every store told him the decorative rings were sold out. Were they really that popular? He never saw anyone buying them before.

“Little student, it’s not that we’re hiding stock from you. Why would we turn down business? We really don’t have any left. Even if I knew magic, I couldn’t conjure one out of thin air, could I?” The shopkeeper shrugged.

“Alright, sorry to bother you.” Vinny sighed and left the store.

He had already made several trips, and this was the last decorative ring he needed. But now he was told it was out of stock. What should he do? He had already visited every possible store.

Who on earth was so annoying as to buy up all the decorative rings in advance? It’s not like they were the student council. What did they need them for?

Was he going to return empty-handed?

Of course not. That would damage the little credibility he had in the eyes of his student council colleagues.

Could he find something to replace it?

As he passed by a pet store, Vinny, the idea King of Camella, had a sudden inspiration.

Got it! Why not use this as a substitute?

Vinny entered the pet store and came out moments later with large pet collars.

Although there was a fundamental difference, it wasn’t that big. Both were rings, right? With a little decoration, who could tell the difference?

As the festival approached, large silver crosses could be seen on the streets, adorned with various decorations. At the crossroads, a pristine statue of the six-winged goddess was also displayed.

Vinny was supposed to pass by the goddess statue and return to the student council, but he spotted an unexpected person sitting on a bench in front of the statue.

“Oh? Vinny, long time no see~?” The girl sitting on the bench, sipping her milk tea, noticed Vinny and greeted him with a smile.

“Long time no see? We just saw each other in class yesterday!” Vinny retorted.

“Really? As far as I remember, the student council has been quite busy lately. Vinny, you still have the leisure to stroll around buying pet collars?” Aesphyra tilted her head.

“That’s what I should be saying! I’m just a lowly laborer with no real skills. As a new core member of the student council, while everyone else is running around like crazy, Aesphyra, you’re sitting here leisurely sipping tea. Isn’t that a bit off?” Vinny glanced at the silver-haired girl.

“But I’ve already finished all the work the student council assigned me. Other tasks have been taken care of by others, so I have nothing to do. With nowhere to go on the weekend, I just wandered around the streets and had some milk tea.” Aesphyra swung her long, black-stockinged legs on the bench and offered the milk tea straw to Vinny. “Want a sip? It’s jasmine flavor.”

“Drinking milk tea at noon? You’re going to get fat.” Vinny took a step back, looking at Aesphyra in disbelief.

“And you’ve already finished all your work? As far as I remember, Mirexia assigned you several times more work than the average first-year student.”

“So, was it a lot?” Aesphyra asked, showing the calmness of a protagonist.

“...You’re asking me? I didn’t do that work.” Vinny rolled his eyes. “If you’re so free, why don’t you help me with the rest of my work?”

“Oh? What work do you have left? Walking a dog?” Aesphyra glanced at the pet collar in Vinny’s hand and teased.

“Walking your head. Someone bought up all the decorative rings today, so I had to find a substitute.” Vinny complained.

“Oh? Using a pet collar as a substitute? Vinny, your imagination is truly out of this world. Oh, don’t get me wrong, that’s a compliment.”

If it’s a compliment, why did you have to emphasize it?

Seeing the smile on Aesphyra’s face, Vinny thought to himself.

“So, Vinny, you’re almost done with your work, right?”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“Since you’re almost done, why not take a walk with me?~” Aesphyra’s smile was as enigmatic as ever.

“??” Vinny’s head was filled with question marks.

The other day, she treated him to a meal, which was fine since he had helped her, and it was fair to receive some compensation. Plus, it was to test him.

But what was this about now?

“Are you sure? Aesphyra, I’m a guy, not a beautiful girl. I probably don’t meet your requirements, do I?”

“Then could you accommodate me, Vinny?” Aesphyra’s smile widened.

“Accommodate what? How?” Vinny was confused.

“I happen to have a few extra sets of girls’ uniforms. Since you’re so considerate of my feelings, could you put one on and then go shopping with me?”

“You’re like a toad dreaming of being a frog, ugly and full of wild ideas.” Vinny clicked his tongue. “You really think of such nonsense? That’s never going to happen in this lifetime. Don’t even think about it.”

“Eh? Is it that absolute? Think about it again. If you look good in a dress, I might reluctantly accept it~”

This damned chosen protagonist.

The moment Vinny saw the mischievous smile on Aesphyra’s face, he knew she was deliberately saying these things to annoy him.

Making a grown man wear a dress to serve her was not only annoying but also somewhat humiliating.

No, spending too much time with her would really make his blood pressure skyrocket.

Vinny decided to ignore this idle person and return to the student council.

“Dong, dong, dong!” The deep tolling of bells echoed throughout the campus. Vinny looked towards the source, a towering bell tower that could be heard across the entire academy.

“That’s the Holy Bell of Carillian Academy. It has a history of over a thousand years. When it was first built, it was blessed by the saintess of that time. It only rings during the festival and on special occasions. It’s one of the most valuable holy relics of the academy. Legend has it that those who hear the bell will be blessed with happiness for the year.” Aesphyra, who had stood up from the bench at some point, explained to Vinny.

“Hearing the bell brings happiness for a year? That’s quite a fairy tale.” Vinny clearly didn’t believe it.

“It’s surprising. As a descendant of the goddess, you don’t even trust the holy relic blessed by your ancestor?”

“Compared to that, I believe more in the power of human effort.”

“By the way, that bell tower blessed by the saintess is the second tallest structure in the academy, after the Order Spire. It’s said that the wind blowing from the top can sweep across the entire academy.” Aesphyra said this for some reason.

“Oh? What about it?” Vinny asked.

“Such a long-standing holy relic has always been considered a symbol of good fortune. But could such a symbol of good fortune also herald a dramatic and ironic ouroboros loop?”

“?? What are you talking about?” Vinny was completely baffled by Aesphyra’s words, unable to grasp what she was trying to say.

“What’s wrong with you today? You sound like a philosopher writing prose, with all these cryptic and meaningless riddles.” Vinny frowned.

“What’s up? Being so sentimental doesn’t suit you. Did some girl dump you last night?”

“Pfft.” Aesphyra chuckled noncommittally and turned to leave. “See you later, Vinny.”

“What was that about?” Vinny was left utterly confused, unable to understand what Aesphyra was thinking. She had just asked him to take a walk with her, then dropped a cryptic line and left.

The thought process of the chosen heroine was too erratic. Vinny felt he couldn’t keep up with Aesphyra’s speed of thought.

Forget it, he didn’t have the time to listen to Aesphyra’s nonsense and overanalyze it. He still had work to do.

With the pet collar in hand, Vinny returned to the student council.

“Vinny, are you planning to decorate the goddess statue and the cross with this?” The senior was shocked when she saw what Vinny was holding, unsure whether to praise his sense of humor.

“Senior, I had no choice. The decorative rings were sold out. I went to several stores, and they were all out of stock. I had to buy this as a substitute.”

“Even if you couldn’t find a substitute, you couldn’t have picked this, could you?” The senior was speechless. “Thankfully, no students with church connections saw you. If they saw you putting this on the goddess statue, you’d be done for in human nations.”

“I don’t see the problem. With some decoration, no one will notice.” Vinny shrugged.

“...At least she’s your ancestor. Honestly, I think even a random person on the street would show more respect to the goddess than you.”

“Alright, go back. Don’t get involved in this anymore. I’ll figure out the decorative rings.”

“Then, will this thing be reimbursed?” Vinny pointed to the pet collar in his hand.

“You still have the nerve to ask that?” The senior was both amused and exasperated. “Vinny, do you have a natural talent for stirring up trouble? No matter where we assign you, you always manage to pull off some stunt.”

“Uh, senior, I’m not trying to cause trouble. I genuinely want to help.” Vinny scratched his head.

“Thanks, but the best help you can give is not helping at all. Now, go do whatever you need to do. Oh, and the president wants to see you in her office after you’re done.” The senior just wanted to get rid of this troublemaker as soon as possible.

“By the way, throw away that pet collar before you go, got it?”

“Alright, I’ll go now.” Vinny nodded, still feeling a bit heartbroken.

Sigh, the pet collar won’t be reimbursed? So he bought it for nothing?

It was essentially bought with his own money. Throwing it away would be like throwing his own money away.

But he really had no use for it.

Thinking this, Vinny couldn’t bear to throw it away and took it with him to the president’s office to see Mirexia.

“Mirexia, I’ve finished my work. You wanted to see me?”

“Yes, Vinny, there’s news about that matter. The note we left got a response from the mole. He said...” Mirexia, who was working at her desk, paused mid-sentence.

She saw what Vinny was holding, and when she realized what it was, her cheeks inexplicably turned red.

‘Virtue +100.’

‘Current Virtue: 9304.’

“Vinny, what are you holding?”

“Huh? Oh, a pet collar. What’s the problem?” Vinny didn’t quite understand Mirexia’s reaction, nor why seeing this item would cause such a strong emotional response, even increasing her Virtue by 100. But he answered anyway.

What’s the big deal? It’s just a pet collar he bought by mistake. Why such a reaction?

“No, so why are you bringing this here...” Mirexia slightly averted her gaze.

“Oh, it’s a long story. I was assigned to buy items for the Holy Healing Festival, but when I went to buy decorative rings, the shopkeeper said they were sold out. Several stores were like that. So I thought of finding a substitute, but when I brought it back, our group leader said it couldn’t be used and wouldn’t even reimburse me.” Vinny pouted.

“So the money was wasted.”

“Oh, I see.” For some reason, a hint of embarrassment flashed in Mirexia’s eyes.

“Yeah, pretty unlucky, right? Buying something completely useless, and I have to pay for it myself. I can’t bear to throw it away.” Vinny didn’t notice Mirexia’s reaction and continued to complain.

“So, Vinny, you have no use for this, right?”

“Right, I don’t have any pets or mounts, so it’s useless to me.” He didn’t have a dog at home, and he couldn’t give it to Shikondell, could he?

“In that case, why not leave it here in the student council?” Mirexia suggested.

“Sure, that works.” Vinny didn’t think much of it. He also felt the item was completely useless. It wasn’t like he could travel all the way to the demon realm to give it to Julliana to gain some Virtue. It was better to donate it to the student council.

“I’ll hand it over to the person in charge of the storage room later.”

“No need, you can just leave it with me.” Mirexia said seriously.

“Uh, won’t that trouble you?” Vinny didn’t understand why Mirexia would go out of her way to handle it herself.

“It’s fine. It’s the same no matter where it’s kept.” Mirexia said nonchalantly.

“Alright then.”