Vol 2. Chapter 40: Divergence

“No, that girl isn’t an enrolled student. I can say with certainty, whether among the current freshmen or the upperclassmen, there’s no student with such appearance traits.” Mirexia spoke up.

The moment those words left her lips, all the attending deans fell into silence.

Though they generally shared faith in the Goddess of Radiance, the notion of the Goddess manifesting herself was... hard for them to believe.

Think about it—if the Goddess could truly manifest, weren’t there countless critical moments in history when she should have done so? Too many questions would arise.

Why didn’t the Goddess manifest when the ancient empire perished? Why didn’t she show herself when the Demon Race invaded the southern continent? Why didn’t she intervene during the raids of the Demon God Pillar cultists? Why didn’t she descend during the chaos of the Demon God Pillar’s arrival, when Tyrelis Continent was plunged into turmoil??

Looking at the history of Tyrelis, there had been far more perilous moments than this. Why didn’t the Goddess manifest then? And now, suddenly, she would manifest at this time? Are they really expected to believe the Goddess simply turned a blind eye to all that suffering??

The students were too young, too naive, lacking experience—so believing in the manifestation of the Goddess was understandable for them. But these seasoned educators, with their breadth of experience, weren’t so easily swayed. It sounded far too fantastical.

“Dean Warton, how’s the situation? Do you believe this rumor holds water?” The elder in a black formal suit, leaning on a black cane, didn’t rush to draw conclusions. Instead, he turned to the dean specialized in detection, Warton, seeking his view.

“Vice Principal, from my current observations, the authenticity of the rumor, as well as how much of it is factually valid, remains to be determined.” Yet, contrary to everyone’s expectations, Warton—whose detection abilities were beyond question—gave an ambiguous response.

Ambiguous—but sometimes, ambiguity contains an answer of its own.

If it were just another baseless rumor like usual, Warton would’ve outright denied it, providing clear and direct clarification.

“That girl is wearing a pure white ceremonial short dress adorned with silver crosses and golden holy patterns. She possesses a pair of flawless, immaculate angelic wings. Her outward appearance matches cherry blossom-pink hair and rose-pink eyes. Currently, she’s confronting the blood-red altar floating in the sky.” There was one more thing Warton didn’t mention—despite that slender pink silhouette appearing so small, the scene radiated overwhelming tension. The immaculate holy light radiating from the angelic girl’s wings seemed to form a barrier, cleaving through the suffocating, despair-laden darkness. The surrounding aura appeared capable of contending with the blood-red altar.

Controversial as it might be, Warton honestly wanted to say—in this vast abyss of darkness, the solitary bloom of light really did give off the feeling of a Goddess descending to save humanity. If he were just a student, perhaps... even he would’ve believed this rumor.

In a moment when humanity was plunged into despair, there was nothing more invigorating than such a sight.

“Can her identity be confirmed?” The elder pondered aloud.

“That... for now, I fear not.” Warton shook his head. “Just as President Mirexia said, among the Academy’s enrolled students, there is no such girl. And indeed, several combat instructors witnessed that the girl flew over from the direction of Saintess Selina Cathedral.”

Truthfully, Warton himself was deeply curious—what on earth was happening, and who that girl truly was.

At that moment, all the deans present fell into silence once more, many unable to suppress the thought creeping into their minds—

Could it really... be the Goddess manifested??

Everyone knew how precise Warton’s detection abilities were—he simply couldn’t have made a mistake. If someone had deliberately used disguises or consumed something like a magical disguise potion, Warton would’ve detected it instantly. So, it was impossible that her appearance was artificially altered.

“Are there any students from the Fasylis bloodline enrolled this year?” The Vice Principal finally voiced the unspoken question everyone was thinking.

“There is—but that student from the Fasylis line is a confirmed ‘Dead Vein,’ and, what’s more, undeniably a boy. You’ve probably heard the name already—Vinny Varelis.” Mirexia immediately stepped in, answering seriously and providing cover for Vinny. “Earlier, while I was inspecting which areas of the Academy hadn’t reached the shelters, I happened to run into him. I’ve already arranged for him to be sent into the shelter.”

“No other members of the Fasylis line besides him?” asked one of the deans, seemingly unfamiliar with the Fasylis family situation.

“None,” Mirexia shook her head firmly. “He’s the only direct descendant of the Fasylis family alive today. Their line has always been passed down singularly—he’s the last one left.”

“Could there be... distant relatives?” another dean speculated.

“Impossible.” The Vice Principal dismissed that guess outright. “The Fasylis family may be a ‘Sage Lineage,’ but they’ve never had flourishing branches. Their line passes down singularly—it’s no secret.”

The suffering of powerful bloodlines lies precisely in their low fertility. The stronger the bloodline, the more common this is. For ‘Sage Lineages,’ singular inheritance is hardly rare—but Fasylis stands out the most.

“So, Mirexia, are you saying... you believe this is the Goddess of Radiance herself?” The Vice Principal, leaning on his cane, asked in a calm tone, the single-lens glasses on his face reflecting an unreadable glint.

“I believe... as long as there remains even the faintest shred of hope, we must not abandon our compatriots.” Mirexia did not answer directly.

“But we cannot stake everything on such an illusory, ungrounded possibility. That may be hope—or it may be nothing but a mirage of hope. If it’s the latter, then we’re gambling the fate of the entire continent.” The Vice Principal clearly disapproved of Mirexia’s risky stance.

“Mirexia, you’ve always been cautious. I don’t know whether your decision now is impulsive or rooted in something deeper—but forgive my bluntness. Whether you stand from the Academy’s perspective or that of Camella Kingdom, there should be no hesitation in such matters.” The Vice Principal lowered his gaze slightly, concealing his expression.

“But...”

“No ‘buts,’ Mirexia.” His voice sank, firm and oppressive. “The situation unfolded too fast—there’s no time for reinforcements. It’s no exaggeration to say—our decisions now determine the life or death of Tyrelis civilization. They’re my students, too. If there were any other way, we wouldn’t be doing this. I’ll investigate thoroughly afterward—whoever’s negligence caused this will bear full responsibility. Even if that person... is me.”

The Vice Principal’s deep voice carried decisive weight, completely suppressing Mirexia’s protests.

As the true helm of Carillian Academy, seasoned by countless trials—his presence was something Mirexia, still young, could not compare to.

“There’s no time. Activate the Amplification Array.” With that, the Vice Principal stood and walked toward the center of the magical array.

Mirexia wanted to say more—but no one was listening.

Among these high-ranking academy figures, her authority was negligible. Besides, most instructors agreed—this was too dangerous. Carrying the entire Tyrelis continent’s burden—who among them dared shoulder such responsibility?

“Wait, everyone—I believe we should investigate further.” Morinket the Boneless suddenly spoke.

“Morinket, it doesn’t matter if that girl is the Goddess incarnate—we have to take the safest measure.”

“But what about the students—those controlled by the Demon God Pillar cultists, infected due to our negligence? Are we abandoning them?” Morinket’s expression sharpened.

“Can we wash our hands of responsibility?”

“Vice Principal—something’s happened!” Warton’s expression suddenly darkened mid-debate.

“What is it, Dean Warton?” The Vice Principal’s voice turned heavy.

“The students—the ones in the shelters, and those who volunteered to defend the Academy—they’ve gathered near the blood-red altar! If we activate the Amplification Array and unleash a super-tier spell now... we’ll harm them!”

“What?!” The Vice Principal’s face tensed. “Weren’t the students instructed to stay clear of the altar? To take refuge in the shelters—and if not, the instructors were to watch over them?!”

“Do they not understand the danger?”

“That’s all true—but apparently, this... was organized by the students themselves.” Warton communicated with the combat instructors via his detection soul and came to that conclusion.

“Organized themselves? Explain.”

“It appears... someone leaked that the academy leadership planned to destroy the altar’s foundation with the Amplification Array. The students objected—so they rallied, gathering in front of the altar!” Even Warton was bewildered now—unsure who had leaked the information.

“Who leaked it?”

“...There’s no time to dwell on that. We need solutions.” The Vice Principal frowned.

“Everyone, I’ll broadcast the scene.” Warton sighed, waving his hands to conjure a crystalline screen before them.

“Bombard the altar? Now?? Are you insane? What about Her Holiness the Goddess?! What about the students trapped inside?! This is utterly irresponsible!”

“Exactly! My childhood friend is inside—if you won’t save them, are you going to kill them?! We should be fighting the Demon God Pillar cultists, not our own!”

“What kind of decision is this? So sudden?! Have you even tried other solutions? Why jump straight to such extremes?!”

“You want to amplify a super-tier spell and bombard the altar? Are you trying to kill the Goddess? Look up—that’s Her Holiness!”

“Exactly! You say there’s no hope—but the Goddess has manifested! There IS hope!”

“Goddess of Radiance above! Save us, save your loyal followers!”

“You point your cannons at the Goddess? You’ll have to kill us first—we won’t let you near her!”

“We won’t let you obstruct the Goddess!” At the forefront, a red-haired girl from the Church background was especially agitated, refusing to leave the altar no matter what.

Even as the combat instructors explained the risks, the students only grew more hostile.

“Teacher, we reject your reasoning! That’s the Goddess incarnate—we saw it with our own eyes! Do you not trust the Goddess?!”

“Exactly! The Goddess wouldn’t abandon our classmates like you would—she’ll bring them back safe, with our faith intact!”

The instructors tried to explain—the transformation into Demon God Pillar familiars was irreversible, like time itself—yet the students had their own answer.

“Teacher, do you believe in miracles? This is a miracle!” The Church-background students pointed skyward, eyes feverish.

“Praise the Goddess!”

“There’s nothing the Goddess cannot do! She saved me earlier—Her Holiness lightly waved her hand, summoned holy fire, blew gently—and the cultists turned to ash!” Fenny declared with certainty. “I saw it with my own eyes! Ask the students I protected—why else would I, a dead girl, still be alive?!”

“Exactly! You doubt the Goddess and aim your cannons at her? You heretics!”

“Shut the screen off.” Watching the zealous Church students, the Vice Principal couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“Have the combat instructors forcibly drag them back—then we activate the Array.”

“Understood.” Warton complied.

“Vice Principal...” Mirexia tried again, but the old man cut her off.

“Mirexia, the situation’s critical—return to the shelter. It won’t be safe here soon.”

“...” Seeing him so resolute, clearly unwilling to listen further, Mirexia could only lower her gaze, silent.

“Goddess... Goddess...” Meanwhile, at the blood-red altar, as Vanessa confronted the abyss of endless night with her radiant glow—nearly all students saw it.

Waves of support rang out—from every grade.

“Is that... the Goddess of Radiance?” Inside the shelter, Shikondell stared dazed at the radiant pink figure aloft.

It was her first time witnessing the Goddess manifest—just like everyone else.

And yet...

Was it her imagination? That girl... seemed strangely familiar.

Milian beside her... shared the same strange feeling.

As for those students who’d seen Vanessa at the maid café—the vast difference in aura and attire meant... they had no memory of meeting her before.