Vol 2. Chapter 52: Balancing Work and Rest

Mirexia carried Vanessa in her arms and brought her back to her dormitory.

“Phew, I can finally breathe easy.” Once they entered Mirexia’s villa, Vanessa slipped off her cloak, pulled her long hair free from where it had been bound beneath it, and exhaled a sigh of relief.

The moment she stepped inside Mirexia’s home, that familiar scent of citrus—so deeply comforting to her—filled her senses, instantly easing the tension that had been gripping her heart.

“Do you have my slippers, Mirexia~?” Vanessa gracefully slipped off her long high-heeled boots, her soft, alluring voice laced with a hint of teasing ambiguity.

“Of course I do.” Mirexia’s ears tingled from the sound, though her face remained °• N o v e l i g h t •° composed. She opened the shoe cabinet by the entrance and pulled out a pair of slippers for Vanessa. But they weren’t the same ones Vanessa had worn the last time she visited.

“I washed the pair you wore last time,” Mirexia explained.

“It’s fine, it’s fine~ These golden retriever ones are super cute too.” Vanessa slipped her feet into the golden retriever-themed slippers Mirexia handed her, her voice carrying a playful tease. “Just as cute as you, Mirexia.”

“Mm...” Mirexia’s eyes drifted to the golden retriever slippers now beneath Vanessa’s white silk-clad, jade-like feet.

The little golden retrievers on those slippers... were they supposed to resemble her?

That thought flashed through Mirexia’s mind, and her cheeks flushed faintly pink as she recalled certain similar incidents from the past.

Virtue +30.

Current Virtue: 6,184.

As expected, no matter how much Aesphyra could tease and farm Virtue Points, Mirexia remained an unshakable mountain she couldn’t surpass—the undisputed queen of racking up Virtue.

On the second floor, inside the study, Mirexia retrieved a magic device resembling a dull stone. It emitted a slightly murky glow that scanned Vanessa from head to toe.

“All clear. You’ve got no magical traces or enchanted items planted on you,” Mirexia confirmed seriously after carefully observing the uniform, murky light for any irregularities.

“Yeah? Good.” Vanessa visibly relaxed. Though she doubted Aesphyra would pull something like that, it never hurt to be cautious.

After confirming that Aesphyra hadn’t left any tracking spells or similar tricks on her, Vanessa finally let down her guard completely. Upon entering the villa, she had already shed her cloak. She glanced down at her attire—even though Armor Fortress had been restored by Selina, that didn’t mean the stains on her body had magically vanished too. Given the chance to properly bathe, she wasn’t about to pass it up.

“Mirexia, are you planning to use the bathroom now?” Vanessa stretched her slender arms and asked casually.

“No, go ahead and use it.” Mirexia shook her head.

“Eh, but you must be exhausted too, right? You fought quite a bit today—bet you’re dirty too.” Vanessa tilted her head as she asked.

“I’m not in a rush. Besides, I still need to head back soon to handle the aftermath,” Mirexia replied.

She’d spent the whole time searching for Vanessa, trying to confirm her condition. Now that she knew Vanessa was safe, she had to get back to work.

“I see. But you know... if you’re in a hurry, we could always shower together~” Vanessa cast Mirexia a sultry, teasing glance.

“......” Mirexia suddenly averted her gaze, her peach-colored cheeks blooming with a faint blush.

Virtue +70.

Current Virtue: 6,254.

Tsk, her dear childhood friend always knew how to spoil her. A few teasing words, a playful joke, and Mirexia would practically hand over Virtue Points herself.

That was the good thing about people like Mirexia and Shikondell—reserved and shy when it came to emotions. They wouldn’t take her jokes seriously, and even if they did, they wouldn’t dare act on them. So she could tease all she wanted and rake in Virtue. With Aesphyra, though? Yeah, no way she’d risk saying that—Aesphyra would absolutely take the bait and drag her straight into trouble.

“But Mirexia, don’t forget what we learned that day, okay?”

“Hm?”

“Balancing work and rest improves efficiency~ Why not take a nap and head back later? I’ll go with you, how about that~?” Vanessa’s meaning was obvious—it didn’t need to be spelled out.

“It’s been quite a while since then. I have to oversee operations personally,” Mirexia shook her head.

Vanessa didn’t press the point. Instead, she tiptoed closer to Mirexia, lightly poking her cheek with slender, delicate fingers.

The soft, warm sensation of the girl's fingertips made Mirexia’s heart tighten faintly.

Virtue +50.

Current Virtue: 6,304.

“Really now, look at you~ You’re practically getting dark circles from exhaustion, still trying to play tough. With the instructors and higher-ups around, it’s more than enough. This whole mess started from mistakes in preparation, then they dumped the aftermath on the students—doesn’t that make it look like the faculty didn’t lift a finger?” Vanessa smiled playfully. “That’s not good, you know~ Everyone should get to feel involved, right?”

“Mirexia, get a proper rest tonight. Sleep ‘til morning, then go back.” As she spoke, Vanessa stood on tiptoe and gently pressed Mirexia down onto the sofa by her shoulders.

“If you keep pushing your body too hard, not taking care of yourself... I’ll get mad, okay?”

“...Fine.” Under Vanessa’s mixed approach of softness and firmness, Mirexia finally relented with a sigh.

Afterward, the two took turns showering, then slept straight through to dawn.

The Next Morning

Roar roar roar! That’s right, kids—the Young Master is back!

After waking up, straightening the bed, and whipping up breakfast using Vanessa’s cooking skills, Vanessa clasped her hands together and reverted to Vinny’s form—back in his male student uniform from over a day ago, hairstyle perfectly intact.

Vinny ran a hand through his hair, inhaling deeply.

Mm, the sweet, citrusy aroma filled the room—the kind of scent that conjured the image of Mirexia’s dazzling golden twin-tails as vividly as a vision.

“Mirexia, morning.” Spotting the neatly dressed, golden-haired girl descending the stairs, Vinny waved in greeting.

Huh, maybe it was lingering effects from the body swap, but now that he’d shifted back to his male form, even though it wasn’t his first visit, being in Mirexia’s dorm still made his heart race a little.

He glanced at Mirexia’s complexion—looked great. Seemed like she got excellent sleep last night.

“Mm... you changed back to Vinny?” Mirexia examined the blue-haired young man before her.

The change was drastic. Back then, Vinny’s face had been covered in freckles and acne—honestly hard to look at.

Now, his skin was flawless, his features impossibly handsome. Even Mirexia, who was naturally beautiful herself, couldn’t help but marvel.

“Yeah, it was time. Can’t afford extra complications with everything happening at the Academy,” Vinny scratched his head.

“Did Vanessa... cook this?” Mirexia’s eyes landed on the lavish, fragrant breakfast, then she caught herself and corrected, “I mean... the ‘you’ in your female form?”

“Yup. Figured since I was switching back, might as well maximize efficiency with one last meal,” Vinny shrugged.

After breakfast, they headed out for the Student Council together.

Sure enough, by the time they arrived, the place was absolute chaos.

“Vinny! Thank the heavens you finally showed your face! Fill this return form—your roommate’s been pestering us nonstop all day!” The moment Vinny stepped inside, a familiar voice barked at him.

An upperclasswoman shoved a form into his hands, noticing Mirexia beside him and quickly straightening up with a salute.

“President Mirexia, you’re here as well.”

“Return form?” Vinny tilted his head, examining the paper.

“Uh, pretty sure I’m already enrolled and part of the Student Council, no?” Vinny questioned.

“Obviously! But what, you think I’m handing out disaster aftermath forms to random bystanders?” Even with Mirexia present, the upperclasswoman rolled her eyes. “Vanished all night without a word—your roommate was frantic, practically begged us to notify the instructors. They’re still out searching for you.”

“Uh... yeah, sorry about that. Ran into... unavoidable circumstances. Mirexia can vouch,” Vinny gestured toward her.

“President Mirexia... is that true?” The upperclasswoman turned to Mirexia.

“Mm. Vinny was with me the whole time. We ran into... complications, which delayed him,” Mirexia calmly corroborated.

“Then Vinny, jot down a brief account of your absence on the form,” the upperclasswoman sighed, helpless now that even the Student Council President backed him.

Whatever—at least he was alive. With how this guy always stirred up nonsense, the fact he hadn’t gone missing entirely was already a miracle.

“By the way... you didn’t get hurt, did you?” Vinny asked.

“Oh? You’re suddenly worried about me?” She snorted. “Worry about yourself, Vinny.”

Her tone was harsh, but it was concern in disguise. Seeing her safe, Vinny was relieved.

He couldn’t stand it when people close to him got hurt.

“Speaking of, did Dael come asking about me?”

“You mean your elf roommate who looks suspiciously like a girl? He reported you missing—who else?”

“Ohh, figures.”

Vinny scribbled a few vague details onto the form and handed it back.

The reason for his absence? He could invent whatever—once Vanessa appeared, no one had seen him anyway. His whereabouts were entirely up to his narrative, especially with Mirexia covering for him.

Afterward, Vinny accompanied Mirexia to the President’s office to help tackle the mountain of paperwork from the night before.

“Oh right, Mirexia, how’s public opinion now?” Vinny asked, watching her smoothly dive into work.

“Public opinion? Those with Church connections unanimously claim it was the Goddess herself descending in divine revelation. Of course, some believe it wasn’t the Goddess of Radiance, but Saintess Selina,” Mirexia summarized the reports she’d compiled, knowing exactly what Vinny cared about.

“Any other theories floating around?” Vinny pressed.

“There were... at first. But oddly enough, now only those two narratives remain. I assume it’s due to the Church students spreading them intentionally.” Mirexia’s expression darkened slightly.

It was strange. At first, speculation was all over the place, but now... everything had conveniently unified, as if by some unspoken consensus.

Not entirely surprising, though. In times of crisis, people naturally gravitated toward framing miracles as divine intervention—the Goddess descending to save them from the Demon God Pillar was comforting, expected even.

“I see.” Vinny frowned. Based on his calculations, he thought he’d be exposed by now.

Who knew rumors could actually shield him for once? Granted, most of the rumors were... technically true. The Saintess did manifest.

Still... something felt off.

Vinny sensed something amiss, his mind spiraled with suspicion, but no conclusion came.

Screw it—he shelved the thoughts. As long as the outcome worked in his favor, who cared?

Besides, mixing mostly truth with subtle falsehoods was the hardest thing to expose. Miraculous events weren’t supposed to happen... but they did.

Who could explain that? Not even the Pope of Radiance could decipher why a six-winged angel appeared when the Demon God Pillar attacked. And no one would dare suspect "another descendant of Fasylis" was the reason.

“Vinny, the power you used against the Demon God Pillar... was that your own?” Mirexia asked suddenly.

“Of course not,” Vinny shrugged. “If I was that strong, I’d skip school entirely—no need to endure all this nonsense.”

“Then... what was it?”

“Well, the rumors aren’t exactly wrong. Saintess Selina really did manifest... she possessed me.”

“The real Saintess?!” Mirexia’s eyes widened.

“Yep.” Vinny trusted Mirexia completely, so he recounted everything in full detail.

“The Saintess... actually descended?!” Even having anticipated the possibility, Mirexia was utterly dumbfounded hearing the truth confirmed.