My Past Life is Riddled With Many Sins - Chapter 106
‘That’s quite strict.’
Regina scratched her chin. With the priests on standby, there shouldn’t be any major issues, but they were more resolute than she had anticipated.
Students from teams 2, 7, and 12 managed to successfully hunt the man-eating trees, helping each other escape from tight spots. Injured students received treatment from the priests.
Watching this, Regina was suddenly struck by a thought.
‘If I get hurt, will divine power heal me?’
Not just during purification rituals, but perhaps divine power itself might not work… Then she remembered how Valen had pierced his own ear and healed it using divine power. Thankfully, aside from purification, it seemed she wasn’t so different from others.
“Next, teams 17, 22, and 27.”
She stepped forward with a slightly lighter heart after getting called.
After facing the man-eating trees, they had time to battle quadrupedal and bipedal monsters.
“Tomorrow, you will hunt flying monsters, aquatic monsters, and amphibious monsters.”
The professor announced after all teams had completed their practicals. Regina was genuinely impressed by the effort to expose them to such a variety of creatures, but the overall state of the students was far from good.
Some were shocked by their first kill, while others were fidgeting with excitement. Some had their physical injuries healed by divine power, yet had mental scars. Others were frozen in fear, murmuring to themselves, or trembling…
A few seemed likely to withdraw from swordsmanship or magic classes once this endurance training ended, as these weren’t mandatory for graduation.
As she rested with her teammates near the trees, a shadow passed overhead. Looking up, she froze at the sight of the priest’s robes.
He slowly lowered himself and grasped her foot. She gasped, unable to even think about pulling away, frozen in place as he spoke.
“You’re hurt.”
“Ah… it’s fine, you can just leave it.”
It seemed her ankle had been scratched a bit. She hadn’t realized it herself, but now that he pointed it out, she felt a slight sting. More than that, though, she was worried about his hands getting dirty.
After hunting monsters with her teammates, her shoes were anything but clean. Her ankle might be muddy too. It was an unkempt sight that didn’t suit someone in a pristine white priest’s robe.
Yet he didn’t seem to care about getting his clothes dirty as he used his divine power, still holding her foot on his lap.
An unfamiliar energy wrapped around her ankle, and the sharp pain disappeared.
“Thank you, senior.”
Regina awkwardly expressed her gratitude, waiting for him to let go. She was afraid to move, worried she’d dirty his clothes even more. But he didn’t loosen his grip on her ankle. Stuck in a strange position, she could only gaze at him.
His eyes were the same color as the hair he had in his past life. Staring into those eyes made her feel powerless, as if her whole body were bound by chains, unable to move a finger…
“Junior, Senior Schmidt is looking for you.”
The sudden voice broke through her thoughts. It was Fathom. At the same moment, Valen’s grip on her ankle relaxed. She quickly pulled her foot away and stood up, feeling as if she could sense his gaze on her back.
“What does Senior Schmidt want with me…?”
As she followed, Fathom looked back at her with a questioning expression, as if to say he was serious.
“Didn’t you tell me not to leave you alone with your husband?”
It dawned on her that Fathom had been acting as her shield. Jonas Schmidt hadn’t come to find her; Fathom had intervened to rescue her from Valen. Realizing this, she saw Fathom in a new light.
She mentally awarded him a pardon. If he messed up later, she would forgive him once.
* * *
“From now on, each group will search for a campsite. Each group will be provided with one tent, so choose a location you believe is the safest, considering that there may be monsters present.”
True to the name of the endurance training, no comfortable sleeping arrangements were provided.
“After midnight, the professors, including myself, will be roaming around to check locations and score them. The top five groups will receive bonus points in their swordsmanship or magic classes, so make sure to give it your all. However, if any group causes a dispute over a good spot, they will automatically receive a score of zero. Keep that in mind.”
Professor Gunter’s words ignited the students’ competitive spirit. Regina, however, had no interest in the bonus points.
‘I’ll just find a decent spot and lie down.’
But when she looked at her teammates, she hesitated. Third-year Jonas Schmidt from the Muscle Morning club was vigorously pumping his arms to build muscle.
“We can’t miss those bonus points.”
“With bonus points… comes a scholarship.”
Even the usually reserved second-year Mia Weiss was beaming with excitement. Feeling the pressure, Regina took a step back, and Fathom, standing next to her, spoke up.
“I’ll put in my full effort to find the best campsite.”
What’s with him?
“I’ve been slacking in swordsmanship class, so my grades are hanging by a thread. I absolutely need those bonus points, so trust me and follow my lead!”
As Fathom shouted like a commander heading into battle, the other group members cheered, ‘Wow!’ Regina pinched the bridge of her nose.
Thanks to Fathom, who had once led the Gilagon Peninsula in his past life and was now on fire with determination, they managed to find a quite promising spot. The group members were thrilled at the prospect of making it into the top five and began deciding on the night watch order.
Regina and first-year Tobias Sefer were assigned as the first watch.