Chapter 161
“Is it okay now, nya?”
“Hoo—barely. Just in time.”
Selina’s eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
She looked at Luna, who was sitting tensely nearby. Then Selina suddenly sprang up from the bed and walked toward the door.
A deep silence filled the room.
After standing there with her eyes closed for quite a while, Selina’s body suddenly trembled.
“It worked! I can’t hear anything anymore!”
“That’s great, nya! You passed stage one—what a relief, nya!”
Luna circled around Selina excitedly, cheering.
The reason they were both so happy was simple: Selina had finally learned how to control her Awakened Eye.
Until now, her Awakened Eye had been forcibly opened, causing her to hear the inner thoughts of everyone who entered a certain range around her.
Because of that, if more than ten people were nearby, her head would throb as if it were about to split, making it impossible for her to even leave her room.
With Luna’s help, she had finally managed to close her Awakened Eye after three days.
She had been suffering from aftereffects until recently and hadn’t even noticed how time passed. Now that she thought about it, ten days had already gone by since the day she was appointed as an Apostle.
She felt uneasy about the classes and club work she had missed, but solving the biggest problem made her feel much lighter.
“Still, you can’t control it perfectly yet, nya. If you use the ability again, it won’t close so easily. Be careful, nya.”
“Well, whose fault do you think I ended up like this? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have suffered at all.”
Luna’s ears and tail drooped sadly. Seeing that, Selina quickly suppressed the twitching at the corners of her lips.
At first, she had felt a lot of resentment and anger toward Luna. But after spending so much time together, those feelings had faded considerably.
‘Honestly… it’s kind of fun.’
Watching a god who was always so arrogant panic and apologize over a single word from her gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.
“I guess I can finally go back to class. I miss everyone.”
Deciding to stop teasing Luna for now, Selina stretched her stiff body and turned her gaze toward the desk.
On it were the gifts her friends had sent her over the past several days. Since they couldn’t enter her room, they had sent them through Primen or other priests.
“Oh right. Uncle Bigster said he made me a new magic tool.”
Selina began opening the gifts one by one, searching for it. Unfortunately, it was buried at the very bottom, so she only found it after opening most of the presents.
“It doesn’t look that different from before.”
It was still a necklace with a red gem, but the design was more elaborate than before, and the earrings that used to be part of the set were gone.
When she checked the note attached to the box, it said that the earrings had been removed to improve durability.
“…Will it really work?”
Selina muttered as she brushed her silver hair back.
This silver hair was a kind of mark proving she was an Apostle—a change brought about by divine power. She wasn’t sure whether a magic tool could suppress it.
“Try putting it on, nya. I think it’ll work, nya,” Luna said.
That made her curious. Selina put on the necklace, half doubtful.
The gem began to glow, and her hair gradually turned red. When she looked in the mirror, she finally saw her familiar reflection again.
“It works?”
“Hair color doesn’t mean much, nya. It’s just a sign to show you’re an Apostle, nya. Stella’s hair is red too, isn’t it, nya?”
Selina, who had been smiling happily, suddenly froze and glared at Luna.
“Then why did you make my hair like that in the first place?”
“So everyone would recognize you as an Apostle, nya.”
“You changed my hair for that reason? Who cares what people think!”
“It matters, nya! An Apostle appearing after 500 years is a huge deal, nya! If someone suddenly claimed to be an Apostle, who would believe it right away, nya?”
“…Well, that’s true.”
As Selina nodded, she realized she was being led along by his words and narrowed her eyes sharply.
“Seriously, I can’t let my guard down around you.”
“…You really don’t plan on becoming the protagonist, nya?”
“If I collapse one more time, will you stop saying that?”
Seeing Selina’s sharp gaze, Luna quietly retreated without asking further questions.
By now, even he had half given up on Selina returning to the “right path.” Still, lingering regret made him bring it up from time to time.
Creak—
“Dad!”
As Primen entered, Selina greeted him brightly. He walked in with a smile but paused when he noticed her hair.
“You’re wearing the magic tool.”
“Yes. Thankfully, it works. And I can finally control my ability now!”
“Really? That’s a relief. So… you can’t hear my inner thoughts right now?”
“Of course not. Why? What were you thinking?”
“Obviously, that my daughter is the prettiest in the world.”
“Oh, come on. You’re lying.”
“I’m not. Too bad I can’t prove it.”
As Primen joked, Selina looked at him with narrowed eyes.
“Then who’s prettier—me or Mom?”
Primarily flustered, Primen broke into a sweat.
“Well… our daughter is pretty, and Stella is beautiful.”
“Hm, that was a smooth escape.”
Realizing it was a joke, Primen let out a relieved sigh.
“Anyway, since you’re no longer sick and can control your ability, I’m planning to attend classes starting tomorrow.”
Primen, who had been smiling gently, stiffened and turned to her.
“Wouldn’t it be better to rest a little longer?”
“I’ve already missed over ten days. I need to start attending classes to catch up. Finals are coming up soon too.”
“Is studying really that important? It’s fine even if your grades drop. Don’t worry about it so much.”
It was a tempting suggestion, and she almost gave in, but Selina quickly regained her composure.
“Ahem—not just that. I’m basically the core of the club, you know. Things probably didn’t run well while I was gone. And I miss my friends.”
Primen still frowned. Selina walked up to him and gently patted his shoulder.
“I’m not even going outside—just staying within the academy. No one will approach me anyway, so what’s there to worry about?”
“Haa… fine. If you want it that badly, I won’t stop you. But I’ll assign two priests to stay with you at all times. You must act together with them. Understood?”
“That’s a bit much—ah, fine. I’ll do it.”
Unable to withstand Primen’s intense gaze, Selina raised both hands in surrender.
“Then you should go back to the temple and work too, Dad. Father Baon said your workload piled up a lot while you were taking care of me.”
“Baon, that brat…”
“Well, he’s not wrong. And now it’s time for you to step in.”
Hearing the weight behind her words, Primen’s expression turned serious.
“They’re still pressuring you, aren’t they?”
“Yes. Some priests have even been bribed—support for Hailers keeps growing. I sometimes wonder if they’re truly priests like me.”
Primen clicked his tongue, thinking of the priests who had sided with Marquis Hailers.
Since Selina hadn’t been able to leave her room, the Hailers family had been visiting the Moon Temple daily, demanding to see her.
For now, many priests still supported Primen—those who wanted to protect the Apostle—so Hailers hadn’t gotten his way.
“I heard he’s even staying in the capital, hoping for nothing more than a chance to meet you.”
Selina shuddered in disgust. Primen patted her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything myself. You just stay here and live comfortably.”
“Yes.”
With a gentle smile, Primen chatted with Selina like usual. To anyone watching, they looked like a perfectly normal father and daughter.
“Another refreshing-not-at-all morning. I know you’re tired, but pull yourselves together and prepare for the exams—there isn’t much time left.”
Calix’s cynical morning address began. Most students laughed at his dry humor, but Theodore’s group looked noticeably gloomy.
“Alright, attendance. Sylvia.”
“Yes.”
“Hector.”
“Yes.”
The roll call continued—except for Selina’s name. Sylvia glanced at the empty seat beside her and sighed deeply.
“Haah… when is Selina coming back?”
[You worried about the kid?]
“Of course I am! The priests said she’s all better now, so why can’t she come?”
Resting her chin in her hand, Sylvia scanned the room. Sylvester in the front row, and Theodore and Chris seated diagonally across, all looked equally troubled.
‘It’s not just them.’
Every club member had grown more depressed with each passing day as they waited for Selina.
“Alright, everyone’s here. Now for today’s announcements—”
Just as Calix was about to finish, murmurs erupted among the students seated by the hallway windows.
All eyes turned toward the corridor. At that moment, Theodore suddenly jumped to his feet.
Slide—
“I’m sorry I’m late, Professor!”
Panting as she opened the door—it was Selina.
The entire Class 1 buzzed at her sudden appearance.
Calix looked briefly surprised but quickly regained his composure, fixing Selina with his usual cynical stare.
“Why are you coming in now?”
“I’m sorry. I mixed up the time. Morning assembly isn’t over yet, right?”
“No. Looks like you’ve gotten lazy after resting so much.”
It wasn’t sarcasm—just Calix’s brand of humor. Knowing that, Selina grinned.
“Well, I did get plenty of rest.”
“I’ll let it slide just this once. Go sit down.”
Calix gestured her inside with a smirk.
As Selina moved, students’ gazes followed her. Though it could have been overwhelming, she only smiled at her friends—and at Theodore.
She greeted the three men with a bright smile and didn’t forget to briefly squeeze Theodore’s hand before sitting down.
Once Selina was seated, Calix called out to Theodore.
“I know you’re happy, but how about sitting down now?”
“…Yes. Sorry.”
As Theodore sat, he glanced back at Selina, who was organizing her bag.
“You look completely better! But what happened to your hair? I thought it had turned silver.”
“As long as I’m healthy, that’s what matters.”
Chris stopped his excited chatter and looked at Theodore. Theodore had his hands tightly clasped, clearly relieved.
Watching someone you love teeter between life and death—when all you can do is pray—must have been unbearable.
“Selina. Welcome back.”
Sylvester turned around to speak to her.
“Yeah. You’ve been doing well, right?”
“Of course!”
“Brother… are you crying?”
Sylvia noticed a faint glimmer of moisture at the corner of Sylvester’s eye.
“W-Who’s crying?!”
Sylvester rubbed his eyes, insisting it was just her imagination. Sylvia giggled at the sight.
After laughing for a while, she met Selina’s eyes and smiled warmly.
“I’m really glad you’re better, Selina.”
Selina froze for a moment, her expression stiffening. But soon, she smiled again, thinking of her family.
“You have no idea how worried everyone was. The atmosphere was so gloomy without you. Everyone will be happy to see you today.”
“Everyone was worried?”
“Yeah. Even Nox kept asking about you.”
Sylvia grabbed Nox’s foot and made a worried gesture. When Selina met Nox’s eyes, she smiled—and then chilled her gaze.
“Oh… he was asking about me?”
Selina leaned in close to Nox’s face. He flinched.
“As you can see, I’m perfectly healthy. So healthy that ‘you’ don’t need to worry.”
Noticing the change in Selina’s aura, Nox narrowed his eyes—then glanced at Luna beside her. Luna’s gaze was just as sharp.
Nox realized it instantly.
Selina knew everything.
