"How does it feel?"
After Amagiri Ayato left, Elise turned her attention back to lunch and brought the four people following her to a nice hotel.
Because the earlier commotion had drawn an even larger crowd, she simply booked a private room in the hotel so no outsiders would disturb them.
Inside the room, out of concern for her contracted companions, Elise began paying attention to the three little ones' condition.
Traveling between worlds naturally posed no problem for Elise and Est, but the other two were different.
This was definitely Ophis and Ren's first time traveling between worlds, right?
For them, this was their first time seeing another world.
"I'm fine."
"It's no different from the previous world. And there are... very few strong people."
Ophis answered quite casually.
She had originally lived in the Dimensional Gap, so she already knew there was more than one world.
To her, infinite space itself wasn't anything unusual. If anything, this world was considerably weaker.
After all, the High School DxD world still had Great Red, an existence close to her level, while Asterisk had no one like that.
In other words, Ophis was still one of the strongest beings in this world!
"Naturally, there won't be any problems when it comes to strength. All of us are among the strongest combatants in this world now. As long as we're careful, nothing should happen."
"What about daily life?"
Compared to whether they were strong enough, Elise cared more about whether they could adapt to this kind of modern society.
After all, the era of the High School DxD world happened to be just before the technological boom. Smartphones hadn't even become widespread yet.
Even Elise herself had needed quite a while to adapt when she first came to this world, much less everyone else.
However, Ophis's answer was somewhat unexpected.
"Mm. With Est and Ren beside me, it doesn't matter even if there are things I can't get used to."
After Ophis finished speaking, Elise immediately looked toward the other two. Est and Ren both nodded in agreement.
A high-tech world like Asterisk contained many novel things for them, which could bring plenty of fun.
But at the same time, it could also produce the loneliness of not belonging to this world, because everything around them was unfamiliar.
It was like a prisoner who had spent more than ten years behind bars and then returned to the outside world, only to discover they could no longer fit into society.
It was a feeling as though the world had abandoned you, leaving you inexplicably lonely. Elise absolutely didn't want them to experience that.
That was why Elise had always stayed by their side. Alone, they might still feel uneasy or afraid, but together, there wouldn't be much to worry about.
"Because we're companions. Companions are supposed to help each other."
"Don't forget, you still have to help me defeat Great Red!"
"Ah... right."
Since they had already left the High School DxD world, Elise had thought Ophis might have forgotten about that, but apparently she still remembered.
"That's right..."
Previously, because Ophis and the others had been brought directly to the Lord God Space by the Lord God loli, Elise hadn't gone looking for Great Red.
But since she had already made a promise, Elise naturally wouldn't go back on it.
"When we return to the High School DxD world someday, I'll help her deal with Great Red."
...
Time flew by.
Soon, the period for students to choose their academies had ended. Quite a few students managed to enter the schools they wanted, while many others roared unwillingly in frustration.
"Damn it! Why doesn't Queenvail allow boys to enroll?!"
"My dream is to become a world-class male celebrity! Queenvail is practically denying my dream!"
Naturally, the academy receiving the most attention was the only all-girls school among them.
Aside from the large number of beautiful girls gathered at the entrance, there were also plenty of boys pounding the ground and crying.
But there was no need to pay them any attention. No one cared about them.
Even the girls from Queenvail turned their heads away with disgust, afraid their eyes might be contaminated.
Presumably, this group had already forfeited their right to find girlfriends in Asterisk for the next several years.
During this period, Elise had also pulled Est, Ophis, and Ren into her own academy.
But this academy might not actually suit them...
"The entrance exam results are out, Elise."
Inside the student council president's office, Ernest smiled as he looked at Elise, holding the report cards of Est, Ophis, and Ren.
But Elise sat upright on the sofa, as tense as a parent waiting to hear their children's exam scores.
"How should I put this... Forget it. You should see for yourself."
After staring at the results for a long time, Ernest ultimately sighed and handed the three report cards to Elise.
Saint Galahadworth Academy's school rules were strict. Students weren't even allowed to fight privately, which was one of the reasons its relationship with Rewolf Black Institute was so poor.
If Rewolf Black Institute was an academy composed of delinquents, then Saint Galahadworth was an academy for nobles. It imposed extremely high standards on its students in every respect.
Whether in academics or combat, its requirements were demanding. Otherwise, it wouldn't have consistently ranked first among the academies year after year.
As for academics, naturally, that meant exams.
One paper combining language, mathematics, foreign language, politics, history, geography, physics, chemistry, and biology.
Every student took an exam upon joining the academy to determine their potential.
Elise had taken it before too. Even without using her abilities, she had been confident she could score above ninety.
However, to make absolutely certain nothing went wrong, and to preserve her perfect image, she cheated!
She became the academy's idol with a perfect score.
Of course, Elise later crammed the necessary knowledge. Even without using her abilities now, she could still achieve a perfect score.
Naturally, Est and the others also had to take this exam upon enrolling.
Elise wanted to know how well the companions who had followed her for so long could perform, so she hadn't used any abilities to help them.
But when the results appeared before her, Elise admitted she had seriously miscalculated.
"Est... ten points..."
"Ophis... ten points..."
"Ren... ten points. And she even drew on the exam paper? She drew a portrait of me?"
For the first time, Elise experienced what it felt like to be a mother whose children had done terribly on an exam.
All three had exactly the same score? Then there could only be one explanation, right?
"Could you... make an exception?"
Elise had gone through considerable trouble to get them admitted into the academy, only for the three of them to pull something like this.
"Well... I'd like to make an exception too, but I'm only the student council president of this academy..."
Ernest's meaning was obvious. He couldn't handle this matter himself. It would have to be decided by the academy's upper management.
"I understand. I'll go talk to them myself..."
Elise sighed. She had never expected that one day she would actually have to do something like this.
"Oh, right!" Ernest reminded her. "Even if they manage to enter the academy this time, they'll still have to take make-up exams afterward."
Elise: "..."
Then there was no choice. She would have to use the old method.
...
"It's been so long, Orphelia!"
"You're still just as adorable. That's wonderful!"
Returning to the Saint Galahadworth dormitory she had left ten years ago, Elise was especially happy.
Without even thinking, she pulled Orphelia straight into her arms and thoroughly cuddled her.
"Lady Saintess..."
The Orphelia of the past had ranked first at Rewolf Black Institute. Known as the Lonely Venom Strega, she possessed terrifying power.
But during the Phoenix Festa, Elise had used Full Moon Light Wave and Lunar Deity Finale to completely purify the toxic miasma within her.
So the current Orphelia had already lost her poison ability and was nothing more than an ordinary girl.
Sinking into Elise's embrace, the innocent Orphelia instantly turned bright red, stammering so badly that she couldn't even form a complete sentence.
"Do you have any plans for what you'll do next, Orphelia?"
After satisfying herself with cuddling Orphelia, Elise finally got down to business.
After all, she planned to participate in next year's Gryps Festa team competition, but there was still one problem—she was missing one teammate.
After thinking it over, the only person at Saint Galahadworth Academy who met the conditions and whom Elise personally knew was Orphelia, the girl she had rescued back then.
So Elise's purpose in coming here this time was to persuade Orphelia to join her team.
"Plans..."
Orphelia lowered her head and thought for a while, her expression shifting repeatedly between hesitation, happiness, and sadness.
She seemed unable to make up her mind.
"Can you tell me about it?"
Helping others work through their problems was also part of a Saintess's duty.
Since Orphelia was having difficulties, Elise naturally couldn't ignore her.
"In the future... I want to follow Lady Saintess to the Church!"
Only after seemingly gathering all her courage did Orphelia finally voice her wish.
"Is that so?"
To be honest, Elise wasn't surprised.
With the Church's rise, some people had even begun calling it the Seventh Foundation, and the number of people who wanted to join the Church was counted in the tens of thousands.
Among them were members of powerful families and major conglomerates, and even several small countries.
A girl like Orphelia, who had no background and had lost her strength, genuinely didn't look promising.
If she were still the former Lonely Venom Strega, there naturally wouldn't be any problem. But the fact was... she wasn't anymore!
"Is it difficult?"
Orphelia's expression immediately fell, and tears seemed to gather at the corners of her eyes.
"As expected, a woman like me, burdened with countless sins, could never be accepted by Lady Saintess... Ah!"
Before Orphelia could finish wallowing in self-pity, Elise chopped her lightly on the head, making her yelp in pain.
"Lady Saintess?"
Seemingly unable to understand why, Orphelia could only look at Elise with tear-filled eyes and wait for an explanation.
Of course, even if Elise didn't want to explain, Orphelia wouldn't dare ask.
"Orphelia, if I couldn't accept you, I never would've chosen to share a dorm room with you."
"And it's precisely because you're unbelievably adorable that I chose you!"
As she finished speaking, Elise gently stroked Orphelia's hair as though soothing a frightened kitten.
"So, are you willing to join my team?"
"Your team?"
"Mm. The team participating in next year's Gryps Festa. We already have four members. We're only missing the last one!"
Looking at Elise, who seemed to shine brilliantly before her, Orphelia truly wanted to agree, but...
"I'm sorry, Lady Saintess."
"I've already lost that tremendous power. If I force myself to stand by your side, won't I only bring you a great deal of trouble?"
Orphelia was kind, but she wasn't stupid. After all, she had spent so long at Dirk's side.
She quickly analyzed the problems surrounding her own situation and chose to refuse.
"The Lonely Venom Strega no longer exists in this world. All that's left is Orphelia, an ordinary girl who dreams of joining the Church..."
"That's not true, Orphelia."
Seemingly understanding what Orphelia was thinking, Elise directly rejected her words.
"The Lonely Venom Strega may indeed no longer exist in this world, but you're certainly not an ordinary girl. You were once Rewolf Black Institute's number one!"
"But... my toxic miasma..."
Before Orphelia could finish, Elise extended a finger and pressed it gently against her lips.
"When God closes a door, He will always open a window for you."
"Orphelia, although you've lost that powerful poison, your special ability hasn't disappeared. It's merely transformed into another form."
"Here, hold out your hand."
Seeing Elise extend her hand, Orphelia hesitantly placed her own on top of it.
The next instant, vibrant green life burst forth.
A green plant suddenly sprang from Orphelia's hand.
In barely a second, it seemed to experience several years of growth, continuously intertwining through the air.
In the end, it even blossomed into several beautiful flowers of different colors!
"This is?!"
The sight was so unbelievable that Orphelia cried out in astonishment. Even she couldn't understand why she suddenly possessed this kind of power.
"This is life. Do you like it?"
Orphelia didn't know, but that didn't mean Elise didn't.
Just now, Elise had personally placed a portion of her own power into Orphelia's body.
It was an immense amount of life energy combining both healing and restoration!
Drip!
A single drop of water fell to the floor, but it didn't stop there.
Drip! Drip...
Tears poured uncontrollably from Orphelia's eyes. At that moment, she could no longer hold herself back.
"Thank you so very much, Lady Saintess!"
How many years had she been the Lonely Venom Strega?
A young girl had spent every day doing things she hated, day after day, year after year.
Who could have imagined that she had originally been nothing more than a little girl who loved flowers?
Meeting Elise during the Phoenix Festa had been her first liberation, freeing her from the Golden Bough Alliance's control.
And now came her second liberation. The Lonely Venom Strega had left Orphelia forever.
The one standing before Elise now was the newly reborn Life Strega!
"Since it's been so long since we last met, let's take a picture together!"
...
Seidoukan Academy.
Having just finished her shower, Julis opened the campus forum and browsed through the latest posts.
Since she didn't have many friends, she usually relied on special means to keep up with information, such as checking the campus forum.
But before she could react, a pinned post immediately caught her attention.
"School's started, and I got to see my adorable roommate again?"
Whose post was this, and why did it have so many likes?
It was nothing more than a post about returning to school. Why were so many people looking at it?
Driven by curiosity, Julis opened the post, and a photograph of two people pressed closely together instantly captured her full attention.
They were two girls, one blonde and one white-haired, smiling as they pressed their cheeks together.
If someone who didn't know them saw it, they would definitely shout, "Yuri is the best!"
Unfortunately, Julis knew both of the people in that photograph...
Boom!
That night, a fire broke out in Seidoukan's girls' dormitory. The exact cause was still under investigation.
And Julis wasn't the only one. Another blonde woman also saw the photograph, and the furious expression on her face was honestly rather frightening.
"Damn it! I was here first!"