The morning training session finally came to an end beneath the bright skies hanging over Divinia.
Warm sunlight spilled across the enormous combat courtyards while groups of trainees gradually dispersed throughout the surrounding training district after hours of sparring, physical exercises, mana circulation drills, and formation practice beneath the supervision of the Church instructors.
The sharp echoes of clashing practice weapons slowly faded into the background as attendants began preparing the grounds for the next division rotations scheduled later in the day.
A faint layer of sweat still clung lightly against Nolan's skin beneath his black training clothes as he made his way back toward his residential complex.
Physical exhaustion lingered throughout his body as usual after extended combat training, yet something about today felt… slightly different.
The difference was subtle and barely noticeable, but it was still there.
Normally, after completing a full morning session involving weapon drills, martial exercises, and mana circulation training back-to-back, Nolan's body carried a heavier sense of fatigue by this point. Especially after sparring continuously beneath Gareth's supervision.
Yet today?
The exhaustion still existed but somehow felt lighter than usual.
It was not by much, just… slightly reduced.
Nolan frowned faintly while flexing one hand unconsciously as he walked.
His muscles still felt sore.
His mana reserves were still partially drained.
But recovery itself seemed marginally faster somehow.
'…Maybe I'm overthinking it.'
Honestly, after everything that happened during the last night, Nolan no longer trusted his own thoughts completely whenever strange sensations appeared.
So rather than obsessing over it unnecessarily, he simply pushed the matter aside for now.
He had better things to do.
First, he needed another shower and then put on fresh clothes for the theory lessons afterward.
That was the plan.
The upper residential corridors remained relatively quiet this time of day compared to the busier central districts spread throughout Divinia beyond the Church structures.
Warm sunlight filtered softly through the towering windows lining the polished white hallways while faint breezes drifted lazily through the open cathedral arches overlooking distant sections of the Sacred Land outside.
As Nolan approached the corridor leading toward his chamber, however—
he slowed slightly.
Several younger sister-attendants stood gathered outside his room.
At first glance, nothing about the scene appeared particularly strange. It wasn't unusual for attendants assigned to nearby residences to stop occasionally and chat together during quieter periods between duties.
Still… something about their behaviour felt oddly off.
The girls stood noticeably closer together than normal while whispering among themselves with visibly flustered expressions.
One nervously adjusted the sleeves of her attendant uniform repeatedly while another covered part of her face with embarrassment every few seconds despite trying very hard not to laugh.
"…I'm telling you, there's no way it was medicine."
"H-Hey, lower your voice a little…"
"But what else could it possibly have been?!"
"I don't know! Stop asking me!"
Nolan blinked once.
The moment one of the attendants suddenly heard movement further down the corridor, her entire body stiffened immediately.
"W-Wait—someone's coming!"
Instant panic spread through the small group.
The girls instantly lowered their voices while another hurriedly glanced toward Nolan's room door with obvious embarrassment.
That reaction alone immediately caught Nolan's attention.
Because now he knew that they were standing directly outside his room not out of some coincidence.
Curiosity surfaced almost automatically.
So, rather than announcing his presence immediately, Nolan slowed his footsteps slightly while approaching quietly enough for their conversation to continue unnoticed.
"…I s-still think maybe it was some kind of lotion…"
The shortest girl in the group whispered hopefully while fidgeting with the folded linens in her arms.
Another attendant stared at her flatly.
"It was inside a pile of used tissues."
"…Oh."
"…And it was sticky."
The first girl immediately turned bright red.
"O-Oh…"
A third attendant quickly buried her burning face into both hands.
"Why are we even discussing this?!"
"Because Sister Marian asked us to sort the room properly!"
"And because YOU wouldn't stop asking questions!"
"That's because I didn't understand what it was at first!"
Nolan's footsteps nearly stopped completely.
His expression froze.
Inside a pile of tissues.
Sticky.
Room cleaning.
Slowly, understanding began assembling itself inside his mind.
And the moment realization fully hit, Nolan nearly felt his soul leave his body.
'…No way.'
The girls continued whispering nervously among themselves completely unaware of the mental social death occurring nearby.
"I-I mean… healthy young men do occasionally relieve stress that way…"
"STOP SAYING IT SO DIRECTLY!"
"I'm just repeating what older sisters explained before!"
"Yes, but not outside Master Nolan's room!"
Master Nolan.
The title somehow made the entire situation infinitely worse.
Nolan's eye twitched faintly.
Last night immediately resurfaced inside his mind.
The overwhelming emotional contamination.
The intrusive fantasies.
The foreign lustful thoughts flooding through his head after the failed possession attempt.
And unfortunately—
the very real consequences afterward.
'O dear goddess…'
The embarrassment hit him hard.
Because Nolan normally carried himself with an extremely disciplined image.
In the Church, younger and older trainees respected him, attendants admired him.
Some even became visibly nervous speaking around him because of how composed and refined he usually appeared.
And now?
Several attendants were currently standing outside his room whispering about the fact that:
Master Nolan apparently masturbates.
He wanted to die.
"…Still…"
One of the girls hesitated quietly before speaking again.
"…I honestly didn't expect someone like Master Nolan to do those kinds of things…"
Another attendant nodded weakly.
"I know…"
"H-He always looks so calm…"
"And elegant…"
"And so disciplined…"
"Maybe that's exactly why his desires build up so much?"
The entire group immediately fell silent.
Then, one girl nervously leaned closer before whispering:
"…I heard once that men with very strong Light affinity naturally possess greater vitality and stamina than normal people…"
Nolan nearly walked directly into a wall.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on the context, that part was actually true.
Light mana strengthened the body passively over time, especially vitality, stamina, recovery speed, and physical resilience. Higher affinity users generally possessed stronger life force than ordinary people, which was one of the reasons Holy Knights remained physically superior compared to many other mana users even without specializing purely in body enhancement.
Normally, Nolan found that perfectly reasonable.
But right now, and in this context?
He wished the goddess would strike him dead immediately.
Another attendant covered her burning face again.
"S-Stop making it sound worse…"
"I'm not trying to!"
"But now I'm imagining things!"
"…What things?"
The girl immediately froze.
Several attendants turned toward her slowly.
"I-It's nothing…"
"No, now you have to say it."
"…No, I don't."
"You absolutely do."
The poor girl looked moments away from combusting spontaneously.
Then, with the worst excuse imaginable, she blurted out:
"Because… imagining Master Nolan doing that somehow feels really hot okay?!"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then every single girl turned red simultaneously.
"O-Oh my goddess…"
"WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT OUT LOUD?!"
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO!"
"Lower your voice!"
"You're the one screaming!"
Nolan stared blankly at the corridor ceiling.
His soul had ascended.
There was no recovery from this.
Absolutely none.
Meanwhile the attendants continued spiralling deeper into collective embarrassment.
"…B-But seriously…"
One girl muttered weakly.
"…Someone that handsome and elegant secretly doing… that…"
Another buried her face completely into the linens she carried.
"Please stop talking…"
"And the tissues were apparently completely soaked…"
"STOP."
At that point Nolan finally realized something.
If he allowed this conversation to continue any longer, the girls would eventually start constructing entire imaginary scenarios about him.
Which meant he needed to stop this now.
Immediately.
Even if it killed him.
Forced to preserve what little remained of his dignity somehow, Nolan finally stepped forward normally and cleared his throat softly.
The reaction was immediate.
Every attendant froze instantly.
Then slowly—
very slowly—
they turned toward him.
The moment they realized Nolan had been standing nearby—
panic erupted.
"MA-MASTER NOLAN?!"
One girl nearly dropped the folded linens in her arms entirely.
Another immediately lowered her head so quickly Nolan genuinely worried she might injure herself.
Several faces turned impossibly red within seconds.
One attendant looked moments away from passing out completely.
Nolan himself somehow maintained outward composure despite internally wanting to abandon civilization forever.
"…Is something wrong near my room?"
The question sounded calm.
Which honestly only made the girls panic harder.
"N-No!"
"I mean yes!"
"I mean nothing happened!"
"We were just cleaning!"
"Not cleaning—talking!"
"WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!"
The group immediately descended into chaotic embarrassment again.
Nolan resisted the urge to rub his forehead.
One attendant began apologizing rapidly despite clearly not even knowing exactly what she was apologizing for anymore.
"We're very sorry Master Nolan!"
"We didn't mean to gossip!"
"We weren't saying strange things!"
"That sounded like a lie the moment you said it!"
"PLEASE STOP TALKING!"
At this point even Nolan's composure almost started cracking slightly.
His brows started twitching.
Eventually, after several more painful seconds of mutual suffering, the attendants finally retreated almost all at once while repeatedly bowing apologetically before hurrying away down the corridor in absolute humiliation.
One girl accidentally glanced back toward Nolan halfway down the hallway, then immediately turned even redder before fleeing faster.
Silence finally returned.
Nolan remained standing alone outside his room for several long moments afterward, completely exhausted.
"…I seriously need to burn those memories out of my brain somehow…"
Muttering quietly beneath his breath, he finally entered his room before closing the door behind him.
A few seconds later, clothes quietly hit the floor.
And soon afterward, warm water began running inside the bathroom once more.
*******
Author's Note
Hey everyone! Thank you so much for reading this chapter ❤️
If you're enjoying the story, I'd really appreciate it if you could drop a Power Stone to help the novel climb the rankings and reach more readers. Every single one makes a huge difference!
I'd also love to hear your thoughts — please leave a Review and drop your comments below. Whether it's glowing praise, honest criticism, or anything in between, I read every single one. Good or bad, your feedback helps me improve the story, characters, and writing.
I'm especially open to your ideas! Feel free to share:
• Suggestions for future plot developments or academy events
• Thoughts on the characters (favorites, ones you want more of, or some idea like their backstory or future)
• Opinions on the current writing style, pacing, or anything else
And because this novel will also have smut… I'm very open to your spicy ideas too 😉
Don't hold back — any suggestions for steamy scenes, intimate moments, harem dynamics, or even specific kinks and fantasies you'd like to see are more than welcome. Your ideas might actually make it into future chapters!
Can't wait to read what you think!
See you in the next chapter~