Head Priestess Adsila clapped her hands, the woman's long nails clicking together loudly. She had a supportive smile on her face as she spoke. “I'm so happy to hear that your calls to the Goddess were heard. Your activator will come in handy when you're finally put on the field for your last semester.” She gave her a smug look.

Anna had to look down to keep the woman from seeing her lack of enthusiasm. The teenager had been nervous about her field work since her first year. It was known that in recent years that students had been given more and more assignments. She wasn't going to be helping the elderly clean their house or help feed the poor. No, the academy made it clear she would be actually helping fight enemies of the country. Priestesses in combat were incredibly deadly, and there was tension on the borders these days.

Anna wasn't interested in killing anyone. Sure, it was rare for students to be thrown into actually horrible parts of combat. They usually stayed back to deal with the injured and to help assist in taking down meager threats. But there was always a chance she might seriously hurt someone with the power gifted to her. It wasn't like she was ungrateful for what the Goddess had awarded her.

No, she was incredibly thankful for the change compared to her old life. But she also wasn't willing to squander her second chance. She wasn't interested in getting revenge or hurting anyone badly. All she wanted to do was to live a good life this time, where she faded into the background. The teenager felt like she was one of the few priestesses in training who felt so hesitant. Her cup of tea looked dull as she stared down into it and listened to Head Priestess Adsila talk.

The woman was saying that staff users weren't very common these days. Girls typically jumped at the new trend of having activators be jewelry. She knew firsthand that Adsila was right, as Lizbeth had a pendant like her activator that was worth an arm and a leg. Anna didn't have the funds to do such a thing, but if this was her old self, she would have spent thousands on bangles or jewels. Activators were accessories and weapons.

“You should work on your upper arm strength, however,” Head Priestess Adsila noted, which Anna found herself inquiring more about. “While the Goddess gives us her strength, it isn't permanent. You will feel your energy drain away once your activator deactivates and you're back to your normal self. Exercise will matter.”

“I haven't really had the time. The course load is just getting more intense with the academy growing to include more advanced lessons.” Anna confessed with a frown.

Her body could only strengthen so much as Anna was a normal sixteen-year-old. Sure, she had been miraculously reborn, but that was only internally. She didn't have the strength or priestess knowledge of a fifty plus year old. No. She had everything that any teenager would have at their disposal. The academy did train her and threw her in a gym four times a week, but she wasn't a muscle clad giant. She was just a girl.

There was a reason Anna was still competing tooth and nail against normal teenagers who attended her classes. They had advantages through their families' pockets and connections that gave them more power. The dilemma she faced showed her how foolish she had been in her past life. Morwenna had a good deal of money and power, but she was too naïve to actually use it. Now, she was the daughter of a family that had no wealth and had no friends who ran the school. She was just a background character who was cunning enough to get a scholarship.

Focusing on her magic and cultivating it was her best chance. “But I'm not that worried about it, Head Priestess Adsila. My connection to the Goddess is strong.” The student watched Adsila hum, giving her a doubtful but impressed glance.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“The Goddess may call out to you, and I understand. But I don't want to see you fall in battle because you're putting all your faith in her.” The Head Priestess's words scolded her from just how intense and heartfelt they were. She was serious.

Anna didn't want to risk offending the shaky ally ship the two had. It was better to play it safe while still defending her opinion. “I understand. But I will put all of my energy into mastering the goddess's craft, so I'm worthy of my future title.”

She placed a hand on Anna's shoulder. Her nails felt heavy with the weight of each decoration, hitting the smaller girl full force. “If that's what your heart is telling you is best, then you should go through with it. But don't ignore my advice.”

The teenager was going to quickly retort and say she wasn't trying to, but the room door opened. Both of the room's occupants froze with the Head Priestess slowly developing a neat little smile. In came a teenage boy with ash blonde hair and eyes that told Anna he was also shocked. He was wearing the uniform of the male part of their large, almost mountainous academy that they lived in. Their gazes met and instantly both instinctively looked away.

Anna's eyes went to the wall with a sigh, leaving her lips as she set her cup down. She stood up and swallowed the lump growing in her throat. It was clear by the lack of scolding from Head Priestess Adsila she had been expecting the student to come. This put both teenagers in an awkward spot, as they were strictly forbidden from interacting the way they were now. Being alone in a room when classes were over and they should be studying was a disaster in the making. Even with the Head Priestess there, it was a sticky situation to be in.

The priestess in question stood up and clapped her hands. “I've been wanting to introduce you two, but haven't found the time. What a coincidence that you both wanted to speak to me today,” Adsila gave the boy, who had frozen with wide eyes, a look and waved him over. “Gladwin, come over here and meet Eliana.”

Anna watched the blonde walk over to the pair hesitantly. He looked incredibly frail up close, making the teenager doubt his health status. His cheekbones were very sharp, along with his jaw being shaped like a box. Despite these abnormalities, Gladwin looked like a teenager around her age. His uniform was crisp and clean, with his hands worn from most likely training moments earlier. She could tell from the way he was trying to avoid her gaze that he was also observing her body.

The midnight-haired teenager was sure that she had never seen him before. His confused expression said the same thing, with his eyes squinting. The entire meeting was awkward, as it was clear the academy's teachings had stuck. They didn't know if it was safe to talk to each other. Male students just didn't hang out with the female students in their world. It was too dangerous, and they avoided each other like the plague to keep their asses off of the chopping block.

Anna decided to take the plunge after what had to be five whole minutes of just staring and flinching. She bowed her head briefly before looking the teenager in the eyes and offered up her right hand to shake. “Hello, it's nice to meet you. My name is Anna and I'm a student in the female division studying combat based magic.”

He rushed to hold her hand. “Sorry.” His palm was sweaty, but his skin felt ice cold. “My name is Gladwin, but everyone calls me Edwin. I'm studying healing based magic, but I initially was in the combat course.” Hearing this piqued her interest.

“The healing course is an entirely unique structure compared to combat,” Anna said before her curiosity caused her to ask a question. “Have you been assigned a Koinonos, then? I know that healers typically have one these days.”

A Koinonos was the second person in a priestess or priest duo who wasn't a healer. In recent years, they found that giving healers an assigned partner was more effective than sending them out alone. It wasn't like healers were weak. In fact, healers had historically been some of the most powerful magic users out there. It was because of this reputation that they needed someone to protect and aid the in field work.

You would typically target an army's healer first. Without a healer, more men and women on your side will succumb to their wounds. And the injured will become a liability not only in battle, but in life. It also didn't help that the course for healers had always been notoriously difficult. There were a lot more lectures and textbook reading than one might think to graduate. This was why you would rarely see anyone transferring to be one.

Edwin rubbed the back of his head and blushed. “I haven't. Since I switched over my second year, I had a lot to catch up on. By the time I finished, they told me I'd have to wait till a Head Priest approved of me even trying to get one.”

The teenager frowned and nodded her head in a show of sympathy. She knew that with the competitive nature of their environment made the pressure to catch up even greater. “I'm sorry to hear about that. I'm sure the Head Priests will give you permission before field work begins for all of us.”

“Which is why I'm glad you two are here!” The Head Priestess clapped her hands, interrupting the conversation between the two. A smirk was on her face as she said what Anna believed to be a misunderstanding. “Edwin, Anna here has been chosen as your Koinonos after hours of heavy discussion between us.”