Although most mages neglected physical exercise because of the convenience of magic, Catherine had developed a habit of running every morning to maintain her energy and figure after spending long hours handling business paperwork.
Now, in the faint light of dawn, she jogged at a steady pace along the quiet Tree-Lined Avenue within the Academy, dressed in a fitted black workout outfit.
Her long, straight legs formed graceful lines beneath her tight athletic pants, her bust rose and fell rhythmically with her strides, and her long golden hair was tied in a neat ponytail behind her head.
Fine beads of sweat slid down her smooth forehead and neck, dampening a few strands at her temples, but her blue eyes remained clear. Her mind worked efficiently to the rhythm of her steady breathing, sorting through the new information she had obtained yesterday.
The person Greg Sass asked me to assist if necessary, that first-year commoner girl named Victoria Cecil... she seems to have some sort of... unusual connection to the Church of Light?
Catherine calmly analyzed the matter as she adjusted her breathing.
From what she knew of the continent's various powers, the Church of Light, which stood at the pinnacle of faith and authority in the human world, would never extend its favor to a commoner girl with no background for no reason.
Unless this girl possessed some little-known value significant enough to attract the attention of the Church's higher ranks.
But what exactly was that "value"?
There was too little information to draw a firm conclusion.
Yet this clue alone was enough to make Catherine reassess Victoria's potential value and risks.
People deeply entangled with the Church of Light often represented enormous opportunities, accompanied by equally enormous turmoil and trouble.
And there's that inseparable companion of hers, Sylvia Lorraine.