Althea: The Legendary Saintess [Shoujo]

After the dorm manager left, Ciel appeared in human form.

"Was what you said earlier true? The Maiden... the Maiden of Dawn appeared? Who is she?" Ciel asked, and Siegfried responded, "It's Miss Lily Gresha."

"I see... Well, that's as expected, being of the Light attribute. But her magic power is too weak... At this rate, Althea might—mmph!"

Before Ciel could finish, Althea covered his mouth and whispered to him, "Don't talk about that! I'll explain later." Ciel nodded slightly in response.

"What happened to Althea?" Siegfried, pretending not to know, asked, prompting Regalus to interject hurriedly, "It's nothing to worry about regarding Monclair. But more importantly, what was that silver light that shone earlier?"

Seeing Regalus's attempt to change the subject, Siegfried thought he was indeed opposed to what Althea had said, as she had indicated. Deciding not to press further, he instead focused on Regalus's question.

"Ah, yes, I was curious about that silver light too. Because it was silver, I automatically linked it to Miss Althea, but was that light really caused by her?" Siegfried pondered aloud.

"Um... well..."

As she struggled to respond, Althea's voice suddenly exclaimed nearby, "Ah!" They looked over to see Ciel, who had been transformed into a fairy again, seemingly inadvertently.

"Let me see the book? It's okay, the magic book probably just returned to its owner's place, so there's nothing to worry about," whispered Ciel to Althea. Althea could only see Ciel's fairy form, and only Siegfried seemed to sense a presence of light.

Nodding hesitantly to Ciel's words, Althea spoke up, "The true identity of that light... I think it would be faster to show you the actual book rather than explain it. Please wait a moment; I'll bring it now."

She returned to her study and retrieved the book with the silver cover. It emitted a faint light, its spine and back covers dyed with seven colors.

"This is it. I believe this is the cause of that light," she said, handing the silver-covered book over.

As Regalus accepted the book, it momentarily glowed dazzlingly in his hand. When he opened his eyes again, it had returned to a plain, old black book.

"...What kind of book is this?"

Regalus asked, visibly surprised, while Althea also stared wide-eyed.

"It's unbelievable... for it to turn back into a completely black, old book again... I don't understand how this book ended up on my desk. I noticed it was there all of a sudden... But to turn back into an old, black, worn-out book again..." Althea mused.

"Althea, could you try holding the book again?" Siegfried, who had been observing, asked. After nodding in agreement with Regalus, Althea took the book into her hands once more. Instantly, a blinding light overwhelmed her vision. When she opened her eyes, the front cover was silver, and the spine and back covers displayed the seven colors of the rainbow.

"...So that's how it is. If touching it changes the book's cover, then it must mean that Althea is the book's owner," Siegfried speculated. "But... I'm curious about how and when it got onto Althea's desk."

As Siegfried muttered to himself, silence fell for a while.

Amidst the silence, Ciel, who had suddenly appeared in human form again to change the topic, asked Siegfried, "Hey, Prince. Speaking of which, earlier you said you would take us to Royal Grand Central Kingdom by today. How are you planning to return today? You can't sail on a dark night sea teeming with monsters, can you?"

Siegfried, lost in thought, replied to Ciel's question, "Hmm? Ah, about the return... Actually... in the principality, there's a teleportation magic circle exclusively for use by royal family members. Since its location is reserved for royalty, I can't tell you... But I intend to use that magic circle to return to the kingdom with Curio and Miss Lily tonight."

"Teleportation circle... that's news to me. Does 'royal family only' mean that non-royals can't use it?" Regalus inquired next.

"That's right. Well, technically, if accompanied by a royal family member, you can use it, but only up to three people at a time. It's a rare item that even royalty can only use once a day. Tonight, I plan to use it to return with Curio and Lily before tomorrow," Siegfried explained.

While Siegfried spoke, he did not look at Althea. Presumably, he was concerned about having said, "taking Althea along," in a different space.

Not knowing these circumstances, Regalus remarked, "I see... I thought we'd all return together on a ship. We were supposed to head out by tomorrow afternoon. It seems like it'll take one or two days to reach Sivia Port, but if we leave tomorrow, we should be able to make it in time?"

Upon hearing this, Althea was surprised and interjected, "Really? Doesn't it only take half a day to sail to Sivia Port?"

"Normally, yes. But it seems like there are sea monsters out there, so we have to move slowly to avoid being noticed. If we use magic to move, the monsters will sense our magic power and attack, and if we use engines, the water vibrations will alert them. Of course, the ship itself is shielded, and only those capable of fighting can board, but to avoid unnecessary combat..." Regalus trailed off.

To Althea's unexpected concern about the long journey, Regalus gently stroked her head while reassuring her, "It's okay. Jean and Oliver will be on the ship, and Sieg will be in RGC once we arrive. As soon as we get there, we'll probably start searching for the Sun Sword and monster extermination, so... don't worry, Althea, just wait patiently here."

As Regalus comforted Althea, Siegfried quietly shook his head behind them.

"Don't say anything," he seemed to convey. Surely, he had some plan... after all, he had said, "I'll cooperate."

Taking Althea's silent acceptance as understanding, Regalus smiled satisfactorily and exchanged a glance with Althea.

Observing all this while pretending not to notice, Siegfried finally said to Regalus, "Well then, Reg, I think it's time to leave. We don't want to be scolded by the dorm manager or by the dorm supervisor again for being too late."

"Yeah, you're right. I also need to prepare for tomorrow... Alright, Althea. I'll come by again before departure tomorrow. Althea, I'm counting on you," Regalus said, then he and Siegfried left the room together.

---That night---

With Curio guiding her blindfolded, Lily was led to the teleportation circle location. Siegfried had already returned to the Royal Grand Central Kingdom using teleportation magic, a little ahead of them. Nearby the teleportation circle, small glowing spheres floated softly, but there was no one around to see them.

---Just before Siegfried used the teleportation circle---

In the Royal Study of Royal Grand Central Kingdom, Thomas reported to the king after completing his mission.