Althea: The Legendary Saintess [Shoujo]

In the distance, the sound of a ship's whistle echoed.

Today’s singular daily ferry, the signal of departure.

"I hope Lady Alicia managed to deliver the letter... May Lady Julia return safely..."

Althea prayed softly by the window.

Baron Trinton had likely arrived in the port long before. While he could come, returning was mainly possible only by ship. Unless one possessed the magic to fly, and even then, flying long distances with another person was impossible. A mage capable of such a feat would surely be famous.

Therefore, the only option for Julia to return was on today's ferry, the same one her brother was on. Althea had entrusted Alicia with a letter for her brother, asking him to devise a way to keep Julia off the ship.

As she prayed and awaited Alicia's return, Ciel suddenly appeared.

"Althea, what are you doing? Did something happen while I was away?"

Althea recounted her dream from the previous night and everything that had transpired since then in a hushed tone.

"I see... I'm aware of the dream, but it seems much happened while I was asleep."

"Asleep? Did you awaken to something, Ciel?"

Ciel explained, shaking his head, that significant amounts of his magic had been necessary to facilitate Althea's conversation with the goddess in the dream. To recover, he had needed to sleep, and even now, he was only somewhat recovered.

"Are you okay with such minimal magic?"

"Yes, as long as I don’t push myself, I should be able to take human form by tomorrow."

"So today is difficult. Are you sure you'll be alright after we escape?"

"No problem. I’m just guiding you. But can you escape?"

"That's fine. The advanced magicbook will guide me."

"Then, I just need to pick you up tonight, right? Where will you escape from?"

"I think from the balcony."

"Understood. I'll wait under the tree below the balcony just before midnight."

After confirming their plan, Ciel, still not at full strength, said he would rest and disappeared.

A bit later, Alicia returned to the dormitory with Julia. It seemed Regalus had successfully convinced Baron Trinton.

During dinner, Althea and Alicia rejoiced in Julia's safety.

The immediate worry was gone, allowing Althea to plan her flight to the mainland with peace of mind.

After dinner, she bid Laila goodnight and retreated to her bed.

As usual, her room's balcony and door were guarded by familiars. The only difference was that Jean’s familiar had replaced Regalus's. If discovered, Laila and Jean would relentlessly pursue her.

Althea herself had combat skills sufficient to defeat common knights. However, Laila and Jean had mastered advanced tracking and combat techniques from the head of the assassin's orphanage. It was crucial to avoid detection by such opponents.

Althea lay on her bed, visualizing her escape.

She needed to make herself invisible and leave a doll imbued with some of her magic in her place to mask her absence.

While the advanced magicbook contained a spell for invisibility, it lacked instructions for temporarily transferring magic. Performing both spells simultaneously was a feat beyond ordinary mages.

Only Althea, possessing the vast magical reserves of the Maiden of Dusk and the advanced magicbook’s knowledge, could transfer magic even to an inanimate doll.

Once she was confident in her plan, night had fully descended, and Laila was asleep. Moving quietly, she slipped out of bed.

She held her minimal luggage in one hand and touched the doll lying on her bed with the other, chanting softly.

"—Desire."

With the utterance, Althea vanished, her luggage disappearing with her.

The balcony door began to open and close in the wind. The familiar outside, startled, checked the room for disturbances but, finding none, closed the door and resumed its watch.

Taking advantage of the wind’s distraction, Althea slipped outside. With a silencing spell on herself, her movements made no sound.

While the familiar was checking the room, she jumped from the balcony, casting a levitation spell to land softly on the ground.

Ahead, a flickering light caught her eye.

Approaching it, she whispered, "Ciel, I'm here."

"Althea? Where are you?"

"I’m invisible. Lead the way. I’ll follow your light."

"Got it. Follow me."

Ciel’s light led her into the woods within the academy grounds, far from the RGC girls' dormitory.

"Can you reveal yourself now, Althea?"

"I can, but the magic left in the doll will vanish once I do. Is that alright?"

"Everyone’s asleep. As long as there's no noise, they won’t notice the magic’s absence. Even you wouldn’t sense magic in your sleep, right?"

"True. Alright then... 'Desire.'"

Visualizing her reappearance, Althea chanted, and she became visible again, her light luggage in hand.

"That's amazing. Did the goddess teach you that?"

"Well, following her guidance, the advanced magicbook got absorbed into my body... It’s the book that teaches me."

"You absorbed a magicbook? Is that safe?"

"I feel fine, even more magical energy than before... Should I be worried?"

"As long as you’re not constantly using magic, it should be okay. And it doesn’t seem like you are."

"That’s a relief. But I worry about overusing magic when casting advanced spells."

"I’ll keep an eye on you. If you’re overdoing it, I’ll let you know."

"Thank you. I rely on you. So, what’s next?"

Ciel scanned the area.

"There he is! Althea, the prince is over there."

Althea turned to the direction Ciel indicated, and saw a flickering light nearby. Siegfried was running towards them.

"It’s good to see you made it safely. Were you able to slip out because Reg wasn’t around?"

"No, not exactly... But we need to move before Laila or Jean notice."

"So Reg left even Jean behind? He must really not want you to go. Althea, I need to ask you again: Are you certain about going to the maindland as the Maiden of Dusk?"

"Yes. I feel bad for my brother, but... I heard there are women being forced into the role of the Maiden. Knowing that, I can't just stand by..."

Siegfried gently patted Althea's head as she lowered it in contemplation.

"Your resolve is firm. Alright, let's move before we’re spotted. However..."

Siegfried hesitated, looking at Althea with a serious expression.

When she met his gaze, he continued, "I can’t tell you the route to the magic circle. If I did, you’d lose the choice to turn back. I’m sorry, but I need to blindfold and cast a silencing spell on you."

Understanding the necessity, Althea nodded and closed her eyes. A cloth was tied over her eyes, enchanted to block any light, leaving her in complete darkness.

Feeling a bit uneasy, she was startled when Siegfried gently held her shoulder.

"I'm sorry... It's dangerous if you trip. Please bear with it for a while."

Siegfried's whisper in her ear made her cheeks flush. Fortunately, the darkness concealed her blush.

With Siegfried guiding her, they walked slowly.

Straight, right, straight, right, left, stop. Suddenly, Althea felt the ground beneath her shift downwards, followed by more walking: straight, left, straight, right, right, straight, left...

"We're here."

As Siegfried removed the blindfold, Althea saw a large, faintly glowing magic circle before her. Siegfried checked the time.

"The date has changed. We should finish everything tonight. Althea, may I have your hand?"

With a gentle smile, Althea placed her hand in Siegfried's, and he gracefully led her onto the magic circle.

The surface of the magic circle felt like floating on air. In reality, the circle itself was hovering.

Standing at the center, Siegfried faced Althea.

"Althea, stay still..."

With those words, he gently embraced her.

For a moment, she was too stunned to understand what was happening. Realizing she was being held, her cheeks flushed again.

'Stay still, he said. This must be necessary for the transfer. Yes, it must be to keep us from getting separated...'

She closed her eyes tightly, reasoning with herself.

'If this is necessary for the transfer... Did he do the same with Lady Greshia?'

Looking up at Siegfried’s face as he softly chanted the spell, Althea’s heart fluttered.

Suddenly, the scenery around her warped, making her feel as if the world had turned upside down. She clung to Siegfried instinctively.

As her mind began to spin, Siegfried’s gentle voice broke through.

"We’re here. You can open your eyes now."

Althea realized she was holding onto Siegfried tightly.

"Oh! I’m so sorry..."

She quickly let go, and Siegfried chuckled softly.

"No need to apologize. I... was a bit disappointed."

After the teleportation, Althea arrived. Without pause, Siegfried guided her to the audience chamber. As they walked, she fanned her face lightly, trying to calm her racing heart.

'Don't think about anything unnecessary. Right now, it's crucial to present the facts to His Majesty...'

She took a deep breath in front of the audience chamber doors. At Siegfried's signal, the guards slowly opened the heavy doors.

As the doors opened fully, Siegfried offered his hand to Althea.

"Althea, may I have your hand? No matter what happens, I will stand by you. Speak your truth without fear. I’ve decided to do everything I can to keep you smiling."

Overwhelmed by the imposing atmosphere of the audience chamber, Althea felt an inexplicable sense of peace as she placed her hand in Siegfried’s. She smiled and nodded, stepping forward with him.