Althea: The Legendary Saintess [Shoujo]

'I believed Althea's confession was simply about being the Maiden of Dusk, but there was more she had yet to reveal.'

King Adrian took it upon himself to question her further.

“Is there something else besides the mark?”

“Yes,” Althea replied.

Adrian took a deep breath to steady himself, then urged Althea to continue.

Althea placed her hand on her chest, mirrored Adrian's deep breath, and began speaking with a calm demeanor.

“Your Holiness, do you recall the discovery of the exceptional magicbook during the magic measurement?”

“Yes, I remember. It was delivered to the royal castle of the great kingdom,” the Pope responded.

Adrian interjected, “Ah, yes. The magicbook you personally brought. Naturally, it can only be read by its owner, so it’s securely stored in the forbidden library. But how do you know about the exceptional magicbook, Your Holiness?”

Pope replied, “The day the magicbook was found coincided with her magic assessment. The book was discovered in a sacred place where Lady Monclair sought answers about her transparent magic. It seemed plausible she might be its owner.”

“So, you spoke to her about it?” Adrian asked.

“Yes,” The Pope affirmed.

“But I received no report of this at the time. Why was this information withheld?” Adrian demanded.

“We showed the exceptional magic book to the Monclair family and allowed Lady Monclair to touch it. However, there was no reaction. We concluded she might not be the owner after all,” he explained.

Adrian scrutinized the Pope’s expression for any hidden meaning but found none. He sighed and turned back to Althea.

“What about the exceptional magic book?”

“The day after the world was shrouded in darkness, I found the book in my desk,” Althea revealed.

“What? In your desk? You mean in your room at the girls' dormitory?” Adrian's voice rose in disbelief.

“Yes. I don’t know how it got there, but the day I woke with this mark, the book was inside my desk,” Althea recounted. She described how the desk glowed faintly, how she discovered the black book, how it transformed into a silver and rainbow-covered tome upon her touch, and finally, how the book was absorbed into her body when she opened it.

“Absorbed into your body?! Althea, are you alright?” Thomas, who had been standing behind, rushed forward and inspected her anxiously.

“I’m fine. I feel warm but not uncomfortable. In fact, I feel quite healthy,” Althea assured him.

“That’s good... or is it?” Thomas pondered aloud, looking back at Adrian for guidance.

Behind Thomas, Siegfried, who had also moved to approach, lowered his hand, now unsure.

“It’s hard to say. While Lady Althea seems physically fine, the exceptional magicbook being absorbed into her body is unprecedented. The royal archives have no records of such an occurrence. Your Holiness, could the Illumi Church's archives have any information on this?” Adrian asked.

“I have never heard of such a case. While I don’t know every book in our archives, something like this would have been passed down if it existed,” the Pope replied, visibly astonished. He then turned to Althea.

“Lady Monclair, you mentioned the book was absorbed into your body. Can you use the magic within it?”

Althea nodded slightly, her expression tense. The Pope pressed further.

“What kind of magic does the exceptional magic book contain?”

“Attributes...?” Althea echoed, falling silent.

Everyone in the room focused their attention on her.

'Attributes… fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, light, darkness. Which one fits? It grants any wish, so… light, perhaps?'

Lost in thought, Althea remained silent.

Suddenly, Thomas remembered something and spoke up.

“Althea, Regalus and Laila wanted to keep the mark a secret. Regalus is reportedly on his way here, but I doubt he’d leave you unguarded. What was your situation before coming here?”

“...” Althea remained silent.

“House arrest,” Siegfried answered in her place. “I heard Laila and Reg’s familiars were monitoring the exits. After Reg left the principality, Jean took over the watch.”

Thomas, incredulous, looked shocked.

“Thomas, are these Laila and Jean skilled?” Adrian inquired.

“Yes. They are top candidates trained by the head of our assassination unit and serve as Regalus and Althea’s aides. Outsmarting them without injury would be nearly impossible, even for me. Escaping unnoticed is another matter entirely,” Thomas confirmed.

Adrian and Siegfried simultaneously turned to Althea.

“How did you escape to the woods?” Siegfried asked, finally addressing the question he had overlooked in his relief at her safe arrival.

As Althea struggled with how much to reveal and how to say it, Ciel whispered in her ear.

“Are these people trustworthy? If they are, you should show them. You don’t have to tell them everything, just how you escaped.”

Althea pondered Ciel’s advice.

'Father and Prince Adrian are trustworthy, and probably His Majesty too… As for the Pope, he has helped me many times, but we aren’t that close…'

Ciel’s voice reassured her again.

“The Pope is trustworthy. He was chosen by Lord Saul.”

With her resolve firmed by Ciel’s words, Althea began to speak.

“Your Majesty, Your Holiness, Prince Adrian, Father, I will show you how I escaped.”

Taking a deep breath, she clasped her hands together.

“…‘Desire’.”

After a moment of silence, Althea whispered the incantation, and her body began to disappear from head to toe. At the same time, the magical presence everyone sensed from her vanished.

“Wha—?!” they all exclaimed in confusion.

“This is how I escaped. I don’t know the attribute,” Althea’s disembodied voice explained, her breathing barely audible.

“That magic… It’s advanced, and very few can use it. To achieve it at your age in the general curriculum… Thomas, at what age did you learn to vanish?” Adrian asked, amazed.

“I was eighteen, in my third year of the magic academy,” Thomas replied.

“I recall the Ministry of Magic was in an uproar when you used that spell. A student wielding advanced magic… And now your daughter surpasses that record. We should keep this ability secret,” Adrian suggested, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Thomas, still skeptical, asked another question.

“Althea, can you move?”

“Yes,” she replied, still invisible, unsure of the question’s intent.

Thomas closed his eyes and focused. He could hear faint rustling and footsteps.

“Even though faint, I can hear your breath, the rustle of your clothes, and your footsteps. I find it hard to believe Laila and Jean’s familiars wouldn’t notice,” Thomas pointed out.

“I used soundproofing magic on top of the invisibility spell,” Althea explained.

“You can layer spells? Soundproofing is an intermediate wind magic, but combining it with advanced magic requires great skill. Lady Norland once said so,” Adrian remarked, astonished.

Lady Norland, whom Adrian referred to, was the current Minister of Magic and the mother of Siegfried’s aide candidate, Oliver Norland. She considered Thomas her rival.

Thomas, remaining calm, asked another question.

“Even if you made yourself and your sounds invisible, Laila would be suspicious if your magical presence disappeared from the room. How did you handle that?”

“I placed a doll in my bed and transferred a bit of my magic to it. I don’t know how long the magic lasts, but it buys enough time to escape,” Althea replied, almost revealing the goddess’s name.

Fortunately, everyone was too amazed by the rare magic she described to notice her hesitation.

“It’s confirmed then,” Adrian declared, breaking the silence.

“Yes, indeed,” the Pope agreed, while Thomas and Siegfried remained silent.

“Announcing that the Maiden of Dusk has absorbed an exceptional magic book would place undue expectations on Lady Monclair and make her a target for the demons responsible for this darkness,” Adrian continued.

“Even without that, the Maiden of Dusk is prone to being targeted by demons,” Thomas added.

“Father, what do you mean by that?” Siegfried, who had realized his feelings for Althea, asked.

Adrian responded with his kingly demeanor, “The reason is unclear, but the Maiden of Dusk was traditionally kept within the tower to protect her from being targeted.”

Siegfried understood from his father’s demeanor that this was a royal secret and refrained from questioning further.

Amidst the silence, Althea asked, “Do we have to announce the identity of the Maiden of Dusk?”

“You came here to announce it so unrelated people wouldn’t get involved, didn’t you?” Adrian asked.

“I only meant to announce that the Maiden of Dusk has been found, not that it’s me,” Althea clarified.

“Hiding your identity…” Adrian mused.

“I think it’s best if my name remains a secret. If my identity is known, I’ll have to stay in the tower with Lady Gresha of the Dawn to be properly protected. But I’d like to try the goddess’s plan to prevent future maidens from facing the same fate. This would require using the rainbow magic stone…” Althea explained.

“If your name isn’t public, the demons won’t be able to target you. That’s true…” Adrian glanced at the Pope.

The Pope smiled and replied, “It’s my turn, then. Leave it to me, Your Majesty and Lady Monclair. I’ll convince the nobles to permit the use of the rainbow magic stone.”

Satisfied, Adrian turned to Althea, “So, Lady Althea, how do you intend to fulfill your duties as the Maiden of Dusk without revealing your identity? Staying in the Monclair territory might be safest…”

Althea then made a surprising declaration.

 

“No, I plan to accompany the prince and my brother in the search for the Sword of the Sun.”