Althea: The Legendary Saintess [Shoujo]

When Althea opened the door and stepped inside, she found herself in a space covered entirely in rainbow colors, where up, down, right, and left were indistinguishable.

"Is it safe to walk here?... Will I fall?"

She cautiously extended her right foot and tapped the ground with her toe, feeling a solid sensation like a pathway.

"Hmm, seems walkable, but walking like this might take some time. Maybe I should say, 'Come forth, path!' or something..."

As if in response to her joking words, a pathway materialized beneath her feet, extending into the distance.

"...Unbelievable. But what about where there's no path?"

She squatted down on the pathway-like surface and reached out to touch where there was no apparent path.

"Nothing. If there's no ground here... Huh? What happens if I fall off the path? I need to make sure I don't fall."

She cautiously began to walk.

Looking down again, she saw only the rainbow-colored expanse beneath the pathway-like surface.

"It looks like it's all rainbow-colored as far as I can see... I wonder if I'll really reach the end? And the colors around here, they're as beautiful as the hues of Ciel's wings when they catch the sunlight."

After murmuring to herself and stopping briefly, she suddenly sensed something, tensing up.

Whoosh! -

Instinctively preparing herself, something flew towards her.

Swiftly dodging, what she avoided landed behind her on the pathway-like substance, taking shape.

It turned out to be a creature she had only seen in books.

"What do I do? Why is there a monster here? Is this part of the exploration challenge? Even so, starting with a monster all of a sudden..."

As she pondered, the formed creature, a goblin, immediately attacked without hesitation.

"Sorry! 'Wind Chime'!"

Hastily, she cast wind magic towards the approaching goblin.

The wind struck the goblin's abdomen, knocking it back. However, perhaps due to the spell's weakness, the goblin quickly got back up.

"Ugh... this magic is weaker than I thought."

The goblin, now standing again, growled and lunged once more.

Dodging the goblin's attack, Althea pondered her next move. She decided to try a different angle with her magic and cast wind magic again.

"Once more... 'Wind Chime'!"

Hopefully, this would push the goblin off the path.

Since acquiring her spellbook, Althea had practiced magical control daily. The fine control required for the magic she was using now wasn't too difficult for her.

The wind magic she cast veered slightly, hitting the goblin's side.

"I did it! This should knock it off the path..."

She thought. But...

Despite being pushed by the wind magic, the goblin, which should have fallen off the path, didn't plummet into the rainbow-colored space. Instead, it just lay there as if on solid ground. Of course, the magic itself had little impact, so it quickly got back up and charged again.

"Why...? Earlier, there wasn't ground outside the path... Or maybe, after moving a bit, it means there's no danger of falling off except the path?"

While keeping an eye on the approaching goblin, she searched her pocket. Finding a pen, she threw it towards where the goblin had fallen earlier. The pen continued to fall endlessly into the rainbow-colored void.

"There's definitely no ground."

"In that case, why did the goblin fall there earlier? Wouldn't I also fall if I collapsed? ...No, I can't afford to check that now. First, I need to deal with this goblin."

Steeling herself, she moved closer to the incoming goblin, striking it fiercely in the solar plexus with her fist.

Expectedly, it didn't fall.

Surprised, she continued to deliver punches and kicks, but the goblin remained upright.

Althea's punches and kicks were strong, even comparable to those of half the guards in her territory.

Glancing at the goblin, she wondered, "Why won't it fall? Is it because it's a monster? If it won't even faint, what should I do?"

Not fainting and being unable to knock it off meant she had to end this somehow. There was only one way. She had to strike its vital points with the concealed weapon she carried for self-defense. But...

Despite being a monster, the goblin had a humanoid shape. Moreover, Althea had never engaged in a fight where she had to stop an enemy's breath.

"When I decided to pick up the sword, I thought I had prepared myself. But..."

Avoiding the goblin's attacks, she clenched her fists tightly. Despite anticipating its moves, her attacks weren't decisive. At this rate, her stamina would eventually run out.

"Even before entering this space, I told Laila, 'It's better to be alone, no worries about being watched.' But now, I'm hesitating in the face of danger... But..."

"Suddenly, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Althea, what are you doing?"

Suddenly, Ciel's voice rang out, and she appeared.

"Hey, Althea, why aren't you defeating it? It's a monster, you know?"

"I know. I know, but... Even though I've hit it so many times, it won't faint."

Dodging the goblin's attacks, she continued the conversation. Ciel seemed to be above her.

After observing for a while, Ciel spoke.

"...Althea, it's fake."

"Huh?"

"It's probably an illusion spell. I don't sense any monster's aura. It's just making it look like there's a monster here."

"Really?"

Considering this is a school event, they wouldn't use real monsters. And I can't imagine getting inside either. Plus, if my attacks are this effective but still not working, it's not because it's a monster, but because it's an illusion, right?... That makes sense.

The pen fell through the ground, but the goblin didn't. That made sense.

Althea straightened her posture and stared straight at the approaching goblin. Then, in a low voice, she muttered, "I'm sorry." Swiftly, she drew the concealed weapon from her thigh and, dodging to the right, slashed the goblin's neck.

The goblin collapsed, spilling blood.

Even if it was an illusion, the sensation of cutting into a living being lingered in her hand. Her hand holding the weapon trembled.

Even though it was an illusion, the sensation of cutting into something living lingered in her hand. Her hand holding the concealed weapon trembled.

"...Taking a life is... this kind of thing," she muttered, pressing her trembling hand with the other.

"I said I wanted to become capable of fighting... but to be wounded by the weight of taking down an opponent... it's too selfish of me. To kill even an enemy means carrying this weight and living with it. ...I'm sorry, Father, Mother, Brother, Laila. I understood it in my head, but I didn't truly comprehend it..."

Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"...Althea? Why are you crying? It was just an illusion, so you shouldn't worry—"

"Yeah, I know. I know, but... I think it's wrong to think it's okay just because it was an illusion this time. I realized that I truly didn't understand the weight of taking a life. That's why Father and the others were so against it."

"...Althea..."

Concerned, Ciel murmured.

"I'm sorry, Ciel... It's no use. This isn't the time to be down. We need to find a way out of here first. I'll deal with being down later."

Wiping away her tears, she looked back to where the goblin had fallen. Strangely, there was no sign of the goblin, no blood that should have been spilled. There was only a white flower lying there.

"...Ciel, it seems like you were right. It really was an illusion spell."

"Yeah, I'm glad Althea is safe."

"Thanks to you, Ciel. If I hadn't realized it was an illusion, I wouldn't have been able to defeat it. Thank you."

While picking up the white flower lying on the path, she thanked Ciel.

Just as she picked up the flower, a door appeared a little further ahead.

"...When did this happen? Was obtaining this flower the condition?... Hey, Ciel. I won't forget about this fight. The sensation lingering in my hand, the weight of a life..."

"...Yeah..."

And as she walked towards the door,

"By the way... girls under 155 centimeters... Normally can't fight, right? Maybe it's okay if you can use magic. ...Even if it's a trial to make someone drop out, it's honestly not a very pleasant hobby to let them be attacked by illusion magic monsters."

"I agree with that... Hey, Althea, are you really okay?"

While agreeing, it seemed that Ciel was worried about the hurt Althea.

"Hehe, are you worried about me? Thank you, but I'm okay. ...I was born in Monclair, after all. I think it's something I can't avoid forever. It just happened to be now... It's okay, I'll face it, I'll be able to handle it..."

Finally, she murmured to herself, as if reassuring herself.

"Althea..."

Worriedly, as Ciel called out,

"I can't... I can't. If I go out with this kind of face, everyone will notice that something happened."

Saying so with a smile, she continued.

"Even if the monster was an illusion, Laila will worry... Hmm, how should I deceive her? Ciel, do you have any good ideas?"

Judging from her expression, she didn't seem to be pushing herself too hard.

Ciel sighed in relief.

"I think it'll be hard to deceive Laila. So, how about mixing in some truth when you tell her?"

"Mixing in truth?... Right, then, I'll tell her about the goblin appearing..."

After confirming Althea's expression as she considered the deception, Ciel added, "It's time to go back. I'll disappear now."

With that, Ciel disappeared with a smile.

After seeing Ciel off with a smile, Althea confirmed the content of the deception once again, then placed her hand on the doorknob and opened the door again.