Althea: The Legendary Saintess [Shoujo]

At almost the exact moment it was discovered that Althea could no longer use her magic, a shadowy figure reported to Siegfried that Lily Greshia had been stabbed by an unknown assailant.

Upon hearing the report, Siegfried swiftly gathered Regalus and Oliver to discuss their next steps. As they were deliberating on the situation concerning Lily Greshia, they heard the unusual sound loudly calling for Regalus.

"Jan at your service, Lord Regalus! Lord Regalus"

The three of them exchanged glances before Siegfried allowed Jean alias 'Jan' into the room.

Jean in his different persona, panting heavily, wasted no time and addressed Regalus immediately, barely waiting for permission to speak.

"Lady Althea has been attacked. She is uninjured, but—"

Before Jean could finish his sentence, Regalus dashed out of the room. Siegfried, maintaining his composure but with a tense expression, urged Jean to continue.

"Yes, Lady Althea herself is unharmed. However, she has been forced to wear a bangle that seals her magic."

"…Attacked, you say? Who did it?"

"…It was Lord Richt Tormandi. He attempted to abduct Lady Althea. Although she managed to escape when she saw an opportunity, he clasped the bangle on her wrist during the initial struggle, rendering her unable to use magic."

After hearing the full report, Siegfried turned to Oliver, who nodded in acknowledgment.

"Jean, I may not be your master Regalus, but on his behalf, I ask you to take Oliver to Althea. Together, they should be able to remove the bangle."

With a sigh, Oliver added, "Regalus usually keeps his cool, but when it comes to Lady Althea, he loses his composure entirely. And you, Sieg, I know you want to go as well, don't you?"

Oliver continued, looking directly at Siegfried, "But your decision is correct. Regalus and I will handle the bangle. Take care of Lady Lily."

"…Alright. Take care of Althea."

With that, Siegfried nodded, and Oliver left the room with Jean.

Alone in the room, Siegfried muttered to the closed door, "How powerless I am… Unable to help the woman I care about…"

Curio, who had been silently standing by, finally spoke, "Your Highness, Lady Althea understands your heart."

"She would indeed be furious if she knew I left Lily injured. Even knowing that, I still want to be by her side, to rush to her aid. Emotions can be so uncontrollable…"

Curio had no response, and after a brief silence, Siegfried shook his head and lifted his gaze.

"No use pondering. I must do what needs to be done. Curio, send a physician to Lady Lily immediately and instruct the shadows to report every detail of the examination to me."

He then began issuing orders, preparing for the return of his two confidants.

Fortunately, Lily Greshia's injury was not life-threatening. Having one of RGC's shadows by her side proved beneficial.

Lily, the daughter of a bishop, had grown up performing service tasks at the church from a young age. Her life changed drastically after her magical aptitude was measured. Being exceptionally rare in light magic, she ascended to a high position despite her youth, no longer needed for behind-the-scenes work. However, she was required to appear in front of the congregation during monthly grand services, a tradition that continued even during her time at the academy. Today was one such day.

Lily was attacked on her way back from the grand service. Though the shadow fought back, Lily was still injured.

After completing his directives, Siegfried sank into a sofa, lost in thought.

At least Lady Lily's injury isn't as severe as I feared. But how can we protect her now? She can't stay at the cathedral during summer break if she's a target. The safest place would be the royal castle with Curio as her guard, but that's complicated. And Althea… I hope Regalus and Oliver managed to remove the bangle…

Just as he pondered this, Regalus and Oliver returned.

"Althea, is she alright?!" Siegfried rushed to Regalus.

"Yes, she's safe… for now. We managed to remove the bangle with Oliver's magic and my sword, but her magical energy is severely depleted. She's resting now."

Regalus glanced at Oliver, who nodded and produced the bangle.

"This is the bangle that was placed on Lady Althea's wrist. It doesn't just seal magic."

"Not just seal magic?"

"We need to examine it thoroughly, but it seems to continuously drain magical energy. When I arrived, she was already exhausted, and after we removed it, she passed out immediately."

At the mention of Althea fainting, Siegfried bolted out of the room.

Worry gnawed at him. Even while tending to Lady Lily, Siegfried couldn't shake his anxiety. Yet, he reminded himself that he was the crown prince of a great nation, forcing himself to stay composed. But Siegfried had reached his limit.

Though he knew it was inappropriate to visit unannounced, and that he might not be allowed to see Althea as he wasn’t family, his feet carried him inexorably towards the girls' dormitory.

As he approached the RGC Girls' Dormitory, Siegfried carefully surveyed the surroundings before muttering a spell to cloak his presence. He then reinforced his body with magic and leapt towards Althea's balcony.

Fortuitously, the moon was hidden by clouds, shrouding the area in darkness and preventing him from being seen.

Landing silently on the balcony, Siegfried crouched and tapped gently on the window. After a moment, Laila peered out to investigate and met his gaze.

Recognizing him, Laila opened the balcony window and gestured for Siegfried to enter.

"Thank you, Laila. I'm grateful."

"Your Highness, breaking protocol like this… You must be deeply concerned about Lady Althea."

"Yes, I couldn't stay calm after hearing she had fainted. How is she now?"

"She is resting here."

Laila led Siegfried to Althea's bedside.

Looking down at the sleeping Althea, Siegfried brought his palm close to her face and murmured a spell.

"Her magical energy is significantly depleted."

"Yes, it’s been said she will recover if she sleeps for a few days… but we don’t know how long that will take."

Normally, depleted magic recovers overnight. However, if the depletion is severe enough to cause fainting, recovery is not so straightforward. Even those with low magical reserves would need a full day. For Althea, who possesses the highest magical capacity on record in the church, it could take days.

"Laila, would you mind stepping out for a moment?"

"Yes?"

Laila was startled by Siegfried’s sudden request and hastily responded, "I apologize, Your Highness. I was just surprised. I trust you, but being alone together in a room at night…"

"I have no ill intentions. Just… ten minutes."

Seeing the earnest look on Siegfried's face, Laila understood that he intended to do something that should remain secret. Silently, she left the room.

In the room, now illuminated only by the moonlight, Althea seemed almost divine, resembling the goddess Clair or the goddess Stella depicted in textbooks.

Siegfried sat beside the bed, gently lifted Althea's hair, and kissed it softly, murmuring, "Althea, please wake up. Show me that untroubled smile from when we first met. For that, I would do anything…"

He stood and added with a wry smile, "This would earn me severe punishment if found out…"

He then gently took Althea's hand in his, enveloped it with both his hands, and began to chant a long incantation.

As the incantation concluded, a pale blue light enveloped Siegfried. It was a gentle glow, akin to moonlight illuminating the room.

The blue light slowly concentrated into his hands, and through the contact, it spread throughout Althea’s body before eventually fading away, leaving the room in silence once more.

Siegfried brought his palm near Althea's face again, chanted another spell, and whispered, "Alright."

Satisfied, he quietly left the room.

The next day, Althea, who was expected to remain unconscious for an unknown period, miraculously awoke.