Althea: The Legendary Saintess [Shoujo]

When Althea leaped into the distortion at the gate, the 'hole,' the space before her was pitch black.

Yet, despite the supposed darkness, her body seemed to be drawn forward as if without hesitation.

"...Ciel, are you here?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Althea, you manage to walk in such total darkness. Can you see anything?"

"N-no, I can't see anything. But somehow, my body is moving on its own? It's... strange. I don't feel scared though..."

Casually conversing, they walked for what felt like about ten minutes. Suddenly, a burst of light flooded before them, dazzling Althea into reflexively closing her eyes.

"Althea, it's alright, open your eyes."

Guided by Ciel's voice, Althea gradually opened her eyes to find the Pope and the Headmaster standing before her.

"Welcome, Miss Monclair. It's been a while."

The Pope spoke with a calm smile. Standing silently beside him was the Headmaster.

In this esteemed and weighty circumstance where the top two of the Illumi religion stood side by side, Althea felt a bit flustered, but managed to offer a greeting.

"Um... Your Holiness, Headmaster, thank you for inviting me?"

Even though she knew her questioning greeting was odd, the Headmaster burst into sudden laughter upon hearing it.

"Hahaha!"

"L-Laughs? But I expected a flawless and elegant greeting, like at the entrance ceremony... I mean, sure, my greeting was weird but... laughter?"

Known for his mischievous side, evident even in the lottery for the exploration event, the Headmaster's unfamiliar behavior left Althea simply astonished. As she gaped at his hearty laughter,

"Enough of that. Laughing so heartily in front of students doesn't show enough awareness of your role as Headmaster."

The Pope reproached calmly.

"But, but..." After several deep breaths, the Headmaster finally settled down and, straightening up as usual, delivered a congratulatory speech with a serious expression.

"My apologies, Miss Monclair. This is... the first time we've spoken one-on-one, isn't it?"

"...Quite the transformation from laughing out loud just moments ago..."

Despite thinking such impertinent thoughts, Althea smiled and replied, "Yes. I'm not even the student representative."

"Yes, that's what I found curious. With your excellent grades, why aren't you the representative?"

"Oh, that's because my brother—"

"Ahem."

As they seemed to be drifting into casual conversation, the Pope coughed, causing the startled Headmaster to look awkwardly at him. While the Pope, seemingly aware of the Headmaster's gaze, ignored it and began speaking.

"I apologize, Miss Monclair, for troubling you to come all this way..."

For the first time, she felt a sense of discomfort at his words and glanced around again. This wasn't a room; it looked more like a cave. Between the Pope and the Headmaster, there was something resembling a pedestal.

To calm Althea's confused glances, the Pope spoke.

"This is a part of the cave leading to the 'Sacred Place'. Originally, I intended it for the Headmaster's chamber... However, since it appeared that Miss Monclair commands fairies, I thought she might be able to come here too and tried it out."

"...Tried it out?"

"Yes, although you may have heard in class, the 'Sacred Place' isn't accessible to just anyone. However, those who command fairies have a high chance of reaching it. Because this is where fairies are born."

While the Pope spoke matter-of-factly, there were several words that caught Althea's attention... Should she really ask about them now? As she hesitated,

"If you have questions, it's better to ask."

The Headmaster, who had silently appeared beside her, whispered.

Startled by his sudden whisper, she turned to face him.

"Huh? Don't you have questions?"

Without being surprised by Althea's actions, the Headmaster smiled gently.

"If someone suddenly whispered next to you, you'd be surprised, right...? Anyway, Miss Monclair, do you have any questions?"

"Um... Is this really the place where fairies are born?"

"Yeah, that's right."

The Headmaster answered her question right next to her.

"Is that so... And also, you mentioned earlier that I command fairies... How did you know?"

―Why did you know?―

Just as she was about to ask, she hesitated, her mouth dry.

"If you command fairies, you must have some kind of connection to them when you responded to the 'birthplace of fairies', right? But... when I took my first-year teaching position, I always asked and watched for the reactions of all the students, so why didn't I notice? Oh, maybe after that, did it become visible?"

Althea hesitated how to respond to the Headmaster's question, her gaze gradually falling downward.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not blaming you or anything," the Headmaster hastily apologized, prompting the Pope to continue the conversation.

"Do you perhaps think that if you can see fairies, you must become a bishop of Illumi religion? There's no need to worry about that. Just because you can see fairies doesn't mean you have to become a priest. Of course, we welcome anyone who wishes to serve under Lord Saul, but the person's own will is most important. Not everyone who serves is deeply religious, after all."

"Yes, indeed. There are many who serve for their livelihood," the Headmaster nodded in agreement.

"Yes... is that so?" Althea finally raised her face and replied in a soft, hoarse voice.

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I can sense 'light,' but I cannot see, so I was just curious about what fairies look like if they are visible. Um, if they are 'visible,' that is..."

Apologetically, the Headmaster apologized again.

Seeing this, Althea felt even more apologetic for her own silence.

...He said not to force it, but revealing that I can see fairies and converse with them... might not be a good idea...

As Althea pondered, suddenly Ciel's voice echoed in her mind, saying, "I think so too."

Startled by the voice, Althea twitched, catching the Pope's attention.

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh... no, it's just... I feel a bit embarrassed when Headmaster apologizes to me..."

"Hmm... I see. Anyway, whether you can command fairies or not doesn't matter. Can you at least sense 'light'?"

"Huh? ...Yes."

"Then follow that 'light' here?"

"Yes, the 'hole' was pitch black, so I was wondering what to do, but then 'light appeared in front of me' and I followed."

...She wasn't lying. Ciel had indeed come with her. The only difference was whether she saw it as 'light' or as a 'fairy.'

The Pope seemed to scrutinize Althea's words for their true meaning, staring into her eyes for a while.

"...I understand," he finally said, seeming to accept her explanation.

Meanwhile, the Headmaster remarked somewhat disinterestedly, "So you can only see 'light'... Well, if your magic power is strong, there's a higher chance you can see. The Crown Prince mentioned seeing them too. But... communicating with fairies, I suppose that's still just a legend."

Hearing this, Althea decided to keep to herself the fact that Ciel had actually said, "I'm glad I didn't say anything after all."

"Anyway, let's accomplish today's goal for now. Miss Althea, do you understand today's purpose?" the Pope redirected, addressing Althea.

"Yes, I understand it as 'conducting another magic power measurement.'"

"...It's a bit different. We want to reconfirm the quality of your magic power."

"The quality of magic power?"

"Yes, your magic quantity remains unchanged, but the quality varies depending on your physical strength, endurance, and mental strength. In other words, even if you have a lot of magic power, without effort, you'll only be able to use mediocre magic. Conversely, with less magic power, you can cast high-quality spells with effort. That's why the quality of magic power is as crucial as the quantity. So, we occasionally request re-evaluation for those with a certain level of magic power."

"...But isn't having a certain amount of magic power important for sustaining spells or casting them repeatedly?"

"Yes, sustaining and casting multiple times do require significant magic power. However, if the quality is poor, both offense and defense won't be very effective... Though it might buy some time... For example, if you cast the basic earth magic 'Earth Wall,' poor quality would result in its quick destruction, but with good quality, it would stand longer. Again, the quality of magic power is just as important as the quantity. That's why we periodically request re-evaluations for those with a certain threshold of magic power."

"...A certain threshold? Then what about my brother or His Highness?"

"I don't think there's any need to examine them. They're men, after all, with no issues in physical strength, endurance, or mental strength, likely honed through sword training. Regarding women with significant magic power, honestly, we cannot predict. Hence, we check for changes in quality."

"I see... Understood. May I inform my brother about the reason for re-evaluation? He seemed quite concerned..."

"Yes, that's fine. It would indeed be strange if only you were singled out."

As the Pope explained, the Headmaster interjected, "Preparations are complete."

With that, Althea realized during their conversation, they had set up the crystal ball for the magic power measurement.

Three figures stood around the pedestal.

Why do I feel more nervous than during the last magic power measurement...? It must be because both of them are here together.

With these thoughts, Althea took a deep breath and nervously placed her hand on the crystal ball.

As Althea held her hand over the crystal, colors resembling emerald green and earthy brown cleanly divided into a circle. The impression of the colors felt vivid compared to last time. Simultaneously, there was a sense of unease.

Wait, there was supposed to be a 'transparent something' in the center last time...

She looked again at the crystal, but there was no clear, transparent space like before.

Feeling a bit anxious, Althea shifted her gaze from the crystal to the Pope and the Headmaster.

The Headmaster, wide-eyed, stared at the crystal ball. The Pope, whispering to the Headmaster, seemed unaware that Althea had noticed them. Suddenly, their eyes met as the Pope raised his head abruptly.

"Oh, sorry. I left you hanging... Everything is fine now," the Pope said, lowering his own hand.

"Um... How was it?" Althea asked tentatively, stealing a glance at the Headmaster.

"You've put in a lot of effort. Such vibrant colors of wind and earth are rarely seen. The quality has also developed wonderfully," the Pope replied with a smile.

However, he didn't mention a word about the 'transparent magic.'

Is it because the Headmaster is here? Certainly, the Headmaster doesn't know about the 'transparent magic'...

Thinking this, Althea silently stared at the Pope for a while. Eventually, the Pope sighed lightly, seeming to relent.

"Is something the matter? Are you curious about the 'transparent magic'?" he asked cryptically.

"...'That thing'? The one from earlier?" the Headmaster interjected.

"I'm curious about 'that thing' too... What is it?" Althea asked.

Before the Pope could respond, the Headmaster posed another question.

The Pope then said, "I'll explain it to you later... Miss Monclair, the 'transparent magic' is still present. However, due to the baptism of wind and earth, it's placed at the center, surrounded and covered by the crystal ball, making it seem like it's not there at first glance."

"I see... Do you still not know what the true nature of the 'transparent magic' is?" Althea asked.

The Pope simply nodded apologetically in response to Althea's question.