Althea: The Legendary Saintess [Shoujo]

After finishing my meal, I returned to my private quarters.

Outside my balcony and in front of the door, I could still sense the presence of Regalus and Laila’s familiars. Acknowledging their presence, I opened the drawer of my desk. Inside was a magic book bound in silver and rainbow hues.

"The goddess said 'escaping is easy' but..."

As I took the book from the drawer and flipped through its pages as Stella instructed, it began to emit a faint, rainbow-colored glow. Gradually, the magic book itself started to fade away.

"W-What? Is it... disappearing?"

As I murmured those words, the magic book vanished entirely, transforming into a small orb of rainbow light. The orb floated towards me, merging into my chest and disappearing inside.

"Wait, did the magic book just enter my body? What is this... my head... it feels... strange."

I felt something flooding into my mind. At first, it was a small sensation, but it quickly grew, swirling around and expanding. Unable to stand any longer, I collapsed to the floor, losing consciousness.

"Lady Althea, Lady Althea!"

A voice calling my name stirred me from unconsciousness.

"Mm... Laila?"

"Oh, thank goodness! You’re awake."

I found myself lying on my bed.

"What... happened to me?"

"Lady Althea, you collapsed over there."

Laila pointed towards the desk by the window, then turned back to me, checking my face and shoulders.

"I was so shocked when I found you like that. Are you in any pain?"

"I’m fine. I suddenly had a headache and collapsed, but now it’s completely gone. I think I was just exhausted from everything."

"Even so... maybe we should call a doctor. Or perhaps, have Lord Regalus use his healing magic. He should be here soon..."

"Laila, really, I’m okay. If my head starts hurting again, then we’ll call a doctor, alright?"

As I recalled the moment I collapsed, I gently rubbed my chest where the magic book had been absorbed. I could feel it had become a part of me, and as the goddess said, I now knew how to escape my quarters. But I couldn't let anyone know that just yet, so I smiled to reassure her.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Laila opened it to reveal my brother standing there.

"What took so long? Did something happen? Where is Althea?"

"She’s over there..."

Upon seeing me lying in bed, Regalus rushed to my side.

"Althea! What happened? Are you hurt?"

"Brother, I’m fine. Just a bit tired."

"Tired? Well, there has been a lot going on. Let me cast a healing spell on you just in case."

Regalus chanted a spell, and as the healing magic took effect, I felt my body lighten. I got up from the bed, straightened my clothes, and went to the living room, where Regalus was already sitting and drinking tea.

"Brother, thank you for the healing spell. I feel much better now."

I thanked him as I sat on the sofa opposite him.

"Haha, no need to thank me. I'm just glad you’re okay. Seeing you unwell would make it hard for me to focus on my mission."

Regalus was scheduled to depart for the homeland by ship today. Upon arrival, he would join the crown prince in a quest to find the Sword of the Sun and battle monsters.

"When are you leaving?"

"The ship departs at three. If all goes well, we should arrive at the kingdom's port by tomorrow evening."

Despite his calm demeanor, I knew the journey was fraught with dangers. The eternal darkness made navigation difficult, and monsters roamed the seas.

"Brother, are you sure it’s safe? You mentioned before that monsters have appeared in the sea."

Seeing my worried expression, Regalus moved to sit beside me, gently patting my head.

"It’s alright. The first ship after the darkness fell was attacked, but since then, we’ve added soundproof and defensive enchantments. Also, the latest information suggests that the journey might take only a day thanks to some new enhancements on the ship. So don’t worry about me. I’m more concerned about you. Promise me you’ll stay safe."

"…"

"You’re not going to agree, are you? In that case, I’ll leave Jean here. If you try to leave, the familiars will alert us. I know it’s hard, but please stay put. If you do, you can move freely within the dorm."

He emphasized his words, making sure I understood.

"I’ll end this night of darkness as soon as possible, so please wait for me."

With that, Regalus left my room.

After seeing Regalus off, I lay back on my bed, raising my hands towards the ceiling and staring at the backs of my hands.

"...Imagination, huh..."

The advanced magic book that had merged with my body began to impart its knowledge to me.

"As long as the wielder's magical power holds, any desired spell can be used."

The first condition for using these desired spells is to form a clear image in my mind. Once the image is established, the second condition is to utter the incantation. With these two conditions met, even spells not listed in any magic book can be cast. In a sense, it's the ultimate advanced magic book.

However, it has its drawbacks.

The amount of magical power required for the desired spell is unknown. If I overuse it, I could exhaust my magical energy, leading to death—a double-edged sword, so to speak.

Moreover, no matter how much one wishes for it, the magic book cannot bring the dead back to life.

"A magic book that convenient wouldn't exist, would it...? But at least, the 'escape method' the goddess mentioned can be solved using this Imaginary Magic. Now, the problem is what to do after I leave the room. Ciel said he would take me, but he hasn't shown up today. I wonder what happened?"

As I worried about Ciel's absence, I noticed a commotion outside my room.

When I opened the door to check, I saw Laila also peeking out from the hallway door.

"Laila? Do you know what’s causing the noise?"

As I approached, Laila turned and quickly closed the door.

"Ah... It seems Lady Julia's father has arrived without prior notice, and the dormitory head is speaking with him."

"Really? I heard Lady Julia's father has a short temper..."

"Yes, that seems to be causing the commotion. He’s complaining about the lack of advance notice to take his daughter home."

"Laila, do you think we could speak with Lady Julia?"

"That might be difficult... Her father seems quite agitated..."

Peeking out from behind Laila, I saw Julia following her irate father out of the dormitory, bowing her head.

As Julia and her father left, the dormitory head instructed the gathered students to return to their rooms. Among the instructed students, Alicia noticed me peeking out and approached.

"Good day, Lady Althea. Have you resolved your troubles?"

Alicia Cuffs asked with a smile.

Alicia was the one who had said during enrollment, "I'd be willing to be friends," to which I replied, "We don't have to force it." She genuinely wanted to be my friend and continued to speak with me despite her entourage misunderstanding and making snide remarks towards me. Realizing their misunderstanding, Alicia apologized for the first time in her life, bowing her head.

Since then, we’ve often spoken as friends, mostly during meals in the dormitory. This morning, however, I seemed deep in thought, making her hesitant to approach me.

Following my gesture, Laila opened the door to invite Alicia in. Over tea prepared by Laila, I asked Alicia about the recent commotion.

"Alicia, do you know what the fuss was about?"

"It appears Lady Julia's father came to pick her up. He was upset about the lack of advance notice, which caused the disturbance."

"How kind of him to come for her..."

Responding to Alicia's information, I took a sip of tea. Alicia leaned closer, lowering her voice.

"I overheard him muttering, 'She must be the Maiden of Dusk.'"

Returning to her seat, Alicia continued.

"This morning, there was an announcement that the Maiden of Dawn had appeared. He must have been convinced and came to pick her up."

"—The Maiden of Dawn appeared—"

I didn’t know that information had been disseminated. I had too much on my mind.

Turning to Laila, I saw her avert her gaze. She must have known about the Maiden of Dawn's appearance.

For now, I decided to continue listening to Alicia.

"But to pick her up, he’d have to take a ship, right? There are monsters in the sea now, making sea travel dangerous. Plus, it’s impossible for him to have traveled here today after receiving this morning's news. My brother told me just now that it takes at least a day to travel between RGC and our principality."

"Just now? Was Lord Regalus here?"

Blushing slightly, Alicia inquired.

"Yes, my brother and his party are departing for RGC this afternoon, and he came to say goodbye. He mentioned the travel time then."

"Which departure? What time?"

"Three o’clock. There's still time..."

Alicia’s eagerness was amusing, and I chuckled softly as I answered.

Calming down after hearing the time, Alicia took a sip of her tea.

"Yes, the pick-up... Indeed, if what Lord Regalus says is true, today's pick-up is strange. Either he knew about the maiden's appearance in advance, or... he was already here, convinced from the beginning that Lady Julia was the Maiden of Dusk."

"..."

"Is Lady Julia the Maiden of Dusk? With Lady Lily being the Maiden of Dawn with light attributes, it's likely that the Maiden of Dusk would have dark attributes. But there are troubling rumors too..."

Last night, Alicia had discussed with other female students about the widespread search for the Maiden of Dusk.

"They say that people are desperately searching for the Maiden of Dusk, branding anyone with dark attributes..."

Gripping the fabric of my skirt tightly, I felt a pang of worry.

If my silence caused suffering for my friend...

The thought made me anxious and uneasy.

"Lady Althea?"

Concerned about my pale complexion, Alicia spoke softly.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I'm fine. Please continue."

Forcing a smile, I listened to Alicia.

"If you’re sure... If Lady Julia is the Maiden of Dusk, we might not be able to see her again. Even if she's not, her father’s temper suggests she’ll be in trouble."

That’s right. Julia is not the Maiden of Dusk.

Her father, who had always denied her dark attributes since her magical assessment, would likely say terrible things if she wasn’t the Maiden of Dusk. The thought pained me. Was there any way to help her...?

Suddenly recalling the ship’s departure, I asked Alicia.

"By the way, Alicia, do you plan to see my brother off?"

"Huh? Well..."

Flustered and blushing, Alicia's reaction was endearing. I decided to ask her a favor: deliver a letter to my brother.

Alicia asked why I wasn’t going to see him off myself, and I managed to explain away my restriction from leaving the dormitory. She seemed to understand.

I quickly wrote a letter to my brother, and Laila handed it to Alicia, who returned to her room to prepare for the send-off.

"Now, we leave it to my brother... If my silence causes trouble for others, even if not entirely, he’ll help as much as possible..."

Watching Alicia and her escort head to the dock from the window, I murmured to myself.