[V12C34] The Saintess's Resolve / The Starseer's Lament

The black-haired boy Norman looked up from his study desk at the Magic Corps station in the capital, glancing nervously out the window.

His master, Hubert Dee, sat in the opposite seat, casually placing his feet on the desk.

“What’s up? Something bothering you?” Hubert asked, leaning back with a yawn.

“Well, yes… The strategy room has been busy since yesterday…”

Though Norman had no affiliation with the Magic Corps, he was allowed to stay because Hubert was a collaborator for verifying the shadow removal spell.

As a result, Norman knew about the events of the past few weeks.

A dangerous ancient artifact known as Gluttonous Zoe was employed to put many people into a coma. Apparently, it also had the power to take the “precious things” of others, as well as cause the worst dragon disaster in the history of the country.

In response, Ridill deployed many people, including the Seven Sages, to resolve the incident.

The severity of the situation left Norman unable to hide his anxiety, but Hubert still wore his usual smirk.

“As if there’s anything to worry about. Especially with the strongest Rutherford Class ever moving into action.”

“The strongest Rutherford Class ever…?”

According to Hubert, the “Rutherford Class” referred to the students affiliated with the research laboratory of the esteemed Minerva professor, Gideon Rutherford.

From Norman’s point of view, the strongest of Rutherford’s students was probably Monica Everett, whom Hubert was fervently pursuing.

“…Are you referring to the Silent Witch and her classmates?”

“Nah. This is from back when I had just enrolled, before Monica came to Minerva. There was an event that pit classes against each other in a magic battle, with professors and students teaming up to fight… Oh man, it was really a sight to see. The Rutherford Class was out of this world.”

With his feet still on the desk, Hubert rocked his chair back and forth, gazing up at the ceiling in reminiscence.

“Carla Maxwell casting seven spells at the same time. Louis Miller charging straight in and tearing up the other teams. Not to mention Professor Rutherford, the guy who taught those two geniuses. They were just plain violent.”

Despite calling them “violent”, Hubert’s eyes sparkled with glee. Norman knew how much his master loved violence.

Norman suddenly realized something strange in Hubert’s story.

“But Dee-sensei, the Barrier Mage specializes in barriers, right? Why would he be charging in?”

“Well, he wasn’t called the Barrier Mage back then. Honestly, he’s always been the aggressive rush down type anyways.”

Norman knew that the Barrier Mage served in the Magic Corps before joining the Seven Sages. After he became captain, the Magic Corps’s main strategy against dragons was herding them into a barrier and having his subordinates shoot them down.

“…But that’s probably the last time we’ll ever see them fighting as a team,” Hubert continued. “There’s just no enemy big enough to need all three of them at the same time.”

Indeed, as Hubert pointed out, the current operation involved the Smoke Mage, the Starspear Witch, and the Barrier Mage being assigned to different locations.

The only one remaining in the capital was the Smoke Mage, Gideon Rutherford.

“Will we really be okay…?” Norman murmured. “All of the Seven Sages have departed the capital…”

In contrast, Hubert simply laughed off Norman’s anxiety.

“Hah! A wise choice, if you ask me. The old folks always rush to protect themselves in an emergency… Seems like those who understand reality talked them down though.”

“Um… I believe the Starspear Witch used the materials provided by the Library Society to make accurate predictions of dragon disaster locations. Then, Prince Lionel and Duke Crockford lobbied the Council to pass her proposal… Is that what you are referring to?”

If you want to be a full-fledged mage, then you need a good understanding of politics. This was another lesson from Hubert, who was an expert at both violence and schemes.

This was the culmination of Norman’s information gathering efforts over the past few days. However, Hubert responded with a casual hum.

“Hmm-mmm-mmm, 90 points.”

“Ugh… What did I miss?”

“You’re not wrong; the First Prince did a lot of the work… But that work becomes a lot easier if he has a clever princess arranging things behind the scenes. I love women who know their tricks.”

＊　＊　＊

The First Prince Lionel’s fiancé, Cecilia the Silver Moon Princess, had been sitting at her desk whenever she had time over the past few days, diligently writing letters.

First, she contacted her brother, the Black Lion Emperor, regarding the prophecy of the worst dragon disaster in Ridill’s history. Her timing was impeccable, as the letter reached him immediately after the news went public.

His brother’s reply arrived almost just as fast.

In summary, the letter said something along the lines of, “I feel as though my chest might burst when thinking about the predicament befalling Ridill and my most beloved sister Cecilia. I will spare no effort to support you in your time of need.”

A letter with a similar sentiment was sent as an official document to the King of Ridill.

(But I know the truth. Onii-sama does not have any “most beloved” family members.)

The Black Lion Emperor had many siblings aside from Cecilia, but he deliberately reserved the expression “most beloved sister” for her.

This was to force Ridill into gratitude for being allowed to have Cecilia.

But at the same time, the wording implied that he was willing to aid Ridill as long as they protected her.

(…It seems I’ve succeeded in gaining his support.)

At the very last, he would be an ally for as long as she proved useful.

In addition, the Black Lion Emperor’s personally written letter forced the stubborn nobles of Ridill into action. Their pride would not let them accept aid from the Empire, so they did everything at their disposal to resolve the issue domestically.

(King Ambrose may seem gentle at first glance… but he knows how to use his people.)

The King of Ridill, Ambrose Claydl Ridill, also played a key role in this, by going around and showing the nobles this letter.

Thanks to him, Lionel found much less resistance when deploying the Sages away from the capital.

(Next, I need to address the garden party guests…)

The annual garden party had been postponed, so she intended to send letters informing the guests of the situation.

She wrote words of consideration, such as “I am very sorry that we had to postpone the garden party. I pray that we can enjoy it together once everything is settled.” Then, she would include a small gift to hold them over.

Just a few years ago, the nobles of Ridill were divided into the factions supporting the First Prince and the Second Prince. As a result, there was a significant divide between the members of these factions.

Cecilia believed that it was her duty to smooth out this divide as much as possible. In other words, she wanted to take the lead in saying, “Let us join hands beyond factions to make a better country.”

Maybe this was just a facade, and it would only change things on the surface. Even so, many found it easier to follow once someone else raises the sentiment.

(…A single letter from me isn’t enough to change anyone’s mind.)

The amount of trust gained with a single letter was practically meaningless.

But Cecilia knew that the accumulation of small interactions leads to trust, and trust leads to support.

That was why Cecilia continued to write these letters——for the sake of building those small trusts.

“Excuse me.”

As Cecilia continued writing, her chief bodyguard, Casper Hutter the Dream Mage, entered the room carrying a bundle of letters.

Apparently, some of the replies to her letters had arrived.

“Thank you, Hutter. I’ll go through those once I finish writing this one. Is there anything urgent?”

Hutter glanced around the room, confirming that they were alone, then answered in a whisper.

“…There is one from Duke Achenwall.”

“Oh dear.”

Duke Achenwall was Cecilia’s grandfather… as well as the person who ordered Hutter to kill her.

The letter from her grandfather expressed concern about Cecilia’s current situation and urged her to return home.

Despite her grandfather’s clear intention to assassinate her upon her return, Cecilia smiled and took a feather pen in hand.

“I see. Then I’ll make sure to write a heartfelt reply to my grandfather. Perhaps something like, ‘I will perform my duty by bridging Ridill and the Empire, so please do not worry about me. Thank you for sending the Dream Mage to assist me, I have gained his full support.’ How does that sound?”

“As expected of His Excellency’s granddaughter. You have nerves of steel.”

The sarcasm from the man who loathed her only made Cecilia smile.

Contrary to her delicate appearance, her eyes contained a firm resolve.

“Of course. I am the Silver Saintess, or rather, the Silver Moon Princess. I am not so cowardly as to panic over trivial matters.”

As Cecilia moved the quill again, she thought about her fiancé, the First Prince of Ridill, Lionel Blem Edwalt Ridill.

He was currently working tirelessly to deploy the Seven Sages and Dragon Knights to regions with a high chance of dragon disasters, while the central nobles fought to keep them in the capital.

(I want to be of use to him.)

Next, her thoughts went to one of the Seven Sages, Monica Everett the Silent Witch.

She was the girl who shared a little courage with Cecilia.

(Please be safe…)

Once everything was resolved, she intended to hold a secret tea party with Monica.

She wanted to share her stories about Lionel, and hear more about the person Monica loved.

＊　＊　＊

Mary Harvey the Starseer Witch slowly opened her eyes. She felt a dull ache at the back of her head.

Her hazy field of view revealed that she was not in her bedroom. It seemed to be a private room in a hospital, and there was someone sitting in the chair next to her bed, looking down on her.

He was a boy of around five years of age. His eyes seemed unusually sharp, and his eyebrows were very prominent.

While Mary did not recognize his face, those eyebrows looked familiar.

“Yo, Mary. Good morning,” said the boy.

Mary attempted to reply, but her voice would not come out. All of her limbs felt sluggish too.

Only after clearing her throat a few times could Mary squeeze out a hoarse voice.

“Who… are…?”

Rather than responding, the boy took out a familiar-looking pipe and twirled it with his hands.

Mary knew of one person with that habit.

“…Rutherford-sama?”

“Yeah, it might sound hard to believe, but I’m the Smoke Mage, Gideon Rutherford. I’ll explain how I ended up like this, as well as the current situation. Just lie down and listen up.”


By the time Rutherford finished his lengthy explanation, Mary’s body had gotten a bit more responsive. She sat up on the bed, took a sip from a water pitcher, and exhaled.

Apparently, she had been attacked by Gluttonous Zoe and left in a state of suspended animation. In addition, the situation had taken a turn for the worse while she was out.

Gluttonous Zoe was currently accumulating mana in Sazandol, in an attempt to summon the Spirit King of Darkness. Perhaps the gate was already open.

Either way, summoning the Spirit King would result in large-scale mana contamination throughout the country, followed by wide-spread dragon disasters.

The worst dragon disaster in Ridill’s history, which Mary predicted, was on the verge of becoming a reality.

“Ah… Why…?”

Mary covered her face with her hands, letting out a scream of despair.

“Why didn’t Gluttonous Zoe attack Darius-chan…! I wanted to see the young Darius-chan…!”

Hearing this caused Rutherford to accidentally drop his pipe. He did not turn young by choice.

Tears as beautiful as sparkling crystals welled up in Mary’s eyes.

“I wanted to see Darius-chan… his beautiful boyhood again…!”

“Can you stop it with the sleeptalk already?” Rutherford interjected in exasperation.

However, Mary was completely serious.

Her childhood friend, Darius Knightley, had captured her heart when he was still a beautiful young boy.

That gradually changed after the issues with his father. He grew more wild in appearance, and now, he was practically unrecognizable as his former self.

“I wanted to put shorts on the young Darius-chan… Oh, Darius-chan’s knees were my long-cherished desire… He was so hateful and adorable at the same time…”

“Good news then. Your adorable Darius-chan has sent you a gift.”

Rutherford slapped a piece of parchment into Mary’s face. Naturally, it contained no words of sympathy or consideration.

“Here you go, permission to use the ancient artifact, Star-Weaving Mira.”

Star-Weaving Mira was an ancient artifact that had been managed by Mary’s family for generations. It possessed the power to absorb and release the mana from contaminated lands.

After Mary fell into a coma due to Gluttonous Zoe, there was apparently quite a dispute in the Harvey family about appointing a substitute wielder for the artifact.

Regardless, Duke Crockford lobbied for permission to use the artifact, in preparation for when Mary arose.

“He really pushed this through the Council at lightning speed,” Rutherford continued. “Anyways, looks like you’ve got a job to do, Starseer Witch.”

“Sending me a job as a get-well gift… How can he be so cruel…?”

Mary took the document and pouted like a sulking child.

Darius Knightley was not a man who simply obeyed the whims of others. While it was true that Mary often shoved work on him, he would use whatever means possible to involve her as well, forcing her to deal with the cleanup.

Mary placed a hand on her forehead, stared up at the ceiling, and let out a groan.

“Truly! He’s so uncute that it makes him cute!”

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