Behind the Scenes I

Behind the Scenes I

 

THERE WAS A KNOCK at the door to the king’s office. The chamberlain politely announced to the master of the room that he had a visitor: “Grand Magus Drewes is here to see you, Your Majesty.”

“Let him in.”

At the king’s words, the chamberlain bowed respectfully and headed back toward the door.

A few moments later, a young man of exquisite beauty entered the room wearing a smile. He bowed respectfully to the master of the room as well. “I am here to make my report.”

“I see.”

The king suspected the nature of the forthcoming report and so ordered everyone else to clear the room. The only people remaining were the king, the prime minister, and Grand Magus Yuri Drewes.

“Is this report in regards to the Saint?” the prime minister asked.

Yuri nodded. “That is correct.”

With that, he described the results of his efforts to Appraise both potential Saints. Upon hearing them, the king and prime minister groaned and fell silent.

Yuri had Appraised Aira without any problems, and he had submitted a report on her Stats based on the Appraisal. The problem was the other potential Saint, Sei. She had repelled Yuri’s spell, and he therefore was unable to confirm her Stats.

This came as a shock. Yuri famously possessed the highest base level in the kingdom; he was known to all Salutania for his skill with magic. Everyone had blithely assumed that he would, of course, be able to Appraise Sei—unless she purposefully repelled him.

“Are you saying the repulsion was unintentional? That her base level exceeds yours?”

“It seems so.”

“What is her level, then?”

“She claims to be Level 55.”

“Fifty-five…”

That would make her base level ten higher than Yuri’s. If that were the case, there was simply no way for Yuri to Appraise her.

“So, we still do not know which of the two women is the Saint,” the prime minister muttered with a grim look.

Although there were multiple theories on how to identify the Saint, there was no certain method. All history had to say on the matter was that the Saint possessed some kind of power that could eliminate monsters. However, the kingdom presently had no idea what that actually meant. They had hoped to discern some of the truth by Appraising both women.

Unfortunately, their hopes came to naught, as they couldn’t accurately discern Sei’s Stats. All they could rely on at the moment were Sei’s incredibly high base level and the unusual rapidity of Aira’s base and skill level growth. As each woman possessed different special qualities, there was no way to determine which was the true Saint.

However, as the prime minister bemoaned this fact, Yuri tsked. “That’s not true.”

The king and prime minister looked at Yuri with surprise. Yuri smiled silently at their frowns.

“So, which of them is it?” the king asked.

Yuri inhaled lightly. “Most likely Lady Sei.”

The king gasped and then took a deeper breath. “You’re certain of this?”

“It is only my speculation, but in all probability, yes.” Yuri’s even smile remained unchanged.

“I see.”

“Why do you believe this?” the prime minister asked.

Yuri explained himself with smooth surety: It all began with the moment Sei used Holy Magic at the hospital. The knights she healed reported her spell appeared unusual. Consequently, Yuri observed both Sei and Aira using Holy Magic. At first, Yuri wondered whether the gold sparkles in Sei’s magic might be a trait particular to those summoned from another world. However, when Aira cast the same spell that Sei did, hers only glowed white. It looked exactly like how it would if Yuri had cast it himself—or indeed, anyone from their world.

Therefore, Yuri concluded that Sei’s gold phenomena was not the result of her otherworldly origin but rather that it was an indicator of her Sainthood.

“This gold sheen is mostly likely a trait of the Saint’s power. Furthermore, when it comes to magic, Lady Sei’s abilities are far more potent than any ordinary person’s, even Aira’s.”

“I see.” The king nodded and sunk into thought as he frowned at his desk. “Thank you for the report. You may go.”

“Thank you. I shall take my leave.”

After confirming Yuri had left the room, the prime minister frowned. “Well, this makes matters a bit more complicated.”

“Indeed. Are things the same as before on his end?”

“If you mean your son, then yes.”

The king sighed deeply. They were speaking of the crown prince.

The crown prince, who had overseen the Saint Summoning Ritual, had acted as Aira’s guardian ever since she was brought to their world. He vigorously dedicated himself to the role, but his brazen self-assuredness had lately resulted in no small amount of discord.

News of these troubles had reached the ears of the king, leaving him stymied. He had given his son advice on the matter more than once. However, the crown prince showed no sign of changing his behavior. There had even been talk of forcibly separating Aira and the crown prince, but it wasn’t so easy to take the heir to the throne to task.

If the king could have assigned his son to a more pressing matter, he would have used it as an excuse to separate them, but unfortunately, the matter of the Saint superseded all others.

Under the current circumstances, tearing the two apart for anything less than an emergency would damage the crown prince’s standing to the point that the second prince would likely be nominated to the throne. That could end up causing a succession crisis, which Salutania had until now avoided. This very concern had left the higher-ups of the kingdom in a deadlock over how to address the crown prince’s imprudence.

Only exacerbating the issue was the fact that, on the day of the ritual, the prince had for some reason completely ignored Sei and left her behind. As a result, he offended Sei, leading to a great deal of anxiety for everyone who had to deal with her at that moment and ever since.

Worse, according to Grand Magus Drewes’ report, it was now more or less clear that Sei was the Saint. It would be pure catastrophe if she took her anger out on the kingdom itself, and the prince would be viewed with even more disdain for causing it.

“I suppose it’s about time to prepare myself for what’s to come,” the king said slowly to himself.

The prime minister only watched him in silence.

Up until this moment, they had left aside the question of Sei’s Sainthood and simply treated her as a valuable asset to the kingdom. Even with her unconfirmed but vital status, many had brought up the need to reward her for her contributions thus far—and to apologize for the crown prince’s behavior. Now, the need could not be denied.

“We must offer her a formal apology. How go the preparations?” the king asked.

“Nearly ready, but given what’s come to light today, we will need to make a few adjustments.”

“It’s been some time since her summoning. Finish as soon as possible.”

“As you command, Your Majesty.” The prime minister bowed respectfully.

After a moment of silence, the king spoke again. “From now on, we will need to treat Sei as the Saint, but it seems to me it would be best to remain…understated.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. When I had the chance to speak with her, she seemed to dislike being made the center of attention or anything that might lead to that. I offered her things nobles generally desire, but she turned them all down.”

“That…makes things difficult, doesn’t it? It would be in our best interests to, if possible, grant her a title or land to ensure she stays in our kingdom.”

“Yes, and those specifically were what she rejected. From what I’ve heard, she is incredibly well educated. She might even have guessed my intentions when I offered them.” The king chuckled while the prime minister touched his forehead as if in pain and shook his head.

From there, they began to discuss the particulars of the king’s formal apology, such as the scale of the event and who would attend. Before long, they also planned how to henceforth conduct themselves with Sei.

They took Sei’s desires into consideration and weighed them against the expectations of king and court. Eventually, they decided the room for audiences with envoys from abroad wouldn’t do; they would use a much smaller throne room instead. The attendees would include only the king and the prime minister, as well as each minister, the knight commanders of the Orders of the Knights, and those of especially high rank in court. That would have to do.

 

***

 

“I’m back,” Yuri said as he entered his office at the Royal Magi Assembly.

Beside his desk was another one, at which sat Magus Erhart. Erhart, you see, managed most of the work Yuri was supposed to do.

Yuri’s talent had been discovered by the previous grand magus, who later adopted him. Thanks to the previous grand magus’s dedicated instruction and Yuri’s own innate talent, Yuri had grown up to be a prominent researcher of magic. Whenever theoretical discussions arose, Yuri inevitably looked as though he were thinking of something else, something deeper.

After graduating from the academy, Yuri had been assigned to the Royal Magi Assembly, where he gleefully devoted himself to his studies. His ceaseless research had led to his high base level; he needed to keep leveling up in order to increase his Magic skills and proceed with his investigations.

He never balked at the thought of running out on his own monster-slaying expeditions to deepen his knowledge, either. For this, he had earned nicknames like “Bloodthirsty,” which wasn’t really the sort of thing you’d associate with a mage. Before Yuri knew it, he was such an expert that no one else in the Royal Magi Assembly could match him.

The prestige of being elevated to grand magus was actually a collar to keep him bound to the palace. However, as grand magus, Yuri was allowed to indulge in whatever scholarly pursuits he desired—the only reason he had agreed to take up the title.

However, while he continued to devote himself to the advancement of metaphysical theory, he did as little desk work as he could get away with. He was especially unconcerned with matters that didn’t attract his interest. As such, he had recruited Erhart to be his assistant.

“I made my report,” Yuri said.

“They didn’t press you about her Stats?”

“Not particularly. I did report the base level she told me, though.”

“I see.”

“I think they’ll be more preoccupied with the fact that I also told them I think Sei is the Saint.”

Yuri wore an innocent smile quite unlike the one he had worn in the king’s office. Meanwhile, Erhart’s expression was the opposite—stern and pointed.

Yuri breezily went on. “I wonder if this means we’ll get more chances to talk with Sei from now on. I’m terribly interested in her powers.”

This magic, so different from Yuri’s own, fascinated him. He wanted to observe Sei up close and uncover just what separated her from the people of his own world. If she was indeed the Saint, countless more chances to talk to her and study her magic during expeditions awaited him. This, of course, delighted Yuri.

Finally, he noticed Erhart’s stern expression and steadfast silence.

Yuri chuckled. “Don’t glare at me like that. Don’t worry. I’m just going to have her put on a tiny bit of a show.”

Erhart continued glaring.

“You must be quite fond of her by now,” Yuri mused.

“That isn’t it. I’m worried you’re going to do something to her.”

Yuri chuckled at Erhart’s unflagging frown. “Oh, that’s all? I heard you actually talked to her like you were a normal person and she was as well, and that’s so very unlike you. Which reminds me, your little brother is quite taken with her, too, isn’t he?”

It was indeed unusual for Erhart of all people to take interest in a woman. Perhaps the rumors really were true.

Immediately after performing the Saint Summoning Ritual, Yuri fell into a deep sleep. He had heard reports of what he missed, so he had a broad understanding of the situation. He had only really wanted more information about the Saint, but during the conversation, he happened to hear of the Hawke brothers’ growing intimacy with Sei.

High society largely believed the Hawke brothers had little to no interest in women. This was so well known that even Yuri had heard it, even though he had zero interest in such gossip. In fact, he had seen firsthand on several occasions that Erhart was, at best, curt with noble ladies.

Yet Yuri heard that this same icy, awkward Erhart had easily conversed with Sei while she visited the Royal Magi Assembly and, furthermore, that it seemed his interest in her extended beyond her magical powers.

This didn’t surprise only Yuri. It stunned the mages who witnessed Erhart’s softening as well, and for a time they whispered that spring had finally come for the magus. However, the rumors about Erhart’s younger brother Albert were far more credible, so the rumor didn’t last.

Yuri didn’t have much interest in anything besides magic. In fact, he wasn’t particularly interested in the other members of the Royal Magi Assembly, either, and didn’t know much about any of them. Since Yuri could use every type of magic, most of his experiments didn’t require cooperation, so he rarely got involved with his ostensible colleagues. However, as Erhart did all of the grand magus’s busywork and they had to talk to one another quite a bit, Yuri thought of him as a friend.

It was possible only Yuri felt that way, though. However, since this was one of the few relationships Yuri could even imagine classifying as “friendly,” he did want to avoid angering Erhart.

“I’m not going to hurt her,” he assured Erhart. “Especially since I imagine that if I did, I’d make you, your brother, the head researcher at the Research Institute of Medicinal Flora, and all sorts of other people angry.” Yuri chuckled, but Erhart didn’t seem to entirely
trust him.

The fact was that Yuri’s zeal for learning had caused problems before. On the surface, Erhart acted as if he took Yuri at his word, but inwardly, Erhart sighed with unhappiness, knowing he’d have to keep a watchful eye on the grand magus to ensure he didn’t stir up too much trouble.