Act 5: The Saint’s Magic

Act 5:
The Saint’s Magic

 

“I never imagined simple wheat would have such an effect,” Corinna said with admiration as she gazed at the spelt specimen on her desk.

The day after I made pasta, when I got to the brewery, everyone immediately swarmed around me. They had already heard about my discoveries from Corinna.

The alchemists in the brewery had a vested interest in herbs, so I had predicted this. However, at the time, I still hadn’t heard the additional news from the Third Order, so the group broke up quickly.

Of course, that wasn’t the end of it. When I got back from dropping off the potions for the knights, they gathered around me once more with new questions. I ended up telling them everything I’d investigated up to that point.

“So you see, among all the wheat varieties, spelt is known for its high nutritional value.”

“Is this related to that medicinal cooking business?”

“Not exactly, but it’s similar enough.”

I had stumbled on that book about the European saint and her spelt fixation while browsing the aromatherapy shelf at a bookstore. That saint had studied medicine and herbology and made great achievements in food research, which was how she’d come to be known for evangelizing spelt—she’d even written a book on it.

“Now that’s interesting,” one of the alchemists said. “Are there any other kinds of food like this?”

“A ton. It’d take me ages to tell you about every one of them.”

“Let’s start from the beginning and go bit by bit, then. First, spelt.”

While I did know about those super-hyped ingredients called superfoods and the like, I started to realize I maybe didn’t remember all that much about them.

A cold sweat trickled down my back, but thankfully I could handle another mini lecture on spelt, at least.

Corinna picked up the specimen and started muttering to herself as she thought something over. She’d asked about making potions from wheat, right? What kind of things might we concoct? Wheat… Liquid… Beer? Beer was made out of barley, though.

“Do you think that, using spelt, we could make something more effective than high-grade HP potions?” I asked her.

“Oho, is that something you’ve been looking into?”

“Yes. I’ve done a great deal of research, but I have yet to find such a potent recipe.”

Part of me wondered if it could be so simple as adding spelt to my high-grade HP potion recipe—like some kind of secret recipe of my own. I also still nursed a faint hope that Corinna might have some special folk knowledge on the topic.

My question had been offhanded, and so I was shocked by her answer: “Such a thing did once exist.”

“What?! Really?”

“Yes, but not anymore.”

Not anymore?! My eyes widened.

I glanced around the room. No one else seemed floored—did they already know about this? Corinna ushered me into the back room, where she unlocked the door to a closed bookcase and retrieved a book. When she flipped through the pages, I realized it contained dozens upon dozens of potion recipes.

“Take a look. This is the recipe you’re searching for. Superior-grade, they called it.”

“Oh, my…”

“Its effects are remarkable, but it also costs a great deal. The particular herb required to brew it is difficult to acquire and commands a fearsome price at market. On top of that, hardly anyone could ever actually make this recipe, even here in the brewery.”

All the alchemists in Klausner’s Domain had exceptionally high levels, as one would expect from the place known as the alchemist’s holy land. Their Pharmaceuticals skills and techniques were basically from another plane of existence, especially compared to those of the folks back in the capital.

I supposed it was possible I just saw them in a favorable light because Corinna was the head alchemist and all, but they really seemed top-notch. Either way, every potion made here utterly outshone the ones made at the research institute. After all, at the institute, I was the only one who could make high-grade HP potions, but more than a few people here had a high enough level in their Pharmaceuticals skill to do the same.

However, according to Corinna, none possessed the level required to make superior-grade potions. That wasn’t for want of natural skill, or a lack of trying—the alchemists here were brilliant, but without the special herb needed to make superior-grade potions, there was no way to do work sufficiently complex enough to raise one’s Pharmaceuticals skill to the required level.

The herb in question was found in the far north of Klausner’s Domain. It only grew in a select few spots deep within the forest. Despite that, at one time, the people of the domain had managed to cultivate it in their fields, if at the border of the woods.

“Wait, you could grow it? Like, agriculturally?”

“We could indeed.”

“But why not now?”

With an odd, nostalgic look, Corinna explained. Once, a truly gifted alchemist had lived in Klausner’s Domain. To this day, she was remembered as the mother of modern medicinal know-how, and her influence continued to shape the pharmaceutical industry. The alchemists of Klausner’s Domain had revered her and given her the title “Great Alchemist,” of which she had clearly been more than worthy.

Notably, all her life she had skirted the border of genius and profound eccentricity. The gossipy types had instead referred to her as the “Fool’s Alchemist.”

Nevertheless, it was this woman who had made it possible for so many different types of herbs to be cultivated in Klausner’s Domain. It seemed to some that she had found a way to cultivate plants that could only be picked in the wild specifically so she could make potions whenever she wanted. She wasn’t quoted as saying anything like, “Well, if I can’t get the ingredients, then I’ll bring the ingredients to me,” but that was absolutely the vibe.

The Great Alchemist had also worked on cultivating the special herb for superior-grade potions. However, despite devising a specific technique for its care, growing it was still no mean feat. According to Corinna, it required several very particular conditions for the herb to take.

“Many of those conditions have been kept secret, or even lost,” she said. “I can’t be certain, but I suspect one of those conditions is no longer being met, which is why we have lost our ability to grow it.”

“What do you mean they were kept secret?”

“Only a very few people know every single necessary element for growing the herb.” Corinna retrieved another book from the bookcase and handed it to me.

I hesitated to open it, instead looking between the cover of the book and Corinna’s face. She jerked her chin to tell me to go ahead, so I started flipping through the pages.

As I read, I furrowed my brow. The contents of this book revealed the very same secret conditions for growing the herb. “Um, are you sure it’s okay to show me this?”

“I’m the one in charge here, and I say yes. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

Really? I had my doubts—this felt too easy—but I looked for the page about the herb in question. Before long, I found it.

As I was reading, Corinna murmured, “This is extremely confidential. Do not share what you read here, not with anyone. Although, once you know the conditions, you’ll see why nothing can be done.”

Sure enough, as I got a bit further, I realized exactly what she meant.

 

***

 

There were bucketloads of information about basic herb cultivation in that book, at least as much as there was about the specific herb for superior-grade potions. It talked about light, water, temperature, fertilizer for keeping the soil in good condition, and all that stuff, but there was one word with which I was unfamiliar, at least in so far as agriculture.

“Blessings?”

I had never, ever in my life seen that word associated with growing plants. It gave me the mental image of someone praying in front of a field. What kind of religious practice would that be?

At the same time, the idea was awfully familiar. My heart skipped a beat.

There’s no way. I glanced timidly toward Corinna, who stood next to me, and met her gaze.

“Do you know what this is referring to?” she asked.

“Uh, I’m not exactly sure.”

This wasn’t a lie, not really. It reminded me of something, sure, but I didn’t know anything for certain. Besides, the person who had written this book was the Great Alchemist, not some past Saint. In other words, it was highly likely that the blessing described here wasn’t the one I’d been trying to devise. Despite that, I got the feeling that my initial thought wasn’t too far off the mark.

“Hm. Too bad, then. Well, never mind.” Although Corinna’s words were nonchalant, to me, they resonated with a deep disappointment. “Even if we could perform this blessing, no one possesses the requisite skill level to do anything with the herb.”

Thoughts whirled round and round in my head. But she was right—no one could make superior-grade HP potions without the necessary skill level.

“That reminds me, I haven’t asked you yet, have I?” Corinna peered at me. “What is your Pharmaceuticals level anyway?”

I pulled up my Stats to check.

 

Sei Takanashi – Level 56/Saint

HP: 5,003/5,003

MP: 6,173/6,173

Battle Skills

Holy Magic: Level ∞

Production Skills

Pharmaceuticals: Level 32

Cooking: Level 15

 

Huh. Well, it was higher than the last time I had checked. I had assumed I couldn’t go up any higher. Maybe I owed this increase to the work I’d done with Corinna’s secret recipe? That would be amazing! It’d mean I could continue raising my level even if we never figured out how to grow the special herb again.

“Level 32.” I beamed.

Corinna frowned. “What?!”

The intensity of her gaze made me take an involuntary step back. “I-Is something the matter?”

“That level of yours, it’s higher than I imagined.”

“O-oh?”

“Higher than mine, in fact.”

Huh? Really? I gaped.

Her expression melted into exasperation. “Well, I guess it makes sense that someone would reach that level if they could make as many potions as you do every day.”

“Uh, sorry.” I apologized reflexively.

The alchemists had shown surprise at my production rate, sure, but Corinna hadn’t said anything about it, so I hadn’t thought much of it. However, it seemed like I got a little potion-happy even by their standards. I’d justified it with the fact that both the knights and the mercenary company were in constant need of a steady supply, but…I probably should have restrained myself a bit.

“At Level 32, you’ll have no trouble making superior-grade potions. The only remaining problem is the lack of ingredients.”

“I see.”

Corinna put a hand to her chin as she sank into thought. I glanced at her sidelong, though my own thoughts were now dominated by superior-grade HP potions.

I wasn’t all that surprised to hear that I met the requirements to make them. In fact, I had assumed as much. You see, your ability to make higher grades of potion depended on your skill level, and it increased every ten. I had assumed I would be able to make higher than high-grade potions the minute I hit Level 30, but it turned out the main thing I’d been missing was the correct ingredients.

Those were still a problem. It would be difficult to acquire the missing herb, and certainly I couldn’t get it any time soon. We couldn’t even think of cultivating it unless we were able to fulfill this “blessing” condition. Hmm. Should I tell Corinna about what I was trying to do before?

As I contemplated this, Corinna moved to the double-doored cabinet in the corner of the room. To my surprise, there was a second set of doors behind the first, and these were made of metal. I understood metal cabinets to be rare, and indeed it turned out to be a safe. The key to the safe hung around Corinna’s neck. She pulled it out from underneath her clothes.

Inside the safe was a very old-looking book. It was thinner than either the books with the potion recipes or the book about herb cultivation techniques.

What could this one be? I watched cautiously as Corinna held the book out to me.

Tentatively, I opened the cover. While it was in good enough condition, the pages inside were yellowed with age. As I carefully flipped through them, I began to suspect that this book was, in fact, quite different from the others.

“Is this a diary?” I asked.

“Yes, but it’s an important piece of literature.”

Literature? At a cursory skim, it seemed ordinary enough. What could she mean?

“That book is incredibly precious. Please only read it when you’re alone in this room.”

“Really? Alone?”

“Yes. The contents of that book are highly classified information. They mustn’t be shown to anyone else.”

Holy crap! What authorized me to read top secret intel? Then again, if I asked Corinna, she’d just say something like, “Me, I authorized you.”

She prompted me to keep going with her eyes, so I returned my attention to the diary. I placed it on the table and sat so I could really focus on absorbing its contents.

I only had to go a bit further before things started clicking together: the author of this diary was likely the Great Alchemist herself. She had written about her daily life, just like you would in any normal diary, but her daily life included the precise work of trial and error that had led to her incredible feats of cultivation.

“The person who wrote this…don’t tell me it was her?” I paused to glance at Corinna, who was sitting next to me. She nodded silently.

Yup. It had to be. In this book, the Great Alchemist had also recorded her thought processes, which hadn’t been in the book about cultivating herbs. The path to success was never an easy one, but it sounded like she’d enjoyed the ups and downs in equal measure.

However, the diary wasn’t all herbs all the time—it also spoke of the Great Alchemist’s love for Klausner’s Domain and the people who lived here. She was, in fact, the daughter of the Lord Klausner of that era.

It seemed that Klausner’s Domain hadn’t had a specialty export in those days. It had mainly produced wheat, just like the majority of the other territories in the Kingdom of Salutania.

One year, the wheat harvest was devastatingly poor, and famine spread across the whole of Salutania, including Klausner’s Domain. It had hurt the Great Alchemist’s heart to see her people starve.

Thus, in order to pay taxes with some kind of crop other than wheat, she had turned to the cultivation of herbs. Of course, her preestablished interest had spurred this decision. However, her words made clear to me that she was driven first and foremost by concern for her people. She was so grateful that her work had ensured they would never again have to fear going hungry.

As I kept turning pages, I found multiple mentions of a certain herb that she was having a hard time cultivating. She was stuck on figuring out its needs—it seemed far trickier to nurse than any other plant. It also seemed to be vitally important; she couldn’t just put it aside and come back to it later.

I could feel her frustration in her writing. She recorded failure after failure, and I found myself skimming through all her roadblocks until something caught my eye—a cry of joy. She had at last managed to solve the riddle.

I turned back a few pages, then forward, then back, but there was no mistaking it: a blessing. That was her answer. And there was something else, something I couldn’t overlook.

“Golden magic…”

Ah. I knew it.

Corinna studied me as she said, “Do you know what this ‘golden magic’ refers to?”

Yes. Yes, I did.

 

***

 

For the next few days after I learned the shocking truth, I cooped myself up in the back room of the brewery to read through the Great Alchemist’s diary with absolute care, making sure to absorb every word.

I still felt a bit bad about reading someone’s diary, but, well, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. And anyway, I was only doing this because I needed to know how to use my Saintly powers. Or so I told myself.

From the descriptions in the diary, these blessings definitely sounded like the work of the Saint’s magic. After all, if the Great Alchemist could use golden magic, she had been the Saint. I had predicted as much.

Corinna confirmed it when I asked her. Unfortunately, they didn’t know whether blessings were specifically a power the Saint possessed, as that was confidential information held by the palace. Furthermore, the only people who knew any details about the Great Alchemist’s blessings were the generations of lords of Klausner’s Domain and the people in charge of the castle brewery. This was also the reason why the diary was kept in absolute secrecy.

I was worried Lord Klausner might object to my reading it, but it turned out to be a baseless fear. Corinna assured me that she had sought his permission ahead of time, and I was relieved to hear it. When I actually stopped to think about it, I realized that as the person in charge of the brewery, there was no way Corinna would have shown a third party such confidential documents without consulting her lord first.

Now that I understood the Great Alchemist’s blessings had been a product of her Sainthood, I wished I could just move on to the next step, but there was another problem: I still didn’t know how to use the powers of the Saint.

The reason I read the diary nonstop for multiple days in a row was because I hoped something in it would let me at last figure it all out. I’d take anything, even the tiniest hint. However, I didn’t make any progress. I didn’t even find any particularly noteworthy description that gave me pause.

The moment I finished the diary, I stretched in my chair. The Great Alchemist had lovely, tidy handwriting, but reading her work for so long had made my eyes tired. I rubbed them with my hands and sighed.

Sunlight streamed through a window in the back of the room. Based on the length of the shadows, I guessed it was about three o’clock in the afternoon. I had a vague memory of hearing the bell chiming the time not too long ago.

I’ve just been reading, reading, reading since this morning. Maybe I ought to head outside for some fresh air? Well, no time like the present. I stood up from my chair.

“Oh? Heading out?” Corinna asked when I emerged from the back room.

“I was thinking I need a walk to clear my head.”

“That might be a good idea.” She smiled sympathetically. I must have looked exhausted. She patted my back encouragingly as I left.

I headed for the area behind the castle, where I knew they kept a small field that the alchemists used to experiment with growing methods. It didn’t smell as strongly of herbs as the brewery did, but being near it refreshed me for some reason, and in any case, it was a nice change of pace.

When I got to the field, I let out a sigh. I squatted down next to it and rested my chin in both hands as I gazed absentmindedly at the scenery. Since I was so low to the ground, the only thing I could see with any clarity were the herbs swaying in the breeze.

For a while, my head was empty and melancholy teased at my heart.

All in all, this investigation was a lot rougher going than I had imagined it would be. The Great Alchemist had written in great detail about her experiments, so I had hoped she would be similarly meticulous with her description of blessings and how they worked—but she wasn’t. Not at all. Rather, the only things she wrote about in any like detail were the other necessary growing conditions and the lives of her people.

Hmm. Maybe there’s something I’m overlooking, I thought as I gazed at the herbs while sifting through my memories of the diary.

She actually spent a lot of time writing about the people who lived in her father’s domain, down to the minutia of their daily lives.

Now that I think about it, there were some people she wrote about especially frequently. That one guy in particular came up a whole bunch—it kind of sounded like he was her little brother?

She’d written about him rather extensively, actually. In fact, hadn’t he kind of been the first person she had used the blessing for?

Specifically, she had originally focused on herb cultivation in order to combat a disease that was spreading in Klausner’s Domain. The symptoms progressed slowly, but the afflicted person grew weaker and weaker until they finally passed. While the Great Alchemist strove to grow more and more potent herbs, her people continued to fall to the disease until it reached her brother, too. This had only inspired her to work harder.

As the herb she needed to save her people was difficult to obtain, she had thrown her resources into growing it instead of searching it out. Her gamble had paid off, and she was able to use the herbs she grew to make potions that rescued the life of her brother and the health of her people.

On the record of the day her brother’s condition began to improve, the ink of her words had been runny and blotched with signs of her relieved tears.

Yet nothing about this really stood out to me, at least not with regard to her powers. “Hmm, what a mystery.”

Maybe the hint was in a part I’d accidentally skimmed? It wasn’t like I could remember every single word in the diary, so it was possible. But would it be an event so trivial that I couldn’t remember it?

No matter how I thought, I couldn’t come up with an answer. Also, my legs were starting to feel numb, so I stood up. As I stretched my arms and my back, they made a popping sound. Gosh, I’d spent a lot of time reading that diary.

I wasn’t sure I was feeling any more clearheaded, but I had been out for some time, so I felt compelled to head back.

I got up, and as I headed off, I heard some people talking loudly. I turned toward the noise and spotted the mercenary company coming toward the castle. There was something different about them today—something that troubled me. I strained to see what was going on, suddenly worried something serious had happened.

The second I spotted someone I knew in the crowd, I took it as an excuse to run over to them. As I got closer, I realized what was wrong. They were coming toward the castle from the direction of the forest, and most of them had some kind of injury. Some even had to lean on others to walk.

“Are you all right?!” I gasped as I approached Leonhardt—or Leo, as I’d started to call him even in my head.

His hard expression softened at the sight of me. “Oh? It’s you, missy.”

Most of the mercenaries blinked at me in confusion, unsure of who I was, but a couple smiled weakly when they recognized me—they were the ones who always came to pick up potions at the brewery. I heard one of the ones who recognized me explaining that to the others.

“Did you just come back from an expedition?” I asked.

“’Fraid so. We ran into some unusual beasties near the outer edge of the forest. Just finished killing the lot. We put up a good fight, but there were quite a few. Nearly did us in.”

“Oh no! Are you guys going to be okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. We’re in way better shape than we would be, thanks to your potions.”

The other men chimed in with their agreement.

“So you’re the one who made those potions?” asked one.

“You saved my life!” said another.

“Without that potion, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

“The effects of that potion I drank were amazing!”

Well at least that fifty-percent-bonus curse was good for something.

Once Leo outed me like that, I was surrounded by the mercenaries as they showered me with thanks. Although I was used to being around the Knights of the Third Order, being surrounded by these men—who were even more muscular and bulky—was a bit intimidating.

I worried my smile looked forced—I hoped they’d overlook it. Come on, they had to know how overwhelming they were!

“Please tell me you’re off to get healed at the castle,” I said to Leo.

“That we are. But I’m telling you, we got off easy with your help. Granted, some of us still need a little more treatment, but we’ll be fine.”

“Listen, come to the brewery, and I’ll prepare a few more potions for you.”

“Nah, we’re not doing that badly. Slap on some bandages and we’ll be good to go.”

“Really? Some of you look kinda rough.”

“Ah, I suppose there’s no hiding it from you. Hmm, well, are you sure you don’t think we can make do…?”

Leo rejected my idea out of hand, and I didn’t get why at first—his people obviously needed the potions, even if he was being weirdly evasive about it. He scratched his head, a disconcerted expression on his face.

I frowned. He knew potions healed bodies faster than natural processes. He and his men were professionals.

Oh no—are they hesitating because of the herb shortage? Oh boy, I bet they give themselves a strict quota for how many potions they’re allowed to use every day. I do make the same amount for them every time. Well…then why don’t I heal them up using my magic instead?

Leo and his men were responsible for patrols that kept the whole domain safe, and that meant fighting monsters every day. It would be best for everyone if they could do their job in perfect health.

I had asked before if Klausner Castle had anyone who could use Healing Magic, but nope. I was surprised to hear this, considering this was the capital for a whole domain, but this dearth of skills seemed to be the norm everywhere in the countryside.

I supposed there were only a few people who could use magic in the first place, and even fewer of those who could use Healing Magic, and most of them went to the capital to join the Royal Magi Assembly. Also, I’d heard the members of the Royal Magi Assembly made way more money than those who worked in the countryside castle towns.

So, this was up to me.

“How about I heal all of you, then?” I asked.

“Hmm? Ah, Sei, I’m afraid your potions—”

“Um, no, I mean with magic.”

“Huh?” Leo and the mercenaries all stared at me, flabbergasted. Well, I’d seen that coming. It had to be hard to imagine someone with Healing Magic was all the way out here.

Leo regained his composure and eyed me with suspicion. “I thought you were an alchemist.”

“Uh…” How could I respond to that? It was true enough that I was a researcher at the Research Institute of Medicinal Flora, and I had skills in Pharmaceuticals. It would be okay to call myself an alchemist, right? “I am indeed an alchemist.”

They continued to stare at me in silent disbelief. I tried to shrug it off. I had a feeling I’d lose if I engaged.

“Well, do you want me to heal you or not?” I asked.

Leo seemed to give up and just said, “Yes.”

Once I got his permission, I started casting Heal on those nearby. Some mercenaries had pretty serious injuries, but nothing life-threatening, so I didn’t need to give anyone priority.

Because Healing Magic was so rare, or perhaps I should say since there were so many who were having Heal cast on them for the first time, they all watched the spell work its (literal) magic with sparkles in their eyes.

Considering the number of injured, my area-of-effect spell Area Heal would have been faster, but I opted for regular old Heal instead—it stood out less. Area-of-effect spells required a fairly high skill level. I had a feeling that if I used something that showy in a place where Healing Magic was already rare, it’d invite all sorts of headaches. Therefore, I tried to pull this off as subtly as possible.

However, all my smooth-operator confidence crumbled at a brief comment from Leo: “You’re good at that.”

“I am?”

“Yeah. I’ve seen a mage from the palace heal others before, but your spell looks more, I dunno, powerful.”

“Th-thanks.”

“If you can do this, I bet the knights will call on you later, too.”

“Huh?”

“They had some injuries as well.”

Oh no—was the Third Order okay?

“Yeah, we were traveling together on the way back,” Leo went on. “They were in way worse shape than we were.”

“They went far deeper in the forest than usual, so that’s probably why,” said one of the mercenaries.

“It’s wild in there right now—way too many monsters. Gotta be fully prepared before you so much as set foot out in the field.”

“Um, by knights, are you talking about the guys who came in from the capital?” I asked, shaking—it was a dumb question. I knew the answer. And yet I hoped…

“Of course. Who else?”

The mercenary’s confirmation shot a chill down my spine.

And then, as always happened whenever I thought of the knights, I pictured Albert’s smiling face.

And then I imagined a grim scene I had seen only once before.

“Area Heal!”

“Hey!” Leo cried out in surprise when I suddenly cast this spell, but his words didn’t reach me.

My spell instantly healed all the mercenaries at once, but I didn’t stay to see it. I didn’t even turn back toward the voices that called to me as I dashed away, running as hard and as fast as I could toward the building where the knights were stationed.

When was the last time I ran with all my might? Am I faster than I used to be? I think so—I’m like Olympic-level fast, I thought deliriously as I kept moving my feet with all my strength.

I knew it wasn’t really the time for such frivolous thoughts, but if I didn’t think of something, I’d panic.

The mercenaries’ words pounded in my head in time with my feet. The knights were hurt, even worse than the mercenaries had been. Just how bad was it?

I had seen them get injured before, obviously, back when I participated in that expedition near the capital. If they were only as wounded as they had been then, then I would make it in time. The abilities of the Royal Magi Assembly mages who had been with us had been sufficient to tend those hurts.

But if their condition was worse than those I’d just seen, which had been bad enough…! It was bad. It had to be.

Is he all right? I bit my lip at the sudden thought. No. It doesn’t matter what state he’s in, so long as he’s still alive. If he is, I’ll heal him with everything I have.

With renewed determination, I finally reached the quarters of the Knights of the Third Order. As it came into view, I also came across some of the knights, heading back toward their station in a wounded wave.

There were a staggering number of injuries. Nearly half of those I saw needed the support of their fellows.

I winced at the sight of it. The throng of injured filled the entry to the building.

One of the knights noticed me the second I arrived. “Sei!”

The other knights simultaneously looked up. Their haggard faces all turned to ones of relief.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Well as can be. As you can see, we didn’t lose anyone.”

I shivered with relief.

“They’re working on treating the people inside and—”

“I’ll go help!” I interrupted.

The knight thanked me with an apologetic look.

He didn’t need to. Although I’d come to Klausner’s Domain because I had an interest in the alchemist’s holy land, I was also here to join the expeditions. It was only natural that I help treat everyone’s wounds.

I responded with a brief smile and went on my way.

The entrance hall was crowded, but the men who noticed me passing made way for me. The inside of the main hall was just as crowded. The handful of mages from the Royal Magi Assembly who had come with us were sitting on chairs with lines of injured people waiting to see them. They were caring for those who could stand on their own.

Spread out behind them, sitting or lying down along the walls, were those who were worst off. Other mages walked among them, using Healing Magic one at a time.

But where’s Albert? I should check in with him and see where he thinks I’ll be of most use. I frantically surveyed the hall, but I didn’t spot his familiar blond hair, not anywhere. Is he not back yet? Or…

A sinking feeling spread through my chest.

But wait, no, that knight just told me there weren’t any deaths. I shook my head back and forth to dispel the evil thought.

As I resumed searching for Albert, I happened to make eye contact with a knight who beckoned me over. He was part of a cluster of people. Is that where Albert is?

I rushed over and found Albert sitting on a chair in the middle of the group.

Is something wrong with him?

He had a somewhat dazed, languid look. I couldn’t see his expression clearly, though, since his face was turned down.

“Lord Hawke!” I called out his name and froze.

A servant was patting Albert’s head with a white cloth. A small stain, dark and red, spread over it.

A head injury? Oh no! The blood drained from my face. That’s not good. That’s not good at all. I have to heal him!

The moment that thought slashed through my mind, a familiar sensation seeped out from my heart. “What the?!”

“Sei!”

Huh?! Why?! I panicked—I had no idea what was going on, but I couldn’t stop the magic overflowing from within me.

White and gold magic poured out of me and into the air, gradually filling the entire hall. The knights cried out in surprise at the sight of it.

O-oh dear. What do I do? You know what, fine. I suppose for now… My confused train of thought came to a stop as I remembered what I needed to do—what I wanted to do. That’s right. I’m here to heal everyone. I have to heal him.

Right as I thought that, the magic activated, and it was like all the light, my magic, reacted at once. A powerful radiance filled every inch of the hall. My vision went completely white. Once the light receded, everyone had been healed, just like I had wished for.

When everyone could see again, cheers of joy cascaded through the hall.

“Sei?” came a soft voice from just in front of me.

“Oh… Lord Hawke. Are you all right?” I was at a loss, as my sudden show of magic had disoriented me, but his voice snapped me back to reality.

Thankfully, his injury was healed now, too.

“Yes…” He frowned. “Though I don’t believe I was injured all that badly.”

“Y-you weren’t? I thought you hurt your head.”

“I’m fine, I promise. It looked worse than it was because of the bleeding.”

The servant removed their hand from Albert’s head to show me that the bleeding had stopped. Although I knew I’d healed everyone, I was relieved to see it.

“By the way, did you just…?” Albert trailed off.

I nodded before he finished his sentence. “Yes.”

Everyone knew what he wanted to ask, and why he couldn’t quite say it out loud—he wanted to ask if I had used the power of the Saint.

But what in the world had caused me to use it now of all times? It wasn’t like I had intentionally triggered the power—it wasn’t anything like when I used Healing Magic.

Nevertheless, something had summoned it forth.

As I thought it over, I suddenly remembered a passage in the Great Alchemist’s diary. She had first used her powers when she was in a panic over her brother’s worsening condition.

Was it panic? Was that the answer? Or was it more about the context? I had been incredibly upset when I saw Albert injured. I’d felt the same way about a similar thing happening back in the western forest as well.

But what about when I had first used it back at the institute? At that moment, I had been frustrated by my inability to find a way to make stronger potions. However, if frustration was all it took, I should have been able to use the power at the Royal Magi Assembly practice grounds as well. Yuri’s insistence on standing beside me while I practiced had certainly put that kind of pressure on me. I had been plenty frustrated then, even panicked at times. And yet, I hadn’t used the magic.

If it wasn’t panic, and it wasn’t frustration, then what in the world caused the power to activate?

“—Sei?” A voice called my name over and over and snapped me out of my reverie.

Albert was looking up at me with worry, seeing as I hadn’t responded to him despite him saying my name, er, multiple times.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I got lost in thought.”

“About the Saint’s power?”

“Yeah… I still don’t know how it works, even now, seconds after I did it.”

“Hmm.” Albert put a hand to his chin and sank into thought.

The nearby knights also started thinking it over.

And you know what? I was grateful, intensely so, that so many people were trying to help me solve this mystery—especially because sometimes you figure something out when someone just happens to ask you the right idle question. The way they all started throwing out ideas made me feel like I belonged.

Belonged… Belonging. When I thought about it, that time when I first used the power back at the institute, I had also been thinking about everyone in the institute and in the Third Order. Could it be that thinking about the people in my in-groups—that sense of belonging and caring—is the trigger? Hmm. That doesn’t seem like quite enough, though.

However, I had a gut feeling that I was on the right track.

If I remember correctly, back at the institute, I was… As I thought back as best as I could to the very first time I had used the golden magic, I felt a change within me. It was strangely…like an ache. It left me momentarily surprised. When I stopped thinking so hard, the feeling subsided. I frowned.

And then I realized. My face went crimson.

“What’s wrong?” Albert asked.

“O-oh, it’s nothing.”

I couldn’t find it in me to tell him the truth.

Nooooo. There’s no way I can tell you, even if you do keep looking at me like that! Because… Because… How am I supposed to explain that thinking about you was what made me use the power?! It’s way too embarrassing! There’s no way! Absolutely no way I can tell you!