[Saintess and Maid]
The saintess and the maid. A chant is a pact and a bond. It's the contract a mage forms with their mana to wield magic. It's the means—and everything—that allows mana to take physical form as magic.
Mana is an invisible substance. Some call it the breath of the gods. Like breath, it's an unseen energy, something you can't even dare to glimpse. Since it can't be seen, using mana as magic required a method. And the only way to harness it as fuel for spells was through chanting.
A mage vocalizes the structure of the spell, and the mana reacts to their voice and tone, shaping itself into form. The great archmage Roll Aphron once described chanting as the sole way for humans to borrow the power of the gods. Magic is like the gesture of a god's hand.
In this way, chanting is the oath every mage must utter to magic. But one day, the fellow great archmage Elise Sethris responded to Roll Aphron's statement with this:
"Then, if a mage appears who doesn't use chants, does that make them a god?"
Her curt remark. To that, Roll Aphron replied flatly:
"Not chanting means wielding magic directly without borrowing the gods' power."
His eyes turned to Elise.
"What else could that be but a god?"
He boldly proclaimed the birth of a god. The astonishing part? Even that Elise Sethris couldn't dare deny it.
Chantless magic is the birth of a god. This was the debate on chantless mages that took place over ten years ago at the Imperial White Tower. And its conclusion was—
Chantless mages don't exist, so no one can become a god.
That conclusion had been drawn over a decade ago.
"...Do I really have to do that?"
A god had appeared in the barren northern lands.
＊＊＊＊
The ducal family's lord's chamber. Lately, it seemed like people were coming and going more frequently. The room's master, Duke August, stood with a rigidly tense face. He couldn't dare sit. Only the emperor and imperial family could afford such a thing in the presence before him.
"...I greet Duke Colton."
"It's been a while."
Colton Clay. The empire's guardian, called the emperor's sword—an absolute existence. One of the few Sword Masters on the continent, ascended to the ranks of superhumans. The idol of all knights. August faced him.
"It's been nearly ten years since we last met like this."
"Excluding the goddess festival when His Highness the crown prince was there, exactly so."
"You look well. Seems you haven't neglected your training."
"Thank you."
August bowed his head at Clay's praise. The evaluation from a continental powerhouse. August was genuinely impressed by his words.
"But something amusing caught my eye."
"..."
August couldn't respond to the follow-up. He swallowed dryly at Clay's impassive tone. He knew exactly what that meant. It wasn't a term for people, but right now, it fit better than anything.
"A mage named Ruin."
"...Ruin?"
Ruin. No family name. He'd heard the boy was adopted from an orphanage, so of course he wasn't nobility. Normally, neither Duke Colton nor August would spare him a glance. Mages were valuable resources, sure, but the empire had plenty. The magic towers in the capital were teeming with them—not so rare after all. Especially not to Clay, who'd been called a war god and mage slayer on the battlefields.
But.
"He didn't use a chant."
Now it was different. Ruin. A mere child not even grown yet had shown something impossible.
"Did you know?"
"...I didn't."
To be precise, he'd only heard vague reports. But believing them was another matter entirely.
Chantless magic.
Chantless. A mage without chants. Something that existed only in legends, impossible for all mages—the domain of gods. And now such a mage had appeared. A boy of barely a dozen years, only at 1 Circle with just one spell at his command.
"You didn't know—."
Colton reacted with doubt, but August was sincere.
"It's only been three days since Ruin came to our ducal house. He's only gone on two subjugation missions. The first day, he said he couldn't even use magic."
"Couldn't use magic?"
Colton frowned at that. Couldn't use magic? It made no sense. August continued his explanation.
"He said so himself. He couldn't read, so he hadn't learned magic... but in one day, he mastered reading, learned magic, went on reconnaissance, and subjugated an Ice Troll."
"..."
Even hearing the explanation, it was incomprehensible. What was this story? Mastered reading in a day, learned magic on the spot, and took down an Ice Troll? Even battle-hardened Colton thought it absurd.
"Possibility of a foreign agent?"
"...That."
Rather than such nonsense, it made more sense to think some other continent had sent a monster to the empire. Or.
"A demonkin?"
"...!"
In the era when the demon king gathered armies, there were transcendent beings. So-called demonkin—could it be one? August shook his head, swallowing dryly at Colton's words.
"I don't think so."
"What's your reasoning?"
"...It's because of the one who brought Ruin here."
August spoke without hesitation.
"Elise. Ruin is the adopted son of Archmage Elise."
"..."
Elise Sethris. Mentioning her made even Colton Clay—rarely—grimace.
The worst witch. The being she brought.
"Haha."
Colton laughed. He had no choice.
"The witch got lucky in her old age."
"..."
"She searched and searched, and finally found one."
"What...?"
"A shame. I thought I could take him as a disciple."
"...!"
August stared at Colton at the mention of disciple. Why would a knight who took no one under his wing say such a thing?
"May I ask one thing?"
August couldn't hold back.
"What is it?"
"I'm curious what you saw in that child to want him as a disciple."
Ruin had nothing. Thin and frail body. Too weak to even lift an iron sword. No spark in his eyes either. So he couldn't understand.
The duke who refused even the crown prince—why?
The crown prince, called a genius with the sword, the empire's blade. The princess, a genius with magic. Elise and Colton had rejected them both—why desire Ruin? Magic talent aside, why the sword?
Since August couldn't fathom it, he asked. Colton replied.
"Duke."
"Yes."
"What do you think is most important when swinging a sword?"
"..."
Countless words flashed in his mind. After a brief silence, August answered.
"Sense."
Reaction speed, stamina—many things were needed, but knights who'd reached a certain level all said the same: sense. Feeling. That alone kept you alive on the battlefield.
"Right. Sense. The most important thing. Now, what if you could turn that sense from prediction into certainty?"
"...What do you mean?"
"That kid can do it."
Colton recalled the recent moment as he spoke.
"The first thing the whiny brat did upon arriving at the ducal house—to avoid annoyances—was hide his presence with aura."
"..."
Whiny brat. He didn't correct the rude term for nobility. He hadn't expected Colton's arrival either.
"Thanks to that, no one in this ducal house could sense my presence."
To pierce Colton's aura required equal strength, and there was none here. August maybe, but even he might not manage it.
"But that kid found me."
"...!"
"Casually, like it was nothing."
What are you doing?
The scene where he'd spotted Colton openly hiding. Seeing that, Colton realized.
"That kid sees it."
"...Sees what?"
"The Eye that Pierces All Things. What they call the Eye of Truth."
Eye of Truth. A term August had heard once before. This must be.
The one the previous hero possessed.
An arrogant eye overlooking the world. They said the hero examined all things, piercing everything.
"...You're saying that child has it?"
"I expect so. So I tried to confirm by cutting his throat."
"Pardon?"
Cut what? August blinked blankly at Colton's shocking statement.
"But before I could even draw my sword, he saw the trajectory I'd swing."
"...Huh?"
"Like he knew exactly how it would come flying."
"That's—."
Seeing the sword's trajectory first. Not feeling it—seeing it. August knew the overwhelming implications. He'd been a knight before a duke. Colton, knowing it best, sighed in regret.
"A shame. Didn't expect that witch Elise to strike first."
Couldn't touch him rashly. Touching her adopted son was tantamount to giving cause to attack the empire.
Chantless, huh.
He recalled what Ruin had shown. The moment he'd cast magic instantly without a chant.
A troublesome existence.
A mage's chant formed their magic. In other words, it was the knights' only counter to mages. Chants were absolute. They had to whisper through voice. So you could predict the spell, making it easier for knights in single combat against mages.
But if.
If a mage existed without chants. Revealing neither cast speed nor spell nature.
Could a knight face a mage?
Colton's doubt deepened. Especially if word reached the empire.
The princess will take interest.
Unlike her brother, the cunning princess—who knew how she'd react? For now, set that aside.
"Duke."
"Yes...."
To the still-dazed duke, Colton spoke. There was Ruin's issue, but first, the original reason for his visit to the ducal house.
"Pardon?"
August's eyes widened at the words.
"...What do you mean?"
It was hard to understand. At August's question, Colton repeated.
"We need to find the saintess of the Holy Kingdom who went missing in the north."
The sudden saintess talk. August's face hardened.
And at that moment.
"Ah, uh, h-hello... Hello."
"...Uh, yes. Hello."
The (former) orphan drawing attention everywhere. Ruin, 13, the world's first chantless mage (unofficial), stared at the woman who'd suddenly appeared to introduce herself.
"Um, I'm Eria, the maid assigned to assist Mage Ruin from now on...."
"...Eria. Maid...?"
"Y-yes.... Yes. A maid."
"Maid... maid, huh...?"
Ruin glanced behind her. A space that should have been empty to anyone else, but something caught his eye.
...Normally.
He truly had no idea.
Do maids come with angels these days?
Behind the girl named Eria stood a woman with three pairs of wings spread, eyes closed.
■ You have encountered the saintess.
■ You have encountered the saintess who should have died.
■ Butterfly effect occurs.
■ Congratulations.
■ The Eye of All Things has encountered a regressor.