The Saintess Recalls the Miracle of the Transparent Saintess
Astoria recalled the scene she had just witnessed.
Theodore Baskerville, overwhelmed by the Crown Prince's attack, suddenly raised his sword high into the sky.
And the sword he held erupted with countless colors, unleashing a devastating sword strike filled with mixed properties that poured out like a torrent.
He looked just like a hero from a fairy tale.
The Demon King and the hero.
Even though it was merely a childish story that children believed in, it was enough to make one mistake it for a real existence.
A mysterious figure who briefly made her completely invisible body visible to this world and created absurd results again and again.
Astoria had been glued tightly to Theodore's side, desperately trying to uncover exactly what kind of being he was.
“So, Saintess-nim, why did you help me back then?”
“What do you mean?”
“When you persuaded Lady Isabella. You suddenly appeared beside me and helped me talk, didn't you?”
Ah, that.
Astoria remembered something she had seen during Theodore's previous debate with Isabella.
He always maintained a cold, emotionless demeanor, yet unexpectedly he was a gentle person with a kind heart overflowing with consideration.
He had informed her of the meaning behind the Saintess visiting the Empire's residence, and told her that if she attended Grancia Academy, there would be dangers of assassination or war.
And now, for the first time, he had shown his emotions and told her she should do her best before she regretted it.
“…You had a face like you were pleading for help?”
So she had only helped because he asked, Astoria concealed that thought and cleverly evaded the question.
After all, since her entire body looked invisible, there was no way her expression would reveal her true feelings.
Astoria, who had been invisible since the baby stage when she was discovered by the Cardinal, was already accustomed to reading emotions from other people's actions and expressions.
It was a habit born from seeing people who feared or viewed her as a monster before she was chosen as Saintess.
It made sense, because someone with a transparent body would be strange.
Her eaten food disappeared instantly, and even if she bled, it wouldn't be visible right away.
“You said it was a face pleading for help?”
“Yes, that's right. Brother Theodore.”
“…I didn't actually ask for help.”
Theodore continued to hide his true emotions even now.
The usual cold mask had cracked; he denied his clenched fists and biting lower lip.
What on earth had happened to make him like that.
She still couldn't understand properly, but the Saintess thought Theodore had been different back then.
“Brother, aren't you being too harsh on yourself?”
First, Astoria told Theodore the story she most wanted to say.
He had clearly taken wounds all over his body, swinging his sword wildly until he was drenched in sweat, blocking the Crown Prince's attack.
The result was the Crown Prince's complete defeat. He had fallen severely injured, but Theodore was not unscathed either.
Yet Theodore refused to accept healing from the Saintess and insisted everything was fine.
‘The Crown Prince seemed to smile slyly, as if he had some hidden motive, but Brother was different.’
The Crown Prince had acted as if he wanted to grow closer to Theodore and the Saintess, but he had acted the opposite, as if he had no such intention.
“I think you were too hard on yourself. As if you were someone who was used to injuries or wounds.”
“Saintess-nim, you are worrying too much. The Crown Prince was injured more severely.”
“…That is true, but…”
Astoria had certainly been more worried about Theodore than the Crown Prince.
Why had she acted like that?
In terms of status and rank, healing the Crown Prince should have come first.
In reality, the Crown Prince's injuries were so severe he couldn't walk on both legs, while Theodore only had scratches and exhaustion.
“Still, I was most worried about Brother! Without you, there would be no one to solve my problems!”
“I don't know the perfect solution either.”
“Lies! The Lord God even gave an oracle to attend this academy with Brother!”
Astoria's voice naturally grew louder.
She didn't know why herself, but she felt a surge of frustration if she didn't push back.
The Lord God, who had kept silent since the day she was born, had finally spoken for the first time: attend here with that man.
Surely this time she could solve the problem of her invisible body.
Being chosen as Saintess had ultimately come through hearing the Lord's voice via the Pope.
“Brother, you briefly made my body visible again, didn't you!”
“That was just good fortune. It couldn't become a fundamental solution.”
“Haha, so that's how it is!”
The Crown Prince, who had been quietly listening to Astoria and Theodore's conversation, soon revealed a sly smile.
Did he plan to use that as a weakness to blackmail the Saintess or torment Theodore?
Astoria shuddered at the ominous thought, but the answer that came back was unexpected.
“Saintess-nim, Theodore can solve your transparent body! What a remarkable thing!”
Pure encouragement.
It felt as if he was patting her back like a parent who trusted the Saintess.
“So, how exactly?”
“…A secret. After all, telling others would make it too easy to be exploited.”
“You sure have many secrets! It's the opposite of the literary works I usually read!”
As Theodore said, the man named Theodore really was full of secrets.
What method had he used to make his own body, which had been transparent since childhood, visible?
“What kind of works did you read…?”
“Humanity's treasure overflowing with tragedy, romance, dreams, and hope!”
“Actually, literature is the culture of the lower classes, isn't it. How did the Crown Prince come into contact with such things?”
“Where is the upper and lower class in culture! Good works always move everyone's hearts!”
“You seem quite different from rumors.”
Theodore found the Crown Prince's overly gentle behavior irritating and kept slowing his steps to leave the place.
Of course, every time that happened, the Saintess and the Crown Prince's steps matched, and the three walked side by side.
“Oh, right. Crown Prince, is the beautiful woman from earlier your fiancée?”
To break this strange situation, Astoria asked about the previous debate.
The sight of her creating a rose bush with magic and threatening the blonde-haired girl seemed odd.
Even if noblemen harassing commoners was commonplace in this era, this place was still an educational institution where everyone was equal.
“Yes, her name is Isabella. She has been chosen by my family since childhood as the person I will marry.”
“Did you fight?”
“No, it was Isabella who was jealous. I was too close to another woman while engaged.”
“Jealous? She seemed like an incredibly cold and emotionless person…”
“Isabella doesn't show her emotions to others well. To survive political intrigue as a nobleman, one must hide their true self.”
“…If such a person gets genuinely angry and threatens someone like Alice, it's going way too far.”
“Thank you for the explanation, Theodore.”
In the Holy Kingdom of Valentia, everyone believed in the same god, so even with class differences there was little discrimination.
Moreover, under the Lord's protection Astoria had lived peacefully like a greenhouse flower, so she knew nothing of the nobles' concept of eliminating rivals.
“By the way, Theodore.”
At that moment, the Crown Prince hesitated slightly and asked Theodore beside him.
“Do you know what to do if a childhood friend suddenly starts looking like the opposite gender?”
“Yes…?”
“So, when I suddenly see Isabella, I feel electricity running through my whole body, and if she looks a bit cute… I must be crazy, right?”
His cheeks flushed slightly, and unlike his usual bold and cheerful self, the Crown Prince looked very downcast.
“I think it's a precursor to a heart disease.”
Astoria, who knew nothing about men's and women's love, answered seriously before Theodore could.
* * *
I couldn't help but despair again that the Saintess's overall way of thinking was like a flower field.
Of course, if a childhood friend I had never thought of as the opposite gender suddenly did, it meant I had fallen in love.
It was common for fiancés to fall in love while bickering, and people's emotions weren't that simple.
“…Heart disease? It seems I overdid it in the battle with Theodore! I used a lot of mana!”
“Yes, probably the circles in my heart are overloaded. So that isn't strange.”
I listened to the Saintess and the Crown Prince's conversation and placed my hand on my forehead.
That these people would one day lead the Holy Kingdom and the Empire.
Absolutely not.
It was time for the magic class to start soon. This was the perfect opportunity to shake off their obsession.
“Crown Prince, I think it was because my heart started feeling affection.”
So I decided to tell the truth to this puberty boy and girl who seemed to know nothing about love.
“Is that really true? But I haven't felt anything like that yet…”
“The human heart sways like a reed in the wind. You might have realized it while watching Isabella's jealousy.”
“Ah, Brother Theodore must be popular with the opposite gender. A little envious!”
The Saintess's eyes sparkled as if she envied me.
Was it because I had lived alone for so long due to the Lord?
Contrary to her guess, I had never had any experience with romance with women.
“…Let's head to the magic class first. There is something I want to show you, Saintess-nim.”
I used another glitch to finally dispel the Saintess's invisibility and escape.
If I did that, there would be no reason for us to attend the academy together.