The Onset of Unease, A Counterstrike
Before the Saintess's eyes, the ducal daughter—abandoned by family and the world—rose slowly to her feet.
Having lived her entire life in a monastery before moving to the Magic Tower, she likely never learned proper etiquette, yet her bearing was impeccable.
Soon, the pitiful child who knew nothing offered a respectful bow to the Saintess.
Capia's gaze, hidden beneath lowered lids, darted restlessly across the room.
Child, you… how have you lived until now?
But the moment for scrutiny was brief.
“Saintess, I welcome you to the Imperial Palace.”
“I am honored to meet His Imperial Majesty, the great Emperor of the Arcan Empire.”
Capia quickly turned her eyes away and paid her respects to the Emperor and Crown Prince who had just appeared.
The luncheon in Plenty Hall began that way. There had been no time to examine the real ducal daughter from head to toe.
This might be the first and last chance to see the Emperor and Crown Prince during this visit to the capital.
Knowing the cruel ways of the world all too well, the Saintess could spare no further glance for the ducal daughter and kept her eyes fixed on the throne.
When would be the right moment to speak?
While she carefully composed the perfect conversation in her mind, one of the nobles invited to the luncheon broke the silence.
“By the way, it has been quite some time since you last visited Lapis. May we assume that the Goddess’s blessing has come with you, Saintess?”
Before the title “Saintess” became established, they used to call us the Light of Grace.
Capia cleared her throat.
“The Goddess is always by our side.”
“Since the Saintess has come all this way, why not let the people of the capital see her as well? It feels rather selfish to keep her to ourselves alone.”
A parade for me? Not a bad suggestion.
The idea of further elevating the reputation she had built through begging made Capia nod in satisfaction.
Why would she refuse? It was exactly what she had longed for.
“Hmm.”
“As it happens, we have a Drakan rider here as well. How about having the Saintess ride the creature tomorrow to tour the capital? It would also serve to publicly affirm the strong bond between the Imperial family and the Goddess’s temple.”
The Emperor smiled contentedly.
“An excellent idea.”
“Since Drakans are known for their tremendous flight speed, a quick trip beyond the capital’s outskirts would surely amaze those watching.”
What… what?
Capia, who had been imagining herself waving from a splendid golden carriage, belatedly felt a jolt of alarm.
What am I supposed to ride? And how far?
She rolled her eyes, feigning composure, but the atmosphere inside Plenty Hall remained warm and agreeable.
No one showed the slightest discomfort at the idea of seating the Saintess on a Drakan’s back. Everyone seemed to tacitly approve.
What is going on?
Silas turned his gaze directly to Pay.
“This is rather sudden. Are you all right with it, Lady Morgana?”
“I am always prepared when it comes to utilizing a Drakan.”
A clear, melodious voice—neither too high nor too low, carrying no murky undertone—reached Capia’s ears.
“I ask this of you.”
“As you command.”
The final opportunity to stop the Drakan ride slipped away. Capia had no chance to speak, and when she tried to voice her objection, another scheme flashed through her mind and made her hesitate.
I need to understand the ducal daughter’s harsh reality. I must see what thoughts occupy her mind, what she is capable of, and how far my own power can reach.
Observing her from the back of that grotesque, unnatural creature would be far more effective than sitting together in this place for a short while.
The Crown Prince was treating her with unexpected caution, which meant he had many questions to ask.
Even if she could not have survived as the Klein daughter, had she not become quite a formidable figure?
Yes… I must watch carefully to see what shape the bird that escaped my grasp has taken. If I can also inquire about the ruby pendant I sealed, that would be ideal. Did someone discover her identity by chance at the Magic Tower and destroy the seal? Is that how she became a mage?
Having unwittingly made the worst possible move, Capia headed the next morning to a quiet clearing within the Imperial Palace grounds.
There, a massive, sinister-looking creature was snorting powerfully.
A dragonkin cursed for defying the Goddess’s will! Its body was as black as an endless abyss, and its rolling golden eyes were utterly terrifying.
In a word, it was repulsive and hideous.
Having lived so long as the Saintess, Capia felt a surge of revulsion the moment she saw the writhing body, yet she forced it down and climbed onto the saddle.
Ugh…!
They were not alone.
The pitiful ducal daughter who did not even know her own identity, the Saintess, the temple knight commander Sir Slot who had accompanied her from the Goddess’s temple, and Sir Hamilton, captain of the Imperial Knights—four in total. There would be no opportunity for mischief.
The Drakan carrying them soon rose into the sky, and Capia, dizzy at the sight below, opened the lid of her holy water bottle with trembling hands.
At the Saintess’s gesture, the holy water vaporized and scattered through the air.
It was an utterly futile act. If she poured it all upon one person it might mean something, but this? It was nothing but waste.
She knew this would not bring blessings to every citizen of the capital. She knew, and yet… she continued. Because she was the Saintess. This was both her duty and her right.
Just as Capia’s thoughts grew heavy with disillusionment—
“We are about to leave the capital.”
“Already?”
Pay, seated at the front of the saddle, asked without turning around.
“We have completed one full circuit. I was planning to make a brief tour of another territory. Which direction would you prefer?”
Capia looked at the cloud-filled sky with a reluctant expression, then answered vaguely since she lacked the courage to look down.
“If possible, I would like to head west, toward the Goddess’s temple.”
“Understood.”
Whoosh—
The grotesque Drakan turned gracefully westward, gradually losing altitude.
As they descended beneath the white clouds, a lush green meadow spread out below.
But that sight lasted only a moment before jagged black mountain ranges came into view.
The entire process happened so quickly that Capia, who had spent her life with her feet firmly on the ground, struggled to adjust.
What…?
“My lady, where exactly are we?”
At Sir Hamilton’s question, Pay replied.
“Judging by our westward flight from the capital and the appearance of the mountain range, we have entered the vicinity of the Dryana Mountains. Ah!”
Shhhk!
The Drakan, which had been flying steadily, suddenly began to descend.
Although protected by a Windy Shield, Capia felt the increased gravity and retched, while Pay struck the Drakan’s thick neck repeatedly with a thin whip.
“What are you doing?!”
“No… why is the water down there sparkling so strangely? Something is off.”
“What?”
At the temple knight commander’s question, Sir Hamilton leaned over to check below.
Meanwhile, Pay pulled hard on the reins and busied herself with the whip, trying to control the Drakan’s sudden behavior.
Though Capia had lived long enough to have seen much, her heart pounded with fear in this situation. Yet the young rider showed no sign of trembling as she shouted.
“Stop descending!”
Flap, flap…
The troublesome Drakan soon settled, and now all four riders could clearly see the reason for its mad descent.
Directly below, something glittered beneath the gently flowing river.
“Is that not gold?”
When Sir Hamilton tapped the water’s surface lightly with his staff, something golden rippled. There was no mistaking it—gold dust.
The temple knight commander exclaimed in admiration.
“To find this much gold in the river… It must be thanks to the Saintess’s blessing.”
“There is a mountain range made of stone here, so this is likely a byproduct from within. A gold vein—what an astonishing discovery!”
All gold mined within the Empire belonged to the Imperial family.
After dismounting from the Drakan, the temple knight commander removed his gauntlet, took out a handkerchief, and collected some of the gold dust before lifting a large rock.
It was a chunk of ore with visibly high-purity gold embedded throughout.
Pay paid no attention to the gold. Instead, she wore an apologetic expression as she offered her regrets.
“…Drakans are said to be the embodiment of greed. I never imagined it would ignore my commands and descend so suddenly out of desire for treasure. I am deeply sorry if the Saintess was startled.”
The temple knight commander, Sir Slot, comforted her while securing the ore.
“Reporting the discovery of gold upon our return should resolve the matter.”
“That is a separate issue. If we have collected sufficient samples, we will return immediately. Saintess, are you all right?”
Those clear, refreshing green eyes looked at her apologetically. They held the same pure, fresh light as new sprouts in spring.
Facing that innocent gaze, Capia felt her lips twitch involuntarily and something hot and bubbling rise in her chest.
Saintess, are you all right?
The words felt like a rebuke, carrying a hidden meaning.
That cannot possibly be true. This child does not even realize her own brilliant destiny and has only barely recovered the magic she lost?
Capia barely managed to suppress the conscience that threatened to defy her will.
“…Y-yes, I am fine.”
“Please bear with it a little longer. We will return directly to the Imperial Palace. If the Drakan acts out again, I will relinquish my rider status and refrain from visiting the palace for a while.”
What? After all these bewildering events, Capia’s mind finally began to work again.
If the Drakan causes more trouble, will that benefit me or not…?
Completely unaware of Capia’s inner turmoil, the temple knight commander continued trying to reassure her.
“Lady Morgana, do not blame yourself too much. The discovery of gold is far more important, and His Imperial Majesty will surely forgive you.”
As the Drakan once again soared toward the sky, Capia closed her eyes without realizing it.
This is unbearable.
The return flight from the river where the gold had flowed to the Imperial Palace was far quicker than expected. Having never experienced such rapid travel before, Capia felt dizzy and staggered the moment she dismounted.
Gold that isn’t even mine! What use is discovering something like that…?
“Saintess!”
“Saintess, are you all right?”
Spotting the commander of the Crow Knights among those who had come to greet them, Pay immediately gave her report.
“I apologize. The Saintess wished to fly westward toward the Goddess’s temple, and on the way the Drakan broke free of control and descended toward the river. The Saintess experienced an unexpected situation and was greatly startled.”
“There was a considerable amount of gold settled beneath the river, and it seems the creature was drawn by greed upon seeing it.”
The temple knight commander spoke up unprompted in Pay’s defense while presenting the water-soaked handkerchief and the glittering ore.
Even a casual observer could tell the gold was of high purity.
The Imperial administration moved with lightning speed upon this unexpected windfall.
It was a pace even Capia could scarcely adapt to.
“Haa…”
That very day, members of the Crow Knights, along with hastily assembled miners, were dispatched to the area where the Drakan had landed.
The location lay on the border between the Orleans Ducal House and the Wyante Marquisate’s territories. Within days, word spread throughout the Imperial Palace that gold had not only been found in the river but that there were clear signs of mining activity at an actual mine.
The atmosphere in the palace immediately turned ominous, and with each passing day Capia felt increasingly bewildered.
What in the world is happening? Did those two families secretly mine gold without reporting it to the Imperial family and get caught? Have they gone mad?
At the same time, a heartwarming tale spread—that this discovery had come about thanks to the Saintess’s flight on the Drakan upon her arrival in the capital.
Heartwarming… tale.
Outwardly, it appeared the Imperial family was simply correcting an injustice, but for Capia, who knew the full circumstances, it was nothing short of infuriating.