“Elsia, now that it’s over, let’s have a cup of tea with Ridan.”
Irene cut off conversation between me and Aiden. Aiden raised an eyebrow at those words.
“It doesn’t seem like the time to enjoy tea time alone yet.”
“Yeah?”
“This is the last night of the hunting contest, so there is going to be an outdoor party soon. The 1st place and the Queen must attend the banquet.”
“Ah…… right…….”
‘What else is an outdoor party?’
According to the original plan, we had to quickly find the Emperor and go up to the Imperial Palace, but Ixion was also injured and I became the spotlight of the hunting contest.
And although Niel did not speak, it must have been difficult to keep moving with his injured body in the carriage.
Ultimately, I thought I might have to leave tomorrow morning.
***
Originally, I was not very impressed with social events, but I enjoyed the outdoor party of the hunting contest because there were more things to see than I expected.
There were endless dishes using various animals that people had caught.
“You know what?”
Aiden said, pointing to the crowd.
“You were the only one who caught the bear. In other words, it’s all thanks to you that we can eat bear meat. Besides, it’s the first time in years that the amount is so large, so everyone is eating a lot.”
“Eat a lot of Aiden.”
Every time people eat bear meat, my name goes up and down.
Anyway, I saved the Emperor, so no one could argue with me like in the old days.
Even at Count Recesil’s banquet, I was openly ignored, but thanks to that, I was able to enjoy a comfortable meal.
“Elsia, I’d like to hear a little bit about the saint.”
With rabbit meat and a glass of wine, I sat down at the table with Ridan and Irene, and Ridan spoke with serious eyes.
I cut up the rabbit meat and fed White.
“You have to listen. Ridan, you are a theologian, and I know nothing about theology. I came to the capital to find out.”
“Really?”
Irene asked with her eyes wide open.
“Aren’t you here to marry the prince?”
I paused for a while.
Since I had a promise with Aiden, I couldn’t say that I rejected the proposal.
“That…… It’s a little bit later.”
“Then what’s the deal with the prince?”
“That…… Um, friends?”
“After accepting the proposal, are you friends? Does that make sense?”
“We’ll be clearing our positions soon. But for now, that’s it.”
After I mumbled my words, even thinking about it, I spoke to Ridan again.
“Ridan, I want to know the basics of theology. According to Niel, the divine magic derived from the gods and the black magic derived from the devil are one root in the end, but it was said that God has already disappeared. I think I will be able to explain my situation only if I roughly know the basics of theology.”
Ridan sighed slightly, pushing his glasses up.
“If I could explain it very simply, briefly… ..”
He knew too much, so it was difficult to know where to start and how to explain it.
“It is said that God and the devil are one body, so they created this world together. That is how ancient magic was born, and the ancient magic is only black magic and divine magic that can purify it.”
“Hmm.”
“God and devil have bestowed their powers on some humans, and these are the people who lived in the present-day Artize. So Artize is still the only place where an ancient temple remains.”
I nervously stroked White’s fur.
“I cannot confirm this because I am not of Artize, but unofficial records say that God was very angry because the royal family of Artize, who had the power, served only the devil differently from the original intention. An enraged God separates from the devil and leaves this world altogether.”
Ridan seemed to be careful with what he said because I was from Artize.
However, it is also true that Artize’s royal family use black magic and are descendants of the devil, so I quietly nodded.
“However, since they are one body, they cannot be completely separated, so some divine magic remains on this earth. The devil excitedly creates children in another world and begins to spread monsters into this world, but in the end, it is inevitably imperfect, so only the monsters were left behind and the devil left to another world.”
Ridan glanced at Niel, who was flirting with the noble girls in the distance.
“In a land where both god and devil have left, humans will master their own civilization and natural magic. Those who use the new ‘magic’ different from the ancient magic are people like the wizard Niel Evgeny.”
I recalled that Niel did not know very much about divine or black magic.
“They are ordinary wizards. Black magic and divine magic are being studied hard by wizards, but they cannot be used freely, so their effectiveness is rather insignificant.”
“I see. Then where did the god who left this land go?”
In the end, it was a decisive fact that I needed to know.
In the end, it was only the overwhelming divine power that could purify this body.
“I am doing research on that.”
Ridan forgot to eat and spoke slowly.
“I wonder if they are scattered across countless worlds, leaving their mark in other ways.”
“Another way?”
“It is split into several parts. It’s like there’s a faint sliver of divine magic left here.”
“Hmm.”
“Like the saint, these words come out……It is because of the belief that there may be a person who can go beyond the divine powers scattered in different shapes to other worlds.”
“Ah….”
I gulped down a sip of the wine.
No matter how much I practiced, there was no feeling that only black magic, the power of the devil, would work better and the divine power would be captured.
As expected, it meant that I was not a saint anyway.
“After listening to you, it became clear that I am not really a saint.”
I said stroking White.
People keep looking at White
“They said it had been temporarily purified, but I really haven’t done anything. It just liked me and followed me.”
“Mah.”
Ridan adjusted his glasses and looked at White carefully.
“Actually, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard of a saint that has the ability to purify monsters. It’s not in the official records, but it seems like a superstition of people…… ”
“But just pretend you don’t know.”
Irene gulped the wine and interrupted the conversation.
“It’s better than being pointed at because she’s from Artize. Anyway, people don’t know all about black magic and hear bad things about black magic. Anyway, there is also a temple in Artize. Because that’s a superior strategy.”
As expected, it was a business-like decision.
As I quietly ate my meal, firecrackers started exploding in the night sky.
“What, what?”
I was surprised and asked, and Irene chuckled and laughed.
“Ah, Elsia! It’s your first time playing outdoors. It means we are starting in earnest.”
All of a sudden, cheerful music began to resound in the square, and in the distance, I saw the Emperor requesting a dance from the Empress.
“Let’s go.”
Irene grabbed my hand.
“Let’s go out and dance too, okay?”
I’ve only attended the banquet twice, but the outdoor party had a different free-spirited charm from the indoor one.
Cheers erupted everywhere because there were talented people performing stunts here and there.
Skewers were cooked on the spot with leftover meat, and chefs from the Imperial Palace prepared a lot of sweet desserts.
“Wow, it’s like a street festival.”
“That’s the beauty of an outdoor party.”
The dance was much more cheerful, there were no set etiquettes, and the people were in a good mood and enjoying themselves to their heart’s content.
Actually, I was wearing too many coats, so my body movement was slow, but I still liked the free atmosphere, so I took a few steps.
LEARN MORE
!
!
!
!
!
!
It was cold, so I even activated the fire magic that Niel had given me, and I looked around and realized that Ixion was not there.
Well, he was seriously injured, so he would have to rest.
Of course, his wasn’t that much of an injury, so Niel was drinking wine with the noble girls.
“Hey there, Ridan.”
As I danced with Ridan, I spoke carefully.
“So I’m going to go look at the theology books. Focusing on ‘Traces of Gods in Another World’. I’m going to collect materials from the Imperial Palace library, do you have any books you can recommend?”
“If it is traces of another world, there are so few records that I would not be able to recommend anything. Besides, I can’t even enter the Imperial Palace library.”
“If so…… I heard from a monk in the south, that he took a strange pose saying he was calling on the gods. Do you have such a theology?”
“Posing weird?”
“Yes. I saw it in a theology book.”
“I don’t think it was a book published by the Empire. It’s not in any of the books I’ve seen.”
I sighed in disappointment. Seeing my expression, Ridan tilted his head.
“It could be a book published by Artize. Of course, Artize has more relevant data than the Empire. I’ve always wanted to visit Artize, but..… Because of the relationship between the two countries, I thought I should visit once when the Crown Prince organizes the territory, but it seems difficult.”
“I see.”
“In the first place…… Just because Elsia is a princess from Artizee, I was interested in it.”
“Yes, I see.”
I smiled at Ridan’s words.
“When I told you about the mine, you said something similar. Is it divine power or something?”
“Yes. I asked if you really see the future?”
“So that’s why Irene kept coming to visit. Ridan doesn’t seem to like people, so why do you keep coming?”
“Well, not just that.”
Ridan looked at me and said softly.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask. We will do our best to help.”
“Thank you, Ridan. I feel reassured. Actually, there’s a lot to know. I don’t even know much about White…… I have to study it a bit.”
“Are you going to the capital? I’ll see you often.”
“Yes, let’s see each other often.”
I readily answered, I went back to the table because I had to take care of White and it was too cold.
Apparently, I had a lot of work today, so it was difficult to enjoy the banquet all night long.
On the way back to my barracks carrying White, there was a barracks that suddenly caught my attention.
It was Ixion’s barracks, with the imperial emblems inscribed and familiar knights guarding the front door.
‘…… Are you seriously hurt?’
Come to think of it, after returning separately, I never had a conversation with Ixion.
I remember Ixion had always been looking for me, and I’d never been the first to find him.
‘He rolled with me to avoid me getting hurt, so of course I should thank you.’
After hesitating for a while, I moved to Ixion’s barracks.
“Oh? Miss!”
A few knights guarding the front bowed to me.
“Is the prince inside?”
“Yes, he hasn’t slept yet. I’ll tell him right now.”
When the knight announced my visit, there was a sound of something falling down from inside the barracks.
“Please, please wait a minute.”
One of the youngest knights panicked and entered the barracks, and I nodded cautiously.
“Elsia, now that it’s over, let’s have a cup of tea with Ridan.”
Irene cut off conversation between me and Aiden. Aiden raised an eyebrow at those words.
“It doesn’t seem like the time to enjoy tea time alone yet.”
“Yeah?”
“This is the last night of the hunting contest, so there is going to be an outdoor party soon. The 1st place and the Queen must attend the banquet.”
“Ah…… right…….”
‘What else is an outdoor party?’
According to the original plan, we had to quickly find the Emperor and go up to the Imperial Palace, but Ixion was also injured and I became the spotlight of the hunting contest.
And although Niel did not speak, it must have been difficult to keep moving with his injured body in the carriage.
Ultimately, I thought I might have to leave tomorrow morning.
***
Originally, I was not very impressed with social events, but I enjoyed the outdoor party of the hunting contest because there were more things to see than I expected.
There were endless dishes using various animals that people had caught.
“You know what?”
Aiden said, pointing to the crowd.
“You were the only one who caught the bear. In other words, it’s all thanks to you that we can eat bear meat. Besides, it’s the first time in years that the amount is so large, so everyone is eating a lot.”
“Eat a lot of Aiden.”
Every time people eat bear meat, my name goes up and down.
Anyway, I saved the Emperor, so no one could argue with me like in the old days.
Even at Count Recesil’s banquet, I was openly ignored, but thanks to that, I was able to enjoy a comfortable meal.
“Elsia, I’d like to hear a little bit about the saint.”
With rabbit meat and a glass of wine, I sat down at the table with Ridan and Irene, and Ridan spoke with serious eyes.
I cut up the rabbit meat and fed White.
“You have to listen. Ridan, you are a theologian, and I know nothing about theology. I came to the capital to find out.”
“Really?”
Irene asked with her eyes wide open.
“Aren’t you here to marry the prince?”
I paused for a while.
Since I had a promise with Aiden, I couldn’t say that I rejected the proposal.
“That…… It’s a little bit later.”
“Then what’s the deal with the prince?”
“That…… Um, friends?”
“After accepting the proposal, are you friends? Does that make sense?”
“We’ll be clearing our positions soon. But for now, that’s it.”
After I mumbled my words, even thinking about it, I spoke to Ridan again.
“Ridan, I want to know the basics of theology. According to Niel, the divine magic derived from the gods and the black magic derived from the devil are one root in the end, but it was said that God has already disappeared. I think I will be able to explain my situation only if I roughly know the basics of theology.”
Ridan sighed slightly, pushing his glasses up.
“If I could explain it very simply, briefly… ..”
He knew too much, so it was difficult to know where to start and how to explain it.
“It is said that God and the devil are one body, so they created this world together. That is how ancient magic was born, and the ancient magic is only black magic and divine magic that can purify it.”
“Hmm.”
“God and devil have bestowed their powers on some humans, and these are the people who lived in the present-day Artize. So Artize is still the only place where an ancient temple remains.”
I nervously stroked White’s fur.
“I cannot confirm this because I am not of Artize, but unofficial records say that God was very angry because the royal family of Artize, who had the power, served only the devil differently from the original intention. An enraged God separates from the devil and leaves this world altogether.”
Ridan seemed to be careful with what he said because I was from Artize.
However, it is also true that Artize’s royal family use black magic and are descendants of the devil, so I quietly nodded.
“However, since they are one body, they cannot be completely separated, so some divine magic remains on this earth. The devil excitedly creates children in another world and begins to spread monsters into this world, but in the end, it is inevitably imperfect, so only the monsters were left behind and the devil left to another world.”
Ridan glanced at Niel, who was flirting with the noble girls in the distance.
“In a land where both god and devil have left, humans will master their own civilization and natural magic. Those who use the new ‘magic’ different from the ancient magic are people like the wizard Niel Evgeny.”
I recalled that Niel did not know very much about divine or black magic.
“They are ordinary wizards. Black magic and divine magic are being studied hard by wizards, but they cannot be used freely, so their effectiveness is rather insignificant.”
“I see. Then where did the god who left this land go?”
In the end, it was a decisive fact that I needed to know.
In the end, it was only the overwhelming divine power that could purify this body.
“I am doing research on that.”
Ridan forgot to eat and spoke slowly.
“I wonder if they are scattered across countless worlds, leaving their mark in other ways.”
“Another way?”
“It is split into several parts. It’s like there’s a faint sliver of divine magic left here.”
“Hmm.”
“Like the saint, these words come out……It is because of the belief that there may be a person who can go beyond the divine powers scattered in different shapes to other worlds.”
“Ah….”
I gulped down a sip of the wine.
No matter how much I practiced, there was no feeling that only black magic, the power of the devil, would work better and the divine power would be captured.
As expected, it meant that I was not a saint anyway.
“After listening to you, it became clear that I am not really a saint.”
I said stroking White.
People keep looking at White
“They said it had been temporarily purified, but I really haven’t done anything. It just liked me and followed me.”
“Mah.”
Ridan adjusted his glasses and looked at White carefully.
“Actually, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard of a saint that has the ability to purify monsters. It’s not in the official records, but it seems like a superstition of people…… ”
“But just pretend you don’t know.”
Irene gulped the wine and interrupted the conversation.
“It’s better than being pointed at because she’s from Artize. Anyway, people don’t know all about black magic and hear bad things about black magic. Anyway, there is also a temple in Artize. Because that’s a superior strategy.”
As expected, it was a business-like decision.
As I quietly ate my meal, firecrackers started exploding in the night sky.
“What, what?”
I was surprised and asked, and Irene chuckled and laughed.
“Ah, Elsia! It’s your first time playing outdoors. It means we are starting in earnest.”
All of a sudden, cheerful music began to resound in the square, and in the distance, I saw the Emperor requesting a dance from the Empress.
“Let’s go.”
Irene grabbed my hand.
“Let’s go out and dance too, okay?”
I’ve only attended the banquet twice, but the outdoor party had a different free-spirited charm from the indoor one.
Cheers erupted everywhere because there were talented people performing stunts here and there.
Skewers were cooked on the spot with leftover meat, and chefs from the Imperial Palace prepared a lot of sweet desserts.
“Wow, it’s like a street festival.”
“That’s the beauty of an outdoor party.”
The dance was much more cheerful, there were no set etiquettes, and the people were in a good mood and enjoying themselves to their heart’s content.
Actually, I was wearing too many coats, so my body movement was slow, but I still liked the free atmosphere, so I took a few steps.
LEARN MORE
!
!
!
!
!
!
It was cold, so I even activated the fire magic that Niel had given me, and I looked around and realized that Ixion was not there.
Well, he was seriously injured, so he would have to rest.
Of course, his wasn’t that much of an injury, so Niel was drinking wine with the noble girls.
“Hey there, Ridan.”
As I danced with Ridan, I spoke carefully.
“So I’m going to go look at the theology books. Focusing on ‘Traces of Gods in Another World’. I’m going to collect materials from the Imperial Palace library, do you have any books you can recommend?”
“If it is traces of another world, there are so few records that I would not be able to recommend anything. Besides, I can’t even enter the Imperial Palace library.”
“If so…… I heard from a monk in the south, that he took a strange pose saying he was calling on the gods. Do you have such a theology?”
“Posing weird?”
“Yes. I saw it in a theology book.”
“I don’t think it was a book published by the Empire. It’s not in any of the books I’ve seen.”
I sighed in disappointment. Seeing my expression, Ridan tilted his head.
“It could be a book published by Artize. Of course, Artize has more relevant data than the Empire. I’ve always wanted to visit Artize, but..… Because of the relationship between the two countries, I thought I should visit once when the Crown Prince organizes the territory, but it seems difficult.”
“I see.”
“In the first place…… Just because Elsia is a princess from Artizee, I was interested in it.”
“Yes, I see.”
I smiled at Ridan’s words.
“When I told you about the mine, you said something similar. Is it divine power or something?”
“Yes. I asked if you really see the future?”
“So that’s why Irene kept coming to visit. Ridan doesn’t seem to like people, so why do you keep coming?”
“Well, not just that.”
Ridan looked at me and said softly.
“If you have any questions, feel free to ask. We will do our best to help.”
“Thank you, Ridan. I feel reassured. Actually, there’s a lot to know. I don’t even know much about White…… I have to study it a bit.”
“Are you going to the capital? I’ll see you often.”
“Yes, let’s see each other often.”
I readily answered, I went back to the table because I had to take care of White and it was too cold.
Apparently, I had a lot of work today, so it was difficult to enjoy the banquet all night long.
On the way back to my barracks carrying White, there was a barracks that suddenly caught my attention.
It was Ixion’s barracks, with the imperial emblems inscribed and familiar knights guarding the front door.
‘…… Are you seriously hurt?’
Come to think of it, after returning separately, I never had a conversation with Ixion.
I remember Ixion had always been looking for me, and I’d never been the first to find him.
‘He rolled with me to avoid me getting hurt, so of course I should thank you.’
After hesitating for a while, I moved to Ixion’s barracks.
“Oh? Miss!”
A few knights guarding the front bowed to me.
“Is the prince inside?”
“Yes, he hasn’t slept yet. I’ll tell him right now.”
When the knight announced my visit, there was a sound of something falling down from inside the barracks.
“Please, please wait a minute.”
One of the youngest knights panicked and entered the barracks, and I nodded cautiously.
