Saint’s Magic Behind the Scenes 05: Motives

※ Significant revisions have been made to chapters 18 through 21 of the main story.

※ I apologize for the inconvenience, but I’d appreciate it if you could reread from chapter 18.

A knock echoed through the king’s office.

A retainer inside the room relayed the message, respectfully informing the room’s master of a visitor.

“The Court Mage Corps Commander, Lord Dreves, has arrived.”

“Understood. Let him in.”

At the master’s words, the retainer bowed courteously and returned to the entrance. Shortly after, a man with a sculpted face and a fixed smile appeared. He, too, bowed respectfully to the master.

“I’ve come to deliver a report.”

“I see.”

With a brief response, the king, sensing the nature of the report, dismissed the others in the room.
Only the king, the prime minister who happened to be present, and the corps commander remained.

“Is this report regarding the [Saint]?”

“Yes.”

The corps commander nodded in response to the prime minister’s question. He then relayed the results of using appraisal magic on the two saint candidates. Hearing the results, both the king and the prime minister groaned and fell silent.

According to the corps commander’s report, the appraisal of Aira had concluded without issue, and a transcription of her confirmed status was submitted alongside the report. The problem lay with the other candidate, Sei. The corps commander’s appraisal magic had been repelled, preventing confirmation of her status. This surprised both men. After all, the commander of the Court Mage Corps was renowned across the kingdom as the individual with the highest base level and greatest magical prowess.

When appraisal magic is used on a person, it can be repelled if the target doesn’t consent. However, that only happens when the base levels of the caster and the target are equal. If the caster’s base level exceeds the target’s, the appraisal can be forcibly conducted even if the target refuses. Thus, no one in the palace had doubted the commander’s ability to successfully perform the appraisal.

“Being repelled means her base level was higher than yours?”

“It appears so.”

“By the way, what’s her level?”

“I’ve heard it’s 55.”

“55…”

Appraisal magic is almost always repelled if the target’s base level exceeds the caster’s. From this, it was quickly deduced that Sei’s base level surpassed the commander’s. This deduction was correct, and according to further details from the commander, Sei’s base level was 55 which was ten levels higher than the commander, who was said to have the highest base level in the kingdom. With such a gap, it was no wonder the appraisal was repelled. Everyone in the room thought as much.

“So, we still don’t know which of them is the [Saint]?”

The prime minister muttered with a grim expression, but the commander replied, “No.” The two men looked at him in surprise, their gazes locking onto the commander. Receiving their stares, the commander remained silent, his artificial smile unchanged.

“Which one?”

“…Probably Lady Sei, I’d say.”

To the king’s curt question, the commander responded after a brief pause. Hearing the answer, the king swallowed hard, then let out a deep breath.

“Are you certain?”

“It’s a deduction, but I’d say nine out of ten.”

“I see.”

“Why do you think so?”

The prime minister questioned the commander, who answered without changing his expression, explaining fluently as if reciting a prepared script. He mentioned that Sei had used holy attribute magic at the hospital. That a knight who witnessed it reported her demeanor was different from usual. That when both Sei and Aira were asked to use holy attribute magic, their behaviors differed. And based on these results, he concluded that Sei was the [Saint].

Initially, the commander had thought the phenomenon of golden particles mixing in was unique to people summoned from another world. However, when Aira used magic, it resembled how people native to this world used it. Holy attribute magic simply glowed white, without the golden particles that appeared when Sei used it. This led the commander to conclude that the phenomenon when Sei used magic wasn’t a trait of otherworlders but something unique to her.

“The golden magic is likely specific to the [Saint]. Furthermore, Lady Sei’s abilities regarding magic-related phenomena far exceed those of an ordinary person, setting her apart from Lady Aira as well.”

“I see.”

The king nodded at the explanation, dropping his gaze to the desk as if lost in thought.

“Well done. You may leave.”

“Yes. Excuse me.”

After confirming the commander had left the room, the prime minister spoke up.

“Well, this has become quite a predicament.”

“Indeed. Is he still the same as ever?”

“According to my son, it seems so.”

At the prime minister’s words, the king let out a heavy sigh. “He” referred to the first prince.

The first prince, who had overseen the [Saint Summoning Ritual], had taken on the role of Aira’s guardian after summoning her. As her guardian, he diligently worked to protect Aira, but his blind zeal had recently caused friction with those around him. Reports of this had reached the king’s ears, troubling him greatly. Of course, the king had offered the first prince counsel on the matter several times. Though the prince listened at the time, his behavior never changed.

There had even been talk of forcibly separating the first prince and Aira. However, that was complicated by issues of succession to the throne. If there were other pressing matters, they could use them as a pretext to pull him away, but unfortunately, there were no urgent issues at hand. Forcibly separating them without reason would currently blemish the first prince’s reputation, empowering the faction supporting the second prince. That could bring the previously calm succession issue to the forefront. The upper echelons, considering this, had reached a stalemate on the matter.

There was another problem concerning the first prince. For some reason, during the summoning ritual, he failed to notice Sei, who was summoned alongside Aira, and left her there. As a result, Sei grew angry, and those around her struggled to handle the aftermath. With the commander’s report now nearly confirming Sei as the [Saint], her anger toward the kingdom became a significant issue. And the first prince, who caused it, would likely face even harsher scrutiny.

“It might be time to make a firm decision…”

The king muttered to himself, almost like a soliloquy, while the prime minister silently observed him.

Up to this point, it had become clear that Sei, whether she was the [Saint] or not, was immensely valuable to the kingdom. Thus, discussions had arisen about offering her a reward for her contributions so far and an apology for the first prince’s rudeness. Now that Sei was almost certainly confirmed as the [Saint], those voices were expected to grow louder.

“A formal apology will be necessary. How are the preparations?”

“They’re mostly in place, but given this new information, some adjustments may be needed.”

“I see. It’s already been quite a while since the summoning. Make it as quick as possible.”

“Understood.”

The prime minister bowed respectfully in response to the king’s words. After a brief silence, the king spoke again, saying, “Regarding Sei-dono…”

“We’ll need to treat her as the [Saint] going forward, but it’s best not to make it too ostentatious.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I had a chance to speak with her briefly before, and she seemed uncomfortable with anything flashy. I suggested rewards that nobles might desire, but she declined them all.”

“That’s… rather difficult. Ideally, we’d have her accept a title or land to keep her in this kingdom.”

“She refused that too. From the reports, it seems she and the others received a fairly advanced education. She might see through our intentions more than we think.”

The king gave a self-deprecating laugh, but the prime minister, hearing this, pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head slightly, as if nursing a headache. From there, they discussed the details of the apology audience. For example, the scale of the event and who would attend. These decisions were made with consideration of how Sei would be treated moving forward. Ultimately, the venue was set as the throne room, a smaller space than the audience hall used for foreign dignitaries and only the king, prime minister, ministers, and knight corps commanders from the upper echelons would attend. This was the result of both accommodating Sei to the fullest and incorporating the king’s and others’ intentions.

“I’m back!”

Saying this as he entered the commander’s office of the Court Mage Corps was its master, Yuri. Besides Yuri’s desk, the room also housed the desk of the vice-commander, Erhardt. Erhardt’s desk was there because he handled nearly all the duties that should have been the commander’s responsibility.

As a child, Yuri’s talent had been recognized by the former Court Mage Corps commander, who later adopted him. Through his natural talent and the former commander’s elite education, he grew into an exceptional magic researcher. To the extent that anything involving magic would light up his eyes.
After graduating from the academy, he joined the Court Mage Corps and immersed himself in magic research with glee. His status as the kingdom’s highest base-level individual was also for the sake of research. To advance his studies, he needed to raise his magic skill levels, and in the process, his base level rose as well. For research, he wouldn’t hesitate to go on subjugation missions alone, earning nicknames like “battle maniac” hardly fitting for a mage. Before he knew it, he had become unmatched in magical expertise within the corps.

The prestigious role of Court Mage Corps commander was, in truth, a collar to keep Yuri in the palace. As commander, he could research magic as he pleased. That alone was why Yuri took the position. Because of this, while he pursued magic research, he only performed the bare minimum of his commander duties. He was fairly indifferent to anything that didn’t pique his interest. And the one dragged into assisting him was Erhardt.

“I gave my report.”

“They didn’t press you about the status?”

“Not really. They asked about base levels, so I told them.”

“I see.”

“Maybe they were too distracted by me saying I think Sei’s the [Saint].”

Unlike in the king’s office, Yuri wore an innocent smile, while Erhardt’s expression remained stern. Unaware of this or perhaps ignoring it, Yuri continued talking.

“Maybe I’ll get more chances to interact with Sei now? I’m really interested in that magic of hers.”

“…”

Yuri’s curiosity was piqued by Sei’s magic, which differed from theirs. He wanted to observe it up close.
He wanted to study how it differed from theirs. If Sei was the [Saint], opportunities to interact with her during subjugations would increase, as would chances to observe her magic. That was the thought behind his comment. Only then did he notice Erhardt’s stern expression. Yuri chuckled.

“Don’t glare at me like that. It’s fine, I just want to take a little look at her magic.”

“…”

“You must really like her, huh?”

“It’s not like that. I’m worried about what you might do.”

“Huh, that’s it? I heard even you were interacting with her normally, which is rare, so I thought you liked her. Oh, and I heard your little brother’s pretty fond of her too.”

Even after explaining himself, Erhardt’s expression didn’t soften, and Yuri gave a wry smile. For Erhardt to care this much about a woman was unusual. Maybe the rumors were true, he thought.

Right after the [Saint Summoning Ritual], Yuri had fallen into a coma. However, he’d heard about the saint candidates from others and had a general grasp of what happened while he was unconscious. He was interested in the magic said to be used by the [Saint] and that of people summoned from another world, but along the way, he learned that the Hawk brothers were on friendly terms with Sei. The Hawk brothers’ aversion to women was a well-known tale in high society. It was famous enough in the palace that even Yuri, who had no interest in social circles, knew of it. He’d even seen Erhardt coldly rebuff noble ladies on several occasions. So when he heard Erhardt had interacted with Sei normally when she visited the Court Mage Corps, Yuri grew a bit curious about her, beyond just her magic. Yuri wasn’t the only one surprised by Erhardt’s behavior. The mages who witnessed it were too, and for a time, rumors circulated in the corps that spring had come for the vice-commander. Though, since the rumors about his younger brother Albert held more weight, they quickly faded.

Yuri had little interest in anything outside of magic. Even with his fellow Court Mage Corps members, he was disinterested and barely knew them. Since Yuri could use all magic attributes, he could conduct experiments alone that would typically require others, leaving him with little need to interact. However, Erhardt handled the commander duties in Yuri’s stead and, perhaps because they worked together often, Yuri considered him a close acquaintance. That might just be Yuri’s one-sided view, though. He didn’t want to upset one of the few people he considered a friend.

“I won’t harm her. If I did, I’d probably earn the resentment of you brothers, the head of the Medicinal Plant Research Institute, and a bunch of other people.”

Yuri said this with a laugh, but Erhardt couldn’t fully trust him. When it came to research, Yuri tended to get carried away. In fact, he’d caused trouble for that reason before. On the surface, Erhardt nodded as if convinced, but inwardly, he sighed, resolving to keep an eye on Yuri to ensure he didn’t go overboard.

I wanted to add more details backstage, but the pen didn’t flow as much as I’d hoped, so I’ve left some parts out.
I know there are gaps, but I’d appreciate your understanding.