Althea: The Legendary Saintess [Shoujo]

"Welcome to the Kingdom of Fulltale."

As the representative, a woman with a dignified air bowed deeply. All the other women behind her followed suit, lowering their heads in respect.

Siegfried exchanged glances with the commander of the Fourth Knight Brigade, signaling him. With a nod, Arnes stepped forward and addressed the women.

"...Quite an early reception. I did inform you that we were coming with a military force, but... surely, you weren't waiting here for us, were you?"

Arnes spoke with the authority befitting his role as the overall commander. Beside him stood the squad leaders of the First and Second Platoons of the Fourth Knight Brigade, providing a solid support.

Meanwhile, Siegfried and Regalus fell back slightly, blending in with the other members of the brigade.

The women slowly raised their heads and answered Arnes with a smile.

"We were instructed by the King to wait here. You have come to assist in our country's monster eradication, correct? Our task is to provide comfort to everyone who must be weary from the long journey."

The way the women bowed suggested that they took Arnes to be the overall commander. Fortunately, they hadn't noticed that Siegfried and Regalus had moved to the rear.

"Hmm... But it's quite bold of the King of Fulltale to have only women stationed here in a place where monsters are rampant. He must have a lot of confidence."

The Fourth Knight Brigade Commander, having come from a common background, must have encountered many harsh situations. Arnes responded with undaunted composure.

"Well, you're very kind. But rest assured, we are capable of using magic as well. Unless confronted by extremely powerful demons or a horde of monsters, we should manage just fine. By the way... are we to engage in this kind of questioning all the while? I took the liberty of preparing a feast over there for your comfort."

As the representative pointed in a direction, the other women, who had been behind them, were now preparing a meal in a cleared area.

"...When did they..."

Arnes muttered in surprise as the woman who had been speaking to him suddenly linked her arm with his.

"Please, this way. …And the other soldiers as well. Feel free to relax and enjoy yourselves."

She pressed her chest against his arm as she spoke. For a moment, Arnes felt disoriented, but as his hand inadvertently touched the scabbard of his sword at his waist, a wave of unease washed over him. Instinctively, he shrugged off the woman's arm, causing her to freeze in astonishment.

The Fourth Knight Brigade Commander surveyed the surroundings with renewed focus and noticed that the soldiers, lured by the other women, were being guided to the banquet area.

"Hey! Don't just go off on your own!"

Despite Arnes's call, the soldiers continued moving without a hint of stopping.

"Hey, can't you hear me!?"

As Arnes raised his voice again, Oliver, his aide, tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around, Arnes saw Oliver behind him, accompanied by the female troops of the Fourth Knight Brigade, the magic unit including Siegfried and Regalus, and some of Starry Stars’s soldiers including Yugg, all standing silently.

"...Well, Commander, this way. And the rest of you as well… Oh? There are women too?"

The woman who had been dismissed stood still for a moment, then extended her arm towards Arnes’s back where the female troops were now visible.

The woman’s expression hardened as she saw the female troops but quickly reverted to a smile. She released Arnes’s arm and, with a courteous bow, addressed everyone else.

"Everyone, gather together... if you don’t hurry, the food will be gone. There’s no poison, so eat without concern. And to the female soldiers in the back."

Her gentle smile was a stark contrast to the seductive gestures and the brief scowl she had shown earlier.

"Commander! The food is really good!"

A soldier who had arrived at the banquet ahead of the others called out to Arnes. He was one of the soldiers who had previously seemed oblivious to Arnes’s commands. Now, he had no sign of the strange behavior.

As Arnes pondered the situation, Siegfried whispered as he passed by.

"Don’t let go of the scabbard."

Arnes looked up, startled.

Noticing that Siegfried, Regalus, Oliver, and the rest of Starry Stars’s troops were heading toward the banquet, Arnes realized they were blending in quickly to avoid drawing attention.

"...Are you going to the banquet as well, Commander?"

Pamela asked with a hint of irritation. The female soldiers behind her looked extremely displeased.

"Since His Highness and the others have gone, it would be clearly unnatural to stay behind. ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained,’ as they say. But even so, we'll just pretend to eat. There’s no real guarantee that the food is safe... What will you do?"

"…Well, if the Commander is going, then I will accompany you. And if we seem to lose our sanity, I will knock some sense back into you."

Pamela’s response was met with nods of agreement from the soldiers behind her.

From a further distance, Althea and Laila observed the entire exchange. Upon receiving the women’s welcome, the two had retreated to the back and used camouflage magic to hide themselves. If magic users or demons with high magical sensing abilities were not focused on them, they would remain hidden.

As everyone moved toward the banquet, leaving only the two of them, Laila whispered.

“…What do you think, Lady Althea? Are the welcoming women human? They’re not demons, are they?”

"Well, I don’t think they are demons. I don’t sense any malice. But... there’s something about them that feels off, though I can’t quite pinpoint what."

"That might be—"

Suddenly, the fairy interjected.

Laila silently observed her master, who seemed lost in thought, likely conversing with the fairy. Understanding this, Laila patiently waited until the fairy’s input was complete.

"Lady Althea, is something wrong?"

Laila finally spoke up as Althea began to look around anxiously.

"Oh... Sorry, Laila. It’s just that I was—"

Althea, realizing she had started talking to herself, explained to her concerned maid.

According to the fairy, there were watchers observing from above, separate from the welcoming women.

"Eh? Someone is watching us from the sky? Despite the darkness, they see us well."

"Yes, Ciel mentioned they might be demons. The demon world is naturally shrouded in darkness, so they can see well at night."

"Watching... Does that mean these women are human? Are they being threatened, or—"

"It’s possible they are being controlled. Also, they mentioned ‘being able to use magic,’ right? I do sense magical energy, but it feels oddly familiar."

"Familiar how?"

"How should I put it… They all feel similar. There’s also a shared magical essence, which makes me think of something I learned about watchers. If they’re using the same magical essence, it would explain why they feel similar."

If the watchers were sending magical energy and those who received it could cast enchantments by touch, it would make sense of what Arnes experienced.

Even if touched, if one wore a magic stone with mental defense enchantments, the magic would be too weak to have an effect. The weakness of the magic might explain why it’s hard to detect.

"…What does a weak enchantment feel like? And if someone is repeatedly enchanted, what happens?"

"Weak magic is hard to notice. It seems to accumulate slowly. Naturally, if enchanted repeatedly, the effects deepen. It’s worse than a sudden enchantment because the gradual intrusion can be more insidious."

"But if you have the magic stone Lady Althea gave you, you should be fine, right?"

"If you touch the stone directly, it might stave off the current enchantment, but it won’t purify it."

"Then…! Are the others alright?"

"Your brother and His Highness, as well as Oliver, are wearing the magic stones directly, so they should be fine. But some soldiers might have them in their baggage. It would be best if we could ensure everyone wears the stones directly..."

"I’ll inform Lord Regalus. Please lift the camouflage magic just for me."

"I’ll go."

The fairy’s voice overlapped with Laila’s, volunteering to go.

"I can suddenly blend in with that group. If Laila appeared suddenly, the watchers might notice something odd. Camouflage magic isn’t perfect; if someone is actively looking, they could spot you right away. Althea should stay hidden if she can."

As Althea fell silent again, Laila called out once more.

"Lady Althea… Please lift the camouflage magic just for me."

"...Laila."

"Yes?"

"Let’s ask Ciel for help."

"Lady Althea, what do you mean by asking the fairy for help?"

Laila, unable to hear the fairy’s words, asked Althea.

"Camouflage magic doesn’t actually make you disappear; it just makes you appear invisible. The most crucial aspect of the spell is ensuring that attention and awareness are not directed toward you. Ciel said, ‘If you lift the camouflage here, it would look like you suddenly appeared, and attention might be drawn to this area, possibly revealing even me.’ Ciel can transform at will, so nobody would notice an extra person suddenly appearing among the troops. Since Ciel offered to go and inform my brother or His Highness, I thought it best to rely on them... It’s not that I don’t trust you, Laila."

"...I understand."

Laila responded, her face showing a hint of dejection.

—She must never let anyone discover that she is a maiden.

It was a lesson drilled into her by her brother and His Highness after her punishment for the phoenix incident.

If discovered, she would be the prime target.

Laila didn’t know this and was disheartened because of it.

"...Laila... you see."

Althea gathered her resolve and conveyed the information that maidens are often targeted by demons.

Joining the expedition was a way to deliver the prophecy and reach the Sword of the Sun as quickly as possible.

Concealing her maiden status was to avoid being trapped in a tower and targeted by demons.

Laila listened, grateful for the reasons and Ciel’s suggestion.