Althea: The Legendary Saintess [Shoujo]

With the break concluded, we soared into the boundless sky once again. We were already within the territory of the RGC, and our arrival was just a few hours away. During our flight, the previously silent Divine Bird began to share a wealth of information.

To reach the next shrine by land, we would need to traverse the infernal Fire Mountain, rumored to be the home of dragons. Choosing to detour around the mountain would take us more than a month. Although there were several aerial routes available, the shortest one promised to be both the quickest and the most perilous.

It appeared the rumors were true; dragons still roamed these lands, and they attacked anyone who encroached upon their territory, be it the mountain itself or the skies above. Hence, we had to fly higher and be more vigilant in observing our surroundings.

"I understand. However, once we have obtained what we need from the next shrine, how do we make our way back? Divine Bird, you are here only to guide us, correct?" asked Siegfried, his voice tinged with concern.

"That’s correct... Well, let’s see... No, I’m sure we’ll figure something out," the Divine Bird replied after a brief pause, somewhat ambiguously. Nonetheless, if the Divine Bird said we would manage, then manage we would.

"We’re approaching the airspace over Fire Mountain. I’ll increase our altitude, so it might be a bit hard for you to breathe. You can use wind magic, can’t you? Use it to create a protective air bubble around you and endure it for a short while," the Divine Bird instructed before ascending almost vertically.

I couldn’t help but wonder how the Divine Bird knew about our ability to use wind magic. Nevertheless, Althea cast her spell, creating a vortex of wind around us to maintain a steady supply of air. After she finished, she looked around anxiously, concerned about the soldiers riding the other giant birds. But to her surprise, they were nowhere to be seen.

"Divine Bird, what happened to the others?" Althea inquired.

There was no response. It seemed the Divine Bird was concentrating, and the tension in the air began to rise. Althea, sensing the change, fell silent and focused her gaze ahead.

Once we reached a certain altitude, the Divine Bird leveled out and began to speak.

"Apologies for the silence. I wasn’t ignoring you. The others are taking a detour. By circumventing this area, they can cross without needing to fly as high. However, it will take them more time. Even this route will take us an hour."

"That long? Oh, I’m sorry for disturbing you while you were concentrating," Althea replied.

"It’s fine. And I appreciated how you stopped speaking once you realized the situation. You have the makings of a warrior for someone so young."

"A warrior... Do you think I could become one?" Althea asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Ha! You wish to be a warrior? Well... I suppose it’s not impossible, though it would be difficult. You certainly have the potential. Anyway, let’s end the idle chatter. We don’t want to attract the attention of any dragons," the Divine Bird cautioned.

After a short while, we began to descend.

"Are we almost past the mountain?" Siegfried asked.

"Yes, we’ve made it through safely. That’s our destination ahead. We’re descending now," the Divine Bird confirmed.

With a gentle landing, the Divine Bird set us down and transformed into a human-like form, allowing us to disembark.

I handed the Divine Bird a flask of water and asked, "How long do you think the others will take to catch up?"

"It might be another four or five hours. You two should proceed without waiting for them," Garuda, the Divine Bird, replied, pointing towards a shrine visible in the distance.

"Just the two of us?" Althea asked, her voice filled with trepidation.

"Yes, the two of you. Only a few will be able to progress beyond a certain point in this shrine. I’ll stay here to guide the others when they arrive. You wanted to save time, didn’t you? Then you should press on without delay," the Divine Bird explained.

Siegfried and Althea exchanged glances, nodding in agreement. The Divine Bird smiled and extended his hand to them.

"I won’t be here when you return, but I hope you succeed in gaining the aid of the Creator God. We cannot afford to let the Dark Lord conquer this world. Our time together, though facilitated by the Phoenix, was enjoyable."

Siegfried clasped the Divine Bird’s hand firmly. "Thank you. We will succeed!"

After releasing Siegfried’s hand, the Divine Bird turned to Althea and offered his hand. When Althea took it, he gently pulled her close. Siegfried watched, puzzled, as the Divine Bird whispered something into Althea’s ear, then stepped back swiftly.

"Now, off you go. May fortune smile upon you both!" With that, the Divine Bird pushed Althea gently forward and took to the sky in his avian form.

Althea stumbled forward into Siegfried’s chest, her eyes wide with surprise. "Divine Bird, what do you mean by that?" she called out, reaching towards the sky, but her hand grasped only air.

"What did he say to you?" Siegfried asked, his voice close to her ear. Realizing how close they were, Althea blushed furiously and tried to step back, but Siegfried’s arms held her firmly.

"Um, Your Highness... please let go—"

"I am not 'Your Highness'. I asked you before, didn't I? If you won’t call me by my name, I can't let you go."

"... Lord Siegfried."

Satisfied, Siegfried relaxed his grip on her shoulders.

"Very well, for now. So, Althea, what did the Divine Bird say as he left?"

"Ah... he said that I would come to know my role..."

"Your role?"

"Yes."

"Could it be that you will find out here at this shrine?"

"I believe that might be the case..."

Althea replied, her face downcast, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

"Are you alright?" Siegfried asked gently.

As Althea looked up, her eyes met his kind gaze, the deep violet of his eyes conveying warmth. He continued speaking softly.

"No matter what your role is, I will always protect you. No matter the cost. So, Althea, if you learn anything, please don’t keep it from me."

"But... what if it puts you at a disadvantage, Lord Siegfried—"

"The only thing that could put me at a disadvantage is losing you. My status and everything else mean nothing. You are more important to me than anything in this world... more than the world itself."

Siegfried’s unwavering declaration of love and devotion brought a faint blush to Althea’s cheeks as she nodded in acknowledgment.

With their promise sealed, Siegfried and Althea, guided by the Divine Bird's words, stepped forward towards the shrine that lay just ahead.

Unlike the Shrine of the East, which was bathed in light, the Shrine of the West descended into a dark passageway leading underground. However, as they moved forward, the walls began to glow faintly, illuminating the path ahead.

"...It’s like a starry night," Siegfried murmured.

Indeed, the lights in the walls resembled twinkling stars against the night sky.

"Even though we can’t see what’s ahead in this darkness, I strangely feel no fear. Just as the Divine Bird said, it feels calm and peaceful."

With no sense of foreboding, they continued deeper into the shrine. After about five minutes, despite the uneven ground, they arrived at a small clearing with an altar similar to the one they had seen in the Eastern Shrine.

The two approached the altar, but it was empty.

"Is this not the right place? There’s an altar, but nothing on it. And come to think of it, we don’t even know what we’re supposed to be looking for here. What are we supposed to find?" Siegfried pondered aloud.

Next to him, Althea was looking around curiously.

"Althea? Are you searching for something?"

"The fairies have been searching along the walls... wait, what?"

"What’s wrong?"

"The fairies are calling us. They’re saying, 'This way.'"

Althea grabbed Siegfried’s arm and led him to a specific spot on the wall. Embedded in the wall was something that looked identical to the glowing lights that had been guiding their way, but this one was different—it was not glowing and was slightly larger than the others.

"Do we press this?" Althea asked, seemingly conversing with the fairies.

After nodding in agreement with the fairies, Althea turned to Siegfried.

"Lord Siegfried, it seems we should press this. We don’t know what will happen, so please hold on tightly."

She wrapped her arm securely around Siegfried’s and, with a determined "Here we go," pressed the object.

As soon as she pressed it, the object that had been dark began to emit a strong light, enveloping the two of them as they vanished into the light.