Chapter 492: Twisted Power
Tauro and his party, accompanied by the True Saint Maria, traveled from the Marquis Vandyne dukedom through the Dimensional Corridor and returned to the capital of the Haragura Marquisate.
The Sky Dragon Knight Sid and the Heaven-Gifted Mage Slane were not with them.
They had decided to remain as guardians of the Vandyne Marquisate.
“…This flow of magical power is distorted,”
As soon as the True Saint Maria arrived, she frowned at the presence of magical power that enveloped the capital city.
She continued,
“This appears to be a combination of barrier magic and sorcery. It’s remarkable they managed to construct something like this. At this scale, it’s likely drawing magical power not just from within this territory, but also from neighboring lands, using it to bless the capital and its surrounding lands and the people. For example, it may bring about good harvests or make people less susceptible to disease.”
“From what you’re saying, it sounds like nothing but good things for the Haragura capital. Is that not the case?”
Tauro tilted his head as he listened to rue Saint Maria’s explanation.
“Yes. This capital will indeed prosper, but only at the expense of those around it. Most likely, those neighboring lands are suffering the opposite effects — poor harvests, disease outbreaks, and so on. In the long run, the backlash when the surrounding magical energy dries up could be disastrous. Since this is a repurposing of different forms of sorcery, there’s no way it doesn’t come without side effects.”
She shook her head in response to Tauro’s question.
“Also, this setup — it’s the same as what stopped the blessings during the ‘Blessing Ceremony’ in the Bariella Duchy. Which means the interference back then was indeed caused by the Marquis of Haragura, right?”.
Aeris pointed this out, now convinced by Maria’s words.
“So, that means that at that time, besides the attempted kidnapping by the Imperial soldiers, there was interference from Marquis Haragura as well? Don’t tell me they were accomplices?”
Ankh voiced his suspicion.
“…That was probably just coincidence. The Imperial soldiers were mistakenly targeting Aeris. Now that I think about it, the arson was likely their doing as well.”
Tauro replied, finally connecting the dots in his mind.
“The arson was probably to test the skill of the guards and the local soldiers in the Dukedom. As for the interference with the Blessing Ceremony, I’d say it was the work of Marquis Haragura’s grandson, Suguro, or someone from his entourage.”
Ragune, also convinced, helped piece the events together.
“Right. What’s covering this capital now is even bigger in scale than what we saw back then… But this kind of magic couldn’t be done in a short time. And to develop it would require someone with considerable magical expertise, wouldn’t it?”
Aeris pointed out to True Saint Maria to check.
“If it were a Dragonkin researcher, they would probably be able to analyze and recreate it quickly. But if a human made this from scratch, theb it would have to be someone well-versed even in Saint-class magic. They’ve reversed the blessing technique to absorb magical energy from the surroundings, gather it into facilities around the capital, then convert and distribute it throughout the area. From the way they did it and the use of sorcery, what they’re doing is incredibly twisted, but… I can understand their intent — they wanted to make this capital city flourish.”
True Saint Maria seemed to imply it was a crude and immature method.
She continued:
“Lord Tauro, what would you like to do? I believe this is a sorcery-based facility, so if I invoke a ‘True Blessing,’ I should be able to destroy it with a dispel effect or something. However… it would likely cause quite a commotion.”
Maria was considerate, not wanting to cause trouble for Tauro and his group with the commotion.
“…I see. For example, could you time it with someone else’s ‘Blessing’ so it appears as if they were the one who cast such powerful magic?”
Tauro asked.
“It’s possible, but why? …Ah, I see. You want it to make it look like it was casted by the woman I’ve heard about, Saint Matilda?”
True Saint Maria quickly understood what Tauro wanted to say.
“Yes. That way, since it happened during the ‘l Blessing Ceremony’ and at their own invitation, Marquis Haragura’s side can’t complain. If the curse was suddenly lifted by unknown means and the facility destroyed, they’d be desperate to find the culprit. But this way, they’d know the cause, and they can’t make a fuss. Plus, it preserves the dignity of the Kingdom of Luwan, who need Saint Matilda.”
Tauro explained.
“In that case, I’ll have to accompany Saint Matilda during this ‘Blessing Ceremony’. Also, Aeris, you should participate as well, for the sake of your future studies.”
As Aeris’s mentor, True Saint Maria wanted her to gain experience firsthand.
“I don’t mind, but will Saint Matilda agree…?”
Aeris believed there was no longer any bad blood between them, but that depended on Matilda’s feelings.
“Please send me back to the Van Dyne Marquisate for now. Then, when you’ve met with Saint Matilda, you may summon me again.”
True Saint Maria suggested this as if she had come up with an idea.
“…? Ah! You’re planning to put on a show, aren’t you?”
Tauro felt like he somehow understood what the True Saint Maria was aiming for.
“What does that mean?”
Ankh didn’t understand and asked for clarification.
“Saint Matilda treats herself as someone special because she’s the first Saint to appear in a hundred years. So Maria wants to make a dramatic entrance to make her understand that she’s on a whole other level.”
Tauro explained.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just let them see it through their abilities?”
Ragune asked a fair question.
“That would work too… but it would cause an uproar before the ceremony even begins. No — it definitely would.”
Tauro could easily imagine that if the True Saint Maria were to show her true power, the people of the Kingdom of Luwan would make a fuss.
“…True. — So, Maria-san, is there anything I should do?”
Aeris asked, showing willingness to help rather than leaving it all to her mentor.
“You’re still in training, remember? There’s no need for you to draw attention to yourself right now.”
True Saint Maria could remain a mysterious figure, but if Aeris, whose identity was already known, were to display saintly abilities, it would undoubtedly cause a commotion. Maria worried that this could affect how she lives her life in the future, so she tried to shield her from the spotlight.
“Well then, Ragune,”
Tauro had Ragune open the Dimensional Corridor and sent True Saint Maria back to the Van Dyne Marquisate for the time being.