“Mind telling me the real reason?”
“I heard about your illness and wanted to see if I could help.”
“Couldn’t you have asked that during the day?”
“Sorry, I only learned how serious it was afterward.”
“Hopeless, aren’t you——”
With a sigh, the Saintess exhaled softly.
“Very well, let us speak frankly. —My lifespan… will last but a few more years.”
“Wha—WHAAAAAT?!”
“A disease where the magic power within my body solidifies, eventually turning my entire body into a statue. Moreover, it only afflicts those with enough magic to qualify as a Saintess—so it’s said to be an illness exclusive to Saintesses.”
“Your sister did mention that it’s rare for a Saintess to live past thirty, but… so soon…?”
“Toko doesn’t know about this, so it’s a secret, understood?”
“Understood. Um… have you tried any medicine…?”
“Painkillers, at best. There is no cure.”
“That’s…”
“It seems this illness manifests when the immense magic power within me runs wild. The only known treatment is to overwhelm my rampaging magic with an even greater force, crushing it utterly—but even the legendary Elf elder couldn’t accomplish such a feat. After all… I am the Saintess.”
Toko had told me as much.
Big Sister has far more magic than I do—that’s why she was chosen as a Saintess candidate.
And among countless candidates, the amount of magic the current Saintess must possess… It was unfathomable.
“Um… is there anything I can do to help—?”
“Nothing at all. At best, you may pray for my soul to reach heaven.”
The expected answer came swiftly.
“Thus, Margrave Lohengrin. You may leave now.”
“Yes. …But, one last thing.”
“What is it?”
“I—though self-taught—can use healing magic. I believe it might ease your pain somewhat. May I try?”
My healing magic was straightforward: flooding the target with raw magic to force recovery.
Delicate treatments or healing those with low magic reserves? Dangerous.
But the Saintess? No issue. Her magic capacity was on another level entirely.
At my offer, the Saintess gave a faint smile.
“Your concern touches me, Margrave.”
“Ah, but… there’s one problem.”
“And that is?”
“For my magic to flow properly, I must make direct contact with the affected area. Meaning… I’d have to touch you quite firmly—”
“——————!?”
—And so, what happened next?
After much flustered negotiation, we settled on a compromise: With the Saintess seated on my lap atop the bed, I wrapped my arms tightly around her from behind.
At first, her ears burned red, and she fidgeted restlessly—
But as the pain faded, she gradually relaxed, her breathing steadying into a soft slumber.
In the end, I kept casting healing magic until dawn.
When the morning sun peeked through the curtains, I gently laid the Saintess back onto her bed and left.
She slept peacefully.
8
Naturally, sleep-deprived, I was having a late breakfast with the others when—
BAM! The dining hall doors burst open. Standing there was the Saintess.
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS————!?”
“Eh? Huh?”
“When I awoke this morning, I felt refreshed! No pain, and even my digestion was perfect!!”
“Uh… that’s… good news?”
“Yes, it’s wonderful! But also terrible—!!!”
She stormed over, seizing my shoulders and shaking me violently.
What the hell is happening?!
She didn’t seem unwell—so it couldn’t be a side effect of my healing magic.
I shot the others a pleading glance, but—
“—Hmm. I see. You’ve done something again, haven’t you?”
“Big Brother is a lady-killer. Probably pulled another unconscious cheat move and ‘saved’ the Saintess.”
“Even calm Big Sis is freaking out. Clearly, Suzuha-nii’s the culprit.”
“Yet I wasn’t informed. Suzuha, care to explain?”
“Nor was I. An interrogation is in order. Kanade, prepare the tools.”
“……Whips and candles, ready to go.”
“Wait, what are you planning to do to me?!”
“Interrogation.”
Eventually, I managed to calm the Saintess down.
And, with great effort, halted Kanade’s whip-and-candle interrogation.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
Given the situation, keeping last night’s events a secret was no longer possible.
After laying everything out, Toko nodded grimly.
“……I see. Keeping it from me was wise. If word got out that you snuck into the Saintess’s chambers, it’d spark an international incident.”
“Still, you could’ve told me, your partner.”
“Had anything gone wrong, the blame would’ve fallen on House Sakuragi.”
“Grr. True, but…”
“Ah, Big Brother, what about me?”
“If I told you, you’d have insisted on coming.”
“So what? I could’ve helped!”
Suzuha pouted, but hell no.
“Then, Saintess, why did you storm in here—?”
“Isn’t it obvious?! I woke up to find the Margrave gone—and the chronic pain and magic stagnation I’ve endured for years had vanished!”
“Well, I did cast healing magic…”
“If that alone could cure it, we wouldn’t need doctors or morphine————!!!”
So… the Saintess had expected my healing magic to fail?
Really?
“……Ah. Now I understand. Yeah, this is Suzuha-nii’s fault.”
“I just cast healing magic, and her pain disappeared. What’s the issue?”
“Listen. Normally, incurable diseases aren’t cured by healing magic. At most, pain is temporarily dulled—it doesn’t erase the root cause or clear magic blockages.”
Toko’s eyes widened in realization.
“—Got it. That’s what happened.”
“Uh, Toko?”
“Think about it. Saintess’s Disease is caused by excess magic running wild and solidifying, right? So if Suzuha-nii’s overwhelmingly stupid magic crushed all of Big Sis’s corrupted magic… wouldn’t that cure her?”
“……Huh?”
That’s ridiculous.
Yet when I looked around, everyone wore expressions of resignation.
“Normally impossible. But given Suzuha kun’s brother’s magic, overwhelming even a Saintess’s isn’t unthinkable. After all, I’ve been saved by his healing magic countless times—”
“He even healed me with a knife through my heart. So curing Big Sis isn’t that far-fetched… right?”
“Then… my body is truly…?”
As the Saintess trembled, I raised a hand.
“Saintess, for now, how about a thorough examination by the Holy Theocracy’s magic physicians?”
“Y-yes…! You’re right!”
False hope leading to despair would be unbearable.
Before she could spiral further, we ushered her off to the doctors.
9
Until the Saintess’s results came in, we were effectively detained in the Holy Theocracy.
A reasonable precaution.
A sudden change in the Saintess—even a positive one—demanded scrutiny. If things took a turn for the worse, “They’ve already left the country” wouldn’t cut it.
Besides, I wanted to know the outcome too.
“So, what’s the plan for this afternoon?”
On our tenth day in the Holy Theocracy,
Yuzuriha asked excitedly over lunch.
“How about a tour of the capital? —J-just the two of us—!”
“Sounds great! Let’s all go together.”
“……Ah. Right… all of us. Heh…”
Yuzuriha slumped into melancholy. Before I could question it, a sister arrived.
I was being summoned.
“……Me?”
“Yes, without mistake. The Saintess, the Pope, and the Archbishop await you.”
Toko’s eyes bulged.
“Hold up—that’s the Holy Trinity of the Church!”
“Is it?”
“Yes! It’s like the king, president, and prime minister all at once!”
“Then we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”
I had a very good idea why they’d called me.
Whether this was good or bad, running wasn’t an option.
“Please follow me. Only Margrave Lohengrin is summoned—the rest must remain.”
“Like hell! I’m going too—as his partner!”
“And I am his sister!”
“……Outsiders are not permitted at the Holy Trinity’s council.”
Despite protests, only Toko—as our group’s leader—was allowed to accompany me.
Everyone seemed worried about what might happen to me.
I’ll just accept their kind feelings.
＊
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