ABSCS 44

Chapter 44

 Mage (2)

“That… that’s absurd.”

Lilliana spoke reflexively.

“How could such suffering be forced upon a Saint? Wait—does that mean all the Saints in the histories…?”

“That’s not the case.”

The Saint smiled softly.

“The strong protecting the weak is only natural—it’s their duty.”

Her pale fingers slid between Lilliana’s, intertwining gently. In a hushed voice, she whispered:

“Isn’t that the same reason Your Highness tried so hard to uphold your duties as royalty?”

The Saint’s eyes were endlessly pure and benevolent.

She looked like someone simply stating a truth she firmly believed in—and because of that, Lilliana couldn’t bring herself to argue.

In fact, hadn’t her own way of thinking been somewhat similar?

Born into royalty, granted countless privileges, it was only natural to take care of her people and even sacrifice her life to protect her elder siblings, who ranked higher in succession. That was her duty.

But… what the Saint was saying now felt fundamentally different.

Her hair stood on end; chills ran down her spine.

It was like being looked down on from some impossibly high place—a feeling that stirred instinctive discomfort.

And yet, guilt also took hold of her.

This Saint was undeniably the nation’s benefactor. She was enduring unimaginable pain on Lilliana’s behalf at this very moment.

And here she was, instead of being grateful, thinking things like: “There’s no way such a virtuous person exists. She must have some ulterior motive.”

“Anyway, let’s end this talk here.”

As if sensing Lilliana’s doubt, the Saint smoothly shifted the subject.

“There’s something I’d like to ask, Princess…”

“What is it?”

“Have you seen anything unusual in your dreams? Something extraordinary—scenery you could never have imagined before.”

“That…”

Lilliana almost answered instinctively, but bit her tongue.

It really was a strange dream.

After her magic circuits had shattered and then recovered, she’d seen a vision unlike anything she had ever experienced.

A dazzling, overwhelming city of blue. Towering skyscrapers that pierced the heavens. Flying machines roaming freely. Trains moving without any steam engines.

Not even the most advanced nation, the Principality of Eal, could imagine such a civilization.

Perhaps it was the distant future, she thought, as she looked down on the city.

Then it happened.

[Error detected – Lilliana]
[Attempting correction…]
[Correction failed]
[Proceeding with character deletion.]

Blood-red letters appeared and vanished rapidly before her eyes, chilling her to the core.

The instant she read the final line, a crushing sense of dread consumed her—as though some vast being were trying to erase her from existence.

[Character deletion impossible.]
[Proceeding with replacement…]
[Character replacement failed.]
[Searching for alternative measures.]
[…]
[…]
[Altering rules.]
[…]
[Alteration successful.]
[Returning character to field.]

With that last message, she awoke.

A shattered magic circuit was supposed to mean certain death within hours. But though she had suffered immense pain, she had not died…

“Your Highness?”

The Saint’s gentle call snapped Lilliana out of her brooding. When she didn’t respond, the Saint asked again:

“Do you have something you’d like to say?”

For some reason, Lilliana felt as though those azure eyes were staring straight into her—despite knowing the Saint was blind.

That was why.

“…No. I didn’t see anything unusual.”

That was why Lilliana kept the truth to herself.

She couldn’t quite explain it in words.

But her instincts told her that bizarre vision she’d seen was connected to the Saint. And so, she decided to watch her more closely before saying anything.

“I see. In that case, shall we begin what I mentioned earlier?”

“What do you mean?”

The Saint beamed.

“Why, helping Your Highness use magic, of course.”

The way to let Lilliana use magic was simple—give her a medium.

So the device I devised was a gun built around a talisman highly sensitive to mana.

“You want me to have a weapon built from this blueprint?”

“Is it impossible?”

“No. We have craftsmen from the Western Continent—this wouldn’t be too difficult. But still…”

Studying the design I’d drawn, Lilliana muttered thoughtfully.

“A gun that uses talismans… I never would have thought of that.”

“Guns from the West use gunpowder. This just replaces that with mana.”

“That makes sense.”

Normally, this would be scandalous.

A gun, of all things.

The nobility of Tera were notoriously conservative about foreign technology—especially compared to the Holy Kingdom of Aegis. For a royal princess to dabble in such things would spark outrage.

But Lilliana, who valued decorum and law above all else, had not objected. That only showed how desperate she truly was.

“Then let’s begin construction at once!”

“….”

“Your Highness?”

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

She stood with her crutch, gazing steadily at me, then asked in a low, deliberate tone:

“Why are you helping me?”

“Because, naturally, it’s my duty to help those in need.”

“…Is that so?”

Her brow furrowed.

“I already understand your creed to some extent. You weigh the suffering of the many above all else—an utterly utilitarian way of thinking.”

I stayed silent.

“For instance… put your beloved and ten innocent people on a scale. Most would choose the beloved. Someone like Baron Polly’s heir would probably try for a third option, to save both. But you—you’re different.”

Her crimson eyes gleamed.

“You’d choose the latter without hesitation. Because to you, every life has the same value—except your own.”

That… was an analysis I hadn’t expected.

But not inaccurate.

What I valued most was the total number of lives saved.

In truth, it didn’t even matter if they were innocent. As long as they weren’t destined to become murderers who would reduce that total in the future, I would always choose to save the greater number.

A beloved?

Letting personal feelings dictate choices only meant never making it home again.

No—calm, objective, unshaken.

Always moving straight toward the goal. That was Saint Justinus’s role.

…And yet, I thought I’d hidden it well enough.

The line between cold rationality and compassion is paper-thin.

The cold-hearted give zero love to everyone; the compassionate give one hundred to all.

I had lived for over ten years pretending my “zero” was “a hundred.” No one had ever seen through it.

What now?

Lilliana was someone I intended to keep in my party.

If she began to suspect me, things could get troublesome. Worst case, I’d have to drop her and continue the main story without her.

…No. That would be a hassle.

The royal bloodline of this kingdom had far too many uses.

I had a “spare” to fill her role if needed—but the original was far better.

So I made up my mind.

“Your Highness.”

“Speak.”

“Do you remember, I said I’d ask a favor once you could use magic?”

Her expression shifted slightly at the sudden change of topic.

“I remember.”

“May I ask it now?”

“…What is it?”

A pause.

The breeze flowed through the window as I smiled and spoke:

“Please help me save the world.”