As the final minister nodded in agreement, Magnus leaned forward, his hands clasped together. "If there's nothing more to discuss." He glanced around the room, hoping for no one to raise any objections. Nobody did. "Then this meeting is adjourned."
The ministers and nobles rose to their feet, murmuring among themselves as they filed out of the great hall. Selene let out a sigh of relief, finally some peace and quiet.
Just as she reached for her Encyclopedia of Saintess Chronicles, Magnus snatched it quickly before she could and flung it into his own storage space.
"Hey!" Selene spun around, glaring at him. "Give it back!"
Magnus smirked. "No."
Selene stamped her foot. "Why not?"
"Because it's mine now and I don't want to."
"What! You're the one throwing it at people's faces!" she retorted. "If you're just going to use it as a weapon, then you don't need it!"
Alaric, who had just entered the room, looked between them in confusion. "…What exactly happened while I was gone?"
Magnus shrugged. "Nothing important."
Selene crossed her arms, fuming. "Give. It. Back."
"No."
"Yes!"
"No."
Alaric sighed. "I thought I was coming back to a serious discussion, not this…"
Magnus ignored him and turned back to Selene. "What were you trying to tell me earlier?"
Selene, who was still pouting, blinked. "Wha?" Then she remembered. "Oh! Right! We have to go somewhere and talk alone."
Magnus raised an eyebrow. "How alone?"
"Your office."
Magnus turned to Alaric, who shrugged. "Alright. Let's go."
The three of them left the hall, towards Magnus's office.
Near the Manor Entrance
Two figures lurking in the shadow of the entrance, having made sure no one else was near, whispered to each other.
First to speak was Minister Hadrian Velmont-a tall, lanky figure with sharp features and graying hair-who leaned forward and muttered, "That girl... could it be that she is using a dark priestess's skills?
He sneered, the stocky man that was Minister Julius Bormont, with his piercing green eyes and thick beard. "I do not know, but most certainly it is strange. How does a twelve-year-old know so much about Elric's past? Not just him but Balthazar and Cordelia too."
Hadrian scrunched his eyebrows. "What if she investigated it?
Julius snorted, shaking his head. "Impossible. She's still a child. No one except Elric himself should know what happened to his family."
Hadrian faltered. ".That's not entirely impossible. Elric loved being around her, didn't he? What if one day he got careless and let something slip? That might be why he was so desperate to get rid of her.
Julius folded his arms. "Did you even hear their conversation properly?"
Hadrian shifted his gaze elsewhere. "Not really. Elric was making too much of a fuss."
Julius sighed irritably. "Then don't jump to conclusions. The most important thing I did hear, though, was that Selene said she saw that in the future, the new saintess would investigate Elric's past."
Hadrian's eyes went wide. "Then it's true? She can see the future?
"If that's the case, we need to be very careful about what we do," Julius muttered. "If she ever gets a vision about us and reports it to Magnus…"
Hadrian had shuddered at the thought. "That must be why Magnus keeps her around, even though she's a cursed child."
Julius narrowed his eyes. "So… what do you plan to do?
"For now, I'll watch and see how things unfold," Hadrian said slowly. "But I'll come up with a plan just in case things take a turn for the worse."
Julius nodded. "Same here."
With one last glance at the manor, the two ministers disappeared into the night.
In Magnus' office, Selene and Magnus sat themselves on the plush sofa, while Alaric settled into the single armchair across from them. All was calm, yet silently urgent.
Just as Selene was about to open her Store Interface to buy some snacks, Magnus shot her a stern look. "No."
She pouted. "Why not?
"Dinner is in less than an hour. No snacks," Magnus reminded her.
Selene slumped into the couch but obediently closed the interface. "Fine…"
Magnus leaned back and crossed his arms. "Now, tell me what you wanted to say."
Selene hesitated, then looked up at him. "Can you give me back the Encyclopedia?"
Magnus narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why?"
"I just need to check something for a moment," she assured him.
He studied her expression before heaving a small sigh. "Fine." With a wave of his hand, the Encyclopedia manifested in his hand, and he passed it over.
Selene eagerly flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning the contents until she reached the section on Saintess Eri. As she read through Eri's listed skills, her brows furrowed in deep thought. The Skills of Saintess Eri:
Holy Healing Magic
Light Ray
Light of Radiance
Light Barrier
Light Spear
Energy Ball Light Chains
Magnus frowned as her expression changed. "What's wrong?"
Selene said nothing for a moment, then asked, "Do you know the difference between Light Magic and Holy Magic?"
Magnus didn't even hesitate. "They're the same thing."
Alaric nodded in agreement. "Yeah, there's no difference."
Selene shook her head. "No. They're two completely different things."
Alaric raised an eyebrow. "Then what's the difference?
Selene leaned forward, her fingers drumming against the open pages. "Light Magic is the ability to control and manipulate the essence of light itself. It allows the user to generate, bend, and shape light into various forms-offensive spells like beams and spears, defensive barriers, or even illusions by refracting light. It exists as a neutral magical element, meaning that anyone with an affinity for it can use it, regardless of their alignment.
Magnus and Alaric exchanged a glance, their faces inscrutable.
"But Holy Magic," Selene plowed on, "is something entirely different. It's not a natural element of Light Magic. Rather, it's a watered-down version of divine power. It is only granted by the Goddess herself."
Magnus's brow furrowed. "A watered-down version?"
Selene thought for a moment before she decided to explain it another way. "Do you two know about the Demon God?"
Both men shook their heads.
Selene sighed. "The Demon God is the deity worshipped by demons. He gains strength by feeding on the desires and despair of humans. That's why demons exist-to increase the amount of negative emotions humans generate, which in turn makes him stronger."
Magnus and Alaric said nothing, blowing out a mute breath.
Selene continued, "To counter this, the Goddess granted special abilities to humans to fight against demons. But when she realized that wasn't enough, the Demon God chose the strongest demon among them and appointed him as the Demon King, amplifying his power even further."
Magnus's jaw clenched. "And that's why the Goddess chose to create Saints and Saintesses.
"Precisely," Selene nodded. "She bestowed on a chosen human part of her holy power, by which they became a Saint or Saintess. She also gave to men the use of Holy Magic, distinct from Light Magic in that it was a direct blessing from the Goddess."
Alaric furrowed his brow. "But if Holy Magic is divine in nature, then why is it that others can wield it?
"They can't. Not on their own," Selene explained. "However, if a person devotes their heart, body, and soul to the Saintess, they are granted the ability to use Holy Magic. But—" she emphasized, "—they must purify themselves of worldly thoughts and sins to maintain it."
Alaric leaned back, still digesting the information. Meanwhile, Magnus nodded in understanding.
Selene continued to press on, "And because the Demon King exists, the Goddess also appoints a Hero to fight against him. However, in defeating the Demon King, Holy Magic is required, and that can only be provided by a Saint or Saintess."
At this, she looked up at them. "Do you both remember what I told you about the future? The one where this kingdom is destroyed?"
Magnus and Alaric exchanged glances before nodding.
Alaric had to ask the question, "Does this mean… Saintess Eri failing to learn Holy Magic led to the Hero's defeat?"
Magnus answered before Selene could. "That's only one of the reasons." He plucked the Encyclopedia from Selene's lap and flipped through it before stopping at a particular paragraph. He tapped the page. "It says here that the Saintess dabbled in worldly things and lost her powers.
Selene nodded. "That's right. She still retained her Light Magic, but she could no longer use Holy Magic."
Alaric slowly exhaled. "Then that means… even if she fought alongside the Hero, she wouldn't have been able to support him with divine power."
Magnus closed the book, his expression unreadable. "And because of that, the kingdom fell.
Selene folded her hands in her lap. "This is why I needed to confirm something. Light Magic is powerful, but it isn't enough to fight against the Demon King. Without Holy Magic, the Hero stands no chance."
The room fell silent.