Chapter 3

It has been a week since I came to this world.

I have been doing nothing.

To put it simply, it seems that I am still being treated as a nuisance.

Kazuki-san has apparently been officially recognized as a saint.

In this world, there is magic, and magic has attributes.

There are six attributes: fire, water, wind, earth, holy, and dark. The more outstanding attributes one has, the better they are said to be.

And it seems that Kazuki-san has five attributes.

This is apparently quite impressive.

Even the royal family and nobles who excel in magic usually have three or four attributes, so Kazuki-san, who has five, is said to be a special existence.

Everyone reveres her as a saint, as expected.

On the other hand, I, who apparently have no magical power, am seen as a useless person who came from the same world as the saint.

Because I wander around the castle every day, I am looked at with quite a cold eye.

Incidentally, the reason my makeup, clothes, and meals are so casual is that I am being treated carelessly because I am seen as useless.

...I can understand their feelings, but still.

Since they summoned me and got me involved, even if I am useless, shouldn't they have a responsibility to protect my life to some extent?

Indeed, I am given a place to sleep and food, but on the other hand, everything else is only possible because of Marie.

I am really glad Marie is here.

Also, when I go out, a knight follows me.

Officially, it's for protection, but since he always follows me even though he doesn't seem to be very motivated, I think it's also for surveillance.

The knight ignores me when I try to talk to him, so I quickly stopped trying to talk to him.

When I walk around the castle, I hear people whispering, but if I paid attention to that, I wouldn't be able to do anything, so I ignore it.

In the morning, I learn common sense from Marie, and in the afternoon, I wander around the castle.

Fortunately, I can read and write the language of this world.

Even though I had never seen the letters before, I could read them, and when I tried to write, my hand moved naturally.

Perhaps it's a special ability I got when I was summoned.

Since I can understand the language and read and write, I think I could manage even if I were left to my own devices.

The language and writing are apparently a common language.

All countries use the same language and writing.

Today, as I aimlessly wandered around the castle to pass the time, I heard voices.

It seems the knights were on a break during their training.

"There's apparently an envoy from the empire coming in two weeks."

...The empire?

I listened to the voices of the knights on the other side of the bushes.

"Does that mean they're coming to meet the saint?"

"Probably. After all, the empire sent mages for the summoning of this saint. Those mages are apparently returning with the envoy."

"Oh, right."

The knight on the other side sounded puzzled.

"If they're just returning the mages, they don't need an envoy, do they?"

"But what if the empire wants the saint? I heard the current saint of the empire is quite old, and they need to find the next candidate soon, don't they?"

"But we would be in trouble if the saint left us."

"That's true. But without the empire's mages, we couldn't have summoned the saint, so if the empire requests her dispatch, the kingdom can't refuse..."

The other side fell silent.

Then, "Hey, let's get back to training!" and the knights' responses and footsteps faded away.

...The empire, huh.

It might be better to escape to another country rather than stay in this one.

Even within the kingdom, I will probably always be called the "saint's bonus" and be treated as such. Is there any way I can get to the empire?

I thought as I walked.

The envoy from the empire coming in two weeks is visiting the kingdom to meet the saint, Kazuki-san.

When I asked Marie, she said the kingdom and the empire have an alliance, and because the kingdom lacked mages, the empire cooperated and sent mages to perform the summoning magic.

...Hmm, the empire can't really be held responsible.

The kingdom should be the one in charge.

...I'll see how things go.

* * * * *

At night, I lay on my bed reading a book.

I couldn't enter the library, but Marie could, so she brought me a few books.

The one I'm reading now is about magic.

Even though I have no magical power, when I said I wanted to read a book about magic, Marie didn't make a face and chose an easy-to-understand one for me.

...Imagination is important in magic.

It seems that to use magic, you need magical power, incantation, and imagination.

First, it's important to feel your magical power, and you need to be aware of the blood vessels in your body and imagine that magical power flows through them from the center of your body.

"What does the flow of magical power mean?"

...Is it like blood?

Even though I know I have no magical power, I want to try it out.

I got up from the bed, held the book in one hand, and stood in a spacious part of the room.

The center of the body is probably the heart.

Assuming that magical power flows through the blood vessels like blood from there to the rest of the body.

I closed my eyes and held my right palm up.

I imagined that the magical power flowed from my heart to my right palm and gathered there.

I imagined that the blood flowed and formed a ball of water on my palm.

...Hmm, my palm feels a little warm.

When I opened my eyes, there was no change in my right hand.

I thought it might be my imagination and continued reading the book.

Once you gather magical power, you need to imagine the magic you want to use while reciting the incantation.

The incantation written here seems to be for a fire attribute spell.

...Let's see, imagine the magic I want to use...

I imagined a flame burning on my palm.

"Let the flame burn."

There was a puff of sound, and a flame appeared on my palm.

It was a large flame, about forty centimeters in size, and when I was surprised and clenched my hand, it disappeared with a hiss.

"...Eh, did I just use magic...?"

Marie said I have no magical power.

But just now, a flame definitely appeared.

I tried it again, this time imagining a lighter flame and reciting the incantation, and a cute flame appeared on my fingertip.

I stared at it.

"What's going on...?"

...Do I actually have magical power?

Flipping through the pages, I found a spell to measure magical power.

I borrowed a piece of paper and a pen from the room and drew a magic circle on the paper.

I bit my fingertip and touched the blood to the magic circle.

Instantly, the magic circle glowed brightly.

"Blinding..."

The glow lasted only a few seconds, but it was so bright that my eyes were dazzled.

The book said, "The stronger the light, the more magical power you have."

...So I have quite a bit of magical power?

I put the bitten finger in my mouth and threw the paper with the magic circle into the fireplace.

When I looked at the paper, a flame appeared.

...I didn't recite an incantation, did I?

I stared at the burning paper in amazement.

...

...Can this be used as a bargaining chip to seek asylum in the empire?

Even if I can't use holy attribute magic, having a lot of magical power and being able to use magic without incantation is a significant advantage.

For the past week, I've been walking around the castle, and everyone uses incantations to use magic, so being able to use magic without incantation is a significant advantage.

"Okay, I'll practice magic in secret."

I'll try to contact the envoy from the empire.

* * * * *

It has been three weeks since I came to this world.

I've been eating simple meals, walking around the castle every day, and practicing magic in secret at night, and for some reason, I've lost weight.

Marie looked sad.

"Y-You must be losing weight because you're not eating properly... and because of the stress..."

But I think it's probably different.

I get really hungry after practicing magic.

I can't snack, so I endure, but I think using magic uses up some kind of energy.

While I can't eat anything but simple meals, I think the fat is being burned as energy to make up for what I lack because I practice magic every night.

But thanks to that, I've gotten used to using magic.

I can indeed use magic without incantation.

And I can use it just by thinking about it.

I think this is quite impressive.

In a world where you can't use magic without incantation, being able to use it without incantation is special, isn't it?

But I don't want the kingdom to know about this.

If the kingdom finds out, even if they don't call me a saint like Kazuki-san, there's a high possibility they will use me for something.

I don't want to work hard for this country.

"By the way, the envoy from the empire is coming today, right?"

When I asked Marie, she nodded.

"Yes, that's right."

"...Hey, Marie, I have a favor to ask. Is there any way I can contact the envoy?"

"Eh!?"

Marie looked at me in surprise.

"If I stay here, I don't know when I'll be kicked out, and I can't stay like this forever. I want to go to the empire."

Marie's hands stopped preparing breakfast.

"Y-You're leaving the kingdom?"

"Yes, here, I'll be called the 'saint's bonus' and be mocked. I'd rather live a new life in another country."

Marie fell silent.

She knows that I am called the 'saint's bonus' by the maids and knights and am looked at with cold eyes and mocked.

She probably knows more about it than I do.

I won't be happy if I stay here.

Marie looked down.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's not your fault, Marie. On the contrary, you've been really kind to me. Thank you always."

"That's just what I should do..."

Marie started to cry.

"Why do you have to be treated so badly, even though you did nothing wrong and were just involved...? I'm so frustrated...!!"

For the past three weeks, Marie has been with me, teaching me various things and showing me around the castle.

I don't care about the kingdom, but I like Marie.

"But, even if I meet the envoy, I don't know if they will take me to the empire..."

I smiled in response.

"I have a plan, at least."

I don't know if it will work, though.

* * * * *

Dizak Christhardt Weierstrass was heading to the transfer gate to go to the Kingdom of Dunié.

A few months had passed since the previous saint passed away, and the Kingdom of Dunié, unable to find a saint within the country or receive one from another country, decided to perform a summoning spell.

The summoning spell is a magic that calls a saint or a holy person from another world.

However, the kingdom lacked mages to perform the summoning spell, so the empire, an ally, dispatched mages to the kingdom.

According to a letter from the dispatched mages, the summoning spell was successful.

The Kingdom of Dunié successfully obtained a saint.

As a neighboring country, the empire was relieved that the kingdom's people would not be attacked by monsters and become refugees, but there was a problem.

The summoning spell brought two girls.

One was the saint, Yuna Kozuki.

She possessed a significant amount of magical power, and according to the kingdom's investigation, she was a rare five-attribute user.

The people of the kingdom must be overjoyed that a saint has appeared.

However, the problem was the other girl.

According to the report, the other girl was a civilian who was caught up in the summoning and had no magical power.

Thus, the kingdom was essentially ignoring the civilian girl.

Even though it was unintentional, since they summoned her, the kingdom should have taken responsibility and protected her.

However, the kingdom was neglecting this duty.

The empire only lent mages, but regarding the summoning spell, our country should have been more thorough.

We didn't expect that someone who wasn't a saint would be involved.

In the castle, everyone was mocking the girl who was not a saint, calling her a useless nuisance.

The girl's name was not mentioned in the report.

She was accompanied by a young maid who seemed inexperienced and a knight who was apparently assigned to watch over her.

She always wore outdated, plain clothes.

I can understand the kingdom's feelings to some extent.

They summoned a saint, but an extra person came with her.

She has no magical power and can't do anything, but she costs money.

...But the girl was just caught up in it.

The civilian girl apparently has black hair.

Even if she has no magical power, in the empire, that alone has value.

If the kingdom says they don't need her, the empire intends to take her in.

The empire will not treat her poorly.

However, in that case, it will put us in a somewhat difficult position...

But the main purpose of this visit is to meet the saint.

...Whether the kingdom will accept a temporary dispatch to the empire. They will probably be reluctant.

They borrowed our mages, but if the saint goes to the empire, she might abandon the kingdom.

The empire is a rich country with the largest territory and culture on this continent.

The kingdom would not want to send their saint to another country.

"Your Highness, the transfer gate is ready."

Dizak nodded at the court mage who managed the gate.

"Then I'll be going."

The matter of the saint will be handled by his brother's aide, so he can leave it to him.

Dizak, thinking about how to contact the civilian girl, stepped through the gate.