Chapter 5

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"By the way, there was a report that civilians were also involved in the summoning of the Holy Maiden. I am considering taking the civilian girl into the Empire for custody."

Prince Victor-Eric Duesdan of the Kingdom of Dunié could not help but respond with "…What?" in surprise.

Until just a moment ago, a discussion had been taking place between the envoy of the Waiel Empire and Victor regarding the dispatch of the Holy Maiden.

The Holy Maiden Yuna is a rare individual in this world, possessing all five elements, and she is especially suited to the holy attribute.

If she continues her magical training, she will likely become an excellent mage, and her talents as a Holy Maiden will also flourish.

The Empire, having lent a mage for the summoning, has requested that Yuna be dispatched to the Empire in the event that the current Holy Maiden passes away and a successor cannot be found.

Frankly, he did not want to agree to this.

The Waiel Empire is more developed than our country.

In terms of culture, living standards, and even fashion, the Empire is always ahead of other countries.

If Yuna were to go to the Empire even once, she would surely notice the gap between the Empire and the Kingdom of Dunié.

The Kingdom of Dunié is a fairly large country among its neighbors, but compared to the Empire, its territory is less than half.

If Yuna were to express a desire to go to the Empire, the Kingdom of Dunié would have no way to stop her.

As the will of the Holy Maiden is always respected, if Yuna were to say she wants to leave this country and go to the Empire, they would gladly welcome her.

...I must prevent the outflow of the Holy Maiden at all costs.

However, the Kingdom of Dunié, being just a medium-sized country, cannot afford to be too forceful with the Empire, the ruler of the continent.

After much negotiation, he finally agreed to dispatch Yuna for a short period if the Empire's Holy Maiden were to pass away and a successor could not be found, with the condition that she would be returned to the kingdom.

The envoy's words, "Since we lent a mage for the summoning, it would be reasonable to dispatch her, wouldn't it?" were unpleasant, but he could not refute them as they were true.

Just as he thought he had finally concluded the discussion with the envoy, Prince Dizak Christhardt Waielstrass, the Emperor's younger brother, made this proposal.

Victor was momentarily stunned.

He had no idea who the civilian girl summoned with Yuna was.

But the next moment, he remembered the black-haired girl.

"Ah, ah, the one without any magical power...?"

While Yuna possessed vast magical power, the black-haired girl, who was supposed to be from the same world, had not shown any trace of magical ability, and Victor had no interest in her.

...Now that I think about it, what happened to her after that...?

He had instructed that she be taken to a guest room and assigned a maid and a lackluster guard, but he had not received any further reports.

The Prince's frown deepened.

He always looked displeased.

"Yes, that girl without magical power."

"Why would you want her? Even the Empire would gain nothing from taking someone without magical power, I think."

Or perhaps there is some value in her.

If that were the case, it would be a shame to hand her over to the Empire.

But the Prince looked straight at him and said,

"I want to make her my fiancée."

Victor could hardly believe his ears.

"Your Highness, your fiancée...?"

He could not recall the black-haired girl's face.

If he could not remember her, it meant she was neither beautiful nor cute compared to Yuna. The only thing he remembered was her black hair.

"Yes, I met her by chance yesterday and spent some time with her. We got along quite well. I need to settle down soon, but there are political issues, so I prefer someone with no connections. The girl is not unattractive, and she would probably be more comfortable in the Empire than here."

Victor asked in return,

"But she was summoned to our country, so she is considered to belong to our country."

"From the way you treat her, it seems quite different from how you treat the Holy Maiden. While it's important to make distinctions, it's a problem if it turns into discrimination. Those involved in the summoning should be protected more thoroughly, I think."

"We are protecting her properly."

The Prince's eyes narrowed.

"Then why is she so thin? Today, she was wearing outdated clothes. Her hair and skin were neglected, and it seemed she wasn't eating properly either?"

"That can't be..."

As he said this, Victor suddenly realized that he had not clearly decided how to treat the girl involved in the summoning.

He had assumed that, since he had instructed her to be taken to a guest room, she was being treated as a guest.

But what if she had only been taken to a guest room?

"One maid and one lackluster guard. Is that how you treat guests in the Kingdom of Dunié?"

Victor shook his head in surprise.

"No, that's not it. There was a misunderstanding between the servants. We will improve the treatment of those involved in the summoning."

"No, that's not necessary. As I said earlier, we will take her back to our country as my fiancée when we return. She has agreed to it and has no attachment to this country."

There was no point in Victor saying anything more.

...After all, she has no magical power and is not particularly beautiful.

It would be unwise to refuse and create friction with the Empire.

"Understood. I will inform the King. If he gives his permission, please take her with you."

The Prince replied, "I will," and stood up.

The envoy bowed and followed him.

Since the girl involved in the summoning is of no use, it would be better to let her go rather than keep her in the castle.

Despite this, he felt a strange sensation, as if he were holding sand.

It was a peculiar feeling, as if he had missed something.

The door closed, and Victor, left alone in the room, shook his head and stood up.

...I should go see Yuna.

She needs to be informed that someone from her hometown is going to another country.

Besides, Victor had developed some affection for Yuna.

Over the past three weeks, her bright, kind, and cheerful presence had made him start to feel something special for her.

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It has been three weeks since I was summoned to this world.

I, Yuna Kozuki, am now called the Holy Maiden.

I was an ordinary high school student, but one day, I was left behind after school with my classmate, Sayaka Shinoyama, to do the daily chores.

That's when we were summoned to this world.

I was shocked and initially very anxious, not understanding what was happening, but the people of the Kingdom of Dunié have been very kind to me.

In this world, there are dangerous creatures called monsters that attack humans, so magical barriers are needed to protect villages and towns.

The Holy Maiden's role is to infuse these magical barriers with power to maintain peace.

Prince Victor apologized to me first.

He said, "I'm sorry for summoning you suddenly, but this country really needs you."

Everyone here wants me to protect this country.

I was confused and still wonder if I can really do this.

But I can't ignore people in trouble.

I want to return to my original world and see my parents, but I can't ignore the people in need right in front of me. If I do nothing, someone might get hurt, and I don't want that.

Moreover, being summoned as the Holy Maiden means I inadvertently involved Sayaka Shinoyama.

I wanted to apologize to Sayaka, but she was so busy adjusting to this new life that we couldn't meet often.

When I asked Victor, he said, "She is being treated well as a guest," and I felt relieved.

...I think I also felt some comfort knowing that someone from my original world was nearby.

But when Victor came to see me, he said,

"Yuna, the girl who was summoned with you is going to the Empire."

"The Empire?"

"Yes, it's a neighboring country, larger and more powerful than ours. The Prince, the Emperor's younger brother, has taken a liking to her."

It took a few seconds to understand what he meant.

"Sayaka is leaving this country?"

Victor nodded.

For some reason, I felt a deep sense of loneliness and confronted Victor.

"Please, let me see Sayaka!"

But Victor did not look pleased.

"That's..."

Usually, he would agree to anything, but he refused to let me see Sayaka.

I have many maids and knights assigned to me, and if I tried to go see Sayaka, they would never guide me there.

I had a feeling something was wrong.

"Did you do something to Sayaka?"

Sayaka is a quiet girl.

She doesn't stand out much in class, but her long black hair is very beautiful. When I first met her, I finally understood what "raven-black hair" means.

She is fair-skinned, a bit shorter than me, and has a calm, cute demeanor.

However, she seems a bit shy and doesn't have many friends. I've tried to talk to her several times because our seats are close and we share the same chores, but we never became close.

I couldn't imagine Sayaka suddenly wanting to go to another country.

"No, I didn't do anything. ...Actually, that was the problem. I told them to take her to a guest room, but it seems there was a misunderstanding between the servants, and she hasn't been treated well over the past three weeks."

"What do you mean? You said before that she was being treated as a guest."

"Yes, I thought she was being treated as a guest, but it seems most of the staff did not treat her as such."

...Wait, what? How did Sayaka spend the past three weeks?

Even I, who was summoned as the Holy Maiden, had to be taught many things by the maids to get used to this place. Sayaka had no one to help her.

I stood up without thinking.

"I'm going to see Sayaka!"

This time, Victor relented and agreed to go with me.

The maid was hesitant but finally led us to Sayaka's room when Victor ordered her to.

Sayaka's room was far from mine, possibly the farthest room in the castle.

The maid pointed to the door, and a knight standing there looked very surprised to see us.

Victor knocked on the door.

After a moment, the door opened.

A slightly older girl with brown hair in two braids peeked out.

She looked surprised to see Victor and me and bowed.

"Your Highness, Holy Maiden, welcome. What brings you here...?"

"I want to see Sayaka!"

The maid looked hesitant but said, "I'll check with Sayaka," and closed the door.

Victor seemed a bit annoyed, not used to waiting in the hallway.

After a while, the door opened again.

"Please, come in."

The maid opened the door and stepped aside.

Victor entered, followed by me.

The room was smaller than mine and seemed neglected, with dust in some corners.

Sayaka was sitting on the sofa.

"Sayaka...!"

Sayaka turned and looked a bit troubled.

"Kozuki..."

I rushed over and held her hand, which was thin and more fragile than when I last saw her three weeks ago.

She was wearing a cute dress, but it was plain and looked a bit worn compared to what I was wearing.

The maid, who had closed the door, returned to Sayaka's side.

She seemed to be the only maid assigned to Sayaka.

"I'm sorry, Sayaka. I heard you weren't treated well, and it's all my fault... You didn't do anything wrong...!"

Sayaka gently squeezed my hand, and I felt like crying.

"Kozuki, you didn't do anything wrong either. We were both summoned here, and I just had bad luck."

Her kindness made me want to cry even more.

"Sayaka, is it true you're going to the Empire? You're leaving the Kingdom of Dunié?"

"Yes, I don't know when I'll be thrown out, and staying here won't improve my treatment. At least, as the Prince's fiancée, I can have a better life in the Empire."

I was filled with guilt.

While I had been living comfortably for the past three weeks, Sayaka must have struggled a lot.

I really want her to stay in the Kingdom of Dunié.

Being from the same world, I want her to be close by.

But staying here won't make Sayaka happy.

When I saw the way Victor looked at Sayaka, I understood.

His gaze was very cold.

"...I see..."

I can't keep Sayaka here just because of my selfishness. It wouldn't be good for her.

"Sayaka, can we still write letters to each other when you go to the Empire?"

"Of course, I'll write to you, Kozuki."

Sayaka wasn't angry, and that made me feel even worse.

...I didn't see what was happening.

I just accepted what Victor gave me, but I think I need to change.

If I'm going to be called the Holy Maiden in this country, I need to see, know, learn, and understand more.

If I don't, I'll miss important things and fail to notice them again.

"I'll write a lot of letters too."

Sayaka smiled and nodded, but I was still sad and tried to hide it with a smile.

If Sayaka chose this, I shouldn't say anything.

If I interfere, she might not be able to go to the Empire, and that would only push her away.

...She is the only person from my world in this world.

I don't want Sayaka to dislike me.