Magic Academy Bans Harem

Chapter 403 The First Sage

"what"

In the room where the saintess was no longer a trace, Eileen felt rather lost.

Abandoned at a young age and raised in an orphanage, Eileen harbored a longing for "parents." However, all clues about her parents had completely disappeared. Therefore, when someone resembling her ancestor appeared, Eileen inevitably projected all her emotions onto him.

All I can say is that recognizing the ancestors went much more smoothly than Eileen had imagined.

Before, she had been worried about the possibility of losing the Holy Sword, even if she could wield it, what if it all turned out to be just a pipe dream? But after actually meeting Marenu, the resemblance between them made her almost certain of the truth.

Although it's true that an ancestor separated by seven hundred years bears at least five-tenths of a resemblance to oneself, it's still quite strange when you think about it carefully.

However, while the recognition of her ancestry went smoothly, Marenu's behavior made Eileen's feelings particularly complicated.

After all, when Eileen first heard that her ancestor was a "saint," all she could imagine were images of nobility, purity, and compassion. In reality, Marenu also wanted to maintain that image in front of future generations. Unfortunately, her tinkering with some recording devices she herself didn't understand led to her being tricked.

After some time, Eileen finally managed to sort out her emotions.

Although a considerable amount of time had passed, she eventually found the "source" between herself and Miriam.

Moreover, although this ancestor had some regrettable aspects, her interactions with her companions revealed her to be a friendly and peaceful person.

It can only be said that even the fact that he is "not holy but a good person" is very similar to that of a certain goddess in a disc.

After Eileen composed herself, she discussed the current information with Ritas and Wayne.

Previously, after recounting her past experiences at the Church of the Holy King, she asked Ritas with great anticipation if he had made any discoveries or had any opinions.

Ritas's response at the time was that they first needed to confirm whether the Slab of Saintess was indeed a door and whether there was space inside before they could make a judgment.

"Vein, is there anything that's bothering you?"

Ritas asked Wayne, who was standing next to him.

Just like before, when she wasn't called out, she would silently listen within the book. Although Wayne's current state and atmosphere are not yet stable and often change, every "Wayne" has a rather "passive" aspect to her personality. Therefore, unlike Ritas's "I didn't say anything because you didn't ask" approach, Wayne truly won't say anything unless asked.

"Me? I'm not as learned as my brother. What can I possibly glean from that farcical scene?"

"No farce"

Whether it was intentional or unintentional on Wayne's part, Eileen, a descendant of the saintess, was affected.

"If I had to point out something noteworthy, it would be that the saintess and her companions all look very young."

After thinking for a moment, Wayne said.

"Young?"

Eileen asked, puzzled.

Looking back, both Marenu and Priest, who played the childish prank, appeared to be in their mid-twenties, at most no older than thirty.

"Under normal circumstances, when do you think people would bury their weapons and leave behind a record for posterity?"

Viyn suggested.

"what"

Eileen realized what was happening.

This act, which resembles leaving an inheritance or a will, is usually done after one realizes that their days are numbered.

"Age? That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Thinking about it this way, this footage was undoubtedly left behind by the Holy Maiden after she had accomplished her various feats in the Western Regions. So, as someone who has already left behind a legendary legacy, she seems a bit too young."

Ritas turned his gaze toward Wein.

Perhaps only Wayne, who has older siblings, could immediately and keenly perceive this unnaturalness.

As if sensing Ritas's disapproval of her, Wayne deliberately used an overly sweet voice to say, "I'm so happy that my brother approves of me~"

"Perhaps they just look younger?"

Eileen guessed.

"The possibility is relatively low. After all, physical age can be faked, but psychological age will be revealed unintentionally."

Based on the natural body language and expressions of Marenu interacting with Pegasus and Pris in the video recording, Ritas judged.

Moreover, setting aside these details that only Ritas could notice.

It's hard to believe that a man and a woman who are actually in their sixties or seventies and have experienced war would appear to be in their mid-twenties, yet still act like children and play around in front of video props.
Suddenly, an image flashed into Ritas's mind: a figure who was hundreds of years old and still spinning around in a swivel chair.

Well, we can only say the probability is very low, not absolutely impossible.

After banishing the noisy images from his mind, Ritas made his judgment more rigorous.

"Moreover, the act of burying those holy weapons separately is also somewhat concerning."

Wayne continued to describe the strange things she had felt.

"There are quite a few possibilities regarding this issue. For example, the seven holy weapons gathered together possess overwhelming power. The Holy Maiden wouldn't want her descendants to acquire them all at once, potentially causing a calamity for the world. Or, as she mentioned, the seven holy weapons, which are essentially 'fragments,' together could become the key to the 'Ark.' Unlike those weapons, the 'key' formed from these fragments might not have overly stringent conditions for use. Therefore, the Holy Maiden doesn't want any risks involved."

Ritas said this, ultimately affirming Wayne's discovery.
"However, this phenomenon is indeed quite unusual."

Meanwhile, Eileen was thinking to herself, "Hey~".

She hadn't expected that even Wayne could glean so much noteworthy information from that farcical video.

Although there are certainly no definitive answers to this information for the time being, as long as we leave these clues unexplored, we might be able to use them as starting points to gradually uncover the events that occurred seven hundred years ago in the legendary era. Meanwhile, Eileen racked her brains in thought.

If Wayne had noticed something, wouldn't it make her seem incredibly dull if she were the only one who hadn't noticed anything?
"Seven weapons. By the way, Professor, in the legends of the Western Regions, the Holy Maiden's holy weapons should only be five, right?"

"Yes. Besides the Holy Sword Kaom and the Holy Lance Lor that you have already seen, there is also the 'Holy Staff Abyss' that can summon tsunamis, the 'Holy Bow Otos' that can stir up hurricanes, and the 'Holy Shield Gaber' that can cause earthquakes."

Ritas briefly reviewed the key points for Eileen, then continued...

"Since it was the Holy Maiden herself who mentioned seven types, there must be some discrepancies between the five types recorded in the legends. One possibility is that only these five types were used in those wars in the Western Regions. Another possibility is that although the Holy Maiden considered the other two types to be weapons, the recorder did not consider those things to be weapons in the strict sense, so they were 'embellished'."

Although the latter possibility sounds far-fetched, Ritas thinks it is quite likely.

First, all sacred weapons were forged by the Holy Maiden herself. Even though weapons like axes and hammers existed, the Holy Maiden's arsenal still included a clear defensive weapon: a shield.

Therefore, it's reasonable to speculate that perhaps the saintess, as the forger, disliked those heavy weapons, believing they didn't suit her temperament, and thus created holy weapons that deviated further from the essence of weaponry. Alternatively, in the course of the story's transmission, people may have arbitrarily removed the rough weapons that didn't align with the saintess's sacred symbolism.

"After all, there were no dedicated historians back then. Much history became legend precisely because it was told by bards. And if you want your story to spread, you need to modify and embellish it to some extent."

"That wretched bard!"

Eileen, her anger fueled by both old and new grudges, retorted angrily.

Based on the brief footage from before, Saint Marenu and Pegasus don't seem to have a master-servant relationship. They seem more like friends or comrades-in-arms.

But we can't just spread rumors about her and Pegasus because of this!

After learning that Marenu was her ancestor, Eileen became increasingly angry the more she thought about the legends of the saintesses in the West.

Unlike Eileen, who was indignant about the distorted history, Ritas found it unbelievable that legends could contain a part of history.

After all, once those bards start fabricating stories, it's like a landslide or an avalanche—unstoppable. So much so that some historical events, after becoming legends, become increasingly distorted with each passing generation.

However, the story of the saintess has been "adapted" in an absurd direction, but some of the original prototypes have been preserved.
Rather than saying the saint's story was so compelling that it didn't need modification, it's more like there's a compelling force restraining the story, preventing it from straying too far from its core.

According to Ritas's experience, such coercive power generally comes from the existence of clear and unshakable historical facts that have been passed down, serving as an anchor point to firmly fix the source.

So, is there such a clear record in the Elson family, or in the Western Regions?

Not Pristine

As he whispered softly, the two "Pris" merged into one in Ritas's mind.

"Professor, do you know Mr. Priest, who was a companion of the saint?"

As the discussion continued, Eileen, noticing Ritas's thoughtful expression, asked excitedly.

"I wouldn't say I know him, after all, he was a person from seven hundred years ago."

Ritas said with a subtle expression,

"However, you should have heard of Eileen's name."

".Eh?"

Eileen's blank face revealed eyes that were clear and untainted by knowledge.

"Starting next semester, pay close attention in class, Eileen."

Ritas sighed softly and then began to explain again.

"Pris was the first 'sage' on this continent, and is even considered the progenitor of modern magic. This is because his disciple, the second sage 'Camon,' accurately detected and captured the existence of magical particles. And Camon's disciple, the third sage 'Christiano,' although not well-known, also perfected the magic system. Moreover, his disciple was equally famous."

Ritas paused slightly, giving Eileen enough time to memorize these details.
"Crisando's chief disciple is Artinia, the 'Genius of All Things,' one of the four sages of today. Originally, Artinia could have inherited the title of 'Sage.' However, he believed that the title of sage, which had always been held by their lineage, had lost its essence and was meaningless. Therefore, he voluntarily downgraded himself to a 'Sage.' Furthermore, he opened the 'Hall of Wisdom,' which was originally established by the first sage, Pris, and whose entry conditions were extremely stringent."

Listening to Ritas's introduction, Eileen's face showed an expression of "learning something new," and she couldn't help but sigh.
"This 'king of all things' is quite a remarkable figure."

"Yes, 'wise men' are generally very remarkable. Not just in terms of strength and knowledge."

Except for a certain witch.

"By the way, the titles you've been curious about—the youngest professor, archmage, and legendary mage in history—all belong to the third sage, Christandoo. That sage is probably the most famous child prodigy in the magical world; he was already practicing 'legend' when we were still in the magic academy."

Ritas casually answered the question that had been puzzling Eileen.

In fact, Ritas wanted Eileen to find out for herself what could be easily found out with a little research. That's why he only told her half of what he meant.

Now, he felt that if he didn't speak up, Eileen would probably never investigate on her own.
"No wonder the professor said that those youngest records are theoretically unbreakable."

Amidst her reflections, Eileen, who was quite curious about the Sage lineage, ultimately focused her attention on the First Generation, who appeared as a companion to Marenu.

"So, in the legend of the saintess, the sage who helped the villagers seal the 'holy sword' with obsidian was Priest?"

"Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't, but it's most likely not. But that's not important. What's important is why Pris isn't mentioned in the legends of the Saintess. And why Saint Marenu isn't mentioned in the various anecdotes about the First Sage either."

Ritas reminded him.

You see, the Elson family would love for their self-proclaimed ancestor to be some kind of extraordinary and powerful figure.

Unlike "Saint Marenu," whose fame was limited to the Western Regions and whose existence outside the Holy Kingdom of Libera was a mystery, the First Sage, Priest, was a world-class, historical figure, a name that was mentioned in almost every discussion of magic.

Therefore, if the Elson family knew about the two's past travels together, even if it was just a rumor, they would make a big deal out of it. The Saintess has no right to be rumored to be involved with Pegasus. And when asked who the Saintess's husband is, she doesn't need to beat around the bush.

"I understand, Professor! Secrecy is for the sake of secrecy!"

Having been reminded of this, and recalling Saint Marenu's words, Eileen naturally found the answer immediately.

(End of this chapter)