The day after the discussions between the kings took place, a letter from the king arrived for Roland, who was working as usual in the Department of State Affairs.
The letter requested that Roland continue his service to the nation as he had been and stated that the kingdom would take steps to improve the status of those with the dark attribute. Roland froze for a moment, staring intently at the letter’s contents.
However, when he noticed a small note at the bottom of the letter, stating that Martina and Laforet’s efforts had played a significant role in this outcome, Roland quickly excused himself from the department head, hastily explaining the situation, and ran toward the royal palace library, where he expected the two to be.
Bursting into the library and opening the archive doors in his rush, he found the usual faces inside, engrossed in their books.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
“Roland, what’s got you so worked up?”
“Martina! This document—”
“Oh, so you’ve received the letter from His Majesty!”
Martina skimmed the contents of the letter and smiled softly, her expression one of relief.
“I’m so glad. This means you’ll still be my boss, Roland. I look forward to working with you! The documents were prepared by Lord Laforet after I expressed my concerns about your situation.”
Hearing this, Roland turned his gaze to Laforet. The man’s usual composed expression softened slightly as he met Roland’s eyes.
“I may not have done much to fulfill a grandfather’s duties, but I am still your grandfather. It’s only natural to act when my grandson is in danger, isn’t it?”
Hearing these words, Roland clenched his lips tightly, his eyes brimming with emotion. He bowed deeply and, for the first time in a while, met Laforet’s gaze directly.
“Grandfather, thank you.”
Hearing Roland call him “Grandfather” again, Laforet smiled warmly, stood, and gently ruffled Roland’s hair.
“I simply did what was expected.”
After Laforet returned to his seat, Roland turned his attention back to Martina.
“Martina, I really owe you one. Thank you so much.”
“No need to thank me; I’m your subordinate, after all. While improving the status of those with the dark attribute will be a challenging journey, please rely on me whenever you need help.”
Martina clenched her fist in determination, her enthusiasm evident. Roland gave her a gentle smile, looking at her with a mix of gratitude and admiration.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, sir!”
About a week after Martina’s abduction incident, another meeting was held in the same room, this time with representatives from foreign nations once again assembled.
The tables and desks had been cleared, and in the center of the room stood a large magical circle drawn on an enormous white sheet of paper. It was the completed summoning circle for the Saint.
“Thank you all for gathering here today. Thanks to the information provided by everyone, we successfully restored the magical circle,” Sophian , the meeting’s moderator, announced, her voice met with a round of applause.
“As many of you already know, the teleportation circle secretly held by the delegation of the Ghazal Kingdom provided critical insights. According to Martina, who oversaw the restoration, the summoning should have a high probability of success.”
As Sophian turned her elegant smile toward Martina, the latter stepped forward.
“In my estimation, there’s about an 80% chance this magic circle will successfully summon a Saint from another realm. However, the portion of the spell that specifies the Saint’s identity was directly taken from ancient texts. If there are any errors in the wording, it’s possible something else might be summoned instead.”
The moment Martina mentioned the possibility of summoning “something else,” the representatives, who had been leaning forward eagerly, simultaneously pulled back.
“Additionally, the magic circle requires precision. This one was drawn by me, but if there are any distortions or misalignments, the spell may fail to activate. In such a case, we’ll need to redraw it. My apologies in advance.”
Though Martina spoke with a lack of confidence, the others in the room showed no concern about potential errors.
The reason was simple: the magic circle before them was impeccably precise, with no visible distortions.
Martina’s extraordinary memory was well-known, but her ability to reproduce what she had memorized was equally exceptional. Whether it was a map or a detailed magical diagram, Martina’s skills were unparalleled.
“Now, we shall proceed with activating the circle. While it draws upon natural magic in the atmosphere, an initial activation spark must be provided by a person’s magic. This responsibility will fall to our nation’s Minister of Military Affairs, Nordine Tierslan.”
As Sophian spoke, the fully armed military minister stepped forward.
“For safety, please move to the edges of the room.”
Once everyone was in position, only the military minister stood near the circle. He appeared ready to retreat at a moment’s notice if needed.
Standing next to Sophian , Martina nodded to both her and the minister, signaling her readiness. Sophian then gave the final command.
“Minister, please proceed.”
“Understood.”
The minister knelt on one knee and gently touched the magic circle, pouring his magic into it.
The circle immediately emitted a bright light that grew stronger with each passing moment.
As the light intensified, gathering in the center of the circle, everyone held their breath in anticipation. Finally, the light contracted into a single point before scattering in a brilliant flash.
When the light faded, a single woman sat in the center of the circle, looking bewildered.
She wore an unusual combination of a short skirt and a thick jacket, her attire seeming out of place for the current season.
“Where… am I? I was… at school, wasn’t I?”
Her faint, trembling voice echoed through the spacious room, tinged with confusion.
