“Now then, Arthur—please let Alicia know and come back when you’re done,” I instructed.
“Understood.”
Arthur departed in a hurry. Once he was gone, I faced Freesia directly.
“Have you read this book before, Freesia?” I asked, holding up a copy of The Genesis of Ausgrid.
“Sorry to say, but I haven’t. I know that the story is quite famous among the commoners, though, and I’m at least familiar with the broad strokes.”
“Hmm, I see.”
It was the story of our kingdom’s founder. He had immense magical power, which he used to create the five Sacred Swords. He wielded these swords to protect people from the evils of the world. More and more people vowed to serve him, and five nations joined under his banner for fear of going to war against him. And so the Federal Kingdom of Ausgrid was established. He treated his followers fairly, regardless of their ability to use magic, and he protected his populace with the same fair hand. Thus, Ausgrid prospered.
That was it—the whole story. It was supposedly a historical record of how the nation was founded, but it practically read like a fairy tale. The protagonist of the story sounded like a flawless and mythical hero. It was just a silly story with a happy ending.
“Is there something you wish to discuss about the book?” Freesia asked me.
“Oh, it just makes me wish I could see a true utopia.”
The world described within its pages seemed like an ideal society for mages compared to Celden or even the Ausgrid of today.
“Huh?” Freesia tilted her head in puzzlement at my abrupt admission. It was rare for her to show such an expression around me.
“Apologies, Freesia. I was merely thinking out loud. By the way, you were born with magic—have you ever felt that it compromised your personal freedom?”
“My freedom? Not really. If anything, I feel privileged to have it.”
“Were there any other mages in your family?”
“Yes, my father.”
“I see.” I turned to the guard beside me. “How about you, Howard?”
“I was born out in the countryside, so I didn’t know any other mages back then,” he told me. “It did lead to some problems growing up, but at least my powers helped me become a knight. Ultimately, I’m quite grateful that I was born with magic.”
“Hmm.”
“Is something the matter, Your Majesty?” Freesia asked, and I shook my head.
“I’ve been researching how mages are treated in our kingdom. The results have been… Well, they’re far from what I consider ideal. I thought to ask those close to me about their own experiences.”
“Ahh, so that’s it,” Freesia said.
“Unfortunately, my queen, it is as you’ve read,” Howard said. “It’s not so bad here in the capital, but growing up as a mage in the countryside was a very lonely experience.”
“Even though Ausgrid’s rulers have wielded the Sacred Swords, artifacts of pure magic?”
Howard nodded solemnly in response. “Feelings and reason don’t always go together, I’m afraid. Those without magic see mages as people carrying swords out in public. The possibility that they could draw that sword at any point, for any reason, terrifies them.”
I understood all too well. Back before she lost her memories, Alicia told me her magical awakening had hurt the people around her, and I’d experienced similar incidents myself.
“Mm. I see.”
“It is true that Ausgrid holds a more sympathetic view of mages than other places, though,” Freesia offered. “My grandmother was banished from her homeland due to her magical lineage, which is how she found her way here to Ausgrid.”
“Goodness, I didn’t know something so painful was in your family history.”
“Yes. My grandmother was quite grateful to this kingdom for letting her live like any normal person.”
“Like a normal person, huh?” I pondered Freesia’s words. I’d never expected to hear someone say such a thing aloud. “Your grandmother must have gone through serious hardship.”
Some people called Ausgrid the “last bastion of sorcerers,” given that it was founded by a king wielding swords made of pure magic. We’d seen many refugees from nations that oppressed their magical citizens, like Celden. Her grandmother’s story was not uncommon.
That said, our kingdom was on the brink of losing its pride in its mages. As Howard pointed out, that might’ve been unavoidable. Without an institution dedicated to studying the proper applications of magic, it unfortunately ran amok from time to time. And since the public knew that magic was imperfect, each of those incidents caused more and more fear to spread through the populace. As that fear increased, so too did the estrangement of those with magical abilities.
Other nations were much worse off than ours, though. They might oppress mages publicly, then gather them in secret and force them into military service. This cycle of oppression worked to their governments’ benefit—with the public hostile to mages, they could also get away with whatever inhumane research they wanted to conduct on those with magic. The mages forced to live in research institutes were never allowed to “live like any normal person” at all. Lab rats, that’s all they were. The thought of it sickened me.
“I just don’t understand,” I heard myself say. It was true—I didn’t understand how other countries could continue to oppress so many people when they clearly saw the practical applications of magic. And certainly, many mages fled their homelands knowing their governments viewed them as little more than tools. It would serve these countries better to treat their mages with more respect, make a place for them, and foster genuine cooperation, and yet…
“Something the matter, my queen?”
“No. Forget I said anything.”
I went back to quiet contemplation. As of right now, I did not have the ability to spurn other nations, nor could I change my opinions on the matter.
My own kingdom needed to come first, and I did not want the mages of Ausgrid to be oppressed in any way. I strove for the sort of utopia outlined in The Genesis of Ausgrid. Perhaps it would be prudent to set up a school for magic education as soon as possible. We needed to show those born with magic how to keep their powers under control from an early age and in a safe environment.
“I’m back,” Arthur said as he returned, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“Thank you, Arthur. What did Alicia say?”
“She will come as soon as the tea is ready.”
“Good. Freesia, thank you for your time.”
No sooner had I said so than Alicia appeared. “Coming through! Here’s your tea, Your Majesty!”
Her energetic voice lifted my spirits, making me crack a genuine smile.