We continued our idle conversation as we ate our lunches, until Sir Celes unexpectedly went silent. He looked like he was pondering something. Without thinking, I asked, “Is something wrong?”
At my question, Sir Celes turned to me, his expression solemn. “Well, have you heard? About the Sacred Maiden.”
The Sacred Maiden. That was a topic that everyone in the castle had been talking about recently. At Sir Celes’s words, I thought back to the rumors that Chicca had shared with me, and nodded. “Yes. They say that she is a lady who came to us all the way from another world, and that she’s very beautiful.”
To explain the Sacred Maiden, I first need to explain a bit about this world.
Our world is comprised of five countries. First is the kingdom of Banfield, where we lived, followed by the kingdom of Dal Canto, the duchy of Vatis, the duchy of Aquilania, and the duchy of Galiena. Banfield is located in the center, with Aquilania to the northeast, Galiena to the east, Vatis to the south, and Dal Canto to the southwest. Although technically there are five countries, the kingdom of Banfield is overwhelmingly the most powerful, and the four smaller countries are effectively Banfield’s vassals. I would say that of those, only the kingdom of Dal Canto, which has the Tower of Learning dedicated to research and study, really has much influence.
And at the heart of our world are three sacred, mysterious trees made of crystal — the Cristallo Sacro.
The three trees are the Cristallo Sacro of Kyriest in Banfield; Cristallo Sacro of Foristarn in Vatis; and Cristallo Sacro of Maynard in Dal Canto. These Cristallo Sacro trees distributed all the magic in the world, and at the same time were the mothers of all monsters. According to the old stories, the gods planted the trees with their own hands when they created the world, to serve as supports for it. No one knows why such blessed trees would give birth to monsters that hurt people.
Well, even though we call them monsters, they weren’t all that different from normal animals, so until now it hadn’t really been a problem. But for the past hundred years or so, the monsters born from the Cristallo Sacro suddenly had become much stronger, and started to attack humans. Around the time when I was born, they’d become even worse, to the point that humans could no longer handle them.
Take the dragon that the Dragonslayer slew. That’s a good example. The fire-breathing dragons see humans as their enemies, and periodically they attack human settlements, burning many people to death.
Troubled, our king called the rulers of the various kingdoms to Banfield, and they learned that approximately six hundred years ago, a similar phenomenon had happened. Something strange happened to the Cristallo Sacro, and the world was saved by the power of a Sacred Maiden who came to us from another world.
That’s right — the Sacred Maiden currently living in the castle was a blessed person, once again summoned from another world to purify the Cristallo Sacro. Her name was Lady Maria Nishime. She was no older than I, but a far greater beauty than I could ever hope to be.