The Abandoned Saint I Picked Up is a Side Character in an Otome Game and Turns Out to Be the World's Strongest Mage. I Plan to Rescue the Heroine Who Couldn't Achieve Her Happy Ending in a Dungeon. - Chapter 20

“I will marry Lord Endo and give him the kingdom!”

“W-Well, I should take responsibility… but giving me the kingdom? Let’s not joke about that.”

“I’m being completely serious!”

Angelica declared, with absolute conviction, her bold plan to hand over the kingdom.

“Lord Endo, are you aware of the current state of the Andarencia Kingdom?”

“The kingdom’s current state? Is something wrong?”

“Oh, something is very wrong. For the past few decades, the kingdom has not engaged in any major wars with neighboring countries—at most, there have been minor skirmishes.”

“Isn’t peace a good thing?”

In this world, peace was rare.

The fact that a kingdom had gone so long without a major war was remarkable, and small skirmishes hardly counted as conflict.

What could possibly be the issue with that?

“…The problem, Lord Endo, is that this prolonged peace has drastically reduced the need to mobilize nobles for war. As a result, particularly among the younger nobles, there has been a rise in those who abuse their power.”

“I see.”

The current nobility of Andarencia were descendants of heroes who had built their legacy through war.

However, these descendants had begun oppressing commoners without cause—commoners they were meant to protect in times of need.

Ariel herself had suffered bullying from nobles, leading to the incident where her magic spiraled out of control.

If the nobles had behaved responsibly, such incidents wouldn’t have occurred.

“And that’s when I came up with a solution. Nobles derive their authority from their achievements in war—achievements made possible by their ability to use magic.”

“…I don’t follow.”

“It’s simple. We strip the nobles of their privileges by teaching magic to the commoners.”

…Wait, what?

“If commoners learn magic, the nobles will undoubtedly panic. The very foundation of their identity will be shaken.”

“Wouldn’t that just lead to open conflict between the nobles and commoners?”

“Oh, it will. But the outcome is clear. The commoners far outnumber the nobles. Once enough commoners gain magical power, the nobles will have no choice but to avoid direct conflict and adapt.”

“And what happens while the commoners are still learning magic? The nobles aren’t likely to sit quietly. They’d start suppressing the commoners before they gain any real power.”

Knowing the nobles of this kingdom, they’d definitely try to crush the commoners before they became a threat.

Angelica, however, smiled confidently, as if she had already thought of everything.

“That’s where Lord Endo’s friends come in.”

“…You mean the mages I know?”

“Exactly! Any noble who resists or tries to suppress the commoners will face opposition from skilled mages. If this plan succeeds, the Andarencia Kingdom will transform from a magical kingdom into an arcane kingdom!”

“An arcane kingdom…”

“Unlike magic, which chooses its users, arcane arts are a technology that anyone can master! This transformation is entirely possible, Lord Endo!”

…It wasn’t a bad idea.

If the kingdom transitioned into an arcane society, even mages who were ostracized for dangerous experiments could work openly.

Obtaining magical materials for research, like monster parts, would also become much easier.

“It’s an appealing proposal. But even if you give me the kingdom, I wouldn’t know how to run it properly.”

“You needn’t worry about that! I will handle it! I have experience, after all!”

Angelica’s confidence was unwavering.

I tried imagining myself as a king, but…

I couldn’t picture it at all.

Still, the thought of being able to conduct arcane research freely was undeniably tempting.

First, I decided to gather opinions from Ariel and the others.

“It’s fantastic. A plan to crush the nobles’ identity tied to their magic? I’m all for it.”

“Ariel, you were the first to agree. Well, if Endo wants to create an arcane nation, I’m on board too.”

“I don’t care either way, nya!”

Surprisingly, there were no dissenting opinions.

“…I’d like to hear the perspective of a magic-user. Mae, the head of the Mage Corps, what do you think?”

“Hmm…”

I turned to Mae, still tied up with ropes, and she responded with a bright, calm smile.

“I find it very intriguing.”

“…That’s unexpected. I thought magic-users would oppose this idea.”

“It’s not well known, but there are some magic-users who research the arcane arts. Angelica is one of them, after all.”

“That’s… true.”

“In fact, I think magic enthusiasts and researchers like myself might surprisingly support this. The potential for discovery is too fascinating to ignore.”

If we could gather the support of magic-users like Mae, who were already interested in the arcane, this plan might not be as far-fetched as it seemed.

“Then it’s decided!”

“Wait, I haven’t said I’m doing it yet—”

“Strike while the iron is hot!”

And so, with barely a moment to reflect, we stormed the Andarencia royal castle once again.

“Angelica! You’re safe?!”

“It’s been a few days, Father!”

Despite only a few days passing since we abducted Angelica, the king looked noticeably gaunt.

Although it was technically Christiana who had done the abducting, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for my involvement.

The moment the king noticed me, his expression shifted to one of open hostility.

“Y-You! You’re the mage from before! What have you done to Angelica?!”

“…Well, I haven’t exactly done nothing…”

“Father, please calm yourself. I’ve come with a wonderful proposal!”

“A proposal, you say?”

Angelica began to passionately explain her idea to the king.

She detailed Ariel’s bullying at the academy, the crown prince’s misdeeds, and various other incidents, all of which seemed to bolster her argument.

“…Give me some time to think. I’d like to speak with Angelica further. Until then, mage, you will be treated as a guest.”

And so, I found myself staying in the royal castle.

As luck would have it, the crown prince had broken his house arrest and gone to the dungeon, so Ariel didn’t run into him.

A few days later.

The king, having been swayed by Angelica’s impassioned arguments, approved both her plan and my marriage to her.

However, the real problem came immediately after.

“Fight me, you evil mage! You’ve brainwashed Angelica and my father!”

“…What?”

It seemed the crown prince believed I was forcibly taking Angelica as my bride.

He challenged me to a duel.

“Brainwashing? Sure, there are arcane spells that affect the mind, but this is a ridiculous accusation.”

Now, the question was: what should I do about this?