The next day, after checking out the library for any information on traits, I scheduled a meeting with Cardinal Caitlyn. Which was actually really important, because we did need to talk about Samuel’s situation. And, well, I did kinda forget about that, in my, well, panic over my trait.
I only forgot for a little while though! I remembered, eventually…
So, here I am. “So, I’m here to check on how you dealt with Samuel?”
“Yes. That is correct. While you could technically just have me handle him, it is best that you check how I handled him yourself, at least for now.” She advised. “Later, once your position is more solid, you can just leave your tasks to whoever you gave it to without worrying that much.”
“I see. Thank you for informing me.” I bowed.
“Ah, yes. I’m glad to help.” She smiled. “Now then, if you would follow me.” She said as she started to lead the way. Though she was more, polite? About how she led me this time. Less expecting me to follow, and more waiting for me to.
Haa, this is weird. Yeah, I know why she’s doing this, as I do need to better understand my position and the like, and just waiting until after we defeat the demon lord probably won’t work, especially since I’ve already dipped my hands in it. But that doesn’t mean that this isn’t weird.
Well, at least I can always go ‘I’m prioritizing dealing with the demon lord’ to get out of most of this stuff. For now. Once we’re done though… Haa. Still, suddenly being thrust into politics completely unprepared would suck, so I do appreciate the practice.
I would have preferred if she had told me about this first, though…
As I was mentally complaining, we arrived at the prison. And oddly enough, we went to the same cell that Melly was held in.
Though, it’s probably not actually strange. They probably use this cell for important or powerful prisoners. Of which, Samuel counts as both.
“Here is your prisoner, Saintess Elizabeth. Would you like to see him?” She offered while holding out a pair of keys. Oh, yeah, Melly wasn’t actually locked up, though that might have been because Cardinal Caitlyn was also in there at the time.
“Ah, yes. Let’s see how he is doing.” I agreed, taking one of the keys and putting it in the lock. It then failed to turn.
Uh, how do I use this? Is there something special I have to do? Cardinal Caitlyn, seeing my confusion, just laughed.
“We need to turn our keys simultaneously, Saintess.” Oh… That makes sense.
Once the door was open, Cardinal Caitlyn led me into the cell. A paladin guard also entered with us, so it seems that everyone is taking this seriously. That’s, probably for the best, but it does worry me that I might not be able to use my original plan.
Samuel, oddly enough, had his arms and legs shackled to the wall, though the chains were long enough for him to use most of the cell. While he looked quite worn out, he perked up upon noticing us. Luckily he doesn’t seem to be angry or anything, just nervous.
Phew, I was worried that he’d be furious at me or something. That would have been, well, depressing, actually. I really don’t want a simple misunderstanding to ruin our relationship.
As such, I am quite nervous about actually talking to him. Sadly, no one else seemed willing to be the one to initiate, so I had to start the conversation.
“Hello, Samuel, how are you doing?” I asked. Probably not a great start, considering the circumstances, but I don’t know what else I could start with.
“I am doing quite well, thanks to your mercy.” Ah, okay then.
“So, do you realize what you did wrong?”
“Yes, I questioned you while not understanding what you were actually saying. I then ignored all of your attempts to rectify the situation. Finally, my demeanor proved threatening, which almost caused a fight to break out, nearly staining your prestige.” Ah, yeah, that too. “For that, I apologize.” He finished with a bow.
“Good. It appears that you mostly understand where you went wrong. As such, I hope you spend the next few days internalizing that understanding so that something similar doesn’t happen again. If you do so properly, we may release you early.”
“As you command, Saintess.” He bowed.
“Haa, that was nerve-racking,” I muttered after I’d finished. “So, um.” I hesitated. Am I allowed to do anything else?
“Oh, you do not need to worry, Saintess Elizabeth, Mark here understands your situation and your reasoning for imprisoning Samuel like this. You can speak freely in his presence.” Cardinal Caitlyn explained.
“Ah, thank you. And thank you, too, Mark.” I bowed.
“It’s my honor, Saintess.” He bowed back. Though his bow was much more elegant and formal. Huh, I never noticed how mundane my bows were. That might be something to work on, while my casual bows are more down to earth, a more elegant bow just feels more saint-like. It’s something to think about, at least.
“Okay, so, Cardinal Caitlyn, Samuel, I was hoping to talk to you about mana traits.” I requested.
“Hmm, what about them?” Samuel questioned.
“So, I’m fairly certain that I’ve figured out why my mana trait is so odd. And, in the process, I’ve created a theory about how traits are decided, which, I’m not quite certain if it’s been discovered before or not, or if I'm missing something.”
“Oh, interesting. What you’ve come up with.”
“So, mana traits usually represent some part of you, especially in countries where that is taught before your trait properly sticks, which is measurably different from how it is in countries that withhold that information. So, I figured that your beliefs and thoughts must play a significant part in influencing what your trait is.”
“That may be compatible with popular beliefs, but how does that explain why traits tend to fit people’s personalities?”
“Simple, your personal thoughts and beliefs affect your trait, not just your actions. So, if you constantly believe that you are kind and gentle, your trait likely will be as well. Though, I’m pretty certain belief only increases the chance, not chooses it, even if you think about it frequently.”
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“Oh, why’s that?”
“Because, while it is common for your trait to fit with some part of your personality, it usually isn’t your main feature that gets represented. So, I figured it’s something like every time you think about a certain aspect of yourself, that aspect effectively gets a ticket put in a raffle. So, traits that you think match you tend to get more chances to win than other, less representative, traits. That also explains why it’s more common for a smaller part of your personality to be chosen. Unless you have an obsession or something, your most common trait is highly unlikely to have more tickets than the combined amount of other traits.”
“Oh, that’s an interesting way to explain it.” Cardinal Caitlyn complimented. “And, it does fit fairly well with our more extensive studies. So, how does that explain your trait then? Was it just chance?”
Ah, no, not at all. So, I think that my most common trait was chosen, or, well, a combination of them, as I believe being blessed has merged my most common traits, hence why my trait is a bit more diverse, and also why saintesses tend to have a much more representative trait.”
“Saintess Elizabeth, I mean no offense, but that is quite concerning.”
It is, just not in the way you’re thinking. As I said, it’s based on your thoughts and beliefs about yourself. Hence, if you think it fits you, a ticket gets added to the raffle, even if you are wrong. So, someone who is constantly bullied and believes they are lazy might get a lazy trait, even if they are actually quite hard-working. Or, a narcissist who falsely believes they are kind and humble might also get such a trait. It’s all about what you believe. And, like in my case, I don’t think it even has to be about what you are, but what you want.”
“What you want?” Cardinal Caitlyn looked at me in confusion.
“Yes. While I had a decent life growing up, I still had complaints. For example, when someone would insult us for being an orphan, we weren’t allowed to fight back, instead, we had to call a priest. While that did tend to solve our issues better than if we were to try ourselves, it wasn’t satisfying.”
Seeing their confusion, I continued. “It just, it still felt like we lost, in a way. Yeah, the bully would get punished and would stop harassing us, at least for a while, but it wasn’t us that won. We were still just powerless orphans who could only wait for someone else to save us.” I sighed. “It felt like we weren’t even capable of defending ourselves; like we were helpless. It just, reminded us of our situation.”
“Hmm, I can see that resulting in your mana’s aggressive and hostile nature. I’m sorry that you had to go through that.”
“It’s fine. It’s usually just a mild complaint anyway. Besides, it’s definitely preferable to the alternative where we’d have to fend for ourselves. Besides, letting us fight back with the church’s backing would lead to us becoming the bullies instead.” I sighed.
“I see, so it is for the best that it stays, despite the problems it brings. So, what about its ability to control things?” Samuel asked.
“Ah, yeah. Well, that comes from my main obsession, and what I believe my trait was originally; before the Gods enhanced it. So, as an orphan, I didn’t really have anything. Ah! I mean, I didn’t own anything or have any real control over anything. My life followed what the church told me to. Now, that on its own isn’t that big of a deal, as most kids have to listen to their parents and the like. No, what was important was that, as an orphan, I truly had nothing. Like, I had a few things, like my clothes and such, but that was it. Unlike most people, I just, haa, I didn't have a place where I belonged.”
“How so? Was there some sort of problem at your church?” Cardinal Caitlyn questioned.
“No.” I denied. Haa, how to explain… “We, we have to leave the church once we become adults, we can’t just stay there forever, and once we leave, nothing for us will remain. So, we do not actually belong there. Unless, of course, we become a priestess.” I smiled sadly. “So, I, wanting to see the church as a home, but being denied, I became obsessed. I wanted, needed, to become a priestess, as otherwise I would truly have… nothing.” I paused, feeling a bit empty at that. “So, joining the church basically became my everything. Yeah, I wasn’t openly obsessed, but that was my life’s purpose. Honestly, even joining a different church would have been heartbreaking, as if I had been abandoned by the only thing I cared about.”
“So, how is that related to control?”
“Simple, I wanted control over my path, my destiny, in a sense. I was effectively destined to leave my church, after all, no matter how much it meant to me. That’s why I learned to heal, why I became devoted to the Gods, I was desperate, so I did whatever I could to fight against that fate. I wanted, no, needed control over my life, over my fate. That’s why my trait was originally related to control.”
“Why so certain about that? It’s not like traits are predictable.”
“But they can be. Like how a pyromaniac’s trait can usually be compared to fire in some way, mine, too, was the result of an obsession. As I said, being in control was my life’s purpose, just like a pyromaniac’s is to see everything burn.”
“I will admit, studies have shown that obsessions can change your trait. Your insights, while not completely unique, should serve as convincing evidence for your theory. Especially when we consider how several of your beliefs had combined to make your trait. Sadly the dragon’s trait has corrupted your mana, as without that, we would have been able to learn quite a bit.” Samuel sighed.
“Possibly. Even then, though, with how hostile her mana is it would have been difficult.” Cardinal Caitlyn pointed out. “Still, it is quite impressive how obedient your mana can be when actively used in spells.”
“Hmm, you’re right… Ah, that’s why! If my mana acted up and messed up my spells, it would have completely ruined my life.” Everyone was quite shocked at my declaration. “So, my obsession obviously would not allow such a thing to happen.” I smiled confidently. “Or, you know, the Gods figured that a saintess that couldn’t heal or buff was useless so they modified my mana.” I shrugged.
“Oh, how interesting.” Samuel nodded. “Both theories are quite possible. Thank you for telling us this. I truly can not believe I ever doubted your faith in the Gods. I must have been blind.”
“More like deaf.” I teased. “So, it seems that you both approve of my theory?”
“Correct.” “That is right.” They agreed.
“Cool,” I sighed in relief. While I did check some published ideas, I wasn’t certain if my theory was right. I mean, I’m still not, but I’m now almost confident that it is.
“So, as it seems like there won’t be any real conflicts between us, would you mind continuing to assist me with my spell creation?” I asked nervously.
“Ah, yes, I would be honored to assist you.” Samuel agreed. Yes, that’s great! I really don’t know what I would have done otherwise.
“You are making a spell?” Cardinal Caitlyn questioned.
“Ah, sort of. So, do you remember the super buffs I use on Melly?”
“The spells that get possessed by your raw mana? How could I forget?”
“True. So, after my trait advanced, whenever I use my buffs they attempt to tear Melly apart. While we did discover that using far less mana stopped that from happening, that also restricts how we can use the buff, especially in emergencies. So, we are trying to create a spell that can transfer only a certain amount of mana at a time, ideally from range.” I explained.
“I see. Feel free to ask should you require any assistance. It would be a tragedy should anyone get hurt from using such a dangerous spell.”
“Yeah, it really would.” I agreed.
“So, is that everything you wanted to talk about?”
“Yeah. Thank you, Cardinal Caitlyn.”
“I’m glad that I could be of assistance. I shall leave Mark with you, just to be safe. I wish you luck in your research.” Cardinal Caitlyn said before leaving.
Hmm, well, I guess Samuel did get quite aggressive at that time, so it’s probably best to be cautious. It doesn’t really feel right though.
“So, Samuel, shall we continue from where we stopped last time?”
“That sounds like a plan, Saintess.”