After finishing the forbidden book, Rashiel left the imperial palace at once and went to the portal leading to the Holy Nation.
‘…This feels bad.’
The contents of the forbidden book were shocking, but even more shocking was the identity of its author.
He had to return to Elsez as soon as possible.
But…
“…?”
Even after stepping onto the portal, it didn’t activate.
Rashiel quickly read the portal’s mana. Yet there was no problem with the portal itself.
He tried to activate it again, but all it did was glow blue without any further change.
That left only one possibility.
‘Something’s wrong with the portal in the Holy Nation.’
If the problem was on the Holy Nation’s side, there was nothing he could do from here.
With a hardened expression, Rashiel stepped down from the portal and ordered a subordinate standing by.
“Go check the portal status in Libern.”
Libern was a neighboring kingdom close to the Artes Empire.
Watching his subordinate walk away, Rashiel suddenly felt an intuition and gave further orders to the others nearby.
“Check Seliel, Kanas, and Hersen as well.”
The mages received his command and teleported at once to the portals of those nations.
A few hours later, they returned, all with the same answer, as if rehearsed.
“Well… they say that since this morning, the portals to the Holy Nation have stopped working.”
Upon hearing that, Rashiel ground his teeth.
Something was about to happen in the Holy Nation.
And that “something” was almost certainly connected to Elsez—he felt it with near certainty.
That certainty came from the identity of the forbidden book’s author.
The one who had studied dimensional rifts, and who had infused the soul of the Eurion princess—blessed with divine power—with the foreign energy gathered from the rift, thereby creating the Demon God.
「Dike」
For on the hidden final page of the forbidden book, the name written there was none other than Saintess Dike.
It was only upon seeing the author’s name that Rashiel realized why everyone who had read the book either committed suicide or fell into corruption.
Dike had either lured them into corruption, or, if persuasion failed, disguised their deaths as suicide.
‘She lured me to the Empire on purpose. Because she knew I would interfere with her plans.’
Of course, she wouldn’t have expected him to completely decipher the contents of the half-finished forbidden book.
He had played neatly into Dike’s scheme.
“Ha.”
Letting out a bitter laugh, Rashiel clenched his fist until it seemed it might crush itself.
This time, he could not lose Elsez.
Last time, she had returned to this world of her own will—but this time, who knew what would happen?
Just the thought of losing her drained the blood from his body.
At the same time, the dreadful feelings that had tormented him ever since her death resurfaced like a nightmare.
‘Ruel.’
No matter what, he had to return to her.
****
By the time dinner had passed, a small shadow lingered near the temple building that housed Dike’s office.
It was Noel.
‘Why hasn’t he come out?’
An hour earlier, Noel had come by on an errand and spotted Astaire entering this building.
‘I should say hello when he comes out.’
Though Noel respected Elsez most of all, since arriving at the temple he had also come to admire Astaire, Elsez’s comrade.
Astaire was not only a hero who fought at Elsez’s side as an equal, but also, like Noel, held the position of a healer.
Thinking that one day he might become someone like Astaire made Noel’s heart beat fast with excitement.
But no matter how long he waited, Astaire didn’t come out.
‘Does he have a lot to talk about with the Saintess?’
Just as Noel was kicking at a pebble out of boredom,
“Noel, what are you doing here? I’ve been looking for you.”
It was his roommate, a friend.
“Oh, Eden? Why were you looking for me?”
“Lady Erica said to bring you. There’s going to be fireworks at the plaza later—everyone’s going together.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Come on, let’s go.”
Eden beckoned urgently.
Noel, about to follow him, glanced back once more toward the temple building where Astaire still hadn’t emerged.
‘I’ll get to see him again another time, right?’
With a trace of regret, Noel followed after Eden.
****
“Where is that kid?”
Why was this temple so unnecessarily big?
After finishing dinner, Elsez was searching for Cassian.
She had been combing through the temple where he was supposed to be for nearly an hour, but Cassian was nowhere to be found.
“I was finally ready to tell him everything…”
After even Tezette had discovered her true identity, Elsez had decided she might as well reveal herself to Cassian too.
But Ruel was always stuck to his side, leaving her no chance to talk.
And since she hadn’t had anything to entrust to him in the meantime, she had deliberately avoided contacting him so as not to draw Ruel’s attention.
However, now that Ruel knew Astaire also knew the truth, there was no longer a need to keep Cassian in the dark.
So she had planned to tell him now—but Cassian was nowhere in sight.
“Did he already go off to see the festival? I wanted us all to go together this time.”
The festival began with the eve of Foundation Day, but the real festivities, of course, started on the night of Foundation Day itself.
On that night, the Holy Nation always held fireworks to enhance the festive atmosphere.
The overwhelming spectacle of countless fireworks painting the deep blue midsummer night sky was truly breathtaking.
Back when she was Ruel, the memory of watching them with everyone remained with her as a happy one.
Just as Elsez was turning back after checking the empty training grounds, she spotted Tezette approaching from afar.
He had split up from her to track Cassian’s whereabouts, and now he reported,
“I heard he left the temple about thirty minutes ago—with the fake.”
“Is that so?”
‘No doubt the fake was the one who asked him first. And Cassian, trying to comfort Ruel after the aborted appointment ceremony, must have gone along.’
Now that Astaire and Tezette already knew Ruel was the fake, it was only a matter of time before Cassian learned the truth as well.
Elsez couldn’t understand why Ruel still clung to Cassian, but there was no need to rush things.
She expressed her thanks to Tezette, who had gone out of his way to help her search for Cassian.
“Thanks for finding out, Tezette.”
As she smiled and spoke, Tezette gazed at her intently.
It looked like he wanted something from her.
Elsez looked up at him in puzzlement.
“What?”
“Why don’t you praise me like you used to?”
“Like I used to?”
Without answering, Tezette stared at her for a moment, then took her hand and placed it on his head.
“You used to pat me like this.”
Because their height difference made her arm look strained, Tezette bent his upper body, bringing his head closer to her.
“And tell me I did well.”
His soft hair brushed against her fingers.
The ticklish sensation made Elsez reflexively draw her hand back.
But Tezette gently, yet firmly, caught her hand with his large one, refusing to let go.
“And that I could do even better next time.”
He slowly guided the hand that had been patting his head down to his cheek.
His green eyes, lowered submissively for a moment, lifted again to meet hers.
Elsez stared blankly back into them.
Those green eyes gleaming in the light of the setting sun.
And in that moment, Elsez suddenly realized—
So much had changed during the time she had been away from this world…
Even if everything looked the same, nothing could ever truly go back to the way it had been.
“That was… back when you were a child. But now you’ve grown up. Even I can’t just touch your body carelessly—”
Just as Elsez was trying to gently pull her hand free from his grasp, Tezette closed his hand more firmly around hers.
“It’s okay.”
“….”
“You can. You’re allowed to.”
Not anyone.
Only you.
From beneath long lashes, those binding green eyes fixed on her.
Elsez somehow couldn’t push his hand away. Nor could she escape his gaze.
The face she thought she had grown accustomed to now felt strangely unfamiliar.
And at that very moment, the sound of fireworks echoed in the distance.
The true festival had begun.
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