Time always flows by quietly and inadvertently, like fine sand slipping through one’s fingers—impossible to grasp and impossible to keep.
After Julius left, the duke’s mansion seemed to return to its original quiet days.
In Helos’s world, the figure who always bickered with her and joined her in her antics was gone, making her feel a bit poorly adjusted for a time.
However, she was not the type of person to wallow in sentimentality. After a brief period of loss, she threw all her energy into the etiquette training under Teacher Lilith, which could only be described as “hellish.”
Spring turned to autumn, and the cold gave way to the heat. In the blink of an eye, 3 years passed by in a hurry.
***
Night fell over Olivius City once again, and Helos and Elainor reached their 14th birthday.
The birthday banquet this year was grander than any before it.
Crystal chandeliers lit the entire Banquet Hall as if it were day, melodious music flowed among the guests, and the long tables were laden with a dazzling array of delicacies and fine wine.
Nobles and celebrities from all over the empire gathered together just to offer their most sincere blessings to the Duke’s eldest daughter, the newly appointed Saintess—Elainor Olivias.
Elainor wore a golden dress adorned with star diamonds. Her long golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and she wore a small crown in her hair, symbolizing her status as the Saintess.
She stood in the center of the crowd, a perfect smile always on her face, her demeanor elegant and her movements composed.
She was undoubtedly the most dazzling star of this banquet, the focus of everyone’s gaze.
This time, unlike in previous years, Helos did not hide alone in the attic as she had when she was a child, looking down enviously at the festivities that did not belong to her.
Her room was also piled high with various gifts.
The gift from her sister, Elainor, was a brand-new set of Alchemical Tools. Every tool glinted with the cold light of metal and crystal. Crafted by Master Wells, they were as precise as works of art.
Her personal maid, Lille, and the Head Maid, Maev, had teamed up to present a giant gift box. Opening the lid revealed a pale red dress they had sewn by hand.
The style of the dress was elegant without being overly flashy. The soft satin shimmered with a gentle luster under the light, clearly a work that had cost them immense effort.
As they looked at Helos, who now carried herself with the grace of a lady, their eyes were full of relief. This gift could be considered their most sincere hope for her.
Milda and Mira had also made a special trip from the workshop in the Lower City. They brought a longsword that perfectly suited Gavi.
This sword was the culmination of months of hard work, and Helos’s name was even carefully engraved on the blade in the Elven language.
Uncle Ron from the kitchen had even gone so far as to personally cook for her, preparing a birthday feast that was almost exaggeratedly lavish.
He had also secretly slipped her a small bottle of fruit wine he had cherished for years.
However, she still did not appear at that grand banquet.
The reason was simple—there were far too many guests.
With the range of her [Silent Oath] ability, no matter which corner of the Banquet Hall she stood in, she would be like a moving “magic black hole,” allowing the surrounding nobles to experience the “pleasure” of having their mana drained dry.
She did not want to cause trouble, nor did she like such crowded and noisy occasions.
***
As the night deepened, a cool spring breeze brushed across the rooftop terrace of the duke’s mansion.
After 3 years of Lilith’s “careful carving,” Helos was no longer the “wild girl” who didn’t know how to stand or sit properly.
Dressed in a simple and elegant pale purple dress, she leaned quietly against the railing, her posture upright and graceful.
Her long silver hair was tied behind her with a simple ribbon, fluttering gently with the night wind.
Now, even the simplest act of leaning carried a sense of composure and propriety that seemed etched into her bones.
Just as she was quietly looking down at the brightly lit Courtyard, a gentle voice sounded from behind her.
“Miss Helos, happy birthday.”
Helos turned around and saw Lilith’s figure, which had quietly appeared behind her at some point. She had not attended the banquet downstairs, choosing instead to come at this quiet moment.
“Teacher?”
Helos was a bit surprised.
Lilith smiled and handed over a delicate black velvet gift box.
“This is a small gift I prepared for you. Over these 3 years, I have witnessed your growth and seen your hard work. I hope this gift will be of some help to you.”
Helos took the gift box with a bit of curiosity. The box felt small in her hand and had almost no weight.
She opened the lid and saw a very simply styled silver ring lying quietly on the velvet lining.
The ring was made entirely of mithril. Its surface had no gemstones or extra carvings; it was merely polished to a mirror-like finish.
The only special thing was that on the inner band of the ring, a small black crystal was embedded.
She looked at Lilith in confusion.
Lilith’s smile remained gentle, a hint of understanding in her wine-red eyes.
“Your constitution is very special. Although you have no mana, you can suppress the mana around you. Everyone calls this ability of yours a ‘curse,’ right?”
Helos nodded silently.
“And this ring,” Lilith said softly, “is a strange little object. It is said that it can suppress various types of curses.”
She looked into Helos’s eyes, her tone carrying a well-placed sense of expectation.
“I thought, perhaps it might have some effect on your ‘curse’ as well?”
Helos covered her mouth in surprise.
Suppress the curse?
This “curse” that had followed her since birth, which had been judged ominous by the Church and caused her to suffer 10 years of cold treatment—could it actually be suppressed by a tiny ring?
Those pale purple eyes were filled with shock and anticipation.
She carefully took the ring from the velvet lining. Although it felt cold to the touch, the texture was very smooth.
With a complex heart, she slowly put the ring on her index finger.
The size of the ring was a perfect fit.
The moment the band was fully seated on her finger, Helos’s body suddenly stiffened.
It was as if an invisible lead coat that had been weighing her down was quietly removed at that moment.
An indescribable sense of relief spread through her body, as if some shackles that had been imprisoning her were broken.
She subconsciously raised her head, blinked, and tentatively took a step toward Lilith, then another, until the distance between them was less than an arm’s length.
She asked nervously, “Teacher… do you still feel that sense of suppression from before?”
The smile on Lilith’s face did not change at all. She simply shook her head gently.
“Really?”
There was a hint of a tremble in Helos’s voice.
‘My curse… has it really been suppressed?’
Upon receiving a positive answer, a surge of indescribable ecstasy instantly filled her heart.
She almost wanted to jump up and cheer loudly, but at the thought of Lilith standing before her—who constantly reminded her to maintain the demeanor of a lady—she forcibly suppressed that impulse.
She merely clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms, using the sensation to calm her excitement.
The image of a certain black-clad figure couldn’t help but surface in her mind.
The young girl often thought of the black-haired youth who had always been a bit clumsy yet stayed by her side with incomparable determination during her most wretched and helpless days.
They had researched those strange inventions in the workshop, broken a sweat together on the training ground, picked out tasks together at the Guild’s request board, and shared secrets and time that belonged only to the two of them.
Months ago, Teacher Lilith had told her with a smile, “Miss Helos, you are already an impeccable lady. Whether it is your posture, your speech, or your etiquette, you have reached and even surpassed the standards of most noble young ladies in the empire.”
As the etiquette lessons lightened, Helos finally had plenty of time to revisit her favorite swordsmanship and alchemy.
She stepped once again into the training ground that had been “dominated” by Werner all winter, the secret silver rapier in her hand drawing sharp arcs under the moonlight.
She also reopened the doors of the workshop, spreading out those long-dusty blueprints one by one.
However, whether it was the feeling of sweat sliding down her face while swinging her sword or the focus required to fiddle with those jars and bottles, she inevitably thought of that idiot knight.
He had been here once, accompanying her in practice, serving as her “human target,” and cleaning up her messes with a look of helplessness.
Everything was filled with memories of Julius.
The promise made under the oak tree back then still echoed clearly in her ears—
“If… if you can become a truly qualified lady, I will definitely come back to see you then. I promise.”
She had done it.
But the person who made the promise had not appeared.
‘It makes sense…’
She laughed at herself mockingly.
‘Only an idiot like me would take a promise like that—one that sounds like children playing house—seriously.’
‘Perhaps he has long since forgotten me.’
After all, life in the Holy Capital should be much more exciting than in Olivius City.
‘Julius…’
The girl whispered the name in her heart, which finally turned into a long sigh.
Lilith watched the girl’s appearance and felt the disappearance of the suppression around her, a meaningful smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.
It was time.
She gracefully took her leave from Helos, “Then I shall not disturb you further, Miss Helos.”
Just a few seconds after Lilith left, a soft shawl landed gently on Helos’s shoulders.
Gavi had appeared behind her at some point.
No expression could be seen on her half-painted face, but those shimmering eyes reflected Helos’s slightly lonely profile, filled with silent concern.
Helos was startled for a moment, then she turned her head and gave her puppet maid a warm, faint smile.
“I’m fine.”
She shook her head and wrapped the shawl a bit tighter.
She looked up at the bright moon in the sky, the loneliness in her eyes gradually replaced by her usual strength.
“Let’s go, Gavi,” she said softly. “The banquet is almost over. Tomorrow will be another dull routine.”
This was the central core of the Holy Church, the ultimate holy land in the hearts of countless believers. At the same time, in the distant Holy Kingdom of El, the Holy Capital of Vandino.
Magnificent white cathedrals rose into the clouds like palaces left behind on earth by the gods.
The sunlight here seemed to be filtered to a purer state, casting a holy glow upon every devout believer.
Inside the Papal Hall, the massive dome depicted the myth of the Goddess creating the world.
Colored light passed through the massive floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows, casting brilliant patterns on the polished floor.
An old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in a magnificent gold-trimmed White Robe, stood quietly before the papal throne.
He was the supreme leader of the Holy Church—Pope Alex VII.
In front of him, a black-haired young man in silver-white heavy knight armor knelt on one knee.
It was Julius.
***
The passage of 3 years had thoroughly polished away the last trace of youthful greenness from his body.
His figure had become taller and more upright, his shoulders broad, and the lines of his muscles were faintly visible through his well-fitted armor.
That face, which had once been somewhat childish, was now sharp and angular, written with fortitude and composure.
Those black eyes were like tempered steel—deep and sharp, yet hiding a trace of hard-to-detect tenderness in their depths.
He was like a carefully polished sword, stripped of all flashiness, leaving only the purest and most lethal edge.
“Julius.”
The Pope’s voice was aged and majestic, echoing in the empty hall.
“Are you ready to receive the Goddess’s blessing?”
Julius looked up, and there was no hesitation in his black eyes—only an unwavering conviction.
“I am always ready, Your Holiness.”
The Pope nodded with satisfaction.
“Very well.”
The golden scepter in his hand tapped lightly against the floor.
*Hum—!*
A beam of holy light, so blinding it seemed to condense all the light in the world, instantly descended from the heavens, completely enveloping Julius’s figure!
Julius could clearly feel a warm and powerful energy surging into his body, washing his soul and branding a sacred mark deep within him.
As the light gradually dissipated, a sacred mark composed of complex golden patterns flashed on the back of his hand before disappearing beneath his skin.
“This is the proof that you have been chosen by the Goddess, Julius.”
The Pope’s voice sounded again, but this time it carried a hint of gravity.
“From the moment I received the Oracle 3 years ago and recalled you from Olivius City, everything has been a preparation for today.”
He walked slowly down the steps, came to stand before Julius, and lightly tapped the heavy golden scepter onto Julius’s shoulder.
“Go, Chosen One.”
“From this moment on, you are no longer a saint knight, nor are you anyone’s guard.”
“You are the warrior of the Goddess.”
“Go and fulfill that vague Oracle. Go and stop that…”
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