Ever since that day in the bedroom when she had completely unleashed her true nature, Helos had been making up for over a decade of deprivation by fully letting herself go.
Throughout the streets and alleys of Orissa City, nearly every shop displaying a food sign had been visited by this Duke’s daughter.
For Helos, every day now felt like a festival.
She no longer had to worry about those accursed magic residues causing her unbearable stomach pain, nor did she have to watch others feast while she could only gnaw on dry bread.
Now, she possessed the most enviable appetite in the world.
In the mornings, she would drag Julius to that century-old establishment in the eastern part of the city, ordering a steaming bowl of fresh soup, paired with two golden, crispy flatbreads just out of the oven.
At noon, she would dive into the bustling commercial district, and at that grill house famous for its spices, she would shamelessly hug a roast beef leg as thick as an arm and tear into it with gusto.
The rich meat juices would drip down the corners of her mouth, mingling with the special sauce, exploding like brilliant fireworks on her taste buds.
When evening came, she never passed up the various snacks at the night market.
Those fried dough rings coated in powdered sugar.
Those soft and sweet glutinous rice pastries made with fresh fruit.
And those special dairy drinks that emitted a rich, milky fragrance.
Anything edible, anything that looked delicious, all of it fell within her hunting range.
Julius followed behind her, carrying bags upon bags of food, his expression shifting from initial worry to helplessness, and finally, settling into a state of numbness.
Watching the girl’s cheeks puff out as she chewed, watching the unprecedented light of satisfaction shining in her eyes, this honest young man simply couldn’t bring himself to utter even half a word of discouragement.
The way she looked right now, even if she ate an entire cow, she could probably digest it.
As for the money problem…
The coin pouch Duke Eisend had stuffed into his hands before their departure contained enough Soli to buy a third of Orissa City’s grain reserves.
And so, under the indulgence of this utterly shameless caretaker, Helos’s gluttonous journey continued all the way until the eve of the winter festival.
On this day, the atmosphere in Orissa City had reached its peak.
The snow on the streets had been swept clean, and every household had hung winter holly wreaths at their doors, symbolizing harvest and blessings.
The bells of the Cathedral rang out once every hour, their melodious chimes echoing across the city, proclaiming the approach of that sacred moment.
Helos was sitting on the viewing terrace of the inn, holding a box of butter cookies she had just purchased, savoring them with great enjoyment.
Click.
The door was pushed open, and a gust of wind carrying snow and chill rushed in.
Following that, a figure dressed in a pure white holy robe strode in quickly.
“Sister!”
Helos’s eyes lit up. She quickly set down her cookies, didn’t even bother brushing the crumbs off her hands, and jumped off the sofa, hurrying toward the entrance.
The newcomer was Eleanor.
This Saintess, who had been busy for over a month in the Southern Diocese, now looked somewhat travel-worn.
The hem of her once immaculate holy robe was speckled with mud, and several unmelted snowflakes clung to her golden hair.
Clearly, she had rushed straight here immediately after finishing her duties.
“Sisi!”
Seeing her sister’s vibrant, smiling face, the fatigue on Eleanor’s face instantly dissipated by more than half.
She opened her arms and caught the small figure that threw herself into her embrace.
“It’s been so long! Your sister missed you like crazy!”
Eleanor rubbed her cheek affectionately against Helos’s, feeling the warm, cozy aura radiating from her little sister, her heart filled with relief.
It seemed Julius had taken excellent care of her.
This child’s body no longer had that frail, weak feeling from before; instead, it radiated a healthy vitality.
“I missed you too, sister!”
Helos whined playfully in Eleanor’s arms.
“You have no idea, without you around, that blockhead Julius is so boring. He just stares at me all day, even while I’m eating, like some old nursemaid.”
Julius, who had just taken Eleanor’s coat, froze mid-motion and let out a helpless sigh.
Who was the one who played more wildly than anyone this week?
“Alright, alright.”
Eleanor smiled and released her embrace. She took a half step back, reached out, and straightened Helos’s slightly messy collar.
Then, her movements suddenly stopped.
The Saintess’s gaze landed on Helos’s face, then slowly drifted downward, sweeping across the girl’s waist, and finally settled on that small face that was clearly a full size rounder than before.
Eleanor blinked.
She couldn’t believe it. She raised her hand and vigorously rubbed her eyes.
“Um… Sisi.”
Eleanor’s voice carried a hint of hesitation, along with a trace of careful caution.
“Is it possible… I’ve been too tired lately, and there’s something wrong with my eyes?”
“What’s wrong?”
Helos tilted her head, looking at her with confusion.
“Your eyes are beautiful, sister. Big and bright.”
Eleanor reached out and gently pinched Helos’s cheek.
“No, that’s not it.”
The sensation was nice—soft, plump, and she could even pinch up a little bit of soft flesh.
That was absolutely impossible before.
The old Helos was so thin it made your heart ache. Not quite skin and bones, but there was simply nothing to pinch.
“Um…”
Eleanor swallowed hard, and finally couldn’t help but ask the question that was fatal for any young woman.
“Have you… gained weight?”
The smile on Helos’s face froze.
The butter cookie she had just picked up fell to the floor with a soft thud, shattering into pieces.
The air in the room solidified in that instant.
“G-Gained weight?”
The girl’s voice trembled, as if she had just heard some unbelievably terrifying story.
“Impossible! Sister, you must be joking, right? How could I possibly gain weight? I have the kind of body that never gains weight no matter what I eat!”
She instinctively looked down at her waist.
That loose-fitting casual dress she was wearing now… seemed…
Indeed, it had become a bit more form-fitting?
Especially around the waist—before, she could easily fit two fists into the gap, but now she could barely squeeze in a single palm.
And her face.
Helos raised a trembling hand and touched her cheek.
That once sharp, pointed chin was now noticeably rounder.
“No… this isn’t weight gain!”
“It’s just that my clothes shrank, right? Or maybe it’s a lighting issue?”
Helos let out a mournful cry, whipped her head around, and shot a desperate pleading look at Julius, who was standing nearby pretending to be oblivious.
“Julius! Say something! I haven’t gained weight, right? This is just an illusion, right?”
Julius stiffened under her murderous gaze.
What was he supposed to do?
He was desperate too.
For the past week, he had personally witnessed this girl shoveling mountains of food into her stomach.
Although Helos’s special constitution meant most of the energy from that food was used to repair her body and enhance her physical strength.
But the law of energy conservation didn’t lie.
With that much caloric intake, a little bit was bound to stick around.
And to be honest, looking at this Helos before him—slightly rounder, yes, but with rosy, healthy cheeks and full of youthful vitality—
He thought she looked ten thousand times better now than that frail, tiny figure she used to be.
But if he dared to tell the truth right now, even if he only hinted at “you did gain weight,” he had no doubt this flustered, furious little girl would silence him on the spot.
Cough.
Julius pressed his fist to his lips and let out a light cough, trying to mask his awkwardness.
He couldn’t meet Helos’s eyes, so he fixed his gaze on the chandelier overhead.
Then, under the girl’s stare—one filled with hope and threat simultaneously—
This chosen one, who never told lies, made an extremely difficult decision.
He covered half of his face with his hand and slowly, heavily, nodded.
BOOM!
Helos felt as if a thunderbolt had struck her directly on the crown of her head.
Even Julius nodded.
Even that blockhead admitted it.
Which meant…
She had really gained weight!
And it was obviously noticeable!
“I can’t live anymore!!!”
Helos let out a blood-curdling wail and spun around, ready to bolt upstairs.
“I’m going on a hunger strike! Starting today, nobody better try to stop me! I’m going to starve all this damned fat away!”
“Oh, don’t get so worked up!”
Eleanor quickly grabbed hold of her.
Seeing her sister so utterly devastated, Eleanor found it both hilarious and a little heart-wrenching.
“Honestly, it’s not that exaggerated.”
She laughed soothingly.
“You are a bit rounder, sure, but it makes you look even better. You used to be way too skinny, like a malnourished little refugee. Now you’re just right, like a healthy apple, making people want to take a bite.”
“Really?”
Helos looked at her with tear-filled eyes.
“You’re not lying to me?”
“Of course not.”
Eleanor replied with a perfectly straight face.
“Besides, this just means your body is recovering well. Only when your body is healthy can you control your power properly, right?”
Under her sister’s smooth persuasion, Helos’s emotions finally settled down somewhat.
She was still hung up on the weight gain, sure, but at least she no longer felt like dying.
“Alright, enough of that.”
Seeing that Helos had calmed down, Eleanor’s expression gradually turned serious.
She led Helos back to the sofa, and gestured for Julius and Gavi, who had been standing silently in the corner awaiting orders, to come sit as well.
“The reason I came early this time, besides wanting to see you both, is that I have an important piece of news to tell you.”
Eleanor’s voice dropped low.
“The winter festival… is about to begin.”
“The exact time has been set—tomorrow at noon.”
She pulled a gilded invitation from her sleeve and placed it on the table.
“This festival will be unprecedentedly grand. Aside from the residents of Orissa City, believers from dozens of surrounding towns, and even the envoy from the Kingdom of Faran, will all be attending.”
“When the time comes, hundreds of thousands of people will gather in the plaza before the Cathedral.”
As she spoke, Eleanor’s brow furrowed slightly, a barely noticeable hint of worry flashing in her eyes.
“That’s too many people.”
She said softly.
“And because of Bishop Duran’s deliberate obstruction earlier, the preliminary security work wasn’t done properly. Even though I strengthened patrols with the guard later, in that kind of sea of people, if someone really wanted to cause trouble…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
But everyone present understood what she meant.
Those rats lurking in the shadows would never pass up such a perfect opportunity.
Julius picked up the invitation.
It was a ticket to the VIP section.
The position was at the very front of the altar, only a few steps away from the platform where Eleanor would be officiating.
“Don’t worry.”
Julius tucked the invitation away, his gaze firm as he looked at Eleanor.
“We’ll be there.”
“No matter what happens, no matter what those bastards are planning.”
His hand pressed against his sword hilt, his voice carrying a chilling killing intent.
“As long as I’m here, no one will be able to hurt you.”
Helos reached out as well, taking her sister’s hand.
She was still hung up on her weight, but when it came to matters of this magnitude, she still showed the responsibility befitting the Olivias Family.
“That’s right.”
A confident light sparkled in the girl’s eyes.
“Sister, you just focus on officiating your festival. As for those flies looking to cause trouble…”
A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.
“I’ll make sure they find out what a surprise really means.”
Outside the window, night had already fallen.
The lights of Orissa City still shone brilliantly, laughter and joy filling every street.
And deep within that grand Cathedral, in that dark corner known to no one—
A pair of murky, greed-filled eyes stared intently at the pool of clear holy water beneath the altar.
In his hand, he clutched the small bottle filled with green liquid.
Archbishop Duran let out a hoarse whisper.
“Tomorrow…”
“Tomorrow, is the day of my rebirth.”