Cadel sighed. Adil, who had been staring at the towering stack of documents, finally looked up at him.

From the moment Cadel started talking to the Grand Duchess, Adil had felt that everything was on the brink of collapse. Ultimately, he had angered her so much that she had cut off communication entirely.

Adil had once read that, while a certain level of involvement between a man and a woman was natural, a third party should never become too deeply involved. He had intended to offer only light guidance and observe from the sidelines.

Yet his lord, who had supposedly learnt how to understand a woman’s heart from books, proved to be far more frustrating and pitiful than he had anticipated.

In truth, the matter of titles should have been resolved the moment it was first raised. However, his superior, being so inexperienced in matters of the heart, had failed to see that. From the Grand Duchess’s perspective, it could not have been pleasant.

And, just as he had feared, it ended in disaster.

With a sigh so quiet it was almost inaudible, Adil addressed his dejected superior.

“Your Highness.”

Cadel’s dark eyes shifted toward him.

“Has something gone wrong again?”

Although he had overheard the entire conversation, he did not fully grasp the source of Cadel’s concerns, so he spoke cautiously.

Cadel stared at him without answering for a long moment. Then, as if guided by an invisible hand, his lips parted.

“Adil.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Would it be a bad idea to have Jaina stay in the same room as well?”

“…Pardon?”

Blinking twice, utterly unable to grasp his meaning, Adil asked.

“What do you mean, ‘stay in the same room’? What are you suggesting?”

“…I mean Jaina and Violet.”

“……”

“If, at least during the rainy season, the three of us shared one room, perhaps Jaina’s dislike of Violet would soften, even a little—”

“What?!”

Adil shot up from his chair in horror.

“What kind of outrageous nonsense is that?!”

His face drained of color as he shouted at Cadel.

“…So it really is a bad idea?”

Kadel watched him, raising an eyebrow.

He didn’t actually intend to do it. He had only wondered if Jaina might pay Violet a little less attention if they tried that.

“Still, there’s no need to react like that.”

As Cadel frowned faintly at him, Adil suddenly bent down, opened the bottom drawer of his desk, and took something out of it.

“Adil?”

Ignoring the call, Adil took several unfamiliar books off the shelf and stacked them neatly on his desk. Hugging them to his chest, he walked over and placed them in front of Cadel.

Then, with grave seriousness, he spoke.

“Read all of these thoroughly, Your Highness.”

Cadel glanced down at the pile now occupying his desk. His brow twitched as he read the title of the book on top.

[How to See Through a Woman’s Heart]

***

Perhaps because Cadel was not accompanying them to the Imperial Palace, the preparations before departure were more complicated than usual.

To make matters worse, Elysion insisted on revealing himself and joining them in person for the peculiar reason that the palace was supposedly filled with impure forces, which delayed matters further.

Jaina did not need to do anything on his behalf, of course. In a world where no rank stood above that of High Priest, Elysion had simply created a new one — the Grand Hierophant — and convinced the Grand Sanctuary, its guards and the people of the Imperial Palace that such a position had always existed.

It was astonishing power, quite simply.

“With power like that, why have you never shown yourself to humans until now?”

In the carriage bound for the Imperial Palace, Jaina looked at Elysion, who was sitting solemnly in a pair of pure white priestly robes.

“Do you look like a true High Priest?”

“What kind of question is that? Naturally, there was no reason for me to show myself to humans.”

Elysion answered as though the answer were obvious.

“Didn’t I say so? There are many impure elements within the Imperial Palace right now. In such a dangerous situation, you were about to go alone and abandon your hasty, foolish and hopelessly dull — yet undeniably necessary — companion. What choice did I have? I had to materialize and accompany you.”

Jaina let out a small laugh when she heard how he described Cadel: hasty, foolish and dull.

It was hardly a situation that called for laughter. However, she found it amusing to see him fire off insults about Cadel without pausing for breath, and the sound slipped out against her will.

“What is that reaction? Do you find my materialized form amusing?”

“No, not at all. You look exactly the same as when you weren’t materialized.”

“In what way is this the same? I have never once worn such loose, oversized, ridiculous clothing.”

Elysion glanced down at the priestly robe he was now wearing. The corners of his mouth twitched faintly.

It was a stark contrast to the clothing he had worn before taking on a physical form.

As a spirit, he had worn attire similar to Cadel’s uniform, embellished with golden emblems to match his hair color.

In retrospect, such clothing had been far more incongruous for a spirit.

Yet considering his physique alone, the uniform suited him far better than the loose robe that now hid the lines of his body.

“It suits you.”

“Hmph. You speak false flattery with remarkable ease.”

Elysion snorted and turned to look out of the window. Had she not noticed how red his ears were, she might never have realized quite how embarrassed he was by her compliment.

“About those impure elements in the Imperial Palace…”

At Jaina’s question, Elysion shifted his gaze back to her.

“Has a dark mage extended their influence even into the palace?”

“What kind of question is that? Did they not contact you first, saying your holy power was needed there?”

“They did… but what’s happening in the palace right now may not be solely the work of a dark mage.”

The holy power once possessed by the saintesses of the Grand Sanctuary had vanished. Consequently, the barrier protecting the Imperial Palace also disappeared.

Without it, the monsters that had previously lingered on the outskirts could now attack the palace itself.

Amidst such unrest and confusion, there would surely be people within the palace who would see the chaos as an opportunity to commit evil deeds.

“Well, I do not know the precise details myself. There is little I can tell you.”

As usual, Elysion did not provide a clear answer. All he said was that the one thing he could and intended to do was to protect Jaina.

He had no desire to involve himself in human affairs and had no intention of doing so. However, he would prevent Jaina from coming to any harm.

For some reason, his words reassured her. With Elysion beside her, she felt that they would be able to overcome any danger or uncertainty.

“I’m truly fortunate to have met you, Lord Elysion.”

Jaina smiled with her eyes as she spoke.

In response, the golden depths of Elysion’s eyes flickered faintly.

***

“We have been awaiting your arrival, Grand Duchess. And Grand Hierophant.”

Upon arriving at the Imperial Palace, Jaina respectfully bowed to Crown Prince Shar, who had come out to greet her and Elysion.

“I greet the Empire’s Little Sun.”

He was one of the few people Cadel ever opened his heart to, and in time, he would become a servant to the future emperor. She had met him once or twice before her regression.

“I hear the Grand Duke has been detained in the North.”

“Yes….”

“It would be best to raise the barrier first.”

Elysion muttered something under his breath as he looked at the Crown Prince.

Jaina and the Crown Prince immediately turned to look at him.

‘Dark magic is wrapped tightly around this child’s body, Jaina. You must purify him and set up a barrier. Only then will his life be safe.’

Without moving his lips, Elysion conveyed his thoughts directly to her.

Jaina immediately used her holy power to purify the Crown Prince’s body. Then she created a sacred energy barrier around him. Fine golden dust — the blessings of the Light Spirit — settled faintly upon its surface.

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, the Crown Prince looked at Jaina in confusion.

“I have placed a protective barrier around Your Highness for now.”

“Ah.”

Shar gave a short nod.

‘The Emperor and Empress are probably in the same situation. If you don’t purify them and raise the barriers quickly, the dark magic will consume their souls.’

At Elysion’s words, Jaina’s expression tightened slightly.

“I would like to see His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress.”

“Their Majesties are unwell at present and are resting in the detached palace. I was instructed to escort you there as soon as you arrived.”

Shar turned and began leading Jaina and Elysion toward the detached palace.

Jaina’s knights and Shar’s escort followed behind them in unison.

“The sacred barrier around the detached palace has not yet disappeared. However, the barriers around the other palaces have all disappeared. Monsters have started to attack and the situation is challenging in many ways.”

“I see….”

“I hear you were at the Grand Sanctuary yesterday.”

“Yes. I infused holy power into the withering Elim Tree.”

“Has the holy power of the saintesses returned?”

“…No. Not yet….”

At her answer, Shar let out a deep sigh.

“This is serious. If the saintesses’ holy power does not return, the Empire’s barrier—”

“There is no need for concern….”

Elysion began to speak in his usual tone, but then corrected himself and adopted a more formal style.

Although this sounded slightly awkward, the fact that he was making an effort was somehow reassuring.

“There is no need for concern.”

Shar repeated his words.

Elysion regarded him calmly and added,

“Jaina’s holy power will grow stronger by as much as the saintesses’ lost power….”

“The Grand Duchess’s holy power will grow stronger?”

“My holy power will grow stronger?”

When Elysion spoke, both Shar and Jaina asked him questions at the same time.

Jaina’s eyes widened, too. This was the first time she had ever heard of such a thing.

“The holy power that a god grants to humans is always maintained in the same total measure. That will never change. Therefore, as you are the only one who can use holy power, you will be able to wield the full strength that the saintesses of the Grand Sanctuary have lost.”

“…Ah.”

‘When you purified him and raised the barrier just now, you must have sensed it yourself, at least a little.’

The latter part he conveyed only to Jaina, speaking within her mind.

Then he cast Shar a faintly displeased glance.

‘To think I must show courtesy to this human who is not even a handful. This is why materializing is such a nuisance.’

He seemed particularly displeased at having to speak formally with Shar. Truth be told, however, he had not been doing so in the first place.

“So, in other words, all the holy power that once belonged to the saintesses of the Grand Sanctuary has been transferred to the Grand Duchess. The amount must be tremendous.”

“That is correct. Therefore, there will be no need to worry about your holy power being depleted as before.”

“……”

“…Indeed.”

Elysion nodded in answer to Shar. However, when his gaze met Jaina’s, he gave a slight start and quickly added the correct honorific ending.