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* * *

I headed to the Elpinard estate with Axel and Bael. The Pope, eager to support the “Saintess who performed the miracle of resurrection,” had graciously lent me his carriage. It was a carriage blessed by the gods, allowing it to travel at an incredibly fast pace. Thanks to this, the journey time was cut down by several days.

The moment we arrived at the estate in the Pope’s carriage, the first ones to greet me were the “Flower Trio.” They had evidently received word in advance that I was returning from Kydsha to Elpinard and had come out to meet me.

Rose, Daisy, and even the usually composed Lily were all crying loudly, causing me to break out in a cold sweat as I tried to calm them down.

“Is it really true that you’ve returned, my lady? This isn’t a dream, is it?”

“Of course, it’s real.”

I hugged Lily first.

“It’s unbelievable…! To think you’ve returned alive and well like this!”

“Was I really that dignified?”

Next, I patted Rose on the back.

“We prayed every day for your safe return, my lady!”

“Your prayers gave me strength!”

Finally, I comforted Daisy as well. 

After they had shed a flood of tears, the three seemed to regain some composure and returned to their usual professional maid demeanor. Though, there was no hiding their red, swollen eyes and noses.

“Still, it’s truly amazing. To overcome the divine trial and emerge as a true Saintess!” Rose, the most spirited of the three, clasped her hands together and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

A divine trial? I wasn’t sure what she was talking about, so I glanced over at Axel and Bael. 

Axel, who had been watching my emotional reunion with the trio from a step away, looked quite amused. 

‘He was hugging me like the others at the temple, and now he’s pretending none of that happened!’

It was rather funny to see him acting so composed now. 

It was Bael who subtly moved closer to me. He whispered softly, just loud enough for me to hear but not the others.

“Well, considering that a person’s breath stopping isn’t exactly a normal situation… I had to come up with an appropriate explanation.”

“An explanation?”

“Yes. I told everyone that you were undergoing a divine trial bestowed upon the Saintess. That overcoming it would make you a true Saintess.”

“Is it okay for a priest to tell such a lie?”

“You’re the one who’s always called me a quack priest, so this shouldn’t surprise you.”

Bael shrugged with a relaxed smile. 

‘The reason I called Bael a quack priest was because he was always so money-hungry.’

But I guess a lying priest is still a quack priest. 

I gave Bael a thumbs-up, acknowledging his acceptance of his quackery. In an absurd situation like a person returning from the dead, saying “This is a test from the gods!” was always a convenient excuse. Most people tended to interpret incomprehensible phenomena as the will of the heavens.

While Bael and I were talking, more servants gathered around the trio. They all looked at me with eyes full of warmth and reverence, clearly thinking of me as the Saintess who had overcome a “divine trial” and performed the “miracle of resurrection.”

“Heeyy!”

Just then, a familiar voice rang out from afar, and a beloved face came charging through the crowd of people.

It was Noah.

The blonde boy, boasting his handsome features, pushed through the servants with a face flushed with frustration and rushed up to me.

“Stop doing that nonsense right now!”

“What nonsense?”

“Being a Saintess or whatever it is!”

Noah was fuming as he looked me up and down, clearly agitated.

“Why would you serve a god that only gives you pointless trials?”

It wasn’t something you’d normally say right in front of a Cardinal like Bael, but Noah didn’t care at all.

“How can you stop? Huh? Let’s just quit right now! You don’t need to be anything other than the Lady of Elpinard!”

Just being the Lady of Elpinard is enough, he said.

“When did you say you wouldn’t even recognize someone like me as part of Elpinard?”

I narrowed my eyes and stared at Noah, who responded with a loud “Ahem!” and a big clearing of his throat.

“Well, that was… I mean, those were just childish words from back then.”

‘You don’t seem any more mature now.’

With a look like a desert fox from the highlands, I kept my gaze on Axel, who was still standing there. He gave another loud cough and grabbed my arm.

“Anyway, this isn’t the time to be standing around here. You need to stop Grandfather.”

‘Oh!’

In the chaos of everyone gathering around, I had almost forgotten about the most important person. I had hurried back to Elpinard precisely because I heard the Duchy was in turmoil, especially that the Duke was acting strangely.

“Where is the Duke…?”

At my cautious question, Noah sighed deeply.

“He’s in the study. He’s been there ever since the day you left for Kydsha because of that so-called trial.”

* * *

As I hurried to the study, Logan, with a face that looked on the verge of tears, flung the doors open wide for me.

“Thank you, my lady!”

It seemed the household staff all knew I had returned, but had the Duke not been informed yet? I wondered as I cautiously stepped inside, puzzled by the news that the Duke was still in his study.

‘Whoa!’

The moment I stepped inside, an overwhelming chill swept over me. It was the aura of a Sword Master.

Having experienced Kirke’s aura during our expeditions, I recognized it immediately.

‘But this is much colder than Kirke’s aura.’

Just as each mage has a slightly different magical energy, it’s said that Sword Masters also have their own unique aura. If Kirke’s aura felt like the warmth of a summer sun, the Duke’s aura was akin to the biting cold of winter ice.

Rubbing my arms to ward off the chill, I walked further into the room. The closer I got to the innermost part of the study, the stronger the cold became.

‘What in the world is he doing…?’

Tense with apprehension, I continued until I caught sight of the Duke’s back. He was sitting on the white carpet, and he wasn’t alone.

‘Well, he *is* alone, but…’

I gaped in astonishment as I looked up toward the ceiling.

The study was filled with white birds, softly glowing as they flew around.

‘Wow…’

A gasp of awe escaped my lips.

When I reached out toward one of the birds, the faint light it emitted was absorbed into my body, and the bird dropped to the floor with a soft thud.

As I looked more closely, I realized they weren’t real birds but rather paper ones, meticulously folded into bird shapes.

‘So all of these are made of paper?’

Drawn forward as if in a trance, I moved closer and the scene became clearer. What I had thought was a white carpet was actually all paper. This kind of pure, pristine paper wasn’t easy to come by, and naturally, it was quite expensive. It was the kind of paper used for writing letters to important people. The Duke was diligently folding the paper into birds, infusing them with his energy, and sending them up into the air.

It was a solemn and beautiful ritual.

In the Empire, “sending birds to the sky” was a prayer for the soul’s return. It was obvious whom this earnest ritual was for.

‘It’s for me.’

The Duke was a Sword Master who could sense a person’s presence even in his sleep. But he was so focused on pouring all his energy into the birds that he hadn’t noticed I was there. If an enemy were to attack in this moment, the Duke’s life would be in great danger. He had completely exposed his back, a sign of the vulnerability he was willing to show for this ritual—for me.

Overcome with emotion, I quickly walked over and stood directly behind him. It was only when I was close enough to touch him that the Duke seemed to finally notice someone had entered the room. 

“I haven’t sent all ten thousand birds yet. I told you not to let anyone disturb me until the ritual is complete.”

He didn’t turn around. He didn’t stop folding the paper birds. His voice was colder and sharper than usual, a warning to anyone who dared to interfere.

Now I understood why no one had informed the Duke about my return. There were probably very few people in the estate who could withstand this voice—Axel being one of them, but he had been with me in Kydsha.

“Father!”

Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around the Duke from behind.

“I’m back, so you don’t need to do this anymore.”

“!”

The Duke flinched and turned his head. Our eyes met at a very close distance. I greeted him with the brightest smile I could muster.

“I’m home, Father!”

It was strange. The word “Father,” which had always felt difficult to say, came out naturally this time.