"Olivia!"
Tiel ran up to Olivia and hugged her waist tightly. Olivia warmly embraced Tiel, gently stroking her head.
"How have you been? Why does it feel like it's been so long since we saw each other?"
"It hasn't been that long, though. We saw each other pretty recently when you came to the Asterian Estate..."
"Still feels like it's been ages! When you were little, I used to see you every day."
Tiel thought to herself that if Ferdie and Ludian were here, they would've said, "That's because you came to the estate at all hours!"
But Tiel wasn't Ferdie or Ludian, so she didn't say anything like that. Besides, she liked Olivia very much.
Since the moment they first met, Olivia had been one of the people who truly cherished Tiel. It was impossible not to like her.
"By the way, are you feeling okay? Hmm? With your abilities."
After hugging Tiel, Olivia lowered her voice and whispered. Tiel slightly parted her lips and nodded.
She knows about it.
Of course, Olivia was so close to everyone in Asterian that it would have been odd if she didn't know.
To reassure Olivia, Tiel carefully used her ability.
Fwoosh—!
Light flickered on the palm of Tiel's hand. Tiel smiled widely and said,
"See? It's fine now. I'll be able to use my ability without trouble during the festival."
However, Tiel quickly withdrew the light. Even as she spoke, a vague sense of fear lingered in her heart.
What if she lost it again? The fear of losing it again seemed to gnaw at her little by little.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net, it has been stolen.
But Tiel didn't show it. She knew her family [N O V E L I G H T] cared more for her than anyone else. That's why she had used her ability to show Olivia.
To reassure her.
Seeing the light flicker in Tiel's hand, Olivia beamed with joy, as if it were her own, and patted Tiel's head.
"I'm so relieved! I was so worried that something might have gone wrong. Of course, when I heard you made it here, I thought everything must be fine."
"Yeah, it's all fixed. So, there won't be any problems with the festival."
"I heard the temple is arriving soon. The festival is almost here... Tiel, aren't you nervous? You're going to be in front of all the Beastkin after such a long time."
"Honestly, I'm a little nervous. I know how the Beastkin of the Empire view me..."
Tiel spoke cautiously.
"But if it's not me, no one else can do it. So, I have to do it."
The way Tiel spoke sounded resolute.
Olivia looked at her grown-up cousin with a fond smile.
Tiel, who had carried an overwhelming burden on her small shoulders since she was very young, growing up with more responsibility than anyone her age should have.
Had those things not happened, perhaps Tiel would have grown a little taller by now.
But those things made her stronger.
Though she hadn't grown as much, she had learned to endure, to stand firm. She had learned how to get up again and again. Olivia thought these were invaluable lessons that could not be traded for anything, and so, she didn't regret that Tiel hadn't grown more.
"Okay, that's good! I'm not sure how much help I can be, but I'll help you. Tiel, if there's anything hard for you, just say it. Wolfgang and I will always be on your side. The wind will follow your every step. All the winds will guide you on the right path..."
Olivia murmured, the words of Wolfgang's spell. It was a spell only given to Wolfgang's benefactors and those from the Wolfgang family.
But Olivia didn't use her abilities. Nothing around Tiel changed.
Olivia and Wolfgang had cast a protective spell over Tiel long ago, one that kept her safe from the winds.
A soft breeze blew through a slightly open window.
***
"We've arrived, Your Excellency."
The knight lowered his head as he spoke. The Chancellor slowly disembarked from the carriage.
They had arrived not at the Everard Estate, but at the highest hill in Arcadia, where the view of Arcadia was the clearest.
He stood tall on the hill, gazing down at Arcadia.
"Truly amazing," the Chancellor murmured.
From the village below, the scent of freshly baked bread wafted up from the chimneys, and young Beastkin splashed in the pond in the center of the village, laughing gleefully.
Arcadia's Beastkin wore hats to shield themselves from the sun, and as the sun began to set, the children returned home with their families.
It was a sight unimaginable just a little over a decade ago.
And yet, all of this had been cultivated by Tiel, the girl with the light ability, and the head of Everard.
It could only be called a miracle of the god, Lyset.
The Chancellor steadied his heart as he looked at all that Tiel had built and accomplished.
Tiel's abilities are real.
Despite Asterian's repeated interference with the temple's work and their open disregard for the temple, Tiel's abilities deserved nothing but respect.
The Chancellor firmly believed that Tiel could restore the balance between day and night in Crassion.
If anyone could do it, it would be her.
I just need to wait.
By stabilizing the public sentiment with events like this festival, Lyset would answer the prayers of her devoted followers.
Through Tiel Asterian, Lyset's daughter, her agent, and faithful servant, they would be shown a way to defeat the evil deity and bring light back to the land.
The Chancellor stood for a while on the sunset-lit hill, gazing down at Arcadia, before turning and walking toward the construction site of the temple.
Since the revival of Arcadia and the restoration of Everard, a temple dedicated to Lyset was being built in Arcadia, in line with the wishes of both the temple and Everard.
The Beastkin of Arcadia, who had witnessed Lyset's power firsthand, considered it an honor to build her temple in their land.
The temple will be completed soon.
It was truly at the final stages. The statue of Lyset and a statue modeled after Tiel's snow leopard form were already placed inside the temple.
The only remaining task was to carve the symbols of the god on the outside of the temple, and even that was nearly finished, meaning the temple was almost complete.
It will probably be completed during the festival.
The Chancellor and the priests, along with the knights, would stay in the nearly finished temple during the festival. Though not completely finished, the building posed no major issues.
The carriage carrying the Chancellor and the priests entered the temple.
They disembarked, inspecting the newly built temple carefully, unpacking their belongings in their designated rooms.
"When will you visit Everard?" one of the priests asked the Chancellor. The Chancellor answered without hesitation.
"I'll go first thing tomorrow morning. Now that I'm in Arcadia, I must pay my respects to the lord of Everard. Since Tiel is staying at the Everard Estate, it would be nice to meet her as well..."
"Shall I notify them that you'll be visiting Everard tomorrow morning?"
"Yes, that would be good."
The Chancellor answered. The priest left the room to send a message by attaching a letter to the leg of a trained sacred dove.
Soon after.
Knock knock.
Once again, someone knocked on his door. The Chancellor, pausing in his preparations, looked up and asked.
"Come in."
The priest, who had left earlier to deliver the message, returned, bowing his head.
"Your Excellency, there is a guest."
"A guest? At this hour?"
The Chancellor furrowed his brow. If someone had come uninvited at this time, they must have been quite an impolite guest. Just as he was about to turn them away...
"It's Rowen Nestian."
***
"Rowen Nestian has crossed the river and entered Arcadia."
At Illem's report, Karl nodded.