Elen’s growth.
Lovell returned to the Spirit Castle and hurried toward Origin’s chambers.
Normally, he’d have teleported straight to Origin’s side without hesitation. But Origin was in a crucial, unstable phase now. He couldn’t afford to startle her—so lately, he’d been walking from the grand hall all the way to his private quarters, careful not to rush.
Vin, who happened to be in the grand hall, noticed Lovell’s return and nearly called out, flustered.
“Later—”
“That’s not possible! Right now, Origin-sama is—”
“Ori, are you here?”
The door slammed open, and there she was—Origin sandwiched between the Dual Goddesses, sipping tea with a serene smile.
It should’ve been a peaceful scene. But Lovell couldn’t help frowning.
“Oh? My dear brother’s back. So the secret talk ends here, I suppose?”
“You look absolutely miserable. Heehee, I’m interrupting, aren’t I?”
I finally understood why Vint had been so flustered, staring at the grinning Dual Goddesses.
"Oh my, oh my... Sister-in-law, it's been such a long time."
The Dual Goddesses giggled, leaning in with cheerful smiles as Lovell grinned back.
"Look, she's wearing a mask. Still the same, as always."
"Really, still unchanged."
Lovell sighed, watching them laugh. Why did they have to show up at such a perfectly timed moment? The thought hit him—then froze. His mind blanked for a second.
"Why are you two here, Sister-in-law...?"
"Oh my, you noticed. I suppose Elen-chan's father really does have a sharp eye."
"Seriously. Too sharp."
"What do you mean...?...Ori?"
"You're in trouble now."
"...Is this about the royal curse?"
"Oh?"
"Oh my."
"What? Not that?"
Lovell narrowed her eyes at the Dual Goddesses, giggling behind their hands. Origin, feigning surprise, looked genuinely startled—so Lovell realized, with a sinking feeling, that whatever trouble she was in might not be connected to the royal curse after all.
The Dual Goddesses had come by, so the royal family’s meeting place hadn’t been visible through the water mirror either.
“Guess only Elen-chan can actually change things.”
“True. I never thought the curse would be affected, though.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
A sour smell rose from their words, and Lovell’s expression tightened. Elen being involved? That wasn’t something she could ignore.
“Lovell, you really want to know about the royal curse, don’t you?”
“It’s not just that anymore, seems like.”
“Mm-hmm.”
The Dual Goddesses kept giggling, and Lovell could only feel a deep, unpleasant foreboding.
Something was definitely about to drag Elen into trouble. Her nerves were already on edge.
"An heir of the royal family would purify the curse on their own. Thanks to you, Elen-chan, it’s been different."
"Purify it on their own!?"
"It started as hatred. But now, sorrow's stronger. Hatred’s pointless when it’s one-sided."
"The king hid what he’d done. He never told his descendants. The curse only said it blocked contracts with spirits—so the king tried to erase even the existence of the curse itself. He wanted to carry the guilt alone... Our forgotten kin couldn’t forgive that. They stayed behind, cursing the bloodline through descendants. They realized this was their punishment—to the king who killed them."
The history of the Tembarr royal curse. Why it’s lingered all this time.
And why, exactly, is it that touching Elen is somehow cleansing this curse?
"Because of Elen, the royal family finally understood the source of the curse."
"But why only Gadiel, Prince...?"
"The man on the throne—he tried to exploit the curse, didn’t he? But that little boy? He was different. He just wanted to talk to Elen."
Lovell’s brow furrowed at Van’s words. His veins even seemed to bulge, prompting both of them to stare, then mutter in unison: "What a narrow-minded man."
"Because he truly accepted the reason he couldn’t talk to Elen. He took it to heart… so much so that it even began to affect the curse that brought him sorrow."
"You’re not serious… could it really be that simple?"
"The reason our kin cursed even their descendants has been forgotten. Maybe when Elen-chan first touched the curse, she touched the power of the Goddesses and awakened. Sad… empty… always yearning for release. So Elen-chan wanted to directly embrace that feeling and free our kin. But Elen-chan is incredibly sharp. As a spirit, she kept those feelings locked inside."
"Still, that feeling reached them—through Old Man Lovell."
Lovell stood frozen, stunned by the Dual Goddesses’ words. He hadn’t expected Elen to be so deeply affected by the curse.
That realization must’ve shown on my face—or maybe Van just read my mind—because he smiled, softly, warmly.
"Place a barrier around Obo-chan's soul, please."
"...Why?"
"If we don't, Obo-chan won't be able to withstand the curse surrounding him."
"What do you mean?"
"Forgot that curses affect nearby spirits? The purified brethren are now being pulled into the surrounding curse."
"...So what? Won't the prince just be separated from the curse?"
"Once purified, Obo-chan's soul won't be safe either. The brethren's remains are just masses of mana. Human souls are made of mana, after all."
Vaal spoke, having seen it all unfold.
"Can you do it? I already placed a barrier around Elen-chan, just in case."
Lovel knew he was caught, but the truth still didn't sit right. He couldn't help but ask.
"Why even save the prince? That royal family's been slaughtering spirits, hasn't it?"
No answer came. The Dual Goddesses just giggled, quietly, still.
Something simmering in my chest refused to settle. I wouldn’t get an answer. It was something important—something tied to the future. And Lovell didn’t need to know. That was the rule.
"...So just the prince gets the barrier, then?"
"Yes. The others don’t show signs of purification. A child who’s accepted the truth properly doesn’t need a reward, does it?"
"...I see."
It didn’t sit right. But what could I do? Defy the goddesses, and who knew what’d happen next? And now that I knew Elen was involved—no way I could refuse.
A single sigh. The source of Gadiel’s curse was finally clear. Case closed.
Shifting focus, I turned to Origin.
I’ve got the curse figured out. So, let’s change the subject… Or, trouble, what’s the problem?
“Oh, you’re not going to ask us?”
The Dual Goddesses kept giggling, then stood up from the sofa and walked toward Lovell.
They embraced, kissed each other, and Origin sighed, smiling.
“It’s about Elen. She’s got something she wants me to do.”
“…What?”
Lovell narrowed her eyes, confused. The Dual Goddesses just laughed.
“Just tell her yourself. Anyway, the real issue is different. You haven’t let go of her yet, have you?”
“Who said I’d let Elen talk to you? …And now you’re blaming me for not letting go here? Come on. She’s my daughter. How can I not love her?”
Lovell said it without a hint of regret. The laughter vanished instantly from the Dual Goddesses’ faces.
Lovell and Origin were taken aback. The sudden change in their expressions made the unease from earlier feel even heavier.
"Cut it out. You're the reason Elen can't grow."
"...What?"
I thought I'd heard wrong. Me? The reason Elen couldn't grow?
"Elen’s goddess power—originating from elements, shaping cells, expanding the range of her abilities—should’ve awakened in tandem with her growth."
"But Elen woke up to her power first. And unconsciously, she’s been fulfilling her beloved father’s wishes."
"Wha—what does that have to do with her growing?"
"You’ve always told her, haven’t you? 'Stay like this forever,' 'Being small is fine,' 'Don’t rush to grow up.'"
"Th-That’s not… I couldn’t have…?"
My blood ran cold.
Origin noticed Lovell turning a shade of pale blue and gently cradled Lovell’s head.
Elen’s power now reached the point where it could heal even minor wounds by activating cells.
If, little by little, she’d been halting her own cellular growth at the same pace as Lovell’s wishes came true—just like slowing down her own growth to match Lovell’s…
A cold sweat broke out as I remembered: the time Elen stopped growing entirely coincided almost exactly with the awakening of her goddess powers.
“The influence was already there even before the goddess powers awakened. That’s why using too much power nearly killed Elen. You know why?”
“Because the vessel was too small to handle the strength. She should’ve grown much more, normally.”
The Dual Goddesses’ words pierced through me. And then, without expression, they added:
"If her growth stops like this, Elen-chan won’t be able to withstand the goddess’s power—and she’ll vanish."
The Dual Goddesses’ words drove into me like knives. My vision swam with pain.