Elen’s wish.
The moment Elen had just opened her mouth, glaring at Duran—
“Princess! Wait! Duran’s not at fault!”
Lore, leaping from Lyr’s arms, stepped between Elen and Duran.
Seeing that, Eare too jumped from Duran’s arm and stood beside Lore.
“Princess… Lore isn’t at fault either. It’s all my fault…”
Eare, the sun’s keeper, said through tears, standing opposite Lore.
“Sister…?”
“…What in the world is going on?”
Elen tried to keep her cool, to suppress her anger, and answered calmly—though her eyes were fixed, unblinking.
And with fury building, electric sparks crackled around Elen, dancing in the air like fireflies.
Lore and the others stared, faces pale, trembling in fear.
“Elen, calm down.”
“Ah…”
Arc, sensing the abnormal surge of magical particles around Elen, quietly lifted her from behind, trying to calm her.
Suddenly hoisted by Arc’s single arm, her gaze forcibly redirected.
Elen blinked rapidly, startled by the sudden shift, her eyes landing on Arc’s face.
Arc smiled warmly at her.
“Arc brother…”
“Elen, it’s fine… nothing bad’ll come of it.”
“…………”
“I get it… you’re stressed. But it’s alright.”
As he spoke, Arc gently stroked her head.
Arc had spent nearly three centuries imprisoned by humans, his power siphoned away, drained dry.
And yet, despite being one of the greatest victims of this entire chain of events, Arc had never once spoken ill of humanity.
“Arc brother…”
Recalling the memories of her time imprisoned at the academy, Elen felt tears welling up again.
Realizing it, Arc gently pressed Elen’s head down, tucking her face into the crook of his shoulder.
Seeing Elen’s shoulders tremble, the others knew she was crying, but said nothing, waiting quietly for her to calm down.
But this isn’t the time to cry, Elen thought, wiping her eyes roughly.
Richt, watching, gently caught her hand. “Don’t rub it,” he said.
“If you make my precious sister cry like this, I’ll wrap this whole country in darkness.”
Richt smiled sweetly, speaking the cruel words with a light tone.
Hearing that, Lore and Eire both let out sharp, startled gasps.
“I’m the one who controls light, you know. It’s no trouble at all. So stop crying now.”
Hearing Richt’s words, Duran and the others seemed frozen, speechless.
“I’m sorry, Elen. Lore and Eare are my subordinates. If these little ones caused all this trouble, isn’t it only fair that I deal with them myself?”
“Master! Please… please don’t do that…!”
“Don’t take the light from our land, I beg you!”
“You’re the ones who pulled off something this outrageous, aren’t you? Involved Elen and Lovell-san—do you really think you can get away with it?”
Lore and Eare tremble uncontrollably, their legs locked in place as if ready to bolt, ears flattened flat against their heads, tails squished tight between their legs.
Even their whiskers are pointing backward—clearly terrified.
Richt, the spirit who commands light, is venerated second only to Origin and the Dual Goddesses among humans, worshipped as a great spirit.
In churches that revere goddesses, the Dual Goddesses aren’t the only ones honored—light and daylight are worshipped too.
Among them, Elen presided over the day, revered as a spirit guarding the temple of the Dual Goddesses within churches.
Listening to Richt’s words and Lore’s, Duran seemed finally to grasp what he’d done. His face gradually turned pale.
He’d tried to replace Lore’s divine elder sister—light’s great spirit—with Elen.
Elen wasn’t some spirit meant to replace Lore.
And worse—he’d angered Elen, made her cry, and earned the scorn of the great spirits who cherished her.
Realizing that by inciting the cursed royal blood of Tembar and shouting he was on the spirits’ side, he’d actually become their enemy, Duran stood frozen, overwhelmed by the enormity of his mistake.
“Richt… elder brother…”
Elen tried to calm herself, tilting her face upward toward the sky with a deep, exaggerated stretch.
She blinked rapidly several times, pressing her lips together as if holding something back, then looked straight at Richt with steady eyes.
"I’ll say it properly. I have to say it."
"……Really?"
"Yes. But I can’t risk unconsciously using my power… Ark, can you keep holding me like this?"
"Sure, you bet!"
Delighted to be asked, Ark squeezed Elen tightly, practically hugging her to pieces.
"Mmmph."
"Brother, really… not here, please."
"Uh… sorry. Sorry, okay?"
"...Yes, it’s fine."
Elen exhaled sharply, like she was drawing in a deep breath—“fuu”—and let it out fully.
Relieved by the familiar rhythm of it all, she noticed her own heart, which had been pounding wildly, was finally starting to settle down.
Having family beside me—it was enough to feel saved.
Elen turned only her face toward Eire, and when their eyes met, Eire flinched so hard she bristled all over.
Elen asked again, demanding an explanation.
“What do you mean, it’s your fault?”
‘I—I…’
The silence was so thick you could hear Eire swallowing saliva.
Facing Elen head-on, trembling under her gaze, Eire finally began to speak.
‘I… I’ve always been worried about my sister, Lore…’
Day and night. Two spirits meant to be together, yet Lore was shunned by humans simply because she was born at night.
‘Humans avoided Lore just because she had black hair. Night is when the day-worn are healed. Lore is meant to heal—but humans judged her by looks and prejudice, and hated my sister for it.’
Beside her, Elen—white-furred, hailed as a goddess’s emissary—had been torn away.
‘I am Lore’s twin spirit. Without her, my power falters. Yet they said it didn’t matter. Just by appearance… they hated my sister…!’
She was remembering that time. So furious her ears had flattened into squid-tendrils, her fur bristling upright.
‘…Then, during that time, a human appeared who cared for Lore… named Rüel…’
The name of the founder of the Helgner Kingdom.
Sauvel and Duran both inhaled sharply—recognizing the name.
‘After time passed, Lore and Rüel parted… I worried for Lore, left behind… so I asked the Queen to summon Rüel’s soul, returned to the heavens…’
Rüel’s reincarnation—was Elen’s wish.