‘This isn’t right.’

I half-opened my eyes and stared at Seiron, who shone with blinding light.

My goal was to bring Seiron back—but I never expected him to return in such splendor.

I glanced sideways. The court nobles and foreign dignitaries alike gaped at Seiron.

[A father surprised to see—]

‘Shh! Quiet!’

I had no idea how far the Chronos Guild’s secrets had spread among the imperial and noble ranks. If they knew about Seiron too, they might learn he was my Guardian—a proof I was the Messiah.

‘The Chronos Guild are enemies of the powerful. If I’m their Messiah, I too become an enemy.’

Seiron narrowed his eyes and looked at me. In that instant, I...

“Gods! Drive away these evil ones and deliver us!”

I dropped to my knees and bowed deeply.

“Ohhh!”

“Gods!”

“Our Father, cast out the evil ones and save your earthly servants...!”

“Ohhhh, Gods!”

That was enough. They all believed he was divine.

I stole another glance at Seiron.

“...”

I knew that expression—when ancient me slipped out of the castle for a gamble and the orphanage rang to say I’d disappeared. Kill it, spare it... that look.

‘Save me!’

I hid my hand over my heart so no one would see, then flicked the sword’s sheath downwards, pointing at the steps.

I’d separated the monster from the Emperor and climbed back up.

‘I expected Grimie might attack me from the start.’

So I’d brought several holy relics to the altar. One was...

‘The Purifying Stone I won from the millennia-old white-stem tree when I was four.’

The Purifying Stone cleanses curses. The artificial beasts were born of a curse—monsters fused with man.

‘I purified the tentacles holding the Emperor with the Purifying Stone.’

But the beasts tried again to seize him. So I...

‘Had Ombre swallow them!’

The Emperor fainted. Weakened by plague and exhaustion, he couldn’t endure long inside a shadow monster.

The shadows’ interior summoned powerful negative hormones. A moment more, and he might have gone mad.

I pressed my palms together and looked up at Seiron.

‘Please. Please.’

[In any case...]

Seiron clicked his tongue, then began descending the steps—toward the fighting monsters.

Sshaa—!

Fresh tentacles, born from severed ones, shrieked.

As one beast lunged at Seiron...

[Dare you.]

Whoaa—!

Magic flared in Seiron’s hand, forming a strange sigil. In an instant the sigil wove into a net, ensnaring every artificial beast on the stairs.

“Kyaaak!”

“Kroaaar—!”

“Shyaa...!”

The beasts screamed as their forms twisted, melting like burning squid. Within each melted shape stood a human—a person whose whites of the eyes were bright red.

“Ki-ki-kill me, kill me, kill me...”

They muttered the same phrase like machines with a command etched into them.

‘They’re looking at me?’

Of course. Once the Emperor died, the next command would be to attack me.

As their tentacles slithered through the net toward me...

“Warden!”

“High Priestess—!”

“Erilot...!”

Before I could dodge, a great bang rang out. The tentacle disintegrated in midair.

‘Ah...’

I felt Seiron’s power surround me. He had protected me.

[A time beyond the gods’ gaze.]

Seiron gazed at the beasts with calm disdain.

[I am king of this hour.]

Then—

“Huh?”

“What is that?”

“How...?”

Some onlookers below the altar trembled and looked at themselves. A few glowed with bright light. They were bewildered—but I gasped.

The light carried shapes I recognized: Guardians of old.

‘The ancient apostles!’

They were the fathers who had forged the ancient me.

First, Michael, born on my father’s magic current, strode up the steps. Wherever he stepped, the beasts turned to dust.

And then...

“Miss...”

“...!”

—from Jeanne’s blessing emerged a kindly man bearing a long spear.

“Wow! Whoa—!”

“The horse looks fine?”

“Yes! It’s strong and the spear too. Icarus taught me.”

“Indeed, my precious child.”

Icarus.

“Where have you been today?”

“Um, well, you see....”

“Shh, that’s the latrine. Let’s go in before Bakira arrives.”

He was always indulgent in antiquity...

“No! Father! Icarus! Don’t leave! It’s death to go. He’s a dragon of pride and power, blessed by the gods—no matter an apostle...”

“Child.”

“Don’t go. I won’t let you.”

“Irrote.”

“...!”

“I have something precious to protect.”

“...More precious than life?”

“Pride and light, faith, love, hope, joy... you are all of them.”

He who called me his everything—my strong father, who said he loved all creation because he loved me.

‘Icarus...’

Where his gaze fell, the beasts paused.

I felt the power well up: Jeanne’s ward, Destruction—the force that nullifies blessings.

Michael and Icarus came to stand behind Seiron. Seiron looked at the beasts.

“Kyaaaaa—!!”

Such a scream of primal terror echoed across the altar that the beasts dissolved into a pale rain of light.

[These younglings are too weak.]

[Show some decency, High Priestess.]

Icarus frowned; Seiron snorted.

[Since when was the Creator kindly to His creations?]

[Not for the High Priestess to say.]

The guardians chatting softly began to fade. I looked to the sky.

‘The eclipse is ending.’

Just before they vanished, I rushed forward.

“When will we meet again?”

I had so much to say—how I’d missed them, thanked them, how precious their protection was and how it pained me. But all I managed was that.

Michael and Icarus smiled bittersweet smiles. Seiron...

[Child.]

He tapped my head lightly as he spoke.

[I am always by your side. It only takes time for a soul to manifest flesh.]

“So if I strengthen the blessing—!”

[Do you think more mana makes the blessing greater? The source of your blessing is unlike any other—damn it, talk to me—!]

As Seiron shouted to the sky, all the guardians vanished.

The crowd stared at the empty air where Seiron had stood.

“The gods descended...”

“Y-Yes... the gods destroyed the monsters.”

“But why did a few glow?”

“A blessing, surely?!”

“But why only for Count Astra and a handful?”

“Is it the High Priestess? Erilot Astra summoned the gods!”

“Saint...!”

“Then she...”

I knew not why they babbled so, but at least I understood two things:

Except for Seiron, the guardians (Michael and Icarus) had been invisible to them.

They believed the gods had saved the empire.

In that moment...

I glared at Grimie below the altar. His face was frozen in stone.

‘Your plan failed, scum.’

Once more, I had won. Thus the No-Moon Rite concluded.

Hours later.

Grimie’s estate.

After sending Dahlia away in haste, Grimie had not returned. Dahlia, anxious and biting her nails, called out,

“Leticia! Leticia!”

“Yes, Miss?”

“How long since the Rite ended?”

“Three hours.”

“Why ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) hasn’t Father come back? And the Warding Veil?!”

“Shall I send another message?”

“Hurry—!”

Then the door burst open. Grimie strode in, face drawn. He seized Dahlia’s wrist and pulled her close.

“Father?”

“I abandon this estate. The Chronos Guild will strike.”

“What?!”

Dahlia caught his wrist.

“Please tell me what happened. Why would the Veil attack us? E-Erilot isn’t confirmed as Messiah yet, right? She merely summoned the gods—!”

“She is not a god!!”

Dahlia froze; the servants bowed and fled, sensing their master’s fury. Grimie ground his teeth.

“She is Seiron’s Guardian—the ancient soul born only to a Messiah.”

“T-Then...”

So that was why Mashitabuva’s brother had rushed toward Erilot in horror. And why the Veil had glared at him with such dread.

“Come with me to the Veil. I will explain. Erilot has no desire to be Messiah!”

“If she doesn’t, then I could be Messiah! That name alone...”

“Snap out of it!”

“...Father.”

“Did you not see their eyes?”

“....”

“If I hadn’t moved you at once, you would have been torn apart.”

“....”

Dahlia could only stand frozen.

‘No... that can’t be.’

Beside her, Maza nodded vigorously.

[Yes! There must be some misunderstanding. They loved me so.]

‘Right—what’s a mere title?’

[Talk to them. They’ll listen—right?]

‘O-Okay... then—’

Grimie said in a grim voice,

“Follow Ayla at once. Go somewhere the Chronos Guild cannot reach.”

He would not allow her to face the Veil.

‘He’s trying to protect me... just in case.’

“And Father?”

“I have matters to attend. Leave now.”

“All right. You must be busy. I’ll go with Ayla. I’ll be careful.”

Ayla entered the room quietly.

“Shall we go, my precious one?”

“Yes...”

Dahlia glanced at Grimie, then followed Ayla.

No sooner had the door closed than Grimie slammed his hand on the table.

[Ha, splendid, wasn’t it? You saw too, did you—cute Grimie? The beauty of her presence.]

Inorax giggled.

“Explain yourself.”

[Truly radiant was her blessing. You didn’t see, but it was the apostles who destroyed the beasts—he who had been bound by the gods for ages.]

“Tell me—!”

Irrorax, haze-eyed, smirked.

[Yes, what perplexes you so?]

“This Rite was short. And the ward weakened everyone’s magic on the altar.”

Erilot’s power was barely thirty percent of normal.

“How then could they manifest?”

Inorax clutched his sides, laughing.

[You thought human calculations would apply to a demigod?]

“...What do you mean?”

[Seiron is God’s first creature—a demigod. You believed such a soul would move at mere mana? You’re as foolish as your creations.]

“Wha—?”

[The gods are made of everything: wind, rain, light, darkness... faith.]

“So on a No-Moon altar, a manifestation is possible?”

[Well, that girl did meet certain rare conditions too. She had something... likely a countermeasure against you.]

Inorax laughed.

“You knew and said nothing?”

[Why should I? It’s a rare chance to see Lord Seiron again.]

Inorax enfolded Grimie’s neck.

[Shall I tell you one more thing? The condition that prevents that girl from using Seiron’s power further.]

Grimie flinched and stared at Inorax.

‘Hurry, hurry!’

Dahlia ran with all her might. She slipped free of Ayla’s hand and dashed ahead.

[Do you know where the Guardians are?]

‘Yes, I can sense their power after they bloom.’

It was certainly ahead—at the Astra Manor.

Dahlia rounded the corner in haste. The iron gates of Astra Manor loomed before her—

“That’s you?”

There too stood the Guardians. And before them, Erilot—arms folded, staring at them with calm, pale eyes.