After a short while.
Lellia washed and changed clothes, then paced in front of Romeo's door.
She was hesitating whether to knock or not.
"What are you doing there?"
Romeo was seen walking from the end of the corridor. Behind him was Calix with his swaggering gait.
Lellia discovered the two and immediately ran toward them.
"Where have you two been? I've been looking for you since earlier..."
"Empress Marianne sent a maid. She said she had something to discuss with the two of us."
"...Her Majesty the Empress? Why?"
"I don't know that. She summoned us and only said strange things."
Lellia, who was puzzled, soon shook her head. That wasn't what was important right now.
"Right now, Griffith... is in your room, Lord Romeo!"
"I heard. It seems he had an audience with Emperor Perseus and came this way."
Romeo raised one corner of his mouth and threw open the door. Lellia followed him in along with Calix.
However, Lellia soon had to avert her eyes.
Griffith was sitting on the reception room sofa with his feet propped on the table, and he was shirtless.
He was even drinking alcohol in that posture.
He gulped down liquor that looked potent at a glance, as if it were nothing, and looked at Romeo and Calix.
"You're later than I expected."
Romeo said that and sat across from Griffith. Calix also sat next to him.
Only Lellia stood there blankly, not knowing what to do.
Then Calix gestured and pointed to the sofa diagonally across. It meant to come and sit.
In the current situation, Calix's favorability was more important than anyone else's, so Lellia followed his words.
"...."
But she felt uncomfortable looking toward Griffith, so she only glanced furtively.
Why on earth was he completely shirtless?
Moreover, it seemed he had recently washed, as the tips of his hair were wet.
It was truly a strange feeling when she realized that the friends she was close with as children had become 'adult men.'
Somehow it felt unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and tense... that was exactly how she felt now.
Meanwhile, the three exchanged a few words. It was a topic Lellia couldn't understand.
"By the way, why is that one in that state? Why was that one getting beaten up by the princes in that state?"
Then, Griffith pointed at Lellia with the hand holding his glass and asked.
It seemed he found it strange that Lellia, who had been wearing a dress when they left, was now dressed as a man at the imperial palace.
Come to think of it, how did he recognize me? Is it that obvious?
Lellia was bewildered and touched her own cheek.
"Who was getting beaten up by whom?"
"That one. By Cedric and Damian, those two."
When Calix asked, Griffith kindly explained again.
"Was having a fistfight."
"What? A fistfight?"
Calix let out a breath in disbelief and looked at Lellia.
"With those tiny fists, a fistfight is possible? You! Did you get beaten up? Your face looks fine though!"
As Calix fumed, Griffith watched him with strange eyes then turned his gaze to Romeo.
His eyes demanded an explanation for what was going on.
Romeo shrugged his shoulders.
"Said he'd think of him as a younger brother. Since he's 'Leo's younger brother."
"...Younger brother? What nonsense is that?"
Griffith's brow furrowed.
Lellia had clearly said she was Leo's cousin 'younger sister' whom he was close with.
But now a younger brother?
In the meantime, Calix grabbed Lellia's chin and turned her cheeks left and right, checking for any bruises.
"No injuries? You, do you even know how to properly make a fist? Still, how did you get into a fistfight with those guys? You've got some nerve. Impressive, this kid."
Seemingly relieved after confirming she wasn't hurt, Calix patted Lellia's back firmly and chuckled.
He seemed to think she was admirable.
Griffith watched that sight with disdain and spoke.
"Was fighting 2-on-1 against Cedric and Damian. Was getting beaten, so I healed him and beat them up instead."
"What?"
Calix immediately shot up from his seat at those words.
"Aren't they crazy bastards? How cowardly! Where are those bastards right now! How dare they hit my brother?"
"They got beaten by me and were carried away."
Somehow, at the childish conversation, Lellia felt her tension easing a bit.
Griffith too had grown so much that he felt unfamiliar, but seeing him talk, traces of his old self remained.
Calix still fumed as if frustrated. Romeo pulled his arm and made him sit again.
"Of course you healed them, right?"
Romeo asked with narrowed eyes. It was a hint not to cause any trouble if possible.
Griffith nodded as if it were obvious, but with an annoyed expression.
Lellia felt envious watching the three who seemed so close.
'If I had the ability to participate in the Guanglong subjugation team with my friends, I would have become as close and friendly as these three.'
At the same time, childhood memories came to mind, making her heart tickle.
Griffith asked.
"By the way, younger brother? What kind of nonsense is that? I heard he came to the imperial palace as Romeo's cousin younger brother, are you just going along with that?"
It seemed he had heard the situation roughly.
So that's why he recognized me. Lellia nodded inwardly.
At those words, Calix, who had been fuming until just now, immediately changed his expression and spoke.
He had a very amused expression.
"I saw! This kid is a real man!"
"...!"
Lellia was surprised and opened her eyes wide.
At those words, Griffith's eyebrows twitched.
A kid who was a girl until recently, suddenly a man? A real man?
Griffith's gaze, which instantly turned cold, turned toward Lellia. His eyes were full of suspicion and distrust.
Lellia couldn't even make excuses and just stammered in surprise.
Regardless, Calix excitedly held out his forearm.
Lellia blinked.
What was he trying to say that he was holding out his forearm?
"I saw this kid... this much? Similar to me. A man among men."
At Calix's words, Griffith frowned as if it was vulgar.
Lellia was dumbfounded.
What Calix was talking about now was probably that... that... that thing. It was nonsense.
Not only did she not have such a thing, but the size of Calix's forearm? Wasn't that impossible in the first place?
Had Calix gone crazy? Lellia blinked, then suddenly recalled something.
That medicine she used on Emperor Perseus!
"By any chance, did you secretly watch when I had an audience with His Majesty?"
"Huh? Yeah. The archway wasn't closed. I was curious what you were talking about so I watched."
"...."
Lellia's vision went dark.
Wait, then surely...
'The illusion shown to Emperor Perseus wasn't the same thing, was it?'
That medicine was one that created illusions to make the other person misunderstand.
If the illusion Calix saw was also seen by the Emperor...
'That means I openly pulled down my pants to show it when suspected of being a woman. In front of the Emperor...'
Recalling Emperor Perseus's pale expression, her head spun.
Calix was patting Lellia's back firmly.
"I understand. That can happen. How much did you suffer mentally? But you... did that suddenly appear, or were you originally a man and your mother hid it?"
Calix probed Lellia while recalling a hypothesis he had imagined alone.
Lellia didn't understand what he meant and was dazed, but soon understood.
'...Should I tell the truth even now?'
But if they knew such medicine existed and that she used it, Romeo or Griffith would immediately find it suspicious.
It was a completely different matter from changing hair and eye color.
She couldn't explain the truth, that it was a game item...
Lellia ultimately chose to nod.
Anyway, after the binding spell is lifted, she could explain while clearing up the misunderstanding.
Let's get through this situation for now.
"...The latter."
The former seemed too... much.
At those words, Calix uttered a short, rough curse.
"Whoa... really, you kid... amazing. So you lived with that thing, wearing dresses and pretending to be a woman? How uncomfortable must that have been? With that size, it must have been very uncomfortable. Or was it rather comfortable? Since skirts are roomy?"
Calix rambled on by himself. While doing so, he stroked the back of Lellia's head, saying she had suffered.
His touch was so rough she couldn't tell if he was hitting or stroking...
Unlike such Calix, Griffith was expressionless.
Lellia watched Griffith's expression and spoke.
"Um... thank you for helping earlier."
"...Not really."
Though a short answer came back, Lellia tried to ask what she was curious about.
How on earth did he know she was at the imperial palace.
However, before Lellia could ask, Romeo brought it up.
"By the way, how did you know that one was there and go find him?"
"...I went the wrong way."
Griffith answered calmly. Romeo snorted as if he knew that would be the answer.
"The attendants?"
"They said they'd guide me, but I refused."
Come to think of it, even as a child, Griffith had a poor sense of direction. Lellia held back a laugh that tried to escape.
"What about the temple business? Did it go well?"
When Romeo asked again, Griffith nodded and stood up.
Lellia glanced at Griffith going to the inner room. And she was appalled.
Griffith's broad back was so full of muscles that it was startling enough to make one catch their breath.
But that wasn't why she was appalled.
A strange tattoo was engraved on Griffith's back.
'He's not some pirate, why such a tattoo...?'
When she looked at Romeo and Calix in surprise, Calix went "Ah," and explained.
"That guy got a big wound on his back in battle. He got a tattoo to cover that scar. There was a guy in the subjugation team who knew how to tattoo."
"...Ah."
Lellia tilted her head with a sour expression.
Griffith and a tattoo. And it was a terrifying-looking tattoo that only pirates would get.
It didn't suit him at all, someone with divine power.
In fact, even as a child, Griffith always had a proper and exemplary image.
His brown hair was always neat, and his voice and expression were calm. Perhaps because of his divine power, he had a somewhat sacred feeling.
But Griffith, whom she met again as an adult, was a bit different.
Top-tier fistfighting skills, strong liquor, and even a tattoo.
It felt like witnessing a devout priest become a thug.
Feeling unfamiliar and dazed, Griffith, who had entered the room, walked out carrying something.
'Put on some clothes...'
He was still shirtless. She wanted to nag him, but held back and lowered her gaze.
Anyway, after pretending to be a man with something the size of Calix's forearm attached, she couldn't even be modest anymore.
Griffith, who approached the table, placed something down with a thunk, then sat back down.
"Gasp!"
Lellia saw what he placed on the table and covered her mouth in surprise.
"Do you know what this is?"
At Lellia's reaction, Calix asked as if surprised.
"N-no. I was just surprised."
"Ah! You were surprised because it's a sword? Why is a guy so cowardly? Different from Leo."
Calix playfully slapped Lellia's back.
"...."
It seemed like her back would be bruised by tomorrow.
But that wasn't what was important right now.
What Griffith had placed so casually on the table was definitely...
'The Kreuz Holy Sword, for sure.'
The scabbard, decorated in white and gold, exuded a sacred feeling at a glance.
Even someone who didn't know swords would notice that it was a very old and excellent treasured sword.
When Lellia learned various things from her grandfather, she had also learned about the temple.
That's why she recognized the holy sword she had seen in pictures in books.
'Of course, thanks to the original work, I knew Griffith would become the owner of the holy sword...'
The Kreuz Holy Sword was one of the temple's greatest treasures.
It was the sword held by the first Pope who received the will of the main god Herna, and it was said that only those with divine power surpassing him could draw it.
And among the successive Popes, no one had drawn that holy sword.
Lellia looked at Griffith with sparkling eyes.
She was proud and pleased with her friend who had accomplished an amazing feat.
However, Griffith's expression was indifferent.
"This is fake."
"As expected."
Romeo said as if he knew it would be so.
When Lellia was bewildered and only blinked, Romeo kindly explained.
"The temple wants to make this guy the next Pope. So they openly gave a fake holy sword and started spreading everywhere that the next holy sword master has appeared. To force him to take that position."
At Romeo's words, Griffith picked a quarrel in a slouching posture.
"Do I have to explain even that to that one?"
"...Calix says he's his own younger brother now."
Lellia's lips twitched. She wanted to probe further right away, but she couldn't.
'It seems Griffith doesn't like me.'
He was openly giving off such vibes, so she couldn't ignore it.
'Then why did he save me earlier? Because he thought I was Leo's younger sister?'
It was fine when he thought she was a younger sister, but now that he thinks she's a younger brother, does he suddenly dislike her?
While Lellia was thinking this way and that, the three began to discuss matters related to the temple.
After the Guanglong subjugation ended, the temple was carrying out various behind-the-scenes work to exert influence over each empire.
Lellia just listened quietly with her mouth firmly shut.
Then the final topic of conversation turned to 'Oscar.'
"By the way, when is Oscar coming?"
"Right. No contact."
Romeo said worriedly that strangely, there had been no contact for a while.
At those words, Lellia's face also clouded with worry.
'Oscar not being in contact.'
In Lellia's mind, Oscar was still a pitiful child who feared rainy days.
Of course, when she saw him last time... he was too scary.
She never imagined that the cute and pretty Oscar would change like that.
Of course, he still had a surprisingly beautiful appearance. The problem was he was cold to a frightening degree.
Still, after returning to his home country, he would have been abused by the Emperor, so it was inevitable.
Thinking of Oscar made her heart ache.
'Still, now that even Griffith has come, Oscar will arrive soon too.'
When Oscar arrived, it would be another separation for a while. Already a corner of her heart felt empty.
'I must return to see them again after taking care of the territory's business.'
Lellia made that resolve.
However, the meeting with Oscar came sooner than expected. Though in a completely unexpected way.