The next day, after returning to the village riding on the back of a massive Ace, the group gathered inside the chief's house. Milia handed over her sword to Eledar, who immediately began to examine it. Ard, Eva, Mirea, Pyria, Alicia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Adeline, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin all stood behind her. Eledar studied the sword, Wilgram, with a grave expression. He turned the blade over several times, then placed it on the table and held his palm over it. A green light pulsed from Eledar's hand, and the blade responded, glowing with a matching emerald light.

The two lights—one from Eledar's palm and the other from the blade—met and flowed together in harmony, as if they were binding and replenishing one another. Finally, Eledar lowered his hand and looked at Milia with a smile.

"Milia, please take care of this. This sword has chosen you. Now, open your palm and reach toward the blade as if you intend to take it," Eledar said.

"Alright," Milia replied, doing so immediately.

"Clang!" Suddenly, Wilgram shot off the table and flew into Milia's hand. She caught it instantly, almost as if she had pulled it to her using telekinesis. Milia was stunned; the sword that had been sitting on the table was now firmly in her grip, yet she hadn't moved an inch.

"Wow," Milia muttered, staring at the blade.

"Can I borrow it?" Beatrice asked.

"Sure, go ahead," Milia said, holding the sword out.

But as Beatrice reached for the hilt, she was suddenly jolted by a shock of electricity. Everyone was baffled, especially Mirea and Pyria, who had handled the sword without any issues the day before. Pyria stepped forward and tried to take Wilgram from Milia's hand, but she also recoiled from a sharp sting. She turned to look at Eledar.

"Papa, why was I able to pick it up yesterday?" Pyria asked.

"Yesterday, the sword hadn't settled on a master yet—or more accurately, it didn't fully understand its owner. I just unlocked its seal, and now it belongs entirely to Milia. So please, treasure it, Milia. That sword is a gift to you from the Elder of Gaias," Eledar explained.

"I see. So, how do I use this sword to destroy the curse?" Milia asked.

"Curse?" Eledar asked, sounding confused.

"Yes... Goddess Ophelia's curse," Milia replied.

Eledar immediately shot a serious look at Pyria. She quickly looked away, avoiding her father's eyes.

"You read the carvings on the trunk, didn't you? The Elder always explains exactly what he's giving in those inscriptions," Eledar said.

"Um... yeah... I read them," Pyria muttered.

"Come here a second," Eledar said, standing up.

He pressed his forehead against Pyria's, holding her cheeks so she couldn't turn away. Eledar closed his eyes, sifting through Pyria's memories. When he opened them, he shook his head and released her. Pyria immediately scrambled back.

"I'm sorry, Milia. That sword isn't for breaking curses. It was forged to help the one you love, exactly as you requested yesterday. The inscription only taught the method to unlock the seal for you, which I just did," Eledar said.

"Wait... but Pyria said... she said we succeeded?" Milia asked, her face turning pale.

"I'm sorry... I lied. I just didn't want to see you sad, and I was afraid you'd throw the sword away," Pyria replied softly.

"So you were lying yesterday," Mirea said, crossing her arms and shooting a look at Pyria.

"I'm sorry," Pyria replied, bowing her head in regret.

"It's alright," Ard said, placing a hand on Pyria's shoulder. He then turned to Milia and held her shoulder as well. "We didn't fail. We succeeded, so please don't dwell on it anymore," Ard told her.

"Y-yes... thank you... and I'm sorry, Ard," Milia said, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Stop it, Milia. Be grateful. Elder Gaias gave you an incredible sword. Now you can use it just like I use Exelion and Ard uses Exgrandal," Eva said, placing a hand on Milia's other shoulder.

"As for Prince Abel and Prince Julius, who are suffering from the Goddess's curse, please bring them here. We will do our best to care for them," Eledar offered.

"Very well," Ard said. "Did you hear that, Baalbel?" Ard asked silently, glancing back.

"Perfectly clear, your majesty. I will have Xeria bring both princes to the Elven village," Baalbel's voice echoed in the minds of Ard and Eva.

"One more thing. Tell Xeria to wear a disguise; she must not use her true form," Eva added silently, also looking back without a word.

"As you wish, your majesty," Baalbel replied.

Suddenly, Ard noticed Milia trembling. He leaned forward and saw her clutching her sword, weeping silently. Ard and Eva exchanged a look while the others remained quiet.

"Hey... I told you, we succeeded. Why are you crying?" Ard asked, concerned.

"Exactly, Milia. There's no need to overthink it," Eva added.

"I... I will fight... I will use this sword to help you both forever," Milia replied through her tears.

"I'm so sorry, Milia," Pyria said, bowing her head.

"It's okay," Milia replied.

Mirea stepped forward and pulled Milia into a warm hug. Beatrice, Alicia, and Rosalind then followed suit, taking turns embracing her. After they pulled away, Beatrice turned to Alicia and Rosalind with a spark in her eye.

"What if we went to the sacred tree to pray as well?" Beatrice asked.

"Don't tell me you want a sword just like Milia's, Princess," Rosalind replied, her expression making it clear she could already sense trouble on the horizon.

Geoffrey rubbed his face in exasperation, Ainsley looked down while adjusting his glasses, and Irwin simply stared off into space, pretending he hadn't heard a word. Meanwhile, Eva just fixed Beatrice with a piercing glare, her eyes practically screaming "what is it this time with this spoiled princess." Beatrice didn't back down, instead turning her own sharp gaze toward Rosalind.

"What makes you think that? I simply want to offer a prayer," Beatrice said, sounding annoyed.

"You worship the Dragon God. It would be incredibly strange for you to pray to Elder Gaias. Please, Princess, don't test my patience. I know exactly what you're up to," Rosalind replied, her irritation clearly mounting.

"Enough, don't start a fight here. Besides, why would we even go back there? That's just nonsense," Alicia said, stepping in to mediate.

"She's right. I'm definitely not playing guide again," Pyria added.

"Hmph... you guys are no fun. Fine, I'll just ask the Dragon God for one later," Beatrice replied with a pout.

"Princess, please stop being difficult," Rosalind snapped. By now, she was truly at her wit's end and looked ready to drag Beatrice out of the room by force.

"Ugh... who exactly is being difficult here?" Beatrice shouted.

"Seriously... just stop it already! Why are you two always fighting?" Milia snapped, clearly annoyed as she wiped away the last of her tears.

"Let's see Milia's sword. I'm not going to touch it, though," Alicia said.

"Here... feel free to look," Milia said, holding the blade up for them.

Alicia, Beatrice, and Rosalind leaned in to examine Wilgram, which looked stunning in Milia's hands. Beatrice decided to try her luck one more time and reached for the hilt. Naturally, she was jolted by another shock, causing her to leap backward while clutching her hand. She stared at the sword in Milia's grip for a moment, then turned to face Rosalind.

"Fine. We're going to pray to the Dragon God," Beatrice said, planting her hands on her hips with a look of immense pride and absolute certainty.

"Please, just shut it, Princess. Stop running your mouth about every little thing you want," Rosalind snapped, her patience completely gone.

While Beatrice continued to bicker with Rosalind and Alicia, Milia, and Pyria tried their best to break them up, Ard glanced around the room. He realized Claudia wasn't among them, so he turned to Eva.

"Where's Claudia?" Ard asked.

"She's... still asleep. She stayed up all night, sick with worry. She only managed to drift off this morning, and even then, I had to force her to rest," Eva answered.

"Oh... I see," Ard replied.

"That's true. I sat with her for a while last night just to talk; she was genuinely worried because you and Mirea had left," Geoffrey added.

"Hmm... I see," Ard replied.

"Besides, she spent the afternoon helping the villagers. It's likely she couldn't sleep not just from anxiety, but because she was simply overtired," Ainsley chimed in.

"Ah... that sounds like Claudia. She's always been that way," Mirea said.

"When do you plan to leave for the Rellios Kingdom?" Eledar asked.

"Probably tomorrow. Someone named Xeria will be arriving soon to bring Prince Abel and Prince Julius here," Ard answered.

"Hmm... in that case, I suggest you leave the day after. Use tomorrow to rest here in our village first," Eledar suggested.

Ard looked over at Eva, Mirea, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin. They all gave him a slight nod, their expressions saying, "We'll follow your lead, whatever you decide." Ard turned back to Eledar and accepted his offer to stay in the Elven village for one more day before setting off for the Rellios Kingdom.

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