"Phew…"
Back in her own room, Riveria slumped into her chair, finally letting herself relax as she leaned fully against the backrest.
Normally, her strict upbringing would never allow such unrestrained behavior, but today she was simply exhausted.
"I didn't expect the Guild to be this strict about the whole thing."
She had originally planned to bring Filvis back today—Filvis, who had been undergoing investigation inside the Guild—but the procedures required before releasing her were absurdly ticulous.
Responsibility for Filvis's Incident,
Affiliation Rights for Filvis,
Assessnt of Whether Filvis Might Follow Evilus.
It was an endless mountain of paperwork.
Getting all of it handled and coordinated within the past half month had already been ntally draining.
And since Riveria had to constantly watch over Filvis to make sure nothing went wrong during the process, she had accompanied her for the entire duration.
Half a month. Gone just like that.
Riveria genuinely felt the Guild's investigation was completely aningless—pure formality—yet they still sohow managed to drag it out for two weeks.
"It's all because Dionysus caused such a huge scene…"
Riveria grumbled.
If Dionysus hadn't stirred up such a disaster, Filvis's conversion process wouldn't have needed to be so troubleso. But because she carried the identity of a "City Destroyer," everything had beco far more complicated.
"But… I suppose it's understandable."
Despite her complaints, Riveria could sowhat see why the Guild insisted on going through such an elaborate procedure.
After all, Filvis herself was no ordinary case.
It wasn't just her strength—there was also her other identity.
A Monster!
A new life created by forcibly fusing an elf body with a monster through special ans, sothing akin to a "Guardian of the Spirit."
This truth ca out during Filvis's cooperation with the Guild's investigation.
To be honest, even Riveria had been shocked when she first heard it.
But after the initial shock faded, what filled her heart was nothing but deeper sympathy and pity for the girl.
None of this was Filvis's choice. She was ambushed by Evilus and transford at the brink of death.
This was never sothing she had chosen.
Riveria didn't know Filvis's exact thoughts back then, but from her explanation, she understood clearly: the very first thing Filvis wanted to do after learning she had beco a Monster… was kill herself.
"…Haah."
"There really are too many pitiful souls in this world."
Riveria couldn't even imagine the despair Filvis must have felt upon discovering she had been turned into such a creature.
She couldn't even die.
The regenerative ability of a Monster prevented suicide—any fatal injury would simply heal.
She didn't even have ownership over her own life.
"Lefiya… it's honestly remarkable that she managed to beco friends with that child."
After learning Filvis's history, Riveria beca even more astonished by Lefiya's ability to make friends.
Even with just a short interaction, it was obvious Filvis had once been a girl who rejected everyone.
Which wasn't surprising. Elves naturally possessed strong purity complexes and avoided interacting with anyone they deed unworthy.
But Filvis—an elf—had been transford into sothing "unclean."
To her, she had beco sothing impure, sothing shaful.
Naturally she avoided others, especially fellow elves.
That was probably the last bit of dignity Filvis still clung to as an elf.
"Filvis's other identity must remain confidential."
Riveria's expression hardened. As a mber of the elven royal family, no one understood the pride of elves better than she did. If Filvis's transformation into a Monster were ever exposed, she could be shunned—perhaps even hunted—by the entire elven race.
To elves, the "impure" could only be erased.
Fortunately, for now, only she and a handful of Guild insiders were aware of Filvis's hidden identity.
Given Filvis's special circumstances, the Guild hadn't even left written records, eliminating the risk of the information being discovered through docunts.
As for those few Guild personnel—if they lacked loyalty, they wouldn't have been allowed to participate in Filvis's investigation in the first place.
So as long as Riveria kept her silence, no one else would ever learn that Filvis was a Monster.
"Filvis's ntal state still needs careful attention. We can't let that child continue sinking into negative thoughts."
"And when she returns, she needs to stay near Lefiya."
That was simply how elves were—troubleso to the extre. They interacted only with those they acknowledged, and when faced with soone they rejected, they'd rather die than so much as brush shoulders.
Just because things might change in the future didn't an they would now.
And honestly, even the future was uncertain. The imnse pressure of being a Monster weighed heavily on Filvis. It was likely a major reason she avoided others at all costs.
"I'll need to talk to Lefiya later."
With that thought, Riveria remained seated for a while longer, only standing once she felt she'd rested enough.
Now she needed a long, hot bath to wash away the exhaustion clinging to her body, then a proper night of sleep.
The half-month of investigative cooperation was finally over. It had been a psychological trial for Filvis—but no less so for Riveria.
Anyone would need to relax after that. Especially soone who had spent two straight weeks soothing Filvis's emotions.
Just as Riveria stepped out of her room, she froze at the sight of the person standing outside her door.
'Oh no… I forgot about Ais!'
Only upon seeing her did Riveria realize she had pushed Ais's situation aside entirely.
And judging by the ti it took her to react, she knew imdiately this was serious.
Ais's condition made it even clearer. Though her face was usually expressionless, now there was a trace of unmistakable negativity—she looked… well, like an abandoned kitten.
"Riveria…"
After half a month apart, seeing Riveria again stirred a whole storm of emotions in Ais's chest.
At the end of the day, Ais was just a sixteen-year-old girl. No matter how mature she acted, she still needed soone to care for her emotionally. And with how heavily Ais tended to hold things in, being without that guiding presence easily led to unnecessary turmoil.
She had debated whether acting spoiled would seem childish, but now? She couldn't hold it in any longer.
Ais flew straight into Riveria's arms.
This long-missed "mother's embrace"—she was going to enjoy it fully, just as Bell had told her to.
...
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