"Miss Nilou, this is your Life-Reversal Pill."
Even though her gaze was a touch… unusual—no doubt the wine—Idris stepped forward and offered the pill.
Before his hand could withdraw, soft fingers wrapped around his. The dazzling dancer accepted the pill, tucked it away, and—still holding him—smiled.
"Grand Sage Idris, there's something bold I want to do. May I…?"
"Of course."
The instant he agreed, Nilou's arms slipped around his neck and her warm lips brushed his cheek.
Idris didn't pull away. He merely lifted a hand and smoothed the hair at the back of her head.
Cheers and whoops burst from the crowd. The noise alone was enough to set Nilou's whole body aglow. More than a few girls' eyes lit up: if Nilou could be the first… perhaps they could follow?
The moment itself was brief. Nilou sprang back on her toes, head bowed, voice barely above a whisper.
"Th-thank you for forgiving my forwardness."
"It's nothing," Idris said with a wry pat to his own face. "If I'd known, I'd have washed up again before coming."
He ruffled her hair, turned, and moved on to the next recipient. Nilou, cheeks aflame, watched him go. Truth be told, she'd planned—emboldened by wine—to aim for someplace other than his cheek. But… she'd lost her nerve. A lady's modesty was one reason; another was the traveler. Nilou distinctly remembered Lumine teasing the Grand Sage first—and even today she hadn't said what she clearly wanted to say. If a braver girl held back, then how could Nilou go further? Rivalry among girls can be strange like that.
(If Lumine knew she'd been misunderstood again, she might just cough up blood on the spot. Karma has a sense of humor.)
With Nilou's example set, Sumeru's young women suddenly turned… proactive.
"Miss Dehya, your pill—"
"No 'Miss.' Sounds awful. You call me Dehya, I'll keep calling you 'Grand Sage' out of respect."
She leaned in and pecked his other cheek. Heat, speed, and zero hesitation—the desert lioness to a tee.
Idris could only smile. "All right—Dehya."
"Heh. That's better. Keep moving, Grand Sage." She winked. "You've got more admirers than just me."
"So long as nobody tears my clothes," he sighed.
Sumeru's girls were warm, straightforward, and blessedly free of "noble lady" fuss. He only hoped the warmth didn't escalate into wardrobe malfunctions.
It didn't—but it was close.
When Faruzan's turn came, Idris assumed they'd hardly met enough for anything dramatic. Wrong. The scholar flashed forward in a gust and planted a blink-and-you-miss-it kiss just beneath his eye.
"Don't get the wrong idea," she huffed, face pink. "This senior merely wished to evaluate modern youth customs. Pure research. As for the pill—consider it my budget allocation."
She fled at once.
Next was Layla. Idris handed over two pills.
"Besides the Life-Reversal Pill, this is a Wakeful Clarity Pill. It doesn't cure insomnia itself, but it stabilizes your mind so you can stay sharp the next day and mitigates the body's strain. If it helps, the Alchemy Division will start producing more. You can keep a few on hand. And if you want proper sleep… consult the Little Auspicious Princess—she's very good at coaxing dreams."
Before he finished, Layla's eyes cleared—the confident alter was awake. She slid close and kissed the other cheek he hadn't shielded.
"Thank you for thinking so much about me, Grand Sage," she said with a grown-woman's poise. "We scarcely spoke before, but that doesn't mean we weren't watching you. As for this—don't read into it. Consider it respect… and fondness. Keep it up."
She stepped back, gesturing for him to continue.
Next: Dori.
He eyed her suspiciously. She grinned.
"What? You think I'll do that too? Please, Grand Sage—my height."
Fair. Even on tiptoe, she'd never reach his face. Idris obligingly crouched—and promptly felt a tap on his forehead.
"Hee-hee. Got you. The Grand Sage's face is priceless, you know. And I love valuable things."
Idris could only be helpless. At this point, nearly every spot on his face had been claimed—save, mercifully, by Collei and the far-off Candace.
He turned to Collei with the last pills.
"G-Grand Sage, I… I also—"
"You too, Collei?"
"N-no! I just wanted to say… thank you." She gave him a quick, earnest hug, then skittered back, red as a ripe pomegranate. (Given she's one of the youngest among the playable roster, that was more than enough.)
With the awards finished, Idris drew a long breath. Time for the next part.
"Everyone," he called, "Sumeru's future rests not only on your hands, but also on the help of one other. Our nation's God of Wisdom.
"Please welcome our Little Auspicious Princess."
Heads turned toward the Grand Bazaar's central stage as Nahida stepped into the light—not as a projection, but in her own body. She was no longer Sumeru's reigning deity, and Sumeru no longer needed one. Yet her smile was genuine.
Across five centuries of confinement, she had imagined her release a thousand ways—different scenes, different reasons, different futures. She was the God of Wisdom, but even wisdom cannot predict the unknown. What she had not imagined was this—freedom on the night her people proved they could stand without a god.
Sumeru, more than any nation, had suffered a dependency sickness—giant infants pining for a mother lost. Scholars, citizens, desert tribes… who among them hadn't clung to a dead god?
For centuries she had dreamed of breaking her cage and saving Sumeru.
A month ago, Idris had woken her with hard truth:
"Whether you deny it or not—whatever the cause—Sumeru survived five hundred years without a god.
In that time, there was no divine guidance, only a people groping forward in the dark.
To pine after a dead god is immaturity.
To seat an unready god on the throne is also immaturity.
If that's so, then honor the past—and make Sumeru a nation of men."
Now, standing center-stage with the lights on her face, she felt only gratitude.
Idris walked up, took her hand, and stooped with a small smile. "What are you thinking, Your Highness?"
Nahida's eyes curved. "Nothing much. I'm just curious—if I'm a princess now, and the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is my elder—almost a mother—then… what is she in your heart?"
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