Half a month flew by in the blink of an eye. For the Kingdom of Milanía, as the season gradually transitioned to autumn, crops across the land were being harvested, and the scars of war were slowly healing. In order to sweep away the war clouds that had loomed over the country for the past half year, this year's Autumn Harvest Festival, a celebration of the harvest, might be especially lively.

Of course, before the festival, there was another important day for the residents of Gilliast Castle.

"How's the preparation going?"

"No problem at all. I've tested it five or six times myself."

In the castle's rear garden, under a tree near the cliff by the sea, the Temple Church duo infiltrated the castle met once again after busying themselves for half a month. Both of them looked weary, clearly having expended a considerable amount of energy during this extended period.

Johannes was slightly better off. After Sullivan completed the initial infiltration, Johannes used illusions to awaken Ellie's memories, and he could even find time to return to the inn in Beacon City to rest while being on standby. However, Sullivan had been on edge in the castle for over half a month, constantly imbuing various items with illusions, nearly driving himself to a nervous breakdown.

"That Vera is completely unreliable. Said she would lend us invisible props, but disappeared completely the next day. In the end, we had to rely on ourselves."

Johannes sighed as he knocked on one of the deep nails firmly embedded in the ground nearby.

There were over a dozen such fixed nails nearby, securing a set of zip lines directly to a tree below the cliff, providing an escape route in the worst-case scenario.

"That's quite rude, John. I have been diligently doing my part," Vera retorted from behind the tree trunk, her appearance suddenly materializing, looking slightly dissatisfied as she lightly kicked Johannes.

"What's with the sudden appearance out of nowhere!" startled, Johannes knocked on the tree trunk behind him, as Vera stuck her tongue out and emerged from behind the tree.

"So, where have you been all this time?" Sullivan eyed her suspiciously.

"Don't look at me like that, Your Holiness. I might get shy," the girl coyly dodged Sullivan's sharp gaze by lightly swaying her body, cupping her cheeks.

From the perspective of bystanders, the sight of a teenage girl blushing in the presence of a handsome holy knight invoked feelings of shy delight, akin to scenes from classic knight novels. However, considering Vera's past actions, the current picture seemed rather incongruous.

"Kind of disgusting."

"Yeah, disgusting."

The duo from the Temple finally reached a consensus.

"Hey! That's too much! Can't I at least be considered a cute girl? Can't I act a bit coquettish and adorable?" Vera clenched her fists in frustration, glaring at the two.

"What cute girl commits acts of violence while also acting coquettish and adorable?"

"Tsk, aren't there some? I remember there was a time when crazily popular cute girls, and a bunch of otaku loved them, right?"

"...She does have a point. How am I supposed to react to that?" Johannes pondered for a moment before solemnly addressing Sullivan.

The holy knight looked at the two individuals with eyes that conveyed disbelief, especially Johannes. If he remembered correctly, didn't you mention that Vera, along with that runaway Judicator, betrayed you and stole the Divine Punishment Codex from you? Isn't it improper to act this way? Is it all about appearance, and not about values aligning with the face?

Unwittingly, the holy knight himself had turned into a commentator.

"Shall I say we have a contingency plan in place?"

Vera confidently stood with her hands on her hips, chin slightly raised. "In any case, it's something that will make things very lively."

...

"Oh, oh, oh! The sea—"

A pair of fair, bare feet danced lightly over the sand, leaving distinct imprints as the receding tide washed over it, splashing a few droplets in the process. The owner of the feet swiftly spun halfway around, the gauzy coat draped over her shoulders fluttering in the wind.

"You didn’t think I would say that, did you?"

The princess, with a mischievous smile.

Aya, who had just been running alongside her, her feet dipping in the cool seawater, was taken aback. She had been about to shout along but had to swallow her words.

"Just wanted to go along with you," she replied.

"Hehehe, this lady is already an adult. How could she possibly get excited at the beach like a little girl?"

Tiran stood confidently, hands on her hips. "But more importantly, Aya, what's your opinion on my swimsuit?"

The critical question was finally posed!

Aya immediately became alert. Evaluating a swimsuit, considered a fixed segment of swimsuit indulgence, and dealing with someone like Lady Tiran with her flat chest, hot temper, and exceptional prowess, was a high-risk Q&A session. If she didn't carefully consider her response, she might end up in a bad end!

"Umm..."

Rubbing her chin, Aya carefully scrutinized the princess standing confidently before her. Despite it being her birthday party, and despite inviting many friends and acquaintances, it was still a public occasion. And even though Lady Tiran's personality was volatile, she wouldn't choose a swimsuit style that could lead to catastrophic embarrassment on the spot. Thus, the current situation was quite safe—a white, one-piece style that seemed particularly suitable for Lady Tiran. The coat concealed any shortcomings in her chest, and the exposed upper body skin diverted attention to her toned buttocks and long, shapely legs, completely overshadowing other considerations.

Lady Tiran in a swimsuit was truly exceptional.

Clasping her hands tight, Aya thought to herself.

Wait, it was now crucial to give an evaluation! No room for absent-mindedness!

Just as Aya was about to lift her head, she noticed Lady Tiran looking at her with an odd expression. How should she put it? It seemed similar to the look she had seen when they woke up at Xingjian in Luojing. Cheeks faintly flushed, eyes evasive, and with one hand partially clenched over her knuckles at her nose.

"Uh-um, I didn’t expect Aya to have such a profound understanding of swimsuits. While I'm glad, hearing such an evaluative comment feels embarrassing..." Lady Tiran blushed and squatted down, covering her face with her hands.

"You heard that!" Aya's mind was blown. Forgot to switch off the mind-reading contract again.

"No, no, no, why be embarrassed at all? You've seen things go further!" Aya retorted. "It's completely different, and as a girl, I have my own thoughts, too!"

Tiran raised her head to glare at Aya, "Shut it, a guy satisfied with beach shorts!"

Indeed, on her eighteenth birthday today, the dear Aya finally stood in the sunshine, exuding an aura with her short hair and beach pants.

"So, was it necessary for us to come this early?" Aya, having given up the argument, glanced back at the beach where many castle staff were already setting up equipment such as grills and parasols. However, there was still some time before the agreed-upon time, so most of the party attendees had yet to arrive, including Mimi, who had been struggling with which swimsuit to wear before Aya and Tiran had snuck off to the beach.