The Theres Prayer Festival was an annual affair, and it was one of the largest events in the empire. It was a ceremony held by the Emperor Radian Ferid Lebrooks, the highest official of the empire, to come pray to the central temple for a good year ahead. It was a day for all of the people to dive right in into the festivities by eating and drinking to their hearts' content.

Aside from the emperor's birthday and the founding day of the country, the people also looked forward to the prayer festival that occurs every year. Lina told me that the eve heralding the prayer festival was exciting, and she shared her experiences of attending it every year. I think I've read that in the original book and I definitely want to see it for myself, but I would have been deported abroad by then.

Leaving the temple, Lavis patiently told me about the central temple in detail, "That is the Lovina Palace, the residence of the Holy Father. Most of the church-related work is done and held there."

Oh. So the place where the Pope was residing was right next to the place where state guests like the emperor stayed. The first sword of the temple, Daylon, must be lying around somewhere. When I got lost before, I think I accidentally wandered out of the private palace and I almost went inside the Pope's residence. That would've been a disaster!

What would have happened if I got caught? Thinking about it was making cold sweat run down my back. I shook the thoughts off my head and observed the exterior design of the palace.

"The building is really beautiful." Unlike the buildings situated in the square, the roof here was painted blue, and patterns of various myths were embossed on every wall.

"Lovina Palace is the most beautiful structure here in the central temple. While it is not as huge as the Temple itself, it actually has a long-standing history of about 2,000 years. According to history, it was the dwelling place of the holy priest a long time ago. The body receiving the gods."

"I see." I followed quietly behind him, intently listening to his explanation like an attentive student. Lavis looked at me and grinned, pointing his finger at the back of the palace where the Pope resided.

"See that round building over there?"

"Yes. It looks odd." It was different from the usual building that had pointed roofs. This one had a round one, and there was a lack of decoration and embossed patterns. It stood out greatly and it looked so out of place.

As if he heard my thoughts, Lavis supplied, "The Temple, where the prayer ceremony will be held today, is the first one in the central temple. It is said that it was built by a dwarf tribe that existed during the ancient times and it was blessed by the angels, so it survived the invasion of demons during the Demon World War. It was also said that it was the last refuge of the human race." He said with a smile, "Now, it is the place where private meetings are held and where rituals are practiced."

I couldn't help but laugh. Was he even allowed to tell me any of this? Especially when I'm an outsider? Why do they keep telling me secrets? Do they somehow harbor some secret grudge against me?

He was blatantly telling me stuff that as supposed to be confidential, just like what the emperor was doing. He used to tell me secret after secret, and I even wondered why on earth he was doing that.

Does Lavis know something?

Then, to my surprise, Theres came and spoke to me. It was silent at first, then its words came out and anyone who ever heard them knew exactly whose voice it belonged to.

[You've finally met him.]

Hearing those words, I suddenly felt suspicious of Lavis. But then Lavis looked at me abruptly, not noticing the subtle change in my expression.

"Behind this building is Peter's garden, which is where a well-maintained tree was rooted. I still have some time, would you like to come and take a look at it?"

"A garden? Sure." I didn't realize that taking a walk in the garden would make me feel at ease especially when I was in confinement all this time. I remembered the manicured garden back at the imperial palace, prompting a small smile to creep into my face.

"Wow..." It was a huge garden. The trees were probably a thousand years old based on their appearance. Being here felt like I was catapulted into a giant fairy forest. The tree Lavis was talking about loomed high above us, full of vitality despite its age and I couldn't help but gape at its splendor.

What a beautiful place. Lavis saw how mesmerized I was, and he smiled at my reaction. This garden felt majestic, and calling it a garden would not be enough.

"Isn't it beautiful? It's one of my favorite gardens here in the Temple. Some of our brothers and sisters don't like it, saying that it's out of date, ancient." The sunlight streamed through the canopy above us causing a slight shade on his face. Lavis looked up at the tall trees, his blonde hair fluttering in the wind. He looked like he was contemplating.

The towering trees was a sight to behold, but the expression Lavis had now was a rarer sight. I subtly glanced at his face and in this angle, he almost looked like a fairy reincarnated.

"When you see a landscape like this one, you will feel that you are nothing but a mere speck of dust in this world. Human will is trivial. This is the work of God, and we men are naturally bound to follow what God has fated for us." Lavis said.

I was taken aback by his words. I, on the other hand had other belief, "I'm thinking differently. No matter how great God is, I don't think there's a reason for humans to unconditionally accept everything and follow the path that we think God created for us. We too have to play our part. "

I threw him a smile, "Isn't that what free will is all about?"