Volume 2, Chapter 24 – The Past

“Hah.”

Fia let out a soft breath and opened her eyes.

It was time to switch shifts with Anastasia.

For someone living in a peaceful time, after only resting for the first half of the night, it would be difficult to open one’s eyes at this time. They would have to be woken by an outsider. However, Fia was not like that. After coming to the World Tree Continent, Fia found that her body possessed many special abilities that normal humans/elves shouldn’t have.

For example, as she was demonstrating now, if she decided what time she would wake up before sleeping, she would wake up on her own when the time came, with an exceptionally precise sense of time. In addition, while a lack of sleep would still make Fia feel listless and her attention scattered, compared to the extremely high baseline stats her body possessed, Fia’s reaction speed and concentration were still above that of a normal person, even when she was listless and tired. It was just that she would feel very uncomfortable, which was why she had to maintain her sleep schedule.

Fia glanced at the quietly lying Liti beside her. Because Estelle could enter the carriage at any time, Liti was wearing her pajamas properly, and her sleeping posture was that of a peaceful princess. With her hands clasped on her chest, her small, delicate nose, cherry-colored lips, and soft breathing—anyone who only saw the current Liti would come to the conclusion that she was “cute.”

If only she could get rid of her bad habit of occasionally harassing her older sister, she would be even cuter.

Thinking this, Fia sighed quietly. She picked up a towel at the side and wiped the beads of sweat from Liti’s forehead before getting up and putting on her dress.

It was three-thirty in the morning.

This world’s rotation (if it has one) is slower than Earth’s, but it still maintains a twenty-four-hour system, which saves Fia the trouble of doing conversions. Of course, the fact that the rotation period was longer but it still used a twenty-four-hour system meant that one hour in the World Tree Continent was longer than one hour on Earth. If calculated according to one hour on Earth, a day in the World Tree Continent was actually between twenty-six and twenty-seven hours.

After quickly putting on her knee-length black dress, Fia tied the belt of her dress and went outside the carriage.

Anastasia was sitting on a stool with her sword in her arms, and Estelle was working beside her, bent over a table. The two were talking. Although it was open-air work and the light was dim, a vampire’s vision was better at night than during the day, so the environment couldn’t affect Estelle’s writing. As for the hot temperature, as Fia had said, she could use magic to cool it down.

A thick, one-meter-thick, five-meter-high ice wall now surrounded the carriage. This was an ice house Fia had created by first making solid ice spheres with [Ice Bullet] and then carving out a room with [Telekinesis]. It had taken a little time to create, but it was worth it. Cooling the temperature was one thing, and Estelle not having to worry about being disturbed was another.

Unaware of Fia’s approach behind her, Estelle stopped writing and looked at Anastasia, who was sitting on a stone stool at her side. Her slightly furrowed brows showed that she was deep in thought.

“Are you saying, Anastasia, that the Despair Demon General is called the ‘Despair’ Demon General because of his cruel hobbies?”

“Exactly. The titles of the seven demon generals are based on their preferences. Just as the Greed Demon General always appears in places with great wealth and rare treasures, the Despair Demon General takes pleasure in people’s despair. That being said, they are all pretty much the same. Once they appear, they will inevitably bring disaster. Whether it’s despair or greed, the outcome is no different.”

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Anastasia’s gaze glanced at the fire. Her expression was one of contemplation.

“The Despair Demon General appearing here is nothing more than to see people struggling in despair. In my personal opinion, the reason these five hundred people in the sanctuary are alive is because the Despair Demon General deliberately held back, so he could enjoy the sight of people fighting each other due to hunger. Miss Estelle, you also saw this morning how the [Tears of Life] had to be poured directly onto the chaos. Without a weapon to assist, the [Tears of Life] will not cause any damage to the chaos. The notion that the [Tears of Life] makes chaos fearful is just a survivor’s self-comfort. In reality, the Despair Demon General is controlling the chaos, not letting it cross the boundary.”

“Chaos hasn’t entered the sanctuary even now. Does that mean the Despair Demon General is still alive?”

With her brows furrowed even more, Estelle put down her pen, preparing to stand up.

Anastasia, however, gently shook her head.

“I don’t know either. Perhaps the command the Despair Demon General gave to the chaos was ‘do not cross the boundary.’ In that case, even if the Despair Demon General were to die, the command would still exist. But what I just said is only a guess based on the name ‘Despair Demon General.’ It cannot be taken as a final conclusion. Your Highness was able to kill three Despair Demon Generals by herself. If the Despair Demon General is smart, there is no reason for him to stay in Oro City. Your Highness, you’re awake.”

By the end of her sentence, Anastasia noticed Fia walking closer and quickly stood up and bowed. Her long golden hair slid over her pointed ears. The subtle softness that belonged only to a woman, which was faintly visible under her clothes, meant that if she were in a dress, no one would be able to tell that Anastasia was a warrior.

She is my sister, yet she always maintains the posture of a subordinate.

If I had a choice, I would prefer the Anastasia who doesn’t keep her distance.

Fia murmured in her heart, smiling as she replied.

“It’s time for our shift change. Anastasia, go to bed.”

“Your Highness still has to fight chaos. It would be better for me to stay on night watch.”

“Then what about Anastasia in the morning? When I’m out cleansing the chaos, the safety of Liti and Estelle in the sanctuary will depend on you, Anastasia. You also need to rest. Didn’t we agree to take turns on night watch? Hand it over to me now. That’s an order.”

“…Yes.”

Although she wanted to argue, upon hearing the word “order,” Anastasia had no choice but to give up. To Anastasia, Fia’s orders seemed to be absolute.

Bowing to Fia and Estelle respectively, Anastasia returned to the carriage. In the ice house, which was illuminated by the flickering firelight, all that was left was the crackling of the burning charcoal.

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Lifting the sides of her skirt, Fia sat on the stone stool where Anastasia had been sitting. She looked at Estelle with a relaxed smile, like an old friend.

“You’re still not done writing? It’s already three in the morning.”

“Ah, there are too many things to do. I can’t handle it all by myself. Just writing thank-you letters to a few of the surrounding lords took up a lot of my time.” At this, Estelle looked at Fia again. She noticed that Fia’s gaze was different from usual, as if she wanted to say something. “If you have a question, just ask. There’s no one else here.”

“Uh… I actually have a lot of things I don’t understand.” Fia’s gaze fell on the back of Estelle’s right hand. The dark red tattoo there was very noticeable even in the dim firelight. “For example, how exactly is a Blood Oath fulfilled? The Despair Demon General might be dead, and I can clear out the chaos in the city in three days at most. In that case, your revenge would have been carried out, and the Blood Oath would disappear on its own, right?”

Fia’s questions were surely not just one. Estelle simply put down her pen and turned to face Fia. At this moment, Estelle had changed into her dark red dress. In the firelight, her single wing and the fangs that were faintly visible between her lips gave off the enchanting and mysterious aura of a vampire.

She held out her right hand and looked at the Blood Oath on the back of her hand.

“It should disappear. The fulfillment of a Blood Oath does not depend on a god’s will, but on the vampire’s inner heart. Even if the truth isn’t what I think it is, as long as I believe it’s fulfilled, the Blood Oath will disappear on its own. Of course, self-deception cannot fool the Blood Oath. Losing one’s memory or having one’s memory changed by mental magic also doesn’t work.”

“Hoh…”

To put it in specific terms, even if the person who killed Estelle’s father and sister was not the Despair Demon General but another demon general, as long as Estelle sincerely believed that the Despair Demon General was the one who was responsible, she would only need to kill the Despair Demon General to fulfill her Blood Oath.

It was as if she were supervising herself, rather than a god supervising her.

It sounded like the binding force was much weaker, but it was incredibly logical. If the gods had the spare time to monitor the vampires who made Blood Oaths, then they would have no reason to let the Darkborn destroy cities. And if self-deception could not fool the Blood Oath, then the actual binding force was not weakened at all. It was easy to deceive others, but very difficult to deceive oneself. The Blood Oath reads a person’s deep memories.

“Are you suggesting that my Blood Oath is just a show, Fia?”

“That’s not what I meant. I just think that you went a little too far by making a Blood Oath.”

Fia slightly shrugged her shoulders in front of Estelle’s intense gaze. Perhaps it was her imagination, but Fia felt that Estelle was very different tonight compared to during the day. Her blood-colored eyes were much more vibrant than usual, and her whole body was giving off an inexplicable, natural charm. Just by looking at Estelle, Fia felt as if she were being seduced. To use an inappropriate but fitting description, the current Estelle was like a mythical vixen, with eyes that seemed to possess a soul-stealing charm. Even a casual glance from her would make one’s heart flutter.

If Estelle were to curve her lips into a smile, she would surely drive people crazy.

“It wasn’t too much. No matter who the culprit is who killed my father and sister Noreen, I must make them pay in blood. The Blood Oath will constantly remind me of this blood feud for the extermination of my family.”

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Estelle retracted her hand and clenched her fingers into a fist. But a moment later, she raised her eyebrows and looked at Fia.

“Is there something on my face?”

“Uh, no. I just think you’re prettier tonight than you were during the day. How should I put it… more alluring?”

“Alluring?” Estelle was stunned for a moment, then her face flushed red, and she turned her head slightly. “You must not have slept well, Fia. You must be seeing things.”

“Perhaps.”

Fia suppressed the strange feeling that was rising in her heart and averted her gaze. It was only because she was the elf princess now that she could say Estelle had become alluring to her face. If she were a man, Estelle’s scissors would surely already be at her throat.

“If my sister were to hear what you just said, she would definitely see me as a rival. Although I want to say a few words, I’m reminded of your royal family’s tradition of intermarriage, and the Mana Surge that elves have. Perhaps to you, I’m the strange one for thinking that love between sisters is not normal… Even so, I still want to say that you and Princess Liti are not of age yet, right? Especially Princess Liti, she hasn’t even reached the age of engagement yet. That should be about twelve in human years? That’s too early. What did you do, Fia, to make Liti so clingy?”

Fia felt as if Estelle was looking at her with an exceptionally impolite gaze—five parts disapproval, four parts astonishment, and one part disdain.

This one thing, I am absolutely innocent of. Fia quickly explained.

“I didn’t do anything. Liti and I are just close sisters. There is none of that relationship you’re thinking of.”

“Is that so? I bet Liti doesn’t think that at all. Well, that’s a matter between you two sisters. I’m just speaking from the position of a friend. Your expression doesn’t look like you’re lying, either. Is there anything else you want to ask?”

The misunderstanding was resolved smoothly.

Estelle is a very understanding girl.

Fia couldn’t help but praise her inwardly. If it were a normal person, this would have required a long, drawn-out explanation.

“Ahem, of course there is. And it might be related to the disaster.”

Fia’s expression became serious. She asked the question she had thought of before she went to bed: what were the people in the castle doing before the disaster, including Estelle, Count Oro, and Noreen? And what kind of person was the Noreen that Estelle kept mentioning?

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Estelle showed a thoughtful expression.

“You reminded me of something, Fia… The disaster was indeed very strange. If I remember correctly, there was nothing unusual in the castle at the time. My sister Noreen and my father were discussing the inheritance of the territory in the main hall of the castle. My father was no longer as energetic as he used to be, and my sister Noreen was at an age where she could take over the territory. So my father was planning to pass the territory down to my sister Noreen.”

“Is Noreen very strong?”

At the mention of Noreen, the grave look on Estelle’s face quickly brightened. A look of pride and reverence was clearly visible. Even without Estelle’s introduction, Fia could feel that Estelle greatly admired her sister and may have even seen Noreen as her role model.

“Of course! My sister Noreen was only twenty-seven years old and had already reached the Third Tier. Not only was she knowledgeable in all kinds of magic, but she also had the talent to govern the territory. My sister Noreen was very tolerant of everyone, but she also had the decisiveness and leadership that a noble should have. Everyone in the city respected her greatly. And my sister Noreen would always stand up for me. If those petty nobles ever dared to speak ill of me, my sister Noreen would seek them out the next day.” ¹ chatty…

“Mm.”

Fia just nodded quietly, not interrupting Estelle’s pouring out of her heart.

Estelle’s tone became a little embarrassed, but the look of pride on her face did not diminish in the slightest.

“In the past, because I only had half a wing, I was always unwilling to see people and even hated my identity as a vampire, thinking how great it would be if I didn’t have this half-wing and was just an ordinary person. I felt that with only half a wing, I could never become a respectable noble like my sister Noreen. And that was indeed the case. Whether it was swordsmanship or magic, or even courage, I couldn’t compare to my sister Noreen. The distance between me and her was like that between a firefly and the moon. I could never catch up to her.”

“But when I was about to give up, my sister Noreen, disregarding the gossip of the nobles, reached out her hand to me and quietly, little by little, taught me swordsmanship and magic. Although I still couldn’t compare to my sister Noreen, when I looked back, I was already much stronger than my peers.”

“It wasn’t until a time when I used my own strength to beat a noble who had insulted me until he knelt and begged for mercy that I realized that these nobles were just all talk. The truth was just as my sister Noreen had said: as long as I became stronger, no one would dare to criticize me. Even with only half a wing, I could still become a respectable and revered noble. I would not be a disgrace to the House of Oro.”

“So I started to work hard, with my sister Noreen as my goal. I gradually mastered swordsmanship, magic, etiquette, and the knowledge of governing. And my sister Noreen would always encourage me whenever I made progress. Even if it was just a small, insignificant insight, my sister Noreen would smile and prepare a delicious meal for me to celebrate. Sometimes, I even felt that my sister Noreen was my mother. She would comfort me and take care of me. Although it’s embarrassing to say, my sister Noreen is the sister I respect and love so much. I had always dreamed that when she became Count Oro, I could become her aide. That way, my hard work would have a purpose, and I could finally help my sister.”

To Estelle, Noreen was a lighthouse that guided her in the darkness—no, it’s more appropriate to say she was the motivation that pushed Estelle forward, Fia sighed inwardly. Any person would be filled with admiration for a sister like that.

However, Noreen had died in the disaster.

Also realizing this, Estelle’s hands on her knees clenched until they turned pale, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

“…Why? Why did a disaster like this have to fall upon me? I was finally going to be able to share some of the burden with my sister. Why did it have to turn out this way? I don’t want to become Count Oro at all!”