Volume 2, Chapter 36 – The Unstable Dawn

The mournful screams went from echoing across the entire city to becoming a mere whimper, until at a certain point, the sun of dawn emerged from behind the mountains, dispelling the heavy rain and dark clouds. A layer of white light was cast upon the land, and the endless groans of pain made their final announcement, ending abruptly with an explosion that was louder than all the others.

A shared thought arose in everyone’s hearts.

It’s over.

The Despair Demon General’s life came to an end in the very thing he had pursued his entire life. From this moment on, the chaos that had covered Oro City, and all the mysteries, would be turned into a part of memory and the past, forever disappearing into the river of time along with the screams that had just ended.

Gasping for breath, Fia, covered in blood, stood up from the Despair Demon General’s corpse. She looked up at the sun that had just peeked out from behind the mountains—just like the sun she had seen every day in the past, it was dazzling yet warm. However, at this moment, Fia felt something different from the sun than she had in the past.

It was like a blessing and gratitude, and also comfort and reassurance. It was not that the sun had changed, but that after Fia had killed the Despair Demon General, the air around her had changed. The ever-present elements seemed to have gained human emotions. They swirled around Fia, conveying their gratitude and peaceful feelings to her.

At this moment, Fia had a feeling that she was the center of the world. All things in the world, whether it was the clouds or the sunlight, or the sand under her feet, were connected to her.

She had become the center of the world.

So much so that she could clearly feel the flow of the wind in the sky and the sounds of burrowing animals digging in the earth deep below. All the subtle movements in the world appeared in her mind at the same time. But this influx of information did not make Fia feel distressed. Instead, she felt a sense of comfort and security, as if she had thrown herself into her mother’s embrace.

It’s the souls of the two hundred thousand dead people praying for me.

In her heart, Fia had a premonition that the gentle breeze that had suddenly appeared on the flat ground was the result of the dead souls crawling out of the ground and throwing themselves into the sun. In this world, there was such an abstruse thing as the soul. She had given the tragically deceased people justice, and they, in turn, were thanking her in their own way for allowing them to find peace. ¹ aaa TvT

Fia’s cold expression gradually softened. She looked at the Despair Demon General’s corpse, which was motionless at her feet. In the endless healing and tearing from before, everywhere she looked was a sea of red. There was not a single place, including the houses and ruins a hundred meters away, that was not stained with blood.

I really did something that went beyond the limits of sanity.

But it was all worth it.

The dead had found peace, and everything was over. The gentle breezes that were blowing, and the faint, grateful murmurs in the air that were like a hallucination, were proof of that.

After exhaling all the stale air from her chest, Fia stepped off the Despair Demon General’s now much-smaller corpse and walked onto the ruins. She looked at her bloody hands and couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“This is really… so unseemly.”

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“The Secret History of the Witches” once said that elves were mostly kind by nature. Because they were close to nature, they were skilled in gentle natural magic, and most elves would not do bloody and cruel things. Thus, they were seen by most people with a stereotypical view of “gentle and kind, never killing.” If an outsider were to see her in her current state, they would surely see her as an anomaly among elves.

“[Cleanse].”

A blue mist, filled with steam, flashed over Fia’s body. The bloodstains on her black dress and her black hair were quickly gone.

If she were to walk back, her feet would be covered in blood. Fia retracted the foot she was about to step with and ascended with [Flight]. After ascending to a height of about fifty meters, she turned around and looked at the Despair Demon General’s mangled corpse, which was like a lump of mud, on the ground.

[Firestorm].

No longer able to resist the flames as it had at the beginning, the Despair Demon General’s body rapidly burned. The smell of scorched flesh soon filled the air.

“Time to go back… Hmm?”

Fia slightly tilted her head.

In her vision, there were many people standing in a place not far away that had not been affected by the blood. From the appearance of a few of them, Fia could tell that they were Estelle’s soldiers and ordinary citizens of Oro City.

When these people noticed that Fia was looking at them, they all averted their gazes, not daring to look at Fia directly. Their expressions held both happiness and gratitude, as if they were looking at their savior, but also fear and apprehension.

They must have seen the Despair Demon General being tortured last night, Fia thought.

No, even if they hadn’t, the screams of that volume and ferocity would have made people guess what had happened. Especially with the blood that was everywhere. The Despair Demon General’s hundred-meter-tall body was already very intimidating, but to think that such a terrifying existence could only be passively beaten… you could imagine how powerful its opponent was.

Although people’s fear was a natural reaction, it still hurt Fia a little.

But none of this was important. Fia quickly found Anastasia and Liti among the group. She first used [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea] to merge herself with the environment, preventing anyone from seeing her actions. She then rubbed her face, letting her mood and expression relax, making them the same as they were before.

I am different from who I was before. The coldness and loneliness have long since disappeared with the past. The current me has people I love and who love me. No matter where I am or what I do, they will always be there, waiting for me to come back.

So I cannot have that kind of cold, frightening expression again. ² :3

A warmth gradually filled her heart. A smile, mixed with a little helplessness and satisfaction, appeared on Fia’s face. She then dispelled her camouflage and landed in front of Anastasia and Liti. As if they were giving the three of them some space, everyone dispersed, leaving a large open area around them.

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“Is it over, Your Highness?”

“I… I was so worried.”

Compared to Anastasia’s subtle words, Liti just rushed over and hugged Fia. Her soft and elastic cheek rubbed against Fia’s chest. The corners of her eyes were a little red, reflecting a tear-like glint.

“Don’t worry. It’s all over. An enemy of this level is no match for me,” Fia gently stroked Liti’s head and then turned to Anastasia, who had a relieved and happy expression.

“It’s over. The Despair Demon General is dead. Although I could have ended it in an instant, I was too upset with him. So I gave him a taste of his own medicine and avenged the dead. It’s a pity I couldn’t record his begging and despairing expression and show it to everyone who had a grudge against the Despair Demon General.”

“That’s more than enough.”

Anastasia took a step forward. Her warm palm landed on the back of Fia’s hand. Her lively blue eyes stared at Fia’s, and an indescribable emotion was visible at the bottom of her eyes.

“We can all be your witnesses. From today onwards, the seven demon generals under Absolute Evil will be six demon generals for the next few hundred years. The bards will sing your deeds in every corner of the continent. You have accomplished a feat that a Holy Son couldn’t. You will become a hero of the entire continent.”

“…That sounds like a hassle.”

Fia could already foresee the praise from the people and the endless stream of people who would ask for her help.

If she were to be asked to do all sorts of difficult and troublesome things just because she was too strong, that would be a huge disruption to her life with Claire.

In addition, the Despair Demon General had said some things like “savior,” “Witch of Hope,” “summoning death,” and “apocalypse” right before he died. In a way, it was consistent with the “apocalypse” that the Milcandis Holy Kingdom had talked about. It was something she might have to pay attention to.

“How is that a hassle? With this feat, no one will dare to question your strength anymore. The Despair Demon General was the most cunning and treacherous among the seven demon generals. In the past ten thousand years, the other six demon generals have all been sealed or killed, but only the Despair Demon General has not. For you to have found him and killed him is an unprecedented feat. This is the praise and glory you rightfully deserve.”

“No… that’s not what I meant.”

Because she heard a strange, “huffing” sound coming from Liti’s chest, Fia pretended not to notice and pushed Liti’s shoulders away. She then changed the subject.

“Where is Estelle?”

“That…”

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At the mention of Estelle, the happy expression on Anastasia’s face immediately became hesitant. It was as if she was meticulously choosing her words but didn’t know how to start.

Fia could probably guess what Anastasia wanted to say.

She is probably still unconscious, or if she has woken up, her mental state is very low. Anastasia’s expression wasn’t too bad, which meant that Estelle hadn’t reached the point of collapse yet. This made Fia’s worried heart settle down a little.

Although the Despair Demon General was dead, the people he had killed would not be resurrected. How to move on was a serious challenge that Estelle had to face.

“Your Highness the Eldest Princess! I, I have a question for you!”

Just as Fia was about to say she would go and check on Estelle, a young man dressed as a soldier suddenly ran up to Fia. Fia remembered this young man. He was the young man who had argued with the small nobles for Estelle’s sake in the refugee camp.

The sudden sound attracted everyone’s attention. Including Fia and Anastasia, everyone looked at the young soldier who had shouted. The latter was in a hurry and quickly ran to Fia.

“Pl-please, where is Young Master Norton? We’ve been looking for him all night, but we can’t find him.”

The anxiety and nervousness in the young soldier’s expression made Fia fall silent.

“…He’s dead. He was replaced by the Despair Demon General at least since the disaster happened.”

“How could that be…”

With a face full of despair, the soldier collapsed onto the ground. The crowd who had heard Fia’s words also immediately burst into a murmur of discussion.

The only thing they could be thankful for right now was that people didn’t know that Estelle didn’t actually have the bloodline of the Oro family. Seeing the look of disappointment and hatred on the people’s faces, Fia subconsciously thought that with Count Oro, Noreen, and Norton all dead, there was no one left in the world with the bloodline of the Oro family. But as long as Estelle didn’t reveal that she was adopted, no one would know this.

Fia used the gentlest tone possible to comfort him.

“The Despair Demon General who caused this disaster has been eliminated by me. The chaos in the city is also gone. Now, we should let the people from the refugee camp outside move back in. You must immediately send someone to inform them. With time, it is not impossible for the Oro territory to regain its former prosperity.”

“But Lady Estelle… if she hears that Young Master Norton has also sacrificed himself, she will surely—”

“I will make Estelle pull herself together.” Cutting the soldier off before he could finish his desperate words, Fia said firmly. “You take care of your own business.”

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“Her Highness the Eldest Princess has given her word. Why are you still sitting here so unseemly?! Go quickly and send someone to inform the people in the refugee camp to come back!”

A burly man dressed as a noble quickly stood up and, while forcefully dragging the soldier to his feet, apologized to Fia with a fawning smile.

“I apologize, Your Highness the Eldest Princess, for letting you see my subordinate acting so unseemly. Lady Estelle, I will leave her to you.”

“Mm.” Fia nodded slowly and firmly. She waved her hand at the crowd. “Everyone, go about your business. Soldiers, go and count the number of houses that are still habitable in the city. The rest of you, help move the useful tools and items to the sanctuary.”

The sanctuary was the only block in the entire city that had not been damaged. It would likely become the place where Estelle and the other nobles would be working. Moving the things there would make future arrangements more convenient.

Watching the crowd disperse, Fia turned to face Anastasia and Liti. But the first person to speak was not Fia, but Anastasia. Her words were a little hesitant.

“Miss Estelle is in the house left by the merchant in the sanctuary, but Miss Estelle has accumulated too much fatigue. Ever since you handed Miss Estelle over to me last night, she has not woken up…”

“And that strange guy with a veiled face is also guarding that golden-haired loser—guarding Estelle. She won’t let us get close. If not for the fact that others said she was Estelle’s sister, and she also didn’t attack us like she did the night before, I would have definitely treated her as a monster. Hmph, she deliberately targeted me and wouldn’t let me get close to Estelle, leaving me on the outside. I will remember this grudge.”

“Eh?”

Liti’s resentment made Fia’s eyes widen in surprise. She quickly asked Anastasia.

“Is Noreen still alive?”

From the previous situation, Noreen should have been killed by Estelle, who was being controlled by the Despair Demon General. And since all the chaos had formed the Despair Demon General and the Despair Demon General was killed by her, Noreen should have also been unable to resurrect with the disappearance of the chaos.

Facing Fia, who had a look of shock on her face, Anastasia nodded seriously.

“Yes, Miss Noreen is still alive. But she can only understand the most basic words and cannot communicate with us. She has been guarding Miss Estelle, not letting anyone other than me get close.”

“It’s a good thing she’s still alive.”

If Noreen was still alive, even if it was just a remnant of her consciousness, it was better than her completely disappearing. At least for Estelle, it had an extraordinary significance.

As if she had received a shot of a powerful stimulant, Fia’s chest was filled with motivation. Accompanied by Anastasia and Liti, she walked towards the house in the sanctuary.