Volume 2, Chapter 41 – Epilogue

Finally, the day of departure had arrived.

After four days of rest, order had been completely restored in Oro City. The post-disaster reconstruction was proceeding in an orderly manner. Although it would be a long time, possibly even ten years, before Oro City could return to its former state with a population of two hundred thousand, as long as order was maintained and the various tasks were carried out without a hitch, it was only a matter of time before it regained its former glory.

As a vampire, Estelle’s lifespan was not much shorter than an elf’s. A decade would pass in the blink of an eye for her. The only problem was that in the future, the House of Oro would only have Estelle and Noreen left. Estelle would have to endure an extremely long and lonely period of time.

Fia could only pray that Estelle would find a partner or that someone would take a liking to her soon—this would probably not be too difficult. In the past, no one had been interested in Estelle because she had no power and only one wing, which made her a laughingstock. But now, by marrying into the House of Oro, one could become a Count’s husband and rise to a high position instantly.

In fact, there were nobles who had already shown their interest in Estelle yesterday.

Of course, these nobles were not the ones who had once mocked Estelle, but members of the vanguard teams that had arrived from the surrounding territories after Estelle had sent out a plea for help. They had originally been prepared to fight the Darkborn, so they could build up their reputation and gain merit. However, upon arriving in Oro City, they were met with the news that the Despair Demon General and the chaos were already dead. So, they could only dedicate themselves to the post-disaster reconstruction work and assess the level of the disaster.

As a result, these nobles with free time had started to curry favor with Estelle. Interestingly, there were also nobles who were trying to curry favor with Fia and Liti. Last night, an upstart noble had even directly confessed his love to Fia, hoping to spend the rest of his life with her. But before Fia could even speak, Anastasia had answered for Fia. She had lifted the man with one hand, thrown him out the door, and then said in a cold voice, “A man who can’t even beat me is not worthy of standing beside Her Highness.”

Judging from the looks of contempt the other nobles were giving him, the life of the noble who had confessed to Fia would be exceptionally difficult from now on.

It’s understandable to like a princess from another country, but to confess without even giving a gift is no different from what a commoner would do.

‘What’s more, sister is the person who eliminated the Despair Demon General and will be the next elf monarch. He should have at least known his place before confessing. He has brought shame to all the nobles of the Bart Duchy’, Liti had said in her evaluation.

As for Estelle’s side, although she didn’t have to deal with the same embarrassing situation as Fia, she was even more troubled than Fia. The upstart nobles who didn’t know the rules were a minority. Most of the nobles knew their place and did not bother Fia. They had instead set their sights on Estelle and Liti. With their numbers, even a simple greeting or casual conversation had become a difficult and exhausting task.

Liti was alright. She was used to dealing with nobles and could handle the situation with ease. But for Estelle, who had originally been a mere follower of Noreen, and with her having to deal with a lot of official business at the same time, these nobles, who were like flies, made Estelle feel extremely annoyed and repulsed. If not for the fact that these nobles really had nothing to do and that they had also come to help rebuild the city, Fia felt that Estelle would have already closed the doors on them.

“Hah, if not for the fact that I have to handle the matters of the territory, I would have gone to Silvar with you all. The last time I went to Silvar was when I was twelve. At that time, I didn’t even have a chance to properly see the scenery of Silvar before my father took me and left in a hurry.”

With her arms crossed over her perfectly developed chest, Estelle, whose golden hair was tied back with a large black ribbon, let out a long sigh.

Behind her, countless nobles and ordinary citizens who had come to see them off had gathered. After a few days of word spreading, Fia’s kindness to this city was known to everyone. Even though Fia had kept the news of their departure from Oro City a secret, when she and Anastasia went to prepare the carriage in the morning, hundreds of people had already spontaneously gathered on both sides of the street.

If not for the fact that Estelle had temporarily brought in soldiers to maintain order, Fia would have thought that she would have been trapped in the city today.

Fia’s gaze moved away from the people on both sides of the street, and she smiled gently.

“When the Oro territory has settled down, Estelle, you can come and find me in Silvar. But before that, I will probably come and find you a few times first. Of course, it’s also fine if we just keep in touch by letter, as we did before. Although I think me coming here in person would be faster than a letter.”

“Some things can only be expressed through letters.”

Estelle raised her eyebrows and smiled. She held her left arm with her right hand and waved her right hand. Her expression had become a little more relaxed.

Fia wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt that after these few days, the hint of immaturity on Estelle’s face had vanished without a trace. Her demeanor had become more elegant, and she had become a noble who could stand on her own.

“But I don’t mean that we should only keep in touch by letter. If you come in person, Fia, I will surely welcome you with open arms. Oh, right, if you fail in the struggle for the throne, you can come and take refuge here. I heard from Liti that one of your uncles seems to be causing trouble. Although the conditions in the Oro territory are not as good as the Elf Kingdom’s, it can still be a place for you to live. And here, I have the final say.”

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“Hoh,” Fia exhaled in dissatisfaction. “Even after knowing that I eliminated the Despair Demon General, you still think I’ll fail? It’s true that I have no interest in the throne, but if becoming the monarch is the prerequisite for me to meet the Elf God, then I will eliminate all the obstacles in my way.”

Estelle was stunned for a moment, and in the end, she shook her head with an expression that was a mixture of emotion and helplessness.

“Should I say that the girl named Claire is very lucky? To have taken advantage of you when you lost your memory and won your heart? The serious tone you just used, Fia, it’s as if you would even be willing to become an enemy of the gods for Claire’s sake… Even I, as a woman, couldn’t help but be a little moved. Your charm is a little too much. Well, if a person without power were to say that, it would only make me feel ridiculous, I guess.”

“Hmph hmph, that’s why she’s my sister. If she were to be captivated, and were to lie on the ground like a little dog, exposing her belly and begging for my mercy, I might whisper some good things about you into my sister’s ear and have you become the fourth—ugh!”

Before Liti, who was puffing out her chest with a look of pride, could finish her sentence, Fia used a spatial hand to cover Liti’s mouth.

Even if it was a joke, it was too much.

As for accidentally making Liti bite her tongue, she would apologize after they got back to the carriage.

“I’m sorry, Liti has been a lot of trouble these past few days.”

“It’s nothing. I should be the one to thank you. Liti has taught me many things that I wasn’t good at. I never thought I would become Count Oro, so I had neglected my training in many areas.” At this, Estelle’s tone changed.

“Liti is so outstanding that she could become the elf monarch right away. If not for the fact that I know you are so strong that even the Despair Demon General was no match for you, I would have thought that Liti would be the biggest obstacle on your path to becoming a monarch.”

“You, you’re trying to sow discord! You despicable and treacherous woman!”

With tears welling up in her eyes and her mouth covered, Liti accused Estelle in a muffled voice.

“Is this considered sowing discord?” Estelle tilted her head slightly, a look of surprise on her face. “I’m just being honest. Princess Liti is very outstanding, to the point that I look up to her.”

“I am, of course, more outstanding than you! My knowledge exists for sister!”

Fia felt a hint of gunpowder in the air and couldn’t help but smile wryly. If a person who didn’t know the situation were to see this, they would probably think that Liti and Estelle were fighting over a man. But she and Estelle were close friends, and with Liti being her sister, it would be a huge misunderstanding to think of their squabble as a fight over a man.

Fia grabbed Liti’s clothes at the back of her neck, pulled her closer, and lectured her.

“Estelle is one of my few—no, she is my only close friend right now. Liti, be quiet.”

“Hmph.”

Even though she was the one being lectured, Liti looked at Estelle with a triumphant expression, and then, with her lips, mouthed the word “close friend” to Estelle, which made Estelle show a moment of irritation.

It was worth mentioning that the two of them tacitly did not let Fia notice any of this. Only Anastasia’s expression had become a little complicated.

“Alright, Fia, it’s about time you left. If you delay any longer, by noon, the carriage will become a steamer.”

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Facing Estelle, who was waving her hand as if she were urging her to leave, Fia emphasized.

“What about the Land of the Dead you mentioned yesterday, Estelle…”

“Oh, we can talk about that after you become the elf monarch, Fia. There’s no need to rush.”

As she spoke, the two of them looked at Noreen, who was standing behind Estelle, at the same time.

The Land of the Dead was a legendary realm located under the World Tree Continent and the Netherworld, where all the souls of the dead were stored. In Fia’s understanding, it was similar to a place like the underworld, heaven, or hell.

A mechanism like this existed so that all the souls who died on the World Tree Continent would eventually return to the embrace of the Land of the Dead. This mechanism gave rise to “resurrection” magic. According to the explanations of the various churches that possessed “resurrection” magic, a person’s soul would have to cross numerous obstacles to get from their body to the Land of the Dead.

This process would take twenty-four hours. If a person’s body was cast with resurrection magic within these twenty-four hours before their soul was taken by the Land of the Dead, it was possible to pull the dead back into the world of the living.

In addition to this, there was another special situation where a person could be resurrected even if their time of death had exceeded twenty-four hours. That was when a person had an incomplete soul. Only a complete soul could cross the gates of the underworld and enter the Land of the Dead. If a person’s soul was incomplete, the remnant of their soul would forever linger at the gates of the underworld, becoming a “lingerer.” They would neither be able to be reborn nor be able to truly die.

Estelle had guessed that Noreen was of the “lingerer” type. The current Noreen still had the basic consciousness of “Estelle” and could even react to external changes. This was a symbol of a soul.

If they could one day break through the Netherworld and go to the Land of the Dead to find Noreen, who was a lingerer, and then use a high-tier magical potion to restore Noreen’s body, it was possible for Noreen to be resurrected.

This was not a baseless assumption. About a thousand years ago, someone had resurrected his wife in this way. But that person was a Holy Son, and his wife was a witch, and both of them were very powerful. The Holy Son could ensure he could get to the gates of the Land of the Dead alive, and his wife could hold on until she was found. The conditions were very strict.

In addition, a person who was resurrected as a lingerer would also have many side effects, such as losing some of their memories. But as long as there was a chance to resurrect her sister, Estelle would be very happy and would not ask for more. She planned to improve her own strength after the Oro territory had settled down and then train some soldiers who would be willing to go with her into the Land of the Dead.

Of course, Fia had also promised to help. Besides helping a close friend, the mystical Land of the Dead itself had an infinite appeal to Fia. As a materialist who had never seen a soul, to be able to personally see a place where souls were stored was a very novel experience.

Estelle continued with a wry smile.

“And to enter the Land of the Dead, you must first pass through the Netherworld. You know the situation of the Netherworld, Fia. Even a strong northern nation like the Elf Kingdom is helpless against the Netherworld. For a small Count like me, it’s even more impossible. I would at least have to get myself to the Fifth Tier to have a chance. It’s going to take too much time. I can plan it slowly.”

“It’s alright. As long as you can find a high-tier magical potion that can restore a person’s body, I can take you with me to find Noreen—on the condition that I have already solved Claire’s curse.”

“I’m not going to pretend I didn’t hear that. When I come looking for you then, Fia, you can’t go back on your word.”

A mixture of seriousness and playfulness was present in Estelle’s smile.

Estelle probably doesn’t take my words to heart, Fia thought. After all, according to the legend, even the only Holy Son who had returned from the Netherworld alive died a few years later. The promise I made to Estelle is simply too heavy and to a degree that is hard to believe.

If I don’t let Estelle see “that,” she probably won’t ask me to do something so dangerous.

Fia let out a soft sigh.

“Then you just have to look forward to it.”

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“Miss Estelle, no, I should call you Lady Count now. I have a question I would like to ask you.”

After Fia’s words fell, Anastasia took a step forward, arriving at Fia’s side.

Estelle tilted her head.

“What is it?”

“I want to ask you about the Blood Oath. Now that the Despair Demon General has been eliminated by Her Highness and the chaos has also disappeared, is your Blood Oath okay?”

Estelle’s Blood Oath was “no matter who the person who caused this disaster is, I will make them pay in blood.” But the Despair Demon General was eliminated by Fia, so the judgment of the Blood Oath became a little tricky.

As if she had expected someone to ask about the Blood Oath, Estelle held out her right hand as if to show it off. Under the sunlight, the dark red pattern on the back of Estelle’s fair hand was exceptionally conspicuous.

However, Fia felt that the Blood Oath on Estelle’s hand was a little different from before. For example, the color was a little lighter, and the lines were not as smooth as they were before. They had a slightly crooked look to them. If Fia didn’t know what a Blood Oath was, she might have thought it was a pattern that Estelle had drawn on her hand with paint.

Estelle let out a helpless sigh.

“The Blood Oath is still there, but I have several hundred years left to live before I die. I don’t have to think about the Blood Oath for now.”

“Is that so?”

Anastasia’s lively blue eyes showed a look of doubt and contemplation. However, this doubt quickly turned into an “I see” expression. She bowed to Estelle.

“I asked an unnecessary question. My apologies.”

“It’s fine. I don’t mind. Alright, alright, Fia, you should get going. It’s getting late. The sooner you get back to the Elf Kingdom, the sooner I’ll be able to see you. I couldn’t treat you to anything good this time, but I promise, it will be different next time.”

At this, Estelle suddenly took a small step back, lifted the sides of her skirt, and knelt down in front of Fia. Her movement, rather than being elegant, was more sincere.

“Allow me, in my capacity as Count Oro, to express my sincere gratitude to Her Highness the Elf Princess Dofilia Alexia Yushir on behalf of all the people of the Oro territory. Thank you for helping us get through this crisis with all your might.”

“Eh… it was just a small favor.”

Fia couldn’t help but feel a little awkward.

Estelle stood up and smiled.

“How Fia sees it is Fia’s business. But to me, Fia is a benefactor and a close friend who has saved me from danger and turned the tide of battle several times. Oh, right, there’s also a thank you gift. I have prepared some. Fia, you must accept it.”

Estelle lowered her head, making a motion as if she were taking something out of her pocket, and at the same time, took two steps forward and came before Fia.

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“Fia, can you close your eyes first?”

“I… I guess so…”

Fia hesitantly closed her eyes.

Then, Estelle stopped what she was doing and instead, quietly observed Fia’s expression. After confirming that Fia had closed her eyes, she suddenly leaned in and gave Fia a light peck on the cheek with her rosy lips.

She then backed away with a flushed face, looking shy. But even so, Estelle did not turn her face away as if she had done something shameful. Instead, she puffed out her chest with a hint of pride, looking back at Fia’s surprised and dazed expression.

“This is the most precious gift I can give you. There is only one in the entire world. Fia, you must take good care of it.”

“That was…”

“Hmph, if you know, then don’t say it. Hurry up and go. I look forward to your reply—of course, it would be best if you came in person. And if you can, remember to bring that girl named Claire with you… It’s fine if you don’t bring her. It’s all up to you. Hurry up and go.”

As if she could no longer hold back her shyness, Estelle, with a flushed face, pushed Fia. Disregarding the gritting teeth of Liti, who was at the side, she forcefully pushed Fia back into the carriage.

In the next moment, the people on the street burst into cheers. The young nobles, on the other hand, either showed a look of surprise or a look of disappointment. The sounds of applause, cheers, and whistles all blended into one. People shouted Fia’s and Estelle’s names. The sound shot up into the clouds.

Along with it, there was a bard’s song.

“The people of the dark burned the land, but the elf princess descended at a time of near-total ruin. In the name of the shining and glorious Goddess Alexia, she condensed the sun in her hands and burned away the people of the dark…”

“May you meet with more happiness on your path forward, Fia. I will sincerely pray for you here in the Oro territory.”

Watching the carriage gradually move into the distance, Estelle clasped her hands over her chest and prayed sincerely to the gods.

End of Volume 2

Translator Note

Postscript… ugh- i wont add it. too much spoiler for vampire princess series.

Here… current character illustration!!!

Estelle

Estelle Character Design

Volume 3: The Witch’s Heart and the Feared Girl