Volume 3, Chapter 3 – Followers of the Flame King

When Fia returned to Anastasia’s side, the scene around the carriage was drastically different from before.

Before Fia left, the carriage was parked at the edge of the desert. Although there was less fine sand here, the ground was still an earthy yellow everywhere. Now, however, the land around the carriage looked as if nature magic had been cast upon it. Not only were there sparse, bluish-green shrubs, but the ground was also covered with a one-centimeter-high layer of green grass, resembling an arid grassland.

With very few exceptions, elves are naturally gifted with nature magic. Could Liti or Anastasia have done this? But I was only away from the carriage for half an hour at most. To cover the entire mountain, and even most of the mountain range beyond, in green within half an hour… aren’t Anastasia’s and Liti’s nature magic skills a bit too powerful?

With this doubt in her mind, Fia landed beside Anastasia and Liti.

“Your Highness, what did you do!”

Before Fia’s feet even touched the ground, Anastasia hurried to meet her, the urgency on her face almost making Fia think they had encountered some trouble.

“What did I do… I just tested that white space magic crystal in the desert?”

“Was it also that magic crystal that contained nature magic?”

Facing Anastasia, who was grabbing her hands with eyes full of expectation, Fia tilted her head slightly and answered with hesitation and confusion.

“No. It was just the space magic crystal. More importantly, did you turn this mountain range green, Anastasia?”

“How could it possibly be my doing! Your Highness, you jest. The changes around here must be related to you. Ever since the earthquake earlier, green has started to spring up everywhere. Princess Liti and I watched with our own eyes as the grass sprouted from the soil. If you hold your breath and listen carefully, you can even hear the echo of what sounds like a waterfall in the valley.”

Anastasia’s words made Fia prick up her ears. It was just as Anastasia had said; on the other side of the mountain, there was a rumbling sound like a waterfall crashing into a lake.

One moment it was a desert, and the next it was an arid grassland with a waterfall. It was too incredible.

However, no matter how hard it was to believe, the facts were right in front of Fia.

“But I really only used space magic…”

And I caused quite a bit of destruction with it.

“Hmm… could there be a ley line rich in magicules nearby? And the original ley line was blocked by something, and sister’s space magic unintentionally cleared it, which is why the desert turned into an oasis?”

Liti crossed her arms over her flat chest, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Anastasia had a sudden realization.

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“That is indeed a possibility. If there is a magicule-rich ley line nearby, it would explain everything. The reason this place turned from a dense jungle into a desert was likely related to the ley line being blocked. Now that Your Highness has removed the blockage, the accumulated magicules in the ley line were released in an instant, resulting in the grassland we see now.”

“Ley line? What’s that?”

Fia asked the obvious question. It was the first time she had heard the term.

“Ley lines are channels that provide nutrients to the earth.”

Liti began to explain to Fia.

In this world, something called “magicules” was the fundamental basis of all things. Even the elements were products of magicules arranged in different quantities and patterns. If the earth had no magicules, the soil would lose its vitality and nothing would grow. And if a person or any other living being lived in a place lacking magicules for a long time, they would, like a plant, gradually lose their vitality, become malnourished and listless, and in severe cases, even die.

The things called ley lines were channels buried deep underground that transported magicules. As an analogy, ley lines were somewhat like blood vessels that transport blood. If a ley line was blocked, magicules could not circulate, and the “ischemic” tissue would quickly necrose. In this case, the land would become barren and turn into a desert.

As for what a ley line actually looked like, Liti couldn’t say for sure. Current magical technology had not yet figured out the origin or appearance of ley lines; the term “ley line” was just used to describe the phenomenon of magicule depletion. In short, based on the phenomenon, everyone believed that such a thing existed, but current observational technology had not developed to the point where ley lines could be seen.

However, this didn’t stop Fia from feeling puzzled.

If a ley line was described as a pipe, her [Spatial Rift] should have cut the pipe open, not cleared it. Unless, as Anastasia said, a blockage had formed there, and [Spatial Rift] happened to resolve it, thereby unblocking the ley line.

What on earth could form a blockage?

A big question mark appeared in Fia’s mind. She hadn’t seen anything other than rock in the canyon.

But then again, since ley lines were unobservable, perhaps the blockage was also unobservable. If she was really set on figuring it out, she could go back and take a look later…

“Croak croak!”

Just as Fia was thinking this, the sound of a frog’s croaking suddenly came from a bush next to the carriage, accompanied by a rustling sound like digging.

Anastasia’s reaction was faster than Fia’s. While Fia was still wondering how a frog could be in the desert and marveling at the potent effect of the ley line, Anastasia had already slashed her sword towards the bush behind Fia. Immediately after, along with a splash of green blood into the air, a croak that sounded like a scream entered Fia’s ears.

It was a monster.

To call this monster a frog was not quite right. To be precise, it was a monster with the head of a frog and the body of a goblin, with webbed feet but walking upright. Along with this frog-goblin, a crudely made spear, which looked like a tree branch tied to a sharpened iron rod, also fell to the ground. It was worth noting that although the monster’s head was frog-like, its body was covered in a layer of orange scales, the vibrant color and pattern suggesting it was highly venomous.

“A Fire-striped Frog? Aren’t they monsters that live in the Land of Blazing Flames? Why would they appear here?”

Seeing the fallen monster, Anastasia frowned.

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Fire-striped Frog must be the name of this monster. While looking at the creature twitching on the ground, Fia used [Wind of Detection] to check its rank.

This Fire-striped Frog before her was not even First Rank. Its mana reserve was no different from that of an ordinary person.

However, despite the Fire-striped Frog being only First Rank, Anastasia’s expression was not pleasant. She first pierced its head with her sword, killing it completely, then turned and said in a grave voice.

“These monsters themselves are not powerful, but their habits are the same as goblins. They attach themselves to monsters much stronger than they are, becoming their minions. Seeing them here means there is a monster of at least the Fourth Rank nearby. Fire-striped Frogs do not attack without confidence. Your Highness, we are being targeted.”

As if in response to Anastasia’s words, the next moment, rustling sounds of things burrowing out of the soil rose one after another. Not only that, the appearance of the first Fire-striped Frog was like the toppling of a domino; more of them emerged from the ground in the distance, one after another. As if they had gone mad, they ran towards the carriage where Fia’s group was, their eyes glowing red.

There were at least three or four hundred of them.

At first glance, it was an imposing sight, but to Fia, it felt rather strange.

The Fire-striped Frogs were only about a meter tall, and because of their webbed feet, their running posture was quite comical. What’s more, they could only make croaking sounds. Three or four hundred frogs shouting at once created a scene so bizarre it was like something out of a comedy.

Coupled with the crude weapons in their hands and their strength, which was at most Second Rank, Fia couldn’t help but think of the phrase “a native charge.”

“Hmph, a bunch of ants.”

Snorting coldly, Anastasia flicked the green blood off her sword and walked straight towards the group of Fire-striped Frogs closest to the carriage. The cyan light flowing around her blade indicated she was already using [Enchanted Blade].

Anastasia could probably kill most of them if she just used that golden-red storm she used back in Oro City, Fia thought. Although the Fire-striped Frogs were bipedal creatures like humans, their strong monstrous features meant there was no discomfort in dispatching them.

“Something’s strange… This group of Fire-striped Frogs is acting crazy. The books say they should be more cunning and treacherous, not charging collectively like this. If a powerful monster is commanding them, we haven’t seen it appear…”

Liti furrowed her cute brows, and finally, her gaze gradually grew odd, landing on Fia.

“Could it be that sister killed their powerful leader in the heart of the desert, and that’s why they’re attacking us like mad? Although Fire-striped Frogs are slavish ¹ relating to or characteristic of a slave, typically by behaving in a servile or submissive way. , their intelligence is low, and they only recognize one master in their lifetime.”

“No, no, I didn’t do anything.”

Fia immediately raised her hands to declare her innocence.

She had only used [Spatial Rift] on a sand dune, and hadn’t dispatched anything on the side. Besides, the center of the desert was over a hundred kilometers away from here. Unless the Fire-striped Frogs relayed information by sound from post to post, it was impossible for them to react so quickly.

Fia’s sincere gaze made Liti sigh in relief.

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“That’s good. The reproductive ability of Fire-striped Frogs is even stronger than that of goblins. If sister had killed their leader, with such a vast desert, we would surely be surrounded by tens or even hundreds of thousands of them in a little while.”

“It’s fine, it doesn’t matter how many of them come.”

Now that she possessed a directional attack spell with a huge area of effect, all she had to do was fly into the air with Liti and Anastasia and fire a [Spatial Rift] at the ground. They were just First Rank small fry; there was no way they could resist a power that could split the earth itself.

Realizing this, Fia lowered her head in thought.

By now, Anastasia had already engaged the Fire-striped Frogs at the front. The splattering green blood and the incessant croaking were reminiscent of a hack-and-slash game. Infused with [Enchanted Blade], Anastasia’s longsword extended to a length of three meters, each swing equivalent to an area-of-effect spell.

As for the Fire-striped Frogs trying to attack from the other three directions, Fia had long since formed walls of spatial force, forcing them to attack only from Anastasia’s direction. From Liti’s perspective, the frogs running from the other three sides looked like they were crashing into an invisible wall, their faces even being squashed flat.

“By the way, Liti, you said you have Second Rank power. You don’t look like a sword-wielding warrior, so you must be a magician, right?”

“That’s right.”

Despite the screams of the Fire-striped Frogs all around, Liti was not panicked in the slightest. She lowered her head and took out an exquisite long staff from a pocket that was likely a storage item.

“When I was human, I was raised as a magic caster, so I learned incantation magic especially quickly. The nobles in Silvar prefer to use magic; they think sword-wielding warriors are a vulgar profession for servants. As a noble, one should use noble and mysterious magic. And since I’m a princess, it was only natural that I became a magic caster.”

“I see.”

Fia lowered her head, thinking.

“If I remember correctly, hunting monsters is the fastest way to raise one’s rank, followed by repeatedly using magic and reading magic books. Liti, you should take this opportunity to raise your rank. These Fire-striped Frogs are not strong monsters. With Anastasia and me here, we can guarantee your safety.”

“Huh?”

Not expecting Fia to suggest this, the unambitious Liti’s jaw dropped, her voice changing.

“B-but there are so many of them!”

“It’s fine. I’ll make the Fire-striped Frogs come to you one by one. You haven’t reached the Third Rank yet, so you lack flight magic, which is inconvenient in many places.”

Fia had long thought it necessary to raise Liti’s and Anastasia’s strength so they wouldn’t be so restricted. For example, back in Oro, if Liti had the same combat power as Anastasia, Anastasia wouldn’t have had to guard her all day. Instead, she could have, like Fia, gone to clear the Chaos in the city.

Of course, it was more important for preventing many unexpected situations.

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“Uu… S-sister, are you unhappy with me?”

Liti tried to widen her eyes, looking up at Fia pitifully to make herself look cuter, attempting to slack off.

Yes, I am—although she wanted to give a playful reply, Fia chose a more serious answer, sighing softly.

“Improving your strength is a must. At the very least, you need to have a certain degree of self-protection. That way, you won’t get hurt when you encounter danger.”

“Guh…”

For a moment, Liti made a sound of frustration as her plan failed.

Could the reason for Liti’s weakness not only be to avoid attracting unwanted attention, but also because she’s just lazy? ² mhm silly Liti, /bonk

Fia tilted her head in confusion.

Come to think of it, spending time every day on repetitive tasks like reading magic books and repeatedly casting spells was indeed a tedious activity. As for fighting monsters, although it was exciting, it was inevitable that one would get stained with blood and dirt, and it was accompanied by a huge consumption of stamina, making one feel tired and exhausted like after a workout. Furthermore, Liti’s status meant she didn’t need to rely on her strength to make a living; she really had no need to fight monsters.

“Hmm—it’s okay if Liti really doesn’t want to raise her rank. But after we get back to the elf territory, I might go to other parts of the continent with Claire. If Liti is too weak, I’ll have to leave you behind in the royal palace, you know?”

“Become a stay-at-home wi—… No way!” ³ can you guess it?~

In a complete reversal of her earlier reluctance, Liti’s attitude suddenly did a 180-degree turn.

“As long as I want to, I can reach the Third Rank in no time! Just watch me, sister!”

Holding her magic staff, Liti puffed out her chest. Her firm and brave expression, at first glance, made her look like a hero vowing to defeat a demon lord, without a trace of unwillingness.

Although Fia found Liti’s sudden change amusing, becoming motivated was a good thing. As for the gritted-teeth whispers of “becoming a stay-at-home wife is losing” and “how can I let those two be lovey-dovey,” she would just pretend she didn’t hear them.

“For the future with my sister, all of you Fire-striped Frogs can die!”

Liti marched towards the front where Anastasia was, an angry expression on her face.

You’re a little too honest, my dear sister.

Watching Liti advance, Fia couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.