Volume 3, Chapter 7 – An Awkward Dinner

Because many of the village’s houses had been burned through, and there was no public bathhouse, Renee could only draw enough water from the well and take it to an uninhabited area outside the village to wash herself. As for why she didn’t use magic like [Cleanse] or [Torrent] to wash, the answer was that Renee’s mana was depleted, and she couldn’t use magic.

It should also be noted that Fia’s [Cleanse] and [Torrent] were spells that had been optimized by [Hyper-computation]. Under normal circumstances, the mana consumed by [Cleanse] would increase with the amount of dirt, and [Torrent] was a spell that produced a stream of water as thick as an arm and lasted only a few seconds. Only a high-rank magic caster could freely control the size of the water flow and maintain a continuous output.

While Renee was washing, the villagers had finally recovered from their panic. It was not the first time they had been robbed by bandits. Due to the chaotic situation in the northern Alfrieg Kingdom, they had even grown accustomed to it. In the past, bandits would take some money and grain and then leave. They would even act like local protectors and ensure the village’s safety, making them more reliable than the official soldiers of the Alfrieg Kingdom. According to the villagers, corruption was rampant in the Alfrieg Kingdom’s army, and soldiers would even commit shameful acts like assaulting women and robbery.

That was why the villagers had not resisted when they encountered the bandits in the afternoon. However, it was only when they were all tied up in the square that they realized this group of bandits was different from the previous ones. If Fia hadn’t appeared, they would have been captured and sold as slaves.

Although the villagers were saddened by the destruction of their homes, as long as they were alive, they could start over. Under the village chief’s arrangements, the villagers quickly retrieved their belongings from the square. As evening fell, they returned to their respective homes. The village chief invited Fia’s group to stay in a spacious, relatively well-preserved house and called upon the young women of the village to prepare a banquet for them.

Although it was called a banquet, it was actually more like a family dinner. The dishes were a stew of beans and meat, spiced cured meat slices, and nut bread as the main course. It was worth noting that the meat in the stew was long, thumb-thick worms that looked like sandworms. The terrifying sight of their bloated white bodies tumbling up and down in the soup made Fia feel rather awkward.

“Thank you for saving our lives, Your Ladyship. Without you, the village would have been finished.”

Saying this, the village chief, along with the young women who had prepared the dinner, bowed to Fia’s group, their simple faces filled with gratitude.

Fia, sitting at the long table, was about to force a wry smile, but then she remembered the “three-no’s” persona of the elf princess and immediately resumed her expressionless look.

“It was a small effort, don’t mind it. You should sit down as well.”

Fia did not dislike crowded occasions; a lively atmosphere always whetted one’s appetite. Not to mention, the young girls behind the village chief, who were only in their early twenties, were practically drooling. The food on the table seemed to be a very sumptuous and delicious dinner for them. Fia would have a guilty conscience eating while being stared at by people with hunger in their eyes.

Hearing Fia’s words, the young girls were overjoyed and took a step forward, about to sit at the table. However, the village chief quickly shot them a look, stopping them, while not forgetting to explain with an apologetic smile.

“Your Ladyship is too kind. How could we commoners sit at the same table as a noble? These dishes were all prepared for you, Your Ladyship. If you need anything, just give us an order.”

So that’s how it is.

Fia instantly understood why the village chief and the young women were just standing and not sitting at the table.

Back in Aurora City and Oro, due to her identity as an elf and the destruction of Oro, Fia had not deeply felt the privileges enjoyed by the nobility. Now, reminded by the village chief, Fia remembered that on the World Tree Continent, nobles held the power of life and death over commoners. Commoners were not qualified to dine at the same table as nobles.

Furthermore, if it were an arrogant noble, should a commoner step on their shadow, the noble would directly cut the commoner down in the street, as they believed that their noble souls would be tainted if their shadows were stepped on by a commoner.

This was especially true in a chaotic place like the northern border of the Alfrieg Kingdom, where the class divide would only be more pronounced.

No wonder the villagers had been so respectful to her group, even standing a meter away when speaking. Apart from their gratitude for being saved, the rest was likely the deterrent effect of her noble status. Fia couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. She had no noble airs about her, but with Renee right there, it was better to act a little colder for now.

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Fia waved her hand lightly.

“You may be at ease. I permit it.”

“Even if you say so, we cannot overstep our bounds.”

“Sister, at a time like this, you have to say ‘I permit you to sit down and dine with us.’ You have to be very explicit to dispel their worries.”

Sensing Fia’s thoughts, Liti whispered a reminder to her.

It has to be that specific, huh.

This other world is too harsh on commoners.

Left with no choice, Fia adopted a serious tone and repeated Liti’s words, which finally dispelled the village chief’s worries. The few simply dressed girls excitedly sat down at the table, their gazes towards Fia filled with respect.

“The last time I had sandworm stew was years ago!”

“It’s all thanks to Her Ladyship! The delicious taste of meat… it’s amazing!”

The chattering girls picked up their bread and ladled the sandworms from the stew pot onto it. It should be mentioned that the bread the village chief brought was as large as a washbasin and mixed with nuts like chestnuts and acorns. Because the bread was hard and large enough, it was cut into round discs about two or three centimeters thick to serve as plates.

The specific way to eat it was to ladle the stewed worms onto the bread. First, you ate the worms, and in the meantime, the soup from the stew would soften the bread. Then, you could start eating the bread. This was the result of Fia’s observation.

Although the sandworms in Fia’s memory were supposed to live on beaches rather than in deserts, this was a different world after all. To get hung up on the name would be foolish.

In contrast to the girls’ ravenous eating, Liti and Renee had pained expressions as they faced the bread on the table. Only Anastasia was calmly enjoying her meal with a knife and fork. Most countries on the World Tree Continent practiced a system of separate servings. Long before Fia’s group had sat down, the village girls had already ladled the sandworm stew and cured meat onto their bread.

“Is it not good?”

Seeing Liti’s inability to take a bite, Fia asked in a low voice.

“Guh… Sister, you haven’t touched yours either,” Liti pouted towards the bread in front of Fia. “These are worms. Are they really edible?”

“They’re definitely edible…”

Fia glanced at the girls opposite her, who were scrambling for the sandworms. From their actions, it was clear that sandworms were considered a delicious dish, just that their appearance was a bit unsightly.

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As a princess, it was understandable that Liti was not used to eating insects. But that even Renee on the other side had a look of being unable to swallow was truly beyond Fia’s expectations. In Anastasia’s description, the Royal Guard could adapt to any environment. Seeing Anastasia calmly enjoying the worm dish, it seemed to be true. As the vice-captain of the Fifth Division of the Royal Guard, Renee should have been able to accept the sandworm dish just like Anastasia.

“To prepare such an unbecoming dinner for us…”

Although Renee had lowered her voice, the village chief and the girls across the table still heard her. The once lively dinner table was instantly filled with awkwardness. The young girls’ expressions stiffened as they stopped eating. The village chief, with a look of apology, quickly stood up.

“I’m sorry, Your Ladyship. This is already the best food we could offer.”

“Renee, if you don’t like it, you can leave. Don’t spoil Her Highness’s mood. You insult the people who made you dinner, so why don’t you go make it yourself?”

“Tch, it was just a passing comment. This is nothing.”

Faced with Anastasia’s pointed words, the chestnut-haired Renee merely pouted, then picked up her knife and fork and began to devour the sandworm stew. However, in Fia’s eyes, Renee’s actions looked less like she was enjoying the food and more like she was acting out of spite towards Anastasia. She swallowed the food almost without chewing, as if gobbling it down whole. It was clear that she really couldn’t accept the stewed sandworms.

Just like me.

Fia couldn’t help but smile wryly. It was about time she started eating as well.

She scooped up a white, boiled sandworm, then forked a piece of reddish-brown cured meat that looked like it had a lot of sauce on it, trying to use the sauce from the cured meat to cover the taste of the sandworm.

As long as the taste is passable, I’ll leave the digestion problem to the nanomachines.

Like a person about to go into battle, Fia summoned her courage and put the wriggling white worm into her mouth.

…It really wasn’t delicious.

The cured meat was too tough and dry, and the sandworm had a soft, slimy texture that reminded Fia of eating snails or other mollusks. To make matters worse, since the sauce had little flavor and very little salt had been added, the natural grassy taste of the sandworm was completely released. If not for her strong tolerance, Fia would have, like Liti at her side, turned green after one bite and made an excuse to run out and vomit her guts out.

Fia simply gave up on eating the sandworm and cured meat, focusing only on the softened nut bread. On the World Tree Continent, only the poor ate whole-wheat bread mixed with nuts and bran. The nobility believed that bread made from refined white flour was healthy and noble food, the exact opposite of what was considered healthy in the ancient times of the Human Alliance.

With the girls wolfing down their food, the food on the table was quickly cleared. What puzzled Fia was that the girls, while wiping their mouths with the backs of their hands, kept glancing at the food in front of Fia, their eyes showing a sense of urgency.

They can’t be thinking about my unfinished sandworm stew and cured meat, can they?

Fia’s expression was a little strange. She said, feigning nonchalance.

“Actually, I’m not very fond of meat…”

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“If Your Ladyship doesn’t want it, you can give it to me!”

Before Fia could finish, the girl sitting opposite her pleaded, her eyes already shining like stars. At the same time, the other girls beside her also nodded eagerly.

They really were hoping for my leftover sandworms!

Although she felt it was improper to give her leftovers to others, since the other party had already said it was okay, she would graciously comply.

Under the expectant gazes of the girls, Fia distributed the sandworm and cured meat. In return, the girls opposite her quickly brought Fia new nut bread from the back kitchen, now fully believing her lie about being a vegetarian.

What was strange was that while Fia was distributing the food, Anastasia, at her side, kept her eyes fixed on the meat being given away, her eyes full of reluctance and what looked like longing. When the sandworm and cured meat were eaten by the girls, Anastasia’s reluctance instantly turned to disappointment. Her expression was so obvious that the village chief at her side quickly explained that he could have people go to the desert overnight to catch more sandworms, but Anastasia politely refused his offer, seeming not to like sandworms.

Perhaps it was Fia’s imagination, but she thought she heard Anastasia mutter something like “the things Her Highness has eaten.”

Although Anastasia kept glancing at the half-piece of bread left in front of her, she couldn’t possibly be that much of a pervert. I must have misheard. Yes, that’s it.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the conversation quickly got back on track.

“Thank you for the meal. I will take the bandits in the square with me when I leave tomorrow morning. I’ll be troubling you for lodging tonight, Chief.”

“Th-this is what I should do. Your Ladyship is too kind.”

Fia’s thanks made the village chief tremble all over, a fearful expression on his face. However, he soon looked as if he had remembered something and asked hesitantly.

“Your Ladyship, actually, I’ve wanted to ask you something all afternoon. May I ask if the green grass and the stream nearby are the result of your magic? Ever since the Flame King took root nearby, the village has been short of water, and the surrounding mountains were about to turn into a desert. But an hour before the bandits robbed us, the entire mountain turned green, and the creek in the valley that had been dry for decades began to flow again. Th-this is simply a miracle! It’s as if the Flame King is dead!”

The village chief’s exclamation made everyone look at Fia. Even Renee leaned forward to listen.

Fia hesitated.

“Could you first tell me what this ‘Flame King’ is?”

“The Flame King is a powerful monster that has taken over this area, a monster that even His Majesty the King had to bow to. It’s said to be a turtle taller than a mountain, which was driven out of the Land of Blazing Flames and swam here along the ocean.”

“It’s the one that turned this place into a desert!”

“And it won’t let us pass through its territory! As soon as we get close, red frogmen will jump out and attack us!”

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“Even if we don’t pass by, those frogmen often raid the villages near the desert. They’ll carry off and eat everyone in the village. They’re even more hateful than the bandits!”

As the village chief introduced the topic, the girls all began to denounce the Flame King.

Although the information was fragmented, it was clear that the Flame King had done many evil deeds. At the same time, a strange idea popped into Fia’s head.

According to the village chief, this place had turned into a desert because of the great turtle known as the Flame King. And Anastasia and Liti had said that the sudden growth of grass in the desert was due to a blocked ley line being cleared. In other words, the Flame King was the thing that was blocking the ley line, and she had cleared the ley line—which meant she had eliminated the Flame King?

This thought made Fia’s breath catch in her throat.

She had indeed cast a spell of unknown rank at the desert, but wasn’t there nothing in the desert before she cast it? And for the great Flame King to be instantly killed by [Spatial Rift] without even making a sound was too incredible.

But on second thought, both the desert turning into an oasis and the Fire-striped Frogs attacking the carriage with no regard for their lives had occurred after she had cast [Spatial Rift]. It was all too coincidental to be called a coincidence.

It couldn’t be that at the exact same time, someone else had subjugated the Flame King.

Seeing Fia’s thoughtful and hesitant expression, the village chief’s simple face was filled with ecstasy. If not for the table in front of him, he would have been on his knees.

“It was you who defeated the Flame King! Thank you, Your Ladyship, thank you! Without the Flame King, the village has a source of water again! More importantly, we no longer have to worry about being eaten by the Flame King’s minions one day! Thank you, Your Ladyship!”

“Thank you, Your Ladyship!”

In an instant, not only the village chief but also the girls bowed to Fia in gratitude.

“The Flame King has always been a great worry for the baron who manages this area. Since you have dealt with the Flame King, the baron will surely reward you handsomely! You must remember to ask the baron for the bounty!”

The village chief emphasized with extreme gravity.

“Wait, I’m not sure…”

“You lot, don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourselves? The First Princess’s affairs are not for you to comment on.”

Just as Fia was thinking about how to respond, the chestnut-haired Renee stood up, her tone full of warning. Then, before the bewildered villagers could explain, Renee turned to Fia, the seriousness and formality in her expression only slightly less than Anastasia’s.

“Your Highness, the First Princess, please be mindful of your status. You are the First Princess of Silvar. You do not need to be pleasant to these commoners.”

After dropping these words, Renee, still wearing Fia’s cloak, walked straight out of the room.