Volume 3, Chapter 17 – Contact

“Uh…”

Seeing the approaching Milu, Fia couldn’t help but hesitate.

Is this really Milu?

If the Milu from a moment ago was a malnourished, grimy slave girl, then the one now was like a fairy dancing in fresh blood.

Her features were delicate and small, her snow-white hair cascaded down her shoulders, and combined with her white dress, it perfectly accentuated her chilling, crimson vertical pupils. The stark contrast of red and white created an imminent sense of mystery and danger.

But if one looked a moment longer, this fear gradually transformed into an inhuman, bewitching charm, giving her the unique aura of a young lady from another race.

Fia couldn’t help but marvel inwardly, unsure whether to attribute it to the clothes making the person or to Milu’s own innate gifts. When she had picked Milu up, she had never imagined that she possessed such a delicate face that was both cute and dangerous.

“Hmph hmph, I bet you can’t even recognize little Milu, can you, sister?”

Like a proud sibling showing off her younger sister, Liti placed her hands on Milu’s shoulders and said proudly.

“Even I was shocked at first. With just a little dressing up, little Milu’s aura is stronger than that of some princesses from small countries. Hey, don’t tell me you brought her back because you saw she had a lot of potential, sister?”

Towards the end, Liti put on a thoughtful expression as if she were a detective, her large purplish-red eyes filled with suspicion.

Fia quickly waved her hands.

“How could that be possible?”

She had brought Milu to the inn simply because she was homeless, her situation was pitiful, and in some ways, she resembled Claire.

Following Fia’s words, Renee, who had stood up, said in a businesslike manner.

“It’s about time we sat down. What were you doing in the bathhouse? You made Her Highness the First Princess, and I waited for a full hour.”

“It was just a normal bath. You don’t need to know the details, Renee,” Liti replied impolitely.

What Liti didn’t say was that the reason she and Anastasia had taken so long was that the maids in the bathhouse had been reluctant to bathe Milu. Firstly, Milu’s terrifying crimson vertical pupils made her difficult to approach. Secondly, there was her status as a slave.

Milu’s slave crest was on the back of her neck and not usually noticeable, but for a bath, her hair had to be tied up. In the eyes of these maids, who usually only served nobles, bathing a slave, even at a guest’s request, was a blow to their dignity.

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With the exception of a few races like vampires where the physical disparity between genders was not obvious, in most races on the World Tree Continent, men were physically stronger than women, which had led to a tradition of male superiority.

Therefore, in most less affluent noble families, female descendants who could neither inherit the family estate nor receive a good education could mostly only become maids or helpers. Although they lost their noble titles, some of their past habits remained. Among maids, the reputation of one who served nobles and one who served slaves was vastly different.

Because of this, Liti and Anastasia had to do it themselves, helping Milu wash away the grime—it should be said that since Byrne City was located on the edge of the desert and was extremely short on water, a facility like a bathhouse had to use a large amount of “Blue Element Stones,” the counterpart to the “Crimson Stones,” which were stones that could produce water. Therefore, bathing also required an extra fee, and the cost was as high as one gold coin per person, which was why when the three of them went to the bathhouse, there was no one else inside.

“I didn’t expect this inn to be so grand. Although it’s not as good as the ones in the royal capital, considering this is just a barony, it’s surprisingly nice, better than some of the inns I’ve seen in earldoms. Where should little Milu sit?”

“Here.”

Seemingly unaccustomed to wearing a light and airy short skirt, Milu held the white hem with one hand and pointed to the only empty seat beside Fia with the other.

Liti’s expression stiffened. She tried to tactfully suggest that Milu sit next to Anastasia, but before she could speak, Milu had already sat down in the seat as if by magic, and was carefully pinching the cuff of Fia’s sleeve, looking as if she were unwilling to leave her side.

“Ha… haha… then Sister Ana and I will sit opposite you, sister.”

Although she made a sound like she was laughing, Fia could not see any trace of a smile on Liti’s face. On the contrary, perhaps it was Fia’s imagination, but she thought she heard a gritted-teeth cry of “This is repaying kindness with ingratitude, ingratitude!” drifting in the air.

The interlude quickly subsided, and the ordering of food ended with Liti’s cheerful selections. For the most part, the dishes Liti chose were easy to eat and had flavors that were acceptable to the general palate.

She did not choose any of the desert region’s specialty dishes, whose names alone made one’s vision go dark, such as “Grilled Sandworm and Scorpion Tail,” “Original Flavor Sand Elephant Tongue,” and “Flower Saliva Concoction”—the last dish had a pleasant name, but after asking the waiter, Fia learned that it was actually the saliva secreted by a carnivorous plant ¹ ewwwww , and since the carnivorous plants in the desert region mostly lived on sandworms, it had a unique grassy, fishy taste.

“What kind of food do you like, Milu?”

While waiting for the food to be served, Fia began to slowly get to know Milu. Even after changing into clean clothes, Milu’s emotions did not fluctuate much. She still wore a blank expression, making it difficult to understand what she was thinking.

“Anything is fine.”

“For a slave, just having something to eat is good enough. There’s no room to talk about likes and dislikes.”

Anastasia nodded lightly in agreement with Liti’s statement.

“If you meet a better master, you might get leftovers. If it’s a cruel master who only gives you a little bread each day, you can only rely on wild fruits and grassroots, rummaging through garbage for food.”

“Is that so…”

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Fia patted Milu’s head comfortingly. Although the latter kept her head down, from the way her legs were gently swinging under the table, it was clear that Milu was in a relatively good mood.

“By the way, Your Highness, what are your plans for Euphimilu? We are leaving Byrne City tomorrow. If you are not taking her back to Silvar, I can find her master, buy her, and return her freedom. As for subsequent arrangements, making her a maid in Baron Khesa’s household would be a good choice. She could do you a favor, and Baron Khesa would not refuse.”

As soon as Anastasia finished speaking, Fia felt Milu’s hand, which was pinching her cuff, quietly tighten.

She probably doesn’t want to leave me.

Fia couldn’t help but sigh softly. Although Anastasia’s arrangement was good, since she had already done this much, she didn’t mind taking Milu directly back to Silvar. Just as it would be no burden for Baron Khesa to raise one more person, Milu would not be a burden to her either.

She answered in a very serious tone.

“I want to take Milu back to Silvar.”

The moment her voice fell, Milu’s tense shoulders slowly relaxed.

As if she had heard the expected answer, Anastasia smiled.

“As expected of Your Highness. You are not one to abandon the weak. However, even if you are to take Euphimilu back with you, we must first find her current master and either transfer the master in the contract to you or simply dissolve the contract and return her freedom.

As for what to do after that, I wonder if Your Highness intends to adopt Euphimilu, or if you want her to be someone who can be of use by your side, like me. If it’s the former, you would need a husband or wife first. If it’s the latter, Euphimilu is of the Stellacryst race, who are naturally suited for magic. As long as her body is properly conditioned, she will be of use very soon.”

“We’ll talk about that after we find Milu’s master.”

As for a husband or wife, elves could marry the same sex anyway. With Claire, she would just need to get past her father. As for Milu’s combat ability, Fia had long since seen through [Wind of Exploration] that Milu possessed mana equivalent to the First Rank.

She wasn’t starting from scratch, so it wouldn’t be very difficult to train her. She could get to know Milu for a while and then give her the choice.

“Do you know who your master is and where they are, Milu?”

“I—”

“Eek!!”

Just as Milu looked up, a shrill scream erupted beside them, followed by the crisp sound of shattering cups and plates.

The male waiter who was serving the dishes was hastily bending down to pick up the broken crockery on the floor, but his trembling movements looked more like he was covering up his fear than cleaning up the mess. In addition, not only this waiter, but several other male waiters behind him also took a small step back under Milu’s gaze, their faces showing fear and hesitation.

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Fia could guess what had happened. The male waiter must have been serving the dishes and happened to see Milu’s eyes as she looked up. Startled, he couldn’t hold the plate steady, and thus this scene occurred.

After all, it was a fear that would make even Anastasia and Renee pause for a moment. It was normal for an ordinary person to be so scared that they couldn’t stand steadily.

However, what made Fia frown was that because the sound of shattering dishes had echoed throughout the restaurant, for a moment, everyone in the entire place looked over. Their gazes quickly focused on Milu, and they began to point and whisper, showing their fear and blame without any attempt to hide it.

“Isn’t that the jinx? How did she get in here?”

“Just looking at those eyes makes my scalp tingle. She must have made a deal with the Darkborn.”

“Sh-she’s looking over here! I must be excused!”

Such voices were endless, and in response, Milu’s hands clenched into tight fists.

“Tch, little Milu, don’t mind those rude lower-class nobles. Just listen to us. To tell you the truth, my sister and I are princesses of the Elf Kingdom of Silvar. Once we get back, no one will dare to say anything bad about you.”

Along with Liti, Fia also comforted her softly.

“Liti is right. Those people have nothing to do with you, Milu. You don’t have to care about what they think.”

However, not long after Fia’s voice fell, several men dressed as nobles slowly walked towards their table, their expressions clearly showing mockery and amusement. And upon seeing the leading man, who looked to be in his thirties or forties but already had a balding pate ² hmmm…modern Chinese slang, (地中海发型) its like… only had a fringe of hair around the sides and back, bald top.. sadly this medieval have no cool wigs , Milu’s face instantly filled with hatred, and she stared intently at him as he approached.

The words “looking for trouble” were written all over their faces.

“Well, if it isn’t the jinx who doesn’t even have a name. How did you get in here today? Did you trick a kind person, or did you make some kind of shady deal?”

“Dick.” ³ phahahah, now i know why author naming it like that

Milu stood up, her expression not at all like that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl. Her long life as a slave had long since freed her from the mindset of a little girl, and she had become a young woman with a mind no less mature than an adult’s.

If Fia remembered correctly, Dick was the one who had demanded Milu’s blood as an alchemy ingredient but had not paid her the silver coin. It was because of him that she had seen Milu being beaten by a group of men.

I’ll teach him a little lesson, and then get Milu’s payment back. One silver coin may not be much, but I can’t let this kind of person get away with it.

Without looking at Milu’s eyes for too long, the balding man’s gaze went past her to Fia’s group. Upon seeing the pointed ears of the four elves, he revealed a contemptuous smile.

“So you’ve found some demi-huma—Ugh.”

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Before he could finish the word “demi-human,” the man was startled by the cold aura emanating from Anastasia. He was forced to shut his mouth, his face first showing fear, then anger. However, before he could reprimand Anastasia, his shoulder was tapped.

Hmm?

Fia tilted her head slightly. The person who had tapped Dick’s shoulder was not her, but one of the young men from the Witch Hall who had been watching them earlier.

The two young men were clearly just henchmen. The real leader, Friede, gently lifted the veil of her noble lady-style black hat and smiled at Fia. The combination of her very Asian-style face and Western-style clothing had a unique beauty.

“Could you please shut your mouth, Lord Dick?”

The young man holding Dick’s shoulder said with a smile.

Dick subconsciously tried to break free from the young man’s grip, but he struggled twice without success. Being treated so rudely by an unknown man, in his anger, Dick turned to order his men, only to find them giggling foolishly as if they had lost their minds. Something like a golden flame was reflected in all of their eyes.

Mental magic—no, it’s a witch, the Ash Witch.

This name immediately appeared in Dick’s mind. He didn’t recognize Fia because the elf princess had never been to Byrne City. But the Ash Witch was different. He had long known from Baron Khesa that the Witch Hall in Byrne City was divided into two factions. Offending the Ash Witch was like being sentenced to death.

In the whole of Byrne City, the Witch Hall was the strongest faction. If not for the witches’ indifference to worldly affairs, the Barony of Khesa would have long since been under their control.

Seeing the panic and fear on Dick’s face, the young man holding his shoulder smiled.

“Can you shut up now?”

“I-I’ll shut up.”

“Wait, before you shut up, apologize to the elf lady here and this Stellacryst lady,” Friede came forward, speaking slowly in a lazy tone as she took off her black gloves, her smiling black eyes glancing at Dick. “You are too blind.”

“I apologize, I apologize!” Seeing the golden flames burning in Friede’s black eyes, Dick felt as if he had been plunged into a world of ice and snow. His forehead was instantly covered in sweat, and the fear that made his teeth chatter caused him to bow repeatedly to Fia and Milu.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry! I was blind, I was blind!”

Friede looked at Fia, her eyes seeming to ask, “Is this enough?”

Fia conveyed Friede’s meaning to Milu. Milu paused for a moment, then took a step forward, first taking a silver coin from Dick’s breast pocket, and then, in front of everyone in the restaurant, she lifted her foot and kicked him hard between the legs.