Volume 1, Chapter 18 – The Path Ahead

The Holy Kingdom of Milcandis, City of Aurora.

As the only major human nation on the World Tree Continent founded on religion, the Holy Kingdom of Milcandis has always portrayed itself as the messenger of the gods, proclaiming to neighboring nations that it is the true leader of the continent.

Though fewer than one in ten take these words seriously, Milcandis remains undeterred, viewing it as a trial sent by the gods to test their faith. This alone is enough to prove the fanatical devotion the Holy Kingdom holds for its deity.

Aurora, a key southwestern city of Milcandis, is steeped in an especially thick religious atmosphere—at least eighty percent of its population follows the state religion, the “Yuna Faith.” Legend has it that “Yuna” was the first word spoken by the Goddess of Life when she led her followers to the World Tree Continent, meaning “new world.”

In Aurora, symbols of the Yuna Faith are everywhere—statues of deities, church emblems, believers walking the streets, and preachers gathering in squares. It could be said that anything violating the teachings of Yuna would never appear within the city walls, and every resident could potentially act as an informant for the faith.

Of course, this doesn’t rule out the possibility of certain restless shadows slipping through the Yuna Faith’s watchful gaze.

Before dawn.

The sun had yet to rise, but the sky had already lightened from pitch black to a faint white. Birdsong drifted through the window, and early risers had begun their morning routines. For the people of this city, this was the moment when their guard was at its lowest—those who had worked through the night were drowsy, while those just waking up were still groggy.

“Mm…”

A barely audible whimper escaped her lips as Fia’s consciousness slowly returned to her body. Almost instinctively, she furrowed her delicate brows, mentally reviewing the day’s tasks—a habit she had cultivated over many years, ensuring she knew exactly what needed to be done each morning.

In the past, no one had paid her any attention, yet she still felt the need to recall her daily agenda. She couldn’t quite understand why she had developed such a habit, but since she couldn’t remember her past self, Fia didn’t dwell on it. She simply carried on as usual.

She remembered she had been talking to Anastasia, and then—

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Huh?

As if slapped awake, Fia’s muddled mind cleared in an instant. Not only that, her heart began to race.

T-This is too embarrassing!

She had actually clung to Anastasia and cried her eyes out! It was the kind of shameful behavior that made her want to crawl into a hole—no, crawling into a hole wasn’t enough. Maybe she should just flee under cover of night—wait, no. After finally gaining recognition, even if it was through somewhat deceitful means, running away now would undo all her efforts.

But… How am I supposed to face Anastasia after this?

Fia wailed internally. The moment she saw Anastasia again, she would undoubtedly feel awkward all over, her face burning with embarrassment.

If she were a normal fourteen-year-old girl, it might be excusable. But with a mental age of at least—wait, how old was she again? Never mind. The point was, she was older than Anastasia. Yet here she was, a supposedly mature person, sobbing like a child in the arms of a younger girl. If word got out, people would laugh themselves silly.

For a moment, Fia had the overwhelming urge to bury her face in a pillow, roll around the bed, and vent her humiliation—maybe even let out some strange noises to ease the awkwardness.

Like the night after a successful confession, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep.

After a full minute of thrashing pointlessly, a breathless Fia finally stopped her muffled groans. With a push from her waist, she sprang upright.

“Alright, enough about the embarrassing stuff. There are more important things waiting for me now.”

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She slapped her cheeks lightly and took a deep breath.

After her breakdown last night, Anastasia had arranged for her to rest in the bedroom, assuring her that she would handle everything else. But Fia couldn’t just leave it all to Anastasia. Those words had been meant for the cowardly version of herself from last night. Now that she had gained recognition, as the true Elf Princess, she had to act like one.

Fia glanced out the window. Dawn had yet to break; there was still some time before sunrise.

According to Anastasia’s plan, at first light, she would lead a team to escort Fia out of the city through a secret passage. From there, they would avoid other settlements and head northeast through the wilderness toward the Elven Kingdom.

Additionally, Anastasia would leave behind a small but elite team of fewer than ten elves in Aurora. Their mission was to establish a foothold in the city and gather intelligence.

Before Fia’s arrival, Anastasia had already been using resources provided by slave traders to slowly collect information about the war. The reason Fia had seen the royal guards dressed in different outfits yesterday was because they were assuming various identities to gather intel.

While their efforts hadn’t uncovered any leads about the Elf Princess herself, they had made significant progress in other areas. They had learned that a member of the Elven royal family was being held captive in Aurora. However, details about who it was or how they were imprisoned remained unclear, requiring further investigation.

Though this royal family member couldn’t possibly hold a higher status than the Elf Princess—Fia had already been named Crown Princess, meaning she was next in line for the throne. Apart from the king, no one in the Elven Kingdom outranked her, not even the queen. Still, rescuing any royal was a priority the guards couldn’t ignore. Their very existence was dedicated to serving and protecting the royal family.

Slipping into her shoes, Fia began dressing. Anastasia would likely come to fetch her soon, so she needed to be ready.

However, when Fia stepped in front of the full-length bronze mirror in the room, she froze.

Reflected in the mirror was the slender, naked figure of the Elf Princess.

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From her snow-white, smooth skin stretching from her neck to her collarbone, to her long black hair cascading down to her waist, her delicate curves, and her still-youthful but already shapely legs—not to mention the budding, attention-drawing swell of her chest. Though not yet ample, the Elf Princess was still young, standing only about 140 centimeters tall, with plenty of room to grow. Fia had no doubt that if she matured a little more, she would blossom into a stunning beauty.

In fact, even now, her appearance was delicate enough to inspire endless adoration.

“N-No. Now’s not the time to stare.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly as Fia stiffly turned her head away.

Though it was her own body, she had only possessed it for less than a week. Seeing it now didn’t feel mundane at all—it was more like looking at another girl’s body. Being confronted so suddenly with such a scandalous and sinful sight was too much to handle.

And it came with a sense of guilt.

Peeping at an underage girl changing clothes was definitely a crime worthy of being locked in a space prison.

“Anastasia didn’t even help me put on my underwear…”

Doing her best to avoid looking in the mirror, Fia scanned the elegantly decorated room and quickly spotted her target.

Her dress, stockings, and even her undergarments were neatly hung on a clothing rack.

For a moment, Fia felt the same awkwardness as accidentally wandering into the women’s lingerie section while shopping.

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The underwear was a cute shade of pink, while the stockings were white—a perfect match for the Elf Princess’s black hair and dress. In the past, she would have marveled at the impeccable coordination, but now, she wasn’t so thrilled.

“T-This is also part of becoming the Elf Princess…”

Fia gulped.

She had indeed resolved to strive to become the Elf Princess and face challenges bravely, but she had never imagined the first hurdle would be so daunting.

Even something as simple as putting on clothes carried extraordinary significance. Never mind the blow to her pride (wearing them would mean accepting her identity as a little girl), just the thought of stepping outside dressed like this filled her with intense shame.

“Look at this guy wearing girls’ clothes,” even though no one would say that now that she was in the Elf Princess’s body, Fia couldn’t help imagining it.

“Guh… As the Elf Princess, I can’t back down now. Be brave, Fia!”

Besides, being caught wearing underwear was still better than being caught not wearing any.

With that self-consolation, Fia tremblingly reached for the clothing rack.

The young Elf Princess still had much to learn.