Volume 4, Chapter 14 – Blossom

If one were to search for a uniquely prosperous city on the northern continent of the World Tree, the first reaction of most people would undoubtedly be Silvar’s royal capital, Blossom. It was not only one of the most densely populated cities on the continent but also a place that held a pivotal position in the fields of economics, culture, and magical studies—a city that had left a rich and colorful mark on history.

Under the influence of the elf race’s innate affinity for natural magic, the cities and towns surrounding Blossom could produce several times the normal amount of food. Coupled with proper urban planning, the city of Blossom and its surrounding towns had a combined population of nearly 1.2 million, its sheer scale stretching as far as the eye could see.

It was a common saying among travelers that if you went to the northern continent without visiting Blossom, you had wasted your trip.

In the fields of magic and architecture, the elves had created a unique structure called the ‘Elf Tower.’ This was a type of treehouse architecture created by applying natural magic to the roots of the Holy Tree, nurturing its sprouts and causing them to grow into mighty structures.

Unlike the common understanding of a treehouse as just a nest built in a tree, these Elf Towers were at least fifty meters tall, covering an area of five hundred to a thousand square meters. They were hollow on the inside to house various magical facilities and were a symbol of the elf race’s magical prowess. Such towers could be seen everywhere in Blossom. In some areas where the towers were dense, there were even sky bridges made of thick branches connecting them.

Below were wide streets and ordinary residences, while above were the crisscrossing Elf Towers and branches. Such a three-dimensional city was the only one of its kind on the entire World Tree Continent.

It was worth noting that not everyone was qualified to enter an Elf Tower. Only those who could use magic or possessed outstanding knowledge in other fields could come and go.

By order of King Yelido, even nobles could not set foot inside unless they were of high status or could use magic themselves. As a result, Blossom had an extremely rich atmosphere of magical study, attracting countless foreign scholars to seek knowledge. On the streets of Blossom, one could often see scholars in magic robes, a rare sight in other countries.

In such an environment that revered magic, magic-casters capable of using high-rank spells naturally held extremely high status. And the elf princess named Dofilia Alexia Yushir, having reached the Seventh Rank before the age of one hundred, had become the beloved darling of all magic-casters.

Now, the great Eldest Princess had arrived in her loyal Blossom.

Yet, no one cheered.

It wasn’t that these scholars were no longer loyal to the Eldest Princess, but that Fia was completely unaware of these things. She simply sat quietly in the carriage, gazing out the window at the Elf Towers scattered throughout the city and the long bridges that connected them.

If these oak-like Elf Towers were a few thousand meters taller, and their bark and bridges were painted white, she might have thought she had arrived on some technologically advanced planet.

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Previously, Fia had never had a direct sense of how strong the Elf Kingdom was. Now, seeing the bustling traffic and the sky-piercing Elf Towers outside her window, she finally had the impression that “Silvar truly deserves to be called the Elf Kingdom.” The prosperity of Blossom far surpassed any city she had seen on the World Tree Continent. It was as if the very air tasted of magical elements.

“It’s a good thing we deliberately stayed outside for a night to gather news about the capital. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have even known that His Majesty had left.”

Anastasia, sitting in the carriage, sighed in relief. As she said, the group had originally arrived at Blossom the previous night, but she had felt they should first investigate the situation in the capital. So, it wasn’t until this morning that they had set out from their temporary inn for the royal palace.

And in that one night, Anastasia had learned about the changes in the capital over the past month from an acquaintance.

First, as she had just mentioned, King Yelido had left the capital a few days ago. Due to the great earthquake in the south creating an Abyss, he had gone to the border between Silvar and the Netherworld to personally supervise the situation and would not be back for some time.

Second, and most importantly, the news of the Eldest Princess’s memory loss was already known. Although the Northern Prince had spread this news two days ago, it was now known throughout the city. The rumors even claimed that the princess had not only forgotten her parents’ names but also how to use magic.

Finally, at Fia’s reminder, Anastasia had also inquired about Claire. The result was that no one named Claire had recently come to Blossom. However, Fia later felt that even if Claire had truly arrived, this method of asking around would be unlikely to yield any real information. Those people would quickly forget her existence under the forgetting curse, so they naturally couldn’t say for sure whether she had arrived or not.

Fia could only hope that the Siren’s Mirror she had gotten from Estelle would work.

“Your Highness, I think we should continue to hide our identities and stay in the capital for a while, and only reveal ourselves after His Majesty returns. Although His Majesty is strict, he has always valued you greatly. As long as he is here, your memory loss will not have a significant impact. The Northern Prince deliberately brought the news of your memory loss back to the capital; he must have some trick up his sleeve. He might have even made other preparations in secret.”

Although Fia’s power was greater than the Northern Prince’s, many matters in the palace could not be easily solved by violence alone. The Prince also had many powerful nobles behind him. A direct confrontation with them would throw the entire country into turmoil.

The most rational and least impactful method was to lay the groundwork step by step and then, when the time was right, uproot them all in one fell swoop.

“Why does it feel like you’re more anxious than I am?” Fia said with a wry smile. “Putting aside the fact that the people you mentioned are no match for me, I never said I was going to have a direct confrontation with them in the first place.”

“But they will definitely come looking for trouble with you.”

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“As long as I still remember how to smash my fist in their faces, there won’t be a problem. Didn’t you also agree before that as long as I didn’t lose my magic ability, it wouldn’t cause much of a stir? In a month’s time, Claire has either already arrived in Blossom or is about to. The existence of the forgetting curse is too troublesome. I must appear before everyone soon, so it will be easier for her to find me. Instead of discussing this, why don’t you tell me about the factions in the capital and their attitudes towards me.”

“…You have a point.”

With a look of hesitation, Anastasia nodded lightly.

“I can tell you about that, Sister!”

Seeing a chance to finally interject, Liti, dressed in a pink formal dress, energetically popped into view.

“The older ministers are basically all on your side, Sister. As for the nobles, the southern nobles have close ties with you. The northern nobles, like Count Reinhardt and Count Lafaria, are on Schain’s side because he helped them during a rebellion in their territories years ago. Oh, right, Schain is the Northern Prince. His full name is Aldrich Alexia Diego. ‘Schain’ was his title before he was enfeoffed as the Northern Prince.”

“And what about their respective strengths?”

“Your side is definitely stronger, Sister. The south has a warm climate and fertile land. Plus, they have to fight the undead from the Netherworld every winter. So, in terms of both wealth and military power, they are stronger than the northern nobles. Although the north has to defend against the monsters from the Frostlands, ever since Father broke through to the quasi-Eighth Rank, the monsters up there have been much more subdued. There hasn’t been a major battle in many years.”

“I see.”

“And that’s not all,” Liti added. Seeing Fia lower her head in thought, Liti reached into her dress and pulled out a sea-blue metal plate. Fia couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but she felt that when Liti took it out, she deliberately pulled her collar wide open, allowing one to see the cute, blue-laced underwear inside.

If Anastasia had done that, she would have probably blushed, but seeing Liti do it only made her feel a little pitiful. She was even flatter than Fia.

Of course, Liti had no idea what Fia was thinking. She presented the metal plate to Fia as if showing off a prize. “This is a Crystal-Gold grade permit for the Elf Towers. With this, you can enter most of them. The most powerful forces on your side, Sister, besides the key ministers of the kingdom, are the magic-casters of the Elf Towers. I only got a Crystal-Gold permit because of my royal status, but you became a high-rank magic-caster of one of the Three Main Towers through your own strength.”

Before arriving, Fia had heard Anastasia explain what the Three Main Towers were. They were the core of all the Elf Towers.

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There were nearly a hundred Elf Towers in Blossom, and the three largest ones stood guard around the Holy Tree of the elf race. These three were known as the Three Main Towers. There were only two ways to become a master of one: first, by modifying or creating a forbidden spell, thereby having absolute authority in the field of magic; second, by defeating the masters of all the other Elf Towers.

Due to the harsh selection criteria, the Three Main Towers had become a symbol of strength, a backing that the nobles tried their utmost to win over.

And the former princess had, through her own strength, become the owner of one of the Three Main Towers. In addition to her unique insights into magic, she possessed unparalleled potential and an original magical theory. Many had even been taught by her personally. Therefore, the scholars in the Elf Towers all stood by her side.

On this point, the Northern Prince had no advantage.

However, this only made Fia feel troubled.

“This, well…”

It was certainly nice that the magic-casters of the Elf Towers were on her side, but whether they would still support her after she had lost her memory was a big question mark. The current her could no longer teach them as she had before.

“I don’t think you need to worry like Big Sis Ana does,” Liti said. “It might even be a good thing that Father isn’t in the palace. At least you won’t have to face him the moment you get back and will have some time to prepare.”

At this, Liti seemed to remember something and looked towards Milu. Having been unable to join the conversation, Milu had been passing the time by dangling her fair calves.

“Sister, you need to give little Milu a position. Otherwise, she can’t walk around the palace freely. What position would be good…”

“Can’t I just say Milu is my sister?”

“But Father hasn’t said he’ll adopt little Milu as a daughter…”

“Mmm, don’t want to be a sister,” Milu herself protested, puffing out her cheeks.

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If she remembered correctly, Milu had said something like “Master already has a sister.”

“Since Your Highness plans to keep Euphimilu by your side from now on, how about making her a maid, just like me? It would be perfect. After I finish teaching her swordsmanship, I can then teach her the duties of a maid,” Anastasia suggested.

“Won’t that be too much of a burden for you, Anastasia?”

“I have nothing to do when I’m idle. It won’t be a burden.”

Anastasia’s smiling explanation didn’t seem like a lie, so Fia turned her gaze to Milu.

“What do you think, Milu?”

Milu placed an index finger on her chin and wrinkled her cute brow in thought.

“With Ana… mmm, no problem.”

She was unwilling to be a sister, but willing to be a maid. It was hard to understand. Fia couldn’t help but be curious about her inner thoughts.

In any case, “maid” was just a title. It was best to go along with Milu’s wishes.

“Then it’s decided. Milu, like Anastasia, will be the Eldest Princess’s personal maid—have we arrived at the royal castle?”

As Fia finished speaking, everyone looked out the window. Just as she had said, Renee had already driven the carriage to the front of the royal castle with its magnificent walls.