Volume 1, Chapter 23 – After the Crushing Defeat

Shocked by the scene before her, Anastasia instinctively turned to Fia, the elf princess, for guidance as she always had. She sheathed her sword, its hilt embedded with a magic crystal, and asked:

“Y-Your Highness, what should we do now?”

No, no—this is something you should decide, Anastasia.

Seeing Anastasia’s face so close to hers, Fia couldn’t help but recall how she had clung to Anastasia the night before, weeping uncontrollably. Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and she quickly averted her gaze.

“I don’t know. What do you think, Anastasia?”

“Ah… right, you’ve lost your memories.”

Anastasia quickly snapped back to reality. Since Fia no longer had her memories, it fell to her, as the elder sister, to handle matters.

She cleared her throat and resumed her usual authoritative tone.

“Kirill, tend to the wounded. Right now, Aurora City is sealed off by the Unsinkable Moon—no one can enter or leave. Our top priority is finding a place to hide. With our current numbers, it would be reckless to confront the Holy Kingdom head-on. They’ll likely regroup and return soon.”

If they’re all as weak as the ones just now, it doesn’t matter how many times they come~

Though Fia wanted to say that, she had already entrusted command to Anastasia. Interfering now would be unbecoming.

Besides, Fia didn’t believe the Holy Kingdom would only send weaklings after her. Take the Unsinkable Moon, for example—hanging in the sky like a crescent, casting a purple veil over the entire city. It resembled an artificial sun, much like the ones that illuminated the underground world.

She hadn’t yet tested this body’s durability. Who knew if the spear meant to kill the elf princess could be used again—or whether she could withstand it?

For now, she could only hope the Holy Kingdom wouldn’t push too hard. Otherwise, she’d have no choice but to summon the Silver Nebula and blow that so-called Unsinkable Moon out of the sky.

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Of course…

There would be a small complication in pulling that off.

“Though it’s a shame for the owner of this mansion, we elves will remember his deeds today. Once we return to the elven kingdom of Silvar, we’ll repay him tenfold. For now, let’s change our clothes and retreat.”

Muttering softly to the mansion, now reduced to a single standing wall, Anastasia removed her bloodstained coat and pulled out a set of plain clothes from who-knows-where, then draped a hooded cloak over herself to conceal her elven ears. The other royal guards followed suit, donning mismatched linen shirts before covering themselves with cloaks.

Clearly, they had done this many times before.

“Find shelter separately. Regroup at the Adventurer’s Guild three days from now at three in the afternoon. Remember—your survival comes first. Don’t risk exposure for someone already compromised. Our mission is to escort Her Highness, not to seek glory.”

“Yes!”

With a unified response, the royal guards scattered in different directions. In a manner befitting a fantasy world, these elves possessed physical abilities far beyond ordinary humans, effortlessly scaling walls and leaping between rooftops. Within moments, they had vanished into the city.

As for the wounded elven soldier Fia had first encountered, he was stabilized with basic first aid before being carried away by his comrades.

The courtyard was now left with only Fia, Anastasia, and the slaves trapped in their cages. The Holy Kingdom soldiers had fled without looking back, and the servants, freed from restraint, had long since slipped away before dawn.

Come to think of it, I’ve caused quite a bit of trouble for the slave trader here.

I’ll make it up to him someday.

Silently apologizing in her heart, Fia looked up at Anastasia.

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“Anastasia, where are we going?”

“Your Highness, please wear this.”

“Mm.”

Anastasia handed Fia a cloak to conceal her elven ears. The reason for dismissing the royal guards was simple—traveling in such a large group would draw too much attention. Splitting up and regrouping later was far safer.

“For now, we’ll find a place to stay. If we have no other choice, we’ll hide in the slums. That’s a gray area the Church can’t reach. The people there would do anything for money, but it’s still better than falling into the Holy Kingdom’s hands. As long as I’m careful, we’ll be fine.”

Fia pulled up the hood, hiding her black hair and pointed ears.

Anastasia’s expression was grim as she spoke, making it clear the situation wasn’t as simple as she made it sound. The slums weren’t some safe haven where caution alone would guarantee safety. As the saying goes, it’s easy to dodge an open attack but hard to guard against a hidden one. In a direct fight, those emaciated people would be no match for Anastasia, but they only struck under cover of darkness, delivering fatal blows to those lost in deep slumber.

Even in a different world, the unspoken rules of the slums remained unchanged. Preying on the weak was always the dominant theme.

Suddenly, a figure surfaced in Fia’s mind.

A silver-haired girl who glowed with a translucent, holy radiance under the moonlight—like an elf of the moon.

Claire.

Claire had said that if Fia ever needed help, she could come to her.

Though they had only met once, Fia—as the elf princess—would undoubtedly bring unimaginable trouble to Claire. Yet, for some reason, Fia felt that if she went to Claire, everything would be alright. Claire would surely take her in.

Should I try?

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The thought lingered in Fia’s mind.

“Your Highness, we need to go.”

Anastasia’s urging snapped her back.

No—I should at least try.

Fia grabbed Anastasia’s hand.

“Wait, Anastasia. I have an idea—do you know a girl named Claire around here?”

“Claire?” Anastasia frowned slightly, her vivid blue eyes clouded with thought. “I feel like I’ve heard that name before, but that must have been someone from long ago. Why do you ask, Your Highness?”

Long ago?

Hadn’t Anastasia only just arrived in Aurora City?

No, now wasn’t the time to dwell on the past. Fia shook her head. Claire had mentioned last night that she ran a clinic. Asking Anastasia about its location would be more practical.

When Fia posed the question, Anastasia quickly provided an answer.

The clinic was on a nearby street.

Though it was close to the mansion, sometimes the most dangerous place was the safest. It was worth a shot. If it worked, it would be far better than hiding in the slums, where danger lurked at every turn.

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“Are you really going to trust someone you just met? Your Highness, we’re running out of time. The soldiers could return at any moment.”

“If there’s a chance, we should take it. If it’s just soldiers, I’ll handle them!”

Pulling her hood lower, Fia took a decisive step forward, heading straight for the location Anastasia had described.

But just as she was about to step through the gate, she suddenly stopped.

There was one last thing she had to do.

The slave trader had already committed a grave crime by sheltering the elf princess. He wouldn’t be coming back. So, Fia would do what she could for the slaves here—

—free them.

Even if they couldn’t regain their freedom, it was better than starving to death in cages.

Turning back toward the courtyard, Fia visualized the trajectory of a fireball in her mind—one strong enough to blast open the chains without harming the slaves.

The shackles were now broken. Whether they stayed or fled was up to them.

“Anastasia, let’s go.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”