Volume 4, Chapter 57 – A New Beginning

Fia, Claire, and Anastasia were walking on the path to the grand hall.

Just as Anastasia had predicted, everyone who saw Fia return showed a look of surprise. In their minds, Fia had already been gone with the troops for two days. Although they roughly guessed that Prince Schain’s death was her doing, they had only thought that she had known a coup might happen and had arranged everything in advance, remotely suppressing the turmoil. To suddenly see her in person now, they were naturally filled with doubt and had a clearer understanding of her strength.

It should be said that Fia did not see a single noble from Prince Schain’s faction along the way, and she clearly felt that there were far fewer servants in the Royal Castle. Without asking, she knew that the missing portion of servants came from families belonging to his faction.

Most of the servants who worked in the Royal Castle came from noble families. Although they themselves had not participated in the coup, just as Erin Slate’s uncle’s rebellion had led to the exile of Duke Heller and his eldest daughter, a coup was a capital offense that implicated the entire family. Even if they were completely unaware, their only option was to flee.

The empty courtyards and the hurried servants gave the impression of a mess after a storm.

Gazing at the courtyard, which was still a mess even after being cleaned—there were grass clippings, rubble, and what looked like bloodstains everywhere—Fia couldn’t help but quietly marvel at how power was like a poison.

However, although it looked like a mess now, it would probably be thriving again in a few days. Fia was not sentimental about this. The old is always replaced by the new. Those vacant positions would always be filled by newcomers. If the redundant and old were not destroyed, the new and vibrant would have no room to grow. Her greatest political enemy, Prince Schain, had fallen. From now on, she would have the final say in the Royal Castle and would no longer have to worry about anyone holding her back. This was a good thing.

As Fia was thinking this, Anastasia, who was behind her, was talking to Claire in a low voice.

“That is to say, Miss Claire, your return to Dragonfall was, on the one hand, to say goodbye to old friends, and on the other, to retrieve those two swords and other treasures?”

Dragonfall was another world, independent of the World Tree Continent. Although its area was far from being as vast as the continent, it was exceptionally dangerous because it was the place where dragons had fallen. It was also where Claire had been born.

“Exactly. Those two swords were the weapons that were with me when my consciousness was born.”

Perhaps because the weather was a little cool, Claire held her right arm with her left hand as she spoke.

“Mmm… how should I put this. Actually, I can’t use magic for a long time. You should still remember how I suddenly turned into a demon back in Aurora City, Anastasia, right? That was a sign of overusing my mana. Although I have a lot of it, unlike ordinary people, mine is depleted with use and cannot be replenished on its own. If I have those two swords with me, the amount of mana I can recover on my own becomes much greater than usual.”

It was difficult to understand just from the words. If one were to supplement Claire’s meaning with numbers, it would be much simpler. Her mana was divided into two types: ‘recoverable mana’ and ‘mana that is depleted with use.’ Assuming she had a total of ten thousand mana points, the ‘recoverable’ portion was only a very small part, about five hundred points, while the ‘depleted’ portion was the remaining nine thousand five hundred.

If Claire only used low-rank spells like [Fireball], her mana could be quickly replenished even if it was consumed. But if she used high-rank spells, such as [Divine Judgement], it would not only consume the five hundred recoverable points, but also the nine thousand five hundred non-recoverable points.

And if she were to hold the two special weapons that were born with her, then her total mana would increase from ten thousand to twelve thousand, with the additional two thousand all being ‘recoverable.’ Of course, this value was just an analogy. In fact, like Fia, she didn’t know how much mana she had.

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Claire had already told Fia about her non-recoverable mana when they had left Aurora City, so Fia was not surprised by this. Her doubt lay in another point, but because Anastasia was here, she was too embarrassed to say it.

Claire’s answer made Anastasia frown, a look of “this is bad” on her face.

“Isn’t that very bad? Why are you only telling us now, Miss Claire?”

As if it were difficult to say, a look of bitterness appeared on Claire’s face.

“Well… back in Aurora City, I had actually given up hope that people would remember me. Mmm… it was that feeling of complete despair, I guess. Although I hadn’t reached the point of actively seeking death, I was just drifting along, feeling that it didn’t matter what happened.”

“Even so, you shouldn’t have left your companion’s weapons behind.”

“There were various reasons for that. When I was first born into this world, I offended many people because I was unfamiliar with my own power, but I also received a lot of help. I was already strong enough. Those two weapons were just icing on the cake. It was better to lend them to the friends who had helped me in the past, who would have had difficulty surviving in Dragonfall without them.”

Just like Laevateinn and me. Fia thought. She was too powerful, which left Laevateinn with no use.

She did not speak, but continued to listen to the conversation between Claire and Anastasia behind her.

Speaking of friends, the bitterness on Claire’s face deepened. She shook her head lightly, as if to shake off the burdens of the past.

“But they’ve already forgotten me, so I didn’t feel any psychological burden when I took back the weapons, thinking, ‘you’re the ones who broke our promise first.’ Although I had long expected it to be this way, when I was actually asked ‘who are you,’ I couldn’t help but feel sad. Fortunately, they have already grown into monsters who can live independently without my help, so I have no psychological burden. Come to think of it, when I told them that this was my thing, they actually believed me. Even though they had forgotten my existence, they still remembered that these two swords did not belong to them.”

“Monsters who can live independently?”

As if she had long expected Anastasia to ask this, Claire nodded her head obediently.

“Mhm. There are almost no humans in Dragonfall. It’s all life forms that have evolved from monsters into semi-humans. There, life forms with no survival skills can easily become dinner for other monsters, so mutual help is very important.”

“It feels a bit like the Land of Exile.”

“I have not been to the Land of Exile, but in terms of the law of the jungle, I imagine it is exactly the same.”

Claire’s gentle smile made Anastasia smile as well. The similar life experiences made her feel that the distance between them had shortened a lot. Claire was not the kind of harsh and difficult-to-talk-to woman.

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As if remembering something, Anastasia’s expressive azure eyes widened.

“Then what would happen if your mana were to run out, Miss Claire?”

They were finally getting to the point.

A slight tension appeared in Fia’s heart. It wasn’t that she was nervous, but a little uncomfortable. She really wanted to make a retort, but with Anastasia here, she was too embarrassed to speak. She could already imagine Claire’s blushing face and Anastasia’s extremely delicate, “you’re a pervert” gaze if she were to just say it out loud.

Of course, Claire did not know what Fia was thinking. She placed her right hand on her chest and calmly explained.

“Ever since I learned that most of my mana is depleted with use, I have rarely used spells that consume a large amount of it, so I have never encountered a situation where my mana has run out. However, one thing is certain: the consumption of mana is reflected on my body.”

As she finished speaking, Claire’s clear, emerald-green eyes fell on Anastasia’s chest. Although Anastasia was a little taller than her, it wasn’t by much. But in terms of bust size, Anastasia had a clear advantage.

It wasn’t that Claire was small, but that Anastasia was too big. Without comparison, there was no harm.

A hint of a defiant pride entered Claire’s voice.

“Don’t be fooled by my current appearance. In the past, I was actually not much different from Anastasia. It’s just because I was ignorant and overused my mana that I have the appearance of a seventeen or eighteen year old girl now.”

No, no, no, you’re definitely exaggerating, Claire.

Walking in front, Fia, while maintaining an expressionless face, retorted internally.

Claire wasn’t lying. Her body did indeed become younger with a large consumption of mana. However, even in her complete form, she could not compare to Anastasia. Or rather, perhaps she hadn’t realized that she was already in her complete form now.

Perhaps because her body was gradually changing, she hadn’t noticed. But as an observer, Fia had clearly observed the change in her body size. That night when she was sitting on the window, Fia had vaguely felt that she had become a little smaller than before. It was just that their dramatic reunion had not given her a chance to say anything, and she had also felt that perhaps it was because she hadn’t seen her for too long and her memory had played a trick on her, that it was an illusion, so she had not mentioned it immediately.

The result was that after that night, she had clearly visually sensed that Claire’s body had returned to the size she had been when she had first seen her in Aurora City. No, it should be said that she was even a little bigger than then. For example, her chest had become fuller, and she had grown a tiny bit taller, her whole body exuding a mature charm.

If things were really as she had said, that she would become smaller due to the use of non-recoverable mana, then it was obvious that after their intimacy, her non-recoverable mana had been restored. The proof was that her reverse-aging body had reverted back.

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From this, one could judge that since her lost mana would be restored after being intimate with her, then the current Claire was actually the complete Claire. She had never grown to be as full as Anastasia. She was lying.

Like a child who insisted on being taller.

Fia gave a wry smile internally.

It was worth mentioning that she had not yet told Claire that her lost mana would be restored after being intimate. The reason, of course, was that she hadn’t seen her these past two days and had not had the chance. And she felt that before telling her her guess, she should verify it first. That way, even if the reality was not as she had thought, she could avoid a false hope. Besides, to be able to replenish mana just by being intimate was too… embarrassing.

As for why Claire herself hadn’t noticed that she was a little bigger than when she had just arrived in Blossom, Fia felt that perhaps she had actually noticed something, but had thought it was her imagination, so she had not paid it any mind. After all, no one measured their height and bust size with a ruler every day, and she was not that kind of woman, so it would be difficult to be sure if there had been any growth.

A Claire who could grow bigger and smaller was very cute to think about. She wondered if she could become as big as her, or even smaller. Then she could sit on a chair with little Claire in her arms.

As Fia’s mind fantasized about a little Claire, Anastasia and Claire, behind her, continued their conversation, oblivious.

“You have also been through a lot, Miss Claire…”

“Compared to you, Anastasia, it is just a trivial and bleak past.” As if to say that the topic was over, Claire waved her hand lightly. Her gaze fell on Fia, whose walking posture was a little stiff. “By the way, Royal Consorts have been coming to see me these past two days. They all say they are Fia’s mothers. Even if elves can procreate with the same sex, one elf can’t have so many mothers, right? The way each of them looks at me makes me feel like I’m being sized up like prey. Could it be that Fia has already told them about us?”

“Uh, yes. Her Highness has already told the Royal Consorts that you are her lover. Her Highness’s biological mother does not like her, so she was raised under the care of the various consorts.”

“I see… so they already see Fia as their own daughter. No wonder they asked me all sorts of questions, as if they were interrogating me.”

This topic was unavoidable, no matter what. Fia cleared her throat and asked, feigning ignorance.

“Have you met Mother Yulisha, Claire?”

“Yulisha? No impression. It seems she hasn’t come to see me yet.”

“Is that so…”

Fia was instantly filled with apprehension.

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When she had introduced Claire to Mother Yulisha, she had been exceptionally serious and had even whispered something about testing her. On one side was her mother, on the other, her lover. Fia felt torn. Now that the two of them hadn’t met yet, it must be that Mother Yulisha was waiting for Claire to take the initiative to see her. But not only had Claire not gone to see her until now, but she had also met with the other consorts first. With Mother Yulisha’s personality… she really didn’t know what would happen.

Just thinking about it gave her a headache. If she were to be asked “who is more important, me or her,” she might just foam at the mouth and collapse on the spot.

Why was there such a torturous question in this world?

Praying in her heart that Mother Yulisha would spare her, Fia, quickening her pace, soon arrived at the grand hall.

She first looked at the empty entrance, lowered her head slightly in a salute to the air, then took a deep breath and stepped into the noisy hall.

In an instant, the entire hall fell silent. Everyone’s gaze was focused on her. She could even hear something like a groan. It was clear that these nobles hadn’t expected her, who was supposed to be in the south, to suddenly appear.

Fia did not express anything about this. She just held her head high and, like a monarch, said in an authoritative tone that everyone could hear.

“Since you are all here, let’s go to the audience chamber and sit down.”

“Yes.”

Surrounded by the nobles and ministers who had parted to the sides, the three of them walked straight to the upper seats of the audience chamber.

Compared to the first time she had been here, there were far fewer gazes directed at her.

Now, only her own faction and the neutral nobles were left at the conference table. The respect and submission in their eyes needed no words.

No one took the initiative to speak. Even Kalsey, who should have been presiding over the meeting, was sitting obediently in a lower seat. As for the military, since Godley had also participated in the coup, they had quickly drawn a line with him and had sent a woman with inextricable ties to Yulisha as their representative.

The people sitting here were all smart. They had already figured out that Prince Schain’s death was her doing. The actions of the crowd made Fia understand that they were all waiting for her to explain how she had done it all—from knowing in advance that he would launch a coup, to how she had tricked him into a trap with only a very small cost to the Imperial Guard. Of course, what was more important was the direction from now on, such as how to deal with the nobles who had participated in the rebellion, and how to divide the huge cake left by his death.

Then she would deign to explain. Of course, she had to hide the existence of Erin Slate and the others.

At this thought, a sense of confidence surged in Fia’s chest. Like the former princess, she straightened her back, her slender and petite body exuding authority. In a cold and composed tone, she announced the end of an era.