Volume 4, Chapter 96 – Epilogue

Translator Note

sorry for double price, its 7k+ eng word

As if offering a dirge for the vanished Holy Tree, the heavy snow in Blossom continued to fall even into the next day. The place where the tree had once stood was replaced by a barren, stone-built altar. Topped with a layer of white snow, at first glance, it looked like the ugly stump left after a tree had been felled.

After a night of rest, the situation in Blossom had largely stabilized. Thanks to Fia’s timely intervention, besides the destruction of the buildings in the Royal Castle near the Holy Tree, there were no other losses in the entire city. As for casualties, there were only some city residents who had fallen while fleeing in panic. The extent of the disaster could be said to be extremely low.

As it was now daytime, one could clearly see the people who had fled in terror returning to their homes, their eyes filled with both relief and anxiety. The good thing was that their homes were still there; the bad thing was that the Holy Tree was gone. No one knew what the future would hold, but it was certain that it would change.

“The above is the casualty situation in the Royal Castle and the noble district. The number of casualties in the commoner’s district is still under investigation. The flow of people is too large, and it is difficult to collect all the information in a short time. However, I believe that since even the Royal Castle and the noble district, which were closest to the Holy Tree, had less than a hundred casualties, the people in the commoner’s district will not have suffered great losses. The most urgent task now is to explain all of this. Everyone is very concerned about what that blue light that destroyed the Holy Tree yesterday was, and whether the tree can be revived.”

After reading this in a dignified tone, Erin Slate, in a black gauze dress with her deep green hair tied into twin tails, put down the document in her hand and looked at Fia, who was sitting in the highest seat in the grand hall.

The location where everyone was gathered was not the Sea Palace with its throne, but the magnificent Gray Palace in the style of a noble council. To everyone’s surprise, Yelido had not attended at this critical moment, the reason being that he was unwell.

It was less that he was unwell and more that he needed some time to recompose himself. However, only she and Claire knew what had happened on that empty snowfield last night. Outsiders, even Kalsey and Erin Slate, did not know the details. Everyone thought that he was unwell today because he had overdrawn too much mana suppressing the Holy Tree last night. The reason was logical.

And with Yelido absent, Fia naturally became the one in charge. She pretended to be in thought, while secretly observing the expressions of the various nobles and ministers at the long table. At this moment, they were whispering to each other, their faces full of sorrow. Among those present, besides Claire behind her, no one knew that she had secretly entered the Holy Tree last night, and naturally, they did not know that she had committed deicide. They were just uneasy about the disappearance of the tree.

As Fia cleared her throat, the people at the table instantly fell silent. The authority in her every move inspired awe in them. Now, there was no one here who dared to oppose the Eldest Princess.

“Last night, when the Holy Tree underwent its strange transformation, I was inside it. I saw the Saint.”

“Y-Your Highness went to the Holy Tree? When?!” Count Evan asked in surprise.

“Just after I had restored the Holy Tree Dance,” Fia answered calmly. “After completing the dance, I heard the Saint’s summons, so I went to investigate. The rampaging tree accepted me and guided me before the late Saint. And there, he told me the whole story of the past.”

After speaking, Fia deliberately paused for a moment to see if anyone would object. The result was that these ministers and nobles either had looks of waiting for the rest of the story, or their eyes were filled with disbelief and shock. The Elf Saint had died ten thousand years ago, yet she said she had seen him in the Holy Tree. This feeling was as if someone had said they had seen the soul of their ancestor.

—It was only natural that no one objected. After all, this was something even Yelido did not know. No one would have thought that the Elf God the elves had been seeking for thousands of years was actually right under their feet.

Fia continued with her pre-prepared lie.

“The Saint told me that ten thousand years ago, he had fought a demon from the Darkborn whose strength was on par with Absolute Evil. Because that Darkborn’s power was too great, even he had difficulty killing him completely. So, he could only sacrifice himself and seal himself along with that Darkborn under the Holy Tree, turning both of their powers into its nutrients. This is the origin of the Holy Tree.”

“And the reason for its unusual movement last night was because the Saint’s power was ultimately no match for that Darkborn. It was trying to break free from the seal. At the moment his soul was disappearing, he entrusted me with the task of eliminating it, otherwise all of Silvar would be plunged into misery. As a result, I killed it. And the Holy Tree, having lost the Darkborn and the Saint as its nutrients, naturally disappeared.”

“In addition, this is not a hopeless situation. If there is someone who possesses mana abundant enough to be comparable to the Saint and that Darkborn, they can bring the tree back to life. Later, you may all go to the altar and try. If you succeed, you will be heroes recorded in the annals of Silvar.”

“Hah… haha… Your Highness, you overestimate us too much.”

“That’s right, that’s right. All of us together are not as good as you.”

Because her last sentence had a joking tone, the nobles at the table also relaxed a little. As long as there was still a chance to save the tree, even if there was only a method and no one to execute it, it was still reassuring. It was better than being a headless fly.

“I never thought the Holy Tree had such a past…” the handsome Kalsey said, stroking his chin in thought. “But for a Darkborn that even Lord Saint could not completely kill, how did esteemed Sister deal with him?”

“That Darkborn’s power had been weakened by ten thousand years and was no longer as strong as before. It was not much trouble to deal with him. It can be considered as putting an end to the battle from ten thousand years ago. Besides, let’s first decide on some of the proposals that were missed because I was not present.”

Silvar could not stop functioning just because it had lost the Holy Tree. There were many things that had happened recently that needed to be resolved. First, of course, was the disappearance of Prince Schain and his faction, which had led to a lack of management in some of the territories and cities of Silvar. This gap needed to be filled. Considering the interests and relationships of all parties, the personnel reshuffle was a rather complicated and delicate task.

Second was what the nobles had mentioned when Fia had just returned to Blossom. The abyss that had appeared in the south had caused disaster in Count Yureidon’s fief. The ley lines in the territory had been destroyed, and the land had died due to the loss of mana essence. The victims needed to be resettled, and the territory needed a large number of magic-casters skilled in natural magic to restore the soil to life. This would be a considerable expense.

Finally, and most importantly, the heavy snow in Blossom meant that the entire kingdom would officially enter winter in less than a month. And once it did, Silvar would face a major test: the offensive from the Netherworld in the south. If the south, which was the granary, fell, Silvar would be in a huge crisis.

In the past, blocking the winter offensive of the undead was not a difficult problem. If worse came to worst, as long as the king, with his blessings, personally took to the field, if not to annihilate the undead, at least he could hold out until the weather warmed up in the spring. Then the undead would give up on their own. However, with the destruction of the Holy Tree, the king’s blessings had naturally disappeared as well. Without this trump card to fall back on, the nobles were unable to sleep or eat in peace.

This was when she had to step in.

The undead were just a pile of mindless zombies and skeletons. They could be bombarded without any scruples.

“I understand. I will restate them for esteemed Sister.”

Seeing Fia put away her joking manner, Kalsey’s expression became serious. He straightened his collar and, like her attendant, stood up and began to explain to her the various proposals that had been put forward at the noble council when she had been absent, but had not yet been decided upon.

◇

A deserted path in the suburbs.

As a huge city with a population of 1.2 million, the only place in Blossom with a city wall was the Royal Castle. Outside of it were roads that led in all directions. Although it was the time of heavy snow sealing the mountains, because Blossom was located on a plain, and with the support of a large population, there were always people traveling between the various cities. Therefore, if one were to walk on the official roads, one could still see many carriages and pedestrians braving the wind and snow.

Generally, almost no one would choose to take a deserted path like this dilapidated carriage. Without sufficient strength, to do so would only lead to getting lost and then freezing to death. However, the people who were about to get on this carriage clearly did not care about these things. They just quickened their pace to move things onto the carriage, while also constantly looking around, as if they were worried about being pursued.

Soon, the “pursuers” they were worried about appeared before their eyes. They first showed a look of nervousness, but when they saw that there was only one person, and recognized their identity, the three of them showed three different and wonderful expressions.

Stepping on the soft snow, as if she had merged with it, Anastasia walked step by step to the back of the carriage. As she was wearing a cloak of the exact same color as the white snow, Clark and Chiharu had not been able to notice her earlier.

“Uh…”

Clark, who was moving food into the carriage, stopped. At the same time, Chiharu, who was receiving it inside, also stopped. And Veronica, who was sitting on the side coughing, even stood up, her face full of joy, as if she wanted to rush over and welcome her.

However, Anastasia, in the face of these three, only had a cold… and somewhat complex expression. The golden hair that was swaying slightly in the cold wind occasionally covered her charming azure eyes.

“Ana…”

“A-are you coming with us? Yelido has already let me and your father go—ah, the Sinner’s Mark on your face is also gone? Could it be that your brother has let you go with us?”

In contrast to Clark’s lowered head and ashamed expression, Veronica seemed exceptionally enthusiastic. She jumped down from the carriage with extremely unpracticed movements and walked quickly towards Anastasia.

But she suddenly held out her hand to her, signaling her to keep her distance.

“I was just asked by Her Highness to bring you a message.”

“Dofi?”

Veronica frowned in confusion. Anastasia, in turn, unfastened two pale yellow magic potions from her belt and threw them to the more distant Clark.

“Her Highness said that this farce was caused by her father. If not for Yelido’s one-sided immersion in his own world, things would not be as they are now. Originally, Her Highness had indeed planned to let Veronica and His Majesty resume their sibling relationship after you had died, but since things have come to this… since the problem has been solved from its root, there is no need to be secretive anymore. This is a magic potion that can let you live for another twenty years. With careful maintenance, you might even live for thirty. It’s enough for you to start over and live the life of a normal human. In this way, you are even.”

“T-to live for another twenty or thirty years? My life has already come to an end. Even if I continue to use life-extending magic potions, it will have no effect. Her Highness has already done a lot for me. I cannot accept these. Ana, take them back. I cannot receive her grace again.”

Holding the two potions, Clark hurriedly came forward to return them to her.

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But Anastasia did not accept them.

“This is no ordinary magic potion. This is something Her Highness found in the treasury of the Holy Tree. The things that can be placed there are all treasures that cannot be bought with money. She would not do something meaningless. She must have discussed the feasibility with Miss Claire beforehand.”

At this, Anastasia’s gaze lowered. In the face of her parents, she still could not be completely cold and ruthless.

“Her Highness said that she is acting from the standpoint of the Alexia family, which is equivalent to compensating on behalf of Yelido. Accept it and go and live a new life. Isn’t this what you have always wanted? I have said what I needed to say. We will meet again if there is a chance.”

After speaking, she turned around.

“Wait, Ana, are you not coming with us? We can finally live a life without being disturbed.”

In the face of Veronica’s expectant plea, Anastasia, who had already turned around, paused. As if to spit out all the unpleasant things, she let out a long breath of white mist and said, feigning cheerfulness.

“If it had been a few decades ago, I might have chosen to go with you. But now… no. I have already found my home, my most important thing. I have my own sun to chase.”

“The sun? Do you mean Dofi?”

“Besides Her Highness, there will be no one else. I have sworn to devote this body to her. So, I am afraid I cannot obey.”

A complex emotion suddenly rose in Veronica’s eyes. As if she had understood something, the hand she had extended towards Anastasia’s back also gradually retracted.

“We will meet again if we are fated.”

Without any further delay, like a spiritual bird weaving through the snow, Anastasia disappeared at a much faster speed than when she had arrived.

◇

“So this is what the real Holy Tree looks like… it doesn’t have a sacred feeling at all.”

Mizuki, who was about the same height as Fia and dressed in a shrine maiden’s attire, looked around this giant altar, which was a thousand meters above the ground, like a curious baby. Whether it was the stone steles inscribed with arcane runes, or the faded ancient elf script arranged in a regular pattern on the ground, all of it aroused her great curiosity.

She knocked hard on a stele and, widening her ice-blue eyes, said to Fia.

“Is this the thing that has been contacting me?”

“No. The one who was contacting you was the maiden, the woman who was yelling last night that she wanted to kill all the members of the Alexia family.” Fia answered with a smile.

What was currently underway was the attempt to restore the Holy Tree. As the matter was of great importance, Fia had not only brought Claire, but had also had Mizuki and Yelido come to the altar as well.

When she had come out of the Holy Tree last night, it had happened to disappear, which had made her think that it was the type that needed a continuous infusion of mana, and thus she had given up on trying to revive it. But according to Claire and the other witnesses, the tree had been torn to shreds by her own blue beam of light. In that case, whether the tree could be maintained for a period of time after a one-time, massive infusion of mana had become a question that needed to be tried.

So Fia planned to try it for herself.

Although the timing was not very good—since she had woken up this morning, Fia had felt extremely weak, as if half of her strength had been taken away, and even her thinking had become sluggish.

Normally, at this time, one should consider whether it was mana depletion caused by overuse of magic. But Fia could feel that her mana was very abundant. Therefore, she thought of the [Overload] she had used. From the name, one could infer that it was a magic that had a tendency to overdraw the body. It was probably because she had used it that she felt weak.

Of course, this weakness was only relative, and was more of a sensory illusion. Fia felt that if she got serious, she could still beat up things that needed to be beaten, despite the feeling of weakness. To use a numerical analogy, normally, one punch could do a hundred points of damage, while now, one punch could do ninety-nine. It was just that her body and mind felt very tired, and she was subjectively unwilling to move much.

“By the way, why did the maiden say the Alexia family had betrayed Lord God? Wasn’t the disappearance of the Holy Tree only related to Lord Saint and that Darkborn?”

“Well…”

You ask too many questions.

Fortunately, the people who had seen the maiden that day had basically all belonged to the Alexia family. Otherwise, the excuse she had fabricated, that it was the Saint who had been sealed, would have been difficult to believe.

Fia waved her hands repeatedly to change the subject.

“Alright, alright, I’m about to begin. If you notice anything wrong, remind me immediately.”

“Mhm. Mother will protect you!”

Hey, Yelido is still here.

Fia couldn’t help but glance at the serious-looking Yelido. She had originally thought he would be angry at Mizuki’s presumptuous statement, but he just solemnly instructed her.

“Stop immediately if you feel anything wrong. The elves can live even without the Holy Tree.”

“Mhm, I know.”

Outputting mana was not difficult for Fia, who could successfully use [Enchanted Blade]. She walked to the giant stone pillar in the very center of the vast altar, which seemed to be composed of countless sieve tubes, quietly took a breath, and then freed her tender palm from her glove, lightly pressing it on the pillar.

“Hiss!”

Almost instantly, Fia gasped and withdrew her hand.

“What’s wrong?”

Claire, Mizuki, and Yelido all took a step forward at the same time, especially Yelido, in whose hand a golden long spear had already appeared. There was a tendency for him to break the stone pillar if there was any disagreement.

Fia’s cheeks flushed, and an embarrassed emotion spread from her cheeks to the tips of her small elf ears.

“It’s… it’s too cold…”

“Then let Mother warm it up for you?”

“Ahem.”

Claire, at the side, coughed seriously. It was unknown if she was reminding Mizuki to be aware of the occasion, or if she was referring to something else.

Sensing that something was wrong, Fia waved her hands repeatedly.

“No, no, no, it’s not necessary. I just wasn’t mentally prepared.”

Regaining her momentum, Fia took another deep breath, and then pressed her palm on the ice-cold stone pillar, whose temperature was already below zero.

Although the cold pierced through her skin to her bones, because she was mentally prepared, Fia endured it—she would definitely learn a pain suppression or sensory shielding spell when she got back—she began to inject mana into the pillar.

Vmmm—

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Like the vibration of a heavy metal vessel, the moment she injected her mana, the text on the entire altar lit up with a golden glow. However, this glow only lasted for an instant before dimming, as if to say that the mana she had injected was too little.

You’re looking down on me too much.

She had only outputted the level of mana of a normal person because she was worried about breaking the stone pillar.

In that case.

Fia gradually increased the efficiency of her mana output, soon reaching a level that was a hundred times that of before, and this multiple was still increasing.

However, even so, the area around the altar was only filled with a dim golden glow, far from the real Holy Tree.

Tsk.

No longer holding back, Fia accelerated her mana output. Before long, she had reached the point where the stone pillar was vibrating at a high frequency. The pillar, which served as the source of mana, was like an overheating machine, red and scorching hot.

This should be the limit of the Holy Tree—a thousand times the initial amount of mana.

Without any warning, an unforgettable scene suddenly unfolded before the four of them.

The dim stone pillar burst forth with a golden glow like that of the sun. And from this golden glow, countless golden branches, only as thick as a little finger, derived. As if to embrace Fia, they circled around her, and then spread out in all directions and grew towards the sky.

Then, the golden text that had been inscribed on the floor, as if it had come alive, slowly rose into the air. As if they had turned into fairies celebrating a resurrection, they, along with the branches, circled around Fia, dancing joyfully. Even Mizuki and the others in the distance could feel the elements in the air cheering. The joyful emotion it emitted even infected the three of them, making them also feel joyful.

And then, a dazzling light that made it impossible to open one’s eyes covered their vision.

Click, clack, click, clack, click—

The branches, growing wildly towards the sky, swelled in the blink of an eye into thick vines that spanned the field of vision. Almost everyone in Blossom could see this scene. The barren stump suddenly burst with a golden brilliance, and then the Holy Tree, as if it had come alive, grew a large number of “soft” vines with an exaggerated diameter.

These vines twisted together in a spiral, tightly intertwined. A huge canopy made of golden leaves also quickly spread out at the top. In the end, it turned into a “strange” Holy Tree with a diameter no less than the original, soaring into the clouds, its end out of sight.

The cracking sound of the twisting vines should have been a terrifying sound, but at this moment, in the ears of the elves, it was like the music of heaven. This was not a psychological effect brought on by the tree’s resurrection, but something akin to instinct. Just as humans sleep more soundly on a rainy day, the sound of rain makes them relax, at this moment, some of the element-sensitive elves could, even with their eyes closed, “see” the brand-new Holy Tree twisting into shape in their minds.

A seemingly endless life force and natural aura covered everyone in the city. It was a surprising and joyous, mythical scene, as if the goddess herself had descended.

Without needing any command, the elves in the city had already begun to prostrate themselves in worship of the tree. They were witnessing history, the process of the Holy Tree being born from nothing. Besides the personal descent of a god, what else could create such a grand, fantastical, and incredible sight?

However, this was only the change on the surface. Fia, as the one who had injected the mana, could feel through the stone pillar that served as the source that, below the surface, the roots of the Holy Tree were still spreading. This feeling was exceptionally strange. She could, through the tree’s tendrils, “see” and “touch” the moist soil underground, and even smell the fragrance of the earth, as if the tree had become a part of her own body.

A long wait.

It wasn’t until a full three hours had passed that Fia finally felt the tree had reached its limit. If she were to continue to inject mana, the stone pillar before her would be at risk of bursting. She slowly withdrew her hand and then stared nervously at the pillar.

Although she could judge from the rate at which the tree was losing mana that it would probably not disappear immediately, and that after this, it should be able to last for at least three months, this was just a judgment based on the information she had at present. It was also possible that the moment the connection between the tree and herself was broken, it would immediately disappear.

After observing like this for nearly a minute, and the Holy Tree still had not disappeared, Fia finally let out a long sigh of relief.

She had been standing for too long, and was also in a weakened state from [Overload]. Her legs had gone soft.

“Is it… over? Although I already knew your mana was like the Holy Tree’s, little Fia, I didn’t expect you to do this much without fainting… just how much mana do you have?”

“It seems we don’t need to worry about the Holy Tree anymore.”

In contrast to Mizuki’s exaggerated, dumbfounded expression, Claire had a wry smile. Mizuki had said what she wanted to say; she no longer knew what was good to say.

“Ahaha… in short, it’s a lot. I don’t know how much either. Let’s go down and check the state of the tree first. If it’s just an empty shell without its original functions, then we’ll be in trouble.”

“Go down? But we’re already inside it.”

At Mizuki’s reminder, Fia realized that the surrounding area was no longer an empty high-altitude space. The giant, intertwined golden vines had already formed walls, decorating the place in brilliant gold. If the original Holy Tree had a sacred taste, then the current one had more of a natural aura.

Fia pursed her lips in thought.

“Mmm… then shall we try to get out by praying to the gods?”

“Pray to Lord Elf God? But the current Holy Tree was created by you, Fia. We should be praying to you. For example, ‘Great Lady Little Fia, I offer you my sincere heart—'”

Before she could finish, Mizuki suddenly disappeared.

Normally, Fia would have been nervous and uneasy about her disappearance, but now her heart was only filled with a strange and extremely delicate psychological activity, because she could sense through the Holy Tree that Mizuki had already been teleported out.

Hey, this is very strange.

“Eh? Where’s Mizuki?”

“She went out.”

“Then I’ll try too. ‘I pray to the great goddess, little Fia…'”

Just like Mizuki, Claire also disappeared.

This was really strange…

Fia’s heart became extremely delicate. Her gaze subconsciously fell on Yelido at her side. She really couldn’t imagine him praying to her, his daughter, especially with his serious and unsmiling personality. It was as if she were deliberately making things difficult for her own father.

It was beyond awkward.

Aaaaaahhh.

However, to her surprise, Yelido, who had been silent all this time, suddenly walked towards her. His expression was still serious, his inner thoughts unreadable.

Fia had no choice but to tense her body, her eyes darting about as she thought about how to explain this situation.

“I…”

“Dofi.” A thoughtful look appeared on his sharp face. Yelido’s authoritative red eyes stared at her. “There’s no one else here. Since you can control the Holy Tree, I think it’s time.”

“…Time for what?”

Not understanding what he wanted to say, Fia’s eyes widened slightly. Vaguely, she had a bad premonition.

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Yelido said, with great solemnity, word by word.

“I am going to pass the throne to you. Within this month.”

The throne? To me? Did I hear that right?

Fia quickly reacted.

“Huh? No, no, no, Father is still very young, and my experience is insufficient. Now is not the time.”

“You have already grown up. I believe you can do a better job than me.”

His expression was still difficult to read. He glanced to the side and said slowly.

“You saw what happened last night. At that time, I already wanted to tell you that I was going to pass the throne to you. The reason I came over today was also to make the announcement. Now that I have seen you revive the Holy Tree, I am even more firm in my belief. You will become a better king than me. I have lived for others all my life, and in the end, I have ended up in this state. Although it is karma, I do not want it to end like this. To pass the throne to you, and then to go and see the world outside of Silvar alone, and then come back after a hundred years. This is my plan.”

“No… there are many people around you worthy of attention, aren’t there, Father? In the past, your gaze was only on Veronica. Now that you have let go of the past, why not try to look at the others around you? Perhaps you will have a different view.”

Her brain working at full capacity, Fia began to make excuses.

“My qualifications are still shallow. I should first go out and gain some experience, to see a wider world. This will be beneficial for the future. Not to mention that I still have some unfulfilled promises. I have to lift the curse on Claire for her, and to do that, only a god can help.”

“A god?” Hearing this word, Yelido smiled. “Where are you going to find so many gods? It’s not bad as it is now. Look, who dares to speak ill of Claire now?”

“But this is just a temporary solution. She not only has the curse of being feared, but also the curse of being forgotten. As long as we are separated for a long time, she will always be forgotten. I don’t want to see her sad. To lift the curse is my promise. I cannot break my word.”

“A promise…”

Yelido frowned. If Fia had said anything else, he could have pushed it back. But a promise, as both a man and a father, he knew the weight of it best. Once it was said, there was no turning back. It had to be carried out to the end. Otherwise, one would be despised and looked down upon.

“Did you really make such a promise? This is a goal that is difficult to pursue in a lifetime.”

“I really did. And I just need to know where the gods are. Whether they can solve the problem is another matter. Now that Mizuki isn’t here, I can tell you. I actually lied to the people outside. The one sealed under the Holy Tree was not the Saint, but the Elf God. After it came out, it wanted to kill all the elves for revenge, so I dealt with it.”

“…Are you telling the truth?” Yelido’s brow furrowed even deeper. Although he had long felt that something was amiss, he had deliberately not exposed it. He hadn’t expected the truth to sound even more like a lie than the lie. “You killed a god?”

“That’s right,” now that she finally had some time alone with her father, Fia quickly switched to daughter mode. She closed her eyes and puffed out her chest proudly. “The current me is capable of killing the Elf God. If it dares to revive, I can kill it again. Otherwise, why do you think your daughter deliberately went to the front line to be hit by the Unsinkable Moon and lose her memory? It was all to exchange for this power.”

Fia secretly opened one eye to observe his expression. She was making excuses for Anastasia. Her Father had only let go of Veronica and Clark, not that he would let go of Anastasia. Although it was possible that he really just “hadn’t said,” it was better to lay some groundwork.

Yelido stared at Fia. It wasn’t until a long while later that he slowly withdrew his gaze and let out a long breath of emotion.

“Deicide… deicide… to have grown to this extent. I really am old.”

“Father is still very young. You can give me a few more younger brothers and sisters—and I like younger sisters a little more.”

“…That’s not something I can decide.”

Faced with her unprecedentedly playful performance, Yelido seemed a little helpless, but his face was more of a relief and reconciliation, no longer the tense look from before. Simply put, he was more like an ordinary father than a monarch. Fia’s normal daughter-like performance had relaxed his heavy heart a little.

Suddenly, as if he had realized something, his expression became strange. A hint of embarrassment appeared on his sharp, handsome, early-thirties face. Fia even glimpsed something like a blush.

What was he doing?

“Um… Dofi.”

Yelido looked into the distance and said, as if casually, with great hesitation.

“What’s wrong?”

“You should know that before you lost your memory, we were not at all like a father and daughter. Even when you were a child, we never had any father-daughter interaction. Uh… I mean… Can I hug you? Just a normal hug.”

Just this?

For just this, this father of hers was too humble. Oh, princess, princess, you were too cold.

Complaining in her heart, Fia put her hands on her hips and said in exasperation.

“Then you should at least kneel down.”

“Ah… ah! I know!”

Completely devoid of his usual authority, Yelido, with a rather unfamiliar, as if at a loss, stiff motion, slowly knelt down on one knee.

Fia, in turn, began to count down.

“Then, three, two—”

Without waiting for one, Fia threw herself at him.

In an instant, Fia felt Yelido’s body stiffen. And then, a feeling of him completely relaxing came from her arms. It seemed that in that moment, he had let go of many things from the past that had been difficult to part with, and was reborn here. The whole process took less than three seconds. His shoulders began to tremble slightly, and she then heard a faint sound that was either a laugh or a sob.

She did not ask, but just maintained her embrace, letting him recover on his own.

This man had been through too much in these two days. Ups and downs, any living being with emotions would find it difficult to bear. The so-called passing the throne to her and going to see the outside world was just a form of escape. She was his biological daughter, the only person in this world who could care for him. She had to stand up at this time and let him return to the position he should be in.

“Hehehe…”

Before long, his emotions gradually calmed. He maintained his kneeling posture and retreated a little, then slowly stood up, covering his face with one hand, and chuckled.

“I’m such a fool… when the most precious thing is right here… hehehe…”

It was better to cherish the person before you than to pursue something you could not have.

Yelido turned his face away and wiped away something that could not be seen by her. His flushed face was filled with both embarrassment and an unprecedented sense of relief and relaxation. He wanted to reach out and stroke her head, but his hand stopped midway. Because he had never done such a thing before, this shy and awkward look made Fia raise an eyebrow in annoyance.

“What’s wrong? Is your daughter that repellent?”

“No… I just didn’t dare,” he answered honestly. He withdrew his hand and said shyly, “It’s enough already. To let my own daughter see such an unsightly scene, how shameful.”

“After experiencing that kind of thing, anyone would not feel good. But the past is in the past. Since you’ve let it go, then it’s over.”

Rеαԁ οո KαtRеaⅾіոɡСаfe

Fia shrugged.

Yelido raised his eyebrows unhappily.

“Why are you starting to lecture me?”

“Shouldn’t I say that? By the way, I like Mother Yulisha a little more.”

At Fia’s clear hint, the corner of his eye twitched. Habit made him subconsciously want to refute, but his brow relaxed again, and in the end, he could only snort as if he were unconvinced.

“That depends on whether she has the ability.”

“If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. You don’t have to force it for my sake. Your own feelings are the most important.”

“I’ll try.”

After saying this, the aura around him gradually returned to its previous serious state. It was just that this seriousness no longer had any sorrow or bitterness—and a little less of a king’s oppressiveness. Fia secretly stuck out her tongue.

“Let’s go out too. We have to check if there is a place to store things in the new Holy Tree. And the matter of you creating the tree must be proclaimed to everyone.”

“Eh…”

“This is what you deserve.”

After saying this, he disappeared before her eyes as if he were fleeing. The entire Holy Tree was suddenly left with only her.

Feeling the quieted environment, Fia let out a light breath. For some reason, she had a strange sense of gain. If she had to say, it was somewhat similar to the joy of being reborn, of having one’s identity acknowledged. Although she had already decided to become Dofilia when Anastasia had agreed in Aurora City, and had already had a sense of rebirth then, for this feeling to appear again now was truly strange.

Perhaps from this moment on, she had truly become Dofilia. She had been acknowledged by everyone, truly integrated—or perhaps it could be said that she had recovered her past identity. Before, although she and Yelido had also called each other father and daughter, there had always been a subtle sense of distance, as if the connection was not very close. But now, she finally had the feeling of being integrated into this family, of being a member of it.

Although this process had not been without its bumps, for example, her biological mother had left her, in terms of the ending, it was already very perfect. The one who had been immersed in the past had come out of it, and the one who had sought what they could not have had gotten what they pursued. Everything had come to a satisfactory close.

Then, it was time for her to pursue her own things.

Claire was still waiting for her outside. She didn’t know what kind of expressions Anastasia, Liti, and Milu would have after they learned that she had been the one to create the Holy Tree’s anomaly.

And there was also the Witch Hall. Now that she had confirmed that the ‘nanomachines’ could repair permanent seals made by magic, perhaps they could also repair the disabled bodies of the witches. As long as they were no longer disabled, they could completely get rid of the name of ‘witch’ and would no longer have any characteristics related to it.

Her mood brightened. Fia took two steps forward, intending to leave the Holy Tree. And then she quickly realized a problem.

Did I have to pray to myself to get out?

—There wouldn’t be such an absurd thing, right?

She tried to, as before, give the tree the command to send her out, but it did not react. So, after hesitating again and again, she had no choice but to suppress the strangeness and embarrassment and recite in her mind.

“Great Lady Fia, let me out quickly!”

In an instant, Fia, like a fairy of the night, disappeared from the brilliantly golden grand hall.

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End of Volume 4

Author Note

Afterword

Hiya, this volume has finally come to an end (I feel like I said this not too long ago). This volume is really the longest one I’ve ever written, at least 400,000 characters, right? Normally, that would definitely be two volumes. I even deleted and changed a lot of plots to the next volume so as not to drag the pace. There was really too much content; it’s the most content-heavy volume I’ve written since I started writing.

Actually, as early as when I was writing about Yisi, that is, the volume about Lin of the Divine Religion, I was already thinking, should I try this kind of big volume that pushes wave after wave? But at that time, I felt that my writing ability was not enough, and with the need for scene transitions, I might not be able to control it well, so I just cut it in half, turning one big volume into two small ones.

And with the attempts of the previous two books, now that I’m writing Fia, I finally have the courage to try. From the author’s own perspective, I haven’t let down the statement I made at the beginning of the fourth volume, “In the fourth volume, I will move out with the posture of an emperor!” I’m very satisfied with how this volume ended.

Originally, this volume was also supposed to talk about the Witch Hall, and the research on the magic forging that Fia proposed to the magic-casters of the Elf Towers. However, due to the length, I can only put it in the next volume.

As for the content of the next volume, it will develop to the beast-kin’s Cold Moon Alliance. Compared to the rather gloomy tone of the fourth volume, the plot of the Cold Moon will be more relaxed and pleasant, with more interesting settings. In addition, two familiar characters from the early stages will appear—more cuddling! Big sisters and little lolis all in one pot (starting to get chaotic xd)!

As for some random thoughts… probably that I got COVID recently and had a fever. For the past few days, I’ve wanted to be lazy every day. But then I thought, how can I stop when I’m still writing the big climax? So I started writing early and slowly. For this epilogue chapter, I wrote 10,000 words at dawn, finally ending this longest volume.

Originally, this afterword should have been written at dawn and sent out with the epilogue, but I was really not feeling well at that time, so I dragged it out until now. The result is that I slept too late yesterday, and with the headache and the torture of being half-asleep, my head is still dizzy now. I can’t even sort out my thoughts to write an afterword. Writing 10k a day is really too much for me. The last time I wrote 10,000 words at once was back in 19 when I was writing Ella. This state is not suitable for writing the opening of the next volume, so I probably won’t be updating tonight. I’ll just take advantage of the break at the end of a volume to rest for a day.

Although I feel like there are still a lot of things I want to complain about in my impression, my brain is no longer working. I’ll just leave it for the afterword of the next volume (:з)∠)

That’s all for the random talk. This chapter is a free chapter [T/N: afterword page]. Thank you, dear readers, for reading this far. Fia’s adventure would not be possible without your long-term support. Yomi offers sincere thanks here. Arigato~

2022/12/22

Yomi

Translator Note

Haaaah…. been such a long time since I’ve felt breathless while reading something.

Bellow is the usual new character illustration for this volume

Oh yeah I’ve tried to remove the watermark before, it looks quite good enough I think?… (i know i should get the original… but uuuhhh i cant)

I will update them later or… just post the edited ver at discord.

Hmmm yeah i should post every pic there for easy access,

Later okay~ i promise, i need to take a breather fr(im not lazy :<)

This is Erin Slate. ¹ big… ahem no, i just want to tell that the horn is accessory

Volume 5: The Calamity Flame Witch (Part 1) ² yes part 1… looks like a long story with volume 6