Volume 5, Chapter 1 – An Embarrassing Start

Translator Note

Extreme Night Goddess(ch93)>Polar Night Goddess

It was now 7:30 in the morning, and the sky was bright.

Fia was keenly aware of this fact.

Since the palace maids were not permitted to eat until she had woken up and finished her breakfast, Fia had always maintained a healthy routine of waking up promptly at 7:30 AM.

It was worth noting that, most of the time, King Yelido rose even earlier than Fia. He had to begin handling political affairs at six every morning.

However, today of all days, Fia wanted to stay in bed.

…I really don’t want to get up.

She groaned inwardly in distress.

One of the reasons was, naturally, the feeling of weakness brought on by [Overload]. Even though a full day had passed since she used it, the feebleness showed no signs of abating. While this weakness didn’t actually place much of a burden on her body—those she could defeat before, she could still defeat now—it felt incredibly uncomfortable. It was as if her bones had gone soft. When standing, she wanted to sit; when sitting, she wanted to lie down. And once she was lying down, she desperately wanted to close her eyes and rest, preferably with someone reading a story to her. Of course, Fia hadn’t gone as far as that last step. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she was too embarrassed to ask.

She often felt it was a great regret in life that the eldest princess wasn’t an eight-year-old girl. If only there were a youth potion. With her body’s resistance, it probably wouldn’t actually work, but she could pretend it did. Then she could openly ask the big-sister maids in the palace for this and that, maybe even have Anastasia carry her, or spend all day clinging to Anastasia’s leg—just thinking about it was wonderful. Children could always get away with things that weren’t allowed once they grew up, even if their thoughts and intentions were just as pure, merely wanting to be doted on.

As for the second reason Fia didn’t want to get out of bed, it had to do with the Holy Tree yesterday.

While inside the Holy Tree, Fia hadn’t noticed the events unfolding outside. When she emerged and saw the scene around the new Holy Tree, she was instantly struck with the urge to experience social death.

To be fair, Dofilia was by no means someone who suffered from stage fright or became timid in large crowds. But yesterday, and only yesterday, she had wished she could blow up the Holy Tree all over again.

—Because as she was forming the Holy Tree, a golden phantom of her had materialized outside. If it had just been a phantom, that would have been one thing. But the Holy Tree, as if courting death, had decided to broadcast an image of her performing the Holy Tree Dance. According to a completely entranced Colita, the phantom at that time had been half as tall as the Holy Tree itself. ¹ pfffttkhkkh ahaahaha

Although everyone lavished praise on Fia, saying things like, “Truly worthy of Her Highness, the Eldest Princess; she has already replaced the Witch,” and “It’s simply a work of art,” the elves who had never seen Fia before, seeing only the golden phantom, directly addressed her as “Lady Elf Goddess.” The chaotic situation brought Blossom and its surrounding cities to a standstill for an entire afternoon.

It should be known that Fia was just an amateur when it came to the Holy Tree Dance. From the moment she started learning it, she never had any intention of performing it in front of others. The time Liti and her mother saw it by accident was already mortifying enough.

Now, having her dance displayed for the entire city to see, even the slightest thought of it made Fia want to squirm and thrash on the bed like a maggot. She just wanted to carry her bed and flee Silvar overnight. She didn’t even need to think to know that everyone outside was surely talking about her. This wasn’t narcissism; on her way back last night, she had noticed a new, fervent glow in the eyes of the Royal Guards as they looked at her.

It was just like having an embarrassing video of your childhood singing played in front of your classmates as an adult, or having your diary read aloud in public. She feared that even five or six hundred years from now, if she suddenly remembered this incident, she would go crazy all over again.

Because of this, Fia had absolutely no desire to get up, even though she knew the four maids standing guard by her bed were right beside her, their burning gazes feeling as if they could scald her.

Damn it, damn it…

If she didn’t know that the Holy Tree lacked self-awareness, she would have hunted down its spirit—be it an artifact spirit, a dryad, or a flower pixie—tied it up, and hung it from a tree for days and nights on end.

That being said, she couldn’t just laze in bed all day. Once she became aware that the maids were watching her, every second of feigning sleep felt like torture.

I should just get up.

Pretending to have just awoken, Fia first secretly used a minimal, minimal, minimal [Torrent] to create the illusion of sleepy eyes, then opened them and sat up, habitually rubbing them.

“Hah…”

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“Good morning, Your Highness, the Eldest Princess.”

As usual, four beautiful elf maids bowed to Fia. After returning their greeting, Fia acted as if nothing had happened, yawning as she walked across the soft, warm carpet to the mirror.

At first, she hadn’t been accustomed to all this and could only imitate the motions of the original princess. Now, after just over a month, everything has become second nature. Not only had she adapted to maids helping her remove her nightgown and put on her undergarments, blouse, and various intricate accessories she couldn’t name, but she could even accept the initially embarrassing task of having them help her put on her over-the-knee socks and shoes. ² woaowwoawoaaaaaa finally corrupted!!

Habit is a terrifying force.

It was said that after reaching adulthood, one no longer required such detailed service from maids. Even if they did, it could only be done by a personal maid who had grown up with them. The eldest princess would cross the century-mark threshold of adulthood in a few years, so she probably wouldn’t have to wait long.

“Her Highness is so skilled at dancing. I fear even the most accomplished dancers in the Empire would feel inadequate in comparison.”

“That’s why Her Highness is Her Highness. She excels at everything. I remember when she first started learning from Lady Mizuki, her movements were still so clumsy, but now she has reached a level beyond anyone’s reach.”

“It’s hard to imagine such a dance coming from such a petite and delicate body…”

“Even her feet are so small, as if they could be held in one hand. They’re always so cold…”

Hey, what do you mean, “when she first started learning from Lady Mizuki”? Were you spying? And are you praising me or holding a critique session here?

At first, Fia felt embarrassed, but the more she listened, the more she felt the conversation was heading in the wrong direction. Especially the maid who had just put the silky white over the knee socks on her; the delicate touch of her fingers sliding from the calf to the sole of her foot sent a ticklish shiver through her body, making her instinctively want to pull her leg back.

To hide her outward embarrassment, Fia could only put on a blank expression.

“Ahem, that’s enough. I’ll put on my own shoes. Go find Colita and tell her I have plans to arrange for today.”

“Yes…”

For some reason, when Fia said she would put on her own shoes, the maid holding her small feet wore a look of disappointment.

“Plans? Are you going out today? His Majesty said yesterday that he wanted to have a new formal gown made for you. In half a month, there will be a national pilgrimage to celebrate your revival of the Holy Tree. If you go out today, you might miss the tailor who is coming to take your measurements.”

“It’s fine. I’ll write the numbers on a piece of paper. She can make the dress according to the numbers on the paper.”

When she said, “It’s fine,” the maids all showed a clear look of joy, as if anticipating something. But when she mentioned writing the numbers on paper, they all looked disappointed again. Same as always. A reduced workload should be a good thing; she had no idea what they were thinking.

Fia pretended not to see.

“Also, tell Father that the national pilgrimage is unnecessary. I’ll tour Blossom at most. After all, touring the entirety of Silvar would take who knows how long.”

“Understood, we will inform His Majesty immediately!”

Unlike their previous disappointment, the maids were now visibly happy again.

So simple. Their thoughts are written all over their faces, Fia thought. The reason they were happy was surely because their salaries were higher when she was in the palace. It was only natural they wouldn’t want her to leave.

Having given her instructions for the day, Fia, now washed and dressed, soon arrived at the bright dining room. Through the vast glass walls, she could see the bright, snow covered world outside. In contrast to the blizzard raging outside, a distinct warmth flowed through the dining room, and the sweet scent of burning applewood whetted one’s appetite.

As if by arrangement, several people were already seated in the dining room. Except for Erin Slate and Liti, who loved to sleep in when the weather turned cold, everyone else, including Mizuki, was at the table. Erin was absent because the secondary disasters caused by the Elf God breaking its seal had forced her to return to her duties; coordinating the repairs of the royal capital required her attention.

“Your Highness, good morning.”

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“Good morning, Fia.”

“Mm, good morning.”

Fia smiled and waved in response to her companions’ greetings. What was different from usual was Milu’s particularly strange behavior today. Her gaze was fixed on Fia from the moment she entered until she sat down, her bewitching blood-red eyes burning so intensely it made Fia feel as if there was something on her.

Then, Fia noticed something else unusual—the fried egg on her plate was a size larger than everyone else’s, and its outline was irregular, looking like the creation of a novice cook.

Ohoho, I know what this is!

Fia instantly understood. This must be a breakfast Milu had made for her personally, which was why she was staring at her like this. Milu was surely waiting for her to give a review like “delicious” or “tasty.” This kind of scene appeared in both manga and movies; she knew it well. Besides, Milu had been learning to cook from Claire for some time now. Based on the timing, it was about right.

Don’t worry, Milu. Even if it’s terrible, I’ll praise you for it.

Fia held a motherly tolerance for this little girl she had taken in.

Then, she pretended not to know and began to eat with her knife and fork.

The moment the flavor of the egg spread across her taste buds, her eyes widened.

This taste… isn’t it quite good? Although a fried egg isn’t a difficult dish—as long as you watch the heat and don’t burn it—the flavor of the egg itself was exceptionally fresh, much more delicious than what she usually ate. Considering this fried egg was a size larger than usual, could it be that Milu had specially chosen it for her?

“How is it?”

Seeing Fia swallow the egg, Milu, who had been nervously watching her with both hands on the table, quickly asked.

“Mm, it’s delicious.”

“That’s good…”

Milu let out a long sigh of relief.

Fia pressed on.

“Did Milu make this?”

“Yes… and no?”

Milu, her white hair tied in a side ponytail and wearing fluffy winter clothes, frowned slightly in hesitation.

She probably means Claire helped teach her, that’s why she said that.

Fia gave a very understanding smile. If Claire wasn’t sitting between them, she would have reached out to pat Milu’s head and praise her.

“I know, I know. For a beginner, to be able to do this much is already amazing.”

“No, Claire made it.”

“Eh?”

Rеαd оn KаtRеаⅾiոɡСаfе

Milu’s words made Fia tilt her head. However, when Milu spoke the next sentence with a rather embarrassed expression—though her face was still blank, Fia could tell she was blushing—Fia felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

“The egg is mine.”

“Egg…?” ³ ?!?!?whwhahthwhatt!???

With great hesitation, Fia’s gaze fell upon Milu’s feathered ears. Due to her shyness, the pair of white wings were tightly closed.

If she remembered correctly, Stellacryst Beasts were oviparous, not viviparous, which was why their race name contained the word “Beast” despite their near-human appearance. If Milu said this was her egg, then that would mean… no, no, Milu looked to be about the same age as Liti. If Liti’s age were converted to human years, she would only be a twelve or thirteen year old girl. How could Milu, at this age—

Isn’t it common for twelve or thirteen year olds to have their period?

But the reproductive systems of oviparous and viviparous animals were not the same; it wasn’t appropriate to draw an analogy. No, this was a different world with magic, after all, so perhaps it wasn’t strange if they were similar. But even so, wouldn’t that be a little too weird?

Fia’s expression quickly became a spectacle. She had seen some special manga where the author’s anthropomorphized chickens had considerable professional pride in the taste of their own eggs, and would feel sad if people said they weren’t delicious. But this wasn’t manga; it was reality. To think that Milu, whom she considered a daughter, would give her egg to her fiancée, Claire, to be made into breakfast for her—one would have to question the mental state of anyone who could come up with such a story.

Ultimately, if this really was a Stellacryst Beast’s egg, it was far too small. A Stellacryst Beast infant should be about the same size as a human infant, yet the fried egg in front of her, which she had already taken a bite of, was only about the size of a duck’s egg.

Seeing Fia’s rapidly changing, ashen face, Claire, who was sitting between Fia and Milu, leaned in closer, her clear, emerald eyes full of concern.

“What’s wrong? Is it not good?”

“Asking me if it’s good…”

It was delicious, but how could she ask that so seriously? Was it common in this world for Stellacryst Beast eggs to be treated as a rare ingredient? But this was laid by Milu herself—!

“Summoned beast.”

“Huh?”

As if for a demonstration, Milu softly chanted a string of incantations, then made a gesture with her hands as if holding something. After about ten seconds, a deep purple magic circle the size of a washbasin appeared in her palms. Then, countless purple ribbons emerged from the magic circle, gradually coalescing into a white creature that resembled a large pigeon, with a pair of goggle-like protrusions in front of its eyes.

“Anastasia taught me. Summoning magic… but, it’s still very immature.”

As she spoke, Milu dismissed the summoned monster, her hands moving awkwardly between her knees.

“Although it’s only a First-Tier summoning spell, it’s already quite excellent. It only took Euphimilu half a month to learn it. Even we elves can’t help but admire the innate magical talent of the Stellacryst Beasts. Euphimilu need not be shy.”

Anastasia explained with a wry smile from the side.

“I believe Euphimilu’s close-combat abilities are already sufficient for her current level. What she needs are ranged magical means to support her offense and defense. The quickest way to remedy this shortcoming is with summoned beasts.”

Because summoning magic could only summon creatures from the existing world that were one tier lower than the caster, and because a new beast couldn’t be summoned for a short time if the current one died, summoning mages was not popular in this world; it was an almost forgotten profession.

“So it wasn’t Milu’s egg…”

Fia breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mine?” Milu first tilted her head in confusion, then seemed to grasp the true meaning. Her face, which rarely showed emotion, instantly turned red. She shyly averted her gaze, her fingertips nervously twirling the ends of her white hair, looking incredibly flustered. “I… I’m not of adult age yet. When I am… then… I’ll give them to Master…”

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“No, no, no, no, I absolutely have no desire for them.”

Fia repeatedly refused. She could already feel the peculiar gazes from her companions, especially Mizuki’s, which felt like needles on her back.

“My daughter has surprisingly terrible taste…”

“Ahem, this is just a misunderstanding. I wasn’t thinking about anything perverted like that.”

Fia coughed forcefully.

Mizuki was here because only Fia, Claire, and her father knew about the Elf God’s death. Mizuki’s presence was still necessary, even if it was just an act for outsiders. Of course, Fia couldn’t bear to drive her friend out of the royal castle either.

“I’m going to the Witch Sanctuary in a bit. Does anyone want to come with me?”

“I won’t be going. The Holy Tree Dance can no longer contact Lord Elf God. As the Witch, I have to find another way.”

“Don’t get obsessed, you know. Father never actually expected Mizuki to really contact the Elf God.”

“If I don’t find something to do, won’t it look like I’m just freeloading? I can’t accept kindness for nothing. At the very least, I need to investigate what happened between the former Witch and the royal family,” Mizuki said, waving her hand with a wry smile.

“As long as you’re not obsessed.”

Just in case, I should find another job for Mizuki later. Something like being a dance teacher at the orphanage Liti started. Elf folk dances are widely popular on the World Tree Continent. If the orphans learn them, it would be a useful skill, giving them more career options in the future.

“I want to go.”

“I also want to see what this Witch Sanctuary Fia keeps talking about looks like.”

Milu and Claire both expressed their desire to go. As for Anastasia, who was already her personal maid, it went without saying that she would follow Fia.

As if remembering something, Mizuki, who still had a silver spoon in her mouth, suddenly widened her ice-blue eyes and asked.

“Speaking of which, Fia saw the Holy Son inside the Holy Tree. Did the Holy Son say where Lord Elf God went? You still need Lord Elf God to remove Claire’s curse, right?”

“About that… the Holy Son didn’t say where Lord Elf God went. But I asked Father yesterday. According to him, there are two other well-known gods in the south, one is the White Night Goddess, and the other is the Polar Night Goddess. They seem to be twin goddesses. I thought I’d go find them and ask. But before that, I need to go to the southern part of the Empire to solve the problem of soil death.”

Probably just a Forbidden level curse, or maybe not even that, wide-area nature magic spell, Fia guessed. Also, as if hearing that the effort to lift the curse was continuing, Fia felt Claire’s cool hand gently touch hers under the table, as if conveying her gratitude.

Mizuki looked up.

“Solving soil death, huh… Well, for the Child of Miracles who could even revive the Holy Tree, solving soil death doesn’t seem so incredible anymore. I understand. While you’re away, Mother will take good care of this home for you!”

“It’s not like I’m not coming back.”

No longer wanting to comment on Mizuki’s habit of seeing herself as a mother, Fia finished all the fried egg and bread on her plate and wiped her mouth. She considered herself a fast eater, but compared to Milu and Anastasia, who ate as if they’d never had a meal before, she was still far behind. As for Claire, she was naturally a small eater; half of Fia’s portion was enough to fill her up. It was hard to imagine how she maintained her mature figure by eating so little.

“Let’s go to the Witch Sanctuary then. I wonder how they’ve been doing over the past half a month.”

I’ll have to put on some makeup before going out. I have no desire to be recognized on the street as the phantom who was dancing at the Holy Tree yesterday. If that happened, I’d never be able to go out again. To avoid being recognized, from now on, at least for the next few months, I’ll use the same white hair as Milu. For now, I’ll be a white-haired elf!