Volume 5, Chapter 14 – Rivals in Love Meet, Eyes Burning with Jealousy?

“What does my presence here have to do with you?”

Nola returned Radric’s sudden questioning with a glare.

Radric snorted heavily and rudely.

“You just declared war on Silvar, and now you have the gall to say it has nothing to do with you? Don’t think I don’t know your purpose. You want to take Tilulu and make her your puppet!”

“The declaration of war has nothing to do with me. That was Chazo’s decision alone. Tilulu’s family was killed by the Royalist faction. If you have the guts, go seek revenge on Chazo.” Unwilling to waste more words on Radric, Nola grabbed Claire’s arm, her beautiful yet slightly wild face filled with pleading. “Claire, this isn’t the place to talk. It’s dangerous to be with them. Can you come with me?”

“No…” Claire looked reluctant. She tried to pull her hand back, but Nola held on tight. She had no choice but to explain further. “Mr. Radric and the others mean no harm. We can talk about whatever it is right here.”

Nola’s expression faltered. She immediately assumed Claire was resentful of her for having drawn a sword on her in the past, and she lowered her head in shame.

“It was my fault for treating you as an enemy back then. I was the one who failed to keep my promise. But I’m a Holy Son now. I won’t forget you again… I know you must have grievances against me, Claire, but can you please give me some time to repay what I owe you? I don’t want to be separated from you again.”

“That’s not what I mean.” As Nola tried to pull her away again, Claire had to adopt a sterner tone. “I’m not leaving here. It’s not as dangerous as you think. Nola, you need to calm down.”

“But this is Silvar! Claire, I have obtained a divine weapon. The people here will forget you sooner or later, just like I did in the past. Being with them will only bring you heartache, but I will never forget you again.”

“Nola…” A complex look appeared in Claire’s clear, emerald eyes. “I’ve already found my most important person. I won’t leave her.”

“What?”

As if she had heard something utterly shocking, Nola’s pupils shrank abruptly, and her body trembled. She took an eager step forward, looking as if she might grab Claire’s shoulders at any moment.

“Who? Without a god’s grace, that person will forget you sooner or later. Claire, I will find a way to break the curse on you. Please, forgive me!”

“Nola, I think you should sit down and calm down first.”

“The Eldest Princess will be back any minute. We can’t waste time—”

Before she could finish, Nola heard a commotion from the main gate behind her. Along with it, she saw a look of happiness appear in Claire’s eyes, as if the newcomer was extremely important to her. She immediately turned to look at the person entering the hall. Her gaze instantly turned sharp, and an invisible killing intent emanated from her body, a blazing fury threatening to erupt from her eyes.

The newcomers were people she had seen before: a white-haired elf and the elf maid who had been stopping the rebellious nobles in the square. That alone wouldn’t have enraged Nola. What filled her with murderous intent was the white-haired elf’s actions.

Reаԁ оո ΚаtReаⅾingСafе

As if dragging a corpse, this white-haired elf was gripping Ying’s greenish-blue hair, dragging her all the way from the entrance into the hall. The current Ying was covered in blood, showing no signs of struggling, her limp body looking as if it had already lost all signs of life.

Anyone would be filled with monstrous anger seeing a companion who had gone through life and death with them treated in such a manner. The feeling of her mind going blank appeared once more. Almost without thinking, Nola reached behind her back and drew the Flame Greatsword hidden under her linen cloak.

Meanwhile, Fia, who had just entered, couldn’t help but tilt her head, seeing a strange woman pulling at Claire. No matter how she looked at it, the aura this woman was emitting seemed to be directed at her. She stopped in her tracks, ready to deal with this stranger at any moment.

“Claire? Who is this woman?”

“She is No—”

“Get your hands off her!”

A voice filled with hatred, as if squeezed from between her teeth, erupted. Drawing her Flame Greatsword, Nola, her eyes bloodshot, charged straight at Fia. The sharp blade, raised high above her head, chopped down straight for Fia’s head with unstoppable momentum, as if to split her in two.

However, an attack that was a mere flash in the eyes of an ordinary person was just an incredibly slow motion in Fia’s. Since Nola seemed to be an acquaintance of Claire’s, Fia simply sidestepped to dodge the first blow. But after smashing the floor, Nola’s greatsword didn’t stop. Her hate-filled eyes remained locked on Fia.

Using the momentum of the rebound, Nola swung her greatsword horizontally. The flying stone fragments turned to dust with a mere touch of the blade. The heavy sound of it cutting through the air was enough to make one’s heart tremble without even seeing it.

What a persistent woman.

Fia clicked her tongue. Even if she knew Claire, that was no reason for Fia to keep giving way. The first dodge had already been more than enough of a concession.

[Bee-Shield Forcefield]

Countless translucent hexagonal shields rapidly deployed in front of Fia. The next second, Nola’s flaming greatsword slammed viciously against them. However, the paper-thin shields only showed large, spiderweb-like cracks amidst a series of cracking sounds; they did not shatter under Nola’s full-force blow. The reactive force from the shields nearly knocked the greatsword from Nola’s hand, and a massive bang that could shatter glass instantly echoed through the hall.

Incredulous shock appeared all over Nola’s face.

She was a Holy Son, and her Flame Greatsword was a weapon bestowed by a god. An ordinary magic shield could not possibly block her full-force strike. And if it wasn’t a low-tier shield, it couldn’t have been cast in less than a breath. Even though her strike had no magic attached, it would require at least a Fourth-Tier magic shield to barely block it.

Chantless high-tier magic? How is that possible?

Realizing she might be facing a strong enemy, Nola began to infuse her greatsword with magic. She had to rescue Ying from this abuse—even now, this little girl hadn’t let go of Ying’s hair. Paired with that inhumanly cold face, she looked like a demon straight out of hell.

However, before Nola could channel her divine weapon, she suddenly saw the demonic white-haired girl disappear. The next moment, a sharp pain shot through her arm as it was twisted. She wanted to scream, but the air had just passed through her windpipe when her vision spun. With a heavy “thud,” Nola was slammed face-down onto the ground by Fia. Her right arm, holding the greatsword, was twisted behind her back, and she was pinned to the floor by Fia’s knee.

Rеαԁ oո ΚαtRеαԁіnɡСafе

Everything had happened in the blink of an eye. Nola hadn’t even seen what had happened. By the time she realized it, a dull pain was spreading throughout her body. She had been disarmed and had lost the ability to fight back.

“Stay put.”

As if threatening her, Fia increased the force on her knee. She then looked up at Claire and the others who had just reacted, and asked with a frown.

“What happened here?”

“Let go of me! Bastard!”

“Shut up.”

Nola’s immediate attack had left an extremely bad impression on Fia. She showed no courtesy. First, she used [Forceful Plunder] to drain Nola’s mana, preventing her from retaliating with chantless magic. Then, using [Telekinesis], she tore off a piece of Nola’s linen cloak, used a telekinetically formed arm to pinch Nola’s cheeks, forcing her mouth open, and finally, with a momentary [Deterrence], quickly stuffed the cloth into her mouth.

“Mmph! Mmph!!”

Although her eyes were blazing with enough anger to spit fire, Nola could only make muffled sounds. She tried to kick her legs to resist, but even they were restrained by Fia’s [Wind Binding].

On the other side, Anastasia had already kicked away the greatsword that had fallen to the floor. Nola had become a lamb to the slaughter.

The series of quick and dazzling movements left everyone present, except for Claire, staring at each other, their mouths agape, not knowing what to say. In the end, it was Radric who stepped forward and explained in a low voice.

“Elf princess, this is the beastfolk’s Holy Son.”

“The beastfolk’s Holy Son?”

Fia raised an eyebrow. She looked down at the struggling cat-folk girl pinned beneath her. The red hair and fiery cat ears did indeed match the characteristics of the Fire Cat Tribe. [Wind of Exploration] reported that she was at the Seventh Tier. Her young appearance and considerable strength made it plausible that she was a Holy Son.

However, even if she was a Holy Son, she couldn’t just attack her again and again. Fia had no intention of letting her go. She turned her gaze to Claire, who wanted to reach out to Nola but, for some reason, had stopped her hand in mid-air.

“Claire, I saw her with you just now…”

“She is that child I told you about before, Fia.”

“‘That child’?”

Rеαⅾ oո ΚatRеаԁіոgСafe

Fia couldn’t understand what Claire meant. Just saying “this” and “that” made it hard for anyone to understand.

Claire finally withdrew her hand. She looked at Nola on the ground, her gentle and elegant face full of helplessness and distress.

“The child I rescued a few years ago, who later went off to seek revenge. Her name is Nola.”

What?

Fia was stunned.

The beastfolk’s Holy Son that everyone was talking about was the child Claire had saved years ago? This coincidence was a bit too dramatic. No wonder she was pulling at Claire earlier. But, putting aside the fact that a Holy Son should be born, not made, why did she attack her on sight? They had never even exchanged a single word.

Could it be as I had imagined before? This girl named Nola was saved and raised by Claire, and thus developed special feelings for her. And now that Claire and I have confirmed our relationship and have even been physical, she is furious, believing I have stolen something precious from her, and wants to kill me, her rival in love?

No…

Fia quickly denied it to herself.

Claire wasn’t the type to talk about physical relationships openly. And Nola had already forgotten Claire, even treating her as an enemy. Her previous scenario was surely just because she had been anxiously dwelling on this girl’s relationship with Claire, leading to such a rich inner drama. I’m being too petty, just like a tsundere little girl who frets over every little thing.

Blushing, Fia glanced at the half-snake girl she had dragged into the castle. She had been knocked out by Fia’s [Mental Shock] and had yet to regain consciousness.

Recalling what Anastasia had said about this half-snake girl possibly being a prominent figure in the Holy Son Faction, the truth was likely that the Holy Son had seen her dragging the girl in, became enraged, and attacked her. She probably didn’t even know who Fia was.

That being said, Fia had no regrets. The Holy Son’s companion had been helping the rebels against her and had even injured Anastasia. Even if the Holy Son had done it herself, Fia wouldn’t have shown her any mercy.

Back when Yelido had tried to kill Anastasia in front of her, she hadn’t held back from punching him. How could she tolerate it from a stranger whose name she didn’t even know?

But what should I do now?

Fia was at a loss. Although she was in the right, the Holy Son was, after all, an acquaintance of Claire’s. Claire had even said she thought of her as a niece. Now Fia had beaten up her fiancée’s niece in front of her and roughly stuffed a cloth in her mouth. The situation was, more or less, complicated. Hopefully, the Holy Son hadn’t slaughtered any Kingdom soldiers. Otherwise, even if Claire pleaded for her, Fia would have no choice but to punish her.

“Nola said the declaration of war had nothing to do with her. It was the Royalist faction’s decision.”

Seemingly sensing Fia’s difficulty, Claire explained in a small voice. But one of the old men from the Elf Tower raised a doubt.

Rеαⅾ оո КаtRеαdіոɡСαfe

“Then why is she here?”

Following him, another old man also frowned.

“No matter who it is, drawing a weapon on royalty is a capital offense. Even if she is Miss Claire’s acquaintance, the rules cannot be broken. Moreover, this half-snake person brought in by Her Highness has also been in a fight. They must be working together, carrying out a planned, collective action.”

“It was a rebellion,” Anastasia explained in a steady voice. “I encountered the rebellious nobles on my way to execute Count Yureidon. The nobles here did not want to give up their status and decided to revolt.”

“A rebellion? Who rebelled?!”

The aura of the three old men instantly became sharp, as if they were about to rush out and crush the rebels the next moment. But Anastasia’s next words quickly dissipated their sharp aura.

“They have already been dealt with by Her Highness. Her Highness Liti and Miss Euphimilu are downstairs, guarding the captured nobles.”

“As long as they’ve been dealt with. Hmph. As expected of country nobles who have never seen the world. Not only are they brainless, but they also rebel at the drop of a hat. It’s good that they’re dead. We should quickly follow Chief Erin Slate’s suggestion and apply the Elf Tower’s system to the management of the Kingdom’s territory.”

The Elf Tower’s system was a system similar to provinces. Applying it to the management of the Kingdom’s territory meant abolishing the role of hereditary nobility and further centralizing power in the hands of the king.

“Since the beastman Holy Son colluded with these rebellious nobles—”

Before the old man could finish, Nagg forcefully pulled him back, repeatedly giving him looks to keep quiet. Although according to the Kingdom’s laws, a Holy Son who colluded with rebellious nobles should indeed be executed, she had a deep connection with the future queen. Proposing her execution here would only embarrass his superiors. The laws on the books were one thing; how they were enforced was another. The rules couldn’t bind the people who made them.

Also understanding this, Anastasia glanced at the still-muffled Holy Son on the ground and gave a soft, wry smile.

“I have a proposal. Lords of the Elf Tower, why don’t you first go with me to clean up the remaining nobles, lest they make a comeback and harm Her Highness. The rest can stay here to interrogate the Holy Son about her purpose and origins. How does that sound?”

“I have no objection. The border nobles are all connected. It’s best to pull them out by the roots. His Majesty the King entrusted us with the responsibility of protecting Her Highness. We have an obligation to take preventive measures. My lords, there’s no time to lose. Let’s set out now.”

Without waiting for the three old men to speak, Nagg put his arms around their shoulders and urged them to follow him. After Anastasia, who brought up the rear, also urged the dozens of beastfolk in the hall to take their food and leave, the empty hall was left with only Fia, Tilulu, and their group of six.

After a brief silence, Fia suggested awkwardly.

“Let’s change rooms too. This isn’t the place to talk.”