Volume 5, Chapter 19 – The Beginning of a Restoration

The carriage sped along the mountain road under the cover of night.

The Cold Night Kingdom, just as Fia had learned beforehand, was a country filled with crisscrossing mountain ranges. Being landlocked, no moisture could reach it, resulting in barren and arid land. Everywhere, there were only low shrubs and withered grass that barely reached one’s ankles—a scene of desolation.

It was this harsh geographical condition that had created the current mess of the Cold Night. The inconvenient transportation and the multitude of ethnic groups led to a communication barrier between tribes, and this barrier extended to the concept of “us” versus “them,” preventing the beastfolk from ever truly uniting.

However, from the most optimistic perspective, the harsh living environment was not without its benefits. In the current situation, if the land of the Cold Night had not been so devoid of advantages, it would have long been completely devoured by the surrounding countries, and the concept of the Cold Night Kingdom would never have existed in the first place. This situation was similar to that of the elf race ten thousand years ago. Because they were pushed to the frozen lands of the north to survive, and humans could not survive in such extreme cold, the elves were not exterminated.

Of course, this was only the most optimistic consideration. In Fia’s experience, compared to Silvar, whose territory consisted mostly of vast plains, the Cold Night was truly terrible. Take the roads, for example. The constantly jolting carriage was enough to separate one’s waist from their buttocks. And this was while sitting in a carriage with thick, soft cushions and exceptionally sturdy materials. Fia dared not imagine what it would be like to ride in an ordinary carriage. Perhaps only the specially constituted beastfolk could endure such a bumpy ride.

“Ah~ This is so much more comfortable! As expected of my sister! But how did you do it? I can feel it’s wind magic, but can wind magic lift people?”

Sitting in the air, half a head taller than Fia, Liti looked around with a fresh expression. Because Liti had been complaining about her aching buttocks and waist the entire way, Fia had thought of the [Airflow Control] she had learned earlier and used a slow cyclone to lift her up, saving her from the bumpy ride. Besides Liti, Milu was also lifted by the airflow. Both of them wore something like safety shorts under their skirts, so there was no need to worry about any wardrobe malfunctions. Claire and Anastasia did not, so Fia did not use it on them.

Carefully controlling the cyclone to have Liti and Milu sit right by the rear door of the carriage, Fia let out a breath of relief. She could make the airflow incredibly violent, even capable of sweeping the entire carriage tens of meters into the air, but controlling it to the precise degree of just lifting two extremely light lolis was more difficult. The level of precision was equivalent to threading a needle from two or three meters away.

“This is the First-Tier [Airflow Control]. Even I find it troublesome to control at this level, so you shouldn’t even think about it, Liti.”

“Hmm,” Liti touched her chin with her forefinger and pressed down her skirt with one hand, a look of deep understanding on her face. “It really doesn’t seem like a spell I could learn…”

Not dwelling on it, Liti looked down at Tilulu, who was sitting opposite Fia. Since they were traveling at night and Anastasia was unfamiliar with the Cold Night, Radric was driving the carriage. Now, besides Fia’s group, including Anastasia, Tilulu was also in the carriage.

As for the four magic casters from the Elf Tower, three were in the carriage behind them, while the remaining old man had been ordered by Fia to stay in Yureidon territory to take over the work that originally belonged to the Count. He was also to receive the magic casters from the Elf Tower who would arrive later. Their task was to support Fia and assist in restoring the ley lines of the territory. However, since there were no more ley lines for them to restore, Fia planned to have them supervise the soldiers in the territory to prevent them from embezzling supplies meant for the victims during the administrative chaos.

“Aren’t you going to let Tilulu float too, sister?”

“Eh? Me? N-no, that’s alright…”

Tilulu, who had been sitting anxiously with her hands between her legs, suddenly looked up.

Liti’s gaze naturally fell on Tilulu’s simple skirt.

“Does Tilulu only have panties under her skirt?”

“I-I’m wearing protective pants!”

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“Then why not? Sister won’t charge you for such a small request. As a princess of a country, you can’t be too demanding on yourself in life, or your country will be looked down upon along with you.”

“That’s not what I mean…” her voice grew smaller, and her white beast ears drooped. Tilulu, with her tail between her legs, said shyly, “I can’t trouble the Lady Witch of Calamity Flame.”

She’s still concerned about my official witch status?

Fia couldn’t help but find it both amusing and pitiable. Although she had long known that the apprentice witches of Lianne’s faction were very insecure in their high-pressure environment, lowering themselves to the status of slaves, she hadn’t expected Tilulu, an apprentice who was semi-detached from the Witch Sanctuary, to still be so humble in front of her. Tilulu was not only of orthodox royal blood but also had Radric’s backing. If not for a great trauma in her childhood, she wouldn’t have such an insecure personality.

Unlike her attitude towards Nola, Fia actually held strong sympathy for Tilulu. It was just that due to her responsibilities, she couldn’t just do whatever she wanted.

She couldn’t help but sigh softly.

“Tilulu, you don’t have to be so formal in front of me. ‘The Witch of Calamity Flame’ is just a title. I don’t know the rules for apprentice witches in the Witch Sanctuary, nor will I make you follow them. Just relax.”

“But you are the leader of the Witch Sanctuary, and even Lady Lianne and Lady Friede respect you very much. You must be a Witch of Miracles like the Witch of Hope. How can I be rude in front of a Witch of Miracles…”

This child is so stubborn.

Fia couldn’t help but cast a pleading look at Claire, who was sitting next to Tilulu. A look of helplessness also appeared on Claire’s gentle face. She gently patted Tilulu’s head, but this action startled the girl, and her whole body, along with her long gray hair, jumped in fright.

“Eek?! D-did I say something I shouldn’t have?”

“No,” this time, even the usually gentle Claire felt it was a tricky situation. She quickly withdrew her hand and said with a wry smile in her clear, emerald eyes, “I just wanted to be a little closer to you.”

“You can completely trust Sister Claire, you know, Tilulu. It’s fine to think of her as your own older sister. Ah, it’s fine to think of me as your older sister too. But is it a bit inappropriate for me to arbitrarily call the princess of the Cold Night my younger sister? Although I’m also a princess, if it involves two countries, outsiders might think Tilulu lacks propriety, arbitrarily making herself a generation lower than others.”

“Um… it’s fine with me…” Tilulu quietly raised her hand and explained in the slow tone characteristic of a child, “Although I’m called a princess of the Cold Night, not many people actually think of me that way…”

After all, with only bloodline and no power, titles like ‘princess’ and ‘king’ are just titles.

If only I weren’t the Eldest Princess of Silvar, Fia sighed inwardly. If she weren’t, she could have helped Tilulu become queen all the way. But now, she could only try to reach an agreement with her first, and she had to find a suitable opportunity to bring it up.

Without letting her thoughts show on her face, Fia puffed out her chest with a feigned casualness.

“Anyway, just think of us as friends, Tilulu. If you keep using honorifics with me, I’ll be overwhelmed.”

“Friends? Like with Radric?”

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Tilulu’s purple eyes widened slightly, looking rather expectant.

“You and Radric are friends? I thought he was your father or uncle or something.”

“Tilulu is right. I am merely her guardian,” Radric’s steady voice came from outside the carriage.

“Hoh.”

Fia raised an eyebrow in surprise. Radric had said before that he was atoning for his past sins, which was why he had started protecting the weak. The problem must have been on his side. Tilulu was probably too dazzling for him, and he felt unworthy in her presence, not daring to presume to be her adoptive father or uncle, and thus they referred to each other as friends.

That makes sense.

“Then just think of us as friends like Radric.”

“To be friends with a Witch of Miracles like the Witch of Hope is too impolite!”

Tilulu’s white beast ears stood up straight, and her eyes were exceptionally serious, as if she had become a different person.

“Then how about, like Liti said, you see me as an older sister?”

“No! My sister’s younger sister must be me!”

“Be her mother.”

Following Liti, Milu chimed in with deep conviction, her serious expression looking anything but a joke.

Although Fia wouldn’t mind having a cute and polite girl like Tilulu as a daughter, it would be too rude to her.

However, when Fia looked at Tilulu, intending to say that her companions were just joking, she saw her blushing and looking very shy.

Don’t tell me this little one doesn’t find it rude?

That being said, Fia still made a point to explain.

“Ahem, Tilulu, that was just Milu’s joke. Don’t take it seriously.”

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“Master only has the position of daughter left vacant,” Milu emphasized seriously.

Fia wasn’t sure if she had misheard, but she thought she heard Tilulu quietly repeat, “Mother Witch of Calamity Flame…”

I must have misheard, Fia thought. How could there be such a gullible child in the world?

“Ahem.” A cough came from outside the carriage. “Tilulu’s family fell apart a hundred years ago due to the Lionfolk’s coup. Her parents also lived a life of exile. Thirteen years ago, the Lionfolk’s pursuers found their family hiding among the Fire Fox Tribe. To protect the orthodox royal family, the Fire Fox Tribe there fought to the death with the pursuers, but in the end, they were no match for them. The entire tribe was engulfed in a sea of flames. And to cover Tilulu’s safe escape, her parents remained there forever.”

“At that time, Tilulu was less than six years old. She wandered between various tribes and eventually went to the Witch Sanctuary to seek power. Therefore, she has lacked love and care since childhood. If she said something that offended you just now, elf princess, please don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t feel offended at all.”

So I didn’t mishear.

Although she wanted to agree on the spot, such a thing had to be initiated by Tilulu herself so that Radric wouldn’t think she was using her. Besides, she wasn’t familiar with Tilulu, and Tilulu wasn’t familiar with her. Their relationship hadn’t reached that point. She couldn’t take things for granted.

Fia changed the subject, pretending that nothing had happened.

“Radric, how far are we from the village you mentioned?”

“We’ll be there after we cross this mountain. To hunt down Tilulu, they hired renowned adventurers. Those people are not weak. In my semi-dragonoid state, I am no match for them.”

“What’s their strength? You must have fought them before.”

Although Radric could only exert less than a third of his usual strength in his semi-dragonoid state, his original power was at the Seventh Tier. Even with only a third of his power, he was not an opponent that a group of ordinary beastfolk and adventurers could defeat.

“The two strongest are at the Sixth Tier, and there are several others at the Fifth Tier. Those adventurers have experience hunting dragons. Even if I fought with all my might, I could only escort Tilulu and a portion of her people to escape. The Lionfolk are more serious about Tilulu than the other royals. They seem to know that the Holy Son Faction wants her as a puppet and wants to get rid of her before they can find her.”

“I see.”

Two Sixth-Tier individuals were indeed tricky, and they also had adventurers who specialized in hunting dragons.

But Fia’s real interest lay elsewhere. She actually wanted to ask another question.

“Radric, can you freely switch between your Moon Dragon and your current semi-dragonoid state?”

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“I can. It is our Dragon Language magic, which allows us to take on a human form at any time.”

“In that case, why don’t you just turn back into a Moon Dragon and destroy their lair with Dragon Language magic? If you just kill their leader, Chazo, wouldn’t that solve everything? No one would know your true identity as Tilulu’s guardian, so you wouldn’t have to worry about your appearance disqualifying her from becoming queen.”

If you kill one Chazo, a new one will take his place. This saying only exists because you haven’t killed enough. As long as you kill them one by one as they appear, fear will ensure that in the end, no one will dare to become the leader of the Royalist faction, and it will decline in the chaos.

“Elf princess, with your strength, you might think a direct assault is easy to achieve. Few forces can stop a Witch of Miracles. But that is only for you. For ordinary beings, even for us Moon Dragons, such an operation is difficult to achieve.”

“How many high-tier powerhouses are hidden in a nation’s capital, how many magic traps and crystal-grade magic items are set up—these are all unpredictable things. Not to mention Chazo’s strength is unfathomably deep. Almost no one who has challenged him has returned alive. My own death in such a venture is a small matter, but Tilulu would be left unprotected, which is more important. I must ensure I stay alive.”

So Radric had considered killing Chazo in his true form, but he hadn’t gone through with it because he wasn’t confident he would return alive.

“The Royalist faction is so strong that even you aren’t confident… Then how do you plan to help Tilulu restore her kingdom? Restoring a kingdom isn’t something that can be achieved just by two people talking about it. To be honest, I think cooperating with the Holy Son Faction to deal with the Royalist faction, and then secretly developing your own subordinates, is a much better choice than going it alone.”

“The Holy Son is not a qualified leader. Cooperating with her will not lead to a good outcome.”

Radric’s words made Claire’s face show a look of shame, as if she were troubled for having taught such an irrational niece.

“Then what’s your plan? I mean, for restoring the kingdom.”

Seemingly not knowing how to start, Radric was silent for a moment before answering.

“Tilulu is still young. In terms of both strength and personality, she does not have the makings of a queen. For now, we can only train her character and strength first, and then take further action. However, with your help, this progress could be accelerated several times over.”

In the end, it still came back to her. Radric’s intentions were not hidden at all.

This frankness was not entirely unlikable.

“We’re here.”

Before Fia could answer, Radric’s voice turned cold. At the same time, Milu’s feathered ears shot up.

“There’s the smell of blood and fire. There’s a battle ahead.”

“I see.” Letting Milu and Liti, who were sitting on the cyclone, slowly descend, Fia stood up. “Leave it to me.”