Volume 5, Chapter 23 – Incidents

“Is that so…”

Fia suddenly understood.

In fact, even in Silvar, there were cases of local nobles feigning compliance. The only difference was that the Silvar royal family had stronger military control and a tighter grip on the local regions.

However, in the current situation, the fact that Tilulu was being sheltered by the Snake-folk leader had been exposed. The Lionfolk did not want the news that they were still hunting down the old royal family to leak out, and Tilulu was a key figure contested by both the Royalist and Holy Son factions. By hiding her without a word, the Snake-folk leader had put himself in a position where the King of the Cold Night would certainly not let him off lightly. According to the normal script, this leader would soon face an army sent by the king—the reasons could be numerous; if you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext.

Radric and Tilulu must have been aware of this as well.

Fia glanced discreetly at Tilulu, who was sitting silently beside Radric, her hands clutching her skirt. Even without seeing her expression, Fia could feel her guilt.

Now is the time to strike while the iron is hot.

Fia adopted a serious tone.

“Chazo’s soldiers have already tracked you to this Snake-folk leader’s territory. He must have guessed to some extent that this leader is the one providing you with shelter. This matter will certainly not be left unresolved. It’s only a matter of time before Chazo comes to settle the score.”

“Of course I know that, but since he provided shelter for Tilulu, it means he was already mentally prepared for this day. The royal family will not forget them.”

“Hah,” Fia sighed softly. “I think they would prefer to have a helper rather than a spiritual reward. Isn’t now the time? The news is already out, so there’s no need to be secretive anymore. Let’s just make this the starting point for restoring the kingdom and tell Chazo that you’re back.”

Although Radric had a dragon’s head, making it impossible to read his expression, everyone in the carriage could feel that he was frowning.

“You mean… you’re going to help the Snake-folk repel Chazo’s soldiers?”

“Precisely.”

“I’m afraid that won’t work.”

Radric denied her almost without thinking.

Fia naturally raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“The Snake-folk are not a monolith. Just as among the Darkborn, the Absolute Evil and the Sovereign have completely different ways of doing things. The leaders of the Snake-folk are two brothers. One is the chieftain, and the other is the priest. The situation is quite complicated.”

To help Fia understand, Radric began to recount the details.

The only one who truly regarded Tilulu as royalty was the chieftain, the older of the two brothers, named Zahr. His younger brother, the priest, though he also treated Tilulu as royalty, had many of his own thoughts. This younger brother believed that hiding Tilulu would bring disaster to the entire tribe. By not reporting her whereabouts to Chazo, they were already showing great respect to the former king. They should have just expelled her.

However, the younger brother could not overcome the older brother’s stubbornness, so Tilulu was able to stay. Now that her whereabouts were exposed, this younger brother would surely oppose his brother with unprecedented force. Coupled with the imminent disaster of their clan’s annihilation, the chieftain’s attitude would naturally become unpredictable.

Once they stepped through this city gate, Tilulu might face the dilemma of being imprisoned and handed over in exchange for the tribe’s peace. If Fia hadn’t promised to help her, Radric would never have brought her to the Snake-folk in the first place. There were too many unstable factors involved.

“I see.”

Fia nodded lightly. If things were as Radric said, and there were two factions of comparable strength within the Snake-folk, then it was indeed possible that they would give up fighting Chazo and surrender directly. The option of “making this the starting point for restoring the kingdom” did not exist.

However, the solution to this was simple. All she had to do was make them believe that Tilulu had the ability to fight Chazo. Fia wasn’t too worried. To her, there was no difference between a hundred soldiers and ten thousand. Of course, she wasn’t going to use orbital bombardment on them. A little [Spatial Rift] or [Hellfire] should be enough to make them flee without a fight. If that didn’t work, [Stellar Radiance] was also a good spell.

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To Fia’s surprise, Tilulu looked up and stubbornly refuted Radric.

“Uncle Zahr wouldn’t hand me over as a hostage.”

“Tilulu, you are still young. Zahr is not only your uncle, but also the chieftain of a clan. If it really comes to a choice between you and all of his clansmen, he cannot choose you. It’s the same even if he usually treats you like a niece.”

“Uncle Zahr is not that kind of person. He said that my father once saved his life, and he would not forget that kindness. To say this now is to question his good intentions.”

“There are limits to good intentions. He might be willing to sacrifice himself for you, but not his entire tribe.”

Seeing that the two were about to argue, Anastasia’s voice came from outside the carriage.

“Mr. Radric, it seems you’ll have to take over from here. The soldiers up ahead are checking people.”

Since most elves were naturally beautiful and plump, they fit the beastfolk’s aesthetic perfectly—beastfolk also favored plump women, the only difference being they preferred sturdy, hardworking women, while elves leaned towards fair-skinned types. Therefore, elves were quite popular in the Cold Night. With the current war between the two nations, these soldiers might harass Anastasia and cause unnecessary trouble. Letting the half-dragonoid Radric act as the driver would dispel any crooked thoughts the soldiers might have.

Of course, there were countless ways to solve this problem. Anastasia just didn’t want Tilulu and Radric to argue.

Her words stopped Tilulu from retorting further. Radric nodded in response and then hunched over to exit the carriage.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere in the carriage, Claire gave a wry smile and threw a topic to Tilulu.

“Tilulu, can you tell us about this chieftain named Zahr? For example, what kind of person is he?”

At the mention of Zahr, Tilulu’s expression brightened at once. She twitched her white beast ears, looking exceptionally happy.

“Uncle Zahr is the only good person among the Snake-folk who truly treats me as royalty. Everyone else just treats me as… as a pitiful doll.”

Just as Radric had described the chaotic situation within the Snake-folk, Tilulu, as if she had become a different person, began to talk endlessly about Zahr’s good qualities. However, their stories sounded like a normal uncle-niece relationship to the others. At most, when Tilulu was mocked for being an incompetent royal, Zahr would use his authority as chieftain to punish those people, acting as a protector. There was nothing really worth mentioning.

That being said, Tilulu was exceptionally lively during the conversation. Both her wagging white tail and her spirited purple eyes made her seem like a completely different person from the introverted girl Fia had met. The way she listed Zahr’s various good qualities was reminiscent of a child bragging about their father to their classmates.

Tilulu is probably so lacking in elder’s love that she treats a normal uncle-niece relationship as a hard-won bond, and is thus happily telling us about it. She probably wants to show others that she is not worthless, that someone loves her.

Such people often grow up to be exceptionally paranoid, just like the official witches in the Witch Sanctuary. Because they lived in a high-pressure environment in their youth, they developed all sorts of strange quirks as adults, becoming selfish and stubborn.

If I take this opportunity to show her care, I can definitely become someone important to her—not just that, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to make her a little more cheerful and lively.

With this thought, Fia quietly glanced out the window. With Radric as the driver, the carriage passed through the inspection without being searched and successfully entered the city. The border city of the Cold Night was in an even worse state than Yureidon territory. The houses were old and dilapidated, and the people were all wearing patched, faded short clothes. In addition, the streets were filled with a strange atmosphere. People walked with their heads down, their expressions gray, and even their voices were low. In the distance, there was even music that sounded like a funeral dirge, as if a major event had occurred.

But Tilulu did not notice this atmosphere. She was still happily telling everyone about Zahr’s merits. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that she finally stopped, happily swinging her dazzling little legs, her wide, bright eyes filled with satisfaction.

“Doesn’t sound that special…”

“Don’t say that.”

Milu placed her index finger on Liti’s lips, looking displeased.

I hope Tilulu didn’t hear that.

Fia gave a wry smile.

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“I have a rough idea of what kind of person Zahr is. Kind and benevolent, just and reliable. He’s the most important person in your heart after Radric, right, Tilulu?”

“Yes!”

Tilulu answered with great energy, her young and cute face filled with countless joys. Fia couldn’t help but think that if this were Milu, her wing-like ears would surely be flapping non-stop.

Unfortunately, she really couldn’t get into this ordinary story.

Fia decided to change the subject—while not forgetting to observe the situation outside the window. Radric seemed to have been stopped and was talking to a team of soldiers on the street.

“By the way, how do you plan to address me in front of Zahr, Tilulu? You can’t just call me Dofilia. I am the Eldest Princess of Silvar, after all. If he knows my true identity, he will inevitably suspect that I want to interfere in the internal affairs of the Cold Night.”

“Eh?” Tilulu was stunned for a moment. Then, she reverted to her previous shyness, lowered her head, and said in a small voice, “H-how can I call the Lady Witch of Calamity Flame by her name directly…”

“You can’t keep calling me that either. Witches are taboo. If your dearest uncle finds out you’re with a witch, he’ll surely rush over like a madman to settle the score with me and make you draw a clear line.”

“But I’m a useless apprentice who was kicked out. How can I use your name?”

Being so conflicted, Tilulu’s ten fingers unconsciously clenched together, looking exceptionally awkward.

“Then how about we start with ‘teacher’? You can tell others that I’m your magic tutor. As for my name… beastfolk seem to have a special way of naming. You can call me Fia or Hia.”

Whether it was Chiharu, Mizuki, or Chazo, their naming styles were clearly different from elves and humans. Although there were exceptions like Nola and Tilulu, to be safe, using Hia as a name was less likely to arouse suspicion. As for getting close to Tilulu through the identity of a teacher, that was the result of Fia’s process of elimination.

“T-teacher?!” As if she had heard something incredible, Tilulu’s voice rose a pitch, and she almost jumped from her seat. “I have no talent. To become your student would only bring you shame.”

“It’s just a title. It’s not shameful. Besides, just as you don’t have a teacher, I don’t have a student. Isn’t that a perfect match? In the future, I won’t have to worry about being laughed at by other official witches for not even having a single student.”

Fia smiled and spread her hands. Tilulu just needed an excuse to accept. She actually really wanted someone to be her teacher.

“But…”

“No buts. Just agree. Or are you unwilling to have me as your teacher?”

“N-not at all! For a Witch of Miracles like you to be willing to take me as a student, if I tell my fellow apprentices about this, they will surely envy me! This is something I’ve never even dreamed of… A-wawa…”

At the end, Tilulu had already stood up, her words incoherent, her face flushed with excitement.

She looked frantically at the driver’s seat.

“R-Radric, what should I do now? The Lady Witch of Calamity Flame is willing to take me as her student… I… I’ve finally been recognized by an official witch. I can learn magic as a witch—”

Towards the end, Tilulu’s voice grew smaller, and her expression gradually changed from joy to unease, as if she had seen something terrible.

“What’s wrong?”

Fia frowned as well. From her perspective, she couldn’t see the situation outside from the carriage door, and the narrow space of the window required her to stick her head out to see what was happening in front of the carriage.

“Im… impossible…”

As if afraid of something, Tilulu took a small step back. She stared blankly ahead, her gray eyelashes trembling noticeably.

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“Uncle Zahr… how could he…”

“I said get out of the way! We’re going in!”

“You can’t go in means you can’t go in! Lord Woz has given orders. Even if you’re the chieftain’s friend, you can’t enter!”

An argument between Radric and the soldiers came from outside. But Tilulu, as if she hadn’t seen it, walked towards the carriage door with a dazed expression. Considering the current environment, Fia grabbed her slender wrist to stop her from stepping out. She then exchanged a look with Anastasia and stepped out of the carriage herself.

Before her was a scene like a bonfire banquet.

The only difference was that it was daytime, and the air in the square was not filled with joy. On the contrary, the only thing that could be read here was sorrow. A large group of Snake-folk dressed in black gauze stood solemnly around a high platform. On the stone platform was a pyre and a stone coffin, engulfed in raging flames. A Snake-folk man in magnificent clothes stood by the coffin, loudly saying something in the beastfolk language. With one night of learning experience, Fia could vaguely make out that it was a eulogy-like text.

No matter how you looked at it, a funeral was being held, and the deceased was of high status. Unfortunately, she could only understand spoken beastfolk language at the moment, not the written language, so she couldn’t decipher what was written on the tall stone tablet next to the coffin.

“The Chieftain Zahr that Tilulu mentioned is dead,” Anastasia said in a low voice.

“Dead?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe it! How did Zahr die!”

As if not wanting Tilulu to hear, Radric had already walked a good five or six meters away from the carriage to argue with the soldiers.

“It’s none of your business! Now get lost! You’ll only bring us disaster!”

“If you don’t leave, we’ll hand you over to Chazo!”

Even in the face of a half-dragonoid, the Snake-folk soldiers showed no fear. They roared at Radric with righteous indignation. From the conversation, it was clear they knew he and Zahr were acquainted.

“You looked down on us when Zahr was alive. Now that he’s dead, you’re showing your fangs?”

“How dare you mention the chieftain’s name! You’re shameless! If not for you, the chieftain would never have died! Men, seize them as a sacrifice to the chieftain’s spirit!”

In just a few sentences, the atmosphere had become tense. Five soldiers pointed their spears at Radric, their red eyes filled with anger.

But before they could fight, several nobles-dressed Snake-folk squeezed out from the dense crowd. The leader was a middle-aged Snake-man of the Fourth Tier. Next to him was an acquaintance of Fia’s, the greenish-blue half-snake girl called Ying. Ying and the middle-aged man at the front seemed to have an unusual relationship. Both her lowered gaze and her deliberately half step behind pace made her seem inferior.

“Radric.”

The moment he saw Radric, this middle-aged man narrowed his eyes, his words filled with impoliteness. However, his gaze did not linger on Radric, but instead shifted to Fia and Anastasia behind him, and finally landed on Tilulu, who had just stepped out.

The moment he saw Tilulu, a strong hostility and hatred shot out from his eyes. Fia couldn’t help but frown and secretly used [Deterrence].

In just an instant, the hostility on the middle-aged man lessened a lot, and the soldiers behind him showed signs of wavering. And as if in coordination with Fia, Ying quietly whispered something in his ear. The man’s face became complicated as he took a deep breath, raised his hand to signal the soldiers to lower their weapons, and then snorted coldly at Tilulu.

“If you still have any sense of shame, follow me.”

Without waiting for Radric’s reminder, Tilulu voluntarily walked to his side. Fia then instructed Anastasia to take the others to find a place to rest, while she herself followed Tilulu.

No words were spoken along the way.

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The group soon entered a room in a noble’s residence. The servants here all had black armbands, and their expressions were extremely heavy, making one not dare to speak loudly.

“Ying, go out and close the door. I’m enough here.”

“Yes, Father.”

Obediently answering the middle-aged man, Ying secretly winked at Fia from behind his back, signaling that she had recognized her. And Ying’s father, this middle-aged man, left Tilulu and Radric to the side and first turned to Fia.

“You’re the Eldest Princess of Silvar? What are you doing here? We’re not on Chazo’s side. Even if you want revenge, you’ve got the wrong person.”

“No, I’m just a teacher who teaches Tilulu magic.”

“Teacher?”

The middle-aged man clearly didn’t believe her, but he didn’t press the matter. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the clench-fisted Tilulu, his eyes filled with loathing and resentment.

“You still have the face to come back! Tilulu Lujue, my brother nearly sacrificed our entire tribe to protect you, and now he has committed suicide to atone for it. There is nothing more to be said. Get out. There is no place for you here. The next time we meet, we will be enemies!”

Not intimidated by this man called Woz, an anxious Tilulu took a step forward and asked.

“Woz, what happened to Uncle Zahr? It’s been less than half a month since Radric and I left. Uncle Zahr has quasi-Fifth-Tier strength. How could he just—”

“I told you to get out!”

Before Tilulu could finish, Woz’s fist had already reached her. His punch, filled with anger, went straight for her head. The Second-Tier Tilulu had no time to react at all.

Thud.

The dull sound of a fist hitting flesh echoed through the room, but there was no scene of blood splattering. Fia had caught Woz’s fist just before it hit Tilulu.

The sudden turn of events made Tilulu freeze. Radric, on the side, cursed like a madman, took a step forward, grabbed Woz by the collar, and slammed him against the opposite wall.

With the crisp sound of porcelain shattering, Woz was pressed against the wall. However, as if he didn’t feel the pain in his back, he scrambled up from the floor, his eyes bloodshot, and rushed straight at Radric, who was blocking Tilulu. He grabbed Radric’s collar just as Radric had grabbed his, and a heavy panting and the sound of gritting teeth came out together, as if he would kill Radric at any moment.

“Suicide! It was suicide! Shortly after my brother saw you off, we received a warning from Chazo. If we didn’t hand you over, he would send troops to surround us! The soldiers they sent to the front lines have already turned towards us! In a few days, those soldiers will be at our city gates! To protect our people, my brother committed suicide to atone for our sins and ensure our safety! It’s all because of you! You!!! If you hadn’t come to us, my brother would never have died!”

At the end of his roar, Woz had already pushed Radric, pinning him against the wall. But Radric just stared blankly, as if he hadn’t processed what Woz had said.

The same expression appeared on Tilulu’s face, but her reaction was even more extreme. The anxious girl from a moment ago was now dazed. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

“How could this be… Uncle Zahr said it would be fine…”

“It would be fine? Chazo sees you as a thorn in his side. How could it be fine?! You naive fool! You don’t deserve to be called royalty! A coward like you who can only rely on others wants to become the queen of the Cold Night? You’re useless for anything other than getting the people who believe in you killed!”

Woz laughed in his extreme anger. He let go of Radric and instead pointed at Tilulu.

“I saw long ago that you would amount to nothing. I advised my brother countless times not to take you in, but he still treated you as royalty out of respect for the past. And what did you bring us? If my brother’s death doesn’t earn Chazo’s forgiveness, our Snake-folk tribe will be destroyed! Is this the result you wanted to see?”

Because of his extreme anger, Woz was out of breath. His neck was red as he pointed at the door and roared at Tilulu.

“Get out! All of you, get out! Don’t let me see you again!”