Volume 5, Chapter 30 – A Leap Across

“Miss Anastasia is worthy of being the former captain of the elf Kingdom’s guard. It was completely different from when teacher was training me yesterday. No matter how I attacked, I couldn’t hurt her at all.”

On the way back to the city, Tilulu, with a lingering excitement on her face, sighed softly. The training had been so intense that she had to sit on the edge of the training ground for a while before she could walk again. If Fia hadn’t used [Cleanse] on her and dried the sweat from her gray hair with a towel, she would have been steaming from her head again.

Tilulu’s words made Anastasia’s expression falter, and her face filled with embarrassment.

“That’s because Her Highness understands your situation very well, and can attack and defend at a rhythm that best suits you, Princess Tilulu. The gap between me and Her Highness is far greater than the gap between you and me. I can’t keep my strength at a level that is just a little stronger than yours. The one who is truly amazing is Her Highness.”

“Even so, I can feel that your strength is very high, Miss Anastasia. Most of the official witches in the Witch Sanctuary are no match for you.”

“Well…”

Faced with Tilulu’s repeated praise, Anastasia, who had always been treated as a servant, seemed particularly unaccustomed. She could only look at Fia, her face showing an expression of not knowing what to do.

“Just accept Tilulu’s praise sincerely, Anastasia. She isn’t wrong. Most of the witches in the Witch Sanctuary are only at the Fourth or Fifth Tier. In terms of practical combat experience, it might take five or six of them combined to match one of you. Humbly accepting praise and then thanking the other person is the way to make everyone happy.”

It feels like I’m the older sister, Fia stuck out her tongue inwardly. It couldn’t be helped. Although Anastasia had regained some confidence under her guidance, it was only to a limited extent. For someone who had not been praised by outsiders, to suddenly be praised would naturally make them shy and not know what to do.

“Then… thank you, Princess Tilulu,” Anastasia nodded awkwardly in thanks to Tilulu. “But could you please stop using the honorific ‘Miss’ to address me? I am just Her Highness’s maid. To call me ‘Miss’ makes me feel like something is wrong, and it’s very uncomfortable.”

“If Miss Anastasia wishes me not to use ‘Miss’, then I won’t use it to address you anymore, Sister Anastasia.”

She’s arbitrarily become her sister.

If Liti were to hear this, she would surely have a resentful expression and protest, saying something like “Sister Ana can only be my Sister Ana!”

Imagining that scene, Fia couldn’t help but curve her lips into a smile. After her battle with Anastasia, Tilulu was clearly no longer as distant as before. Tilulu was just as she had thought: not unable to speak, but simply too shy and afraid to. In that case, as long as she slowly built up her confidence, she would sooner or later become a qualified queen.

Confidence was often built on one’s own strength. This strength could be good looks or power and influence, but the simplest was to possess a power that made people look up to you, making them either fear you or praise you.

Therefore, starting from today, Anastasia would teach her combat skills in the morning, and in the afternoon, she would practice her coordination with Fia. As for the evening, it would be up to her to arrange, or Fia would go and catch some Second-Tier monsters for her to kill, so that her strength could be improved at the fastest speed.

However, her body would surely not be able to withstand such high-intensity activity. It would be better to take some time today to make some stamina-recovering potions.

“But you can’t call me ‘Princess’ anymore either, Sister Anastasia.”

The conversation between Tilulu and Anastasia continued.

Anastasia was naturally puzzled.

“Princess Tilulu is the granddaughter of the former king of the Cold Night. There is nothing wrong with addressing you as ‘Princess’.”

Rеaԁ oո KαtReаԁiոɡСαfе

“Even if I’m a princess, I’m a fallen one. If others hear you calling me that, they will surely laugh at me for putting on airs when I have nothing.”

“Them? Do you mean your friends, Princess Tilulu?”

“Not really friends… just acquaintances who know each other’s names. I’ve been wandering in the Cold Night and rarely stay in one place for a long time. Besides Radric, I have no one I can call a friend.”

“Then you can try talking more with Her Highness Liti and Miss Euphimilu. They are of similar age to you and will surely become your friends.”

“Mm, that girl named Euphimilu looks very scary. She’s always staring at me with a blank expression, as if she’s going to eat me.”

“Milu is just like that. You don’t have to be afraid of her,” Fia joined in, waving her hand with a smile. “Milu used to live a wandering life and has encountered many unfair things, so she’s always like that, lacking in facial expression and rarely speaking. But that doesn’t mean she’s hard to talk to. She actually really wants to communicate with people, she just doesn’t know how. The reason she’s always staring at you is probably because she wants to show her concern.”

After all, their experiences were somewhat similar; both were spurned and had no one to rely on.

“Is that so… I must apologize properly when I get back.”

“Just go and become good friends in one go.”

Fia patted Tilulu’s head encouragingly. She had already imagined a heartwarming scene of the three young girls being close and loving. Only girls of this age could maintain such innocence. When they were a little older, at her age, hugging and sleeping with their clothes in disarray, kicking off the blankets, the scene would become strange and sensual.

At this thought, Fia couldn’t help but feel annoyed again that the Eldest Princess was too old. If she were a little younger, she could do things she couldn’t do now without any restraint.

“It’s all that tiger’s fault. She caused the chieftain to commit suicide. Without the chieftain’s protection, my brother’s position as a squad leader is not even secure.”

“Shh, keep your voice down. Haven’t you heard that girl has latched onto a big shot? This snow is that big shot’s magic. If that person hears us gossiping about the person she’s protecting, even if she doesn’t settle the score with us directly, just a word to the priest, and we’ll be in for it.”

The conversation of several men and women suddenly came from the quiet street. They were all young Snake-folk dressed in relatively fine clothes, with shiny metal jewelry on their necks and waists. From their dress and the way they walked, one could tell that they were the type of local ruffians who were quite famous in the city and despised by all.

Fia had originally paid them no mind, but upon seeing them, Tilulu suddenly stopped her conversation with Anastasia. The joy on her pretty face turned to a fear she couldn’t hide. She lowered her head and quietly hid in Fia’s direction, clearly knowing these people.

“Do you have a problem with them, Tilulu?”

“No… it’s just… I don’t want to run into them.”

She’s probably been bullied by this group before. Tilulu’s evasive look made Fia vaguely realize this. Although she had never been bullied herself, Anastasia had encountered it a lot. Back in the royal capital, whenever she met a high-ranking minister or noble, she would walk with her head down meekly.

Let’s start by regaining your confidence with this group.

The people Dofilia despised the most were those who bullied the weak and feared the strong. Moreover, teaching these people a good lesson would build Tilulu’s confidence. The training from before couldn’t be wasted.

Fia pulled Tilulu in front of her, held her shoulders, and said in a low voice.

“Don’t be afraid of them. If they dare to bully you, tell them with your fists that the dignity of the Queen of the Cold Night is not to be trampled on by scum.”

Rеаⅾ oո KatReαⅾіոgCаfе

“But I’m not a queen yet…”

“Then you are now. Tilulu, I have promised Woz to make you the queen. You have to have the air of a queen, or you will lose face for me, your teacher. Or do you not want to become queen and avenge your deceased clansmen?”

“I—”

Before Tilulu could hesitate, Fia gently pushed her forward.

“Alright, don’t dawdle. You were no match for them before, but now is not the past. Anastasia and I will be your backup. Don’t let the training from before go to waste.”

With those words, Fia took Anastasia’s hand and activated the Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea, concealing both of them in the air.

This was not noticed by the few young Snake-folk walking towards them. They were still talking to each other.

“It’s just a bit of good luck. Maybe that great person who can summon wind and rain is just playing with her like a pet and will toss her aside when she gets bored. Speaking of which, that thing is really shameless. She caused the chieftain’s death and still dares to come back, saying she’ll help us fend off the king’s army. Doesn’t that make the chieftain’s death in vain and deliberately shame our tribe? And the priest, to actually accept her suggestion. I think he must have been coveting the chieftain’s position for a long time and couldn’t wait for him to die.”

“You’d better watch your stinking mouth. I don’t want to get my tail chopped off because of your gossiping!”

“I’m just speaking the truth—” The young female Snake-person who was speaking finally saw Tilulu standing by the side of the road. Her eyebrows shot up, and especially upon seeing that she was alone, her eyes instantly showed the look of seeing interesting prey. “Well, if it isn’t the orthodox royal of our Cold Night. Why are you walking alone in the street? Got tired of being played with by that great person and the half-dragonoid and got thrown away? How pitiful.”

Following the girl’s words, another young Snake-person of about fourteen or fifteen chimed in.

“What’s there to be pitiful about? She knew she was hated by His Majesty, yet she still had to come to us. Now she’s caused the chieftain’s death and still shamelessly comes back. When His Majesty’s army arrives, you can be protected by the half-dragonoid and escape, but we’ll be left homeless and have to fight for our entire clan.”

“Just looking at your timid appearance is enough for me,” with the support of her companion, the female Snake-person stepped forward angrily. “It’s because of you that my brother couldn’t keep his position as patrol captain. Get out of the Snake-folk tribe right now!”

Seeing that Tilulu still had no intention of talking back at this point, Fia frowned heavily and urged her in a whisper.

“Tilulu, what are you waiting for? You are the Queen of the Cold Night. Go and teach them a lesson.”

“But… but they’re right…”

Tilulu bit her lip and lowered her head. As these young Snake-folk had said, if she hadn’t come to their territory, their chieftain would not have died. Now that she had returned with Fia, saying she would help them repel the king’s army, it made the chieftain’s death absurd and comical.

But life was unpredictable; this was reality. No one could predict that someone would help them out of a predicament. People could only weigh the pros and cons from their current perspective. Anyone looking back from a later point in time would feel that their past self was extremely foolish, but such thoughts were just self-torment.

Moreover, this matter was the same as the predicament Estelle had faced. The one who had truly killed her family was not Estelle, but the Demon General of Despair who had planted the Seed of Despair in her. In this case, the one at fault was Chazo, who had usurped power and was hunting down Tilulu. She was just a victim. These people were just bullying her because they didn’t have the ability to fight Chazo and she couldn’t fight back.

Fia clicked her tongue inwardly.

“They’re just looking for an excuse to taunt you. The one who really killed your uncle is Chazo. Besides, your uncle agreed to let you stay in the Snake-folk tribe in the first place. Don’t just blame yourself. If they slap your left cheek, you have to hit back with several times the force. Use your fists to make them see who the real enemy is!”

Rеаd оn KаtReаⅾіոɡСafe

“What are you muttering about? Didn’t you hear me talking to you? Get lost! Or don’t blame me for being impolite!”

Seeing that Tilulu hadn’t reacted for a long time, the female Snake-person raised her right hand high. At her side, Anastasia’s hand went to the hilt of her sword. Fia had a premonition that if that hand dared to fall, Anastasia would dare to cut it off.

But Tilulu had to take this step herself. If she cowered even in the face of local ruffians, it would be even more impossible for her to compete with high-ranking people like Woz, Nola, and Chazo in the future. Anastasia’s help would only inhibit her growth, just like Radric’s.

Fia held down Anastasia’s hand on her sword, her tone already filled with seriousness and admonition.

“Tilulu, don’t disappoint me.”

“You jinx—!”

Her repeated warnings were ignored by Tilulu, and with the cheers of her companions around her, the female Snake-person’s anger had reached its peak. She tensed her body, vowing to teach Tilulu a hard lesson. She mustered all her strength and swung her right hand at Tilulu’s left cheek.

Slap!

An incredibly crisp sound.

The female Snake-person’s slap landed precisely on Tilulu’s left cheek. The heavy force made her head snap to the side.

“A waste will always be a waste.”

“To dream of being a queen when you don’t even dare to fight back. Even the most arrogant person in our clan wouldn’t say such big words.”

“The people who follow her must all be idiots.”

“Let’s go too, for the chieftain’s revenge!”

Seeing that Tilulu was just taking the hits, the companions behind the female Snake-person also let down their guard and cheered. The beastfolk revered strength; this was the fate of the weak.

“Tsk.”

Not caring about being discovered, Fia clicked her tongue heavily. She hadn’t expected that even in the face of these provocations, Tilulu wouldn’t dare to stop them. She didn’t know whether to say she had been too hasty or that Tilulu was too incompetent. If it were the latter, she might have to consider switching her support to someone else.

“Y-you were the ones who started it!”

Just as Fia was about to reveal herself and Anastasia to drive these people away for Tilulu, Tilulu, who had been hanging her head, her expression hidden by her gray hair, slowly looked up. Because Fia was standing behind her, she couldn’t see her expression, but from the fear shown by the female Snake-person opposite her, the current Tilulu had mustered some courage.

Unfortunately, the fear was only for a moment. She soon remembered that Tilulu was just a harmless little tiger, and a look of shame and anger instantly spread across her face.

“You dare to fight back? Today I’ll let you know who’s the master here!”

Saying this, the female Snake-person swung her hand at Tilulu again. But this time, she was no longer passive. She raised her left hand to block the slap, while her other hand, mustering her courage, went straight for the girl’s face. Not only that, but her palm suddenly changed in mid-air. The originally petite and delicate hand instantly turned into a white tiger claw the size of two or three adult hands. The fan-like claw slapped the snake girl across the face.

Rеαd оո KαtRеaⅾіnɡСαfе

If the previous slap had been crisp, then Tilulu’s counterattack was a dull and heavy thud. The immense force of the Tiger-kin sent the girl flying, even knocking out some of her teeth.

“She fought back!”

“This is our Snake-folk territory! A fallen tiger dares to attack the captain’s daughter! Teach her a lesson! —[Stone Spear]!”

“—[Falling Rocks]!”

One after another, low-tier spells flew at Tilulu. She quickly retracted her fist to undo her [Beastification] and held the staff in front of her with both hands.

“[Magic Shield]!”

The moment her voice fell, a magic shield composed of countless hexagons appeared in front of her. Both the flying rocks and the stone spear that stabbed up from the ground turned into a pile of rubble upon hitting the shield.

And right after the magic came two Snake-men with swords. However, just like the stone spear, they couldn’t damage the magic shield at all. Instead, they were thrown back by the reactive force.

“Ineffective?! How can a [Magic Shield] be this strong!”

“It must be magic armor!”

“Her magic is coming!”

A total of four orange-red fireballs emitting intense heat floated above Tilulu’s head. Then, with a wave of her staff, the four fireballs, as if they had eyes, accurately sought out the four Snake-folk who had just attacked her. However, these fireballs did not directly kill them, but landed just by their tails. The impact and shrapnel from the explosions immediately took off a large chunk of their scales.

“Arghhhhh!”

“My tail!!”

“Damn it, when did this brat get so strong!”

In less than a minute, the battle ended in a one-sided victory.

Ignoring the snake-folk rolling on the ground, Tilulu, her heart pounding, walked step by step to the girl who had hit her first. At this moment, the leader was trying to get up from the ground.

Without waiting for her to get up completely, Tilulu first put the staff into her storage item, then grabbed her collar. With a look of “what are you going to say” on her face, she raised her other fist with a dark expression.

“Please don’t say anything that insults me or my followers again.”

Thud.

With the sound of a fist hitting a nose, Tilulu let go of the girl and left the snowy ground with a heavy expression.