Volume 5, Chapter 42 – Anxious Prelude

“Sister Claire’s hometown often has incidents like the earth falling?”

On the bumpy carriage, Liti, sitting next to Claire, tilted her head and asked. Since she was already shorter than Claire, when she leaned forward to observe Claire’s expression, her view was always blocked by Claire’s perfect chest. From her perspective, she could just barely see the lower half of Claire’s face along the deep cleavage.

Claire nodded with a smile.

“Yes. The Dragonfall is too far from the World Tree Continent and is a small region in itself. Its foundation is not firm, so incidents like the earth falling downwards are common. It basically happens once every so often. The people living there are already used to it.”

“They can even get used to something like that…”

Liti pulled her head back and sighed with an expression of disbelief.

The matter they were discussing was the sudden earthquake that had occurred two days ago during Tilulu’s speech. The tremor at that time was identical to the “falls” Claire was familiar with. However, they had not been able to find the location of the fall, which surprised her. An earthquake and a fall were two similar but completely different things, and she could feel the subtle difference between them. But she had indeed not found the abyss that should have appeared, so the matter became an unsolved mystery.

However, for Fia, she was more concerned about Claire’s hometown than the earthquake. Although she had long known that it was in the Dragonfall, and that it was another continent, like an overseas island, independent of the World Tree Continent, Claire rarely mentioned it to her.

Because Tilulu’s upright white beast ears were blocking her view, Fia had to rest her hand on her head to ensure she could see Claire’s face. The current Tilulu was sitting obediently on Fia’s lap. After the fuss of the past two days, Liti, Milu, and Tilulu seemed to have reached some kind of agreement and were no longer arguing, but had switched to a rotation system.

“Then don’t the people of the Dragonfall feel it’s dangerous? Wouldn’t it be much safer to move to the World Tree Continent?”

“That is indeed an option, but it’s hard for people to leave an environment they’re used to. It’s like how the Grand Duchy of Bart is poorer than the neighboring Holy Kingdom and Alfrieg Kingdom, but the people there don’t move their homes to those countries. The potential difficulties of migration, whether one can adapt to a new environment—these are all unknowns. Only someone alone like me would think of coming out to adventure. And the language and customs of the Dragonfall are very different from the World Tree Continent. If they were to move here on a large scale, there would surely be conflict.”

“Is that so…”

It was as Claire said. Without having seen the beauty of the outside world, people would not casually leave their hometown unless they really couldn’t survive.

As if remembering something, Anastasia, sitting next to Fia with her arm touching hers, had a serious expression.

“Miss Claire, there is a question I have always wanted to ask you.”

“If you’re asking to become the second consort, I’d welcome it, you know?”

Claire answered playfully.

This reply instantly made Anastasia blush, her serious expression stiffening for a moment. However, she quickly recovered with her training. She coughed twice with her right hand to her mouth and said with feigned calmness.

“Ahem, I have never had such improper thoughts. I wanted to ask, you’ve said before that in order to find out your own origins, you went to the territory of the Darkborn and sought answers from the demons. But every piece of land on the World Tree Continent has been claimed, yet we still haven’t figured out where the Darkborn have taken root. Where exactly are they hiding?”

No one knew how many Darkborn there were, or where they lived. People only knew that they were elusive, and that one could encounter them anywhere. And it was precisely because people didn’t know their main camp that the Holy Sons, who were favored by the gods, could only rush to where problems appeared and could not adopt a strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao ¹ means to relieve a difficult situation indirectly by attacking a vulnerable point elsewhere, rather than confronting the main threat directly. It is one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, a classic Chinese collection of tactical wisdom. .

If they could find out where the main camp of the Darkborn was, the struggle between the living beings of the World Tree Continent and them could take a leap forward.

However, Claire looked troubled, her right index finger drawing circles in the air. Fia, who knew her well, knew that this was her subconsciously imagining herself in her demon form. Normally, that fine, long, warm, and soft tail should be wrapped around her finger.

“To be honest, I don’t know either. To enter the territory of the Darkborn, you must have one of them as a guide. To hide from the gods, they don’t live directly on the World Tree Continent, but have opened up another independent space. I was only able to enter their territory because I was born in the Dragonfall, and the dragons there acknowledged me.”

“An independent space? What does it look like inside?”

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Fia subconsciously thought of a gloomy ancient castle perched on the edge of a cliff, or a dream world like Alice in Wonderland.

As if guessing that Fia was fantasizing about unrealistic things, Claire gave a wry smile.

“It’s the same as the World Tree Continent. There’s nothing special. If I had to say, the only thing is that the space inside is unstable. If a spell above the Seventh Tier is cast, the caster will be sucked into the spatial turbulence and be pierced into a hedgehog by spatial fragments. This is both a lack of ability on the part of the one who created the space and a self-preservation method of a fragile world. Also, I went to the world of the Absolute Evil, not the Sovereign’s. The world of the Absolute Evil is home to several hundred thousand Darkborn. Five hundred thousand, or six hundred thousand.”

“The total number of Darkborn is no more than six hundred thousand?”

“Yes, at least for the Absolute Evil’s subordinates. The reproductive ability of the Darkborn is very weak. A city with a population of five or six hundred thousand is already very large. You can’t compare them to Silvar.”

“If the number of Darkborn was the same as ours, we would have been defeated long ago, sister.”

Liti, with both hands on her sides, swung her small legs, which were wrapped in thick white pantyhose. Unintentionally or not, she had not put on her shoes, so her slender and delicate feet looked particularly alluring.

Of course, this was also related to the modified carriage. Because Fia had added a heating function, even in this bleak winter, the carriage was warm and cozy. The most obvious change was that everyone, who had been wearing winter clothes, had taken off their outermost layer. The fragrance of the girls’ body scent and hair mixed together made Fia feel that her time spent modifying the carriage was not wasted. Paired with the fluffy carpet underfoot, this was simply paradise.

And she was also holding a beastman girl who was nominally her daughter but was actually more like a spoiled younger sister.

At this thought, Fia’s expression unconsciously turned into a =w= face. She stroked Tilulu’s soft gray hair, her hand subconsciously moving to her slightly elastic ear. Recently, she had discovered two things. First, beastmen were binaural, not quad-aural. That is, they only had one pair of beast ears. If you were to lift the hair on the sides of their head, you would find that they did not have human ears.

At first, Fia had thought this would be a terrifying image, but when she used Tilulu as an example, she found that it was not jarring at all, but quite cute.

As for the second thing, as long as she stuck her finger into her warm ear, her shoulders would twitch, and her whole body would freeze. At first, Fia had thought this was a sign of discomfort, but later she found that she seemed to enjoy this feeling very much. After a long time, her cheeks would even turn red, and her upright tail would constantly sweep back and forth. It was hard to tell if it was comfortable or not.

“Tilulu, time’s up.”

“Eh…”

Liti pinched her ear. Tilulu, who had been busy with her needlework, looked disappointed.

“I’m almost done…”

“You can’t break the agreement.”

“It’s my turn now~”

Without any courtesy, Liti happily got up and came to Fia’s side. Then, as if trying out a new sofa, she first sat her soft buttocks on one side of Fia’s lap, and then leisurely leaned her back against her. Unlike the well-behaved Tilulu, Liti was like she was trying to merge into Fia’s body, just short of turning around and hugging her head with her chest.

Although this was a sign of being popular with children, Liti’s actions were too ambiguous. Fia couldn’t help but feel a headache. If she didn’t let her sit on her, her younger sister would feel she was being treated differently. But now, with Claire watching, her face was filled with enjoyment and triumph. If not for their blood relationship, Claire would surely be unhappy. Unlike the completely undeveloped Tilulu, Liti was already on the verge of being dangerous.

Fia had no choice but to carefully observe Claire’s expression. After confirming that she was not overthinking, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief. From this, it seemed that Claire was much more magnanimous than her. If someone were to be as close to Claire as Liti was to her, even if it were Claire’s own sister, Fia would secretly stomp her feet and curse.

“What are you doing, Tilulu?”

Liti, sitting on Fia’s lap, tilted her head and looked at her. At this moment, Tilulu had obediently sat down by Fia’s side and was putting away her needlework. She hid the fluffy white semi-finished product in her hand behind her back, looked up, and said with a proud air.

“It’s a secret.”

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“Tsk, don’t think I don’t know. It’s definitely a gift for sister to make her favor you more. It won’t work, you idiot. If a small gift could make her dote on you more, I would have already had her wrapped around my little finger.”

“Hey, I’m still here,” Fia pinched Liti’s pointed ear in annoyance. “You’re already an old woman of over seventy, yet you’re still bickering with Tilulu.”

“Sister only says I’m not a child when she needs to. In the end, you’re just biased towards Tilulu. I want to be your daughter too! I also want kisses and hugs and to sleep with you at night!”

What do you mean, kisses and hugs and sleeping together?

Sleeping together had indeed happened, but kisses had absolutely not. Not even on the cheek.

Fia put on her older sister’s air, put her hands on her hips, and said in an annoyed tone.

“Then you go and have a good talk with the third consort and see if she’s willing to give you to me.”

“Uh, then I’d rather not. If I become your daughter, I have a feeling you’ll become exceptionally strict.”

Liti stopped her antics, her pretty face showing fear and apprehension.

To think she could guess that far.

It was as Liti had said. If she became her daughter, she would surely start with a whole set of strict education, asking Anastasia to teach her properly so she would know what it meant to respect her elders.

However, Liti’s fear only lasted for a second or two. She quickly put on a silly grin.

“But sister is so soft-hearted. As long as I pretend to cry, I can surely win her over. She is a simple woman who can be easily taken advantage of once she lets her guard down. Hehe…”

While fantasizing, Liti rested the back of her head on Fia’s neck. Fia, who was being leaned on, had to turn her chin to the other side.

This little sister of mine is hopeless.

“Exchange…”

As Fia was sighing, she suddenly heard Tilulu’s murmur.

“What did you say, Tilulu?”

“Ah… ah?!” Tilulu was startled. Her eyes filled with panic, and she quickly explained, “I-I was just thinking, if I exchanged places with Her Highness Liti for a day… would Mom…”

“Would she?”

“N-nothing…”

Tilulu lowered her head again. However, before she did, Fia clearly saw a look of envy in her eyes as she looked at Liti.

Why the envy?

Fia was mystified. She was conscious that she treated Tilulu more seriously than Liti.

Unfortunately, Tilulu had no intention of explaining. Her cute face quickly returned to a happy expression, and she held up the gift Liti had mentioned—a piece of white knitted fabric—in front of Fia, like a child showing a glowing stone to their mother.

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“Can Mom close your eyes first?”

“Ah, no problem.”

Following her instructions, Fia closed her eyes. She then felt Tilulu move closer to her. First, their thighs touched, then her hand on her forehead, a delicate and warm touch. Finally, the sweet scent of a young girl, which made one’s heart race, filled her nostrils.

Her ears and eyes felt hot, and she felt something cover them. Tilulu’s delicate fingers drew on her forehead. This slight itching sensation was almost the same as a baby’s fingertips sliding on the skin, making one want to laugh. But the sweet fragrance soon disappeared as Tilulu moved her knees away. She sat back down, satisfied.

“This size is just right. You can open your eyes now, Mom.”

As her vision returned, Fia subconsciously looked at what she had been drawing on her forehead.

“What are you doing, Tilulu?”

When Tilulu was sitting on her lap, Fia had watched her knit the white fabric bit by bit. But this piece of fabric, which was wider at both ends and thinner in the middle, made it hard to guess what she was trying to make. Fia only knew that she was making something custom for her.

Tilulu pursed her lips and hummed lightly.

“Hmph, hmph~ I can’t tell Mom yet.” Saying this, her gaze fell on Fia’s dress pocket. Because of Liti’s and her wiggling, a piece of silver metal was peeking out from the edge of the pocket. “This is…”

“This was left by Ying. I helped her gain her freedom, and she left this for me as a gift. By the way, this is a secret. Don’t tell Priest Woz.”

Fia took out the gem necklace from her pocket. It was the gift Ying had given her after Fia had helped her remove the necklace that had restricted her freedom. Because she had [Cleanse] magic, and her body did not produce any odor, the necklace had been in her pocket all this time.

“So that’s how it is.”

Tilulu put away the white fabric and stared at the gem necklace. She moved her knees and leaned closer to Fia, her deep purple eyes as if she had discovered some kind of rare treasure.

“Can Mom let me see it?”

“I can even give it to you. It’s useless to me.”

She would not use such an item that treated children like slaves.

Tilulu’s eyes instantly lit up.

“Thank you, Mom!”

“Hmph, sister has never given me such a gift.”

Looking at Tilulu, who had gotten the gem necklace and was happily sizing it up, Liti, sitting sideways on Fia’s lap, pouted and protested.

“Didn’t I buy you a trigger-type magic armor in Byrne City before? And you even chose the most expensive one.”

“That was then. Lately, sister has been doting on Tilulu too much. Although I can understand the feeling of wanting to give everything to a newly acquired daughter, this is not how you treat a daughter.”

Liti wiggled her hips and grumbled in a small voice, her pitifully aggrieved appearance like a punching bag, which made Fia find it amusing.

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“Alright, alright. When we go back to Silvar in a few days, I’ll get you an identical gift.”

“Go back to Silvar? W-we’re leaving in a few days?”

As if she had heard something extremely important, Tilulu, who was clutching the necklace, suddenly looked up. Fia wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she saw a look of fear in her eyes.

She’s worried that I’ll abandon her.

Fia could completely guess the reason. Tilulu had dared to take the step to become queen because she trusted her. Now that they were mother and daughter in name, a child would not want their safe harbor to leave them. She was afraid that she would leave.

Fia gave her a gentle smile.

“I’m not going back alone. You’ll be with us. We’ll probably only stay in Silvar for two or three days.”

“Okay~”

The fear in her eyes receded like a tide, and Tilulu answered with a cheerful and energetic tone.

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

Noticing that Milu had been staring at Tilulu in the corner, Claire asked in a low voice that would not disturb the others.

Milu shook her head lightly, her tone as emotionless as ever.

“Nothing…”

“That’s good.”

Seeing that Claire had just let it go, Milu’s eyes widened in surprise. She leaned forward slightly and pressed.

“You don’t think it’s strange?”

“What do you mean?”

Although Claire still had her usual gentle smile, at this moment, Milu read something else in it. She was first stunned, then, as if she understood something, she looked away without a word.

“Mm-hmm~”

Claire continued to smile, and as if to comfort her, she reached out and gently stroked her long white hair.

Without another word, the carriage continued towards the Tiger-kin territory.

Translator Note

uuuh… lot of clingy lolis… hm.