Volume 5, Chapter 54 – Increasingly Downward Changes

As the sky was gradually covered by dark, heavy clouds, the already evening sky quickly dimmed. The streets were filled with cat-people carrying bundles and children, fleeing for their lives. However, due to the city lockdown order, these people could only anxiously block the streets. Some clever ones had already started hiding supplies and locking themselves in their homes. Others were crying and cursing the Holy Son on the streets for not leaving them a way out.

Although they were part of the cat people, this did not mean they had the heart to sacrifice themselves for their race. Everyone knew that the Holy Son Faction was weaker than the Royalist Faction. The Lionfolk had ruled the Cold Night for many years, and their strength was deeply ingrained in people’s hearts. Now, Chazo personally led elite troops to arrive at the city gates without the Holy Son’s knowledge. This sense of crisis, like finding a knife pressed against one’s chest upon waking, would make anyone panic. In their eyes, their own lives were more important than anything else.

Claire and Anastasia were standing in a room on the fifth floor of the Hunting Ground.

“It’s weather manipulation. It seems the opponent has a Sixth-Tier magic caster.”

Standing by the glass wall and looking south, Claire said softly, a hint of worry in her clear emerald eyes. If she were in her demon form at this moment, her tail would already be swaying restlessly behind her.

“When the sky gets completely dark, the battle should begin.”

Anastasia picked up the topic. Although they couldn’t see the situation outside the city walls from the Hunting Ground where they stood, they could feel the slight tremor of the earth, indicating that the army was pressing in.

This morning, upon learning of Chazo’s army’s arrival, Nola had ordered everyone living outside the city to move inside, and had required the soldiers to burn all the food and houses outside the city, implementing a scorched-earth policy to deny Chazo the opportunity to live off the land.

The result of this was that Chazo encountered no resistance along the way and advanced from the wilderness dozens of kilometers away to the core heartland of the Holy Son Faction.

This was also related to the terrain of the Holy Son Faction. The capital of the Royalist Faction was at the western end of the Cold Night, while the Holy Son Faction was in the barren southeastern corner. Normally, the closer the capital was to the southeast corner, the wider the strategic buffer zone to the west, making it less likely to be ambushed by Chazo’s army. No one had expected him to attack from both sides, daring to lead his elites sneakily from the south while declaring war on Silvar, heading straight for the capital.

Interestingly, the Milcandis Holy Kingdom had used a similar tactic, but the outcome was well-known: they were beaten half-dead by Silvar, who had reacted in time.

Coming to Claire’s side, Anastasia turned her head to look at her, who was slightly shorter, her tone extremely gentle.

“Aren’t you going to help the Holy Son, Miss Claire? She is your niece and daughter.”

“Nola didn’t come looking for me, which means she doesn’t think things are bad enough to require my help. Although she probably wouldn’t say anything if I took the initiative to help her, this is the Cold Night, and it’s a decisive battle between the leaders of both sides. If Nola defeats Chazo with her own strength, she will gain the praise and awe of the tribes that are watching.”

“So that’s the consideration. The beastfolk rules are too troublesome.”

Anastasia gave a wry smile.

After the brief exchange, the bright and spacious room fell silent, leaving only the hustle and bustle of the people on the streets outside. From their perspective, they could just glimpse the black shadows moving back and forth on the distant city walls—those were soldiers moving crossbow bolts.

Claire crossed one arm over her chest, looked at the crowd below, and said abruptly.

“Anna, what do you think of Fia?”

“Her Highness is the sun that has given me a new life.”

Anastasia answered without hesitation.

Claire’s brow arched slightly.

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“I wasn’t asking about that. I mean on a deeper level.”

“A deeper level? Please clarify, Miss Claire.”

Having said this much, Claire turned to face Anastasia. Her deep emerald eyes held both observation and a faint hint of a smile.

“You actually have special feelings for Fia, don’t you? You just haven’t said it because of me. You don’t have to worry about it. You should fight for what you should fight for. If you miss it, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Having said this much, even if Anastasia wanted to play dumb, she couldn’t help but stiffen. Her breath hitched, and a look of panic gradually appeared on her cheeks.

“Wh-what are you saying? Even setting aside my status as a servant, Her Highness is my half-sister. She treats me as her older sister, and I should protect her as my younger sister.”

Claire wasn’t wrong; Anastasia had always held ambiguous feelings for Fia. But one point was incorrect: she hadn’t hidden her true feelings because of Claire. For her, as long as she could watch Fia find happiness from afar, she would feel happy herself. There was no need to go further.

The current situation was already what she wanted, so naturally, she would not seek change. Change meant risk. Not to mention, she was still an existence not tolerated by many nobles in Silvar. To voice such an extravagant hope would only make everyone awkward.

Not understanding what Anastasia was thinking, Claire looked away.

“Older sister and younger sister… I was being presumptuous.”

There’s nothing wrong with taking things step by step.

Claire murmured in her heart. She wasn’t saying these things out of boredom, but because she had long wanted to have a proper talk with her. From her perspective, although Fia was loved by many, she was the only one who had been acknowledged. Take Anastasia for example. Every time she saw her in private, a hint of awkwardness and something akin to sympathy would rise in her heart. This was not the pity of a victor for a loser, but something closer to guilt.

This guilt contained many factors: the traditional concepts of the World Tree Continent, her own self-consciousness about her condition, and her affection for Anastasia and the others. Whether it was Anastasia, Liti, or Milu, they were all kind-hearted and worthy people. Yet, they could only watch her from afar, which made her uneasy. Especially Anastasia. If not for her restricted status, the one truly standing by Fia’s side would definitely not be her, the latecomer, but Anastasia, who had entrusted her whole heart and soul to Fia.

She herself bore a curse, was seen as an enemy by the gods, and might even be the culprit behind the “fall.” For someone like her to become the queen consort, placed beside Fia as the brightest, and only bright, star, was unfair to everyone else, including Fia, and also put pressure on her. Especially in Blossom, she had to constantly check if she had done her best, if she would be criticized. If she had someone to accompany her, this unease could be alleviated.

—However, Claire hadn’t understood this deeply. She had only said these things based on more superficial reasons, not wanting to see Anastasia sad because she was being hindered by her.

The atmosphere between the two returned to normal, and Claire took the initiative to change the subject.

“How long do you think this war will last, Anastasia?”

The embarrassment in her expression gradually subsided, and Anastasia regained her composure, standing straight again.

“It depends on when Her Highness plans to take Chazo’s life. If she doesn’t intend to act, then it’s hard to say. Even with my experience, without knowing both sides’ trump cards, I can’t judge the situation. What do you think, Miss Claire?”

“I…” A hint of worry appeared on Claire’s beautiful face. She shook her head, her silver hair cascading down like a galaxy swaying with the movement. “I think it depends on Tilulu.”

“Why Princess Tilulu? By the way, apart from when I looked for Her Highness this morning, I haven’t seen her all day. For her to run around at a time like this, she might encounter danger…”

“Fia went to find her.”

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“As long as Her Highness is there, it’s fine.” The worry in Anastasia’s expression eased, but her curiosity did not diminish. She smiled and asked Claire, “You haven’t told me yet why the end of the war depends on Princess Tilulu? Is it because of her hatred for Chazo?”

“Well…” Claire hesitated for a moment, then gave a smile that made the surroundings dim. “You’ll know soon enough, Anastasia.”

◇

A dark corridor where one couldn’t see their hand in front of their face.

Because it was outdoors, the cold easily invaded every inch of the skin. The damp, cold air felt like being wrapped in a wet blanket, making one numb and sore from head to toe, to the point where the brain almost lost its ability to think.

At this point, with war imminent, only Tilulu was walking slowly down the corridor alone.

She was not looking ahead, but down, her brow tightly furrowed, various unsettling emotions flowing in her dark purple eyes. Her mood was like an ant on a red-hot iron plate, unable to calm down no matter what.

The war is about to begin.

She knew this well.

Although the war had already begun when Fia arrived in the Cold Night, that time and now were two different concepts. Before, she had always felt that the end of the war was still far away. Even in the Snake-folk city, when Fia had made thirty thousand soldiers surrender with a single blow, she hadn’t changed her view. As long as King Chazo was not captured, the war would be difficult to end.

So, according to the original plan, she could slowly, one by one, win over those neutral tribes and take her time. Of course, she wasn’t doing this out of a desire to become queen, but because doing so would allow Fia to stay with her longer. The warmth Fia brought her might seem insignificant, even cheap, in Fia’s eyes, but to her, it was a feeling she had never experienced before.

This sense of attachment was different from that towards Radric. He was trustworthy, yes, but he was more like an elder. Fia was different. Nominally a mother, she actually gave Tilulu a unique feeling—powerful, wise, unconsciously trustworthy, subconsciously wanting to rely on her. By the time she came to her senses, she had already been deeply attracted, just wanting to hold her and never wake up. That had already surpassed the dependence on a mother and was a new product, a mixture of various emotions.

It might be difficult to empathize with this, but using Celesté’s thoughts, it was easy to understand. When a person is helped by another in their time of greatest need, it is easy for them to feel a strong sense of gratitude towards the rescuer.

The being named Tilulu Lujue had lost her parents at the age of six and had been living a life of displacement and being despised ever since. Even after risking her life to become a witch, her situation had not improved, but had instead worsened, being bullied by the witches.

Although she later met Radric, a Darkborn who was like an older brother, her life did not improve much. It only changed from living precariously under a hidden name to living precariously without hiding her name. The people protecting her were still being massacred, and she still lived a life where, despite the high hopes placed on her by her followers, she could change nothing.

No matter how hard she tried, what she couldn’t do, she couldn’t do. She had tried reading more books and hunting fierce monsters, but her strength was still stuck at the Second Tier. In the end, not only was her own life difficult, but she also had to drag others down with her into a life on the run.

The decisive event was when the Snake-folk tribe protecting her was targeted by Chazo. She had to leave their city and move to a more remote village. As a result, the village was burned down by the Lionfolk, and her followers were either dead or injured. Finally, completely displaced, she was forced to flee to Silvar.

At that time, she had completely given up the goal of becoming queen. Or rather, she had vaguely realized years ago that she had been making meaningless efforts. She had no talent and could not become stronger. She might be stuck at this level for her entire life. Continuing would only drag everyone down.

However, the fatal thing was that she couldn’t tell everyone what she was thinking. Her followers looked forward to her becoming queen every day, treating it as their spiritual pillar, hoping that she would wash away the family’s shame and comfort the spirit of the former king. Not only that, but if she chose to give up halfway, how would she face those who had died protecting her?

It should be known that many of her followers had originally lived stable lives. It was out of respect and loyalty to the former king that they had left their homes to follow and protect her, the direct royal line. If not for her, those people would not have died, and might even have had children and lived happy and fulfilling lives. To announce giving up at this time, saying that everyone had just been making useless efforts, she did not have the courage, nor did she know how to say it.

But from another perspective, if she didn’t say it, her followers would sooner or later suffer more casualties to protect her, making the burden on her shoulders heavier and heavier. In the end, she was too weak. She often felt that if she had died with her parents in the village back then, everything wouldn’t be so bad, and she wouldn’t have brought separation and death to everyone. Unfortunately, she was alive, and being alive meant bearing the responsibility brought by various ties. In this case, she needed to give her followers an answer.

Thus, she had thought of letting everyone escape to a place far away from the Cold Night, using the excuse that she needed a quiet place to improve her strength, so that everyone could live their lives in peace. In fact, when she was forced to retreat into Silvar, she had already implemented this, giving the treasures left by her parents to Count Yureidon in exchange for a fiefdom granted by him.

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She had thought that no matter how remote the fiefdom was, as long as she had it, it would be enough. That way, her group of nearly a hundred people would be able to barely survive. Silvar was much safer than the Cold Night. She had already given up on facing everyone’s high hopes for her.

But fate always liked to make life worse when people thought it was at its worst. After she gave the treasures left by her parents to Count Yureidon, he deceived her. Not only did he not grant her a fiefdom, but he also didn’t give her enough of the much-needed medicine and food, and even had designs on her body. That disgusting, uncomfortable gaze, just the thought of it made her terrified.

But she had no other choice. Penniless, having even given away her parents’ relics, now in a foreign land, living under someone else’s roof, she couldn’t be sure if she could live better elsewhere. Or rather, her group could no longer move. They could be said to have reached a dead end.

In this terrible situation, Fia had descended before her like a goddess.

This beautiful elf who had once saved her from the erosion of the Seed of Chaos, and had defeated the Moon Dragon Radric with a single punch despite her delicate body.

In Aurora City, although Tilulu had been eroded by the Seed of Chaos and could not control her body, her consciousness had remained clear. She had personally watched Fia, who was only a little older than her and equally delicate, defeat the Moon Dragon. This strength made her revere Fia, and also aroused her curiosity and admiration. Both were royalty, and even their ages were not far apart, yet Fia was worlds apart from her. It was difficult for her not to hold strong respect and longing for Fia, wanting to become a qualified royal like her.

And in Count Yureidon’s castle, Fia had once again shown her what the majesty of royalty should be. With just one sentence, she had cut off the head of that tyrannical Count, and had captured the Holy Son, who held a divine weapon, with her bare hands, bringing her justice. From that moment on, Fia had become a hero in her heart. Even just watching from afar, her eyes would light up, and she would stop in her tracks. She was someone she could only long for.

Then, she learned that Fia was a witch just like her. Although one was the leader of the Witch Sanctuary and the other was an apprentice who had been kicked out, it still made her feel that the distance between them had shortened a little.

Especially when Fia took the initiative to hand over the medallion of The Witch of Calamity Flame and allowed her to look at it, she was even more panicked and surprised. The hero in her heart had no airs of a strong person and was very good to her. Anyone in the same situation would feel a warmth in their heart and hold deeper respect and strong affection for Fia.

What happened next needed no further explanation.

This hero she admired had accepted her cowardice, supported her when she had once again resolved to give up, and even said she could call her ‘mother’, tell her all her sad and sorrowful things, and she would solve her problems and be her backer.

No one could refuse such tempting conditions, let alone Tilulu, who had almost never experienced what family affection was. The other party was the hero she had always admired, as dazzling as a star. At that moment, she seemed to really see the picture of herself becoming queen. Her followers, dressed in decent clothes, stood below the throne, congratulating her. Her mother placed the crown on her head, smiling and congratulating her for finally becoming the person she wanted to be.

She had indeed done so, confidently writing her declaration and swearing to become queen in front of everyone in the Snake-folk tribe. Not only that, but she had also worked twice as hard to learn combat skills. Besides sleeping, she spent almost all her time trying to improve herself. It seemed that everything was developing in a good direction.

Until she discovered that the person she respected and loved could not stay with her forever.

The person named Dofilia had her own mission. She needed to lift the curse on the person she loved. In other words, after she became queen, Dofilia would leave her.

This future made her anxious and uneasy. Just the thought of it made it impossible for her to calm down. It even gave rise to a strong sense of loss and emptiness, as if the end of the world was coming, making her live in constant fear. Coupled with the dependence Milu showed towards Fia, she finally realized that she was not becoming queen for herself, but for Fia, wanting to make her happier, wanting to fulfill her wish, thinking that as long as she responded to her expectations, Fia would like her more.

That’s right, she was hoping Fia would like her, not as a daughter, but with the love for a lover. That respect for a hero had long since changed in their subtle interactions, and had even given rise to jealousy and a faint hatred.

Jealous of the loved Claire, and also hating why Fia couldn’t look at her more, why after promising to solve any difficulties for her, she would leave her at the moment she became queen.

Therefore, she tried various methods to get close to Fia, wanting her to pay more attention to her. As long as she acted timid, Fia’s attention on her would increase. As long as she gave Fia a gift woven with care, Fia’s affection for her would deepen. If she were weaker, Fia would be more worried about leaving her.

Furthermore, as long as she never grew up, Fia would always stay by her side. She could forever enjoy this generous and meticulous care, indulging in it, unable to wake up.

Unfortunately, plans couldn’t keep up with changes. There were always people accelerating her progress towards becoming queen. Celesté was like this, and so were the Holy Son and Chazo.

Without Celesté, she wouldn’t have clansmen she could trust, and her progress would be greatly slowed. The Holy Son and Chazo were the same. Tilulu knew Fia’s strength and knew that the Holy Son was no match for her. It would have been fine if she hadn’t appeared before Fia. Tilulu could have proposed to slowly develop her power and deal with the Holy Son when she had the strength. But for the Holy Son and Chazo to appear directly in front of her, wasn’t that like delivering themselves to her door?

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Once the Holy Son and Chazo were defeated, it would be equivalent to handing the throne to her. At that time, she would have no reason to refuse. A forceful refusal would have worse consequences than agreeing. The person named Tilulu Alexia Lujue absolutely did not want to be despised and distanced by Fia. That would be more painful than Fia leaving her.

Now Chazo personally led an army to the city gates, completely exceeding her expectations. She had thought that even if she subdued Celesté, it would take at least two or three years until she became queen. But now, two or three years had been shortened to at most two or three weeks. If either Chazo or the Holy Son were completely defeated, it was not impossible for the victor to be decided in two or three days. At that time, Fia, in her capacity as her mother, would step forward and defeat the remaining one. The decade-long civil war of the Cold Night would come to an end.

—She was going to become queen.

An ordinary person, upon hearing this news, would be so happy that they would jump up and down like crazy, unable to contain their joy. But for Tilulu, it only made her totter, her legs go weak, and the things in her stomach churn continuously, as if they would surge up her throat at any moment.

She had become queen to make Fia happy, to make herself important in Fia’s heart, not because she really wanted to be queen. On the day she ascended the throne, Fia would leave her. She didn’t like and didn’t want to accept that ending.

Admittedly, this morning Fia had given her two choices. One was not to be queen and go to Blossom to live a peaceful life. The second was to continue on the current path. Fia had only seen that she lacked the motivation to be queen, but hadn’t seen the deeper reasons. These two choices actually made no difference to her, because no matter which one she chose, in the end, Fia would go to lift Claire’s curse. This was the reason why she hadn’t made a choice at that time.

She was no longer willing to be just a daughter. She had become restless without Fia. Even the thought that Fia was leaving her for Claire made dark and viscous negative thoughts uncontrollably surge in her heart. She believed that Claire was hindering her. If not for Claire, if not for Chazo, or if she became a complete waste, then Fia would always take care of her. She would also swear that there would be no one else in her heart besides Fia, becoming Fia’s loyal wife who would wholeheartedly fulfill any wish Fia requested. Ahh… that result would be the best.

The feelings in her heart grew stronger and stronger, manifesting as increasingly rapid breathing and a pounding heartbeat that she could almost hear. Her cheeks became redder, and her body also became hot and sweaty due to the heightened emotions.

Then… then how can I achieve this goal?

She had no ability to kill Chazo or harm Claire. Especially the latter, it would surely backfire and make Fia hate her. Then the only choice left was to become a waste. But even if she broke her arms and legs, with Fia’s healing ability, she would surely be healed instantly. That was just a useless effort.

No, there is actually another choice.

Abruptly, a thought that had never occurred before appeared in her mind. She felt a flash of inspiration, as if she had grasped something extremely important.

Since these methods don’t work, why not just keep Fia by my side?

Not by pleading, but by force.

No, with my strength, how could I possibly keep Fia by force?

Her eyes cleared for a moment, but unfortunately, this clarity only lasted for an instant. Her eyes quickly turned deep purple again. What she didn’t notice was that her white beast ears were gradually being dyed black, becoming black and white.

As long as the desire is strong enough, then there is no wish that cannot be realized.

This thought emerged in her heart. Although it was baseless and lacked logic, she believed it was very feasible. Her right hand tightly gripped the teardrop pendant in her pocket, subconsciously treating it as the tool to realize her wish.

Next, I just need to find Fia mom…

As if to obstruct her from realizing her wish, an emotionless voice appeared behind her.

“Where are you going?”

The newcomer was Milu, exuding a heroic aura, her white hair tied into a side ponytail, with two swords slung diagonally at her waist.