Volume 1, Chapter 34 – The Butterfly Effect of Misunderstandings

If anything, it was exactly as she had expected. Though Claire was beautiful and approachable, she also gave off a strong sense of mystery. When she claimed she could easily defeat Anastasia, Fia wasn’t the least bit surprised.

Finding no trace of shock on Fia’s face, Claire pulled her neck back in disappointment.

“I thought little Fia would be startled, screaming and running away like she’d seen a monster. You don’t have any of a child’s panic—you’re far too calm. It’s not cute enough.”

“I’m not some stray puppy or kitten waiting for someone to feed me. Even if I’m not cute enough, I won’t starve to death. Or would Claire kick me out just because I’m not cute enough?”

“Of course not. I’d sooner keep you here forever. What I meant was, if Fia ever has any questions about magic, you can ask me anytime. I’ll always be ready to answer.”

“Anastasia would definitely get mad at you for that.”

Fia could already imagine Anastasia’s furious expression. No one would accept their position as a mentor being challenged by an outsider.

“You’re right. But I don’t plan to back down. If it comes to that, I’ll just duel Anastasia for little Fia.”

Despite saying something so terrifying, Claire’s tone was oddly lighthearted.

The thought of being fought over made Fia happy, but also a little embarrassed. To hide her shyness, she lowered her head and took a sip of the dark green drink—it had the fragrant sweetness of floral tea with sugar.

Reаԁ οո KαtRеαԁіոɡСаfе

“If Claire’s worried I’ll leave, why not just come with me to the elf territories?”

“Oh?” Claire’s face lit up with amusement. “Does little Fia like me that much?”

“That’s not what I meant! Forget it if Claire doesn’t want to. Speaking of which, even though Claire has that curse where people forget her, that man this morning still called you by name.”

The reason the clinic had only Fia and Anastasia in the morning was because a ragged-looking man had rushed in to inform Claire that a critically ill patient needed her treatment.

“That’s because I help them often.” Claire set down the wooden spoon she’d been stirring her drink with, her tone turning serious. “I became a doctor to see if saving lives could make people remember me. The results aren’t bad—at least, unlike those who’ve only met me once, they don’t forget me overnight.”

“I remember that man mentioned something called ‘Darkborn Disease’ when he came to get you. What is that?”

If Fia recalled correctly, “Darkborn” in this world specifically referred to those aligned against the gods. Anything with “Darkborn” in its name couldn’t possibly be harmless.

Claire raised an eyebrow.

“If you want to know, you can come with me when I make my rounds tomorrow. But I can’t promise you’ll come back in a good mood.”

“I’ll do my best to stay in a good mood.”

Fia had no intention of staying cooped up in the clinic all day. With Anastasia’s disguise, it was the perfect opportunity to explore the human city and observe its inhabitants. Since arriving in this world, she’d never had the chance to properly study humans. Now that she finally had time, she wasn’t going to waste it.

Rеaԁ οո КаtRеαdіոgCafe

“Eat up before the food gets cold.”

“Mm.”

◇

Night.

A pitch-black alley.

At first glance, it looked like any ordinary alley, but upon closer inspection, several figures draped entirely in black cloth—or rather, elves—stood within.

“The captain’s saying Her Highness the First Princess wants to use this opportunity to destroy the Unsinkable Moon?”

“Correct.”

Anastasia’s confirmation was met with a chorus of nervous gulps. After a long pause, someone finally stammered out a reply.

“T-That’s… just like Her Highness. Even without her memories, she’s always steps ahead of us.”

Rеαԁ оn ΚаtReаdіոɡСαfе

“Did Her Highness say how she plans to do it? Legend says the Unsinkable Moon is the Life Goddess’s divine artifact, left to protect Milcandis. Even forbidden spells would struggle to destroy it. If we fail…”

“There is no ‘if.’ When Her Highness spoke of it, she was utterly confident. She must already have a meticulous plan—she just hasn’t shared it with us yet.”

Anastasia’s firm tone brought another wave of silence to the alley.

She elaborated further.

“Her Highness must have her reasons. All of you witnessed the magic she used this morning to annihilate the Holy Kingdom’s knights. Not only was their leader a fourth-tier knight, but he was also clad in Orichalcum magic armor. Even I would struggle against him, yet Her Highness killed him instantly with an incantationless Red Lotus of Calamity. But when I asked her about it today, she claimed it was just a first-tier Fairy Fire—that she doesn’t even know about the Red Lotus of Calamity.”

Another round of sharp inhales echoed through the alley.

Everyone knew that it was no Fairy Fire. For the princess to insist it was a first-tier spell was deeply suspicious.

“Captain, you’re Her Highness’s personal attendant. Why would she say such a thing…?”

“Could someone be watching us, forcing Her Highness to conceal her strength and stay silent? But if that’s the case, why wouldn’t she just tell us?”

Anastasia, blending into the darkness, shook her head.

Rеaⅾ oո КatRеαdiոɡСαfе

“I don’t know. But our mission is clear: follow Her Highness’s orders and investigate the Unsinkable Moon. Only by gathering enough information can we help her destroy it. If we succeed, we might salvage some honor from our previous defeat. I don’t want to see any of you subjected to the Sacred Tree’s judgment upon our return. Her Highness may forgive us, but the Sacred Tree will not. Do not mistake her mercy for leniency on your duties.”

“Yes!”

At the mention of the Sacred Tree, all the elves’ expressions hardened. They answered in unison before swiftly vanishing into the night under Anastasia’s command.

Only after a full quarter-hour had passed did a small, gray figure appear in the spot where Anastasia had stood.

“We’ve been discovered by the elf princess. Radric, any ideas how?”

“I don’t know. I never sensed any detection magic. There’s no way a Fifth-Tier [Light-Bending Barrier] could be probed without me noticing. That’s impossible.”

Though the alley appeared empty, a deep male voice resonated through it.

“But you heard those elves. The princess knows we’re watching her. This might just be a warning—next time we get close, we could face the same spell that wiped out the Holy Kingdom’s knights this morning. We should withdraw. The elf princess is far more dangerous than we thought. Not only did she survive the Unsinkable Moon’s attack, but she’s now planning to destroy it. We need to find a way to befriend her. Surveillance will only lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.”

“…Understood.”

A strong wind swept through the alley, erasing all traces of their presence as the night swallowed everything once more.