Volume 6, Chapter 13 – A Turning Point

The territory of the Fire Cat Tribe in southeastern Cold Night was exceptionally vast. If calculated by the Silvar Kingdom’s system of enfeoffment, the area controlled by Nola was roughly equivalent to a Frontier Count’s territory. However, although her territory was vast, the land was barren, and most of it consisted of undeveloped mountains and wilds. If not for the beastmen’s extraordinary fertility and survival skills, it would have been completely impossible for the Fire Cat Tribe to develop a large city with a population of three to four hundred thousand in just over twenty years.

Unlike the delicate bodies of elves, beastmen could fill their stomachs with basically anything except rocks and mud. And “filling their stomachs” didn’t just mean staving off hunger; they could actually digest it. Animal bones, unrotted hide with fur still attached, carapaces or annelid insects, even moss and tree bark—beastmen could digest all of these normally and extract nutrition from them.

Coupled with their superb physical stamina and adaptability, a normal adult beastman, even if lost in the wilderness, could basically live until they were thirty or forty and could no longer move, provided they weren’t eaten by wild beasts or monsters. Although their lifespan would be significantly shortened, this was a “magic” that astounded both elves and humans.

Because of these factors combined, beastmen were able to take root in the barren Cold Night for a long time, and their population was quite large. Taking the Fire Cat Tribe controlled by Nola as an example, counting the other tribes attached to them, the total population in the territory exceeded three million. With such a huge number, cities and villages naturally formed in other areas as well. The city where Fia’s group had been staying was merely the largest and most prosperous one in the Fire Cat Tribe. There were several other small and medium-sized cities scattered in the vicinity.

For example, Brinkat City, which Nola was about to arrive at, was one of them.

Closest to the Weeping Mountains, with a permanent population of over sixty thousand and surrounded by a large number of towns and villages, this city’s people mainly made a living by hunting monsters wandering the edge of the Weeping Mountains and selling magic cores and monster materials. At the same time, this was one of the few places in Cold Night where the soil was rich in magic essence, making it suitable for growing grain. Plus, because it was far from the center of Cold Night, Brinkat City was very peaceful compared to other cities, not even having a proper city wall.

Nola sped through the air without a word. The Flame Greatsword on her back, fully charged with magic, trailed a long tail of flames in the air. She neither increased her altitude nor hid herself, flying straight at a height of twenty meters above the ground. This caused a commotion in the surrounding jungle, with the roars of birds and beasts erupting everywhere.

Normally, flying at treetop level was quite dangerous. No one knew if there were monsters in the forest, and most monsters were extremely territorial. Flying past so blatantly could easily attract large monsters to attack or ambush her. However, “normal” here applied only to ordinary third-rank individuals. The pressure of Nola’s seventh-rank magic power was like an airtight wall, suppressing the powerful monsters lurking in caves so much they didn’t dare to breathe.

However, she wasn’t doing this to intimidate the monsters, but purely to vent her emotions.

Although Claire hadn’t completely shut the door on her because of her request, Nola wasn’t a fool who understood nothing. She knew what Claire wanted to express. The blow of heartbreak naturally made her want to find a place to vent. She understood her mistake was realizing things too late, and she couldn’t blame anyone else. But precisely because of this, the bitterness in her heart was even greater.

Beyond the mountain peak lay Brinkat City. Nola’s flight speed gradually slowed. She took a deep breath of the cold mountain wind, and her mind gradually cleared.

She was no longer alone; she had responsibilities to shoulder and obligations to fulfill. She was the Holy Son and the acting chief of the Fire Cat Tribe, controlling the life and death of three million people. As long as she had the will, the word “acting” could be removed at any time. Everyone believed she could lead them away from a life of hunger and cold. Someone like her could no longer be like that ignorant little girl of the past, shamelessly clinging to Claire’s side, with Claire there to cover for her no matter what she did.

“Phew—”

She exhaled all the bitterness in her chest.

If I hadn’t remembered Claire, none of this would have happened.

Looking at the rolling mountains in the distance, Nola’s expression dimmed slightly. If she hadn’t become the Holy Son and obtained the Divinity that could exempt her from the curse, she wouldn’t have these troubles now. Or, it would have been fine if she remembered Claire but never saw her again; that way, the beautiful memories could remain in her heart as something to cherish. The current situation was the worst possible outcome.

She couldn’t help but recall what she said to Claire before leaving: “It’s not over yet. I will definitely beat that girl.” It was truly ugly to the extreme. Acting tough even at this point… Nola really was Nola.

We’re going to part ways eventually. It’s better to end these things early and go back to being my Holy Son and clan chief in earnest. Nola comforted herself. However, her emotions did not agree. Her hands clenched until they turned pale, and grievances and bitterness surged uncontrollably to her nose.

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Why… Why couldn’t Claire be tolerant just one more time? Just like in the past, give me a chance…

As her consciousness flowed to this point, anger began to brew in Nola’s chest. The warning cries of wild beasts ringing in her ears added fuel to the fire. Finally unable to control the resentment overflowing in her chest, she placed her right hand on the Flame Greatsword behind her, poured all her strength into her right arm, and slashed fiercely at the forest below.

Accompanying the flames that burst from the sword, the air temperature rose abruptly. A twenty-meter-long arc of fire advanced with the force of a decaying log being crushed. Any tree touched by the arc snapped instantly. With the sound of tree trunks breaking one after another and the final boom of the earth exploding, the entire forest seemed to have been hit by a giant boulder. Countless birds and beasts scattered in panic, and the air quickly fell silent.

It was so quiet it felt as if she had been abandoned by the world, arriving in a dead place devoid of vitality.

Like a vulture plucked from its feathers, an ugly rift, five meters deep, appeared on the exposed yellowish-brown earth. Billowing white smoke rose from the soil under the scorching heat, and the fallen trees and bushes nearby were also ignited.

It was early spring, and the weather was still dry. Leaving it alone would turn into a forest fire.

Nola clicked her tongue impatiently. Brinkat City was just over this mountain. She had to put out the fire quickly.

She raised her sword with one hand again, intending to cut down the nearby trees to create a firebreak. But before that, a torrential downpour suddenly fell—literally. It was as if someone was pouring water down from a basin. The waterfall-like stream not only extinguished the fire in the blink of an eye but also created a large puddle on the ground, filling the five-meter-deep ravine.

Magic?

Nola frowned. There was only one person who could approach her without her noticing, and without triggering a reaction from the Flame Greatsword. She looked up at the sky where the water had come from. Although there was nothing there, she demanded in an extremely dissatisfied tone.

“What are you following me for?”

“Just supervising you so you don’t act recklessly. You’ve been flying for hours; you should be feeling better by now, right?”

Along with the voice, Fia’s body materialized above Nola. She canceled [Torrent] and slowly flew toward Nola.

She had been following Nola ever since she left the Hunting Grounds, planning to bite the bullet and offer a few words of comfort when Nola stopped. However, Nola showed no intention of stopping, flying through the mountains in one direction the whole time. So Fia was forced to follow, worried Nola might do something drastic, like commit suicide, or recklessly cause destruction like she was doing now. Emotional creatures could never control their feelings well; under intense emotional fluctuations, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to do anything.

Feeling better means…

Fia saw me get rejected by Claire just now?

Nola was stunned at first, then realized what was happening. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, looked away, and said stiffly.

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“None of your business.”

“If you cursed at me, I’d actually find it normal. Saying it’s none of my business is just too weird.”

Fia spread her hands helplessly.

This attitude reignited the anger in Nola’s heart, and she couldn’t help but say something harsh.

“So you followed me all the way here just to mock me from the winner’s position? Now you can laugh all you want.”

“That’s more like it.”

Fia didn’t get angry at Nola’s stiff attitude. Instead, her expression relaxed. Merely talking back instead of attacking at the slightest disagreement meant Nola was still rational and hadn’t been overwhelmed by anger.

Perhaps during these few hours, she had thought things through, just not quite emotionally accepted it yet. Once a person shouldered the lives of others, their thinking would become rational under the drive of responsibility. Leaving aside those corrupt officials, Nola was the type with a sense of responsibility; she wouldn’t abandon her entire clan for personal gain.

However, Fia’s playful attitude only deepened Nola’s frown. Knowing Nola wouldn’t say anything nice next, Fia spoke her purpose clearly before that.

“Let me say this first: I’m not here to laugh at you. I followed you because I was afraid you’d do something stupid. Don’t you still have the task of asking Ying about the situation in the territory over the past few days? We’ve all returned, and you’re the only one absent. Ying will definitely be worried. Aren’t you going to report that you’re safe?”

A flash of worry crossed Nola’s purple eyes, then quickly reverted to stiffness.

“I don’t need you to remind me.”

Fia took the feigned indifference as tsundere behavior. She nodded her chin toward the scorched earth below.

“You don’t need me to remind you, yet you do something that could cause a forest fire?”

“I would have put it out even if you didn’t. Brinkat is just over the mountain. I wouldn’t burn down my own turf.”

“Is that so? Brinkat… I remember Brinkat is the city closest to the Weeping Mountains. I thought you were just flying aimlessly, wanting to be alone for a bit. Turns out you were checking your territory.”

I really was flying aimlessly.

Nola’s breath hitched. She had just instinctively flown toward the Weeping Mountains without any specific thought—perhaps her subconscious thought the Weeping Mountains were quiet, and maybe she could see the Goddess to comfort her wounded heart.

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But she didn’t want to expose her incompetence at a time like this. She thought for a moment and said coldly.

“Since you know I’m fine, you can go back. You have teleportation magic; going back is just an instant.”

What about you?

Fia thought subconsciously. After all, Nola was heartbroken. Whether as the victor or a friend, she felt quite a bit of pity.

However, she didn’t say this out loud. Instead, she glanced at Nola’s drooping tail and pretended it had nothing to do with her.

“Since I’ve come all the way to Brinkat, there’s no reason not to enter the Weeping Mountains and take a look. You know what I’ve been chasing all along. Even if it’s the god you believe in, I won’t let this opportunity pass.”

Chasing all along?

Nola thought for a moment, then understood.

One of the reasons Fia rejected Tilulu was that she couldn’t stay by Tilulu’s side forever. And this inability meant she had to search for gods to break Claire’s curse.

Break the curse…

As if realizing something crucial, Nola opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing, lowering her gaze.

Maybe she really wasn’t suited to be with Claire. Or rather, she no longer had the right. Fia could give up the opulent life of the Eldest Princess for Claire, while she couldn’t let go of her people to fulfill this illusory, almost impossible wish. Fia wasn’t just paying lip service to breaking the curse as if it were a game; she was actually taking action.

Thinking about it this way, her failure was perfectly reasonable. Meeting such an unreasonable opponent, it was impossible to win. She had too many constraints and lacked the courage to pursue something that clearly couldn’t be achieved in a lifetime.

Her loss was justified.

For a moment, Fia appeared dazzling in Nola’s eyes. She realized Fia possessed qualities she lacked. This made her laugh self-deprecatingly in her heart, then give a light snort.

“So you’re going to dive headfirst into the Weeping Mountains? Let me tell you first, the fog in there isn’t ordinary fog. No matter how high you fly, as long as you don’t leave the range of the Weeping Mountains, your vision will still be obscured by the thick fog. Also, the illusion barrier inside isn’t something ordinary detection magic can see through. Flying in one direction won’t work; you’ll be confused by recurring landmarks around you.”

“Why not just blast it open with magic? There are no living people inside anyway, so no need to worry about accidental injury.”

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“You can try.”

Nola shrugged.

“Try it then. You said it. Don’t blame me if you kill your god by accident.”

“Deicide?” Hearing something amusing, Nola scoffed through her nose. “If you can kill a god, then I don’t need to be the Holy Son anymore. Or rather, there won’t be a need for a Holy Son in the future. You might as well become the Holy Son for all living beings on the continent—no, the Living God. Lead the continent’s allied forces to pierce into the Darkborn’s lair and wipe them all out.”

“I could, but there’s no need. I just want to break the curse. I won’t sacrifice myself for the greater good.”

Darkborn and gods were just different factions. For a soul from the Human Alliance like her, as long as they didn’t actively provoke her, there was actually no difference between the two. Although the Darkborn had caused her trouble, don’t forget that the Silvar Kingdom was still at war with the Alfrieg Kingdom, and there was the Holy Kingdom’s surprise attack on the Silvar Kingdom a while ago. Everyone sat in the same boat when they had shared interests, and when interests conflicted, they used violence to determine the winner. Not to mention she had killed the elf god not long ago. In a way, she was actually closer to the Darkborn’s faction.

“Then why not just ask me? I’m the Holy Son; I can contact the god. Or is it that you’re too proud to ask me? I don’t think you wouldn’t have thought of this. Although I said you could try just now, don’t actually do anything stupid. Using destruction magic senselessly in a god’s domain will be seen by the Goddess as an offense against her.”

“Let’s stop this topic here.” Fia smiled bitterly, turning her palms toward Nola. “I’m not going to discuss with the god, ‘Can you tell me how to break the curse?’ I don’t want to drag you into this. Looking at your spirits, you seem to have recovered. Are you going straight back, or coming with me to the Weeping Mountains?”

As if throwing off a burden from her heart, Nola exhaled a long breath, her tone stabilizing.

“Let’s go together. There are things I want to know too. I might as well ask about Claire’s curse while we’re at it.”

“…You’d better not bring up that topic. Claire wasn’t cursed by this world for no reason.”

“Stop dawdling. You’re allowed to help Claire break the curse, but I’m not allowed to contribute? I’m going first.”

Not waiting for Fia’s answer, Nola flew directly toward the mountain peak.

I have to hurry up and explain clearly. Claire isn’t from this world. I can’t let this girl do something stupid.

Clicking her tongue, Fia chased straight after Nola.