Volume 6, Chapter 25 – Confrontation

Nola curled her lips impatiently.

“Going easy in a duel is no different from pity. I’m going to do my own things. Find me anytime you have thoughts of dueling.”

“Suit yourself.”

Getting Fia’s nod, Nola took an extra look at Fia. Then she raised her hand and messily ruffled the hair on top of Fia’s head. After doing this, she curled the corners of her mouth, nodding with satisfaction.

“This is the return for earlier. In front of so many people, it can’t just be me losing face.”

A childish desire for revenge.

Not holding it against Nola, Fia watched as Nola jumped away. Although Nola’s hair and the fuzz on her ears were still messy, her figure as she jumped off the city wall was much more agile than before. It was clear her mood had improved somewhat.

Only at this moment did the surrounding soldiers dare to look over directly. One soldier, who appeared to be a captain, quietly approached Fia. He bowed and asked carefully.

“To be able to talk to Lord Holy Son like that… are you Lady Dofilia…?”

“Mm, this is my original hair color.”

“It really is Lady Dofilia! The great person who killed two Demon Generals is actually willing to pay attention to me… th-thank you very much!”

With considerable momentum, the soldier dressed as a captain bowed deeply to Fia, his words and actions filled with joy and excitement.

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Hearing the captain shout, the other surrounding soldiers also cast expectant gazes at Fia. However, they had guard duty to attend to, so they could only look enviously at the cat-person captain in front of Fia.

Staying longer might cause an unnecessary commotion. After exchanging a few polite pleasantries, Fia activated [Flight] and headed straight for the Hunting Grounds.

What Fia didn’t know was that this act, done purely out of politeness, left a very good impression in the soldiers’ hearts. Beastman nobles almost never looked these rough people in the eye. Especially for a noble of such high status as Fia, willing to stand face-to-face and talk with commoner-born soldiers was simply a grace bestowed upon them.

“What a gentle princess. It completely changes my view on elves.”

“No wonder Lord Nola was willing to let her pat her head.”

—It must be said that within the cat-person tribe, touching different parts of the body symbolized different meanings. For example, patting the head was proof of a very good relationship, while touching the belly signified allegiance and submission.

“I hope it doesn’t turn into touching the belly…”

“Idiot, it would be better if it came to that. What benefit is there for us cannon fodder to offend a magic caster who uses that kind of magic? Elves have countless amounts of grain. With that, we won’t have to go hungry anymore.”

“Then what about beastman glory…”

“What is glory worth? Can it keep us from starving? Anyway, elves have those things called the Holy Tree and [Mana Surge]. Better to hope Lord Nola and the Elf Princess get together soon.”

Although beastmen rejected same-sex marriage, the ones getting married and discriminated against weren’t them anyway. Since they could avoid starving, of course they chose the option of not starving.

The beastman soldiers discussed in twos and threes, and soon, the moment when the sky turned completely dark arrived.

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“Oh my, oh my. Isn’t this Lord Dofilia? Why have you come to my place?”

Inside a weapon maintenance room in the Hunting Grounds, the Wandering Knight, clad in dark red full-body armor, stood up. Because this maintenance room wasn’t large and the vents were narrow, when Fia stepped inside, a smell of metal instantly hit her face.

Fia frowned and pointed to the corridor behind her.

“Talk outside.”

“No problem.”

Because it was dinner time and the weapon maintenance room was located in a corner of the Hunting Grounds, the corridor happened to be empty. Fia took out the teardrop pendant with sharp movements and spread it open in her palm.

“I’ll get straight to the point. This thing is yours, right? Tilulu already rejected your gift back then. Why did you secretly stuff it into her pocket? What is your ulterior motive?”

Although Fia’s words revealed an aggressive sharpness at every turn, the Wandering Knight seemed not to feel it. He acted as if he were observing Fia, his right hand gently stroking his chin through his metal gauntlet.

“…Your Excellency is full of killing intent.”

“If you harm my friends and family, I will treat you as an enemy without hesitation.”

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“Understood, understood.”

The Wandering Knight nodded unhurriedly, his armor clanking with the movement.

“What you hold in your hand is an amulet of wish fulfillment. It can help people achieve their desires. The one who rejected me that day was the white-haired Stellacryst Beast lady. Miss Tilulu did not reject me, as she seemed very interested. I thought she might have found it hard to refuse due to the Stellacryst Beast lady’s presence, so I quietly put it in her pocket.”

“I thought that something placed in a pocket could be taken out at any time. If Miss Tilulu didn’t like it, she could just throw it away. I had no intention of harming your friends and family. Friends and family are important bonds for one’s existence in this world. Although I have no family or friends, I fully understand this urgent feeling.”

Seeing Fia remain silent, the Wandering Knight tilted his head.

“Did this amulet cause you trouble?”

“Are you playing dumb or are you really dumb?”

“I don’t understand your meaning. Please be more direct.”

Her dissatisfied brows becoming even more dissatisfied, Fia simply used [Telekinesis] to form a [Spatial Hand]. With the sound of a strong wind, she grabbed the Wandering Knight’s body and pinned him against the wall. The armor collided with the wall, making a heavy thud.

She took a step forward, her eyes narrowing to a dangerous angle.

“Don’t play games with me. You should know this pendant amplifies negative emotions and cultivates powerful demons.”

“But it can also amplify positive emotions, can’t it?”

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As if expressing that he had no hostility, the Wandering Knight, whose torso was pinned to the wall by the [Spatial Hand], raised both arms.

“Amazing spatial manipulation ability. Lord Dofilia, I respect your strength, but this doesn’t mean that if you kill me without a clear reason, I will accept death without resisting. I am terribly sorry for causing you trouble; this was an unexpected result for me. If I truly caused irreversible harm to your friends and family, please let me compensate you in another way. Now that I have a contract with Lord Holy Son, I really cannot give my life to you for nothing.”

The teardrop pendant indeed hadn’t brought her irreversible consequences. Just as the Wandering Knight said, the pendant could be thrown away at any time. When Tilulu first returned to her side, she could have taken the pendant back, but she had noticed the pendant’s use and didn’t do so.

To some extent, this pendant had even helped her, making both Tilulu and herself realize the feelings in their hearts sooner.

The Wandering Knight wasn’t lying, but he definitely wasn’t anything good. Getting Nola to chase him away sooner rather than later was the correct choice.

Fia released the [Telekinesis] and gave a rude snort. Then, saying nothing more, she headed straight for her companions. She needed to report her safety to Claire and the others immediately, lest she be gone too long and cause them worry.

“What a gentle strong person. No wonder she could subdue that Demon King who shouldn’t exist in this world. Pity that time waits for no one; gentle methods won’t be able to continue down this path…”

As the voice full of emotion fell, the Wandering Knight seemed to dissolve into the wind. His body, leaning against the wall, gradually vanished, turning into a black wind that flowed toward the cold, clear sky.

Translator Note

i cant guess…