Volume 6, Chapter 28 – A Restless Morning

Flames filled the sky.

The leaping tongues of fire seared her skin painfully. Black smoke, carrying a scorched smell, drilled into her nose. All around were the harsh shouts of soldiers and the sound of collapsing beams. Her lungs felt as if they were stuffed with wood, making it hard to contract them. Even though she used both hands and feet to find a way out, all she saw were walls of fire, one after another. The twisting figures of the flames were like demons, baring their fangs and claws as they lunged at her.

This scene again.

Annoyance rose in her heart. Nola, in the midst of the fire, clicked her tongue impatiently. If she could, she would have wanted to spit on this detestable ground. However, in the dream, she was just a passerby. All she could do was stand from a third-person perspective and watch indifferently as the fire cat struggled in the fire—that was her younger self.

The hedonistic nobles of the Fire Cat Tribe set fire to the village. Those who dared not resist were tied up and taken as slaves; those who dared to resist were killed on the spot. This was Nola’s experience in her childhood. Helplessly searching for an escape route in a fire filled with huge flames and choking smoke, she had to cover her mouth to make no sound and walk as slowly as possible. Otherwise, she would be discovered by the hedonistic nobles’ henchmen, and then, like her parents, be treated as a rebel, her flesh and blood flying amidst chaotic blades as she begged shrilly for mercy.

The fear of death she felt then was hard to suppress even after becoming the Holy Son. It even caused her to develop a condition completely contrary to her racial characteristics—fear of fire. As the acting chief of the Fire Cat Tribe and the Holy Son of Cold Night, every time she saw fire, she had to summon her reason to suppress the fear in her heart. Saying it out loud would truly be a joke.

Mocking herself in her heart, Nola continued to watch herself crawling in the scalding mud. Before long, this young fire cat, about to escape, would be discovered by soldiers and become one of several slaves.

Even knowing this was a dream, Nola couldn’t help but feel anger rising. She wanted to curse her dream self to stop struggling so ugly, and she also wanted to rush in and kill the nobles and soldiers in the dream. Unfortunately, the dream did not change according to her will.

Her annoyance probably stemmed from her unwillingness to accept her past inability to change the facts. Humans were creatures accustomed to regret and fantasy, thinking that if their current selves could travel back to the past, they could reverse the future with their clever minds and strong bodies.

Is there no way to stop me from having this dream?

Nola subconsciously clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white from the force. Then, she watched helplessly as a fierce soldier with a face full of fleshy folds walked up to her younger self, grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and slammed her hard next to the fire. The firelight illuminated the soldier’s hideous grin. The malice within it would make even a demon retreat three steps; it was the ugliness of the strong bullying the weak.

“Bastard.”

Nola was surprisingly angry. She began to imagine walking up with her seventh-rank strength and twisting this fire cat soldier’s head off with one punch. Even if it was a bloody scene with flesh flying, she would only feel pleasure. Presumably, the other nobles around would be panic-stricken, but forced to stay calm for the sake of face, ordering soldiers to surround her. This would suit her perfectly. She would kill them one by one, mercilessly, until only those nobles trembling all over and begging on their knees remained. She would make them die painfully with their torsos twisted and bent, just as they had treated the people in the village.

She had no other thoughts besides pleasure. The more blood a beastman saw, the more excited they became. This was a primal desire engraved in their bones.

Kill him!

Hatred condensed into substance in Nola’s chest. She forcefully ordered her dream self to move, and then, she took a fierce step forward!

That’s right, just like this! Let this demon witness the might of the seventh rank. I am no longer the me of the past!

—!

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“Ugh?!”

Just as anger turned into pleasure gathering in her fist, Nola shuddered all over. Before her eyes was no longer the village with flickering flames, but the familiar stone ceiling.

What just happened was a dream; now she was awake.

Hands tightly gripping the sheets, Nola, her expression tense, gradually came back to her senses. Her eyebrows quickly relaxed, and a trace of disappointment appeared in her expression.

If I hadn’t woken up and let that punch land on the soldier’s face, how satisfying that would have been.

“That dream again…”

Groaning from her dry throat, Nola, lying on her back in bed, let out a long sigh. Her mind was still savoring the dream just now. If a dream stirred up emotions too much, it would be like this, leaving her unable to calm down for a long time after waking. She needed sounds and light from the real world to make her realize she had walked out of the dream.

The noisy voices of people in the Hunting Grounds came from outside the window, and the muffled sound of servants’ feet stepping on the carpet came from the corridor.

“Hah.”

The past is in the past. I have already killed all my enemies with my own hands. Now I should get up quickly and do what I should do.

Warning herself in her heart, Nola shook off the melancholy and sorrow in her purple cat eyes. She rolled out of bed and walked to the exquisitely styled floor-to-mirror to dress and groom.

In terms of room furnishings and decoration, Nola’s room was no different from that of a noble elf lady—equally gorgeous and exquisite, paying attention to materials and carving techniques. Although beastmen had their own unique folk culture, only the common beastmen paid attention to these things. For beastman nobles, the culture of the neighboring elves was the more upper-class and worthy of admiration. The more wealthy and status a beastman noble had, the more their behavior resembled that of an elf noble.

This was, of course, related to the national power of the two countries. Strong cultures swallow weak ones. The Silvar Kingdom was wealthy and populous, its national power unprecedentedly strong. In contrast, Cold Night was weak and chaotic; people couldn’t even live above the subsistence line. Under such circumstances, beastman nobles naturally worshipped the etiquette of elf nobles more. Even Nola was not exempt from this.

Looking at her frizzy hair in the mirror, Nola picked up a comb and combed it patiently. Just as Fia had observed, Nola’s body was not like a warrior’s, but more like a dancer’s—slender and flexible, her skin fair and smooth. Against the backdrop of her long fiery-red hair hanging down to the ground behind her, her arms were even dazzlingly white. If she learned a little noble etiquette and appeared on the dance floor in a pure white dress, she would surely be graceful and become the dream lover of countless noble males.

It must be said, Nola knew her own charm, she just didn’t like to flaunt it. She believed that as the acting clan chief and Holy Son, pursuing a gorgeous appearance would only distract her energy.

But that was the past. Today, while combing her hair, she couldn’t help but think about what kind of clothes she should change into.

Change into black clothes like that crow elf? But Ying said black doesn’t match my red hair; I suit white clothes. In that case, maybe I should change into the white dress I wore in Blossom before? But that kind of thin long dress that flutters in the wind… won’t I really be laughed at if I wear it? Wearing such a dress makes it impossible to fly, not to mention responding quickly in an emergency. I can count the number of times I’ve worn that dress on one hand.

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Thinking of this, Nola turned to look at the everyday clothes folded neatly at the head of the bed. That was her usual attire.

No.

Hesitating for a second, Nola looked away again.

Previously at the exchange in Blossom, the elf women she saw were basically all wearing light and gorgeous clothes. Not only that, but that crow elf and her younger sister were dressed similarly. This showed that wearing a dress wouldn’t be laughed at; this was just her long-held prejudice.

Wait, why am I thinking about wearing a dress?

Nola suddenly noticed a fatal key point. The real problem wasn’t whether the pure white dress was appropriate, but why she had the idea of changing into a dress.

To make myself more beautiful and attractive?

Nola naturally thought of this reason. Thinking carefully, ever since she knew Claire was nearby, she had started paying attention to her speech and behavior. Every time before seeing Claire, she would deliberately comb her hair, tidy her clothes, and even use perfume. Presumably, it was the same this time. After all, even the flowers placed in her room emitted a bitter fragrance similar to the smell of the pharmacy when she lived with Claire in the past.

That’s right, I must be dressing up carefully for Claire.

Nola was deeply convinced.

Thought leads to action. She quickly put on the pure white dress with lots of lace and ruffled decorations. The hem of the dress hung down to her ankles, outlining her seductive curves, and there was a large bow tied with a ribbon at her waist. If she pinned up her red hair and put on dazzling high heels, Nola could attend a noble evening party right now without any problem.

“Do I still have to tie up my hair… Today I must go to Brinkat City to direct the construction of the defense line. For an occasion where I’ll be showing my face in public, it’s better to dress up a little, right?”

What a strange thought. I never had it before.

Although she realized her thoughts were strange, Nola couldn’t control her desire to make herself more attractive. She tried tying her red hair into twin tails, then let it down because she felt it was childish. After that, she tried pinning up her long hair and tying it into a side ponytail like Fia, but gave up because it felt awkward. In the end, she chose the ordinary long straight hair. After a series of processes, it took a full half hour before she walked toward the door with satisfaction. Before leaving the room, she even picked up the vase and took a deep breath of the bitter fragrance emitted by the flowers inside.

Then, she opened the door. The warm breeze blowing in her face refreshed her.

The territory has thoroughly entered spring.

Troublesome days are coming.

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Beastmen had this troublesome thing called estrus. Although the period lasted at most ten days and as little as two or three days, it still gave her a huge headache. During this time, the number of crimes in the territory would skyrocket, to the point where prisons were overcrowded.

Truly a group of weak-willed trash cats, unable to even control their own desires, acting in such an undignified manner. Realizing this, Nola recalled the shameful reports of cats in heat rubbing against walls in the street, or even using other people’s keyholes to vent. If only she had fully come of age; otherwise, she would have to demonstrate to everyone how a beastman overcomes estrus through firm will. No beastman could use estrus as an excuse for crime.

Filled with determination, Nola snorted rudely. She took a step forward, then suddenly stopped and tightened the white ribbon around her waist, allowing the clothes to better outline her body curves from chest to waist.

This should be prettier, right?

Thinking this, Nola finally left the corridor with peace of mind, completely unaware that her fiery red ears and tail were perked up high even in her normal state. This already violated the habits of fire cats.

It was time for her to step into adulthood.

◇

“Unbearable to look at… I should have come to Cold Night at a different time.”

Bathed in the warm spring sun, Fia walked on the city streets with a face full of hesitation and embarrassment. Although one couldn’t say there were stupid couples everywhere on the street, with just a little attention, one could notice men and women hiding under stalls and in alleys. Even in broad daylight, these cat-people hugged each other without caring about bystanders. Other pedestrians on the road acted as if they didn’t see anything, minding their own business, clearly accustomed to it.

Fortunately, these couples only went as far as kissing and didn’t go further. Otherwise, she would have turned back home, regretting not choosing to come out alone.

“After all, entering spring, it’s only reasonable for beastmen to be unable to control themselves. It’s just that their existence sullies your eyes. We should suggest to the administrator of this city to force beastmen in estrus to stay indoors.”

Erin Slate, following beside Fia, answered with a smile. It was also a smile, but Fia felt Erin Slate’s smile now was more natural and sincere than in the Royal Castle, as if she were happy from the bottom of her heart.

In addition, because this was Cold Night and not Blossom, Erin Slate had changed into a light purple long dress that was more everyday and less revealing. If the previous Erin Slate was a demon queen, then now she was an elegant and mature noble lady, fitting her identity as a Duke’s daughter perfectly.

Agreeing to Erin Slate’s request to come to Cold Night was indeed correct. Staying in the palace all the time is too stuffy no matter what; Erin Slate should be allowed to come out and relax. Rejoicing in her heart, Fia shook her head and sighed, waving her hand.

“Ying said that if they aren’t allowed to vent their desires, beastmen entering the special period will become increasingly irritable, making serious public security problems more likely. So it’s better to let them be; this can also promote the birth rate.”

“But giving birth to so many people, can they feed them? I remember they don’t have natural magic and often suffer from famine.”

“Their concept is that the more children, the happier.”

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The poorer and more backward the place, the more serious such thinking was. Fia had long been accustomed to it.

“Please forgive your subordinate for not understanding… But this is the beastmen’s own business. Since Your Highness doesn’t care, I should care even less. More importantly, Your Highness only brought me out alone, leaving Anastasia and Miss Claire and the others in the Hunting Grounds. Won’t that cause misunderstandings?”

Although her words were full of worry, Erin Slate’s golden eyes revealed a trace of delight and happiness. It was just that because Erin Slate was much taller than Fia, when the two walked side by side, Fia couldn’t see Erin Slate’s expression—even if she looked up, she could only see the magnificent chest, which was very impolite.

Fia answered as a matter of course.

“Just wandering around casually; we’ll go back soon. Everyone won’t take it to heart. Besides, everyone didn’t come with me because they were packing luggage and buying some necessary things. We’re going further south to Brinkat later; it wouldn’t make sense not to make some preparations.”

To level up everyone, she had to buy some medicines and items to deal with monsters. The number of monsters in the Weeping Mountains was staggering; it would be a pity not to make good use of them.

“Just wandering around casually…”

“Does Erin Slate’s voice sound unhappy?”

“N-No such a thing!” Erin Slate hurriedly changed the subject to cover her loss of composure. She switched back to work mode, lowering her voice. “The people brought last night have already begun to act. It won’t take long for them to buy information from local intelligence merchants…?”

As she spoke, Erin Slate’s voice gradually drifted off. She slowed her pace, her gaze resting on the commotion across the street—a group of beastmen were chasing a man carrying a Water Cat Tribe little girl on his shoulder. The man wore a black hood, looking like a bad guy at first glance. The two could even hear shouts like “Stop him” and “Catch the thief.”

Kidnapping blatantly in broad daylight… as expected of Cold Night?

“Your Highness, that is a Darkborn. His disguise technique is too lousy.” Erin Slate’s voice was full of astonishment and hesitation. “Although your subordinate knows we have been fighting the smart batch under The Sovereign’s command, and the wisdom of Darkborn outside Blossom is terribly lacking, I didn’t expect them to be stupid to this extent… I’m starting to doubt if they are from the same faction.”

“In any case, catch him first.”

“Yes, please leave it to your subordinate!”

Perhaps because her mood for a walk was disturbed, Erin Slate’s voice was full of resentment. As soon as Fia nodded, Erin Slate’s light purple skirt flashed. When noticed again, she had already appeared on the path the Darkborn had to take.