Volume 6, Chapter 31 – An Old Friend

“There must be a village nearby under attack; they are mobilizing manpower.”

Nola’s voice sounded in Fia’s ear. Fia had also noticed the disturbance the Eagle Knight had spotted. However, since cat-people didn’t have as good eyesight as elves, Fia, her magnificent red eyes widening slightly, corrected her.

“Monsters have rushed into the city. Adventurers there are assisting soldiers in fighting them.”

Because Brinkat City was backed by the Weeping Mountains and had no wars year-round, it didn’t have city walls. Looking from the air, the buildings became denser and more magnificent toward the city center, and sparser and smaller toward the outskirts. The disturbance was happening in a cleared open space in the southern part of the city.

About three hundred beastman soldiers formed an arc with their shields, constituting the main defense line. Dozens of adventurers wearing animal skins were scattered on both sides of the formation. The monster side was so chaotic it was hard to count. There were large clusters of green slimes and small swarms of blood-sucking bees. Notably, most of the monsters had a sticky black appearance, as if they had just rolled in pond mud. If not for the uneven thickness of the black substance on their bodies, looking like spots, Fia would have thought their true form was Chaos.

Furthermore, because monsters were still pouring out of the forest continuously and their sizes varied, they were very troublesome to deal with. The defense line was already in jeopardy. Although reinforcements could be seen rushing from the distance, at this rate, the monsters would break into the city before the reinforcements arrived.

Better go help them.

—Wait.

Just as Fia was about to speak, she suddenly noticed a commotion in another corner of the city, in the opposite direction of the monster siege. Several black demons with bat wings were surrounding a blue-haired girl. Not only that, but passersby were fleeing desperately in all directions. It seemed a significant battle had occurred there.

Fia had a deep impression of this blue girl. She was Calista, a Stellacryst Beast and a rising star of the Eternal Daylight Mages, the girl who had given her the Key of the World Tree in the past.

Nola can handle the monsters attacking the city alone. I’ll go rescue Calista.

“Tch, just in time for a monster attack, huh? Fia, let’s go over there!”

She actually called out to me actively?

Fia looked at Nola’s profile in surprise. Nola, accompanying the Flying Eagle with flight magic, was staring downward with a serious face. Clearly, her words just now were subconscious.

Just as I slowly started to consider Nola a friend, Nola actually considers me a friend too, right? That’s why she thought of me when she needed help.

Although I’m happy you called me, I can’t respond to your expectations right now.

Although there are many monsters facing the soldiers, their rank is very low; Anastasia can handle them alone. Calista helped me before; I must go check on her first.

Fia grabbed Nola’s hand and pointed in Calista’s direction.

“Wait, Nola, look there.”

“What time is it to look—what is that?”

The reproachful remark stopped halfway. Nola frowned as she looked at the fleeing crowd in the city.

“Demons. Someone I know is there. I have to go help her first.”

“Her? A woman?” (Beastman language distinguishes between “he” and “she”).

Nola’s cat ears pricked up unconsciously.

Why do you suddenly ask such a gossipy question?

Fia glanced at Nola’s face in surprise. The latter’s piercing purple cat eyes held only seriousness. Fia had to answer.

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“A woman. She helped me before. If not for the Key of the World Tree she gave, Estelle would have become bait for the Despair Demon General. Stop wasting words. You go save your people; I’ll go check on my old friend. Anastasia, go with Nola and protect Liti and the others.”

“Yes!”

After quickly making arrangements, Fia used [Message] magic to tell Claire she would be away for a moment. Finally, she jumped directly off the Flying Eagle and flew toward the city below.

◇

Brinkat City, North District.

In a slum full of rubble and chaotic debris, a panting Calista had to rely on her long scythe to support her body. Not far from her lay two of her companions. However, these two were no longer breathing; they had died in the initial sneak attack.

If the demons hadn’t intended not to kill her from the start, Calista would have become the third corpse.

As for her opponents, they were five pitch-black demons of different shapes. Calista couldn’t tell what race these five demons were, but she was certain each of them could defeat her—she was in big trouble.

“Though we were just catching a Stellacryst Beast, we didn’t expect a Holy Son either. Now Father will be dancing with joy.”

Ignoring the terrified screams of the surrounding beastmen, a great demon with a physique comparable to an upright giant bear grinned. He could feel the disgusting holy aura on Calista, and even sense the Divinity on her. There was no other possibility for this aura except a Holy Son.

Wearing a flower crown, Calista feigned calmness. She secretly observed her surroundings, looking for an escape route, while not forgetting to stall for time with words.

“Knowing that I’m a Holy Son, why don’t you scram?”

“Oh my, still pretending? You think you’re the Holy Son of the Fire Cat Tribe, thinking you have seventh-rank strength? Ridiculous! If you could beat us, you wouldn’t be wasting words with us!”

Following behind the laughing short demon, a fat two-headed troll also mocked.

“I’ve never seen such a weak Holy Son. With this little strength, you can be a Holy Son? Then can we also become Holy Sons?”

“Hahahaha!”

Tch.

Not angered by the demons’ ridicule, Calista clicked her tongue heavily in her heart. These demons were right; she was indeed a Holy Son, but she hadn’t been chosen for long. She came to Cold Night this time to find the Holy Son of the Fire Cat Tribe to ask about some important matters. She didn’t expect to encounter such trouble right after crossing the Netherworld.

This is the worst possible situation.

With such a big commotion from a demon attack, why haven’t the guards arrived yet? Is the administrator of this city so scared they’re hiding?

Watching the demons getting closer, Calista became anxious. She could already smell the foul beastly odor on the demons. If this continued, she would lose even the space to cast magic.

Even if my strength isn’t as good as theirs, I have to give it a shot!

However, as if giving Calista hope, the leading great demon suddenly pondered.

“I’ve never felt this Divinity on you before. Which deity is it? Say it, and I can reduce your pain.”

Calista’s eyes sharpened instantly. This was the only question she wasn’t willing to dodge. She raised her chin and said haughtily.

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“I never believe in gods!”

“Big brother, don’t waste words with her. Catching her first is what matters. It’s rare to meet such a weak Holy Son; we can’t miss this opportunity!”

As soon as the short demon finished speaking, Calista, who had been looking for an opportunity, suddenly moved.

“[Circular Waltz Slash]!”

The long scythe swept around instantly with Calista as the center. A bloody circle appeared abruptly within the demons’ encirclement. Immediately after, a blinding flash that forced people to close their eyes exploded. Before the demons could react, Calista quickly rushed toward the sky, the only way to escape.

As long as I blend into the crowd, the demons won’t be able to find me.

In mid-air, Calista landed lightly on a roof like an elf. She could already see the future of her successful escape.

Until a powerful pulling force came from behind. Accompanied by severe pain as if her limbs were being cut apart, Calista was pulled back toward the demons faster than she had flown out.

Subconsciously, Calista turned her head in mid-air to look behind her. What entered her vision was the short demon pulling on threads from a distance. She was being dragged down from the roof by him.

[Spatial Strings]?!

Calista instantly recognized the name of this magic. It was a superior magic of [Telekinesis], able to condense spatial power into threads to attack and restrain enemies. She tried to raise her scythe to cut the [Spatial Strings], but her wrists and arms were firmly bound by them. At this moment, she was like a marionette. If she used too much force, the [Spatial Strings] would cut into her flesh like blades, eventually severing her limbs. She only had third-rank strength. Even with the racial bonus of a Stellacryst Beast, she couldn’t bridge the gap in strength with the demons.

I absolutely cannot die in this hellhole!

Even if I’m reluctant, I have to use the final magic that thing gave me!

Gritting her teeth hard, Calista’s whole body was surrounded by a translucent emerald glow. The brilliant light, like an emerald, made her as dazzling as the sun. But just as her magic started, an invisible impact hit her head. Intense dizziness and nausea forced her to interrupt the magic. The emerald glow stopped abruptly, and she herself continued to fall diagonally toward the demons like a kite.

However, the [Mental Shock] wasn’t to let Calista be caught by the demons, but to prevent Calista from using the final magic that would harm herself. A petite elf with jet-black hair falling naturally, exuding an aura of indifference, appeared between the demons and Calista. She cut the [Spatial Strings] restraining Calista with a hand chop, held Calista’s waist with one hand, and finally hovered in mid-air, looking down coldly at the demons below.

Everything happened in a flash. When the demons reacted, the short demon had already flown backward from using too much force.

“Hoh, are you Darkborn so rampant outside the Silvar Kingdom? Daring to appear on the street in broad daylight, and with such a lineup.”

Four of the five demons were fourth-rank, and the leading great demon was fifth-rank. Using this against a third-rank Calista was taking her way too seriously.

“Helper?” The leading great demon first narrowed his eyes to observe, then shuddered all over, his eyes showing intense fear. “Black hair and red eyes… the Eldest Princess of the Silvar Kingdom! You want to stop us again! Even using [The Unsinkable Moon], the Holy Kingdom couldn’t kill you. What a bunch of useless trash!”

“Since you know so much, you should also be clear about the difference in strength between us. Tell me everything you know, and I can show extra mercy, granting you a painless death.”

Familiar words.

The great demon, sweating on his forehead, gritted his teeth. He didn’t expect the words he had said to Calista earlier to be returned to him so quickly. The Eldest Princess was a character who could make even Helian suffer. His group was definitely no match for the Eldest Princess.

“A mere elf!”

However, what he knew didn’t mean his new subordinates knew it too. The five-meter-tall two-headed troll swung a wolf-tooth club as thick as an elephant’s leg, charging straight at Fia.

Idiot!

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The great demon cursed silently. He was a demon who used to operate in the Silvar Kingdom and had only recently been transferred to Cold Night. The truth was just as Erin Slate said: the demons operating in the Silvar Kingdom were the smarter types, while the intelligence of demons elsewhere was hardly flattering. A demon’s intelligence wasn’t like a human’s; unless a human was born with a mental disability, their IQ wouldn’t deviate too far from the norm. A demon’s intelligence, however, depended on their race. Demons like two-headed trolls had intelligence inversely proportional to their muscles from birth.

The wolf-tooth club, capable of smashing a house, descended toward Fia’s head. The strong wind pressure blew Fia’s jet-black hair and skirt backward.

“Dodge, quickly!”

The newly awakened Calista hurriedly tried to push Fia away to dodge. However, Fia remained unmoved. The fear of death made Calista close her eyes tightly. Not caring whether the person holding her was male or female, she hugged the stranger’s waist backhand, hoping the coming impact would be lessened.

Then.

Thud.

The anticipated spinning sensation of being knocked flying didn’t arrive. Calista didn’t even feel her body sink slightly. The breeze made her open her eyes carefully. Then, the scene before her made her eyes widen instantly, rendered speechless by shock.

The crude weapon capable of smashing a house was stopped right in front of her eyes. Fia had blocked the two-headed troll’s wolf-tooth club with just one finger. No matter how much force the two-headed troll poured into the club, he couldn’t press it down even a millimeter. If Calista hadn’t clearly seen the two-headed troll sweating profusely and gritting his teeth, she would have thought this was a pre-rehearsed act.

How is it possible for someone to wrestle with a two-headed troll using only one finger!

Finally recovering from her shock, Calista hurriedly looked up to see who was holding her. Then, the cold face that entered her vision made her pause slightly.

Dofilia.

They had met once in the Milcandis Holy Kingdom before she became a Holy Son.

She stammered.

“You… you are Her Highness the Eldest Princess?”

“We meet again. Why are you being targeted by these demons?”

We’re still in battle; why are you starting to chat!

Calista opened her mouth wide, looking nervously at the two-headed troll. The troll had already retracted the wolf-tooth club and raised it high above his head again. This time, the force was even greater than the last. Veins bulged on his arms and forehead as he smashed down fiercely toward Fia’s head once more.

However, Fia still easily blocked the club with just one finger. This time, she even used [Airflow Control] to neutralize the shockwave. Calista could only tell how terrifying the force of this blow was by the flying stalls around them and the other demons stumbling about.

“Compared to the Gluttony Demon General, you’re still too green.”

After speaking lightly, Fia applied slight force with the fingertip holding the club, then made a flicking motion.

Bang!

A huge cloud of dust obscured the view as it exploded outward. The wolf-tooth club snapped completely. The two-headed troll flew out as if hit by a high-speed battleship. But Fia didn’t let him off. As the snap of her fingers fell, spatial blades formed by [Telekinesis] and [Light Beam] quickly dismembered the troll. When he landed on the ground, only a pile of green meat chunks remained.

“It’s a spatial magic user! Shorty, use your spatial magic to restrict her!”

“I know!” Called by his companion, the short demon, who had climbed up from the ground, wiped the corner of his mouth and let out a piercing laugh. “Regret your recklessness for running into me while specializing in spatial magic! My clan are natural-born spatial magic users!”

As soon as the short demon finished speaking, Fia could already feel his spatial strings wrapping toward her. However, compared to her [Telekinesis], the demon’s [Spatial Strings] seemed rather crude. Not only were there not enough strings, but their flight speed was also extremely slow.

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In addition, apart from the leading great demon who was flapping his wings preparing to flee quietly, the other two demons launched attacks on Fia from the left and right respectively.

“Watch out for the spatial strings! Let me go; don’t be careless!”

Calista shouted anxiously while struggling hard. Fia sighed helplessly.

“Be still. Don’t increase the difficulty for me.”

Although it’s the same even if the difficulty increases.

The spatial strings finally arrived in front of Fia. However, without waiting for them to wrap around her, Fia reached out her hand and, with the assistance of [Telekinesis], grabbed all the spatial strings in her palm.

“Now you can’t move!”

Where did this idiot come from?

Fia raised an eyebrow.

“Although I don’t know where your confidence comes from, I have to tell you first: I am not a spatial magic user.”

“What?!”

As her voice fell, Fia yanked the spatial strings toward herself. The immense force instantly sent the short demon flying toward Fia with a scream. Fia used [Spatial Hand] to grab the demons on her left and right, then swatted them toward the flying short demon like swatting flies.

Bam.

The shockwave, carrying spatial tremors, made the earth shake violently. Worried the scene would be too bloody, Fia used [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea] to disguise the demons turned into minced meat as air before putting them down and incinerating them with fire. Even the Seven Demon Generals attacking together were no match for her; mere fourth-rank demons were no longer enough for Fia to take seriously.

As for the smart demon who knew to run, Fia simply used [Mental Shock] to make him fall to the ground. It was worth mentioning that even after falling, this great demon didn’t give up on escaping, still crawling on the ground with difficulty.

“Must… must tell Father the news about the Eldest Princess…”

At some point, Fia arrived in front of the great demon with Calista in her arms. She widened her eyes slightly in curiosity, using a [Spatial Hand] to lift the great demon’s chin.

“Father? Another new character besides The Sovereign and Helian?”

“You… you will regret—”

Calista is here; better not let an outsider know too much.

Fia aimed her palm at the top of the great demon’s head and released magic expressionlessly.

“[Mental Shock].”

Another powerful shockwave spread out. The great demon, having lost resistance, convulsed violently. As if to memorize Fia’s appearance, he stared at Fia with wide eyes. Finally, his consciousness left his body, and he slumped to the ground with a thud.