Volume 6, Chapter 60 – After the Annihilation

Although Nola was no longer staring blankly like before, anyone with a little discernment could see whether a person was happy or depressed. Fia clearly felt that Nola’s state was abnormal. Her hand subconsciously touched Nola’s shoulder, but suddenly stopped in mid-air. She didn’t know what happened to Nola. If the comfort was too obvious, she might be pushed away by Nola. That fire cat had a prickly personality.

In the end, Fia just looked at Nola’s profile tentatively.

“Are you… okay?”

“…”

Without answering, Nola lowered the hand covering her mouth, turning her tearful face slightly away.

Probably in that kind of bad mood where she doesn’t want others to disturb her.

Fia realized this. She looked at Nola, whose tail was completely drooping, and said with feigned lightness.

“If you’re okay, I’ll go deal with those incoming demons with Claire. I saw humans who are not Darkborn over there; are they hostages? I didn’t expect such things to be hidden in the Weeping Mountains. How did you appear here?”

“…”

Nola still didn’t answer. Fia saw her lips move as if wanting to say something, but the words stopped before even a syllable was uttered. It seemed Nola had lost all strength; what stood here was just a soulless shell.

She must have suffered a huge blow. Fia glanced at Helian and Galil frozen by [Forbidden Spell: Spatial Confinement] above. The reason [Forbidden Spell: Spatial Confinement] was classified as a Forbidden Spell, besides its adjustable range, was that it could be released by the caster to let the people inside out.

When people were extremely depressed, they had no interest in anything happening around them. Even if someone cared about them, they would only feel annoyed, hoping nothing in the world would disturb them. Their emotions plummeted into the abyss like riding a downward spiral slide. Although Fia hadn’t had such an experience, she surprisingly understood such thoughts. The current Nola didn’t want outsiders to disturb her.

Better let her calm down alone.

Sighing lightly, Fia didn’t stay any longer, chasing after Claire in mid-air. Because there was no longer a need to control magic output, Claire’s battle was much more magnificent than in the past. Demons flying toward her were often pierced or cut by various pitch-black magic before even entering a ten-meter range around her. Combined with the pitch-black horns on her head and the tail behind her, she looked more like a demon than the demons, like a Demon King descending.

Sweeping away demons on the ground that Claire didn’t attend to with [Firestorm], Fia arrived beside Claire.

“Fia? Didn’t you go see Nola?”

“She suffered a huge blow and just wants to be alone quietly. That guy is strong; Claire doesn’t need to worry too much. Let’s solve the demons first.”

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Speaking of this, Fia glanced at the cliff behind her. A mixed team of humans, elves, and beastmen stood there lonely. Everyone’s face had only numbness. Even with magic roaring around, they had no reaction, just staring blankly at her and Claire.

Besides that, several huge second-rank demons stood beside them. These demons were stunned at first, not knowing what happened. Now they intended to push down that huge bag over ten meters high. The bag was full of Chaos.

The Chaos on the Fog Demon really has something to do with Darkborn.

Rescue these numb people first.

Because hostages were near the large demons, Fia picked off the large demons with [Lightning Spear], then used [Spatial Hand] formed by [Telekinesis] to push all the demons off the cliff. As for the bag containing Chaos, she lifted it into the air with [Spatial Hand] and then incinerated it to ashes with [Firestorm]. The amount of Chaos over ten meters high was indeed large, but the maximum diameter of [Firestorm] was up to two hundred meters; ordinary Chaos couldn’t withstand [Firestorm].

The magnificent crimson lotus blooming in the air finally made the hundreds of pouncing demons feel fear. They stopped their figures pouncing toward Claire, their deep voices full of panic.

“Who are you? This is Lord Sovereign’s territory. If you don’t want to die, scram quickly!”

“Where is Lord Helian? Why is Lord Helian just watching!”

“You are also a demon; why help the tyrant!!”

Most of the words were in Demon language that Fia couldn’t understand. In her view, these demons flying with wings were like chirping birds and beasts. But little birds were cute at least; the demons in front of her were all hideous and ugly, not fitting her aesthetic.

Burn them all.

Fia raised her hand, preparing to melt all the demons of various skin colors in front of her. But Claire stopped her before that.

“Wait, Fia. Demons who can speak Demon language are rare. Keep this part of the demons. I know a little of the World Tree Continent’s Demon language; maybe we can extract something.”

“Mm. Then I’ll go check the palaces to see if there are more hostages.”

Although these people were all numb and seemed to have lost self-awareness, they might just be controlled by mental magic or result from long-term inhuman torture. It wasn’t impossible to save them. Handing them to Nola, or sending them to the women she saved in Bern City, they might regain consciousness. Even if it was a long process, it was better than dying.

“Be safe.”

“Don’t worry, just some low-rank demons can’t hurt me.”

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Returning a confident smile to Claire, Fia bypassed the demons and headed straight for the palace complex.

◇

By the time Fia and Claire eliminated all demons and brought the hostages and surrendering demons back to Brinkat City, it was already 10 AM the next day.

Except for Helian, the demons in the facility basically didn’t exceed the fifth rank. Fia and Claire often captured them in just one encounter. However, because they weren’t familiar with the environment, plus demons hiding and fleeing at the end, to prevent these demons from slipping away and harming the innocent, Fia and Claire spent several hours checking for fish that slipped through the net. The time actually spent on fighting was quite short.

As a result, all hostages hidden in the facility by demons were rescued. There were two to three hundred of them. Besides the most numerous humans, elves, and beastmen, there were also Sea Folk, Winged Folk, and even Dragonborn. Moreover, beastmen and humans were further subdivided, such as Leopard-folk, Rat-folk, Dog-folk, as well as Afleg Highlanders, Holy Radiance Race, etc ¹ this race name might get revised later in the story, new terms.. =v= . Even among elves, there were dark elves with brownish skin.

Even as an Elf Princess, it was Fia’s first time seeing dark elves. The mixture of various races gave Fia the feeling that Darkborn were collecting an encyclopedia.

Because the hostages were physically weak and mentally dull, not answering anything asked, Fia had to tie them up and drag them flying back to the city. At the same time, Fia teleported back to the Fire Cat Tribe’s largest city, bringing Ying, who knew Nola best, and Erin Slate, who knew Darkborn, to Brinkat. The former could comfort Nola, while the latter could pry intelligence from the mouths of surrendering demons.

As for the remaining priest demon and the familiar Helian, they were currently still suspended in mid-air. The fewer people imprisoned by [Forbidden Spell: Spatial Confinement], the longer the duration. Imprisoning only two people not exceeding the sixth rank, if Fia didn’t actively release them, she could keep them locked up for several days, and this was even without [Hyper-computation] enhancement.

Helian would self-destruct as soon as she came out, and the priest was also the leader of this group of Darkborn. Releasing them casually would only be counterproductive. Better leave them in the air; interrogating them after bringing the hostages to a safe place would be the same.

Fia wasn’t worried about anyone rescuing them. Leaving aside that [Forbidden Spell: Spatial Confinement] was solid enough that ordinary magic couldn’t break it, even if broken by external force, the people inside would shatter like glass and die on the spot. People holding important intelligence were often the hardest to deal with; they might commit suicide by taking poison. So it must proceed with caution, tying them up securely as soon as they are released.

After a series of troublesome matters, the biggest problem remaining was only Nola. That soul-lost appearance, having no answer even when Claire asked, was only slightly better than the numb hostages.

“Mmm~~”

The sound of gongs and drums playing music came from outside the window. The lively environment woke Fia from her sleep. Because she hadn’t slept all night, after conveying what happened last night to Ying and others with Claire, they each returned to their rooms to rest. Although Fia had the characteristic of being fine without sleep, drowsiness would accumulate and make her feel uncomfortable. Just like enemy attacks falling on her wouldn’t cause damage but would still make her feel pain.

Consciousness floated up from the mental sea. Fia emitted a comfortable groan of waking up from her throat. Maintaining the posture of lying on the bed, she opened her eyes to stare at the wooden ceiling, organizing various chaotic thoughts in her mind.

The room decoration was quite Japanese-style; this should be Tsukuyomi’s mansion. The time was… 7 PM. The laughter and joy outside now must be Ying’s arrangement.

When she and Claire delivered the hostages and demons to Ying and Tsukuyomi in the morning, both Ying and Tsukuyomi showed indescribable ecstasy, considering this an unprecedented great victory. They arbitrarily decided that the earthquake in the Weeping Mountains was the doing of the Darkborn. Now that the Darkborn’s home was raided, the earthquake would stop, so they must celebrate properly.

Staying in bed any longer would be improper. Fia rubbed her brain swollen from lack of sleep and sat up from the bed.

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“It’s already 7 PM…”

Not drinking water for a long time made Fia’s voice somewhat dry and hoarse. She moistened her throat with water created by [Torrent]. The coolness and sweetness wrapping the tip of her tongue refreshed her spirit. She exhaled a long breath and began to put on underwear and her formal dress.

I don’t know if I missed mealtime.

There were no electric lights or internet in this world; people slept and ate very early. Although as long as Fia wanted, she could ask Anastasia or the servants in Tsukuyomi’s mansion to make a portion on the spot, she still preferred having dinner with everyone. Her appetite would be much better than usual that way.

She put on her usual black formal dress and tied her hair ribbon, leaving the room. In a short while, she arrived at the place where the music came from—not the mansion’s living room, but the relatively spacious square outside the mansion.

Here, beastmen were sitting on the ground around bonfires everywhere. Among them were roughly dressed adventurers and commoners, as well as decently dressed lower-class nobles. They chatted about past glorious deeds with each other. The air was filled with the aroma of ale and roast meat, as well as exceptionally noisy wind instruments. Countless Charm Cats dressed as servants shuttled through the crowd, filling wine cups and changing new dishes for people.

Besides that, on both sides of the street were vendors shouting to sell meat and strong liquor. The glow of bonfires illuminated the night sky along with sparks. Coupled with the sound of instruments and people’s shouting, it was extraordinarily lively, like a festival.

“Oh oh! Black hair and red eyes, isn’t this my great hero, Her Highness the Eldest Princess! Thank you for your help!”

“Not only capturing demons alive but also destroying their stronghold and rescuing hundreds of people. This is an incredible achievement. Usually, we adventurers don’t even have the courage to enter the Illusion Barrier, yet you could bring hundreds of people out alive. If Lord Nola weren’t there too, I would definitely think you were joking with us rough people!”

“No earthquakes; now we can finally enter the forest to hunt with peace of mind, no need to worry about going hungry.”

“Damn demons. Her Highness should have told me before going. I, ‘Godspeed Jack’, would have made them suffer!”

“Rely on you? Hahaha!”

The adventurer’s words caused everyone to burst into laughter. Fia standing at the door also smiled along. She could see the gratitude and awe in the eyes of the adventurers on the square looking at her. Everyone was happy for a beautiful tomorrow.

Although most of these adventurers were opportunists, they still had the beastman’s worship of strength in their bones. Fia not only helped them deal with monster harassment and created a canyon to isolate monsters, but now she also destroyed a Darkborn stronghold with just two people. Such a feat was extremely rare even in the history of the World Tree Continent. Calling it a great victory for the camp of gods wouldn’t be wrong. Even if people from the Holy Kingdom of Milcandis heard it, they would run over to send Fia a commendation.

Following these adventurers, lower-class nobles among beastmen also came forward to toast Fia, thanking her with unskilled, bookish words. Fia dealt with them with a few sentences. She didn’t see her companions or Ying in the crowd; this shouldn’t be the main venue of the festival.

She casually stopped a Charm Cat by the roadside.

“Do you know where your Clan Chief is now?”

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“Lady Tsukuyomi is entertaining guests in the tavern. Oh right, she should have reminded the servants in the mansion that if you and Miss Claire woke up, they should take you to the tavern. Didn’t the servants in the mansion notify you?”

I didn’t greet the servants when I came out; probably missed them.

Listening to the Charm Cat’s tone, Claire seems not to have woken up yet either. Fia asked next.

“What about Nola? Is Nola’s spirit better?”

“This…” The Charm Cat looked troubled. “Lord Holy Son hasn’t gotten up yet. Lord Holy Son seemed very unwell during the day. Lady Clan Chief asked if she was injured, but there was no response. Did something happen?”

“To be honest, I don’t know either. Thanks, I’ll go to the tavern in a while.”

“Please be sure to be present. You are today’s honored guest, the great benefactor of our Charm Cat Tribe.”

Bowing respectfully to Fia, the Charm Cat quickly returned to her post.

Fia withdrew her steps toward the tavern, turning back to look at the mansion gate instead. When she and Claire searched for demons last night, the dazed Nola also joined them and assisted Fia in sending the hostages back to Brinkat. The two communicated midway, but Nola didn’t mention a word about what happened to her. Her face was incomparably pale, and she spoke very little.

She was really worried about Nola’s mental state. This was a fire cat who could pull herself together even after Claire was stolen. Something that could make her like this must be worse than losing Claire.

The only thing I can think of is a collapse of faith. Associating with Darkborn making a stronghold in the Weeping Mountains, the real situation might be that the Goddess in Nola’s mind is vastly different from reality, or even completely opposite. That’s why Nola behaved like this. She not only lost Claire but now also lost her Goddess.

Probably feeling confused about the future. Being betrayed by the person she respected most, it’s impossible to say she’s fine just like that.

Rather than celebrating, better go see this fire cat. Then wait for Claire to wake up too, and everyone goes to the tavern together.

Getting serious in her heart, Fia left the noise behind, turning back amidst the curious gazes of the crowd.