Volume 6, Chapter 62 – The Overly Popular Princess

Fia waited outside the door for a full quarter of an hour before Nola finally came out. The latter didn’t wear the pure white formal dress she had worn for the past few days, but chose more casual clothes. Her well-proportioned, slender, and smooth legs were exposed, emitting a healthy and alluring luster under the white short skirt. They were beautiful things that made one want to step forward and touch them upon seeing them.

Although Nola’s eyes were still slightly red and swollen, her face no longer showed haggardness and decadence. Her breath hitched slightly upon seeing Fia, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassed crimson. She said awkwardly.

“Done.”

“Although I know there are many things to prepare, a quarter of an hour is a bit too long.”

Fia teased with a light smile. Her [Mana Vision] showed Nola had been sitting in front of the mirror the whole time, either touching her cheeks or washing her face with water. It was nothing more than thinking about going to the tavern later and not wanting everyone to see her losing face, which could also be considered regaining her spirit.

“You didn’t say the time yourself. If you rushed me, wouldn’t I have been faster?”

“Okay, okay, my fault.” Fia waved her hand generously, taking the first step. “If we don’t go to the tavern, Tsukuyomi and the others will finish eating. We also have to ask if Claire is awake.”

“Claire?” Suddenly remembering Claire’s existence, Nola’s eyes widened instantly. “You came to find me without waiting for Claire to wake up?”

“Seeing you like that during the day, how could I wait for Claire to wake up before slowly coming to find you? There are priorities in everything.”

“… I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

Fia turned her head back as if seeing a ghost. Although Nola’s voice just now was small, only the two of them were in the corridor, so she heard it exceptionally clearly.

“Sorry for what? If you mean almost getting beaten up by me just now and truly feel guilty, you can change into a flimsy maid outfit later and sleep with me for a night as a cat-eared maid for compensation. Although Nola isn’t very good in various aspects, your figure is quite substantial, having curves where they should be. Oh right, remember to ask Tsukuyomi beforehand for techniques on how to make people comfortable. I don’t want to teach you step by step when we get to bed.”

This was, of course, Fia’s teasing way of speaking. Following Nola’s words would only make the topic heavy.

Not out of Fia’s expectation, Nola got angry.

“I mean causing you not to go to the tavern with Claire because of my matters, not about the unpleasantness just now! You are too frivolous! Fia, I misjudged you. If Claire heard this sentence, what would she think?”

“No… Leaving aside that I was just joking, firstly, even if Claire knew, I feel she would only give Nola an answer beyond imagination. Better not let Claire hear.”

If Nola heard Claire’s answer, her jaw might drop to the ground.

Fia couldn’t help looking back at Nola. The latter raising her eyebrows and puffing up her cheeks was no different from a pufferfish. Usually very normal, even giving the illusion of being very soft when not speaking, but if poked slightly, she would immediately puff up and reveal her true form.

Precisely because of this, Nola was very worth teasing. No wonder Ying liked to joke with Nola. She and Ying were simply birds of a feather.

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The two soon arrived at the noisy square. Half an hour had passed since Fia went to Nola’s room. The sky, which still had a bit of twilight before, had turned completely dark. Sparks rose continuously from the lit bonfires on the square. The bright yellow flames reflected the surrounding adventurers’ faces full of food and drink. They no longer focused their energy on eating, but played drinking games loudly. Those lovers hiding in the corners began to whisper sweet nothings. Everyone was doing their own thing.

“Eeh? Her Highness the Eldest Princess, Lord Clan Chief, when did you come back?”

A Charm Cat maiden dressed properly, guarding the door, ran over quickly, her eyes full of panic.

Nola’s expression froze, so Fia had to answer for her.

“Not when we came back, but we never went out. Where is Claire?”

“I-Is that so…” The Charm Cat maiden breathed a long sigh of relief, wiping the nervous sweat from her forehead. “Miss Claire has already gone to the tavern ahead. Fortunately, you haven’t left yet. Auntie asked me to wait here for you and Lord Clan Chief to wake up and take you to the tavern. Someone caused trouble in the square earlier, so I left for a while. I didn’t expect you to come out just then. When I heard from the servants that you had already gone to the tavern, I was scared out of my wits…”

Auntie should refer to Tsukuyomi.

Fia looked at the maiden’s pale face and found it funny.

“Is Tsukuyomi that scary?”

“Yes!” The Charm Cat maiden, only sixteen or seventeen years old and looking about the same age as Nola, clenched her fists. “If Auntie knew I neglected my duty, don’t even think about getting out of bed to walk for the rest of this week. I never want to experience that feeling of my head always spinning for a second time!”

“Is that so…”

So absorbing energy can also be used as a punishment.

It’s just that the process of Charm Cats absorbing energy is somewhat ambiguous, mobilizing people’s enthusiasm, making one’s whole body hot and heart itch unbearably. Although Tsukuyomi should be standing from the perspective of the Clan Chief, punishing the Charm Cat maiden in front of her to maintain the Clan Chief’s dignity and family stability, Fia still felt something was weird.

However, associating it with the fact that Tsukuyomi is actually only twenty-four or twenty-five years old, also a maiden, the scene becomes full of beauty.

While leading the way for Fia and Nola, the Charm Cat maiden hopped and skipped like a youthful and lively girl in an academy, talking to the two about what she had seen and heard. Most of it was deeds about Fia she heard from others.

For example, Fia turning the tide of the battle alone, defeating Chazo, solving her strongest political enemy without costing a single soldier, and even the complicated past events between the Elf Royal Family members. Her personality full of longing for outside matters fitted Fia’s imagination of a girl at this age very well, so much so that the conversation made Fia feel she became much younger and life became colorful.

No, my age placed among elves is about the same as this girl. I can’t arbitrarily categorize myself into the adult category.

“S-Speaking of which, I heard from the sisters working in the tavern that a few days ago, Auntie invited you to be a guest at the tavern and asked for energy from you. You agreed without thinking. As a result, you not only defeated Auntie but also satisfied all the dancers, maids, and Auntie’s sisters in the room. The people on the whole floor looked drunk. Is… is this true?”

By the end, a blush had appeared on the maiden’s face. Like a girl in love, she observed Fia’s face from time to time, her slender fingers twisting together shyly in front of her.

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“Ugh.”

Mentioning this topic, both Fia and Nola couldn’t help changing their expressions. Especially Fia, the initiator who turned the whole floor into a hellscape, looked embarrassed. She still remembered the group of Charm Cats shouting passionately surrounding her in the middle, either rolling on the ground panting heavily or licking her face and arms with slurping sounds. That sticky scene was no different from a group of cats smelling catnip.

She covered her mouth with her right hand to hide her embarrassment, choosing her words carefully.

“There was such a thing, but I didn’t know it would turn out like that either. If I knew Charm Cats absorbing too much energy would cause consciousness to blur, I wouldn’t have agreed at that time… It didn’t cause a major disaster, right? Like worsening Tsukuyomi’s reputation, damaging the Clan Chief’s dignity, etc.”

“No, no! Absolutely not!”

Receiving Fia’s affirmation, the maiden instantly became spirited, shaking her head desperately. Her big eyes looking at Fia shone with worship like stars.

“We have never met someone as energetic as you. Rather than causing a major disaster, you have become a legend in our Charm Cat Tribe. Not only filling up someone as powerful as Auntie but also satisfying everyone else in the room. The m-most crucial thing is, I asked several sisters present at that time. They all said that energy was delicious beyond comparison. Once enjoyed, it can never be forgotten, and they even felt others’ energy was too awful to swallow… Just hearing this sentence makes me think about it every day, imagining what kind of taste that is exactly. How great it would be if I were present at that time…”

By the end, the youthful and energetic Charm Cat maiden already had eyes full of charm. Her eyes containing autumn waves looked at Fia intentionally or unintentionally. Even her fluffy tail rubbed against Fia’s arm from time to time. Her whole body was hinting.

If Nola weren’t here, this girl might have made a direct move, taking Fia directly to a nearby unmanned alley to taste the energy she longed for. Fia couldn’t help feeling helpless. Just as Fire Cats needed to replenish flames, for Charm Cats, absorbing energy was like eating and drinking, a matter of course. It seemed reasonable for everyone to sit together and discuss whose energy was more delicious.

Pity I don’t have that interest. Since knowing my energy makes Charm Cats lose their souls like catnip, losing themselves, better restrain myself. This is on the street; security in Cold Night is poor.

To Fia’s surprise, before she could speak, Nola, who had been following behind her, interrupted. She took a step forward, forcibly inserting herself between Fia and the Charm Cat maiden. Her expression was serious, her tone exceptionally stiff, looking as if teaching a junior.

“Fia is our guest. Tsukuyomi should have taught you not to make requests to honored guests, let alone we are on the way to the celebration banquet.”

“I… my appetite is very small, just a little while…”

“Not even a little while.”

“Okay… Thank you for the teaching, Lord Clan Chief…”

As if splashed by a basin of ice water, the Charm Cat maiden’s ears and tail drooped aggrievedly. Her whole person became listless. And Nola walked between Fia and the Charm Cat maiden just like this. Her serious appearance with head held high and chest out was totally different from the dispirited Fire Cat in the room.

Even her tail stood straight.

Nola’s action made Fia smile. Clearly just recovered from sadness, now substituting into the role of Clan Chief to teach a junior. It seemed Nola didn’t ignore her words “You still have the responsibility of a Clan Chief.”

Under Nola’s interference, the Charm Cat maiden finally had a chance to talk to Fia only when arriving in front of the tavern.

“We’ve arrived. Auntie is inside. I won’t disturb Lord Clan Chief and Her Highness the Eldest Princess.”

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“Thank you.”

“Not at all, this is what I should do.”

Facing Fia’s thanks, the Charm Cat maiden waved her hands repeatedly. She first glanced at Nola vigilantly, then suddenly took a step forward, handing a flower she bought by the roadside at some point to Fia.

“I have never left Cold Night. Previously just listening to your deeds made me yearn for you. Although I don’t know what elves are like, we beastmen always respect powerful and kind people like you. I live right next to Auntie’s mansion. Her Highness the Eldest Princess can come to find me anytime…”

By the end, the Charm Cat maiden leaned close to Fia’s ear with a flushed face, whispering in a coquettish voice almost inaudible.

“Elves have Mana… Mana Surge… If it’s Her Highness the Eldest Princess, letting me give birth to kittens for you is also okay… I like polite and powerful people like you.”

Hah?

Even Fia blushed. Nola, who had been pricking up her ears on the side, blushed even more, pulling the Charm Cat maiden away instantly, her expression like an animal whose territory was invaded.

“What are you saying to the guest!”

“Th-This is a private matter between me and Her Highness the Eldest Princess. Even if you are the Lord Clan Chief, you can’t control me!”

“This is a guest I invited. Go invite one yourself if you have the ability. Tsukuyomi’s subordinates are becoming more and more outrageous, actually seducing guests in front of my face.”

“Bleh,” sticking out her pink tongue at Nola, the Charm Cat maiden fled away from Nola who entered combat stance, while jumping up happily to wave at Fia. “Her Highness the Eldest Princess can come to find me anytime~ My door is always open for you!”

“This bastard—”

Nola was furious and about to chase the Charm Cat maiden. Fia hurriedly held Nola’s wrist. Although her face was flushed, she was more happy about “So I am this popular.” Watching Nola’s angry expression glaring at the maiden hard, she smiled bitterly.

“No need to haggle with a child, right?”

“This is Charm Cat’s sexual harassment. Don’t you feel embarrassed?!”

I don’t feel so.

Fia answered honestly in her heart. Like elves, Charm Cats rarely had ugly individuals. Being liked by such a beautiful girl, it was really hard to be disgusted. As for why the Charm Cat maiden decided so quickly, having been in the World Tree Continent for more than half a year, Fia could understand. Probably because she was young, so didn’t understand the outside world, and heard too many of Fia’s legends—the Charm Cat maiden was quite interested in her all the way—so she held respect and closeness toward Fia.

Plus beastmen had the tradition of respecting the strong and wanting to leave the seeds of the strong. Referencing Clark almost being forced into a relationship by women of the Werewolf Tribe back then, and when Fia passed through the Snake Folk city, being asked by Ying’s father, Watts, to take Ying as a concubine, or even just leaving a seed for Ying would do. For beastmen, simply confirming the relationship was common sense. If there was feeling, they would strive for it.

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Open enough to make one embarrassed.

However, that last whisper can be used for reference.

“Why aren’t you talking?” Because Fia didn’t answer for a long time, Nola frowned with a suspicious look. “Don’t tell me you are moved by that Charm Cat you haven’t met for a few minutes.”

“I’m not that frivolous yet. Why does it feel like Nola minds it very much? That Charm Cat was right; this is a private matter between her and me. Even as the Clan Chief, Nola can’t interfere.”

“I—” Nola was stunned, then argued puffing out her chest pretentiously. “I am doing it for Claire!”

The real answer is definitely not this.

Fia saw at a glance that Nola was lying. She probably just didn’t want Fia to hook up with her clansmen, thinking Fia would harm the Charm Cats.

I really being looked down upon.

Clicking her tongue in her heart, Fia stuffed the red rose given by the Charm Cat maiden just now into Nola’s hand.

“Here, take it. I won’t go into estrus for a child. On the contrary, it’s you yourself. It’s been the peak of estrus these few days, right? Don’t quietly stick to Claire while I’m not paying attention.”

“Do you think I am you?” Arguing verbally, Nola looked down at the rose in her hand, her fiery red tail wagging unconsciously. “Go in quickly. I will keep the secret just now for you, but don’t hook up with my clansmen again.”

“I’m not afraid even if you tell Claire. It was that Charm Cat who stuck to me herself. I didn’t do anything that would make her feel fond of me.”

“Hmph.”

Snorting inexplicably, Nola followed Fia into the tavern.

However, contrary to their expectations, they received an unprecedented welcome—mainly Fia. Almost all Charm Cats celebrating in the tavern stood up and gathered toward Fia, sticking to Fia intentionally or unintentionally. Some Charm Cats even hooked Fia’s arm with their fluffy pink tails, explicitly throwing charming glances at Fia. Among them, there was no lack of wealthy Charm Cat older sisters directly sending bouquets and jewelry, hoping to have dinner with Fia tomorrow. If not for Nola keeping a straight face till the end, looking as if she wanted to kill cats, making the Charm Cats retreat three feet, the whole corridor would have been packed to bursting amidst enthusiastic cheers.

Simply like fans welcoming an idol; too enthusiastic.

Better not go out alone in the future. I always feel I’ll be attacked by Charm Cats.

Thinking this in her heart, under Nola’s protection, Fia quickly left the Charm Cats’ amorous glances behind, hurriedly drilling into the banquet prepared by Tsukuyomi on the third floor.