Volume 7, Chapter 1 – The Land of Exile

An army clad in silver armor was currently traversing the winding, narrow mountain passes of Cold Night.

Unlike an ordinary military force, these soldiers had blue wing-like ornaments fastened to their backs. The luster reflecting off these wings dyed their armor in a faint, ethereal azure, and coupled with their orderly advance, the entire army exuded an undeniable air of nobility—as if they were an invincible existence destined to bring victory and bear supreme glory wherever they marched.

In truth, the wings on the soldiers’ backs were not mere decorations, but magic items capable of increasing the rate of mana recovery. In times of need, they could even convert magic crystals directly into mana for the user. They were the result of a century of painstaking research by the magic chanters of the Elf Tower.

While the rigid wings would be consumed as disposables once magic crystals were converted into mana, such sustained combat power was exactly what was needed to face the undead. Since the cost of training an elite knight was far higher than a pair of wings, the expenditure was considered negligible.

Riding at the very front of the column, Fia pulled on her horse’s reins and looked back at her troops. At that moment, the soldiers in the front ranks raised their heads one after another, their eyes of varying colors filled with fanaticism and respect.

They had long since heard tales of the Eldest Princess’s exploits, and along the way, they had witnessed firsthand the sight of Fia effortlessly slaying high-rank monsters that blocked their path. Fia had even told them to cook the high-rank monsters into a stew. Even for these elites, a high-rank monster like the Bat-dragon was a massive headache, yet Fia had brought it crashing to the ground with nothing more than a sharp glare. No one could help but admire such a miraculous display.

Of course, more importantly, high-rank monster meat possessed the effects of strengthening the body and soothing internal injuries. Fia’s willingness to share it with the soldiers, rather than butchering it to be stored in magic items and taken back to the Royal Castle, was an act that earned her the soldiers’ gratitude—even though Fia hadn’t considered winning hearts at all; she simply found it too much of a hassle to carry.

“Phew, it won’t be long before we leave the borders of Cold Night and reach the Barony of Yarua, right?”

Fia let out a soft sigh.

Ten days had passed since their departure, and the season was shifting into the transition between spring and summer. The humid, sweltering air rising from the ground was somewhat uncomfortable. As for the skill of horse riding, Fia had learned it from Anastasia and Erin Slate along the way. Staying inside a carriage for too long was too stifling; although riding a horse gave her the illusion that her bones were rattling apart and her rear was being bounced into several pieces, it was still better than sitting in a carriage.

Erin Slate, riding to Fia’s left, nodded gently. As usual, Erin Slate had her light green hair tied into twin tails. The flowing strands often made Fia worry if Erin Slate’s hair would get caught on a stray tree branch.

“Yes. A few more miles and we will reach the Barony of Yarua. It is close to the Inland Sea, so if Your Highness wishes, we can stay there for a while. The spring climate in the Barony of Yarua is pleasant and makes for a fine choice to relax.”

Erin Slate’s subtext was that since Fia was returning to the Royal Castle for the sake of a one-month agreement, it would be better to spend time in a more relaxing environment first.

Understanding this, Fia wore a bitter smile.

“Erin Slate’s suggestion is good, but I cannot let my personal affairs delay the matters of the state. I have to hand over the soldiers first.”

“I can complete that part of the work for you. You really should relax more.”

“Ahhh…”

Uttering a sound that was neither a yes nor a no, Fia glanced at the rolling mountain peaks in the distance. Shrouded in mist and clouds, the cities of Cold Night they had passed were no longer visible.

The further they traveled from the territory of the Fire Cat Tribe, the more everyone witnessed the poverty of Cold Night. Beggars everywhere had become a common sight, but more common were the beastmen suffering from disabilities, missing arms or legs. They had either had their limbs severed by the harsh laws of their tribes or had been attacked by wild beasts in the mountains while trying to make a living. The entire city felt lifeless, as if covered in a grayish-yellow haze. The way the locals looked at passing merchants was full of ill intent, making Fia feel that if she didn’t have an army backing her up, these beastmen would surely rush forward to plunder everything they could. It was truly not a sight that allowed one to feel at ease.

Nola must have seen such scenes often, which is why she thought of seeking reform for Cold Night. Looking at it this way, I really did do a good deed. It’s a relief I wasn’t swayed by Nola’s “you’ve invalidated my efforts” speech back then.

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Only those whose convictions are not firm enough feel lost. I was able to maintain a resolute attitude toward the crying Nola, yet I waver when facing matters of the heart. I suppose that counts as a lack of conviction.

I’m not omniscient, after all.

Fia lamented inwardly.

Erin Slate glanced at the carriage behind them. Today, even Anastasia was resting inside, so there was no need to worry about their conversation being overheard.

“Have you spoken to His Majesty about… you and that Fire Cat Holy Son?”

“I have.”

“Eh?!” As if hearing something inconceivable, Erin Slate’s voice suddenly spiked an octave. “You—You’ve already told His Majesty? When?”

“Just before Nola confessed to me. Father and Mother Yulisha had a different opinion from mine; they both felt that if I liked someone, I should pursue them. What’s wrong? Erin Slate, you look like you’re breaking into a sweat.”

“No… no… it’s nothing. I was just curious, so I asked… To think she’s already passed His Majesty’s trial. That despicable little…”

“Despic-what?”

Because she didn’t hear clearly, Fia tilted her head in inquiry. This caused Erin Slate’s body to jolt as if struck by lightning, and she hurriedly explained.

“Des… Desperately. I was saying the Fire Cat Holy Son is desperately humble.”

“Is that so? You didn’t speak to Nola much after arriving in Cold Night, so I thought you didn’t like her. I’m glad you can empathize.”

“Ahahaha…”

Cursing Nola in her heart, Erin Slate feared Fia might catch on and quickly changed the subject.

“You took the route through the Earldom of Yuraden when you came here, so why are you taking the long way back and choosing the Barony of Yarua? While the Barony is nice, entering it from Cold Night requires passing through the Land of Exile. I don’t believe there is any need for this detour; the vermin in the Land of Exile don’t deserve your charity.”

Fia knew Erin Slate had misunderstood, thinking she was specifically passing through the Land of Exile because she wanted to act out of the kindness of her heart like she did in Cold Night, giving dried fish and rock-hard black bread to the beastmen. She let out a soft sigh and explained.

“I didn’t choose this path to give charity to the people in the Land of Exile. The Barony of Yarua borders the Netherworld; I just wanted to see what the Netherworld actually looks like along the way. I have no memory of it at all. As the Eldest Princess of the Silvar Kingdom, it would be a joke if it were said that I’ve never even seen the face of the Netherworld, wouldn’t it?”

“No one would dare mock you. However, if the goal is to see the Netherworld, the Barony of Yarua is indeed a good place. I imagine Baron Yarua will be very welcoming of you and your army.”

Erin Slate clearly had more to say. Fia straightened her back and pressed further.

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“What do you mean by that?”

“Since you lost your memories, you might not know. To the southeast of the Barony of Yarua is the Land of Exile, and further south, it borders the Netherworld. The Kingdom has never cared for the Land of Exile, much less sent soldiers to guard it just to protect the criminals there.”

“In the end, the purpose of the Land of Exile is to punish serious offenders by sending them to the front lines to contribute their last bit of utility to the Kingdom. Therefore, whenever the Netherworld begins its winter offensive, the Land of Exile is the first place in the Barony of Yarua to be attacked. Because of this, the people there must organize themselves to fight the undead; otherwise, they either fall to the undead’s blades or get executed as deserters by the Yarua border guards for trying to flee.”

“Even so, many criminals bearing the Sinner’s Mark still slip out of the Land of Exile every year, especially during winter. This year, because of Prince Schain’s coup, the people in the Land of Exile mistakenly thought the Kingdom was too busy to deal with them, so they gathered to resist the Baron’s troops. But vermin are vermin; before the Baron’s men even had to act, they split apart over their own interests. Now that place is in total chaos and the Baron is quite anxious. With you arriving with the Kingdom’s elites, the Baron will surely sleep much soundly.”

“I see.”

Fia hadn’t expected the Land of Exile to bear the responsibility of intercepting the undead for the Kingdom; for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

She wasn’t suffering from a “Saint” complex, thinking all criminals were pitiable, but rather because Anastasia and Erin Slate had once been part of that Land of Exile. While Erin Slate could be said to have been caught up in her family’s fall, Anastasia had been completely misjudged. This made her wonder how many others in the Land of Exile were like them—people bearing false charges who shouldn’t have been exiled in the first place.

With such thoughts, hearing from Erin Slate that the people there had to fight off the undead while unarmed and without supplies naturally stirred her pity—strictly for those who were innocent, of course.

But Fia also knew that a person only judges the unknown based on their own experiences. The truth might be that Anastasia and Erin Slate were merely exceptions, and the place was actually filled with heinous elves who had committed every evil imaginable. Thus, she did not voice her thoughts. Elves had excellent hearing; if the soldiers behind heard her, they might think her naive.

Realizing this, Fia suddenly remembered Erin Slate’s past. She glanced at the nearby soldiers and lowered her voice to ask softly.

“Erin Slate, you were driven out of the Land of Exile by Duke Herr ¹ 赫尔 (Hè’ěr) lamee name back then, right? Have you heard anything about the Duke since then?”

Duke Herr was Erin Slate’s biological father. Her family had been stripped of their noble status and exiled due to her uncle’s rebellion. By chance, Erin Slate was discovered to have the Darkborn disease during the journey. To avoid dragging the rest of the family down, Duke Herr cast Erin Slate out. Had she not been found later by the Eldest Princess, she would have long since been corrupted by the disease and died a miserable death as a mindless lunatic.

In a rare display, a chilling aura radiated from Erin Slate right in front of Fia. Her expression didn’t change, but Fia could clearly feel that Erin Slate was currently filled with hatred. Combined with the horns on her head and the evening gown that shrouded her, her dangerous temperament was no different from a Demon Lord of the Night.

“Erin Slate?”

Because the warhorse beneath her was trembling so much it could hardly walk, Fia repeated Erin Slate’s name. Only then did Erin Slate snap back to her senses. Her eyes cleared instantly, and a look of panic and apology quickly surfaced as she looked at Fia. Had she not realized there were countless eyes watching her from behind, Erin Slate would have dismounted and knelt on one knee to beg for Fia’s forgiveness.

“I am terribly sorry, Princess! I failed to control my emotions and showed hostility in your presence! I deserve a thousand deaths!”

“There’s no need to apologize. Right now, we are just friends; don’t mention the difference in status. More than that, I’m concerned about the change in you just now. You were like a different person. Is there some hidden story?”

“No… There is no hidden story. It’s just that whenever I think of my family, I find them cold and heartless, and resentment grows. There is nothing else to it. You asked if I had sought out their whereabouts; from the moment I was cast out, I severed all ties with the Herr family. They are mere strangers to me, and whether they live or die has nothing to do with me. Why would I trouble myself to look for news about them?”

“I see.”

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Fia had thought there might be a story about returning to mock Duke Herr after becoming successful, but it turned out Erin Slate hadn’t thought about those people at all. Indifference was more bitter than mockery; if Duke Herr were still alive, his heart would surely be filled with complicated emotions.

Thinking about it carefully, among the people she knew well, except for Estelle, whose relationship with her family was somewhat decent, not a single one—including herself—had a good relationship with their family. Whether it was herself, Anastasia, Liti, or Erin Slate, their families were all essentially shattered. The only one who had it okay, Estelle, had her beautiful family destroyed by the Despair Demon General.

If the world were a game, it would be a trashy one with terrible balance where the player has zero enjoyment.

Fia could only offer a token of comfort.

“If my father hadn’t dragged your whole family into it because of your uncle’s rebellion, none of this would have happened.”

“That is the law of the Kingdom; how could I blame His Majesty? Besides, if His Majesty hadn’t made such a decision, I would never have known my family was so heartless, nor would I have been saved by you… Hmph, I might even have to thank them for allowing me to attain the position I have today.”

If she hadn’t been cast out, she wouldn’t have found the savior who rescued her, Erin Slate thought. She looked at Fia, her golden eyes shimmering slightly with a sentiment that seemed to speak of affection.

“If those people knew of Lady Erin Slate’s current achievements, they would surely turn pale with regret and beg you to take them away with you.”

Anastasia appeared on Fia’s other side with a gentle smile. Of course, she was also on horseback.

“Anastasia? When did you come out…”

“From the moment I sensed someone releasing hostility outside,” Anastasia said with a wry smile. “Sitting in the carriage, I suddenly felt a chill all over, yet I didn’t hear any commotion, so I came out to check. It turns out I overheard you and Her Highness talking about the past.”

Anastasia, draped in a verdant cloak, gave a slight bow to Erin Slate.

“Every time this topic is raised, I can’t help but remember the grace you showed me. Back then in the Land of Exile, if you hadn’t secretly stolen the food the Grand Duke had kept and given it to me, I surely wouldn’t have lasted until the day Her Highness saved me. You are like a real sister to me.”

“I wouldn’t dare claim to be a ‘real sister’; that would make me Her Highness’s sister too.”

Though she spoke words of dislike, Erin Slate was actually smiling so much her eyes crinkled. She said modestly:

“Anyone would have felt pity seeing you so starved back then. Regardless of the grudge between Clark and His Majesty, you at least were innocent. What surprises me is how you grew up to be like this, Anastasia. I wonder what Her Highness has been feeding you.”

By the end of her sentence, Erin Slate’s voice carried quite a bit of teasing. She looked Anastasia up and down, her gaze lingering shamelessly on the other’s full chest and thighs.

Anastasia turned red instantly.

“This… this is just natural talent… Lady Erin Slate, you aren’t exactly lacking yourself, are you…?”

“Is that so? I’ve always been self-conscious about being inferior to you. Next time we bathe together, you have to tell me the secret to how you grew so much.”

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Hey, there’s still a ‘me’ in the middle of you two , Fia protested in her heart. How could they say such “girl talk” secrets right in front of her? Furthermore, with Erin Slate on her left and Anastasia on her right, the sense of pressure was quite intense.

However, at that moment, Anastasia’s body suddenly swayed. Erin Slate, who had been keeping an eye on her, frowned. As a warrior—especially since Anastasia had broken through to the Fifth Rank in the Weeping Mountains—it was impossible for her to show such an abnormality under normal circumstances.

“Anastasia, are you feeling unwell?”

Anastasia also looked dazed.

“No… it’s nothing. For some reason, I just felt a sudden wave of dizziness… It felt a bit like teleportation magic.”

“Perhaps it’s a lack of sleep. Why don’t you go back to the carriage and rest?”

“Thank you for your kindness, but the carriage is too stuffy. I want to breathe the outside air for a bit.”

Seeing Anastasia’s persistence, Erin Slate didn’t press further. By now, the column had transitioned from ascending to descending. As they neared the exit of Cold Night, a plain spread out before the three of them, and their vision suddenly opened up.

At the same time, the scout team sent ahead hurried up the mountain and knelt on one knee to report to Fia and Erin Slate.

“Reporting to the Eldest Princess and Chief Erin Slate. The Barony of Yarua is just ahead. We discovered a group at the border that does not belong to the Baron. Their equipment is crude and they have no flags to identify themselves. We suspect they are bandits roaming the border, or perhaps a scout team disguised as undead from the Netherworld. Should we send a few men to capture them?”

“How many of them are there?” Erin Slate asked with a frown.

“Thirty or so people. The leader is a second-rank spirit warrior. The group includes not just young men, but also the elderly and children.”

“Are you certain they aren’t refugees?”

“Yes. They look hurried, as if they are fleeing from something. Refugees usually carry large and small bundles, but these people have no bundles at all—only weapons and equipment that refugees wouldn’t use.”

As the soldier finished, Erin Slate looked toward Fia. Although this wasn’t an urgent matter, Fia held the highest status here, and all decisions were hers to make.

Fia waved her hand with a calm expression.

“I understand. You may step down. It just so happens Anastasia wants some air, and since we have nothing else to do, let’s go take a look.”

“By your command.”

Without hesitation, after Erin Slate gave a few instructions to the accompanying soldiers, the three of them on horseback galloped together toward the plains below the mountain.