Volume 7, Chapter 61 – Sudden Change

Time always feels exceptionally long when one is anxious.

From starting the experiments with death row inmates in the morning until now, the sun that had risen had already sunk behind the western mountains once more. As the burning sky withdrew its last trace of orange, night had completely fallen.

“Your Highness, this batch also has no issues?”

“Mhm, not only no issues, their pre-existing hidden ailments have disappeared as well. They can be taken back now.”

Sensing the nervous gazes from the prisoners beside her, Fia added,

“Do as you should.”

“Yes.”

Colita, holding a stack of papers, gave Fia a respectful bow, then turned to the four female prisoners in white shirts behind her. The previous respect vanished, replaced by authority and indifference—remarkable that she, only slightly taller than Fia, possessed the gravitas of an adult.

“You heard? Since you successfully cooperated with Her Highness to complete the experiment, I will, as promised, send you to the borderlands. Follow me.”

“Th-thank you!”

“Thank Your Highness for sparing our lives!”

The four prisoners immediately knelt and kowtowed to Fia. However, Fia wasn’t interested. Although elves were on average beautiful, these individuals had without exception committed heinous crimes deserving of the death penalty; among them were two traffickers caught by Twilight Flower, undeserving of sympathy.

Fia waved her hand at Colita, who, upon receiving the order, led the prisoners out of the testing ground.

Silence returned to the testing ground, with only the faintly flickering stone pillars proving time still flowed.

Fia slowly let out a breath. She looked at Anastasia beside her—ever since returning with the brown sugar for Claire only to find Claire had already left, Anastasia had been waiting in the corner of the testing ground, neither disturbing Fia nor doing anything else.

“Though I’d like to try a few more, let’s stop here.”

A single day had already brought significant changes to Anastasia; who knew what another day’s wait might bring.

Fia turned to look at the stone coffin lying quietly in the center of the testing ground behind her—it held Anastasia’s new body. The next step was to extract Anastasia’s soul from her current body and infuse it into the newly created one.

“Anastasia, come here for a moment.”

“I-is it my turn?”

Anastasia’s lovely face was etched with tension, her golden hair reflecting the shimmering light.

“Mhm. I don’t want to wait any longer. Unless Anastasia wants to try a few more subjects? That said, you probably saw—the vessel is already prepared. There’s no way to try more even if we wanted.”

“If Your Highness thinks it’s enough, then it’s enough.”

“At a time like this, Anastasia needs to say ‘yes’ herself.”

“Then… I believe it’s time.”

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“Isn’t that just agreeing with me?”

Both Fia and Anastasia gave wry smiles, though there wasn’t much true mirth in them; both were exceptionally nervous.

Success or failure rested on this single attempt. To say they weren’t nervous was a complete lie. Fia already believed the body lying in the stone coffin was flawless, possibly even stronger than Anastasia’s current form, with no room for further refinement. If even this failed… No, that possibility didn’t exist.

After a tense moment, Anastasia timidly asked,

“Should we call Miss Claire and Her Highness Liti and the others over?”

“Claire, of course. Liti and Milu are up to Anastasia. I should state upfront that the Anastasia lying in the stone coffin is… unclothed.”

“Uh, then… then let’s just call Miss Claire…”

“Treating Liti and Milu differently?”

“Your Highness is the one who said it! And this isn’t favoritism; Her Highness Liti and Euphimilu aren’t adults yet, we shouldn’t be too frivolous.”

Even though they’ve seen each other naked while bathing. What a clumsy excuse.

Fia was inwardly amused.

Soon, Claire arrived as scheduled. Her clear eyes first looked at the golden-haired elf sleeping peacefully in the stone coffin, then shifted to Fia, who had been waiting by its side.

“Are we starting already? Isn’t it a bit too soon?”

“Not too soon.”

“Then I’ll oversee things here, just in case.”

“Mhm.”

“Thank you, Miss Claire.”

Anastasia bowed deeply to Claire. Claire was momentarily taken aback, then understanding dawned, and a gentle smile appeared on her face.

“It’s nothing. It’s only right to help a friend in need. To be serious, Anastasia is my first friend. Nola is my niece, and little Fia is my beloved.”

Claire playfully winked at Fia by the stone coffin, then added in a low voice,

“Later, perhaps you’ll go from friend to sister.”

“Eh?!”

While others might not understand Claire’s meaning, Anastasia comprehended instantly. Her expression visibly stiffened, and for a long moment, she couldn’t utter a complete sentence.

“You… you already know…”

“I was just casually mentioning it. Ah, unless Anastasia has already tricked little Fia into falling into the trap—”

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“What are Claire and Anastasia talking about? Let’s hurry up and start?”

Fia, kept in the dark not far away, urged them.

Anastasia still wanted to explain, but Claire patted her shoulder, her clear emerald eyes filled with encouragement.

“Go on. I hope that when Anastasia opens her eyes again, she’ll be speaking to me with a different body.”

“Yes…”

Answering fearfully, Anastasia walked towards Fia with heavy steps, like a condemned prisoner heading to the execution ground. Then, under Fia’s guidance, she lay flat on the silver magic circle above the stone coffin.

“Nervous?”

Fia asked with a slight smile.

“A… a little…”

“Your eyelashes are trembling; it’s more than ‘a little’ already. Relax your body. Later, I’ll take over Anastasia’s soul. If you’re really scared, close your eyes.”

“Yes.”

A hint of embarrassment surfaced on her face as Anastasia closed her eyes.

—Then quickly opened them again. Her lovely face showed trepidation, even reaching out as if to grasp Fia’s hand.

“W-we don’t need to do a farewell ceremony?”

“What are you thinking? This isn’t a life-or-death parting. Everyone before succeeded, so it’ll definitely be fine now too. Close your eyes and leave it to me.”

“…Okay.”

Anastasia lying on the stone coffin fell completely still.

Now, the nervous one became Fia. In truth, she was even more nervous than Anastasia, but she had forced herself to appear relaxed to prevent Anastasia from worrying.

She placed her hands on the edge of the stone coffin, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

Death row inmates were already doomed, so she could experiment without emotional attachment. But now, the subject was Anastasia, making it hard to proceed with a clear, single-minded focus. At this thought, Fia’s hands grew slightly weak with cowardice and tension— What if it fails? Such thoughts circled her mind.

If Anastasia could just kiss me, or hold my hand, I’d surely calm down. At the very least, more samples, getting so proficient at soul infusion it becomes second nature, would also help me stay much calmer.

Should we put this on hold, wait until I’m more skilled before starting?

Fia looked down at Anastasia lying quietly above the stone coffin. Compared to the golden-haired elf sleeping like a beauty in the coffin, the Anastasia before her was tense all over, exceptionally uneasy.

No. We’ve come this far; how can we cancel? That would only cause Anastasia needless distress. Besides, who knows how much longer Anastasia can last?

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A hero can’t flee at the last moment.

Though she wasn’t sure if the word “salvation” described her current actions, she was certain that in Anastasia’s heart, she belonged to the category of a hero.

Anastasia is waiting for me.

Calm down. Spare no effort. Keep Anastasia in this world.

Her slightly trembling hands gradually steadied. Fia tried hard to shake off the weight pressing on her chest, stepped back outside the stone pillar, extended her right arm straight, and slowly pressed her palm against the pillar.

Let’s begin.

In an instant, dazzling white light particles that made it impossible to keep one’s eyes open appeared around the stone coffin, illuminating the entire magic testing ground. The closer to the coffin, the more intense the light. These were all overflowing magical energies, because Fia was pouring in an unprecedented amount of mana.

Her brain rapidly heated up, causing a sense of swelling pain. Fia could even hear the roar of magic within her body. This mana output was infinitely close to the consumption when using [Particle Repair].

In response, silver stars emerged one by one within the sea of white light, remarkably conspicuous even under the intense glow. Threads of silver connected star to star, quickly outlining a dizzying star chart.

Then, what could be called Anastasia’s soul gradually separated from the purple dress. Fia found it strange: although Anastasia’s soul also had a translucent color, its outline did not have the clarity of others’. If Fia had to describe it, she would recall the dark wraiths she had seen on that country path after leaving the Witch Hall—the soul flickered incessantly, extremely blurry, as if it could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

Probably because Anastasia’s soul is unstable.

Suppressing the unease in her heart, Fia continued to output a steady, vast stream of mana.

The star chart above the stone coffin slowly began to rotate. Along with it, silver magic circles of varying sizes unfolded one after another on the floor where the coffin rested. Like guardians protecting Anastasia, they enveloped her within. The scattered silver light particles continuously combined with Anastasia, further stabilizing her soul.

Then, Anastasia’s slowly descending soul finally made contact with the physical body.

Just like with Lianne, the moment the soul touched the body, the massive stone pillar, along with the entire magic testing ground, trembled. However, the sound that rang out now was not the familiar humming Fia knew, but an unbearable, shrill screech akin to sharp nails scraping a blackboard. Even someone as strong as Claire frowned, showing discomfort.

This is strange.

Fia furrowed her brows.

Neither Lianne nor the death row inmates had exhibited this situation before.

She shifted her focus to Anastasia’s soul. Before, with others, the descending soul over the coffin would have certainly begun merging with the body by now. Yet, there was no reaction at all now. Even when Fia injected more mana, trying to make the soul descend further, the feedback was only stronger resistance. It felt like trying to fit a square block into a triangular hole—impossible to pass through. The body itself was rejecting the soul’s entry.

Unease and anxiety gradually accumulated in her chest.

Impossible.

Everyone before, even Lianne who had no body, successfully transferred their soul. How could it fail only with Anastasia?

This is the most perfect body!

Her calm heart rippled violently. Fia increased her mana output, soon making the entire star chart tremble. The massive magical fluctuations made the glass windows vibrate as well. It seemed that if Fia increased her output just a bit more, the entire star chart, along with the coffin and pillar, would shatter. Yet, even so, Anastasia’s soul remained motionless, suspended above the body, showing no sign of merging with the flesh.

Intense panic and an emotion that could be called a sense of loss surfaced in Fia’s heart. It was undeniable that she had done her best—from crafting the body, to gently separating Anastasia’s soul, to meticulously checking the coffin before the ritual. There was no room for improvement in the entire ceremony. This failure meant this path was fundamentally impassable.

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I stayed in the testing ground without rest, all to keep Anastasia’s soul in this world. If Anastasia’s soul cannot merge with the vessel in the coffin, then what was the point of all the previous experiments? Was I just wasting effort, quietly waiting for Anastasia to die?

Will Anastasia leave me?

Impossible.

I already promised to keep Anastasia in this world, even fantasized about strolling through the summer night gardens with her after the ritual. Everything went smoothly up to this point; how could there be such an absurd thing where the final step is impassable!

Her boiling brain could no longer make rational decisions. Surging within Fia was a blinding magical energy that could illuminate the night sky, as if about to blast the entire Royal Castle away. Only a last-ditch gamble remained.

“Fia!”

Just before the mana erupted, Claire, who had been standing guard nearby, rushed forward and grabbed Fia’s wrist. Sensing Fia’s attempt to resist her force, Claire, without hesitation, pulled on Fia’s arm, used the strength of both arms to pivot slightly, and threw Fia over her shoulder, slamming her heavily onto the ground.

“What are you doing!”

“Ugh…”

The pain in her spine forced a grunt from her throat. Fia, her mind utterly chaotic, quickly sat up. Breathing heavily, she struggled to get up and move towards the stone pillar. But Claire pressed down on her shoulder with one hand. Looking into Fia’s reddened eyes, a flicker of pity crossed Claire’s gaze.

“You need to rest properly. Leave the rest to me.”

“It must be that I didn’t do well enough. Let’s start remaking a body now. No, change the coffin and the pillar, go to the place with the richest ley lines under the Holy Tree, it must work—!”

“It’s already enough. You’ve already done more than enough.”

Claire’s hand on Fia’s shoulder pressed down harder. Even though she didn’t want to do this, she had to shoulder the responsibility of calming Fia down. She crouched, bringing her eyes level with Fia’s, forcing Fia’s unfocused eyes to look directly at her.

“If even this isn’t considered ‘good enough,’ then what can be called ‘good’? Calm down. If it doesn’t work the first time, there’s a second. And I’m here as insurance.”

“Ahh… if it doesn’t work the first time, there’s a second. Claire, let me go. I can still make a second attempt. Maybe it failed this time because I wasn’t calm enough.”

She said such words, but her sweat-beaded forehead and an expression of panic never seen before showed that Fia’s state was not normal.

Because she’s not good with matters of emotion, so when it involves important people, it becomes even harder to control her feelings?

But that’s also human nature. If I were in Fia’s place witnessing what happened to Anastasia, I’d be unable to stay calm too. In the end, important people are precisely the kind of existence that makes one lose rationality.

Claire didn’t answer Fia. Instead, she quietly stared into Fia’s eyes. Fia stared blankly back. Only after two or three seconds did her gradually calming heart finally make her press her lips into a tight line. Her eyelashes trembled violently, and her eyes began to mist over. Her hands involuntarily clenched. After a long moment, she finally couldn’t bear the torment in her heart anymore. Her shoulders slumped, and her head slowly fell into Claire’s embrace.

“I failed… I failed…”

“Mhm. Leave it to me now.”

Without further exchange, Claire wrapped her arms around Fia’s back, holding her tight. In the silent testing ground, only the sound of moonlight climbing the walls remained.