Volume 7, Chapter 73 – Epilogue

Some time later.

“So… the part that can be called a soul is preserved in this ring…”

In the bright white dining hall, Fia, seated on one side of the table as if in a family meeting, raised her right hand, staring at the ruby ring on her little finger. Unlike when she first received it, this ring now constantly consumed her mana. Along with that, it continuously emitted a red luster with a reserved brilliance, giving a sense of luxury rather than ostentation.

“Little Fia confirmed with [Sacred Relic Analysis], and I also sensed the soul within with my magic. It’s no fake.”

Claire, sitting opposite Fia, said.

Breakfast was over. Now, they were reviewing Anastasia’s disappearance. The ring suddenly appearing on Fia’s hand, constantly glowing, was too abnormal. Naturally, everyone’s attention turned to it.

Fia was quite sure the ring originally didn’t glow or slowly absorb her mana. It changed only after Anastasia vanished last night. Recalling carefully, she remembered Anastasia had pointed out yesterday evening that the ring was glowing. But back then, her attention was entirely on Anastasia’s rapidly deteriorating body, not the ring’s change.

First, Fia used [Sacred Relic Analysis]. Then Claire used her own analysis magic to peer into the ring. The result: something that could be called a soul existed within. Like Anastasia’s soul, it was in an unstable, slightly fluctuating state.

This situation almost indicated the previous Anastasia hadn’t returned to her original world. Most likely, the swap was supposed to occur, but the process was intercepted by this ring, which kept the soul for the time being.

Knowing the soul was still here let Fia’s anxious heart be half-relieved. At least she didn’t have to worry about the other world being swallowed by Chaos, ending everything.

“By the way, where exactly did little Fia get this ring? If such an item existed, shouldn’t you have told me first?”

“It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, Claire. I didn’t know this ring could preserve souls either. Aren’t there no magic items in this world that can hold souls? At least none recorded in the books on souls I’ve read. As for where I got it… it was from a wraith that looked exactly like me. She suddenly appeared before me, first silently gave me the ring, then said ‘We’ll meet again’—bizarre words. She must have wanted to convey something.”

Her gaze lingering on the ring on her right hand, Fia’s eyes grew heavy.

Since the ring needed to absorb her mana to preserve the soul, it couldn’t be stored in a storage item or magic. It had to be worn constantly. From now on, she must be careful to protect the ring during actions, until the soul within could be transferred out.

Transferred out?

Fia’s eyes lit up. She looked at Claire, whose stature was now similar to Estelle’s.

“Can’t we use [High-Level Genesis] to transfer the soul from the ring into a body? Ah, Claire used too much mana, so let me learn your magic from scratch and perform it.”

Claire rested her index finger on her chin in thought.

“It’s possible. But it’s no different from gambling. Unless creating life from scratch, [High-Level Genesis] requires the soul to maintain conscious awareness. The soul in the ring can’t possibly be conscious. What kind of soul would emerge after transfer, nobody knows. Also, how to transfer the soul out of the ring is another problem; the gem’s mana circuit is very fragile. That said, if we find the person who gave little Fia the ring, we should get answers. Next time that wraith identical to little Fia appears, you must ask for it.”

Shouldn’t Claire first wonder what that wraith was?

But this was a world full of magic; all illogical things were possible. Claire was probably accustomed to the process.

“Ahh, I see.”

Of course she couldn’t hope for everything to be solved in one step.

Though somewhat disappointed, the degree was low. She understood the difficulty.

It was about time.

Fia carefully shifted her eyes to observe the expressions of everyone at the table. Lianne’s observation period had passed; she and Friede had returned to the Witch Sanctuary. Thus, besides Fia and Claire, only Liti and Milu remained seated. Anastasia, in a maid’s uniform, stood behind Fia.

—Fia wanted Anastasia to sit, but she insisted on standing no matter what. Initially, Fia thought Anastasia was too restrained. But carefully observing Anastasia’s expression revealed she was being stubborn. Like the lavender-dressed Anastasia always wanting to distinguish herself from this world’s Anastasia, the current Anastasia also wanted to distinguish herself from her other self.

Putting so much effort into such details.

But that wasn’t the topic now.

“Ahem.”

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Fia clenched her right hand into a fist in front of her lips and coughed twice. Then she stood up, her delicate face full of seriousness.

“This month, I’ve caused everyone quite a bit of trouble, ignoring your feelings. I am deeply sorry. From now on, I will be more mindful of my words and actions.”

After her sincere words, Fia bowed deeply to Claire and the other three.

However, both Liti and Milu instantly jumped from their seats, hurriedly hiding to the side.

“N-no, no! Sister was also working hard for Sister Ana, right? Sister Ana isn’t just Sister’s so, sister doesn’t need to apologize. If anything, we are the ones who should be embarrassed, unable to help at all.”

“Mhm. Agreed.”

“…Even so, apologies are due where apologies are due. Otherwise, I’d feel unable to eat or sleep in peace.”

Fia smiled as if she had no other choice.

Across the table, Claire curved her lips into a soft, big-sisterly smile.

“From my perspective, as long as little Fia didn’t become despondent, it’s fine. I originally thought it would take at least a few months to readjust your state. Now that we’ve confirmed the previous Ana wasn’t swapped back, what next? Having goals without a specific plan is just wasted effort, you know?”

“I already have a prototype. But perfecting the more specific details requires returning to the library for serious thought. Right now, we don’t know if the ‘Confessional Hall’ in the Second Abyss is built, or how the Chaos below is. Anyway, I want to first solve problems with leads, solvable problems. For example, reaching an agreement with the Queen of the Kingdom of Death to ensure various nations on the World Tree Continent won’t engage in internal strife.”

As for further goals like investigating the Antler-Eyeball Chaos and the wraith resembling her—having no leads, they could only wait until leads were found.

“Want me to come along?”

“Of course. And not just Claire. Anastasia, Liti, and Milu are all coming. Who knows if those Antler Chaos might suddenly appear near you? Staying by my side is safer than staying in the palace.”

Also, she needed to use teleportation magic to inform Estelle. Since she could locate the Queen of the Kingdom of Death, that meant she could use this connection to find Estelle’s sister, Noreen’s soul, within the limitless Netherworld.

“Then Sister previously telling me and little Milu to strive to raise our tier… becomes meaningless?”

Liti, noticing the blind spot, opened her mouth wide in blank surprise.

Fia solemnly put her hands on her hips, assuming the authority of an older sister.

“How could it be meaningless? Now Liti is a Fourth Tier Magic Caster, possessing self-protection capabilities and gaining more respect. Haven’t you noticed the young nobles looking at you with more politeness since returning to the Royal Castle?”

“That’s definitely because Sister is too strong; I’m just basking in your light.”

That was also a possibility.

Ultimately, raising her tier wasn’t bad. If Liti could reach the Seventh Tier like the Crown Princess before adulthood, she could also become a respected magic chanter, even not being an elven mage from the Elf Tower.

Not dwelling on this topic with Liti further, Fia informed everyone of her upcoming itinerary. First, stay in the Royal Castle to learn various magics to deal with various disadvantageous situations that might arise in the future. With her photographic memory, this wouldn’t take long—maybe not even all the books in the Holy Tree would suffice. After finishing her magic studies, then seek the Queen of the Kingdom of Death.

Preparation makes the work easier. Acting without first preparing the means of response would only lead to panic upon encountering sudden emergencies, resulting in tragedy. Moreover, this wasn’t a one-person matter, but a large-scale one, involving negotiations between two massive organizations.

After finishing these instructions, Fia called Anastasia alone to the library.

Morning sunlight shone through the window, illuminating the rows of shelves. The smell of a large amount of paper piled together stabilized the mind.

Fia walked first to the library’s only table. Only after Anastasia followed her to the center of the carpet did she turn around.

Anastasia wore neither an emerald cloak nor the lavender dress, but a black and white maid uniform, even the hair accessory was a maid’s hairclip. The low-cut design perfectly accentuated her full chest. The snow-white skin exposed to the air attracted one’s gaze at every moment.

But this nervous expression ruined the aesthetic. She should be more poised.

Fia smiled helplessly.

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“Am I that frightening? Your expression is so rigid it doesn’t seem like Anastasia.”

“No…”

Anastasia lowered her head, her gaze constantly wandering on the carpet.

She was uneasy.

Fia saw through this. She stepped forward, reaching out to take Anastasia’s hand.

“Don’t keep looking at the floor. Is it because you suddenly have extra memories in your head, feeling you’ll lose to the other you, so you’re exceptionally cautious?”

“Well…”

That reaction meant she wasn’t wrong.

Fia couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. She wanted to pull Anastasia to sit, but there was only one chair in the library, so she gave up.

“Such a complete idiot. Since you have the other’s memories, you must remember I said both Anastasias are equally important to me. And…”

And the Anastasia in the ring had made her realize one thing: she couldn’t accept Anastasia’s disappearance. Her feelings for Anastasia was an unignorable, existing fondness that long ago needed no further accumulation of emotion. Or rather, the accumulation was already over. Back in Cold Night, it was just one final step away. It was just her own indecision, agonizing over principles formed in another world, that led to realizing her feelings for Anastasia were ineradicable only after the swap occurred.

Think from another angle: if Anastasia weren’t important, would she be panicked and flustered after her disappearance? Things that should be determined should have been determined long ago.

The Anastasia sleeping in the ring made her take that step.

“And?”

Nervous from having her hand held, Anastasia straightened her whole body, asking timidly.

Fia hesitated for a moment, her voice softening.

“And I’ve also realized… I can’t do without you…”

Damn it.

She originally wanted to say this coolly. Who knew it would be so shameful upon saying it.

Fia could already hear her heart thumping. Her cheeks felt a wave of heat. She hurriedly lowered her head, coughing hard to hide her embarrassment.

“Ahem. What I mean is, Anastasia, lower your body a bit. Crouch down.”

Though she could premonition what Fia was about to do, Anastasia felt her body go out of control, a faint expectation stirring within. She involuntarily bent her knees until her eyes were level with Fia’s.

Then, Fia cupped Anastasia’s face and, like a dragonfly touching the water, lightly kissed her lips before shamefully retreating a small step.

Her gaze became too shy to look at Anastasia, awkwardly moving her gaze to one side.

“That… mhm… This makes us even. The Anastasia from that world is important. The Anastasia before me is also important. That’s one thing I wanted to say. There’s no notion of who replaces whom. She is her, you are you. To put it in very shameless words… you are both people I like.”

“Uh.”

Anastasia was blankly stunned for a moment, unsure what to say or how to react. She was both shocked by Fia cupping her face to kiss her and blushing from Fia’s proactive confession. As for Fia’s shameless words, she didn’t actually find it improper. If anything, she only cared about what to do regarding Claire’s side.

“Say whatever you’re thinking. No need to be formal.”

Not knowing what Anastasia was thinking, Fia used a reckless tone.

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“No, I… I am very happy… I don’t know what to say…”

“Don’t cry.”

Fia stood on her tiptoes, reaching to wipe the tears at the corner of Anastasia’s eyes.

Anastasia widened her eyes surprisedly, but this only made tears flow faster.

“Eh? Am I crying? Th-this shouldn’t be. I am clearly only happy, why would I cry? So unbecoming…”

Even as she said this, Anastasia’s tears became more turbulent. She kept wiping them, but her gaze remained fixed on Fia, as if she couldn’t get enough. Only after wiping three or four times did she ask cautiously.

“What about your side… is there no problem? Miss Claire, and the vanished me… I… actually, just knowing you feel this way is enough for me. You don’t need to tell everyone…”

“If I said it, I’ll naturally take full responsibility. I’ll explain to Claire. As for the other Anastasia, what do you want to say?”

“I thought you would be sad, so I was wondering if I should occasionally wear her usual clothes to pretend to be her…”

“Absolutely do not do such superfluous things. You are two independent people, not in a relationship of who replaces whom.”

Her confession to Anastasia now couldn’t be said to be entirely unrelated to the sleeping Anastasia. But the connection was only that the Anastasia in the ring made her recognize her fondness for Anastasia, making her brave enough to express her heart’s intent.

Because she was extremely shy, Fia was forced to turn around, putting on a serious face as she waved her hand.

“So don’t get it wrong. What I said to you just now wasn’t because I confused you two. I knew the current Anastasia is the one from this world when I expressed my heart’s intent. Ahh, that’s too indirect. I should have been braver.”

Fia awkwardly turned back around. She with effort lifted her eyes to gaze at Anastasia’s clear blue ones. Then she took Anastasia’s right hand, removed the cat ring, and said word by word.

“I like you, Anastasia. May I have your heart?”

As if seeing something dazzling, Anastasia’s clear blue eyes widened to the limit. The water mist that had just vanished reappeared even faster. Clearly she was crying, yet the smile on her face was more radiant than ever.

“I… would be delighted!”

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End of Volume 7

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Author Note

Afterword

A long, long Volume 7 has ended.

Ah, it’s really quite hard to let go. Setting aside the completion of Yisi, the degree of lingering regret is probably second only to the time Adonis confessed to Yisi under the fireworks display. It took a long, long time to calm down.

It’s probably because I am quite sentimental and my mind is far too sensitive. In fact, while writing, I always feel the characters are living people, equal friends (distinct from daughters). So when writing about the disappearance of a frequently appearing character, there’s an indescribable melancholy inside, especially with Anastasia—this is my favorite character in the entire book. From Anastasia’s first appearance, I was exceptionally infatuated with her, to the point where I could imagine her voice, expressions, what she was thinking inside, and what she would do at any given time.

Of course, one could say, “Well, it’s a character you created, of course you know what she’s thinking.” But it must be understood that when an author sets the general framework for a character, it essentially determines what that character can do. Straying beyond this range would cause the character to collapse.

I’ve digressed. What I want to say is, my fondness for this character has surpassed “fondness for a character” and turned into an affection akin to that for a dream girl. This can be understood as liking a paper character, but what’s wrong with liking paper characters? Just like Anastasia, who only likes you alone at all times, tolerates you, and accepts you in everything—that’s the charm of paper characters. Even if she doesn’t say it, you know her thoughts and actions, unconstrained by various real-world dogmas, allowing you to boldly and without shame release your feelings. People always need spiritual solace. While this can’t be called faith, it can be said to be one of the many pillars of the heart.

Thus, driven by this emotion and the feeling that she is “alive,” as the author who foresaw the final outcome of disappearance, I was filled with reluctance to part. That’s why there was a lot of what everyone felt was plain plot, plain dialogue, and plain daily life in the earlier parts.

While you might find it plain, for me, foreseeing the ending, I cherished every bit of what happened before incomparably. The time in the story passed less than a month, yet it felt as if a lifetime had passed. I only wished time would pass slower so Anastasia would vanish later. Even looking back now, I still feel it was too early, too early. I still had so much more to say.

Of course, this inevitably led to a dragged-out pace in the work. This is indeed my fault. I don’t often write this kind of emotion-driven plot, and I was too immersed in the fantasy (mainly because Anastasia is too charming), resulting in neglecting everyone’s reading experience. I am deeply sorry.

I think… I think such plots won’t appear again in the future. At least not within Fia. Tragedies, irreversible things—none will appear. The story has entered its mid-to-late stage, opening a new chapter. There are no problems the protagonist can’t solve, only whether she is willing to act. Everything will prioritize the reader’s experience. If there are monotonous parts, please timely remind me in the comments.

(As a Yuri novel, it hasn’t had recommendations for several months. Not sure if it can get any during summer break. If new readers get scared off by comments, I’ll be depressed!)

Also, while writing this volume, I suddenly remembered a shameful thing I said before. I won’t repeat the original sentence, but part of it was “I will never write dark things and tragedies.” Now I’ve kind of slapped my own face? But the reason I wrote that back then was seeing tragedies and so-called “gratification” aimed at disgusting people. Anastasia’s case definitely doesn’t count, so maybe I didn’t slap my own face?

Okay, slapped is slapped. But there won’t be any more in the future. It hurts my heart too much. If I write this kind again, I’m a pig! This is the last time! I’m still better suited for comedy and overpowered stuff. If possible, I don’t want too much scheming in the next book either, just some pleasant, popular plots. That said, the next book is still a long way off.

In short, regarding why the plot was slow, I think I’ve explained quite clearly. Consider it my paranoia and obsession (perhaps similar to the “Pepe volume” during Yisi? Though the core is different). Pepe ended with a forced Deus ex Machina, which was criticized a lot. This time, the Deus ex Machina is moved a bit later; you’ll probably see it tomorrow.

Alright, that’s enough explanation for this volume. Let’s talk about the next one.

The next volume is the Queen of Death volume. The early stage will also include Astrid’s content. That’s right, the vampire princess young lady who appeared in Volume 2 will make a comeback in the early stage! And it’s her home-field arc! Though not much, mainly depicting the Queen of Death, it’s still an explanation. Also, the character design is done, roughly like this. Once the illustration with background is finished, it will be released together.

As for the Queen of Death’s setting, I’ll keep it a secret for now. Please interpret it from the volume title, dear readers. Also, the Charm Cat and Lucy will make slightly more appearances in this volume.

That’s all I wanted to say. There might be omitted parts, but due to length constraints, writing too long isn’t what everyone likes to read, so I’ll stop here.

Finally, the promise of 6-7k words daily until the end of Volume 7 was over-fulfilled—almost 8k words daily, with two days approaching 10k words. That definitely counts as bursting with updates! Seeking Monthly Tickets~ Seeking Tips~

Last but not least, thank you everyone for reading this far. Your following of the updates is a huge encouragement to Yomi. Even more thanks for the Monthly Tickets, Tips, and praise. Thank you so much.

Then, see you in Volume 8, The Queen of Gestalt!

2023/07/17

Yomi

Volume 8: The Queen of Gestalt