Volume 8, Chapter 8 – An Inconceivable Change

If she hadn’t sensed Nola’s arrival early, she would certainly have been tackled by her already.

Enduring Nola’s cheek-rubbing punishment, Fia quietly reminded her.

“Let’s talk after we rescue Estelle. The main matter comes first.”

“Huh?”

Nola suddenly stopped moving. Her eyes widened in a look of sudden realization.

“Oh, right!”

Are you an idiot?

The instant the thought crossed her mind, Fia realized that she was the idiot for asking Nola such a question in the first place. This one’s always been dim-witted.

Releasing Fia, Nola swiveled her fiery-red cat ears and surveyed the surrounding scorched and sunken earth. Though the Land of Eternal Night knew only darkness, a fire cat’s night vision was exceptional; she could easily take in the entire scene at a glance.

Aside from the noblewoman Fia had deliberately left alive earlier, there were no other living things nearby. The walls and great trees had vanished into thin air. The castle on the other side had a massive breach blasted open in it. Guards farther away who had wanted to approach could only watch in terror, while countless attendants poured out of the castle gate, only to be captured one by one by the viper-like vines lying in wait. She didn’t need to ask—Nola knew this was Fia’s handiwork.

It had to be at least Fifth-Rank magic. But since this was her Fia, even Fifth-Rank was just a simple matter.

Thinking this, Nola’s violet eyes flickered with a strange light as she gazed at Fia. She wanted to praise her, then ask how Fia had arrived so quickly. But right now, Estelle was the priority—

Wait. Estelle?

Like missing a step while descending a staircase, Nola’s heart gave a lurch.

Fia had entrusted Estelle to her. And instead of protecting Estelle, she’d made Fia come out to search for her herself. Didn’t that just make her look completely useless? Like she’d fail the probation period?

I have done so well up until now. How did it go wrong on the very last day?

“Ugh…”

Her tail tucked between her legs, her fiery-red cat ears drooping, a small, pained whimper escaped Nola’s throat.

At this point…

Just as she was about to put her hands together and beg for forgiveness, she noticed Fia had already approached the noblewoman, who sat paralyzed on the ground in terror.

“Take me to your clan head.”

“Lady, Lady Debir is inside the castle…”

Neither [Wind of Exploration] nor [Mana Vision] detected any Fifth-Rank level practitioners. This noblewoman was lying.

Fia’s gaze turned even colder.

“Three—”

Seeing Fia count down, the noblewoman’s breathing grew panicked and rapid. She frantically looked towards Nola behind Fia. She herself had never left the Land of Eternal Night, but the fire cat territory and the vampire territory were only separated by a single mountain. The greatsword of blazing flame, the name “Fire Cat Saint,” and her attitude toward Fia—all of it marked this woman as the Seventh-Rank Fire Cat Holy Son.

Hope filled her face as she pleaded anxiously.

“Holy Son-sama! It was Ryan who wanted to go after your friend, not me! I—I’m innocent! Spare me! Please, have your subordinate spare me! I’ll give you anything!”

“…Subordinate?”

The nonsensical words made Nola tilt her head. Then her expression stiffened as realization dawned.

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These vampires rarely left the Land of Eternal Night and knew little of the outside world. Even seeing Fia, they couldn’t connect her to the elf princess. By contrast, her own image as the Holy Son was widely known in Cold Night. So this vampire in front of her had mistaken Fia for her retainer. She thought that because the Holy Son’s friend had been captured, the Holy Son had dispatched someone to deal with them.

Already anxious and uneasy, Nola was nearly angered into laughter. Here I am, trying to figure out how to earn Fia’s forgiveness, and this trash comes along to make things worse.

“Two—”

“It’s, it’s really in the castle! I haven’t seen the clan head come out all day! Holy Son-sama, please save me!”

“Save you? Do you have any idea how wrong you are? Open your eyes and look properly. There’s only one black-haired, red-eyed elf in the entire World Tree Continent. Far from being my subordinate—*

I’m practically hers.

Nola added silently to herself.

She strode forward, seized the fallen noblewoman by the collar, and lifted her from the ground. Wrathful flames blazed in her violet eyes.

“This is the First Princess of Silvar. The Regent of Cold Night. Insulting the Regent is a capital offense!”

“Guh?!”

In an instant, the noblewoman’s eyes flew wide. Her limp body trembled as she stared at Nola in disbelief.

“El… the elf princess? And Regent…? But how could that one-winged bastard know an elf princess! Ah, I see! You’re fakes! Imposters!”

“You wretch.”

“Ghk!”

Nola slammed the noblewoman hard against the ground. A dull, heavy thud of flesh striking earth. The noblewoman’s face met the scorched dirt. The impact snapped her out of her jealous frenzy; realizing the overwhelming gap in their strength, she ignored the excruciating pain and her shattered pride. She scrambled up, knelt, and tremblingly begged Fia for mercy.

“I’m sorry! Princess-sama, I was blinded by jealousy! If I’d known that Miss Estelle was your friend, I would have stopped Ryan even if it killed me—no, I would have killed him for you! I’m sorry! Please, spare my life! I swear I’ll mend my ways! Please, don’t let the Holy Son kill me!”

The sharp thuds of her forehead striking the floor made Nola glance cautiously at Fia. As she saw it, Fia’s attitude toward this noblewoman would determine her attitude toward Nola herself. Fia’s response was therefore crucial. If she couldn’t satisfy Fia…

What made Nola’s heart lurch was that Fia didn’t even glance at the noblewoman’s apology. Instead, she turned and gazed toward the castle, her expression severe.

Does that mean she’s not satisfied enough?

Nola’s nerves tightened. Her ears drooped as she timidly asked.

“Fi… Fia? How, how is it?”

“She’s probably hiding it beneath the castle.”

“Hiding it beneath the castle…?”

“My magic can only search above ground. If it’s underground, penetration drops considerably.”

Oh, she’s talking about Estelle . Come to think of it, that made sense—until Estelle was found, no amount of apologizing from these vermin would make a difference. Instantly, her motivation surged back, and her drooping cat ears perked up again.

“Then should we go into the castle?”

“No need. Everyone who was going to run out already has. Let me ask—there’s no connection between the Fire Cat territory and the Syris family, is there?”

“None!” Nola declared firmly. “I’ve wanted to wipe out these vermin for ages!”

“Good.”

It’s strange how frightened Nola’s been, like she’s afraid I’ll criticize her, but that can wait until after we find Estelle.

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[Seeker’s Enlightenment] told her the castle now held only a few pure-bloods who stubbornly refused to come out, convinced that hiding inside would keep them safe.

What needed to be done was simple.

Fia raised her right arm. White light, the symbol of spatial magic, gathered in her palm.

“[ Vanish into Nothingness].”

Poom .

A sound like a bursting balloon. The pitch-black castle that had stood before them, as if it had never existed, scattered into countless yellow motes of dust. Where it had been, a vast, empty stretch of bare ground now lay. If not for the dust choking the air and the furniture raining down from the sky, Nola would have thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, or that she was simply dreaming.

What kind of magic makes a thirty-meter castle vanish into thin air?!

If she weren’t afraid of distracting Fia, Nola would have groaned aloud. A month had passed, and the distance between her and Fia hadn’t shrunk—it had only grown wider.

But that just shows how good my judgment is. Mm. As expected of my princess.

Nola consoled herself silently. Though the many pieces of furniture scattered across the newly exposed flat ground blocked her view, Nola still noticed several doors leading underground between where the castle had stood and the earth. Some were passageways connecting the kitchen to cellars; others were far more concealed, their purpose unclear—either escape tunnels or dungeons for imprisoning offenders and carrying out private punishments.

Fia used [Telekinesis] to shove aside the piled debris on the empty lot and walked straight toward the most inconspicuous of all the entrances.

She must have noticed something .

Nola hurried after her. But then she remembered the noblewoman behind her, who had stopped her kowtowing and was now beside herself with joy. It was worth noting that besides this noblewoman, there were other pure-bloods around the castle attempting to flee in the chaos.

Fia didn’t say how to deal with them. She must be testing me.

Nola wasn’t good at using her head, but fighting? Absolutely no problem. Cold Night’s method of resolving disputes had always been simple: kill everyone on the other side, and there was no dispute left. These pure-bloods had committed countless atrocities; even without Fia’s orders, just laying hands on a friend of hers, the Holy Son, was enough to condemn them all to death.

A clean resolution, then.

She drew the greatsword of blazing flame slung across her back. In her white swordsman’s attire, Nola’s body ignited with roaring fire. The game of cat and mouse began, with the night as its stage.

◇

“My lord, here is this tribute.”

In the underground great hall, flanked by burning torches, a young woman in a gaudy red dress knelt on both knees, bowing respectfully toward the pitch-black figure standing within. Behind her followed a golden-haired girl with her wrists bound by rope. Though her mind remained clear, her disheveled dress and unsteady stance betrayed her depleted stamina. She seemed to have just emerged from a fierce battle, standing only through sheer, unyielding will.

When the golden-haired girl saw what stood at the far end of the hall, the disdain in her eyes instantly transformed into fury and hatred. Her voice seemed forced through clenched teeth.

“Debir. You side with Chaos.”

“Silence!”

Estelle’s words enraged Debir. She yanked hard at the rope in her hands, the pulling force sending Estelle crashing to the floor with a thud. Debir paid her no further attention; instead, she resumed her fawning expression, raising both hands toward the black silhouette standing on the dais.

“She may have only one wings, but she is still a pure-blood. I have brought her before you as promised. Might you grant me more time…?”

Seeing the dark figure, who stood with its back to her, still unmoved, Debir’s anxiety grew. She raised her hands higher, her tone more desperate.

“My time is running out, my lord!”

What was she doing?

Struggling to her feet, Estelle frowned. When she was about to lose her fight against Ryan, a squad of vampires had suddenly burst in and taken her away. At the time, she’d thought they were vampires from another family joining the fray. But the truth was, the one who had spirited her away midway was Debir herself, in disguise. After using a magic tool that absorbed mana to render her powerless, Debir had brought her here. Even when Estelle demanded to know what she was doing, Debir didn’t answer at all. She just kept muttering manically to herself, a stark contrast to the generous image she’d projected at the banquet.

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Furthermore, though Debir had covered her eyes with cloth strips on the way here, Estelle could still tell they were traveling through tunnels. And those tunnels held a scent of decay she recognized. It wasn’t the deathly aura of the undead, but the stench of Chaos—the same stench that had once filled Oro City and brought disaster.

Her memories of Chaos were so vivid she’d never forget them for the rest of her life. Even if the thing standing on the dais now was a humanoid creature with glowing antlers, she could still assert with certainty that it was something formed from Chaos.

But why was Chaos on the surface? And what was this “agreement” Debir had mentioned? Was she being offered as tribute to Chaos?

There were too many things she didn’t understand. Estelle could only watch the movements of Debir and the Chaos creature while cautiously searching for an escape route.

“Do you find my offering unsatisfactory, my lord? Then, then please grant me more time! I can take her back up and offer you the descendants she bears! All I need is time!”

Debir’s tone grew even more frantic.

Rumors from outsiders were not exaggerated—if anything, they fell short. Debir hadn’t lived five hundred years as a vampire, but seven hundred years beyond that. This far exceeded a vampire’s natural lifespan. Not to mention that theoretically, Debir should have been an ancient crone, bent and unable to straighten her back. Yet she appeared as a young woman in her late twenties.

The reason was a mutual agreement Debir had made with this “strange being” she’d encountered by chance. Debir would find things that interested him—specifically, pure-bloods—and in return, he would grant her eternal youth. Debir’s obsession with the number of pure-bloods wasn’t for her family’s sake, but to barter for her own ageless beauty.

In fact, if the Despair Demon General hadn’t acted before her back then, Estelle and her parents would have been kidnapped by Debir and offered to the Antler Chaos.

Rumble—

Immediately following Debir’s words, the ground suddenly shook violently. A dull explosive roar followed, and massive amounts of dust rained from the ceiling. Debir’s expression changed. She turned to look at the main entrance of the hall, her voice sharp with alert.

“Enemy attack?”

“Mm…”

Finally, the Antler Chaos standing on the dais stirred. Like a statue coming to life, it turned around. This was also the first time Estelle had seen its face—no features at all, only eyeballs occupying half its head. Its bizarre appearance made Estelle’s heart clench. She had never seen Chaos like this. Gold for the whites of its eyes, blue for the irises. If anyone with weaker mental fortitude saw this, they’d already be screaming in terror.

Dangerous.

Estelle’s hair stood on end. The oppressive aura emanating from the Antler Chaos was unprecedented in its intensity. She couldn’t even move a muscle. Her brain frantically warned her not to make any rash moves—the moment she shifted even slightly, this Antler Chaos would kill her.

I’ve never felt such terrifying pressure, not even from Fia. Can Fia really handle an enemy like this? Eighth Rank? Or even Ninth Rank above that? Have the Chaos already developed to this extent?!

Fia, don’t come here…

I’ve stumbled into something huge.

For a moment, Estelle struggled to swallow. Silently, she began to pray.

“My lord, someone seems to have broken into the castle. I’ll go outside and check.”

“You… cannot defeat…”

The Antler Chaos suddenly responded. The fact that it could speak nearly made Estelle scream.

Chaos can talk?!

As if sensing her thoughts, the Antler Chaos glanced at Estelle. Just that one look made her scalp tingle, her breath catch, cold sweat uncontrollably seeping from every pore. She felt as if an invisible giant hand had seized her, squeezing tight, leaving her unable to move.

But Debir felt nothing of the sort. Delight blossomed on her face.

“Then, then will you help me, my lord? If you intervene, the Syris family will have no enemies left!”

“I hope you still think that in a moment.”

Abruptly, Fia’s cold voice echoed from the hall’s entrance. With her stood Nola, her cat ears wreathed in flames.

Hearing an outsider’s voice, Debir immediately rose. By the light of the torches lining both sides of the hall, she could clearly identify Fia’s black hair and crimson eyes. Her gaze sharpened.

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“The First Princess of Silvar? And the Fire Cat Holy Son? What are you doing here!”

“You know very well what we’re doing here.”

“I’ll go get Estelle.”

Nola whispered after Fia.

But Fia stopped her. She had, of course, noticed the Chaos creature with its glowing antlers. That was not an opponent Nola could handle. The old her might have taken some effort to deal with it, but now she had learned a total of two thousand four hundred spells, with tens of thousands more awaiting her. Such foes were no longer worth her concern.

This Fifth-Rank vampire and the Antler Chaos were probably allies.

Before killing them, she’d ensure Estelle’s safety.

Expression still indifferent, Fia extended her right hand.

“I’ll give you one chance. Hand the girl over, and I’ll grant you a painless death.”

Debir was momentarily struck speechless, then laughed at Fia’s words. Her gaze swept toward the Antler Chaos, now slowly descending the dais, its entire form radiating overwhelming power. Then she looked back at Fia, her eyes filled with the arrogance of impending victory, her tone dripping with mockery.

“First Princess of Silvar, don’t you think you’re being a bit too arrogant, venturing deep into enemy territory alone? This lord has decided to act. Even you are no match for him. Later, I’ll thoroughly discipline you into an obedient little dog. You’ll serve me alongside that bastard child!”

“Careful. This Chaos is strong.”

“I know. Step back a bit.”

Nola and Fia exchanged quiet words. By now, the Antler Chaos had finally passed Debir and stood less than twenty meters from Fia.

But just as Fia was about to strike, the Antler Chaos suddenly made a move that left her utterly bewildered and deeply confused.

The Antler Chaos crouched down, knelt on one knee before Fia, and bowed its head in submission.

“My lord, what are you doing!”

Debir’s panicked voice rang out, but the Antler Chaos remained unmoved. At the same time, a deep, resolute voice speaking ancient elvish echoed in Fia’s mind.

“ You have finally appeared, Lord Thanatos. We have long awaited your true form. “

Huh?

Fia had no choice but to withdraw the hand she’d been about to use for magic. On the other side, Nola seized the opportunity. With one swing of her sword, she severed the magic tool binding Estelle while simultaneously feeding her a magic potion. Sensing trouble, Debir tried to retreat and flee, but Nola had already appeared behind her. The tip of her blazing greatsword pressed against Debir’s waist, between her wings.

Estelle rose to her feet and wiped the corner of her mouth. A gleam of revenge flickered in her crimson eyes, and fear crept across Debir’s face as she dared not move.

“Looks like the ally you found isn’t so steadfast after all.”

“You… what do you plan to do?”

“What do you think?”

Estelle grabbed Debir’s hair with her right hand. Debir wanted to resist, but Nola only pushed her blazing greatsword forward a fraction, and Debir was forced to abandon the thought of action.

“This is payback!”

Pouring all her strength into her right hand, Estelle slammed Debir’s head heavily against the ground. With a resounding crash of shattering floor tiles and scattered stone fragments, the bewildered Debir’s head was driven halfway into the palace floor.