Volume 8, Chapter 14 – The Undead Archmage in Maid Attire

“What… kind of magic is this…”

His voice exceptionally hoarse, Kelvin stared at the battlefield below, his mouth gaping wide enough to fit a light bulb. As a Sixth-Rank magic chanter, he acknowledged that magic was a magnificent and wondrous existence. But that magnificence had its limits. Something like this—summoning a sky-city so vast its end was nowhere in sight, and magic descending from the heavens to churn the plain into a maelstrom of magical currents—surpassed his understanding entirely. To put it more bluntly, this wasn’t just magic; it was a miracle.

The magic raining down from that colossal city encompassed every element. Each elemental magic manifested in different forms. Taking fire magic as an example, Kelvin could recognize [Fairy Fire], [Crimson Lotus Wings], [Evil Flame], [Dragon’s Breath] from low-rank magic, all the way to high-rank spells like [Flame Storm], [Holy Flame Judgment], [Hephaestus’s Wrath], and even [Crimson Nova].

Never mind the high-rank magic pouring out as if it cost nothing. The sheer deluge of low-rank magic firing from those floating magical books alone was enough to hold back an army single-handedly.

His first thought was, What variation of magic is this? Can I glean anything from it? Then he suddenly realized: even if Fia laid the spell’s formula before him, he could never use it.

This suddenly appearing sky-city wasn’t something pre-positioned, ruling out the possibility of drawing on ley lines or magic crystals to power magical batteries. Therefore, all the mana sustaining the sky-city and the spells it used came from Fia herself. To use tens of thousands of spells covering all elements from First to Sixth Rank on her own—just how much mana would that require? Probably even pouring the Holy Tree into it would only reach this level.

For a moment, Kelvin couldn’t feel the dull ache from the spear wound in his shoulder. Instead, his trembling heart made his limbs weak and his mind buzz. He didn’t want to admit this was reality, but his reason constantly told him: this was no dream. He had witnessed with his own eyes the First Princess, a mortal, performing a miracle. And the First Princess was an elf far younger than him, not even reaching the age of adulthood at under one hundred years.

He couldn’t help but slap himself— it hurt . Not a dream. Then, refusing to believe his eyes, he rubbed them and looked again at the battlefield. Still, he could only see a kaleidoscopic storm raging across the vast plain.

The gray earth was already bare of undead. The entire surface had been plowed by magic falling from the sky. Various contradictory elements violently collided, further forming storms that whipped up violent sand and wind, obscuring what was happening within. Even standing far away on the wall, he felt as if the mana inside him was being drawn out. Casting a spell in this environment would be extremely difficult.

Is this still an elf? Holy Son? No, calling her a Holy Son would be belittling the First Princess. Perhaps only beings like divine messengers or angels could compare to her.

Awe completely outweighed respect. Kelvin swallowed. He turned to look at the soldiers beside him. To his surprise, including the awakened female commander, all the soldiers stood with mouths agape like they were under a spell, gazing up at the city suspended over the plain. They had forgotten their mission, unsure what they should be doing now. Some held their weapons so tightly their hands turned white from tension. Even knowing the sky-city wasn’t targeting them, their legs couldn’t help trembling, shaken by this overwhelmingly powerful magic.

Wait.

Kelvin suddenly realized he should record this miracle for his colleagues at the Elf Tower, to show them that there was always someone stronger, that the First Princess had long surpassed Master Mohr. He quickly fumbled in his pocket for a recording crystal and activated it. But before he could record for long, a dark figure slowly flew over from the distant land. Kelvin, the surrounding soldiers, and even the battlefield commander all hurriedly bowed their heads, their bodies stooping slightly as they knelt on one knee.

“We greet Her Highness the First Princess.”

“This is a battlefield. No need for formalities. Rise.”

“Yes…”

“Why aren’t you getting up?”

Fia frowned. The soldiers on the wall had answered “yes,” yet not even the elf in commander’s attire stood. Instead, they bowed their heads even lower.

How odd.

But the undead on the battlefield were mostly dealt with. Whether they rose or not didn’t matter. Once she left, they would naturally stand up again. Fia didn’t press the issue.

“The undead are no longer a threat. But be aware there may be stragglers. Once the mana storm on the field passes, be sure to send people to clean the battlefield and deliver the final blow to any undead not completely destroyed.”

“Yes!”

The female commander answered with full vigor.

Fia turned her gaze to Kelvin, still kneeling on one knee. She remembered him and noticed the glowing recording crystal in his hand, clearly active.

A supervisor recording battlefield changes? Does Silvar have such a position?

Fia was puzzled. Though she had been First Princess for almost a year, there were too many matters to handle; she hadn’t yet had time to understand the military’s structure. As if sensing Fia’s questioning gaze, Kelvin hurriedly raised the recording crystal above his head and stammered.

“M-may I ask if Your Highness wishes it to be destroyed? This old one, no, this minister has never witnessed such terrifying magic and momentarily forgot our magic chanters’ covenant. Recording another’s first use of a spell is forbidden, to prevent outsiders from coveting and targeting it. Th-this is this minister’s negligence! Your Highness’s magic stunned me and made me forget myself! I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness!”

By the end, Kelvin pressed his forehead heavily against the ground. His deeply bowed posture showed no trace of pride. His hands, braced against the floor tiles, trembled along with his sleeves, reminding Fia of the remnants of Prince Schain’s faction who, when Erin Slate raided their homes, knelt begging her to spare them.

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Though this was her first time using this spell publicly, it wasn’t something to fear having her home raided over. Besides, if a supervisor was supposed to faithfully record battlefield changes and relay them to the rear military command, then if anyone was to blame, it was her for not knowing about this position and using magic carelessly—which, of course, wasn’t blameworthy at all. She had never intended to hide anything from the start. If anyone thought glimpsing a few of her spells meant she was easy to deal with, they were welcome to try.

Not taking the recording crystal, Fia waved expressionlessly.

“No need to destroy it. Just continue your duties. I’ve just arrived at Yarua City and haven’t grasped much information yet. When did these undead come?”

“They arrived at the city three days ago but delayed attacking until just minutes before Your Highness’s arrival. Now, not only Yarua City in the south, but several other large cities separated by mountains and plateaus have also reported undead sightings. We don’t know the situation in those other directions, but it’s certainly not optimistic.”

“What about the royal capital?”

“The capital is safe. Undead have only appeared on the southern border.”

“Good. Tell me the names of the other cities where undead have appeared.”

Hearing Fia’s words, Kelvin’s breath hitched. He instinctively looked up until he saw Fia’s eyes, turned a terrifying deep red by the backlight, then suddenly remembered this was an affront and hurriedly lowered his head again.

“You… you intend to head to the other directions?”

“Naturally. Bring a map and mark the places where undead have been reported.”

After unleashing magic like that, she still has reserves!

Probably not even a divine messenger could do this?

Gods, has the First Princess received your favor and obtained divine status?

Kelvin swallowed hard again. Shaking off his awe, he tremblingly took a map from his storage magic and marked each city where undead traces had been found for Fia.

◇

As expected, the combination of the two forbidden spells [Wide-Area Gravity Manipulation] and [Celestial Canopy of the Divine] appeared over every major southern city. But unlike the undead army outside Baron Yarua’s territory, the undead in other directions behaved tamely, not attacking the cities. Thus, Fia adjusted her strategy. She didn’t use [Celestial Canopy of the Divine] to annihilate them completely. First, she used [Wide-Area Gravity Manipulation] to incapacitate them, then only used [Celestial Canopy of the Divine]’s floating city as a deterrent, without unleashing attack spells.

This wasn’t out of mercy. The undead’s behavior of besieging without attacking struck Fia as suspicious. Combined with the fact they specifically named Dofilia yet couldn’t identify her by her black hair and crimson eyes, and didn’t even know Dofilia was the Elf Kingdom’s First Princess—perhaps, in the undead’s understanding, the elf named Dofilia was just some village girl. They only wanted to find her, not commit slaughter.

Consequently, Fia specifically captured a somewhat powerful undead archmage from their encampment and brought her back to Blossom for interrogation. The route: first from other southern cities back to Baron Yarua’s territory, pick up Liti and the others there, then straight to Blossom.

Time came to night.

Within Twilight Palace, lit by warm yellow lamps, all was silent. Though many people sat in the reception room, not one spoke. The maids waiting outside occasionally peered in, their curiosity and nervousness evident. The only sound in the room was the whirring airflow from the magic fans.

Yelido, Yulisha, Fia, and Claire sat in the reception room. Only Anastasia and another maid—dressed in maid attire but with eerily pale skin—stood upright.

It was worth noting that though both were maids, their positions were carefully chosen. Anastasia stood by the sofa where Fia sat, hands lightly clasped before her, ready to receive orders. The tall maid with skin so pale it lacked all color stood before the fireplace, facing Yelido and the others on both sofas. She also stood with hands clasped before her, but with eyes closed, the lower half of her face covered by translucent white gauze, exuding an exotic air.

Yelido looked the figure up and down. No matter how he viewed her, she seemed like a vampire maid. According to Fia, she had captured this undead archmage from the undead army—the very statement made Yelido’s heart leap when Fia said it. But now, seeing her in person at Twilight Palace, he was left only with doubt.

This was clearly a rigorously trained maid. There was no trace of an undead archmage.

Undead archmages were always depicted in tattered cloaks, with blue flames burning in their eye sockets, wielding staff. They were at least Fifth Rank, and because they possessed high intelligence, they were extremely tricky undead. In his over three hundred years of life, Yelido had fought undead archmages several times and had never seen one as delicate as a doll.

“Dofi, is this really an undead archmage?”

“Mm. A genuine undead archmage, no mistake. Though she wears a maid’s clothes, she says she’s not some wandering ghost from the wilds, but an undead archmage who came out from the Kingdom of Death itself.”

“Wandering in the wilds…”

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Yelido silently chewed on this enigmatic phrase, momentarily unsure where to start.

If what Fia said was true, then first, it proved that legendary things like the Kingdom of Death indeed existed. Second, it meant the undead Silvar had been fighting all along were just irregulars. Finally, it showed the Kingdom of Death had never taken Silvar seriously. As an elf who had long waged a tug-of-war with the Netherworld, Yelido couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

Fia, seated only two armrests away from Yelido, lightly snapped her fingers. This was the signal she had agreed upon with the undead archmage. Due to her special nature, whenever this undead archmage opened her eyes, she couldn’t control the leakage of death energy, which would turn weaker living beings nearby into undead.

“You may speak now. Repeat what you told me earlier.”

As Fia’s words fell, the tall woman in maid attire opened her eyes. Then, a pair of eerie azure eyes met the crowd’s gaze. This azure was different from the blue light of a teleportation gate—it leaned more toward a cyan hue. Paired with the maid’s deathly pale skin, it evoked terms like “ghost bride.”

As faint death energy circulated through the room, she performed a curtsy toward Fia with a liveliness unbefitting an undead.

“Thank you for summoning me.”

“Summoning?”

Catching the keyword, Yulisha, seated beside Yelido, raised an eyebrow. Fia’s eyelid twitched beside her as she quickly explained.

“There were many undead archmages there at the time. The one I brought back was the highest-ranked among them.”

“Is that so… but undead only pounce on and attack living things when they see them. Why didn’t she react?”

“Only mindless livestock behave as barbarically as you describe. We are servants of the Queen. Suppressing our killing intent toward the living is fundamental.”

The maid answered in a clear, cool voice, her words filled with pride in her identity.

It was worth emphasizing that Fia hadn’t mentioned one point: her reason for choosing this undead archmage, besides her being the strongest, was that she was the only humanoid among them—in other words, she was beautiful. Given a choice, who would want to bring a decayed, stinking skeleton home? So what the maid called “summoning” wasn’t entirely wrong.

As for why Fia dared to place a Sixth-Rank undead archmage in Twilight Palace, it was because from the moment she captured (or more appropriately, kidnapped) this maid and revealed herself as Dofilia, the maid had stopped resisting. Instead, she became quite cooperative, voluntarily explaining her purpose.

“We came to your country this time at Miss Dofilia’s command. Miss Dofilia is someone Her Majesty the Queen requires. Since I began serving Her Majesty, I have never seen her issue such an order. Miss Dofilia must surely possess exceptional qualities. Though with our ignorant intelligence, we cannot fathom Her Majesty’s thoughts, executing her orders is beyond question. If you do not wish to incur Her Majesty’s wrath, I advise you to honestly let Miss Dofilia go to the Kingdom of Death.”

Pretty as she is, she has no idea how to talk.

Hearing the undead archmage’s speech, Fia couldn’t help but hold her forehead. Saying this to her—she could mentally polish it into “the Queen of Death wants to see me for some reason.” But saying it to her father, the ruler of Silvar, was practically tantamount to flipping the table.

Sure enough, Yelido slapped the armrest of his sofa and snorted heavily.

“Then let your queen try! Dofi is my daughter, Yelido’s daughter. Without my permission, no one takes Dofi!”

“Ahem. Father, calm down.”

Fia coughed awkwardly. She had long planned to visit the Queen of Death in the Netherworld. If her father and this maid fell out, and he constantly watched her movements, her plan to visit the Queen of Death would be ruined. She couldn’t exactly be a rebellious daughter now. Given how much Yelido valued her, once things fell apart, even if she talked herself hoarse, he’d never allow her to risk going to the Netherworld.

Yelido frowned.

“Dofi, I know you’re strong, but the Netherworld is also very dangerous. Legend says the Queen of Death controls life and death—with a single thought she can take a life. How can I let you go there? And they haven’t even said why this queen wants you!”

“Her Majesty must have foreseen the future and discovered Miss Dofilia has talent as a maid, capable of serving Her Majesty. Or perhaps, like Miss Ruth, she intends to adopt her as a daughter. Either choice would be the highest honor for mere mortals—”

“You. Be quiet.”

“Yes.”

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Fia’s command immediately silenced the maid. Fia had already realized this maid viewed the Queen of Death the same way Twilight Flower members viewed her. Because the Queen of Death wanted her to go to the Netherworld, and this maid was no match for her, the maid could only adopt what she saw as a conciliatory approach: obeying Fia’s commands and politely asking her to go to the Kingdom of Death beyond the Wall of Sighs.

But Yelido had already condensed a golden spear in his hand and rose angrily.

“I’m going to kill this undead. Dofi, get out of the way!”

“W-wait! Father, you should remember what happened with Anastasia’s exchange before. Didn’t Anastasia tell you the other world was swallowed by Chaos? At that time, the Queen of Death united all the countries on the World Tree Continent to confront Chaos. So the Queen of Death might not be as evil as outsiders imagine. And, and even a mere servant knows to suppress killing intent—surely the Queen of Death exercises even greater self-restraint!”

“Haven’t you heard what she said? An elf princess cannot be another’s servant or daughter! You are my daughter!”

“Sit down first, Father. Please, sit down.”

Only after Fia employed her daughterly offensive, holding Yelido’s arm and guiding him back to the sofa, did Yelido finally abandon attacking the undead archmage. Fia quietly glanced at the undead archmage, who was glaring fiercely at Yelido, and covered her mouth with one hand as she whispered.

“Have you forgotten even the Elf God was no match for me? A mere Queen of Death is no opponent for your daughter.”

“That’s still not okay.” Yelido’s eyes widened. “I don’t care if she’s your opponent or not. You’re just not going to the Netherworld. How can I gamble with your life!”

“But what if the Queen of Death really has urgent business with me?”

“She knows you? Other than using this to humiliate Silvar, I can’t think of any reason she’d want you.”

“I agree with Yelido. Dofi, why do you seem so eager to go to the Kingdom of Death? Surely you don’t know this Queen of Death?”

“No… I don’t know her.”

Fia answered Yulisha honestly. If she knew the Queen of Death, she wouldn’t be thinking of consulting her about dealing with Chaos. Anastasia wouldn’t deceive her. The Queen of Death must be a wise leader who would unite against a common foe when facing a strong enemy. Ultimately, she possessed god-slaying power, while the Queen of Death was only a Ninth-Rank practitioner. The two weren’t even on the same level. It was just that her father and Yulisha, loving their daughter dearly, couldn’t bear to let her risk. Reality wasn’t a game. In the eyes of experienced adults, children could always encounter unexpected, tricky troubles.

Yulisha, exuding mature charm in her water-blue dress and long hair, continued the conversation.

“Since you think the Queen of Death needs something from you, why not have this legendary queen come to you? Problem solved. Having her visit Blossom might be too much to ask, but setting the meeting place on the southern border would be good for both sides.”

Probably not possible.

Fia turned to look at the undead archmage. As expected, the maid’s gaze was filled with resentment, clearly angered at the thought of her queen personally traveling.

If only this maid knew how to be flexible.

Fia groaned internally. Her reason for bringing the undead archmage before her father was to promote cooperation between the two sides and end their adversarial relationship. Yet it had ended up pushing her toward secretly visiting the Queen of Death after all. She wasn’t worried about slipping out of the royal capital—with teleportation magic, she could go anywhere. But this feeling of sneaking around privately wasn’t as comfortable as advancing things openly.

Think about it: as a country’s princess, riding in a carriage escorted by undead to the Kingdom of Death would certainly be more dignified than flying there alone with [High-Speed Flight]. It was about a ceremony. Having been in the World Tree Continent this long, she hadn’t yet experienced the feeling of visiting a foreign country as a princess.

Better wait until Father leaves and have a private chat with this undead archmage.

Fia waved her hand, ordering the maid—this undead archmage in maid attire—to wait for her outside. Then she had the Twilight Palace maids close the door. Taking Anastasia’s hand, she pulled her close.

What came next was more important than any Queen of Death.

Fia took a deep breath, her expression serious as she spoke deliberately.

“Father. I want to make Anastasia my second fiancée.”

“…”

Though Fia knew Yelido had forgiven Anastasia, forgiveness didn’t mean he’d permit Anastasia to go further with her. So she tensed her expression, mentally preparing for Yelido’s fury.

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For an instant, the room fell deathly silent. Fia could feel Anastasia’s whole body tense. She herself didn’t miss a single flicker of expression on Yelido’s face. Yulisha also straightened her back, leaning slightly toward Yelido as if ready to restrain him should he run amok.

Yelido was momentarily stunned. His restrained crimson eyes flickered slightly. Then he sighed deeply, lowered his head, and hard rubbed his forehead with his right hand.

“This is your personal matter. You don’t need to ask me. You’ve grown up; you should have your own thoughts. All I need to do is govern this country well and hand it to you.”

“But you and Anastasia…”

Fia wanted to say he had always disliked Anastasia, so she needed his opinion. But Yelido waved his hand, with a look of not wanting to mention it again.

“I told the other Anastasia, let the past be past. I’ve moved on. I no longer blame her. Now I only see Anastasia as an ordinary elf among many. So if something develops between you, I won’t obstruct.”

More importantly, those who frequently contacted Anastasia knew she wouldn’t betray you. She genuinely cared for you. Yelido didn’t say this last part aloud—it didn’t suit his character.

He raised his eyes, the same red as Fia’s, and met Anastasia’s timid, mouse-like blue gaze. It was a scrutinizing look. Anastasia hurriedly lowered her head, too nervous to speak clearly.

“Y-your Majesty…”

Yelido sighed deeply from the sofa. His usually dignified face was now filled with the resignation of forcing himself to let go, as if he had aged considerably in an instant.

“Treat Dofi well. Don’t let down her trust in you.”

“I… I will never let down Her Highness’s feelings!”

“Heh.”

As if struck by a pleasant thought, Yelido’s gaze fell upon Fia and Claire, both also standing. Especially Claire—Yelido found this “daughter-in-law” agreeable no matter how he looked at her.

“If Dofi hadn’t already chosen her queen, I certainly wouldn’t agree so easily. But since there is already a queen, subsequent matters should be decided by Dofi herself. I suffered enough from the political marriage my father arranged for me. I won’t inflict that same pain on Dofi. Get along well, all of you. But Dofi, don’t think about going to the Netherworld. That’s the only thing I can’t permit. I’ll have Yulisha watch over you—Yulisha.”

“Of course.” Yulisha revealed a mature, charming smile. She straightened her ample chest, came to Fia’s side, and took her hand. “Mother will be watching you these next few days. You can’t leave my sight, even when sleeping, okay?”

“Even sleeping…”

I’m not a little baby that needs watching.

Fia’s body stiffened as she complained internally.

Looks like I won’t be able to be alone with Claire for a few days.

But maybe I can introduce Mother Yulisha to Nola first?

Hopefully Mother Yulisha won’t actually treat me like a little kid and feed me pudding with a spoon. That might be acceptable, but if she wants to hold me while sleeping and tuck me in, at my age, that would be way too embarrassing and childish.

Mulling over future matters, Fia looked toward Anastasia. Anastasia was looking back at her, her slightly shimmering azure eyes filled with the joy of being accepted. A glistening drop even hung at the corner of her eye. She tightly gripped Fia’s hand, as if having crossed countless obstacles, they could never be separated again.

This is a rare opportunity. I’ll sleep with Anastasia tonight too. She’s the happiest one today.

A little celebration is in order.

Her own heart equally filled with joy, Fia called for the maids outside and ordered them to prepare a late-night snack and fruit wine. An atmosphere not loud but filled with happiness permeated the evening dining room.