Volume 8, Chapter 47 – The Exceptionally Proactive Queen

Although the ant tunnels were rugged, Fia returned to Claire’s side in less than two minutes. To her relief, Claire was fine. She was still sitting on the white cushion, smiling with one hand covering her mouth, clearly enjoying a pleasant conversation with the undead stationed there.

“Whew.”

As her tense heart relaxed, Fia had the opportunity to observe Claire’s back. Looking at her silver hair spreading behind her like liquid mercury, Claire did resemble the pure white fairy who had appeared before her. But Claire’s elegant and gentle temperament, in every gesture, was the complete opposite of the madness tinged with pitch-black emotions that the pure white fairy exuded. Claire, both inside and out, made one feel sacred, while the pure white fairy’s sacredness was only superficial.

Yet the horns and tail were just so happens to be the same as Claire’s. Apart from her facial features being more alluring and seductive, even her height and figure matched Claire’s.

Who could it be?

There was no one like this in her memory. Brooding over it wouldn’t yield results. Fia relaxed her face, tense from anxiety. She straightened her emerald-green dress and walked towards Claire with a light step.

“Hehe, Sir Knight really knows how to joke. I’m just an ordinary person, far from being comparable to Her Majesty the Queen of Death.”

“Miss, you’re the one joking. I just asked the others—it’s not just me, everyone feels a pressure similar to Her Majesty’s emanating from you. If you say you’re just an ordinary person, none of us will believe it.”

“Probably just an illusion?”

Confusion appeared on her beautiful, gentle face. Claire tilted her head slightly. Then she sensed Fia approaching, and joy immediately appeared in her clear emerald eyes as she stood up to greet Fia.

“Is Little Fia’s side finished?”

“Not yet. I encountered a little accident, so I came back to check.” Without directly mentioning her encounter, Fia glanced at the three nightmare knights who had stood up upon her arrival and asked curiously, “What were you all talking about?”

“They were asking if I was Lucitine’s sister.” Claire placed a hand on Fia’s shoulder, a wry smile on her face. “They also said they felt a pressure similar to Lucitine’s from me. I think it’s either because my strength is too high, or because I can also use demon language magic.”

The undead felt a pressure similar to Lucitine’s from Claire?

This new discovery set Fia’s thoughts racing.

She didn’t think the reason was as simple as Claire suggested. Her own strength was greater than Claire’s, yet the undead didn’t feel any pressure from her. And the guess that the pressure originated from demon language magic was even more nonsense. The undead had their own specialty in necromancy. Under normal circumstances, pressure only came from two sources: strength gap and innate bloodline.

Coupled with the earlier encounter with the pure white fairy whose appearance was almost identical to Claire’s, it was all too coincidental.

She really needed to ask Claire if she had any clues.

Fia’s tone became serious.

“Earlier, in the large cavity ahead, I encountered someone who looked very similar to Claire. Demon horns, a tail, and she seemed to like using ice crystal rapiers as weapons. Apart from slight differences in facial features, everything else was identical. Claire, do you have any idea who that could be?”

“…No.”

Confusion appeared in Claire’s eyes.

“Where is she now?”

“I dispersed her. She said she was a memory entity without even a soul, and that we would meet again.”

Fia didn’t mention the matter of a “fake.” She didn’t know who the girl was referring to as a fake, and she didn’t want Claire to overthink it.

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“A memory entity… isn’t that very similar to the Venexes Little Fia mentioned? Could it be that one of the Venexes escaped?”

“That can’t be, right?”

Fia’s words were filled with hesitation.

Claire had hit the mark. Indeed, according to what the girl said, her form of existence was very similar to the Venexes in the immortal sanctuary. If she really was a Venex from there, it would explain why she knew Fia could create suitable bodies and knew about her fiancée Claire—because Lucitine had already shared those memories with the Venexes.

However, the Venexes in the immortal sanctuary should logically be unable to leave that domain. Moreover, including the first Venex, all Venexes should look like Lucitine. How could they come to resemble Claire, with demon horns? It was puzzling.

Fia couldn’t help but recall the pure white fairy’s words: “Whenever you sincerely think of me, I’ll appear.” She closed her eyes and tried to recall the pure white fairy in her sea of consciousness. But after several seconds of thought, nothing changed in her surroundings.

Tch.

Only a fool would believe the enemy.

Fia began to inwardly chide herself for even considering trusting an enemy’s words. If it were really as the pure white fairy said, and she was always watching, wouldn’t this ability to appear anytime, anywhere be more efficient than teleportation magic?

For now, she should check on Lucitine’s side. Her own side was fine.

Sensing the troubled thoughts flickering in Fia’s ruby-like eyes, Claire gently squeezed Fia’s right hand with her own, concern appearing in her eyes.

“Is everything alright? When Little Fia says you ‘dispersed’ her, does that mean she’s dead?”

“I don’t know. I have a feeling she isn’t dead. Haa, anyway, her strength is far inferior to mine. As long as I’m usually more vigilant, it should be fine. Let’s go check on Lucitine’s side. If we visit the immortal sanctuary, we can find out if any Venex escaped.”

“Okay.”

With Claire’s agreement, the two bid farewell to the three nightmare knights guarding the passage and headed for the large cavity where Lucitine was.

By the time Fia arrived at Lucitine’s battlefield, the fighting was nearly over. Lucitine, as the Queen of Death, floated in the air overlooking the battlefield. Only small puddles of scattered Chaos masses remained in the large cavity. The undead warriors on the ground needed just a spell or two to burn the Chaos in those puddles to ashes. As a result, just like Fia’s side, almost no undead here were injured.

“Yo, looking good.”

“Fia? Claire’s here too? Your side is finished?”

Seeing Fia and Claire fly over, Lucitine, who had been wearing a stern expression, immediately switched to surprise.

Fia shrugged and smiled lightly.

“Pretty much.”

They were just ordinary Chaos, not enough to cause trouble for undead warriors who were at least Third Tier. She asked casually.

“What about your side?”

“Ran into a little trouble. These Chaos were harder to deal with than expected. Although there were no individuals like the Eye, the Chaos here seemed to be directed by someone, always finding weaknesses in our formation and seizing opportunities to attack me. A good strategy, unfortunately their strength wasn’t up to par. Otherwise, they might have actually caused me some trouble.”

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“Huh?”

“What is it?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

Fia shook her head, hiding her surprise. She had clearly told Milan not to direct the Eyes here. In their normal state, Chaos should only perform basic attacks and dodging; they weren’t supposed to have intelligence.

Maybe the Chaos Milan left here were of a slightly higher tier than ordinary Chaos, but not by much.

Fia’s gaze swept over Ruth, who was very conspicuous as she cleaned up the battlefield below. The large cavity was spread with various sized deep craters, as if carpet-bombed. This was probably Ruth’s or Lucitine’s handiwork.

“The Chaos nest wasn’t as strong as we imagined. The one we encountered first must have been more heavily garrisoned. Ruth said the reconnaissance team found traces of Chaos deeper down in the previous large cavity. That might be the Chaos’s main base. After we return, we’ll need to muster more elites and rest properly—What’s wrong? You keep staring at me.”

Alerted by Fia, Lucitine slightly averted her gaze. Her expression was very strange.

“How come Fia cares more about eliminating Chaos than I do, the Queen of Death?”

“The Chaos under the World Tree Continent are the real priority. If I don’t help Lucitine quickly deal with the Chaos here, dealing with the Chaos in the abyss will have to be postponed.”

“True.”

Lucitine smiled charmingly, put a hand on her hip, and exhaled lightly.

“This is all thanks to Fia. Without your help strategizing, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to annihilate two Chaos nests in one go. Especially me—I wouldn’t be standing here alive. You’re our hero. When we get back, I absolutely must tell everyone about Fia’s identity. It’ll just so happen to cure those people of their habit of discriminating against the living.”

“No need to make such a big deal out of it…”

If she had truly helped Lucitine, she wouldn’t refuse, but all of this was merely a trap she had set. Receiving praise from Lucitine would only deepen her guilt.

“It’s necessary. This is a larger annihilation than any during my reign. Going back, it will greatly boost morale. You deserve it.”

As she spoke, Lucitine extended her right hand towards Fia. Her queenly face was filled with seriousness and gratitude.

“On behalf of all the undead, I express my gratitude to you. In the future, when we fight the Chaos under the World Tree Continent, we will spare no effort.”

Fia looked at Lucitine’s outstretched hand for a moment, then extended her own right hand and clasped it with Lucitine’s.

“Mm.”

Not as individuals, but as leaders of their respective factions, they shook hands. Lucitine’s grip was steady and strong. Fia could clearly feel Lucitine’s sincerity—a promise from the bottom of her heart.

Yet Fia couldn’t reciprocate the same feeling.

The more sincere Lucitine was, the more Fia couldn’t lift her head, to the point where a faint regret surfaced in her heart. Why had she deceived Lucitine and betrayed her trust? Although everything was done for a better outcome, the process was too tormenting.

Let’s end this as soon as possible.

Unable to meet Lucitine’s eyes, Fia could only respond with a superficial smile.

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◇

As a result, the undead’s first siege of the Chaos nest ended in a complete victory.

When everyone returned from the anthill to the Interception Hall, the entire kingdom of the dead erupted. All the undead saw the undead warriors returning unscathed and victorious, as well as the satisfied expressions on the faces of the two rulers of the kingdom of the dead, Lucitine and Ruth. As the army’s messengers shouted out the results of their expedition, the long-waiting undead immediately cheered and leaped with joy. The undead had been plagued by Chaos for a long time—a fact known to all. Now, achieving a significant intermediate victory, they naturally wanted to celebrate loudly and praise the expeditionary warriors.

The sky above the kingdom of the dead, with its flowing auroras, was filled with floating luminous ghosts. On the ground, the undead spread the news from the Interception Hall. Soon, the streets Fia had previously thought were quiet and quaint were packed with skeletons and rotting zombies. They waved their arms wildly, fanatically greeting the victorious army on the roads, not forgetting to shout “ Oww! ” cheers.

Honestly, as a living person, Fia found the sight of thousands of rotting skeletons and zombies crowded by the roadside waving their arms quite terrifying—the undead’s limbs could rotate at angles that defied human limits, making them look broken. But influenced by the enthusiasm reverberating in the air, even the terrifying scene stirred a warmth in one’s heart. Especially when along the way, several undead gave her handmade crafts, making Fia feel, “Ah, so I’ve been accepted by the undead too.”

Additionally, colorful magic flashed through the air from time to time, as the undead used magic to simulate falling petals. Although these magical imitations were very rough and couldn’t withstand close scrutiny, they were good enough for the atmosphere. If not for the lack of floats and the ever-present starry sky with flowing auroras, the busy, lively scene might have made Fia think she was in the surface world.

Although they were undead, they had essentially once lived in the world of the living. Many habits followed the traditions of that world. From this perspective, the undead weren’t so detestable.

“Hey, look! That elf and the human beside her—their bodies are as intact as Her Majesty’s, and they’re standing next to Her Highness the Princess?!”

“Must be incredibly strong. But I haven’t heard of anyone like that recently—wait, could it be that Her Highness the Queen from a while back? A living person?”

“Keep your voice down! The Lord Thirteen Attendants said the ‘queen’ thing was a misunderstanding and has been cleared up. That elf lady is our helper. Not only did she single-handedly rescue Her Majesty when she was ambushed, she also annihilated an entire Chaos nest with Ninth-Tier magic. She’s an incredible magic caster!”

Hearing this proud explanation, the cheering crowd instantly showed surprise and admiration. The way they looked at Fia became respectful.

“No… no wonder she can stand next to Her Highness the Princess. To think such a powerful living person exists outside…”

Fia certainly didn’t miss these voices. Even someone who didn’t care for fame felt happy being respected. The serious part of her heart gradually relaxed, replaced by enjoyment of the festive atmosphere. She also learned from Ruth beside her and smiled, waving. As if sensing Fia’s ease, Lucitine, walking at the very front of the procession and also the most popular, turned back and said teasingly.

“Fia is being welcomed. This is the respect you deserve.”

“Oh? I’m a living person, just walking beside you like this. Won’t that make those extremists dissatisfied?”

Lucitine widened her eyes and raised her eyebrows.

“Then let them help me eliminate Chaos and see if they have even one percent of Fia’s usefulness! Once I say that, they’ll back off. Whether living or undead, one must have self-awareness.”

As she finished speaking, Lucitine looked at the sides of the road. The army had unwittingly arrived at a relatively spacious small square. Quite a few people were gathered here, and their clothing was more orderly than the people at the Interception Hall, seemingly among the higher-status dead.

Suddenly, Lucitine stopped. She grabbed Fia’s wrist, trying to raise Fia’s hand. But because she was much taller than Fia, Fia’s arm went straight up, while hers couldn’t reach the highest point. She simply muttered a quiet “excuse me” to Fia, slid her hands under Fia’s armpits, and as Fia’s eyes widened in surprise, lifted her and lightly placed her on a skeletal horse beside her. Then, disregarding her dignity, she raised Fia’s wrist high and declared loudly.

“This is Princess Dofilia Alexia Yushir of the Elf Kingdom of Silvar, and also my invited guest. If not for Dofilia’s help a few days ago, I and the Thirteen Attendants would have fallen in a sudden Chaos attack. It is thanks to Dofilia’s help that we were able to return victorious today. Although she is a living person, she is even more so a hero to us undead. I, Venex Ravi Tartaros, Queen of the Wall of Sighs and the Kingdom of Death, hereby declare that Dofilia shall hold a status second only to me in the kingdom of the dead. This is my gift in return for Dofilia’s help despite our past differences!”

After this solemn and dignified declaration, the undead in the square and on the streets instantly fell silent. Fia’s pointed elf ears quickly flushed crimson, and she whispered urgently.

“Hey, put me down quickly. You didn’t need to say something like that publicly.”

“No. This must be made clear today.”

Rarely contradicting Fia, Lucitine maintained the posture of raising Fia’s right arm. She assumed the awe-inspiring expression befitting the Queen of Death and continued her declaration.

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“Furthermore, Dofilia’s personal charm is unlike anything I have ever seen. These few days together have made me lose my heart to Dofilia. I recognize her strength and character, and I hope to accompany her until the moment my soul fades away. From now on, anyone who is rude to Dofilia will be questioning me, the Queen of Death, herself!”

This statement was even more explosive than the previous one. The initially silent undead unanimously opened their mouths wider and wider, to the point of exceeding the limits of human anatomy. Fia even saw one skeleton’s head fall off with a clatter.

The eerie silence lasted a full five seconds—even Fia was frozen motionless by this public confession. Finally, led by someone unknown, sporadic applause sounded in the square. Then the applause infected others. More and more applause, accompanied by cheering howls, rang out. Finally, the entire undead world was filled with even more excited and fervent emotions than before. Cries of “Queen! It really is the Queen! The Queen of Death is born!” and “A match made in heaven!” echoed through the crowd.

Although Fia had many things she wanted to say and explain at this moment, the one thing she most wanted to complain about was: after all this going around in circles, she ended up as queen again?

Of course, Fia also knew that the meaning of “queen” here was completely different from the initial misunderstanding, and it was a title the undead had imagined for themselves. Lucitine had only said she was “drawn to,” not that she wanted Fia to be her queen.

But even so, you sneak attacker, Lucitine! This is too shameless!

Fia could already feel the dense resentment radiating from Ruth behind her, dark enough to turn a living person undead.

Worse still, Claire was also here.

Fia carefully rolled her eyes to look at Claire. She found Claire smiling, her eyes curved, looking at her. But for some reason, Fia felt her skin crawl, as if she had thorns on her back.

Not good.

This time, Claire didn’t seem to be on her side.

No, ultimately, this was Lucitine’s unilateral action. It had nothing to do with her. She was innocent.

Unable to provoke either woman, Fia could only glare viciously at Lucitine, who had lifted her onto the skeletal horse. Although the latter still maintained the dignity of the Queen of Death in public, Fia distinctly noticed Lucitine’s guilty conscience. Just like she didn’t dare look at Claire and Ruth, this woman completely avoided meeting my gaze!

I’ll have to punish her properly later.

Just as Fia was thinking this, Afla of the Thirteen Attendants, as if trying to curry favor, was the first to shout.

“Long live Her Majesty the Queen! Long live Her Highness the Queen!”

The sound instantly awakened everyone. Everyone began to flatter Lucitine and Fia, shouting.

“Long live Her Majesty the Queen! Long live Her Highness the Queen!”

Then, these voices became more and more concentrated. In the end, the entire world was left with only one sound resonating in unison.

“””Long live Her Majesty the Queen! Long live Her Highness the Queen! Long live Her Majesty the Queen! Long live Her Highness the Queen!!!”””

Even after Fia, embarrassed and flushed, had left the square, the voices still continued like relentless waves, spreading from the left side of the city to the right with overwhelming force. And as time passed, these voices spawned variations, such as quiet murmurs of “The blushing Queen is so cute” and “So Her Majesty likes the petite type.”

What couldn’t be changed was that all the undead offered their sincere blessings to this couple that wasn’t really a couple. The ever-silent kingdom of the dead, on this day, welcomed an unprecedented lively celebration.