Volume 8, Chapter 70 – Realization, and Enemy Attack

Even after returning to Blossom, Lucitine’s expression didn’t brighten. Whether it was her sluggish reaction to Fia’s attempts at conversation, or her small actions of completely not daring to look Fia in the eye while speaking, all these actions signaled to Fia that Lucitine had discovered something and was anxious about it.

Fia considered asking Lucitine the reason, but Lucitine was acting like this, clearly trapped in a dilemma of “I sense something has happened, but for some reason, I can’t put it into words.” The reason preventing her from speaking the truth might be that saying it would damage her relationship with Fia, or it might cause her to lose face entirely. In short, Lucitine naturally had her reasons for not speaking out. Inquiring directly would embarrass them both.

It would be better to inquire indirectly.

“Going back to the kingdom of the dead now? But Fia’s ceremony isn’t finished yet…”

Facing Lucitine’s stern command, the anticipation on Ruth’s face instantly solidified.

During the time Fia was away at the second Nursery, Ruth, alone in the magic testing ground, was filled with joy. She circled the sarcophagus, admiring the young girl’s body soaking in the medicinal solution. Finally, like a child longing for a doll in a shop window, she lay prone on the edge of the sarcophagus, pressing her entire face against it, unable to look enough. She deeply engraved every part of her body into her soul. She not only looked forward to sleeping and tasting sweetness but also fantasized about how happy life would be if she were with the person she loved, walking hand in hand by the seaside under the Holy Tree’s light.

Therefore, when she excitedly welcomed Fia back, only to receive Lucitine’s order that she must immediately return to the kingdom of the dead for standby, the expectation in her heart was instantly doused with cold water. Her joyful expression turned bitter.

As if not seeing Ruth’s expression change, Lucitine, using her height advantage, looked down at her and commanded sternly.

“You’ve lived as an undead for five hundred years. Can’t you endure even this short while? The ceremony can be held anytime. Listen to me first..”

“Yes…”

Like a frostbitten eggplant, Ruth’s expression wilted along with her shoulders.

Fia timely inserted herself between them, observing Lucitine’s expression change without changing her own expression.

“Soul fusion into the body takes at most ten-odd minutes. Can’t Lucitine wait a little? You yourself said, without living as an undead, one doesn’t know the wonder of being alive. Now that the opportunity is right before her, making Ruth wait is too much. What’s so urgent anyway?”

“Ugh.”

Lucitine’s breath caught.

Fia’s question hit the nail on the head. She swallowed and averted her gaze.

“…Just a small matter.”

“No small matter requires sending Ruth back.”

As she spoke, Fia placed her hand on Ruth’s shoulder. The latter, seeing Fia plead for her, had her previously dimmed gaze sparkle with hope again.

Unfortunately, Lucitine was unmoved. She stood straight, her tone firm.

“No. Now is when the kingdom of the dead needs her. Fia, I need to ask you for another favor. Send Ruth and me back to the kingdom of the dead. I have things to attend to.”

“Hmm…”

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Lucitine’s resolute gaze seemed to say, “If you don’t send me back, I’ll fly back even if I have to.” Of course, Fia knew Lucitine wasn’t being stubborn with her; she definitely had a purpose.

Stared down by a Queen of Death a head taller than her, even Fia felt nothing, but Ruth beside her was intimidated into silence by the aura. She said with a slightly aggrieved tone.

“Fia, just send Mother and me back.”

“I can, but—”

HUMMM—

Without warning, a hum like a triangle vibrating echoed through the space. It wasn’t a sound nearby, but one far away, high above them. Both Fia and Lucitine could feel their bodies grow heavier. It wasn’t an increase in gravity, but the pressure created by vast magical power condensing above their heads.

Ruth, relatively weaker, even felt a fear from the depths of her soul, as if an ancient giant beast was staring at her through time. She subconsciously drew her weapon and assumed a combat stance—a magnificent longsword similar to the scales sword.

Someone was using large-scale magic above the royal city? But even a demon of Helian’s level couldn’t use magic within the range of the [Citadel of Silence].

If someone were overlooking Blossom City from above at this moment, they would see a massive, scarlet magic circle enveloping the entire royal city condensing. This magic circle, outlined by numerous mysterious runes, was hidden within the thick clouds, invisible to people on the ground. However, the fact was that the sky was already dyed a hair-raising scarlet by the magic circle. Even though the circle rotated extremely slowly, it still felt like a world-destroying force.

The moment Fia sensed the magical pressure, everyone in Blossom City was startled awake by the omen of magic. An inexplicable shudder rose in their hearts, making them restless. They poured out onto the streets.

Then, this pressure dissipated just as abruptly as it appeared.

This was, of course, not the user canceling the spell themselves, but being forcibly interrupted.

“Tch.”

Narrowly dodging the pitch-black curse that grazed her scalp, the pure white fairy, wand raised high, clicked her tongue heavily. Her gaze fixed on the silver-haired girl standing in mid-air a dozen meters away.

Although the silver-haired girl had an elegant, stunning appearance like a moon elf, her stance—holding one black and one red one-handed sword—gave a feeling of pressure as solid as a city wall. Just looking at her inspired a sense of invincibility.

The pure white fairy’s appearance shifted. She took the form of a white-haired Fia and faced Claire.

“Oh? I was wondering who it was. It’s Claire. That magic just now was [Instant Death]? How ruthless, and yet you and I both use demon language magic.”

“You weren’t holding back either, were you? You know the consequences once [Wand of Destruction] is used. I don’t know who you are, but that doesn’t stop me from killing you.”

Facing the pure white fairy’s provocation, Claire’s expression didn’t change at all. Her clear emerald eyes narrowed slightly. Both the red and black one-handed swords in her hands condensed magic simultaneously.

Sensing the magic condensing on Claire’s swords, the pure white fairy’s expression shifted. From the magical fluctuations within, she sensed that the demon before her was also an existence exceeding the specifications of this world, similar to Fia.

Damn it.

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Why were the two people who should be sworn enemies standing together? No, this aura… not an ordinary demon!

Demon Lord Tartaros?

A name surfaced in the pure white fairy’s mind. She observed Claire seriously for the first time. Her expression grew even uglier.

She indeed had never seen horns like Claire’s. However, the black and red one-handed swords in Claire’s hands were identical to those of the Demon Lord named Tartaros in her memories.

How did the Demon Lord come to this world?

The pure white fairy cursed again inwardly. She tried her best to maintain composure and said casually.

“Can you really bring yourself to strike against me in this form? Don’t you think you’ll regret killing your most important person for the rest of your life? Even if I’m not the real Dofilia, you are still swinging a weapon at someone who looks identical to Dofilia. This will become a mental demon troubling you for life.”

“Oh?”

Quite rarely, Claire let out a mocking laugh. However, even with mockery, her expression as she covered her mouth with one hand and chuckled was still stunningly beautiful.

“Little Fia would never make an evil expression like yours. You can imitate Little Fia’s appearance, but you can never imitate her temperament and demeanor. My Little Fia is far more excellent than you—!”

The moment she finished speaking, Claire disappeared from the pure white fairy’s field of vision with a truly instantaneous [Blink]. The latter’s internal alarm bells blared. She immediately swung her wand back like a spear, but Claire hadn’t teleported behind her. She appeared above her.

Without magical enhancements, Claire simply thrust her blue sword towards the pure white fairy’s head. The pure white fairy couldn’t even feel any force behind the blue sword; it seemed as harmless as a feather.

But she didn’t dare take it lightly. Ten thousand years had made her forget many things, but the fear that the name Demon Lord etched into her heart remained undiminished. She changed her appearance again, turning into a mass of white mist, hoping to evade Claire’s thrust. However, she forgot the ability of this black-based, blue-cracked one-handed sword.

To reverse cause and effect: once swung, it inevitably inflicts damage.

Even though the pure white fairy had turned into mist, the black one-handed sword still inflicted a fatal wound upon her.

“Urgh!”

Without a thought of pity, the moment the pure white fairy’s body froze, Claire swung the already-prepared red one-handed sword. The red sword, trailing an afterimage, slowly yet irresistibly sliced through the pure white fairy. At the same time, its effect of absorbing magic power and vitality blossomed. The pure white fairy’s body rapidly dimmed, while the red blade burst with dazzling red light in the night sky.

“Bastard!”

“Regret in hell.”

Offering a eulogy to the pure white fairy in a cold tone, Claire forcefully twisted the red longsword embedded in the pure white fairy’s body. The pure white fairy instantly shattered into particles of light under the twisting force.

There was no scream, not even the feeling of having killed the opponent. Claire frowned at the twin swords in her hands.

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Just as Fia had felt before, Claire also sensed that she hadn’t completely killed the other party.

“Claire!”

“That again?!”

Fia and Lucitine’s voices rang out one after another. The moment they sensed the magical pressure, they immediately flew towards the sky where the magical reaction was strongest. The result was witnessing Claire dispatching the pure white fairy.

Without asking, Fia knew that the one who had used magic was the pure white fairy, and Claire, who had been in the royal city, had stopped her.

Retracting the twin swords into the void, Claire exhaled lightly.

“Fia, do you know that attacker? The magic she used just now was [Wand of Destruction] from the demon language. Once used, it could at least destroy the entire royal city. You can’t use this magic without Ninth-Tier strength. Being able to use demon language and knowing the relationship between you and me…”

Claire trailed off. Her implication was clear. The only person in this world matching the conditions was Lucitine.

“Failing to seduce Fia, she turns to threatening Fia with her family out of anger…”

Lucitine closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her expression dark. When she opened her eyes again, her pure pink pupils held only a cold sharpness that felt unfamiliar. Fia couldn’t help but feel this was the true face of the Queen of Death.

“Fia, please send Ruth and me back. I have a bad premonition.”

“What bad premonition?”

Lucitine didn’t answer. Her lips were tightly pressed together, her face covered in shame.

You’ve been hiding something all along. At least tell me.

Although she complained inwardly, Fia could already read everything from Lucitine’s expression. She didn’t press further. Instead, a very simple plan formed in her mind. Using [Message], she asked Claire to protect the royal city while she was away. Then she slowly nodded to Lucitine.

“Okay.”

◇

The Kingdom of the Dead.

Recently, the kingdom of the dead has undergone many changes. This novelty made even the Thirteen Attendants, normally high and mighty in the eyes of ordinary undead, feel quite unaccustomed to it.

The most significant change was that the Queen of Death frequently left the kingdom of the dead. This was unprecedented in the ten-thousand-year history.

Take now for example: with the queen gone, the Thirteen Attendants didn’t know what to do. Continuing to stand guard by the throne would make them look idle, after all, guarding the throne was to protect the queen. If the queen wasn’t there, standing guard was practically loafing on the job under the guise of work. However, if they weren’t by the throne, they could easily be misunderstood as derelict of duty. Under these circumstances, they had to maintain a strange understanding: staying in the hall while doing things that interested them—interrogating Afla.

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This “interrogation” wasn’t literal. Twelve of the Thirteen Attendants were undead without sensation. Most of them had long forgotten what pain felt like. So interrogating Afla couldn’t make them feel the meaning of punishment. Not to mention they didn’t dare to interrogate her. Lucitine had publicly declared the matter of Afla becoming a living person closed. Since the queen had issued the decree, pointing fingers at Afla again would be disrespectful to the queen.

Therefore, this “interrogation” meant making Afla taste and touch various indescribable things.

Unlike Lucitine and Ruth, the Thirteen Attendants had experience as living beings. To say they didn’t want to know what sweetness tasted like again would certainly be a lie. But if it meant becoming a lowly living being just to taste sweetness, that was going too far. So having Afla experience things and tell them her thoughts was the best option.

This only made things hard for Afla.

The kingdom of the dead was filled with death energy. Food brought here would instantly rot and mold. Flowers would wither in the blink of an eye. So what appeared before Afla were often moldy green foods. Forget eating them; she didn’t even want to touch them. But she didn’t dare say so. She was already the junior among the Thirteen Attendants, and now she was the only living being. Now that her companions had finally accepted her change, refusing their requests might cause the previous expulsion to happen again.

So even unwillingly, Afla would muster the courage to eat.

The only thing to be thankful for now was that this body’s digestive system was abnormally good. Several days had passed, and Afla hadn’t experienced any stomachaches or indigestion.

“Uh…”

Facing the blackened, stark white bones placed on the table, Afla’s face turned green. With her rich experience, she could tell the bone before her was a humanoid arm, and one that had been buried in a grave for quite some time. Having her eat moldy, bitter cookies she could accept; those were still food. But making her crush bones with her teeth like a dog was simply an inhumane torture.

Getting closer, Afla could even smell the thick corpse odor emanating from the bone, indistinguishable from a rotten rat.

Her colleagues had finally stopped being human.

“What’s wrong? Doesn’t it taste good?”

One of the Thirteen Attendants, a butler-like man, asked with concern. He was actually simply curious about what bones tasted like. But to Afla’s ears, it sounded like dissatisfaction. She felt her companions were dissatisfied with her slacking.

She didn’t dare defy their urging. She grabbed the bone from the table, tears welling in her eyes. Suppressing her fear, she swallowed hard and answered tremblingly.

“I’ll eat… I’ll eat…”

However, just as Afla was getting emotional, wistfully thinking about how many teeth she would lose, an earth-shattering explosion suddenly erupted in the distance. Following that, a large amount of dust shook loose from the ceiling, and violent tremors made it difficult to stand. If not for the palace being reinforced after the pure white fairy’s previous attack, the walls would have collapsed from the violent shaking.

“Enemy attack? That attacker from before again?”

The Thirteen Attendants immediately entered combat mode. They stood up together. Tension spread among them as the clang of drawn weapons filled the air.

“Outside, all of you! We must not let the one who attacked Her Majesty escape! Any further failure must be atoned for with death!”

“Agreed!”