Volume 1, Chapter 57 – Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea

After completing a simple disguise, Fia left the clinic with Claire.

It’s worth mentioning that, inspired by the Darkborn from the day before, Fia thought simply dyeing her black hair white with magic wasn’t secure enough. She considered using physical means, such as wearing a white wig, so even if someone used a revealing spell, she wouldn’t have to worry about being exposed.

However, Claire vetoed this plan—firstly, because the clinic didn’t have wigs, and secondly, because Claire had other methods of disguise.

For example, right now, Fia could see herself as a black-haired elf, but in the eyes of others, she appeared as a human girl with white hair tied into twin tails, her delicate face and occasionally fluttering eyes making her exceptionally endearing.

This wasn’t an illusion but the effect of a perception-concealing artifact.

The short staff Claire had given Fia was named [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea]. In addition to the standard effects of a magical staff, [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea] had the ability to make the wielder “unknowable” or to “only show others what the wielder wanted them to see” as long as magic was channeled into it.

In short, even if someone used detection magic on Fia, as long as she didn’t want them to, no one could uncover her true information. Alternatively, like now, she could make herself appear human in the eyes of others.

While perception-concealing artifacts usually had limits—if the opponent’s detection magic was too advanced, the artifact’s effects could fail—[Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea] was a top-tier magical item, meaning almost no one could see through Fia’s disguise.

That said, this appearance-altering effect wasn’t limitless. For example, Fia couldn’t use [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea] to disguise herself as a massive demon like the Horned Oxen tribe. The greater the physical disparity between the caster and the disguise, the more terrifying the mana cost, and the more flaws the magic would have.

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It was easy to understand—if Fia, standing at 140 centimeters, tried to disguise herself as a two-meter-tall person, passing through narrow spaces meant for smaller individuals would create bizarre, overlapping visuals.

Unlike yesterday, today Fia clearly noticed people on the street paying attention to her. The rate of turning heads wasn’t 100%, but it was close. Regardless of gender, people’s pupils would slightly dilate upon seeing her, followed by hushed conversations with companions and occasional discreet pointing. At first, Fia thought her disguise was flawed, but she soon realized it was simply because the elf princess’s appearance was too adorable.

As for why no one reacted this way yesterday—it was because this was the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, a country where humans were supreme, and elves were unwelcome.

At least I’m finally getting some princess treatment.

Not wanting to disappoint the compliments of passersby, Fia did her best to walk with the grace of a noble lady. Then she glanced at Claire beside her. For some reason, ever since breakfast, Claire had been in a noticeably cheerful mood—Fia even felt like she might burst into song at any moment.

Maybe she doesn’t realize it, but right now, we look like we’re on a date.

The thought made Fia’s breath hitch. To avoid awkwardness, she quickly spoke up to divert her attention.

“By the way, how did you convince the Pope of the Milcandis Holy Kingdom to request a divine oracle for you?”

The Pope in the Milcandis Holy Kingdom was equivalent to a king—no, even higher in status than the monarch of an imperial nation. The fact that Claire could enlist such a person’s help was nothing short of unbelievable.

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“Hmm?”

Claire tilted her head slightly, her tone light.

“After I helped them resolve a ‘Dead City,’ their Pope agreed to see me. Apparently, that city was once one of the largest in the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, but a Darkborn known as The Absolute Evil cast a forbidden necromancy spell there, turning the entire population into undead. So, they had no choice but to abandon it.”

“That death-ridden city became a major thorn in the Church’s side. Leaving undead unchecked meant they could persist for centuries—an intolerable stain on the Church’s reputation.”

“Couldn’t the Church handle the Dead City themselves?”

“They could, but at a great cost. Living beings entering a place saturated with death energy would unknowingly have their vitality drained. Once their vitality dropped below a certain threshold, their stamina would weaken until it was completely gone, leaving them helpless as they turned into undead.”

“Though the Milcandis Holy Kingdom’s divine magic could somewhat resist the death energy, a forbidden spell was still a forbidden spell. An average holy knight would be considered exceptional if they could last half a day inside, let alone while fighting tens of thousands of undead. Even I spent several days clearing them all out.”

“Several days…” Fia mulled over the words. “What rank of power do you have, Claire?”

Though Fia possessed Wind of Exploration, she had never used it to probe Claire’s condition.

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“I don’t know.” Claire shook her head lightly. “Everyone says I have no mana. Whether it’s high-level detection spells or artifacts, none can detect any mana in me. And yet, I can communicate effortlessly with elemental spirits, shaping them to my will. Haven’t you tried using Wind of Exploration on me?”

“No.”

“You can try now.”

With Claire’s permission, Fia’s ruby-like eyes turned cyan.

Just as Claire had said, in Wind of Exploration, Claire appeared as a deep purple—identical to the surrounding environment. This meant she had not a trace of mana, not even as much as an ordinary person.

“I’m a freak, right?”

Reading the result from Fia’s expression, Claire joked.

If you’re a freak, then so am I.

Fia responded silently in her heart.

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If Claire had no mana at all, then Fia had far too much. She had once used Wind of Exploration on herself, only for her eyes to nearly be blinded by the radiance. In Wind of Exploration, the closer the color was to red, the higher the mana capacity—but Fia appeared as a blazing white, so intense that the surroundings were dyed red, as if she were a walking sun.

It was so bizarre that Fia hadn’t even dared to tell Anastasia. Of course, part of it was because she hadn’t been able to reach her last night.

“Kill them!”

“Bring divine punishment upon them!”

“Slaughter these traitors!”

As they passed a plaza, deafening shouts suddenly erupted.

Instinctively, the two turned toward the source.

On a wooden stage, a priest was fervently riling up the crowd, while the audience below seethed with fury, fists raised as if they were moments away from charging the stage to beat the Darkborn-afflicted patients.

It was no different from a witch hunt.