Volume 8, Chapter 78 – Epilogue (illust.)

By the time Fia returned to the kingdom of the dead from Blossom with Ruth and Afla, a full day had passed.

It was still that same vast gray hall, but the people standing within were no longer just the Thirteen Attendants. A great number of undead whose names Fia didn’t know had gathered here, standing in four columns on either side of the hall. Nearly every undead face wore a solemn expression. Fia’s [Wind of Exploration] reported that not a single undead here was below the Fifth Rank—they were all powerful warriors of the kingdom.

Another noteworthy point: outside the gray hall, many large undead creatures that couldn’t enter were lined up, such as the bone dragons and leviathans Fia had seen before. However, with attendants specifically responsible for relaying the Queen of Death’s words in real time, there was no worry about them feeling unengaged.

As for Fia, she stood behind a side door of the gray hall, stealthily peeking her head out to peer into the deathly silent hall. This side door was the passage specifically for Lucitine to ascend to the throne. At this moment, Lucitine was still making final preparations for “holding court,” with attendants tidying her appearance not far behind Fia. Besides Lucitine, Ruth also stood here. The undead had no concept of holding court; the Queen of Death’s word alone was imperial decree. The reason Fia used “holding court” to describe it was because Lucitine, for the first time ever, felt insecure about her appearance.

Fia withdrew her peeping head and instead urged Lucitine, who was still flustered under the adorning of three or four maids behind her.

“Lucitine, aren’t you ready yet? They’ve been waiting out there for a quarter hour.”

“Isn’t this strand of hair not braided properly?”

“It’s just one strand. Who would notice that? And why are you so nervous? From my perspective, you’re already dressed more queenly than a queen—beautiful to the point of flawlessness.”

Fia wasn’t exaggerating. The current Lucitine was indeed very beautiful. Though the main tone of her attire was still black, whether it was the black veil covering most of her pink hair or the high-slit gown sliding from her jade-like shoulders down to her alluring ankles, it had become much more intricate and magnificent. The golden ornaments on the gown continuously emitted sparkling radiance, enveloping Lucitine in the mysterious tone of an ancient queen. Paired with a layer of weightless white gauze draped over the gown, if placed in an elf noble banquet, Lucitine would instantly draw countless gazes from both men and women the moment she appeared.

And if you added the luxurious snow-white barely contained by the gown’s bodice, and the slender waist deliberately accentuated by the corset, along with the long, shapely legs occasionally revealed from the slightly swaying high-slit gown, adorned by white thigh-high stockings—the level of attention would rise to nobles pursuing her on the spot with confessions of love. Fia even felt that if Yulisha didn’t know Lucitine, upon seeing her for the first time, she would immediately find a way to get Lucitine’s contact information, then urge Fia to quickly get to know this extremely excellent consort candidate.

This wasn’t a joke. Lucitine’s development was on par with Anastasia’s, and in terms of status, she had the extra title of Queen of Death. If Anastasia could be described as a gentle woman with near maternal warmth, then Lucitine could be said to be dignified, reliable-looking, radiating a maternal glow that made one want to rely on her.

Of course, this was strictly based on appearance. In any case, Fia was certain that Yulisha would naturally have a good impression of Lucitine.

Shaking her head to dispel these random thoughts, Fia crossed her arms and quite seriously looked Lucitine up and down.

“Alright, you’re already very beautiful. If Lucitine’s appearance spread to the elf kingdom, suitors could line up from the royal city gates all the way to the outskirts of Blossom. Honestly, those undead don’t even dare raise their heads to look at you. I don’t know why you’re afraid. When you first called me to the border of the Netherworld to make me your queen, I never saw you this nervous, and you weren’t even wearing formal attire. This is the first time I’ve seen you dressed so grandly.”

Receiving Fia’s praise, Lucitine’s tense expression gradually brightened. She lifted both sides of her skirt with her hands, looking at herself left and right in amazement.

“This was the other Venexes’ suggestion. They said dressing like this looks better. If Fia likes it, I’ll always dress like this from now on.”

“This kind of clothing that looks complicated to put on is such a hassle. Lucitine doesn’t need to force yourself. We should be going out soon. Suddenly having me bring Ruth back to the kingdom of the dead without telling me why, and summoning so many people to the hall—it’s so mysterious, not like you at all.”

As she spoke, Fia looked toward Ruth, who stood nearby, also dressed in formal attire. Unfortunately, standing next to the more maturely developed Lucitine, Ruth appeared quite thin. Moreover, Ruth seemed to know what was about to happen; her expression was as unnatural as Lucitine’s had been earlier, constantly confirming something in hushed tones with the equally nervous Afla.

“You’ll know in a little while, Fia,” Lucitine winked one eye, feigning mystery. She waved away the maid making final adjustments, then took a deep breath, adjusting her expression. “Ruth, it’s time to enter.”

“…Yes, Mother.”

Like a student called upon to answer a question by the teacher, Ruth’s body instantly tensed. Stiffly, she followed Lucitine, taking a step forward.

And Fia, whom Lucitine had particularly emphasized should enter the hall with her, chose to walk alongside Ruth.

Strictly speaking, Fia wasn’t the type to kick someone when they were down. She was very kind and inclined to sympathize with the weak. But this rule didn’t apply to Ruth. Seeing Ruth’s apprehensive face, far from comforting her, Fia curled her lips, deliberately nudged Ruth’s shoulder from below with her own, and put on a thoroughly irritating tone.

“What’s wrong? Want Mama to help you? It’s not too late to call me Mama Fia now, you know?”

“Tch. I’m not going to bother with you.”

“Come on, come on, tell me what you and Lucitine discussed. Was it an order for you to marry me? No wonder you look so unwilling. Rest assured, Lady Ruth, in married life I’ll properly entertain you along with Claire and the others. I’ll prepare a collar and leash for you, and promise to take you out shopping every day. Oh, and now that Ruth has a living body, you can have babies too. We’ll start with nightly revelry—”

“You!”

“Ah, you’re going to hit me.”

Veins bulged on Ruth’s forehead. Face flushed crimson, she raised her fist, her knuckles continuously letting out cracking sounds from excessive force. But as Fia stepped through the side door first, in the hall so quiet that even breathing was inaudible, Ruth was forced to suppress her anger, lest she make any sound. She mouthed the curse “Just you wait” at Fia.

Then, Lucitine and the other three, including Afla, step by step ascended the platform where the throne stood.

Taking in the sight of the undead below, their heads deeply bowed, Lucitine’s expression was solemn as she calmly spoke.

“All of you, raise your heads. I’ve gathered everyone today not to announce the cooperation with the elves passed down through the Thirteen Attendants, but for another major change.”

At Lucitine’s command, the variously featured undead looked up. Curiosity and doubt hung on every face. Lucitine’s gaze fell upon Afla. Seeming to understand something, Afla stepped forward to Lucitine’s side at the right moment. However, Afla’s face was pale, her hands even slightly trembling, clearly very frightened.

“First, I announce that with Fia’s help, Afla, one of the Thirteen Attendants, has regained her living status. Now she can feel the temperature and taste food.”

“What…”

“How could she side with those insects?”

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“The Thirteen Attendants have betrayed us!”

Just as when the Thirteen Attendants first learned Afla had become living, the undead in the hall expressed their resentment. However, because Lucitine was present, and Fia was also a living being, they didn’t erupt into fervent shouting, merely murmuring in noisy discussion. The crowd swayed left and right for a moment.

Until Lucitine’s next words rang out. She sent Afla aside, then pulled the stiff-faced Ruth to her side.

“Second matter. Ruth has also transformed into living with Fia’s help. From now on, she will serve as our representative in the elf kingdom Silvar, becoming, along with Afla, an envoy to help us communicate with the living. Chaos is too powerful; we need to combat it together with the living. For this, we must have an envoy with sufficient strength to communicate with them.”

“This…”

The noisy hall instantly fell silent. The undead who had been chattering moments ago looked at each other in dismay. If it’s The Thirteen Attendants they could still criticize, but when the subject was Ruth, Princess of the Kingdom of Death, even if they had ten thousand grievances, they had to keep them bottled inside.

They stealthily peered at Ruth on the platform. Ruth stood straight, her expression taut. Her face, similar to Lucitine’s, carried an aura of command without anger. Those beautiful pink eyes seemed to glare at everyone, to the point that fear surfaced in the undead’s eyes, their ghostly blue flames violently shaken. Especially those who had moments ago said becoming living was betraying the undead—they wished they could cut out their non-existent tongues, tightly lowering their heads, terrified of being noticed by Ruth.

“Th-this can’t be helped… The princess made sacrifices to combat Chaos.”

“Yes, the princess’s sacrifice is too great.”

“How can the undead be so easily transformed into living…”

As the tide changed, Fia, standing to the side and rear, noticed that Ruth’s seeming glare had relaxed.

So it was the nervousness about being publicly known as a living being.

Even Ruth fears being criticized by her subordinates.

Amused inwardly, Fia silently watched events unfold. She guessed that if she wasn’t mistaken, next should be Lucitine herself announcing that she had become living. Her own past lie had been exposed, teaching Lucitine a vivid lesson. Now that Afla and Ruth had already paved the way, of course it was Lucitine’s turn to explain.

Sure enough, Lucitine’s solemn expression softened somewhat. She gently pushed Ruth aside and proactively stepped forward.

The undead all froze, unsure what Lucitine was about to do.

Until Lucitine explained, word by word, without any hesitation.

“Finally, I too have long since become living with Fia’s help.”

“Uh.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Even Her Majesty the Queen…”

As if not hearing the undead’s exclamations, Lucitine stood expressionless, speaking calmly.

“For tens of thousands of years, I never experienced what it’s like to be living. Warmth, sweetness, even the feeling of pain—all were foreign to me. Fia told me what they feel like. Whether warmth or sweetness, they are new, happy experiences for me. You who have lived before should know how alluring they are.”

No one objected. The undead gradually quieted.

Quietly sighing in relief, Lucitine’s tone became even more relaxed.

“Precisely because of this, I initially invited Fia to the kingdom of the dead as a guest. I wanted to thank her in person. Though some misunderstandings arose along the way, leading you to believe I wanted to make Fia my queen, fortunately everything was peacefully resolved. After that, Fia successively helped me solve many troubles, including, as you’ve seen, eliminating that Chaos whose power rivaled a god. Admittedly, the process had its bumps, even unpleasantness, but as a result, Fia is a hero to all us undead. If not for Fia, the entire kingdom of the dead would have been destroyed.”

The undead’s gazes began focusing on Fia, making her, who had wanted to cheer Lucitine on, nervous. For some reason, she had a bad feeling.

As if prophesied, Lucitine suddenly turned around, her pure pink eyes pointing directly at Fia. She very naturally walked toward Fia, then pulled the stiff-faced Fia to the very front of the platform.

“What I want to say is, Fia is not only a hero to us undead, but also my hero. Whether her figure when combating Chaos, or her wisdom in patiently guiding me to deeply understand the world of the living, I am deeply captivated by her. She is like a lighthouse guiding my way; I can barely move forward without watching Fia.”

Having said this, Lucitine, nearly two heads taller than Fia, turned around. She used her fair hands to hold Fia’s delicate right hand, gazing deeply into Fia’s eyes. But Fia could clearly sense that Lucitine was not as at ease as she appeared. Her warm hands were trembling, as if in fear and nervousness.

“Though I confessed to Fia in the past, Fia told me that was an immature idea. I merely knew Fia as the only living person, and since Fia was very kind to me, I mistakenly mistook closeness for liking. Only after getting to know more people and understanding this world better could she take my feelings seriously. At the time, I didn’t understand what Fia meant. I thought that as long as I persisted, I could eventually win her over. But it turns out, Fia was right. I was terribly wrong.”

“You don’t have to go this far in front of everyone…”

Fia explained in a voice only Lucitine could hear. Being held hand-in-hand by Lucitine in front of so many people, and deeply gazed at, even Fia felt embarrassed.

Lucitine seriously corrected her, not even lowering her voice.

“No, I have to make this clear. Otherwise, by the time you leave for Dragonfall, I won’t have another chance to give you my heart.”

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“Saying ‘give you my heart’ is also…”

Too embarrassing.

Lucitine still stubbornly, bravely continued.

“When I drove you away, Fia, and was ambushed by that pure white fairy, I thought I would die there. That was the most desperate moment since I gained consciousness. In my impulse, I thought I had forever lost the chance to beg for your forgiveness. But in that instant, you answered my wish and appeared before me. Not only did you drive away the pure white fairy like a hero, but you also treated me without holding grudges. When I woke up, how I hoped you would still be by my side. But Ruth told me you had already left.”

“Learning the answer, I suddenly felt as if a large piece of my heart had been dug out. I became restless, not knowing what to do. That was when I finally realized—I had already reached a point where I couldn’t be without you. Unknowingly, you have become indispensable to me. Especially when I emerged from the Wall of Sighs and flew all the way to Blossom, I spent the entire journey regretting and worrying—what if you were angry and wouldn’t accept my apology? By then, I had already resolved that even if I had to kneel for a long time before your palace, I would obtain your forgiveness no matter what. It was my arrogance that made me lose you. I had to have your forgiveness.”

Lucitine’s tone grew even more serious. Using her left palm, larger than Fia’s, she cupped Fia’s right hand, while her own right hand gently covered the back of Fia’s hand. The warmth, combined with Lucitine’s deep affection, left Fia momentarily unsure how to react. She could only stand there dumbfounded, utterly unable to face Lucitine’s piercing gaze from above.

“What I want to say is, Fia, now I realize how important you are to me. I was too frivolous in the past, but now I can honestly and proudly say—I finally understand what true liking and love are. My heart is already tied to you. I want to entrust my heart to you…”

Slowly, disregarding her queenly status, Lucitine held Fia’s hands with both of hers and knelt on one knee before Fia. Those pure pink eyes slightly shimmered, filled with sincerity and truth. The surging emotions in her chest no longer permitted her to stop here. The feelings long bottled up transformed into flames igniting in her heart. Word by word, in a voice all undead could hear, she pleaded.

“I love you, Fia. Will you be my queen?”

The entire world fell silent.

Even for Fia.

Her face flushed crimson in an instant. As her nerves stretched to their limit, she became unable to perceive the undead’s presence. Her brain burned so hot she couldn’t cool down, to the point her pointed elf ears turned completely red, continuously emitting dizzying buzzing sounds.

Being confessed to publicly wasn’t new, but being confessed to in front of so many people, and asked to be queen—that was absolutely a first.

“I…”

Fia opened her mouth, only to find her voice had unconsciously gone off-key. Her face burned so hot she could feel the blood vessels pulsing beneath her skin—everyone must have witnessed her embarrassing state, she thought. But she had no time to care about that. The one kneeling before her, slightly shorter than herself, was the more crucial person—Lucitine.

Calm down… must calm down…

Fia continuously calmed her heart. She began asking herself a question: honestly, did I like Lucitine?

This question echoed in her heart. Fia recalled Lucitine being angry, adorably foolish, mercilessly sharp toward enemies, and the dignified queen commanding the undead moments ago. All these drew her gaze. But was that alone enough reason to agree?

As if nervous about Fia’s panic, Lucitine swallowed, gradually becoming less confident. She bit her lip slightly and said quite shamefully.

“I’ve been holding Fia back… Originally I thought if I just gave up my living body, relying on the combat experience accumulated by numerous Venexes over ten thousand years, I could at least contend with the original Venex. That way I could somewhat help you, at least find clues to the mastermind for you. But I nearly got myself killed instead. Even the final interrogation was completed by Fia. I was useless… B-but this must be due to lack of time! I’ll surely shine in the future. I’ll definitely be able to help Fia. You have to believe me!”

“What are you saying…” Fia had to correct Lucitine on this point. Still blushing deeply, she explained quietly. “The very fact that I came to you shows you can help. I came to resolve Lucitine’s problems precisely to cooperate with the undead.”

“Then Fia means you’ll agree to me—”

Hope filled Lucitine’s uplifted eyes. Fia couldn’t help but look away.

“How could I agree to Lucitine just because she can help…”

“Ah…”

The hope in Lucitine’s eyes rapidly disappeared. Seeing this, Fia corrected herself again, inwardly thinking this one was too silly.

“Don’t misunderstand. I mean, I won’t reject Lucitine just because she can’t help me. Whether I agree or reject you has nothing to do with whether Lucitine can help. I don’t like taking advantage of people.”

Having said this, Fia’s tone turned serious. Of course, this was all predicated on her face being covered in blush.

“I won’t agree to Lucitine’s request to become queen.”

“I-I’m sincere! I’m no longer as frivolous as before! Fia, if I didn’t have you—”

As Lucitine grew so anxious she looked ready to cry, about to kneel on both knees, Fia forcibly supported Lucitine’s body and explained quite helplessly.

“I mean I won’t agree to your request to become queen. I’m the princess of the elf kingdom, and someone with fiancées—how could I become someone else’s queen? What I mean is…”

Fia’s voice suddenly dropped. She turned her flushed face away, expression extremely unnatural, the toes inside her boots adorably curling. In a voice so low only those on the platform could hear, like a mosquito’s buzz, she explained.

“What I mean is… we can start by dating.”

That was right. Lucitine’s feelings had long been conveyed to her. She just hadn’t known how to choose. Whether Lucitine’s dignified demeanor or her silly reactions before Fia—both deeply attracted her.

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If she didn’t have Claire, Anastasia, and Nola—for someone uncared for, long abandoned like herself—she might have already agreed when Lucitine first proposed making her queen. Though Lucitine’s feelings were frivolous then, they were genuine closeness. To someone forgotten, that was the most delicious thing.

Unfortunately, reality didn’t have so many what-ifs. She already had people who loved her, so she couldn’t make the same choice. Thus when Lucitine repeatedly vaguely revealed her true feelings, Fia had to pretend not to see, putting it off as long as possible. But now, Lucitine’s feelings had bottled up to the point she not only announced her living status before all her subordinates, but also deeply confessed to Fia. Making a basically timid girl make such a courageous decision—further hesitation would be too cruel. In that case, starting by dating to get to know each other wasn’t impossible.

As if hearing an incredible answer, Lucitine’s face instantly bloomed with a smile. The radiating positive emotions made Lucitine shine unprecedentedly bright.

“R-really? Fia is willing to agree to me?!”

Seeing such a smile, Fia felt a reassuring sense that she had made the right choice. She gripped Lucitine’s larger hand, gently, without hesitation, nodding.

“Mm. A word from a gentleman is a word.”

“I knew you were the kindest person!”

Disregarding her surroundings, the audience below still had her daughter and undead subordinates watching, Lucitine abruptly stood up, jumping like a little girl, wrapping both arms around Fia’s neck and hugging her tightly. The affectionate and sudden movement forced Fia to stand on tiptoe to avoid embarrassment.

—But the warmth of Lucitine’s body and the passionately beating heart transmitted through her chest, along with the subtle fragrance resembling roses faintly drifting into her nose, all made Fia’s heart likewise ignite. Subconsciously, she hugged Lucitine back.

“Congratulations, Mother.”

Timely, a crisp applause sounded—Ruth applauding from nearby. Helpless yet smiling.

After this, Afla also timidly began applauding. And Afla’s applause seemed to ignite a powder keg. Applause spread like wildfire, from front to back, quickly becoming one continuous sound. Eventually, the entire gray hall was left with only thunderous congratulations and applause.

“Con… congratulations, Your Majesty.”

“Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Lady Fia!”

The thunderous congratulations and cheering made the embracing pair forget shyness, holding each other even more sincerely. Especially Lucitine, whose long-worried heart finally settled. She even shed tears, wetting Fia’s cheek and shoulder.

“What are you crying for?”

“Waa… I… waaah… I’m happy…”

“…Idiot.”

Don’t get too happy yet. Wait until you’ve seen Claire and Anastasia.

The words reached her lips but weren’t spoken. Fia shook her head inwardly. Lucitine had just relaxed; let her be happy for now.

Thinking this, Fia couldn’t help but reflect—who would have thought that a casual act of creating a body would develop into this result? Truly, life is unpredictable.

But as a result, it was good for everyone. Becoming a living being, Lucitine would certainly face many challenges. When that time came, she would walk ahead, shattering those obstacles for this weak yet strong soul named Lucitine. Since she refused to become queen, she had to take responsibility.

Smiling wryly, Fia shook her head, no longer thinking about the future. She focused on feeling the warmth from Lucitine’s chest, then slightly tightened her arms, gently rubbing her cheek against Lucitine’s hot one. The two felt each other’s temperature and scent, holding each other tighter under the crowd’s gaze.

End of Volume 8

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Author Note

Afterword

Hello hello! It’s afterword time again. This volume was exceptionally long—maybe not quite as long as Volume 4, but it certainly felt like it. At 78 chapters, even doing one chapter a day, two months have flown by. Looking back, I feel like I didn’t write enough slice-of-life scenes. Dammit! I’m supposed to be a newbie who only knows how to write daily life! I absolutely have to make up for it in the next volume. Teasing wives and being teased by them—I must add more of that.

Alright, jokes aside, let’s talk about the main topic.

The “Queen of Gestalt” originally referred to all the Venexes within the Immortal Sanctuary. While drafting the outline, I thought about having Venex and Lucitine swap bodies. However, during the detailing phase, I realized writing it that way would run into various problems. So, I made some slight changes. According to the current plot progression, Fia is actually more like the Queen of Gestalt. Well, volume titles are a minor issue; they don’t matter much.

Next, regarding Lucitine. To be honest, I originally wanted to portray Lucitine as a true, decisive, and majestic queen. However, that really doesn’t fit in an “invincible” style novel. For a queen to be truly firm, she would inevitably have to clash with the protagonist to highlight her resolve and courage—much like Pepe from Yisi. But I’ve learned enough lessons from multiple attempts: no matter what a character’s personality is or how much sense it makes in context, as long as that character has a conflict with the protagonist, dissenting voices will immediately arise. Some readers are always impatient and can’t wait a few chapters for the turning point. Therefore, I had no choice but to give up that “awkward” personality type that could have developed into a stumbling, complex relationship in a Yuri novel.

But well, the result isn’t bad. I like Lucitine’s personality. I like brave girls with a hint of tsundere who get jealous, yet have their own principles and bottom lines—being resolute when they need to be. Most importantly, she’s a “Big Sister” type! Ah~ she really is like a dream lover.

Moving on, this volume revealed almost more foreshadowing than all the previous volumes combined. The next volume will reveal even more, but that will involve Fia and Claire heading to Dragonfall. Before the two depart, Fia will still handle some affairs on the World Tree continent. I’ll try my best to squeeze in some daily life in this part—interactions with the characters, especially the two little ones, Liti and Milu. Of course, it won’t be too much; the main goal is to move everyone’s relationships a step further and include some heart-pounding, “getting-sent-to-jail” (you know the ones) fan-service scenes. After all, this is another world where adulthood standards and even races are different. Liti is 75 years old, so how can you call her a child?

Finally, the Dragonfall arc will be the volume that explains Claire’s identity and even the secrets of the World Tree continent. As for the volume title, I haven’t decided yet. Coming up with a name that is both cool and fits the plot is a real headache. Let’s tentatively call it The Forsaken Demon Lord and the Fairy of Salvation . I don’t guarantee I won’t change it to something better-sounding later.

So, thank you to all the readers for reading this far. I also want to thank everyone for the tips, monthly tickets, comments, and roasts. The continuation of this story is inseparable from your support. Truly, thank you so much. Everyone, see you in the next volume!

Also, it’s the beginning of the month~ begging for monthly tickets~~ Big brothers, please give a lot, or a little, just give some, pleeease.

2023/10/3

Yomi

Translator Note

blushhh uwaaaaa xD

ahem- there’s no new chara illust here since i’ve posted Lucitine’s in early chap so, i search here and there in the raw’s and found this :3

Nola Delulu

and, this from bery bery early volume, Claireee!!!

errr sorry for replacing Lucitine’s spotlight xD but there’s no Lucitine confessing illust :<

alright, cya next volume~

Volume 9: The Forsaken Demon Lord and the Fairy of Salvation