Volume 9, Chapter 1 – The Farce Begins

Translator Note

Happy readings! <3

As the series of troubles in the Kingdom of Death finally settled, the number of undead permitted to enter the world of the living increased. Thanks to this, the craftsmen of Blossom entered a long and grueling period of activity.

Just as a weak living being entering the world of the dead would have their vitality gradually stripped away by the dense death energy until they fell into undeath, an insufficiently powerful undead entering a living settlement would be suppressed by the sheer abundance of life force. When an undead’s negative life was completely offset by that life force, they would lose the death energy sustaining them, swiftly crumble, and turn to dust.

To prevent this, the craftsmen of Blossom needed to rush the production of massive quantities of magic items for the undead—tools capable of isolating life force from death energy. These items only needed to be charged with mana to function for about a week; if the quality was high, that duration could be extended.

Unfortunately, even with all of Blossom, the cities surrounding the Royal Castle, and the orders outsourced to the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, they could only produce thirty thousand magic items of varying quality per month. This was a mere drop in the bucket for the millions of undead preparing to operate in the world of the living.

Not to mention, this count included high-level magic smiths. These specialists were responsible for the far more complex work of mana furnaces required for Modern Magic and could not be fully committed to such simple, repetitive tasks.

Consequently, Fia turned her gaze toward the more distant human nations. Although human magical ability was inferior to that of elves, they were no weaker when it came to forging magic items. In terms of sheer output, they even surpassed the elf kingdom of Silvar. If she could pull several of those distant human nations to her side and have them fully commit to forging magic items that isolated negative life from life force, it would surely improve the current dire situation.

To that end, Fia arrived at a conference hall within the Royal Castle as scheduled to meet one last time with the envoys who were about to return to their respective countries.

The long table, large enough to seat over twenty people, was filled with envoys. The hall, lit by magic lamps, was silent, but the atmosphere was far from relaxed; it could even be described as a powder keg.

These envoys had stayed in Blossom for over three weeks. They had witnessed Blossom’s prosperity, but in the process, they had also deepened their acquaintance—including “physical exchanges”—with the envoys of other nations. It could be said they had fully engaged in a cycle of “courtesies.”

Seated on the left side of the conference table were the envoys from the western continent’s Moremonti Empire, the Alfrieg Kingdom, and the Northern Nations’ nomadic alliance. On the right sat the representatives of Cold Night, the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, and various small western nations. This divided seating was not a deliberate elven arrangement, but rather a natural alignment of factions. The human nations on the left opposed non-human races and were unwilling to join Silvar in resisting the intangible threat of Chaos. Meanwhile, the nations on the right supported the elves out of their own respective interests.

As the Regent of Cold Night, Fia’s stance went without saying. As for the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, having been beaten half to death by the elf kingdom and with their Pope and top officials having witnessed the horror of Chaos, they naturally chose to follow the elves. As for the remaining small western nations, they joined the alliance with the elves out of pure self-interest.

These small nations existed on the fringes of the Alfrieg Kingdom, the Moremonti Empire, and the Northern Nations’ alliance, and their survival was constantly challenged by those three major powers. Since the alliance proposed by Fia prohibited any form of confrontation between member nations, they were naturally happy to join.

Interestingly, even those who agreed on the broad direction were at odds due to historical grudges. For instance, Cold Night harbored deep resentment toward the Milcandis Holy Kingdom for past invasions; the two only quieted down because an envoy representing the elf kingdom sat between them. Similarly, the Alfrieg Kingdom, an established human nation, looked down on the rising Moremonti Empire with disdain. The Moremonti Empire had been founded by mercenaries, and to the nobles of the Alfrieg Kingdom, where luxury was the fashion, Moremonti represented barbarism and vulgarity. Their mere presence made the air feel foul.

Furthermore, the Northern Nations’ nomadic alliance of the western continent had its own messy entanglements with the Moremonti Empire and the Milcandis Holy Kingdom—referring to the annual winter raids. The relationships were so convoluted that despite staying in Blossom for three whole weeks, the envoys had not been mediated to a point of mutual acceptance.

Scanning the envoys below who were glaring at one another, Fia, sitting at the head of the table, clasped her fingers and spoke with a serious tone.

“It was originally time for you all to return to your countries, and I feel the weight of having detained you until now. However, I have my reasons. I did not gather you here on my father’s instructions, but of my own volition. I intend to speak plainly today regarding the unpleasantness at the end of the last meeting.”

The “unpleasantness” Fia referred to was when she had proposed that all nations must cease all forms of conflict to resist Chaos. The human nations sitting opposite the elven faction had opposed her with various excuses. The most prominent argument was that Chaos was intangible and invisible; since they couldn’t even sort out their own internal affairs, why should they change their national policies based on the words of an elf? At the time, the envoys had been quite harsh, with no shortage of remarks calling Fia naive and irresponsible, which had deeply displeased her.

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Although the envoys of the human nations had guessed what Fia might say before arriving, hearing her continue from the last session still made them click their tongues or look away, deliberately avoiding her gaze in an display of clear annoyance.

Finally, the envoy from the Alfrieg Kingdom spoke up. Fia remembered this pot-bellied, balding man as a famous noble within Alfrieg. Though his smiling face gave an impression of kindness, he was a man as cunning as a fox.

“Princess, it is not that we are unwilling to agree. We have seen enough of Silvar’s prosperity lately. But as I said at the last meeting, you claim Chaos brings destruction, yet we have received no news that Chaos will destroy our countries. You did indeed take us to that place called the Abyss to witness the sea of Chaos, and I admit those oceans of Chaos are terrifying, but they stay obediently beneath the World Tree Continent ; they cannot climb up. Nothing has happened for ten thousand years, so why would a problem arise in our generation? You are being too much of a doomer.”

As he finished, the balding noble spread his arms and gave a wry smile to the other envoys, as if mocking Fia for being a little girl who knew nothing.

Following the Alfrieg envoy, the young envoy from Moremonti also raised his point.

“Our stance differs slightly from Alfrieg, but it is largely the same. Princess, we received reports recently that some cities on the Empire’s border were invaded by black slimes. We assumed that was the Chaos you spoke of, but subsequent reports showed they were of no real consequence. We simply sent one or two magic units and completely annihilated the Chaos that invaded the cities.”

“I admit Chaos is an enemy worth guarding against. If the number of Chaos increases in the future, Moremonti will support the formation of an alliance. But to ask us to abandon the big picture for the sake of raids of this scale is far too reckless. Moremonti has only just developed into a proper nation; every decision must be made with the utmost caution.”

“Besides, you elves are working with the undead—how are we supposed to trust you?! The undead are the common enemy of all living beings. We have been troubled by the frost bone dragons and undead of the frozen lands for years. It is impossible for us to cooperate with a nation that keeps company with the undead!”

The final rude remark came from the envoy of the Northern Nations’ nomadic alliance, who wore animal skins and a necklace of teeth as decoration. Fia remembered him well because he had once been so angry that he cursed Lucitine to her face, only to be forced to his knees by the pressure of her single glare.

While being sensible should be a basic requirement for an envoy—not in the sense of being a turncoat, but in knowing not to provoke a ruler who is clearly stronger—the world was large enough to ensure all kinds of people and nations existed. Seemingly absurd decisions, when looked into deeply, were the result of various complex historical reasons. Furthermore, since it was a conventional rule not to kill envoys, Fia simply treated him as a fool and did not pursue it.

“Hmph.”

The envoy from the Milcandis Holy Kingdom snorted coldly.

“Short-sighted. Even our Holy Kingdom supports the elf’s decision; have you people not realized the gravity of the situation? High-level Chaos can pierce through space. If the Eldest Princess had not been present that day, the entire upper echelon of our Holy Kingdom would have been wiped out by Chaos. The undead are fellow creatures of the World Tree Continent. What is wrong with temporary cooperation to fight our common enemy!”

“What right does a defeated general have to lecture us? I see you’ve simply had the fear of God beaten into you by Silvar. You’ve chosen a group of people who love kneeling to be your rulers, which is why you’re so biased toward the elves!”

“Say that again?”

“A dog that lost a war dares to bark so loudly?”

The man from the Northern Nations laughed loudly. This became the spark that ignited the tempers of both sides. The envoys of the two nations, who already looked down on each other as neighbors, immediately devolved into a shouting match. The nomadic envoy in particular, with spit flying as he spoke, made the Alfrieg envoy—who prized noble grace—frown repeatedly.

As the mutual insults began to include mentions of other countries, more neighboring nations joined the fray to distance themselves, and the scene became extremely chaotic for a time. Even when Ying, acting as the representative for Cold Night, stepped in to mediate, she received only contemptuous remarks like, “A filthy beastman has no right to speak to me.”

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This lasted for several minutes until the balding noble—the only one who hadn’t joined the argument—sat to Fia’s left, scratched his head, and leaned in close to her with a smile. Watching the envoys below still fighting with their words, he whispered.

“Princess, you see? We cannot even resolve the differences between human races, let alone form a grand alliance regardless of race. Furthermore, as the crown princess of the elf kingdom, you surely understand that all intelligent beings pursue power, and the pursuit of power leads to competition. Not to mention anything else, just the competition between princes for the throne makes it hard not to involve neighboring countries. If a prince actively seeks help from a neighbor, is that internal strife or a war between nations? Then there is the matter of covert funding and the suppression of rampant bandits on the border; such actions are either hard to detect or easily mistaken for hostile moves by other countries. Your words are easy to say, but the actual implementation is undoubtedly fraught with difficulty.”

“In addition, you are aware that your father had an unpleasant encounter with us in the Barony of Khesa recently. The army is still stationed at the border. Tell me, how are we supposed to trust you? If we withdraw our troops and an elven officer on the frontline gets drunk and leads men into our territory, how would that be explained? I can understand your feelings, but reality is not as simple as you imagine. As the crown princess, you should consider things more thoroughly. Once you grow up and mature a bit more, you will surely have a deeper understanding of today’s predicament.”

It was obvious that this smiling, bald noble was calling her naive.

Fia could understand the thoughts of these envoys. Or rather, their rhetoric was exactly the same as that of the elven nobles in the past—they all felt that since Chaos had not yet attacked, there was no need to worry about the threat. But “because it hasn’t happened in the past, it won’t happen in the future” was undoubtedly empiricism; it was too innocent, extremely naive. Once Chaos truly moved, it would not be something that could be handled with last-minute preparations.

The transmission of information took time. To give a random example, if Chaos were to attack the western side of the World Tree Continent first, by the time news reached Blossom in the east, at least half a month would have passed. By the time the elven army mobilized and crossed the sea to reach the western continent, it would be a question of whether the western continent even still existed.

Furthermore, she already knew that Chaos had begun to act. The existence known as the Overlord could send mutated Chaos to the World Tree Continent. There wasn’t much time left; the apocalypse the Sovereign spoke of was no lie.

The most critical issue for the World Tree Continent at the moment was not knowing which direction Chaos would attack from, coupled with a lack of ways to transmit information quickly. These were not things that could be changed in a short time. Therefore, rather than passive defense, it was better to strike proactively and draw the attention of Chaos in the direction they wanted them to attack. For this, a union between nations was a necessity.

Special times called for special measures. Since she had tried to persuade these envoys several times—even taking them down to the Abyss to see the sea of Chaos—and they remained unmoved, she would have to use force to solve the problem.

Fia remained unfazed. She kept her fingers clasped on the table in a serious manner and answered the bald noble with a smile.

“I understand your point, but there is one thing I have explained many times. We don’t have much time. Chaos could attack at any moment.”

“Yes, I know. But before we are truly threatened by Chaos—”

“Even if you are unwilling to cooperate, I will still eliminate Chaos along with the undead and the nations willing to work with us.”

Though her words were interrupted by Fia, the bald noble was not displeased. On the contrary, he beamed. The expression he’d used to call Fia naive vanished in an instant, replaced by a light rubbing of his hands.

“Very well, very well. Please allow me to praise your country’s courage and sacrifice—”

“Have you misunderstood something?”

Fia’s volume increased. Along with the activation of [Deterrence], the envoys arguing at the conference table shuddered. An unaccountable fear surged through them from the soles of their feet, leaving their lips pale. They involuntarily quieted down, swallowing hard one after another as they sank back into their seats.

“Since this is a moment where the life and death of the entire continent are at stake, I will not allow one party to sacrifice while the other reaps the benefits. My attitude has been too gentle until now, which seems to have given you some misconceptions. Let me clarify: I am not negotiating with you. I am insisting that all nations unite. If you refuse to change your stance no matter what, then I will use my own methods to convince you and your monarchs. But do not regret it then, and do not hate me for making you lose all face.”

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“Princess, what is the meaning of this?”

Even under the threat of [Dread], the bald noble, with beads of sweat on his forehead, did not remain silent. He naturally read the threat in Fia’s tone, and his eyes, narrowed into slits, opened slightly, flashing with a cold light that brought to mind a lion whose territory was being encroached upon.

Fia was fearless.

“Was I not clear enough? I will let you return safely to your countries, but in half a month, I will personally visit your capitals and convince your kings with my fists. Dealing with Chaos is not child’s play; I am not that kind. If your monarchs are unwilling to form an alliance, then I will remove them and replace them with someone who is. Just as you said, princes will always fight for power. Whether it’s cooperating or banning subordinates from engaging in conflict, there will always be someone willing to work for it to gain the throne. If it cannot be done, I will pick someone who can. Do you understand?”

“Don’t be too arrogant, little girl!” Provoked to this extent, the bald noble slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Fia and shouting, “You are declaring war on all human nations!”

None of the human envoys opposed the bald noble. They were all angry and amused by Fia’s arrogant speech. No matter how strong the elf kingdom was, it could not make enemies of all human nations. The eastern and western continents were separated by a vast ocean; supply lines alone would be a massive problem. Moreover, the one saying this was a mere underage female elf. This would only become a disgrace in the history of the elf kingdom.

However, Fia’s statement once again defied everyone’s expectations. She simply raised an eyebrow, looking rather amused.

“So what? I will give you half a month to prepare. In half a month, I will bring no army. I alone will crush all your defensive forces. But if it comes to that, I want your kings to kneel and kiss my shoes, and hand over a letter of surrender with both hands, voluntarily becoming vassals of Silvar. It is not too late to regret. I do not need your monarchs to promise their strength; I only need you to convince them to stop any hostile activities toward alliance members. As a side note—I am a magic caster who has surpassed the Ninth Rank. Do not think you can defeat me by stacking numbers. This is the final warning.”

“Pipe dreams!”

“Hahaha, surpassed the Ninth Rank! Why don’t you say you’re a god! Fine, fine, fine! Since the elves show us such disrespect, we of the Northern Nations will accept your challenge. We shall see; when the time comes, your father will personally send someone to our capital to apologize!”

First came the angry shout of the balding noble, followed by the envoy of the Northern Nations’ nomadic alliance. The latter especially, along with the balding noble, stomped out of the hall, slamming the door with a loud “bang.”

“It seems they’ve chosen the hard way,” Fia shrugged, then looked toward the only remaining human representatives: the three envoys from the Moremonti Empire. “And you, sirs?”

“I…”

Unlike the other two nations, the young envoy from the Moremonti Empire was wavering. Although his two companions below were constantly urging him and casting hostile glares at Fia, he did not blindly follow them. This wasn’t because he thought Fia was right, but because he had personally felt the terrifying pressure the Queen of Death had emitted for Fia’s sake. While his companions and the other envoys did not believe the rumors from Cold Night and the Netherworld that the Eldest Princess mastered Ninth Rank magic, he had always wondered: if the Princess herself did not have enough strength, how could she have gained the recognition of the Queen of Death? After all, the Queen of Death had admitted on the spot that Fia was stronger than her.

He took deep breaths, his eyes clearing as they showed he had made a decision.

“Princess, I can promise to try and persuade His Majesty. But you are a reasonable person; you surely know my Emperor will not easily agree to your conditions. I can only do my best to persuade him. As for whether he agrees, I am powerless.”

“That is enough. When the results of the other two come out, your Emperor will be more than grateful for your efforts. You should go as well. Set out now and travel without stopping; half a month is enough time for you to return to Moremonti.”

“Thank you, Princess. We shall take our leave.”

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Standing up, the Moremonti envoy performed a human salute to Fia, and the three of them left the hall.

“Now then…”

Fia turned to look at the envoys on the elven side. Aside from the representatives of the elf kingdom and Ying, the remaining envoys were stunned, looking at Fia as if she were a fool.

Fia knew they thought she was talking nonsense, but this was simply because she had been too polite in the past, giving them the illusion that she was easy to deal with. Fia did not explain. Instead, she stood up and looked at Ying, who was sitting closest to her in a veil of azure gauze, giggling behind her hand.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Those guys are going to regret it. You’ll have to record it with a recording crystal when the time comes, so they can’t go back on their word.”

Fia couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“If you knew the outcome, why didn’t you warn them?”

Ying wagged her azure tail and leaned closer to Fia, playfully poking Fia’s shoulder with her index finger.

“They wouldn’t have believed me if I told them. They have to suffer a bit before they know what they can and can’t provoke. You have such strength and yet you still try to reason with them. If it were among us beastmen, we would have used our fists long ago to show them who’s boss. Anyway, send me back quickly. Nola is waiting for you—oh, want to play a game? When we get back, tell Nola I’ve become your fiancée too and that we’ve shared ‘intimate skin contact,’ just to see her reaction.”

“Watch your surroundings when you talk.”

“So what? You’re the strongest anyway; who would dare say no.”

“I’ll pass.”

Holding her right palm toward Ying, Fia regained her composure and waved to the envoys still sitting at the conference table.

“Thank you for your hard work. There will be a banquet at the Twilight Palace tonight to entertain you all. I hope you won’t find it lacking. Meeting adjourned.”

Translator Note

pspss , tyrant fia xD