Volume 9, Chapter 7 – A Calamitous Arrival

The Alfrieg Kingdom.

Located in the mid-western region of the World Tree Continent, the Alfrieg Kingdom is a nation founded by the human race, roughly one-third the size of Silvar. Its territory is long and narrow, bordered by the Milcandis Holy Kingdom to the north and Cold Night and the Moremonti Empire to the south. Approximately five hundred years ago, the Alfrieg Kingdom was the heart of a massive empire. At that time, its status was equivalent to present-day Silvar, with a single nation occupying the vast majority of the continent’s northwestern region.

However, that grand empire eventually collapsed due to its vast size, numerous ethnic groups, and constant internal strife, not to mention the global situation at the time—Silvar had been established, and northern nomadic tribes were incessantly invading from the north. The empire disintegrated in its waning years into several pieces, including the Alfrieg Kingdom and the Milcandis Holy Kingdom. Of those many fragments, only these two remain today.

Because of this history, the Alfrieg Kingdom has always claimed to be the true successor of the human empire, asserting a national policy of restoring its former glory. This has bred a pervasive sense of superiority among its citizens, who believe they are the natural leaders of the human race and that other human nations should follow their lead. They hold a balanced disdain for both non-human races and humans from other countries.

Furthermore, the Alfrieg Kingdom is a nation deeply influenced by the Goddess of Life. Consequently, much like the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, it promotes a human-supremacist ideology. For non-humans, life here is not just difficult; it is dangerous. Walking the streets in broad daylight offers no guarantee against being beaten, and more often than not, one might simply vanish and be sold into slavery. Like Milcandis, it is a forbidden zone for demi-humans.

However, a distinction must be made: in the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, from the Pope down to the common believer, fellow humans help one another, setting aside status. In the Alfrieg Kingdom, which has stood for over four hundred years, one would search in vain for a noble helping a commoner.

The commoners here are not only burdened with heavy taxes by their local lords and city governors, but simply standing in a noble’s path or accidentally brushing against their clothes is seen as a provocation. The consequences range from beatings to death on the spot, for which a noble need only pay a symbolic fine—and sometimes they don’t even bother with the formality of moving money from their left hand to their right. Even though life across the World Tree Continent is generally harsh, the Alfrieg Kingdom is the worst major power Fia knows of; not only the tenant farmers and slaves, but even the average citizens are gaunt and malnourished.

In contrast, the nobles of Alfrieg live quite comfortably. The long history of the kingdom means that social classes have become severely calcified, and they have formed a rigid aristocratic system that brook no challenge from outsiders.

The pale winter sun climbed from dawn to its zenith at noon. Standing atop the walls of the inner city, a man named Audru Angelo clicked his tongue and exhaled a plume of white mist.

In the Alfrieg Kingdom, the name Angelo represents valor in battle. Just as the Greyan family serves the Silvar dynasty, the Angelo family is the iron shield of Alfrieg, especially Audru, the current head of the house.

Despite being over fifty, Audru’s presence was no less imposing than in his youth. His frame, encased in silver armor, was exceptionally burly, giving the impression of an immovable bronze wall just by standing there. His neck was thick and bore the ruddy complexion common among traditional Alfrieg nobility. His hands, bare of gauntlets, were broad and heavily calloused. Combined with his weathered, powerful, and stern face, he looked in every respect like an elite warrior with vast combat experience.

“Whew…”

“General Angelo, why don’t you return to the watchtower to rest? Leave this to us juniors.”

A young man dressed as a sergeant major stepped forward. Compared to the massive Audru, the youth looked frail, as if a single punch from the general could lay him low. In truth, that was likely the case; the reason the youth was allowed at Audru’s side was his extraordinary eyesight, which surpassed normal human limits and could look directly into the sun. Thanks to his eyes, Audru had once detected an enemy ambush on a hilltop, allowing him to counter-encircle the foe.

“No. His Majesty ordered the inner city to be protected; I cannot ignore his command.”

“But heaven knows if that Eldest Princess will even show up. If you ask me, the returning envoys just exaggerated to cover up their own incompetence. Aside from you and a few other lords in the military, the nobles in the palace are all like that—whenever things get difficult, they claim the enemy is too strong, and when they solve a tiny problem, they brag about how much effort they spent. Blossom is over three thousand kilometers away. The envoys traveled day and night on the best horses and fastest ships and still took ten days. How could the Princess strike our capital from the border in just half a month? If she can do that, I’ll eat this shield.”

“Don’t be so certain.”

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“General, you are just too cautious. If she had said two or three months, I might believe it. But half a month? It’s impossible no matter how you look at it. You think so too, don’t you? And all that talk about surpassing the Ninth Rank… if she had that kind of power, why didn’t she show it when we fought the elves last month?”

Audru did not answer. Even as a man known for his caution and stability, he felt the youth’s words had some merit.

He shifted his gaze from the distance back to the young man, his hawk-like eyes showing a hint of appreciation. Although this youth was average in combat and poor in magic, a servant’s most valuable trait wasn’t strength, but vision. This young man was sharp and knew exactly how to flatter someone effectively. He had a talent for politics; Audru was already considering bringing him into his family.

Marrying my fourth or eighth daughter to him might be a good idea, Audru thought. He smiled and patted the still-rambling youth on the shoulder, making the thin man’s entire body wobble.

“Keep your voice down. Don’t let the others hear. You are soldiers I trained; His Majesty tasked us with guarding the inner city. Even if you don’t believe the elf princess will attack, you must act like you do. You need to let the court nobles see that you are diligent. Otherwise, if they see my men slacking off and being idle on the walls, His Majesty will summon me to the palace tonight. Do you understand?”

“Ah!” The youth’s eyes widened in realization. “I see! I’ll go instruct the men immediately!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the youth hurried off to warn the soldiers. Audru nodded with satisfaction; knowing what he wanted to say without a direct order was exactly why he liked the boy.

Not long after the youth left, a distinguished guest arrived. A middle-aged man wearing a long, fur-lined cloak and a crown led a group of richly dressed nobles onto the wall. Their clothes were vibrant and ornate, making the scene sparkle as they appeared.

The newcomer was the King of Alfrieg. Audru immediately dropped to one knee, and the soldiers on the wall followed suit, prostrating themselves.

“Greetings, King Barzel.”

“Rise. Audru, I’ve come to see how things are on your end. The elf princess hasn’t attacked yet, has she?”

As soon as King Barzel finished speaking, the nobles on the wall couldn’t help but burst into laughter. The peaceful scenery and the normal bustle of the city below proved that the Eldest Princess was nowhere to be found.

Even Audru was amused by the King’s teasing. He did his best to maintain his stoic persona and said with a wry smile.

“As Your Majesty can see, I have seen no suspicious persons. Ultimately, if the elf princess were approaching the city, we would surely have received word from the front lines long before then.”

“Oh?” Barzel, who was similar in age to Audru but looked younger, raised an eyebrow. “Does Lord Audru mean to say he doesn’t believe the elf princess would strike alone, but would bring an army instead?”

“Exactly. To strike deep into a foreign capital alone… even an Eighth Rank practitioner would eventually run out of mana. Though I am only Seventh Rank, I could at least buy enough time. Once the Princess’s mana is exhausted, we can capture her alive. Since she provoked us of her own accord, even if she falls into our hands, the elves could only watch in panic. It would be no exaggeration to say we’d have them by the throat.”

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“If even Lord Audru says so, then it seems I was indeed worrying over nothing.”

Barzel let out a long breath. The dry, cold winter air made him uncomfortable in his pampered state, even causing a metallic taste of blood to rise in his throat. He swallowed to clear his throat and looked into the distance.

“There is one thing I haven’t quite grasped. I have heard that the Eldest Princess of the elves is wise and powerful—that she could deduce a holy kingdom’s naval attack simply by observing their consumption of supplies and weapons. That alone proves her brilliance. Why would such a princess boast so grandly before the envoys of so many nations? To take the capitals of two nations within half a month… isn’t she afraid of biting off more than she can chew?”

“That…”

Audru hesitated. He wanted to say the returning envoys had surely exaggerated—that the Princess’s original words were likely three months or a year. To take a capital alone in half a month… Neither of those conditions individually would be hard for a three-year-old to believe, let alone both combined.

However, with so many nobles standing on the wall, speaking out of turn would only result in being slandered behind his back.

Sensing Audru’s thoughts, Barzel did not press him. Instead, he paced the wall to warm himself and sighed.

“I’ve had heart palpitations these past few days; I can’t even sleep soundly. So, I specifically asked someone to look into the rumors regarding the elf princess. Though it’s news from the eastern continent and its reliability is questionable by the time it reaches us, the story itself is worth hearing.”

“Rumor has it that she crushed a coalition led by the King of Cold Night single-handedly. Even the undead harassing the southern borders of the elven lands were repelled by her using Ninth Rank Forbidden Spells repeatedly. I think the part about repeating Ninth Rank spells is surely an exaggeration, but if we scale it down, it can be understood as her leading people to repel the beastman coalition and the undead. Facing such an enemy, how confident is Lord Audru in a frontal confrontation?”

“Your Majesty, you worry too much.”

“Exactly! No matter how strong she is, she wouldn’t dare face General Angelo.”

“If she dares come, we’ll take her prisoner and parade her through the streets! Let the world know that filthy sub-humans aren’t fit to provoke Alfrieg!”

“We’ll make the elf kingdom lose all face!”

Following King Barzel’s words, the nobles were whipped into a frenzy. They shouted loudly, as if competing to see who could be the most vociferous, but Barzel kept his eyes on Audru, trying to read something from the general’s reaction.

Audru’s expression was solemn. Amidst the cheers of the nobles, he lowered his head slightly and spoke in a deep voice.

“I have not fought her, so I cannot judge. However, I am certain of one thing. Today is the fourteenth day—only one day remains of the promised half-month. Our envoys set out from Blossom and traveled day and night, taking over ten days just to bring the message to your hands. The Princess would surely need to prepare for war before setting out. No, even without preparation, attacking us and the Northern Nations’ nomadic alliance within half a month is a fantasy. The travel time alone exceeds that. I believe Your Majesty need not take this matter to heart.”

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“Instead, I believe the alliance mentioned by the envoys is worth more consideration. The Moremonti Empire is putting more and more pressure on us. If we form an alliance early, we can rest easy while stockpiling grain and training our troops. Once everyone realizes this imaginary enemy called ‘Chaos’ isn’t coming and the alliance is just a joke, we can strike suddenly and take Moremonti in one fell swoop.”

“Hmm… true. This alliance is laughable. No, the elf princess herself is a joke. Those Chaos have stayed beneath the World Tree Continent for ten thousand years; why would they suddenly crawl out? If that Princess truly reaches my capital, I must mock her for not knowing her place. No, mocking isn’t enough. For a lowly elf to say she’d have me hand over a surrender and kiss her shoes… When we take Silvar in the future, I’ll make her regret being born a woman. She’ll be a slave to my royal family for the rest of her life.”

I would trample the arrogant, superior elven royalty into the dirt and humiliate them.

Barzel clicked his tongue with malice. Caution and treachery were never conflicting traits; as a king, he simply couldn’t show his sinister side in public, so people only saw his cautious facade.

In truth, the war between the Alfrieg Kingdom and the Elf Kingdom in the Barony of Khesa recently had ended in a total rout for Alfrieg. According to the supervisors, the fleeing soldiers hadn’t even seen the elven army; simply hearing that they were coming was enough for the men to throw down their pots and weapons and flee into the mountains without looking back. If the elves hadn’t voluntarily stopped their pursuit, they would have marched straight into the heart of Alfrieg.

This matter had humiliated Barzel to the extreme. He spoke of restoring human glory, yet he had been utterly defeated by elves. Even if no noble mocked him to his face, he knew he had become the laughingstock of the continent. Mockery from the common folk was surely flying everywhere. Thus, he had raged in court, and his hatred for the elves reached its peak. Barzel had long ago decided: he must take the elf kingdom and make their royalty suffer a fate worse than death.

Although Audru didn’t know exactly what his King was thinking, he could hear the resentment in that voice full of loathing. He dared not be remiss and lowered his head deeply.

“I and my fellow generals will do our utmost to transform the elven lands into Your Majesty’s possession as soon as possible.”

“I have always trusted you, Audru. Since even you say the Princess cannot come, I can return to the palace in peace.”

“Should she dare to appear, I shall make her Your Majesty’s captive—”

“General! General!”

Before Audru could finish, the voice of the young man from before rang out on the wall. He ran toward Audru in a panic, his forehead covered in sweat.

Audru frowned immediately. His soldier being so rude in front of the King would surely result in a scolding from the nobles. Indeed, he already heard the nobles tittering, as if mocking his men for not knowing their place.

“What is the meaning of this shouting before His Majesty!”

“It’s an enemy attack! An attack! I saw a black dot flying toward us in the distance!” The youth pointed frantically toward the empty horizon. “It’s getting bigger! At that speed, it’s definitely not a normal person—no, black hair and red eyes, it’s the elf princess! The elf princess is really here!”

The moment the words fell, the wall went silent. Then, laughter louder than any before erupted. Barzel and the nobles roared with mirth. He had already forgotten the soldier’s rudeness; he stepped forward to ask if it truly was the Eldest Princess. Upon receiving a positive answer and a detailed description, the joy on his face reached a terrifying intensity. He quickly asked if Fia was alone.

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“It… it’s two people! There’s also a silver-haired human! Their speed is faster than any bird I’ve ever seen. They’re definitely not normal people! Your Majesty, be careful!”

“Haha! Only two people dare to strike deep into my capital? With the city’s defensive barrier, can she even touch me? If I retreat today, I’ll be the laughingstock of the world! Lord Audru, take everyone and annihilate them. Don’t let them leave alive!”

“Yes!”

Without a second’s delay, Audru donned his helmet and took to the sky. He was joined by countless magic casters and magic swordsmen who were already on standby. Additionally, the King’s personal guards—several Fifth Rank warriors—flew up above the walls. Finally, a pale gold, egg-shaped barrier activated, protecting the entire inner city.

In less than half a minute, the two black dots the youth had seen appeared before everyone’s eyes. They stopped abruptly at high speed, defying the laws of physics. The black-haired elf at the lead looked down upon everyone from the sky. Even with hundreds of meters between them, the people on the wall felt a bone-chilling cold rise from their feet. It was as if their very souls were being seen through by this elf. No one dared meet those deep, ruby-like eyes.

“I am the First Princess of the Elf Kingdom of Silvar, Dofilia Alexia Yushir. Now that I have appeared here, you have no escape. King of Alfrieg, I give you one final chance: join the alliance, or become a ghost beneath my blade.”

“Arrogant!”

Because Fia had stared directly at the wall beneath the barrier while speaking, the ignored Audru was instantly enraged. Fia’s behavior would be seen by the nobles as a failure on Audru’s part to protect his master’s dignity. In his fury, he raised his spear and turned into a black shadow, cloaked in an explosive white sonic boom, charging straight at Fia like an angry dragon.

And then.

Everyone saw Audru’s body, trailing afterimages, stop abruptly in front of Fia. He stood motionless, as if hit by a paralysis spell. While everyone wondered what he was doing, his head and body suddenly and eerily separated. Both fell straight down, first hitting the egg-shaped barrier and then rolling down its surface before landing on the ground with a dull thud.

The sound of the corpse hitting the ground was faint, yet to the people listening, it was like a funeral knell. Their breathing stopped completely; their brains were unable to process what they had just seen.

Audru… Audru died just like that? What happened?

Fia’s cold voice continued to echo over the capital.

“Those who offend the Silvar royalty shall be cut down! Who else dares challenge me?”