Volume 1, Chapter 7 – The Princess’s Servant?

“Are these… refugees?”

Fia’s brows furrowed at an adorable angle as she gazed at the hundreds of people gathered at the pass below.

From the moment she heard the noise until now, only about a quarter of an hour had passed. Though she had encountered quite a few obstacles along the way—such as the suddenly fissured ground, the spiked vines hanging from tree branches, and the green mist spewing from roadside bushes—these hindrances had hardly troubled her. Most were silenced after a swift kick.

Her current position was a carefully chosen, concealed bush by the side of the road.

“Not an army on the march, but refugees fleeing disaster…”

Muttering to herself, Fia poked her head out from the bushes and couldn’t help but click her tongue. Though she had walked alone through the desert for two days and a night, and the sight of living people now filled her with joy, she wasn’t so reckless as to charge out without assessing the situation.

On the road just ten meters away from Fia, a group of roughly two to four hundred refugees was slowly making its way toward the distant city gates. The crowd consisted almost entirely of women, children, and elderly people leaning on canes, with hardly any able-bodied men among them. They carried bundles of varying sizes, their clothes tattered, their faces gaunt and sallow, resembling the impoverished masses who had long suffered from hunger—no different from the refugees depicted in films, fleeing with their families in tow.

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And this was just one group. When Fia looked further back along the path they had come from, she spotted two more similar groups trailing behind.

As for their destination, Fia could tell at a glance: they were heading for the city ahead—Aurora City, of the Holy Kingdom of Milcandis.

Like something out of a fantasy manga, Aurora City was surrounded by towering stone walls. Even from hundreds of meters away, Fia could feel the imposing grandeur of those fortifications. Moreover, the walls were lined with soldiers clad in silver armor, distributed with robed magic casters. Every face bore a stern expression, and the defenses were tight.

It seemed the city had already taken in refugees earlier, as the spear-wielding soldiers guarding the gates showed no hostility toward the newcomers. Instead, the gates stood wide open, allowing the refugees to enter freely. Only those whose attire seemed suspicious were stopped and questioned with crossed spears.

Though it sounded strict, from Fia’s observations, the soldiers merely asked a few questions of those they detained. Once they confirmed the person carried no dangerous weapons, they quickly let them pass.

“Just as The Secret History of Witches recorded. Even demi-humans can enter and leave the Holy Kingdom of Milcandis without issue—though their treatment is tragic.”

According to The Secret History of Witches, Aurora City was a major southern stronghold of the Holy Kingdom of Milcandis, with a population of around two hundred thousand. The dominant race was human, followed by demi-humans, primarily elves, with a staggering ratio of fifty to one.

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Such a proportion was unique among human nations, stemming from the doctrine of Milcandis’ state religion: though demi-humans and humans were both creations of the Goddess of Life, demi-humans were made solely to serve humans. As a result, demi-humans faced terrible treatment within the Holy Kingdom, with most living as slaves engaged in heavy labor.

For example, among the refugees Fia saw, there were emaciated male elf slaves carrying heavy loads.

“This must be the fourth group today, right? So many people… What on earth is happening on the front lines?”

Two soldiers walked past Fia on the road ahead. They had been dispatched by the authorities to maintain order among the refugees, and as they directed the crowd, they chatted.

“I heard the Elf Princess led an elite force around the front lines and started burning and slaughtering villages. That’s why so many people are fleeing.”

“Those monsters. I’d heard from adventurers that the Elf Princess was cute and wise beyond her years—thought we might have a peaceful neighbor. Who knew she’d turn out to be such a vicious woman?”

“All the healthy men were killed. Only the elderly and children who managed to hide survived.”

The bitter curses made Fia’s shoulders tense. Though the actions described were not hers, and she had no memory of them, the body of the Elf Princess now belonged to her. It wasn’t hard to imagine that if the soldiers discovered her identity, they wouldn’t hesitate to draw their swords.

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That is, assuming they could discover her.

Her observations had confirmed one thing: the soldiers didn’t inspect small children. Plus, many among the refugees wore cloaks like hers. As long as she successfully blended into the crowd, there was no chance the soldiers would notice her.

Fia tugged her hood lower, making her already small frame even more inconspicuous in the bushes, and cautiously waited for the two soldiers to move away.

Soon, the refugee procession finally reached the bushes where Fia was hiding.

This was her chance.

She stretched her neck slightly, nerves taut, carefully scanning the road ahead and behind to confirm that all the soldiers had gathered near the city gates and that the refugee column was nearing its end. Then, taking a deep breath, she pulled her hood tight, lowered her head, and prepared to rise from the bushes.

—Except she didn’t succeed.

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Before Fia could stand, a hand suddenly clamped over her mouth from behind. Not only that, but the assailant’s other arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms and yanking her backward with force.

“Mmph!”

Instinctively, Fia tensed her arms, trying to break free.

But the voice that followed made her freeze.

It was a woman’s voice—filled with urgency, yet also a mix of delirious joy and pleading.

“Your Highness, please calm down!”

…Huh?