Volume 2, Chapter 3 – Nobles and Refugees

After Calista left, the sky quickly darkened.

The summer forest was exceptionally noisy, with the calls of birds and beasts and the chirping of insects rising and falling. In the light of the campfire, the shadows cast by the tree trunks were like phantoms, clawing and reaching towards the carriage. The occasional mountain wind rustled the leaves, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

If one were to walk alone on such a road at night, they would surely feel uneasy, worrying that ghosts or terrifying beasts might leap out from the roadside at any moment.

However, Fia’s group didn’t need to worry about beast attacks. While hunting, Anastasia had placed barrier stones that magical beasts disliked in the surrounding area. These stones emitted an extremely strong stench, and when enough were set up, they could effectively repel magical beasts. Additionally, Anastasia had arranged them in a circle deep within the forest, so Fia and Liti couldn’t smell the odor.

Dinner was a stew made from rabbit meat, wild vegetables, and pre-prepared spices, with the staple food being rice cooked by Liti.

The choice of rice over bread as the staple was quite surprising to Fia. According to Liti’s explanation, the wheat variety of the elves had a gluten content very suitable for making bread, making it quite common. In contrast, rice was rare and expensive. Therefore, nobles preferred to serve rice as a staple to guests. More than just for filling the stomach, rice here was a symbol of status.

Placing her bowl and silver spoon on a rock, Liti squinted her eyes with a satisfied expression.

“Ah~ ah~, Sister Ana’s cooking is even better than before. The last time I had dinner made by Sister Ana was when I snuck into the back kitchen several years ago. You get to eat Sister Ana’s cooking every day, sister. You’re so lucky. I wish I had a personal attendant like Sister Ana too.”

Although Liti’s words were full of praise, Anastasia, who was eating, stiffened. She hesitantly looked up.

“Snuck into the back kitchen… Besides specific personnel, even the royal family is only allowed in the back kitchen when it’s not busy. How did Your Highness Liti get into the back kitchen right after dinner was made?”

“Uh.”

Instantly, the one with the stiff expression was Liti. The reason for the complicated rules in the kitchen was to prevent poisoning. For even Liti, a Second-Tier young elf with extremely poor physical abilities, to be able to sneak in, according to the law, the Royal Guards defending the kitchen should be dragged out and beheaded for serious dereliction of duty.

“That… that’s because I used other excuses to send them away, so I could get in…”

“Even so, not leaving someone to guard the gate violates the rules of the back kitchen. Your Highness Liti, please tell me which day you entered the back kitchen. When I go back, I can check the duty roster to find those idiots who neglected their duties.”

When it came to official matters, Anastasia had the demeanor of the second captain of the Royal Guard. Aided by the faint blue marking on her left cheek, her serious expression was full of pressure.

Forced into a corner, Liti could only cast a pleading look at Fia.

Her large, purplish-red eyes, reflecting the firelight, were particularly sympathetic.

Swallowing the stew in her throat, Fia changed the subject amidst the silence.

“Why doesn’t Liti have a personal attendant? Aren’t there five divisions in the Royal Guard?”

“That’s because Her Highness Liti voluntarily said she didn’t want a personal attendant. It’s precisely for this reason that she was kidnapped by a mere traitor who turned his back on us. If Her Highness Liti had someone like me by her side, the shameful traitor would not have succeeded.”

What’s the reason?

Fia cast a questioning glance at Liti. Liti stuck out the tip of her tongue, pretending not to know, and glanced away from the carriage.

“The guy my father assigned to me was too dull. Not gentle like Sister Ana. I don’t like people who don’t follow my commands.” At this, Liti sat up straight, her eyebrows furrowing at a cute angle. “…Those refugees have been staring at us.”

Just as Liti said, with their campsite as the center, many seated travelers and refugee families had gathered on both sides of the road. Most of them looked exhausted, their faces and clothes covered in dirt.

When Anastasia had parked the carriage in the clearing by the road, these refugees and travelers had subsequently set up camp nearby, among them children and the elderly. They barely made any loud noises, and even their conversations were almost inaudible. They would occasionally glance over, their yellowish, cloudy eyes filled with longing, sometimes even swallowing audibly.

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“The forest at night is very dangerous, with beasts lurking about. Camping near us gives them a greater sense of security. When nobles travel, they often have several guards for protection. Although we don’t have several guards, their ingrained thinking has made them subconsciously choose to follow nobles—it’s better than being alone. If Your Highness Liti finds them an eyesore, do you need me to drive them away? In most human countries, commoners are not allowed to camp near nobles. Nobles believe commoners will pollute the air, so even if I drive them away, they won’t resist.”

Anastasia’s words made Fia realize something.

No wonder these refugees didn’t dare get too close to the carriage; even the closest family was more than twenty meters away. They were afraid of her. Anastasia had said before that nobles could bypass the conviction process and directly harm commoners with a blade, the price being only a small sum of money, or even nothing at all, letting the matter drop. For ordinary people, this other world was too harsh.

“Mmm… although their stares are uncomfortable, it’s not to the point of driving them away. What do you think, sister?”

“Let’s leave it as it is. No need to drive them away. They just want to live.”

“Understood. But I must warn these commoners to be more restrained, so they don’t think we are easy to deal with—we must prevent these people from getting pushy. This is the Holy Kingdom, not the Elf Kingdom. Here, violence is more useful than status.”

Saying this, Anastasia finished her meal at a speed that astonished Fia. She then put down her bowl and spoon, adjusted her elf-style green windbreaker, and walked straight towards the refugee encampment.

“Is eating speed also part of the Royal Guard’s training…”

“No, it isn’t. It’s actually because Sister Ana grew up in the Land of Exile. That’s a place where criminals are exiled, and exile is only slightly less severe than the death penalty. There’s no law or order in the Land of Exile. People there will fight fiercely over a mouthful of food. If you don’t eat what you get quickly, it will be snatched away by others. That’s why Sister Ana eats so fast. In fact, she was considerate of us and deliberately ate very slowly just now.”

Swinging her slender calves wrapped in white over-the-knee socks, Liti explained with a pout.

“People in the Land of Exile don’t know if they’ll see the next day’s sun. Surviving today is considered very lucky. The person who brought Sister Ana out of that place was you, sister, the one who should have been her opposite, her enemy. That’s why Sister Ana swore to become your sword and dedicate her life to you. In Sister Ana’s eyes, you are as warm and dazzling as the sun… If you forget even this, Sister Ana will be very pitiful.”

“…It’s not like I wanted to forget.”

So that was Anastasia’s past.

At this point, Fia quietly took out the yellowish-green Key of the World Tree. After Calista had explained its function, she had immediately tried it on herself, but the Key of the World Tree had no effect at all.

Either the Key of the World Tree wasn’t as magical as Calista described, or she didn’t meet the conditions for its effect to work. Either her soul was too powerful for the Key to shake, or her compatibility with the elf princess’s body was terrifyingly good, rendering the Key ineffective.

Anastasia had said that the Mana Surge was a reflection of an elf’s soul. When an elf dies, the Mana Surge shatters, an irreversible process that not even a god’s descent could repair. The elf princess’s life flashing before her eyes indicated that she was indeed dead, so the Mana Surge should have had some issues. But the fact was, her Mana Surge was perfectly intact, and Anastasia even said that some of her small habits were exactly the same as before.

The combined effects of the Key of the World Tree and the Mana Surge gave Fia a strange feeling, that she might actually be the elf princess herself.

If it weren’t for the memories in her mind that clearly did not belong to this world, Fia would have been convinced that she had simply lost her memory. That the elf princess was her, and she was the original elf princess.

It was truly hard to understand.

“By the way, Anastasia just mentioned ‘most human countries.’ Are there other human countries on the World Tree Continent besides the Milcandis Holy Kingdom?”

With one hand propped on the rock and the other fanning her cheek, Liti nodded seriously.

“Mm. Most human countries are concentrated in the northern part of the continent. Besides the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, there’s the Alfrieg Kingdom bordering it to the south. And to the west of the Holy Kingdom is another human empire, larger and more powerful than both the Holy Kingdom and the Alfrieg Kingdom combined. Finally, scattered between the Holy Kingdom and the Alfrieg Kingdom are many small nations, the most famous of which is the Bart Duchy.”

“They were originally part of the Alfrieg Kingdom, but about a hundred years ago, a Duke of Bart appeared, claiming to be ‘from another world.’ The Duke of Bart declared his territory’s independence from the Alfrieg Kingdom, so the Alfrieg Kingdom sent troops to ‘suppress the rebellion.’ A lot of things happened in between, and in the end, a place called the Bart Duchy appeared on the map. After we leave the Holy Kingdom, we have to pass through the border of the Bart Duchy to return to our country. If it weren’t for the Bart Duchy and the Alfrieg Kingdom separating us from the Holy Kingdom, my father wouldn’t have had to cross the vast ocean to conquer the Holy Kingdom.”

So there were so many human countries on the World Tree Continent.

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Fia was a little surprised.

In a world with so many races and where humans were at a natural disadvantage, Fia had always thought the Holy Kingdom was the only human nation, with most of the territory occupied by other races. But now, it seemed that was not the case.

She still knew too little.

She happened to have the maps and books from the temple in Aurora City. She would take a good look at them tonight.

And she would read through the magic books inside as well.

Fia planned to read during her night watch.

Anastasia wasn’t a machine; she couldn’t go without rest all day. Taking turns on the night watch with Anastasia was the best choice. Even if Anastasia was unwilling, she would have to use her status as a princess to force her to agree.

With this in mind, Fia stood up and walked towards the steaming stew pot on the wooden rack. The three of them had eaten their fill, and it was about time to clean up the dishes.

Then, Fia found herself in a dilemma when dealing with the leftover rice and stew.

While uneaten food could be stored in a storage item, the concept of aging and rotting still existed in the sub-space of the storage item. Even if the aging process was slower than outside, Fia didn’t think food left overnight in the middle of summer would still be edible the next day. The nanomachines in her body could digest it completely, but Anastasia and Liti would definitely get an upset stomach.

Freeze it first with an iceberg formed by “Ice Bullet,” and then put it in the storage treasure box?

As the answer appeared in her mind, Fia noticed the gazes directed at her from not far away.

Despite being warned by Anastasia, some of the refugees couldn’t help but look over, craning their necks to peek at the spherical stew pot in Fia’s hands.

She could see them swallowing and their hungry gazes.

Fia paused.

Thinking about it, she had rarely seen these refugees eat anything since they sat down. Considering they had fled from the front lines further north where the war with the elves was, they were probably penniless and couldn’t afford to eat.

After a moment of thought, Fia picked up the stew pot and walked towards the refugees who were watching her.

“What are you going to do, sister?”

“I’m going to ask if the people over there need anything. Liti, you can just stay here.”

“Are you helping the refugees? I want to go with you, sister!”

Liti quickly jumped off the rock.

She acted like she disliked the refugees before, but now she wants to help them…

Hiding this question in her heart, Fia gestured towards the carriage with her chin.

“Then Liti, help me get the dry rations from the carriage.”

From the first time she saw the refugees, Fia had anticipated that Liti, with her kind heart, might not be able to resist giving them alms. So she had already set aside the dry rations that their group was unlikely to eat in the carriage for distribution.

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“Okay~”

Soon, Fia and Liti appeared before the refugees.

Seeing Fia approaching in her black dress, exuding an air of indifference, the refugees became nervous. Some, as if fearing Fia would convict them of a crime, quickly scrambled to their feet and moved away from her.

Fia paid no mind to the overreaction of some of them, instead turning her gaze to the child closest to her. This boy had not moved away with his parents, but was sucking his thumb, his eyes fixed on the steaming stew pot in Fia’s hands without blinking.

The surface of the stew, glistening with a layer of animal fat, had tender chunks of meat floating in it. The combined smell of salt and spices, a rich, meaty aroma, was enough to make one’s mouth water just by smelling it, not to mention the chopped red peppers and green onions in the stew. Anastasia’s cooking skills were no joke.

“Don’t just stand there, come here!”

Seeing her child not following, the boy’s mother looked anxious and tried to pull him away, but Fia spoke before she could, placing the stew pot on the ground—trying to make her expression as gentle as possible.

“Are you hungry?”

The answer was obvious, but she had to ask.

“Mm.”

The boy nodded.

“Then it’s yours.”

Fia pointed to the stew pot on the ground, and then had Liti place the paper bag in her hands next to it. Whether it was intentional or not, the topmost piece of black bread rolled out of the paper bag, revealing its identity to everyone.

A rustle.

Fia’s voice wasn’t loud, but the nearby refugees could all hear her. Those who had moved away, those who were getting up, and those who were peeking over, all widened their eyes in unison. They had long coveted the stew in Fia’s hands, but had restrained themselves from looking at her, not wanting to lose their lives.

These people had already spent all their money while fleeing, and they had little dry food left. Many had been hungry for some time. They had actually planned to pick up the edible parts after Fia threw the stew away to fill their stomachs. Now that Fia had brought the food to them, they couldn’t help but feel a joy as if it were a gift from the heavens.

The first to react was the boy’s mother.

Her fearful expression gone, the boy’s mother took a step forward, slightly bent over, her dusty face filled with ecstasy.

“R-really? Noble lady, are you giving us the precious meat?”

“You can take the bread here too. We have no use for it.”

There was better-tasting, softer white bread in the storage treasure box. Neither she nor Anastasia would choose to eat the hard black bread. Giving it to the refugees wouldn’t affect their journey.

Although at first, she felt a bit bad about giving away leftovers as alms to the refugees, thinking about how these refugees were on the verge of starvation, Fia felt her considerations were superfluous.

“Th-thank you, noble lady, thank you, noble lady! What are you standing there for, hurry up and thank the two young ladies!”

The woman forcefully slapped the back of the boy’s head, her tone full of reprimand.

Fia couldn’t help but look at the other refugees—their greenish eyes were full of desire, and they were slowly approaching, already on the verge of scrambling for it.

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Hunger can easily rob a person of their reason and morals. If left unchecked, they would fight over the food, turning it into a chaotic scramble, leading to bloodshed.

Fia cleared her throat.

“I’m not giving it to just their family, but to all of you! Form a line, no pushing! I will have my guard drive away anyone who doesn’t follow the rules!”

As her voice fell, the refugees quickly formed a line. Although some were dissatisfied that others were standing in front of them, their discontent vanished when they saw the fireball that appeared in Fia’s hand.

Soon, a scene of Fia distributing black bread and Liti ladling stew, with refugees receiving food in an orderly manner, unfolded in the forest. Although Fia didn’t ask them to thank her, every time a refugee received food, they would bow repeatedly in thanks, saying things like the Goddess of Life would protect Fia, and then move aside to devour the bread and stew.

Several times, Fia thought they would choke to death.

However, after only three or four people had been given bread, the relief effort was halted by Anastasia’s arrival.

Anastasia didn’t say they couldn’t give the unneeded food to the refugees. She stopped Fia because she knew the stew wasn’t enough for everyone. Anastasia thought they should throw the bread into the stew, add water, and re-cook it into a porridge, then distribute it to the refugees so that everyone could have a taste of meat.

There were too many refugees and too little stew. As for bowls, due to the limited number, Fia couldn’t give one to everyone, so they adopted a reuse strategy: the next person could use it only after the previous person was done.

While waiting for Anastasia to re-cook the stew, the line of refugees remained orderly. Fearing they would be driven away, no one became impatient while waiting. When Anastasia brought the stew pot back, the people burst into joyous cheers, with many shouting things like “kind elf,” “elf saintess,” and “messenger of the goddess.”

It’s worth mentioning that because the first few people had enjoyed the normal stew and black bread, they were now the targets of envious and jealous looks from those who could only eat the porridge. Fia learned from the refugees that their usual food was stewed beans, highland barley, and boiled wild vegetables. Although they could also eat black bread, it was often mixed with unclean things like wood chips and sand, making it so hard it hurt their teeth, and it had to be softened with soup before it could be eaten.

The impurity-free black bread that Fia gave them was too expensive for them to buy every day. As for meat with a lot of fat, it was something they had never seen. Only on major holidays would they go to the market to buy a little meat, and that was already a very sumptuous meal. The option of a thick layer of fat floating on top of the soup did not exist.

Therefore, even though it was a heavily diluted porridge cooked into a mush, the refugees ate it very happily, even insisting on licking the bottom of the bowl clean before handing it to the next person—those who got a bone were considered the enviably lucky ones.

Anastasia cooked a total of three pots to give everyone a bowl.

“Ah ah… this is definitely the most delicious dinner I’ve had since I was born.”

“Am I about to see the Goddess of Life?”

“Why, when I hate elves the most, do I have to receive help from an elf again? Damn it!”

“I want another bowl… can’t they throw the rabbit’s intestines and skin in to cook too…”

The refugees lying on the ground shared their thoughts.

Although it was only one bowl per person, Anastasia had used less water, so there was plenty of flour. Additionally, Fia noticed that someone was eyeing the stew pot, seeming to want to lick it clean.

Fia chose to pretend she didn’t see it and had Anastasia quickly put the pot away to avoid a fight.

It’s worth mentioning that during the food distribution, Anastasia did not, as Fia had imagined, show reluctance or a stern face. On the contrary, Anastasia seemed particularly happy. She was glad to distribute food to those in need.

Perhaps it’s because she’s had similar experiences—having lived through days of lacking food and clothing, so seeing the hungry refugees reminded her of her past self. Fia guessed in her heart, but she did not confirm it with Anastasia.

As for Liti, she gently and kindly distributed food to the refugees, fitting perfectly the image of a polite young princess. Fia found it very heartwarming.