Volume 2, Chapter 7 – The Journey

“So, the Darkborn have appeared in Count Oro’s territory…”

The carriage continued on its way.

Fia sat sideways on the driver’s seat, her small legs dangling in the air, swinging gently. Covered by black, silk-like over-the-knee socks, her already slender legs looked even more delicate, especially the beautiful curve from her calf to her ankle, which made one want to take a second look—if such feet were placed before you, you would probably feel the urge to reach out and touch them.

However, Fia herself was unaware of how alluring her posture was. She simply rested her chin on her right hand, frowning in deep thought.

Anastasia had learned from the refugees, in exchange for half a loaf of bread, that the reason they were gathering at the border was that a disaster had also struck the territory of Count Oro ahead, creating another wave of refugees. The refugees from both sides were now communicating, trying to decide which direction to flee—to other parts of the Bart Duchy, or to cross the duchy entirely and go to the Alfrieg Kingdom.

As for what the disaster in Count Oro’s territory was, the refugees had various accounts. Some said Darkborn had attacked a major city in the territory, others said the Alfrieg Kingdom had secretly sent high-tier magic casters to cause destruction, and still others said there was a rebellion among Count Oro’s subordinates, leading to a major battle in the city. In any case, the result was that countless refugees had fled from Count Oro’s territory, and their descriptions of the “city being destroyed” were largely consistent.

First, there was a huge explosion, then the sky turned pitch black. Before people could react to what had happened, more than half of the city’s houses were gone. Some were hit by flying bricks and stones and died on the spot, while many more disappeared from the world without even a scream.

The refugees Fia had seen were among the first to sense trouble and escape. Among them were not only people from the city but also entire families fleeing from surrounding villages. The farmers living in the villages had not witnessed the disaster firsthand, but seeing everyone else fleeing, they chose to join the exodus. After all, when disaster truly struck, it would surely be too late to escape. Not to mention, many of the people fleeing from the city were injured—missing arms and legs, wrapped in bloody rags, and crying out in pain, a sight that was hard not to be shaken by.

At this moment, Fia’s carriage had already crossed the suspension bridge and entered the territory of Count Oro within the Bart Duchy. Taking a detour would add several days to the journey, and Fia was unwilling to lengthen her trip back. In Fia’s eyes, whether it was an Darkborn or a high-tier magic caster from the Alfrieg Kingdom, if they dared to block her path, she would send them to meet their maker.

“I believe it should be Darkborn.”

Anastasia relaxed the reins, letting the two eight-legged horses pulling the carriage pick up speed.

“Count Oro’s territory is in the northern part of the Bart Duchy, and the duchy only borders the Alfrieg Kingdom to the south and east. It makes no strategic sense for the Alfrieg Kingdom to bypass the border cities of the Bart Duchy and cause destruction in the northern heartland. Moreover, the Alfrieg Kingdom’s national power is declining. It has the beastmen’s Cold Moon Kingdom to its east and an emerging empire to its west. Dealing with these two countries is enough to give the Alfrieg Kingdom a headache; they can’t spare the strength to deal with the Bart Duchy to the north.”

In terms of foreign policy, the Bart Duchy was opposed to both the Holy Kingdom and the Alfrieg Kingdom. Logically, being caught between two major powers and offending both should have quickly led to it being carved up and destroyed. However, because the founding emperor had established a policy of making friends widely and fostering good relations with non-human intelligent races, the Bart Duchy was on good terms with the beastmen’s Cold Moon Kingdom and the Elf Kingdom, Silvar. The Cold Moon Kingdom even had a mutual defense treaty with the Bart Duchy.

If the Bart Duchy were attacked, the beastmen’s Cold Moon Kingdom would not stand idly by, and fighting a war on two fronts would certainly not be easy for the Alfrieg Kingdom.

“Darkborn again, huh.” Fia dropped her hand from her chin and sighed, stretching longly. “I don’t get what these Darkborn are trying to do, causing destruction everywhere.”

“This may have something to do with the king who leads them. The Darkborn are not a monolith. Like humans, they are divided into many factions due to different ideologies. The two more famous factions are led by ‘Absolute Evil’ and ‘Shadow’.”

“It is said that these two Darkborn are extremely powerful, having once challenged the gods. After the destruction of the original continent, they chose to flee to the World Tree Continent along with the gods. However, I have never heard news of Absolute Evil or ‘Shadow’ appearing on the continent. This is just a rumor spread by the Darkborn themselves, claiming they are ruled by Absolute Evil and ‘Shadow’.”

Her gaze lingered for a second on Fia’s snowy white neck, glistening with sweat, before Anastasia subtly looked away and continued.

“The Darkborn led by Absolute Evil appear before people more frequently than those under Shadow. As for Shadow, even I, as the second captain of the Royal Guard, have rarely heard intelligence about Shadow’s Darkborn being mobilized. It’s mostly the Darkborn under Absolute Evil who run rampant everywhere, creating chaos and destruction. They take pleasure in destruction and slaughter, yet their actions are baffling. They like to appear in cities that have long maintained peace or on battlefields of fierce wars, bringing destruction to all races without discrimination.”

“It probably has something to do with that name, ‘Absolute Evil’.”

This wasn’t the first time Fia had heard this term. Since he called himself Absolute Evil, he represented destruction and disaster.

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Not only the “Secret History of the Witches,” but the Moon Dragon Radric had also mentioned Absolute Evil. In the description of the “Secret History,” Absolute Evil was an existence whose movements were unpredictable and who was extremely skilled in combat. It also stated that Absolute Evil was once an elf, but for some unknown reason, later became a demon.

After moving to the World Tree Continent, Absolute Evil had never been defeated. All who fell at his hands ultimately met their death. Absolute Evil claimed to represent all evil in the world and showed no mercy.

From this point of view, the Witch of Hope’s intelligence network was much stronger than Anastasia’s.

This also made Fia puzzled about the Witch of Hope.

Although Fia had only read a part of the “Secret History of the Witches” in detail, she had roughly skimmed through the entire book. There were no magic spells or knowledge of magic theory recorded in it. The Witch of Hope was more focused on introducing to outsiders what kind of existence the World Tree Continent was, and which notable people and forces were here. As a Ninth-Tier witch, it was puzzling that she left no magic behind before her death.

Coupled with the fact that the Witch of Hope had died in that dilapidated wooden hut, the mystery deepened. Even she could create an endless supply of water with “Torrent,” let alone a Ninth-Tier witch. There was no way the Witch of Hope could have died of thirst. She must have deliberately died in the desolate desert.

It was truly strange.

Pushing the incomprehensible matters to the back of her mind, Fia turned her head, her delicate features facing the expressionless Anastasia who was driving.

“So, the Darkborn who caused destruction in Count Oro’s territory is most likely under Absolute Evil?”

“Precisely. In my opinion, we can stay in Count Oro’s territory for a few days first. The Bart Duchy is on good terms with us. If Your Highness goes to offer condolences in your capacity as the elf princess, even if you go empty-handed and have me help out a little, it will greatly increase Count Oro’s favor towards you. The Oro family is one of the most prominent families in the Bart Kingdom, and Count Oro himself is a Fifth-Tier powerhouse. After you become the Elf Queen, they will surely not forget your concern today. Visiting Count Oro will be of great benefit to your future.”

Seeming to feel that her reasoning was not enough to persuade Fia, Anastasia added again.

“The original one-month journey was calculated based on us walking back. Now we have a carriage, and with eight-legged horses that have excellent stamina and speed, we can reach the elf territory in half a month at most. Even if we pay a visit to Count Oro, it won’t delay your return.”

“…Anastasia, why didn’t you say this earlier?”

Fia’s reproachful tone made Anastasia feel awkward.

“Uh… I originally thought it wouldn’t be much faster. Factoring in possible accidents along the way, I thought we could only arrive a week earlier at most. Carriages can only take main roads, while on foot, one can use [Flight] magic to take shortcuts that are difficult for ordinary people to cross. But I didn’t expect the human’s eight-legged horses to have such good stamina. They only need to rest for a short while at night and can travel continuously during the day, and they are faster than ordinary horses… So, does Your Highness want to go to Count Oro’s territory?”

“No.”

Fia refused at once.

Although Fia knew Anastasia was advising her for her own good, and the significance of Count Oro to the Bart Duchy was surely more than what Anastasia had just briefly mentioned, for the current her, the distant future could wait. Returning to the Elf Kingdom as soon as possible was the priority.

The reproach in her tone just now was actually because she was angry that Anastasia didn’t care about herself at all. The return journey being shortened by half meant she had to grasp the time even more tightly to master magic. This was crucial for Anastasia, who was about to be blamed by the Elf King and the court nobles. The more magic she mastered, the more she could reduce the negative impact of Anastasia’s inadequate protection.

I need to hurry.

Thinking this, Fia pulled back her dangling legs and straightened up, sitting properly next to Anastasia.

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For the sake of easy reading, Fia had placed the magic books she needed to study in her personal spatial backpack. Now that she needed them, she could take them out directly.

Seeing Fia’s actions, Anastasia couldn’t help but be slightly moved. Emotion welled up in her expressive blue eyes, and her grip on the reins loosened.

“Your Highness…”

“I’m going to start studying magic. Anastasia, you can just do your own thing—I’ll have to ask for your help with things I don’t understand.”

“Of course, Your Highness can ask me at any time.”

After getting Anastasia’s affirmation, Fia shifted her attention from the green plains to the exquisitely bound magic book. The World Tree Continent had not yet invented printing, so all books had to be handwritten. Coupled with the high cost of paper itself, even an ordinary storybook was priced in silver coins.

The large, octavo-sized magic book in Fia’s hand, with a text block only a coin’s thickness and a cover wrapped in tanned leather, would cost at least ten gold coins.

The gold thread decoration on the cover alone gave it a luxurious feel, and the magical text and symbols adorning it created an atmosphere of antiquity and mystery.

On it, in the artistic script of the Milcandis Holy Language, were the large words “Introduction to Elementary Magic—A Selection of Intermediate Magic.”

So-called elementary magic usually referred to First and Second-Tier magic, while the line between intermediate and high-tier magic was somewhat blurry. In some countries, only magic of the Fifth Tier and above could be called high-tier magic, while in others, more powerful types of Fourth-Tier magic could also be considered high-tier. Additionally, there were regions where only Sixth-Tier magic could be called high-tier, and where less powerful Fifth-Tier magic was also called intermediate magic. The classification rules were extremely inconsistent.

As for the origin of the book, it was not a gift from Claire, but a spoil of war from the temple in Aurora City.

Most of the magic books in the temple only described faith magic. Fia had spent some effort to find magic books on elemental magic. However, for the sake of studying magic, Fia had also taken some faith magic books, planning to try them when she had the chance.

To this, the Cardinal of Aurora City not only didn’t feel the pinch, but also gave Fia an extra book called the “Sacred Tome of Life,” whose status in the church was similar to the “Bible” that Fia knew. He was clearly taking the opportunity to proselytize ¹ convert or attempt to convert (someone) from one religion, belief, or opinion to another. upon seeing Fia’s interest in faith magic.

Fia opened the magic book.

The foreword written by the author appeared in her vision. The general content was that the magic books on the market were too cluttered; each book only recorded one or two spells, with the rest of the content being the magic inventor’s travelogues and insights, or simply filled with continental history and heroic legends, which was just padding to deceive novices.

So the author of this book had integrated the spells he considered practical and compiled them into one volume. There weren’t many spells, but each was guaranteed to be practical. Interestingly, the author would occasionally throw in some curses against his peers, and combined with the gradually deforming font, even though it was just text, Fia could almost hear the voice and see the picture.

Quickly finishing the foreword, Fia turned to the first page. When her eyes fell on the first spell, her eyes couldn’t help but widen slightly.

“[Food Creation]: Creates food sufficient to fill the stomach, suitable for use when stranded on a deserted island or in a desperate situation without food. Although the cost is that each use will definitely consume one-tenth of the total mana, the total amount of food created will also increase or decrease with the amount of mana consumed. In any case, it’s better than starving to death.”

Both the effect of the spell and its description intrigued Fia.

Creating food out of thin air—this was something that could change the structure of society and the course of history. Once humanity was freed from hunger, many conflicts would disappear. It was incredible that such an elementary spell had not been widely promoted.

And the description “each use will definitely consume one-tenth of the total mana” also made Fia curious. Since coming to the World Tree Continent, she had never run out of mana. According to the author, just using [Food Creation] ten times in a row should deplete her mana. Perhaps through this spell, she could understand the full extent of her power.

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Fia began to memorize the magic incantation, trying to piece it together.

Although Anastasia quietly glanced over and her eyebrows twitched imperceptibly when she saw Fia was studying [Food Creation], her expression also becoming rather strange, Anastasia did not say anything. Fia thus did not notice Anastasia taking a water flask out of the carriage.

Furthermore, during this time, Liti also poked her head out from behind the curtain. Like Anastasia, when Liti, who had intended to bother Fia, saw that the spell Fia was studying was [Food Creation], she silently retracted her head. Without a word, she reached a tacit understanding with Anastasia, emptied the water from the flask, replaced it with sweetened fruit juice, placed it on the driver’s seat, and then quietly returned to the carriage as if she had never appeared.

Completely unaware of all this, Fia, already engrossed in her studies, raised her right hand and softly chanted the incantation.

“[—Food Creation].”

Like a lightbulb flashing for an instant, a white light flashed, and suddenly a fist-sized piece of charcoal appeared in Fia’s hand—to call it charcoal was too much of a compliment; it was more appropriate to describe it as an extremely dense black stone. If thrown, it could probably smash a dire wolf to death. Even when Fia squeezed it with some force, the stone only showed a dent, without shattering or cracking under the immense force.

Even its toughness was unexpectedly good.

It could be used as a raw material for making weapons.

This was practically [Metal Creation].

However, since it was food she had created herself, Fia still tried to eat it.

To be precise, she licked it with a “let’s just try it” attitude, to taste the flavor.

It had a sour, foul smell.

Like socks soaked in sweat for several days during the rainy summer, thrown into a bucket and forgotten, then taken out a few days later, already spoiled and moldy. If that were all, it would be one thing, but what was worse was that it also had the smell of bird droppings. Probably even a dog wouldn’t be willing to eat it if you threw it to one.

But no matter what, it was still food. As a very curious person, Fia held her breath, forcefully cut off a small piece with her silver dagger, and then put that small piece into her mouth.

At this moment, both Anastasia beside her and Liti above her head widened their eyes in unison, their gazes filled with admiration. Anastasia had already placed her hand on the water flask, ready to hand over the fruit juice at any moment.

“Gulp.”

It was as bad as she had expected.

Her impression was the same as the first lick. If before it was just the smell, now there was a description of the texture—at first, it was so hard it felt like it could shatter her teeth. After being softened by saliva, it was like chewing a mixture of sand, candle wax, and wood chips. It was extremely disgusting.

If not for Anastasia sitting next to her, Fia would have vomited in a very unladylike manner.

“Y-Your Highness, if you’re not feeling well, there are some bushes over there to block the view… Ah, here’s some fruit juice!”

Anastasia quickly handed the fruit juice to Fia, while Liti began to wipe the corners of Fia’s mouth with a slightly fragrant handkerchief.

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Without hesitation, Fia took the fruit juice and drank it down in one gulp.

Feeling the sweetness spread across her taste buds, the unique aroma of the fruit sliding down her throat into her stomach, Fia couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

Her half-dead life had been extended.

No wonder [Food Creation] hadn’t been widely promoted on the continent. No one would like this kind of food.

“Are you okay, sister?”

“I… I’m fine. Thank you, Liti. I didn’t expect the food created by magic to be so disgusting.”

Taking the handkerchief, Fia, with a complicated expression, took another sip of the fruit juice.

“Most people get a stomachache the first time they eat stone. Your Highness, perhaps you should induce vomiting…”

As she spoke, Anastasia gently extended a water-moistened cotton swab towards Fia, as if intending to stick it into Fia’s mouth to make her vomit.

Although the current Anastasia had a very big-sisterly vibe, inducing vomiting was something she’d rather pass on.

Fia quickly backed away, waving her hands repeatedly.

“No, no, that won’t be necessary.”

The nanomachines in her body would help at times like this. Because of the [Nanomachines], she hadn’t even seen what a women’s restroom looked like since coming to this world—if restrooms in this world were gender-separated.

“By the way, have Anastasia and Liti both eaten this stuff before?”

“Yes. Most magic casters learn [Food Creation]. Although it tastes bad, it can indeed be useful in a pinch. If you don’t eat it once yourself, the user won’t believe other people’s descriptions. Even if they are stopped, a novice magic caster will definitely try it, so…”

Anastasia lowered her head, seeming embarrassed for not stopping Fia.

So that’s why Anastasia and Liti prepared everything for me in advance.

I’m being treated like a child.

Feeling awkward and embarrassed, Fia coughed twice to save face.

“Ahem, maybe it will become delicious if I improve it.”

The matter of ‘consuming one-tenth of my mana but only creating a piece of stone’ could wait. Next, I have to try using [Hypercomputation].