Volume 2, Chapter 14 – Appearance and Core

With the initial greetings out of the way, things became simpler.

First, there were the mutual greetings. There was Estelle’s greeting to Liti, and also the greeting from the officials dressed as nobles. However, strictly speaking, Anastasia, as the second captain of the Royal Guard, should also have been greeted by the nobles. But upon seeing the cyan tattoo on Anastasia’s left cheek, the nobles all showed a look of surprise and deliberately avoided her. Anastasia showed no reaction to this, seemingly used to it.

Anastasia had mentioned the term “Sinner’s Brand” before. From Fia’s observation, the cyan tattoo on Anastasia’s face was not something she was born with, but something engraved on her later in life. Perhaps this brand, like a slave brand, was a symbol of low status—I’ll have to ask Anastasia about it later.

After the simple greetings, Fia explained her purpose to Estelle’s group, which was simply that they were passing by briefly to see if there was anything they could help with. To this, Estelle dismissed the maids and, along with her officials, gravely informed Fia of their recent ordeal.

Just as Fia had heard from the refugees, the largest city in Count Oro’s territory, which was also where the Count normally resided, had been destroyed in an explosion three days ago.

Following the explosion was an endless tide of black monsters. Even houses built of stone would collapse under the monsters’ erosion, and creatures like humans, beastmen, and vampires were not spared. If a hand touched a black monster, the hand would disappear. If a leg touched one, the entire leg would be devoured.

Only magic could harm the black monsters. However, magic casters were a rare existence in this world, not to mention that most of them lived in Count Oro’s castle and had already died in the initial explosion.

The survivors had no time to even think about what had happened and fled the city overnight. They eventually met up with Estelle and Norton’s gathering forces, which gradually formed the camp.

As for Estelle’s own story, it had a touch of the legendary.

While everyone in the castle had died in the explosion, Estelle was just unconscious on a broken balcony.

If that were all, Estelle would have soon been devoured and killed by the black monsters. Fortunately, Norton, who was outside the castle at the time, rushed back just in the nick of time. He saved Estelle, who was unconscious and seriously injured in the explosion. Norton then led his surviving subordinates in a fierce battle against the black monsters, and only after losing nearly half of his men did they finally break out of the encirclement.

It was a life she had barely salvaged. If any one link in the chain had gone wrong, Estelle would not have seen the next day’s sun.

As for the black monsters in the city, according to Estelle, they were actually chaos.

She didn’t know how chaos, which was supposed to be in the Abyss, had gotten into the city, nor did she know what had happened in the castle on the day of the disaster. She only knew that when she woke up from her coma, she was already in the process of fleeing. She had no clue what had become of Count Oro or whether her proud sister Noreen was still alive.

But it was certain that before the disaster, they had all been in the castle.

The fate of the two was already clear to Fia, an outsider—they were both dead.

At this point, Estelle buried her hands deep in her hair, her blood-red eyes filled with remorse and pain.

“If it was me instead of my sister who was left in the city, the situation in the camp would surely be better now. If I could have taken my sister’s place…”

“Please don’t say such things, Third Miss. Even if Lady Noreen were here, the situation in the camp wouldn’t have changed. The most pressing matter is to get back into the city and rescue the people who are still alive. The family only has you and Young Master Norton left. You are the only one the territory can count on.”

The elderly official at her side comforted Estelle. It was clear that these officials were Estelle’s absolutely trusted confidants.

Her father and trusted sister suddenly died, her city destroyed, and with only a hundred or so soldiers in her hands. What was worse, the nobles under her wanted to cause a split, and the camp was in a dire situation with a lack of food and clothing. For a still-young vampire, this test was too difficult.

Fia watched this scene in silence.

Rеαd on КаtReαⅾіngCаfе

After a few seconds, Estelle quickly composed herself under the worried gazes of her officials. She intertwined her fingers uncomfortably, pursed her lips, and gave Fia a wry smile.

“Hah, I apologize, I was too self-absorbed. As Your Highness Fia can see, we are now just a broken army and in need of support. Your Highness Fia, you have come here…”

“We came to visit while we were on our way.” Fia preemptively explained her purpose for being there. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

Hearing the latter half of the sentence, Estelle, who had been looking disappointed, was suddenly overjoyed. She even stood up excitedly, her single vampire wing involuntarily spreading out.

“Y-Your carriage, does it have any food? Anything at all. We can trade you valuable items for it. The camp’s food supply is nearly empty. If this continues, once we can no longer provide food for the refugees, the camp will be abandoned, and seventy percent of them will starve to death on their escape. I, I am willing to take… this! Yes, this bracelet, and the ring and earrings—”

“Wait, there’s no need to go to such lengths.”

Seeing Estelle’s hurried gesture of taking off her bracelet and rings to exchange for food, Fia was moved and quickly rose to stop her.

As a noble who could enjoy riches and privileges, to be willing to use her personal belongings to get food for refugees was a rare thing even in the Human Alliance.

To think that this backward otherworld would have a noble who would sacrifice herself for others. This is an eye-opener. Fia admitted to herself that she couldn’t do the same thing as Estelle. And when a person realizes that others can do things they themselves cannot, and that those things are universally recognized as good deeds, they are filled with respect.

In an instant, Fia’s opinion of Estelle underwent a huge change. Her negative impression of Estelle from earlier was instantly reversed.

Unaware of Fia’s internal thoughts, Estelle still thought Fia felt the reward was insufficient. Her breathing became rapid, and she looked to others for help. The others also stood up, silently taking off their valuables and placing them on the table—all were jewels, with only a few magical items. Their hurried escape had left them no time to take valuable treasures from home.

“I-is this enough?” Pushing the gold and silver jewelry on the table towards Fia, Estelle’s face was filled with hope.

Fia felt a headache coming on and let out a long sigh.

“It’s not that I think the reward you’re giving me is insufficient, Estelle, it’s that I don’t intend to take any reward from you. I can’t guarantee the food will taste good, but there’s more than enough to fill your stomachs. Consider it a gift because I was moved by your righteous act. This is a result that you all fought for yourselves. If you feel uncomfortable about receiving something for free, then arrange the best tent for me, Liti, and Anastasia to stay in. That is the one thing I want the most.”

Estelle looked as if she wanted to say something, then, as if making up her mind, she nodded seriously.

“I will arrange it immediately.”

◇

The situation progressed very quickly.

Upon learning that Fia was carrying a large amount of food, Estelle immediately summoned her subordinates and had them vacate tents to be used as warehouses for the food.

And because there wasn’t enough space in the camp to accommodate a ten-meter-high mountain all at once, Estelle had to have Fia choose the wooden platform they had previously used for the speech as the location.

When Fia appeared on the platform with empty hands under the curious gazes of the people, the refugees initially thought the nobles were playing a trick on them. However, after Fia used [Food Creation] to create a ten-meter-high mountain of salted fish and a mountain of black bread, to the point that the wooden platform could not withstand the pressure and collapsed with a crash, the refugees’ murmuring ceased.

After that, both the refugees and the soldiers looked at Fia as if they were looking at an angel, their expressions filled with respect and adoration. This food was enough for the people in the camp to live on for at least ten to fifteen days. For this half-month, they would not have to worry about food. And by the time the half-month was over, the nobles from the surrounding territories would surely have sent troops to assist in reclaiming the city.

Not only that, Fia’s appearance also made the nobles who were dissatisfied with Estelle’s rule shut up. Everyone knew that Estelle was on good terms with the elf princess, and the elf princess was a Seventh-Tier magic caster. With the elf princess’s help (at least for now), only an extremely foolish person would openly express their dissatisfaction.

Rеad οn KatReaⅾіnɡСαfе

In the end, Estelle also kept her promise and had her own and other nobles’ tents vacated for Fia’s group of three. The tent given to Fia was the one Estelle herself had been living in.

It should have been a scene of old friends catching up, but because of all the unexpected events that had happened to both sides, it never happened. They didn’t even say a single word to each other alone. This result made Fia feel that life was truly unpredictable. This world was full of war and disaster, hunger and death; it was extraordinarily harsh.

Anyway, let’s get some sleep first, and we can talk about everything tomorrow.

Standing alone in front of the tent, Fia felt a sense of weariness and shook her head helplessly. She lifted the tent flap with one hand.

Then.

A whoosh of wind from a fist came from her right side.

An ambush?

Associating this with the existence of the Darkborn, Fia’s ruby-like eyes instantly sharpened. She retreated with the same movement she had used against Estelle before, grabbed the wrist that was lunging at her, and used her overwhelming strength to throw her opponent to the left. Then she pressed her elbow onto her opponent’s body, and with a thud, pinned them face down on the ground, without forgetting to twist their arm behind their back.

A soft sensation.

“Hiss—ow, ow, ow!!!”

“Eh?”

The familiar voice made Fia’s eyes widen in surprise. She reflexively sprang off her opponent, her expression gradually becoming subtle.

“Estelle? Is it you again?”

With her long golden hair tied up by a large black ribbon, and wearing a dark red dress that reached her ankles, it could be no one but Estelle.

She had an awfully short memory.

To be so pitifully thrown to the ground twice in the same way by the same person, Estelle would probably be furious and want to tear her to shreds—at least, that’s what Fia had originally thought. But when she saw Estelle’s expression after she got up, the teasing in her heart vanished without a trace.

It was replaced by a feeling of great trouble and helplessness.

It was not a look of anger or rage, but one of watery eyes, as if she was about to cry. But Estelle didn’t want Fia to see her in such a humiliating state. She tightly pursed her lips and endured the pain. The two emotions intertwined on the same face, making Fia read a feeling of humiliation.

Hey, hey… what’s going on? Weren’t you just an elegant and dignified noble lady a moment ago?

Fia tried to step forward and help Estelle, but courtesy made her outstretched hand stop in mid-air, not touching Estelle’s body.

She could only say awkwardly.

“Uh, are you okay?”

Reαԁ oո КatRеaԁіոgСаfе

Although it was obvious at a glance that Estelle was not okay at all.

“You, you’re too heavy-handed!”

“I thought it was an attacker.”

The subtext is, who told Estelle to throw a fist without a word? That was clearly not the speed of a greeting.

This time, it was Estelle’s turn to freeze. A hint of unwillingness was added to her face. Using the vampire’s ability to control her body fluids, she made the tears welling in her eyes disappear. Then, she turned her head away and snorted impolitely.

“Hmph, I was just unwilling to accept it and wanted to try one more time. Your fighting skills are completely different from before. As an elf, your reaction speed is actually faster than mine.”

Is she a tsundere? Maybe it’s a fresh thing for people in this world, but to me, it’s an old trope.

Complaining inwardly, Fia deliberately teased Estelle.

“So now you know the answer?”

“Tch. The Dofilia before she lost her memory was much cuter.” Estelle pouted. “You’ve changed too much from before. The Dofilia I remember was the quiet, intelligent type who didn’t like to talk much, which is the complete opposite of you now.”

“Hmm… are you saying I’m not smart enough?”

“No, I didn’t mean that. I’m just saying that the old you would definitely not have been willing to use [Food Creation] in front of so many people. You would have created the food silently and let us take it ourselves.”

Thinking of it that way, the old elf princess was indeed very cute.

Fia deliberately sighed.

“Losing my memory means my personality changing is unavoidable.”

“Well, creating food in front of everyone and silently creating food and letting us take it ourselves both have their pros and cons. At least now everyone knows that you and I have reached an agreement, and those restless nobles have to keep their mouths shut.”

At this, Estelle walked into the tent by herself, sat down on the edge of the bed in a very unladylike manner, her gaze fixed on the floor, and swung her two legs gently. It was clear that the current Estelle was the real Estelle; the ladylike appearance was just a facade.

“I actually came to thank you and catch up. I don’t know if I’ll be able to return after I leave, and there are some things that, if I don’t say them now, I’ll never have the chance to say.”

A bitter expression appeared on Estelle’s slightly immature face. The enchanting quality of her crimson eyes made the bitterness even more pronounced.

“Thank you, Fia, for making those nobles shut up for me. Mistaking you for a Darkborn earlier was very reckless of me. The old Dofilia definitely wouldn’t have held a grudge—the current Dofilia probably won’t either, right?”

A hint of playfulness entered her voice as Estelle secretly rolled her eyes, peeking at Fia’s expression.

Fia followed her into the tent and said with a smile.

Rеαⅾ oո КаtRеadіոɡСafе

“I am holding a grudge, and I’m very angry.”

“It’s good that you’re not angry. Your generosity hasn’t changed.” Ignoring Fia’s response completely, Estelle pushed the conversation forward on her own. She let out a big sigh, the swinging of her legs gradually slowed, and she patted the edge of the bed beside her. “Won’t you sit down and talk? Standing is tiring.”

“No, I’ll just stand.”

Sitting together on the bed might seem normal to Estelle, but I won’t pretend it’s okay and sit down. Although to outsiders and Estelle, this was just a natural display between good friends, Fia would mind.

It was the same way she felt about Liti. Real sisters wouldn’t care about one person leaning on another, or about hugging and kissing and pinching each other. Only sisters with impure thoughts would read a different meaning into hugging and kissing and pinching.

In this context, a true straight person wouldn’t think there was anything wrong with another woman sitting close to them, but I’m not a true straight person, so I do mind. I think it’s wrong.

Unaware of Fia’s inner thoughts, Estelle shrugged.

“A strange principle. But I’m not much better. Don’t you have any reward you want, Fia? I can’t accept your food for free. It would be one thing if it were a small amount, but with that much, if I don’t give you something in return, I’ll feel bad. It would violate my personal principles and degrade my self-respect as a noble.”

“Didn’t you already give me a reward? This tent.” With her arms crossed, Fia gestured towards the tent ceiling with her chin.

“But that’s not an equal exchange,” Estelle said seriously. “I don’t want to owe you anything. Principles are not something to be compromised on even a little. What’s more, I am a noble of the Bart Duchy, of the House of Oro. If I accept your things for free, I’ll feel like I’m being given charity. My pride cannot accept that. And if those petty nobles find out later, they will definitely use it to ridicule me. The thought of that just makes me angry. You saw it, didn’t you? How they don’t respect me. Paper can’t wrap a fire.”

“…That’s true. Nobles have their own troubles.”

Fia spread her hands helplessly, discreetly glancing at Estelle’s wings.

Estelle cares more about her noble status than I had imagined. This probably has something to do with her having only one wing.

Those nobles had called Estelle a bastard because she only had one wing. This was probably why Estelle cared so much about her status as a noble of the House of Oro. Perhaps Estelle believed that if she was flawless and perfect in every aspect, it would prove that she was not a bastard. That she, Estelle, was a genuine young lady of the House of Oro.

But this was nothing more than a manifestation of her inferiority complex.

The more a person feels inferior, the more they have a place they will not yield on, treating it as a sacred cow that no one is allowed to criticize. Although whether Estelle was a bastard had nothing to do with her actions, in Estelle’s eyes, there was a logic of “see, a bastard couldn’t do this.” The approval and praise of outsiders for her actions were the only things that could give her a sense of security.

In this way, whether it was now, acting like a true noble and hoping Fia would ask for an equal reward, or what she would do tomorrow, fulfilling her noble duty to return to the city and save people—both were just actions to prove she wasn’t a bastard. She was imitating a true noble—a bastard, while also having noble blood, was not recognized and was a despised existence, like Anastasia.

Estelle probably didn’t realize it herself, but all her actions stemmed from this core insecurity. She felt inferior because she had only one wing.

How pitiful.

Thinking this, Fia suppressed her sympathy and raised her pretty eyebrows.

“Then what reward can you give me now, Estelle? You have nothing.”

“I still have the future. As long as the nobles from the surrounding territories come, one day we can drive the chaos from the city. I may only be the third daughter, but I can promise that in the future, Fia can take anything she wants from the Oro territory as a reward for today.”