Volume 4, Chapter 37 – A Time of Peace

A cool breeze blew through the early morning.

Even the mornings in midsummer were exceptionally hot. Although Celtic City was in the northern part of the continent and the air humidity was low, lacking the stuffiness of the south, it instead made one’s throat dry. Coupled with the noisy cicadas and the sweat sticking to one’s clothes, these three things became an inescapable nightmare of summer.

Fortunately, a Magic Fairy doesn’t sweat.

Yisi let out a small sigh.

Last night’s duel had ended with Edith’s victory, and the Frost Giants had all submitted to her. However, the one that had participated in the duel was severely injured and needed some time to recover. Furthermore, the Frost Giants’ size meant they were not suitable for the assassination plan, so Edith’s subjugation of them was actually of no help to the current situation.

“Well, Edith said it would be beneficial for conquering the far north in the future, so I guess it’s not completely useless.”

Descending the stairs from the second floor of the tavern to the main hall, the tavern was not open for business during the day, so it seemed very peaceful. Crimson’s group and the bear-kin woman were in the back kitchen preparing Margaret, while Fran was at the front desk counting the revenue. In addition, what caught her eye were Refina, Mary, and Tiffany playing cards. Yisi had been curious before as to why Refina was playing with Mary, but later found out that Mary had actually “bribed” her with the cards.

But Refina should have been with Edith. Yet, there was no sign of Edith on the first floor.

“Refina? Where’s Edith?”

Hearing Yisi’s voice, Refina put down her cards and rose from her chair.

“Good morning, Miss Yisi. Master said she was going out for a look.”

“You didn’t go with her?”

Unlike the vampire territory, this was the human world. Letting Edith go out alone was like dropping a time bomb in a crowd. If a commoner were to annoy—no, just bump into—Edith, she would surely kill them on the spot with Gungnir.

Yisi could perfectly imagine such a scene.

Looking embarrassed, Refina averted her gaze slightly.

“Master wanted to go out alone. She didn’t let me follow her…”

“It’s okay~ Miss Camilla said she would secretly follow Miss Edith, just in case.”

That’s even worse!

Mary’s words made Yisi’s mouth fall slightly agape. Edith already had those kinds of thoughts about Camilla. She had only held back because she didn’t have her consent and was worried that Yisi would take away her control of the body after waking up. But now that she was awake, and Camilla had taken the initiative to follow her, Edith might really lure Camilla into the woods… to do some forbidden things.

An adult manga she had read in the past couldn’t help but flash through her mind—to be honest, she was a little expectant—but this was absolutely not okay.

“How long have they been out?”

“A long time.”

The one who answered was Tiffany with the light green twintails. The latter used her body to apply a sticky substance to a paper slip and then stuck it on Refina’s face, even though there were already at least seven slips on her.

“How long is a long time?”

“Three hours.”

“Three hours…”

A lot could happen in three hours.

To rescue Camilla from Edith’s clutches, Yisi opened her Omniscient Map.

—And then she breathed a sigh of relief.

Edith was in an abandoned residential area on the west side of Celtic City, while Camilla was in the bustling market in the south. Moreover, there were no words like [*****] or [Mind Break] in Camilla’s status bar ¹ /bonkkk pervy . Edith must have intentionally shaken off her tail, or Camilla had lost her on her own.

Confirming that Camilla was safe, Yisi waved at her companions who were looking at her.

“I’ll go check on them too. Refina, you stay here.”

“Yes. I’ll leave Master in your care.”

Bowing to Yisi, Refina watched her leave.

…

This was a quiet courtyard, undisturbed by anyone.

Everywhere in the courtyard were white walls full of cracks and severe weathering. Weeds and wildflowers carpeted the ground, growing freely along the ruined walls and stone paths. Green vines stretched out from the soil, winding their way up the pillars of the white stone pavilion.

In the past, few people visited this place. This courtyard, abandoned due to the decline of its owner, became a dwelling for vagrants. But later, monsters frequently harassed the area, and the courtyard was completely deserted.

However, today, the sound of a musical instrument was heard in the courtyard for the first time in a long time.

The familiar sound of a violin.

The magnificent and pure tone instantly drew one in.

Yisi, peeking into the courtyard from the bushes, couldn’t help but smile wryly. The performer was none other than the count’s eldest daughter. She was standing on the steps made of white chalkstone, playing a solo. Although her attire had changed from a pure white long dress to a gown of black and gold, her otherworldly temperament, which could not be ignored, had not changed at all.

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If one had to point out a difference, it would probably be the sadness that flowed between her brows. The corners of her eyes, which were originally full of determination, were now exceptionally soft. Her deep, pool-like azure eyes were closed, leaving only her long, white eyelashes trembling slightly. Against the backdrop of the desolate garden, it seemed as if the one standing here was not the decisive and ruthless count’s eldest daughter, but an ordinary noble girl.

“I thought she was observing humans, but it turns out she was just looking for a place to play…”

Not intending to disturb her, Yisi quietly waited for the performance to end. Edith probably wanted to be alone; otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to such a desolate place by herself.

Although Edith never mentioned it, one only had to think for a moment to know. Being forgotten by her family, betrayed by her servants, and even her own body no longer completely belonging to her—this feeling of being rejected by the world was definitely not pleasant. It was like a girl thrown into the wilderness to walk alone, having to endure the pain with no one to confide in or rely on.

Not to mention, her own soul was already in a precarious state.

Even that strong-willed count’s eldest daughter needed time to lick her wounds and soothe her pain.

What kind of feelings do I have for Edith?

Without any warning, this question suddenly appeared in her mind.

To say it was the friendship between friends, it lacked a strong desire to help. To say they were acquaintances, there was no sense of stopping at a superficial understanding between them.

Perhaps it could be described as a feeling of respect and sympathy, and at the same time, a desire to see her reach the end.

Yisi couldn’t help but find herself amusing for having such complex feelings for one person.

The solo continued until noon. As if feeling tired, Edith lowered her violin and let out a soft breath.

Yisi took this opportunity to emerge from the bushes and slowly flew to the center of the courtyard, in front of Edith who was standing on the stone steps.

“It’s finally over.”

Hearing Yisi’s voice, Edith opened her closed eyes.

“I didn’t know you had a hobby of peeping.”

“I didn’t intend to peep. I just saw how serious you were and couldn’t bear to disturb you.”

“Seeing as you’re telling the truth, I won’t hold you accountable for your rudeness.” Edith wiped the faint beads of sweat from her forehead. Midsummer was already exceptionally hot, not to mention it was now noon. “So? Why are you here? The assassination plan doesn’t start for another two days, and it’s not time to hand over the body yet.”

I can’t exactly say I was worried you’d attack a commoner, so I came out to watch you.

Yisi pretended to sigh.

“I was just worried that a certain strong-willed count’s eldest daughter might meet with misfortune, so I came along to be ready to retrieve the body.”

“Hehe… I’m not so useless as to be defeated by an ordinary human. If you came for Camilla, that traitorous sister of mine has already been shaken off. She should still be wandering around the market now.”

So she did notice. But it’s good that she’s okay.

“How about we sit and talk?”

Yisi pointed to a grassy area outside the courtyard. Looking through a corner of the ruined wall, she could just glimpse a flat resting place in the shade of a tree. Of course, Yisi had originally wanted Edith to go to the stone pavilion behind her to rest, but the table and chairs there were severely weathered and looked very unclean.

Without refusing, Edith put the violin into her storage magic and went with Yisi to the shade of the tree.

“What did you call me here for? Although I rarely moved about during the day in the past, I know it’s almost lunchtime for humans.”

“Well…”

Yisi couldn’t help but glance at Edith sitting on the grass. Was this to be expected of a noble? Even when sitting on the grass, she was particularly mindful of her posture. She wasn’t sitting cross-legged or with her legs stretched out straight like a child, but with her legs together, one side in contact with the ground, her luxurious black gown with gold trim spread out in a circle.

Noticing Yisi’s gaze, Edith tilted her head slightly.

“What?”

“Nothing. I just think you really are a noble.”

“Meaningless. Do you have tea?”

“I have cheap black tea and not-so-good green tea. Which one?”

“Then I’ll have the not-so-good green tea.”

Unexpectedly playing along with the joke, Yisi, while finding it amusing, took out hot water and tea leaves from her inventory and placed them in front of Edith. Although she didn’t like to drink tea herself, she occasionally had the urge to try it.

“This body of mine can’t make tea. You’ll have to do it.”

“Hmph.”

Was that a symbolic snort, or was she really displeased?

With the count’s eldest daughter’s personality, if she really didn’t like it, she would have already thrown the hot water at her.

When did our relationship become like this?

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The green tea was quickly prepared. Unlike what Yisi had imagined, Edith prepared a cup for each of them.

“Is this for me?”

“What do you think?”

A Magic Fairy can’t eat or drink.

Although she wanted to say that, Yisi still accepted Edith’s kindness. To be able to drink tea personally brewed by the count’s eldest daughter was a treatment that not even Count Pescia had received.

“Thank you.”

“At least you have some sense.” Taking a light sip of tea, Edith repeated her earlier question. “You seem to have something you want to say.”

“Umm…”

Yisi looked hesitant. She did have a question for Edith, but it didn’t fit the current atmosphere.

Edith tapped the teacup lightly with her nail.

“Hesitation is a sign of cowardice. Your strength can indeed be called that of a strong person, but your personality is terrible.”

“If you say so…” Resignedly letting go of her hesitation, Yisi stared into Edith’s azure eyes. “How much time does your soul have left?”

Edith raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve already figured it out.”

“Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let Camilla follow you this morning. I’ve collected some magic books related to souls. Your soul isn’t unstable, it’s disappearing, isn’t it?”

She had spent the whole morning at Margaret reading through the magic theory books she had bought. They described situations where two souls shared one body. Normally, one body cannot contain two souls, or rather, a person’s soul cannot enter a body that is not their own. Just like how water and oil cannot mix, the body will reject a foreign soul.

Only in extremely special circumstances, such as when the necromantic spell [Soul Parasite] and the divine spell [Resurrection] are cast on a person at the same time, is there an extremely low probability of two different souls residing in the same body. And if two souls are in the same body, there are only two possible outcomes: either the weaker soul is devoured by the stronger one, or the weaker soul dissipates on its own.

Since she had not deliberately tried to devour Edith’s soul, it could only be explained by the fact that Edith’s soul was self-disintegrating. This also perfectly explained Edith’s abnormal condition. Why she would often pause mid-sentence, and why her waking hours were getting shorter and shorter, all proved that there was a problem with her soul.

Exposed by Yisi, Edith half-covered her mouth and showed a cunning smile.

“So you plan to kill yourself and leave my body? If so, I will hold a grand funeral for you and burn some of your favorite things for you every year: gold coins, treasures, blood, or people. Of course, I will send you off with great sincerity, for example, by shedding tears in front of others to commemorate your sacrifice.”

Still joking at a time like this.

“That’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“Then there’s no need to continue.”

Although Edith’s tone left no room for argument, Yisi still insisted on saying what she wanted to say.

And was promptly interrupted by Edith.

“There is no other way to solve or delay the instability of my soul other than you ending yourself. Since you are unwilling to do so, there is no need to continue.”

If I keep talking, I won’t be able to hold back my true feelings.

“But—”

“No buts.”

“Tch, don’t think I’ll listen to you as obediently as Refina. What I wanted to say is, after we get rid of Hetty, Count Pescia should be able to solve the problem of the body with the Tower of Alexia, right? As long as we create a new body, we can each exist independently, and the problem with your soul can also be solved.”

“…”

Edith did not respond.

That must be a tacit agreement.

Yisi let out a small sigh of relief.

“If, and I mean if, you try everything and still can’t defeat Hetty, I will get rid of her for you and let you return to your father’s side. This is not just for you, but for me as well.”

Although she wasn’t the one who had actively made Edith disappear, it was a fact that because she was residing in the body, Edith’s soul had become unstable.

Edith narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t do anything that would make me look down on you. Until I die in battle, I will not allow anyone to trample on my dignity.”

“Wake up! There’s no dignity after you’re dead, is there? And I’ll do it in a way that makes people think you defeated Hetty. No one else will know the truth.”

“I will.”

Without any hesitation, Edith puffed out her chest and replied.

If Edith had shown even a hint of hesitation, Yisi would have had the confidence to continue the conversation. But it was this unwavering demeanor that left Yisi with nothing to do but curse her as an idiot in her heart. ² yepppp dummm

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Taking deep breaths to calm herself, Yisi clicked her tongue.

“Tch, then go get yourself killed. I’ll defeat Hetty for you, become the new count’s eldest daughter, inherit the name of Loiswell Edith Pescia, and take Refina with me. I won’t just stand by and watch you force Refina to a dead end.”

“You cannot become Loiswell Edith Pescia. You have nothing in common with me.”

“How do you know if you don’t try?”

Although she said this, Yisi already knew she had lost. Just as Edith had said, she could not become Loiswell Edith Pescia. That last sentence was just a hopeless attempt at goading her.

The conversation fell silent, leaving only the sound of the breeze rustling the hem of her dress.

So stubborn.

I might as well just watch her fall to pieces.

Not wanting to talk to Edith anymore, Yisi lowered her flight altitude, no longer maintaining eye level with her.

Following that, Edith also stood up from the grass, dusting off the grass clippings from her gown, and then beckoned to Yisi on the ground.

“Come here. I have something to tell you.”

“What?”

It would be too humiliating to go just because Edith told her to. Yisi just looked up and asked, without flying up again.

However, Edith took the initiative to bend down, grab Yisi in her hand, and then press the side of her cheek against Yisi’s.

A warm and fragrant touch.

It was just a brief contact before she pulled away.

If it had been Camilla, Yisi would have easily realized what had happened, but she couldn’t understand why Edith was doing this at all.

“W-what are you doing?”

“This is a Hyurent custom. A sign of gratitude to someone important. You may not know what four elder-level Frost Giants represent, but that doesn’t stop me from expressing my thanks. The unpleasantness from before and the fact that you have indeed helped me are two different things.”

Yisi was sure that if she weren’t in the body of a Magic Fairy, she would be blushing uncontrollably right now. She couldn’t help but secretly observe Edith’s expression. The latter showed no signs of embarrassment, as if nothing had happened.

I was just being sentimental.

But this was only natural. With Edith’s personality, how could she casually show affection, especially since she hadn’t done anything special?

Yisi retracted her wasted shyness and let out a long sigh.

“Yes, yes. If you really want to thank me, then treat me to a meal after you’ve officially become the count’s eldest daughter.”

“A meal? Indeed. It’s about time this body replenished its blood.”

At this point, Edith’s gaze turned to Yisi. A carnivorous glint flashed in her azure eyes, making Yisi subconsciously back away a little.

“Hey, hey, you’re not thinking of eating me, are you? This body is a doll, the kind without blood.”

“No, it’s you and it’s not you. Since your level is far above mine when you use my body, it means that the body has changed in some way. In that case, will the taste of the blood also have changed?”

“Are you saying I should use the body first, then you take out the blood, and finally you use the body to taste it?”

It was a good idea, but she didn’t think the taste would change.

No, wait, she couldn’t refuse her here. She had already tasted her own blood; it was an exceptionally foul-tasting liquid. In comparison, frost wolf blood could be called a beverage. If she could trick Edith here, she might get to see a very interesting expression.

The sight of that stubborn and paranoid count’s eldest daughter’s face contorting because of the foul-tasting blood, just thinking about her suffering a setback was very amusing.

Yisi put on a feigned look of dissatisfaction.

“Do you really want to try? I don’t mind, but I don’t think the taste will change.”

The more she advised against it, the more Edith would want to do it. Yisi had already learned this from experience.

As expected, Edith poured out the water in the teacup and placed it on the grass.

“How do you know if you don’t try?”

“You’re the one who said it. Don’t regret it.”

“Hmph, don’t dawdle.”

“Yes, yes.”

Pinning the Magic Fairy to the waistband of Edith’s gown, Yisi’s consciousness entered the body. Their positions were swapped, and Edith was now in the Magic Fairy.

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Gaining control of the body, Yisi stretched with a long sigh, only to be pointed out by Edith in dissatisfaction.

“A lady should not stretch in public. I’ve been meaning to remind you. This is my body. Even if you are free to do as you please during your time, it is my reputation that is being tarnished.”

“I’ve never admitted to being a lady. As for reputation, there’s no third person here besides you and me.” Yisi shrugged. “So where do I make the cut?”

Edith took out an exquisite short blade from her storage, then, like an executioner holding a cleaver, she flew unsteadily to the back of Yisi’s neck, holding the blade with both hands, aiming it at her neck, and brandishing it back and forth.

Although she knew she wouldn’t get hurt, Yisi quickly stopped her—mainly because the back of her neck felt cold.

“Hey, hey, one slash like that would kill me, right? The kind where my head and body are separated.”

“It’s just a joke. Are you going to do it yourself, or should I?”

“I’ll do it myself.”

I’ll get you back for this in a bit.

With that disgusting taste that makes you want to cut off your own tongue.

Yisi took the short blade. First, she used magic to reduce her defense stat to lower her skin’s toughness, then she cut open her palm with the blade.

Because she was so focused on the image of Edith’s setback, Yisi momentarily forgot to control her strength, and the cut was deeper than she had imagined. Blood gushed out at once.

That hurts.

Edith frowned.

“This is my body.”

“I don’t usually see you cherish it this much.”

The teacup was quickly filled with blood. Yisi immediately healed the wound with healing magic, then placed the teacup on the ground—just the smell alone made her stomach churn.

“Here. If you want to try, then hurry up.”

“Of course.”

The two swapped bodies again.

In a very ladylike manner, Edith picked up the teacup and took a light sniff.

“…It seems quite good. It has retained its warmth, and there’s a very faint fruity scent.”

That’s just the smell.

Yisi stood on Edith’s shoulder, observing her expression up close.

The tip of her nose was brushed by Edith’s white hair, which felt a bit itchy. Yisi pushed her hair away, but the citrus scent from it wafted over, along with a gentle breeze that carried her body heat.

She was indeed a very charming girl.

I might fall for her in the future.

No, what’s important is Edith’s expression.

Shaking her head, Yisi stared intently at Edith’s lips, watching the moment they came into contact with the blood. Last time, she had almost thrown up after just one sip. Edith shouldn’t be able to last much longer either.

The moment her tongue touched the blood, Edith’s entire body stiffened for a moment.

Next, she should spit it out with a “Pfft,” right? Although it was her own blood being spat out, compared to the sight of Edith’s setback, that level of waste was nothing.

However, contrary to Yisi’s expectations, Edith lightly smacked her lips, a look of savoring on her face.

“This taste… mellow, fresh, with a hint of fruit and sourness. This is—”

As if contemplating something, Edith drank all the remaining blood in the cup. The warm, viscous blood flowed down her throat. A normal person would have thrown up in disgust, but Edith, being a vampire, felt incredibly comfortable, as if her entire body was soaking in warm water. All the pressure and urgency instantly disappeared. Nothing she had ever done before that had brought her pleasure could compare to this sense of peace.

“This… is… fragrant…”

Her thoughts became sluggish, and her mind filled with drowsiness. Edith’s eyelids closed uncontrollably, her body gradually went limp, and then she tilted to one side and fell.

“Hey! Edith!”

Noticing that something was wrong, Yisi flapped her wings to support her while calling out loudly, but Edith just let out a light breath as if she were talking in her sleep.

“Tha…nk…”

Unfortunately, Yisi didn’t hear the rest of the words and quickly brought Edith back to Margaret.

Edith slept for a full day.