“Are those… refugees?” Fia’s eyebrows furrowed cutely as she looked at the hundreds of people below at the narrow pass.
It had only been about fifteen minutes since she heard the noise.
Although she encountered quite a few troubles along the way—like the ground suddenly bursting open, thorny vines hanging from branches, and green mist spewing from roadside bushes—these obstacles hardly troubled her, mostly silenced with a single kick.
She was currently in a carefully chosen, concealed bush on the side of the road.
“It’s not an army marching, but refugees fleeing,” Fia muttered under her breath, sticking her head out of the bush and clicking her tongue.
Although she had been wandering alone in the wilderness for two days and nights, seeing living people now made her quite happy, but she wasn’t about to rush out without assessing the situation.
On the road just ten meters from Fia, a group of about two to four hundred refugees was slowly moving towards the distant city gate.
There were almost no able-bodied men among them, only women, children, and elderly people with canes.
They carried various-sized bundles, their clothes were tattered, and their faces were gaunt and yellowed, like impoverished people who hadn’t eaten well for a long time, no different from refugees fleeing with their families in movies.
Moreover, this was just one group.
Fia looked back along the path they came from and saw two more similar groups.
As for the destination of these refugees, Fia could tell with just one glance—they were heading for the city ahead, Aurora City of the Holy Kingdom of Milcandis.
Just like cities seen in fantasy comics, Aurora City was surrounded by tall stone walls.
Even though Fia was several hundred meters away, she could still feel the grandeur of the walls.
Additionally, many soldiers in silver armor patrolled the walls, including some magic chanters in robes.
Everyone wore serious expressions, and the security was quite strict.
It seemed that they had already received refugees earlier.
The soldiers guarding the city gate with long spears did not reject the refugees; instead, the gates were wide open, allowing them to enter.
Only when they noticed someone dressed suspiciously would they stop them for questioning.
It sounded strict, but from Fia’s observation, the soldiers only asked a few questions to those they stopped, and once they confirmed there were no dangerous weapons, they quickly let them pass.
“Indeed, the ‘Witch’s Secret History’ was right.
Even demi-humans can enter and exit the Holy Kingdom of Milcandis normally—though it’s quite tragic.”
According to the ‘Witch’s Secret History,’ Aurora City was a major southern town of the Holy Kingdom of Milcandis, with a population of about two hundred thousand.
The main race was humans, followed by demi-humans, primarily elves, with a staggering ratio of fifty to one.
Such a ratio was unique among many human countries, due to the doctrine of the Milcandis state religion, which stated that although demi-humans and humans were both created by the Goddess of Life, demi-humans were created to serve humans.
Therefore, the treatment of demi-humans in the Holy Kingdom was quite poor, with most being slaves engaged in heavy labor.
For example, among the refugees Fia saw, there were male elf slaves who were emaciated yet carrying heavy loads.
“This is already the fourth batch today, right? There are so many people; what’s happening at the front line?”
Two soldiers walked past Fia on the road.
These soldiers were sent by the authorities to maintain order among the refugees.
They maintained the refugee line while conversing.
“I heard the elf princess led an elite force to bypass the front line from the flank, burning and killing in the villages, which is why there are so many refugees.”
“A bunch of beasts.
I used to hear adventurers say the elf princess was cute and intelligent, and I thought we’d have a peaceful neighbor.
Turns out she’s such a vicious woman.”
“All the healthy men were killed, only the hidden elderly and children escaped.”
The resentful curses made Fia’s shoulders tense.
Although the soldiers were describing something she hadn’t done and had no memory of, the elf princess’s body was now hers.
She could imagine that if her identity were discovered by the soldiers, they would undoubtedly attack her without hesitation.
However, that was only if the soldiers could discover her.
Her observations had already convinced Fia that the soldiers wouldn’t check small children, and since there were others in the refugee group wearing cloaks like hers, as long as she successfully blended in, the soldiers wouldn’t notice her identity.
Fia couldn’t help but pull her hood down further, making her figure hidden in the bush even smaller, carefully confirming that the two soldiers had walked away.
Then, the refugee line finally reached the bush where Fia was hiding.
This was her chance.
Stretching her neck slightly, Fia tensed her nerves, focusing on observing the road ahead and behind, confirming that the soldiers were all gathered at the city gate and the refugee line had reached the end.
She took a deep breath, lowered her head, tightened her hood, and stood up from the bush.
—However, she didn’t succeed.
Before Fia could stand up, a hand suddenly covered her mouth from behind.
Not only that, but the other person used their free hand to wrap around Fia’s waist, restraining her arms and pulling her back forcefully.
“Mm!” Instinctively, Fia exerted force on her arms, trying to break free from the restraint.
But the voice of the other person quickly made Fia stop.
It was a female voice, filled with urgency, yet mixed with joy and pleading.
“Princess, please calm down!” Huh?
