“Who exactly are you?” Unlike Fia, who got up from the bed without any tension, Anastasia immediately questioned Claire.
A hint of sadness flashed across Claire’s face, but she quickly returned to her smile.
“Claire.
As you can see, just an ordinary civilian.”
“You don’t feel like an ordinary civilian at all.
Have we met before?”
“Hmm… met before? Even if I say yes, Anya wouldn’t remember.
By the way, when Anya saw me a few days ago, she said the same thing.”
Claire shrugged and walked slowly into the room.
With no chairs or tables, she had to sit on the bed and spoke in a calm tone.
“It’s understandable.
More surprising is that little Fia, not only the elf princess but also remembers me after just one encounter.
Could it be that she, like me, is cursed?”
“What nonsense are you talking about! How could Her Highness be cursed?” Anastasia’s displeased voice made Claire quickly apologize with a smile.
“Sorry, sorry, I misspoke.
As an apology, I can tell Anya why you forgot me, which might help clear up the misunderstanding between us.”
Although Claire was speaking to Anastasia, her gaze remained on Fia, who was sitting across from her on the bed.
Her pure and deep green eyes were filled with warmth.
“I wasn’t born in the normal sense.
From the moment I gained consciousness, I was already in this form.
If the age of life is calculated from birth, then I’m actually only ten years old.
Perhaps because of my abnormal birth, I’ve been cursed with two things since I became aware.”
“First, no matter who it is or how deeply they interact with me, if they don’t see me for a while, they gradually forget my existence.
Second, regardless of species, any living being that sees me will feel fear, even if I cover my face.
Just like how Anya, who had met me once, can’t remember me now and thinks I’m dangerous.
I suppose it’s because I violated the rules set by the gods of this world, which is why I’m cursed.”
“That’s why little Fia’s existence surprises me.
She isn’t afraid of me, nor does she forget me after just one night.
I’ve never met anyone like her.
Little Fia, who exactly are you?” Her tone was more inquisitive than accusatory.
Claire gazed into Fia’s eyes, as if trying to find something within them.
“I’m just the elf princess, you know?” Fia answered straightforwardly.
◇ Some time earlier.
A bright and resplendent hall.
The walls seemed to emit a golden glow, and the hall, with its high dome and spacious interior, was incredibly bright.
The most striking feature was a statue of a female deity with closed eyes and an outstretched hand.
Bathed in the hall’s brilliant golden light, the statue appeared as if the goddess herself had descended, surrounded by a holy radiance that inspired reverence.
At this moment, two men in immaculate formal attire were bowing their heads in prayer before the statue.
It wasn’t until a full quarter of an hour had passed that they raised their heads again, their expressions filled with devotion.
“Thank you for your gift, for allowing the sun to shine once more on Mirkandis.”
With the prayer concluded, the two men slowly retreated to the center of the hall to discuss important matters.
One was the cardinal of Aurora City, and the other was the inquisitor of the Holy Nation of Mirkandis, who had withdrawn from the front lines after orchestrating an attack on the elf princess with the Unsinkable Moon.
In the Holy Nation of Mirkandis, a theocracy, the city lord was the bishop, while the inquisitor held a position similar to that of a general in an empire.
However, unlike generals in monarchies, inquisitors had more responsibilities and were more loyal to the nation, or rather, to their faith.
In terms of rank, the inquisitor was undoubtedly higher than the regional bishop, but there was no obvious hierarchy between them due to the teachings of the Yuna Church—human supremacy, where all humans should unite against outsiders, thus eliminating internal distinctions.
The inquisitor was the first to speak.
Compared to the cardinal of Aurora City, he was older and noticeably more composed.
“The sparrows we sent out have discovered that the remnants of the elf princess are hiding in the city.
Considering the elf princess’s resurrection and the annihilation of the interception team, she might be with them.
There are too many unclean things in Aurora City, and we must capture the elf princess alive before the situation changes.”
“Have you communicated with His Holiness the Pope?”
“No.
It takes time for the message to reach him.
But with such news, His Holiness will surely agree.
Recently, not only the elf princess but also the Dark Ones and people from the Witch’s Hall have infiltrated the city.”
“The people from the Witch’s Hall are not a big deal, but how did the Dark Ones get in? Inquisitor, how do you know about them?” Hearing the words “Dark Ones,” the not-so-young face of the cardinal of Aurora City showed shock.
If the relationship between the Elf Kingdom and the Holy Nation was one of long-standing enmity, then with the Dark Ones, it was absolute hostility.
It was because the Dark Ones waged war against the gods that humans and demi-humans were forced to flee their homeland and come to the World Tree Continent.
Without the Dark Ones, humans could have lived better, at least not facing frequent disasters and famines, with people unable to have enough food and clothing.
Compared to the cardinal’s surprise, the inquisitor was much calmer.
“This is also information from the sparrows.
They found traces left by the Dark Ones in the forest, which carried the aura of a Moon Dragon.
The aura disappeared after leaving the forest, and judging by their movements, they have now infiltrated Aurora City.”
“A Moon Dragon!? How could such a creature enter the city unnoticed!” The cardinal’s voice rose.
Moon Dragons were the most magically capable and intelligent of all dragon species, with a size comparable to a castle, making it impossible for them to enter a city undetected.
The inquisitor shook his head gently.
“I don’t know.
But since it’s a Moon Dragon, it’s not surprising they could infiltrate.
Their magic is diverse, and human magic is like a fledgling in comparison.”
“Should we prioritize the Moon Dragon and put the elf princess on hold?”
“No.
The Moon Dragon’s target is likely not us.
Including the people from the Witch’s Hall, their target is probably the…”
At this point, even the usually composed inquisitor paused, finding it difficult to continue, “Tenth-tier forbidden spell.”
With those words, both men fell silent.
Tenth-tier magic far exceeded the realm of human capability, truly reaching the domain of the gods.
Humans might be able to cast ninth-tier magic under extreme conditions, but no one had ever used tenth-tier magic.
In the thousands of years since all beings migrated to the World Tree Continent, tenth-tier magic had never appeared.
Yet a few days ago, such magic manifested within the borders of the Holy Nation of Mirkandis.
It turned vast deserts into crystals and lava, and the smoke from the explosion was visible even from Aurora City, hundreds of kilometers away.
Undoubtedly, no creature could survive such an explosion.
If the explosion point had been closer to Aurora City, the city would not be as peaceful as it is today.
“Is it true? Was that tenth-tier magic and not a powerful type of ninth-tier magic?”
“Impossible.
No ninth-tier magic has such power.
That’s why the Witch’s Hall and the Dark Ones reacted so quickly.
The current question is, who cast the tenth-tier magic, and for what purpose? Is that being still alive? If she’s dead, that’s fine.
But if she’s still alive… In any case, the front line has decided to temporarily slow down the war against the elves and focus on investigating the cause of this magical disaster.
If such a being is a threat to the Holy Capital—”
It would be a catastrophe.
Such words surfaced in the cardinal’s mind.
He quickly asked, “Can’t we have His Holiness request a divine oracle from the goddess? If we have a divine oracle, we can greatly narrow down the search area.”
“The messenger should have already delivered the message to His Holiness, and he will soon request a divine oracle from the goddess.
However, the likelihood of the goddess responding to us is low; we must rely on ourselves.
What we can do, besides investigating and assessing the power of the magical disaster, is to capture the elf princess.
Once we have her, we can threaten the Elf Kingdom to stop the war and cooperate with us, allowing us to focus on more important matters.
The last divine oracle has already indicated that things from the past are awakening, and the magic of the polar day is stirring.
We don’t have much time left.
The apocalypse will soon arrive, and perhaps this tenth-tier magic is a precursor to the catastrophe.
We must unite all the forces we can.”
Mentioning the apocalypse, the cardinal’s expression turned somber, but his eyes showed more determination.
“I understand.
But with my current strength, capturing the elf princess alive won’t be easy.”
“I will use the Unsinkable Moon and have the Inquisition Knights assist you.
You must capture the elf princess alive.
If necessary, even if we have to show a willingness to negotiate, we must have her on our side to persuade the Elf Kingdom to abandon the war.
Those people originally wanted to subdue the Elf Kingdom with a swift and fierce war, but that decision was absurd.”
“Alright, I’ll prepare now.
Please, Inquisitor, use the Unsinkable Moon to seal the city as soon as possible.”
“Yes, humanity will prevail.”
“Humanity will prevail.”
