Stunned by the scene before her, Anastasia couldn’t help but rely on Fia, the elf princess, as usual.
She sheathed her sword, which had a magic crystal embedded in the hilt, and asked, “Your Highness, what should we do next?” No, no, this should be asked of you, Anastasia.
Seeing Anastasia’s face so close, Fia couldn’t help but recall how she had cried on Anastasia’s shoulder last night.
Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and she quickly looked away.
“I don’t know.
What do you think, Anastasia?”
“Ah… that’s right, you’ve lost your memory.”
Anastasia quickly snapped back to reality.
Now that Fia had no memory of the past, it was up to her, the elder sister, to handle things.
She cleared her throat and resumed a serious tone.
“Kiril, treat the wounded.
Aurora City is now sealed by the Unsinkable Moon, and no one can get in or out.
Our immediate priority is to find a place to hide.
It’s too reckless to fight the Holy Nation head-on with our current forces.
They won’t take long to come back.”
If it were just those people from before, it wouldn’t matter how many times they came back~ Although Fia wanted to say this, she had already handed over command to Anastasia, so she should follow Anastasia’s lead.
Pointing fingers now would be ungraceful.
Besides, Fia didn’t think the Holy Nation would always send only small fry to deal with her.
For instance, the Unsinkable Moon, now hanging in the sky like a crescent, casting a purple curtain over the entire city—it’s somewhat like an artificial sun providing light to the underground world.
She hadn’t tested this body’s resistance to attacks yet, and who knew how many more times the spear meant for the elf princess could come, or if she could withstand it.
She could only hope the Holy Nation wouldn’t push too hard, or she’d have to summon the Silver Nebula to blow up that thing called the Unsinkable Moon in the sky.
Of course, it would be a bit troublesome to execute.
“Although I feel sorry for the owner of this mansion, we elves will remember his deeds today and repay him tenfold when we return to the Elven Kingdom of Silivar.
First, change your clothes and retreat.” Muttering softly to the mansion with only one wall left, Anastasia took off her blood-stained coat and somehow produced a set of cloth clothes, then donned a cloak with a hood that could hide her elf ears.
The other members of the royal guard did the same, putting on mismatched hempen tunics and finally cloaks.
Clearly, they had done this many times before.
“Find your own shelter.
At three o’clock in the afternoon three days from now, meet at the Adventurers’ Guild.
Remember, preserving yourself is most important.
Don’t expose yourself for someone already exposed.
Our mission is to escort Her Highness, not to gain battle achievements.”
“Yes.”
After answering in unison, the members of the royal guard left in different directions.
In a very fantasy-like manner, these elves had physical abilities far beyond ordinary people, easily climbing walls and leaping between rooftops.
In just a few breaths, they disappeared into the city.
As for the injured elf soldier Fia first saw, after receiving simple first aid, he was taken away by his comrades.
The courtyard was suddenly left with only Fia, Anastasia, and the slaves trapped in cages unable to escape.
Since the soldiers of the Holy Nation fled without looking back, the servants, freed from their bonds, had long since disappeared before dawn.
Speaking of which, she had caused a lot of trouble for the slave trader here.
She’d repay him if she had the chance.
Silently apologizing to the slave trader in her heart, Fia looked up at Anastasia.
“Anastasia, where are we going?”
“Your Highness, please put this on.”
“Okay.”
Anastasia handed Fia a cloak that could hide her elf ears.
The reason for dispersing the royal guard was simple: moving together made them too conspicuous.
It was safer to separate and agree on a meeting place.
“For now, let’s find a place to stay.
If worse comes to worst, we’ll have to hide in the slums for a while.
It’s a gray area beyond the church’s reach.
The people inside will do anything for money, but it’s better than falling into the hands of the Holy Nation.
As long as the subordinates are careful, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Fia put on the hood, hiding her black hair and pointed elf ears.
Anastasia’s expression wasn’t good as she spoke, clearly indicating things weren’t as simple as she said.
The slums weren’t the safe place Anastasia described, where as long as you were careful, there wouldn’t be a problem.
The saying “a clear shot is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against” applied here.
In a direct fight, those emaciated people couldn’t be Anastasia’s opponents, but they would only act in the dark, striking when people were in deep sleep.
Even if it wasn’t the same world, the underlying rules of the slums wouldn’t change.
Bullying the weak and fearing the strong was always the main theme.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in Fia’s mind.
A silver-haired girl who shone with a transparent and holy light under the moonlight, like a moon spirit.
Claire.
Claire had said that if she needed help, she could find her.
Although she had only met Claire once, as the elf princess, she would undoubtedly bring unimaginable trouble to Claire, but for some reason, Fia had a feeling that if she went to Claire, everything would be fine.
Claire would surely welcome her.
Should she give it a try? Such thoughts swirled in Fia’s mind.
“Your Highness, we need to go.”
Anastasia’s urging sounded in her ear.
No, she should give it a try here.
Fia grabbed Anastasia’s hand.
“Wait, Anastasia.
I have an idea.
Do you know a girl named Claire around here?”
“Claire?” Anastasia frowned slightly, her lively blue eyes showing thought.
“I think I’ve heard that name somewhere, but it should be someone from a long time ago.
Why is Your Highness asking about this?” A long time ago? Didn’t Anastasia just arrive in Aurora City not long ago? No, now wasn’t the time to dwell on the past.
Fia shook her head.
Claire had told her last night that she ran a clinic.
It would be more appropriate to ask Anastasia about the clinic’s location.
After posing such a question to Anastasia, Fia quickly got an answer.
The clinic was on a nearby street.
Although it was close to the mansion, the most dangerous place was the safest place, and it was worth trying.
If successful, it would definitely be better than staying in the slums, where hidden arrows could strike at any time.
“Are you really going to trust someone you just met? Your Highness, we don’t have much time.
The guards could return at any moment.”
“There’s always a chance to try.
If it’s just soldiers, I’ll handle it!” Lowering her hat brim, Fia took a step forward, heading straight for the location Anastasia described.
However, just as Fia was about to step out the door, she suddenly stopped.
There was something waiting for her.
The slave trader had already committed a serious crime by sheltering the elf princess, and he couldn’t come back.
So, she would do her best to help the slaves here.
“Let them out.
Even if they can’t regain their freedom, it’s better than starving to death in a cage.”
Turning to face the courtyard, Fia set the trajectory of the fireball in her mind, controlling it to break the chains without harming the slaves.
The shackles are open.
Whether they leave or stay is up to them.
“Anastasia, let’s go.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
