It was as expected all along.
Claire, though beautiful and approachable, exuded a strong sense of mystery.
She claimed she could easily defeat Anastasia, and Fia wasn’t surprised at all.
Seeing no shock on Fia’s face, Claire withdrew her neck in disappointment.
“I thought little Fia would be startled by me, screaming and running away like she’d seen a monster.
You’re not panicking like a child at all, you’re too calm, not cute enough.”
“I’m not a stray cat or dog waiting for someone to feed me on the street.
Even if I’m not cute, I won’t starve.
Would Claire kick me out because I’m not cute enough?”
“Of course not, I can’t wait to keep Fia here.
What I mean is, if Fia has any questions about magic, you can ask me anytime, and I’ll answer whenever.”
“Anastasia would definitely be mad at you.”
Fia could already imagine Anastasia’s angry expression.
Having her mentor’s position threatened by an outsider was something no one could accept.
“That’s true.
But I don’t want to back down.
If it comes to that, I’ll duel Anastasia for little Fia.”
Even though she was saying something terrifying, Claire’s tone was particularly relaxed.
The feeling of being fought over made Fia happy yet embarrassed.
To hide her shyness, she lowered her head and took a sip of the deep green drink—it had the fragrance of sweetened floral tea.
“If Claire is worried about me leaving, why not come with me to the elf territory?”
“Oh?” Claire’s face showed amusement, “Does little Fia like me?”
“That’s not what I meant.
If Claire doesn’t want to, then forget it.
Speaking of which, Claire clearly has a curse of being forgotten, yet that person this morning could still call out Claire’s name.”
The reason why the clinic was empty except for herself and Anastasia during the day was because a ragged man had come to inform Claire that a critically ill patient needed her treatment.
“That’s because I often go to help them.” Claire put down the wooden spoon she was using to stir her drink, her tone becoming serious.
“I chose to become a doctor to see if I could use the gratitude of saving lives to make people remember my existence.
As a result, it’s been quite effective, at least not like those who have only met me once and forget me overnight.”
“I remember that person who came rushing to inform you mentioned something called ‘Darkborn Disease.’ What is that?” If Fia remembered correctly, Darkborn in this world specifically referred to a faction opposing the gods.
Anything associated with Darkborn was bound to be serious.
Claire raised an eyebrow.
“If you want to know, you can come with me tomorrow when I go on a house call, but I can’t guarantee you’ll come back in a good mood.”
“I’ll try to come back in a good mood.”
Fia didn’t plan to stay in the clinic all day.
With the disguise Anastasia had made, it was best to go out and see the human city’s ecosystem.
Since arriving in this other world, Fia hadn’t had a good look at humans.
Now that she finally had some free time, it was the perfect opportunity.
“If you don’t eat soon, it’ll get cold.
Hurry up and eat.”
“Okay.”
◇ Night.
A pitch-black alley.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary alley, but upon closer inspection, you could see several figures cloaked in black cloth standing in the alley—or rather, elves.
“The captain means that Her Highness the Princess wants to take this opportunity to destroy the Unsinkable Moon?”
“Yes.”
Anastasia’s confirmation caused a gulping sound to echo in the alley, and after a long pause, someone finally answered shakily.
“No… as expected of Her Highness the Princess, even without her memory, she’s always ahead of us.”
“Did Her Highness say how to achieve it? The Unsinkable Moon is said to be a national treasure left by the Goddess of Life to Milcandis, and even forbidden spells are hard to destroy it.
What if we fail…”
“There’s no possibility of failure.
Her Highness spoke with confidence when she mentioned it to me.
She must have a thorough plan ready, just not the time to tell us yet.”
Anastasia’s righteous tone brought another silence to the alley.
Anastasia had to further explain.
“Her Highness must have her reasons.
You all saw the magic she used to annihilate the Holy Kingdom’s knights this morning.
The opponent wasn’t just a fourth-tier knight but also equipped with Orha Steel magic armor.
Even I struggled against him, yet Her Highness instantly killed him with a non-chanting ‘Calamity Crimson Lotus.’ However, when I asked Her Highness how she did it today, she said it was just a first-tier ‘Spirit Fire,’ and she doesn’t even know ‘Calamity Crimson Lotus.'”
The sound of gasping echoed in the alley again.
Everyone knew it wasn’t ‘Spirit Fire,’ yet the Princess told Anastasia it was just a first-tier spell, which was hard not to find intriguing.
“The captain is Her Highness’s personal attendant.
Why would Her Highness say such a thing…”
“Could someone be watching us, forcing Her Highness to hold back and keep silent? But if that’s the case, why wouldn’t Her Highness just say so?”
Blending into the night, Anastasia shook her head.
“I don’t know.
But our task is only one: to investigate around the Unsinkable Moon as Her Highness instructed.
Only by gathering enough intelligence can we help Her Highness destroy the Unsinkable Moon.
If this mission succeeds, it might somewhat redeem the face lost in the failed campaign.
I don’t want to return and see you all handed over to the Sacred Tree for judgment.
Her Highness may forgive us, but the Sacred Tree won’t.
Don’t forget your responsibilities because of Her Highness’s kindness.”
“Yes!” Hearing the words Sacred Tree, all the elves’ faces turned serious, and after answering in unison, they quickly disappeared into the night under Anastasia’s orders.
It wasn’t until a full quarter of an hour later that a small gray figure appeared where Anastasia had stood.
“We’ve been discovered by the Elf Princess.
Radric, do you have any ideas?”
“I don’t know.
I’ve never detected any probing magic.
A fifth-tier ‘Light Bending Barrier’ shouldn’t be detectable without my awareness.
It’s impossible.”
Though there was nothing in the alley, a deep male voice sounded.
“But you heard what those elves said.
The Elf Princess knows we’re watching her.
This might just be a warning.
Next time we get close, we might be met with the magic that annihilated the Holy Kingdom’s knights this morning.
Let’s stop here.
The Elf Princess might be stronger than we imagined.
Not only did she survive the Unsinkable Moon, but she also plans to destroy it.
She’s too dangerous.
We need to find a way to befriend her.
Surveillance will cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“…Alright.”
A strong wind swept through a corner of the alley, and all traces were soon swallowed by the night.
