After Kalista left, night fell quickly.
The summer forest was unusually noisy, with the cries of birds and beasts and the chirping of insects rising and falling.
In the light of the campfire, the shadows cast by the tree trunks looked like ghosts, clawing and reaching toward the carriage.
The occasional mountain wind rustled the leaves, making the atmosphere even more eerie.
If someone were to walk this road alone at night, they’d definitely feel uneasy, worried that something terrifying—like a ghost or a wild animal—might jump out from the roadside at any moment.
But Fia and her group didn’t have to worry about beast attacks.
During the hunt, Anastasia had set up barrier stones around them that monsters hated.
These stones gave off a strong stench, and as long as there were enough of them, they’d keep monsters away.
Plus, Anastasia had arranged them in a circle in the dense forest, so Fia and Liti couldn’t smell the odor.
Dinner was a stew made from wild rabbit meat, wild vegetables, and pre-prepared spices, with rice cooked by Liti as the main dish.
Instead of bread, they had rice, which surprised Fia a bit.
According to Liti, the elves’ wheat varieties were perfect for making bread, so bread was very common, making rice rare and expensive by comparison.
That’s why nobles preferred to serve rice to guests.
Here, rice was more of a status symbol than just a way to fill your stomach.
Liti set the bowl and silver spoon on a rock, squinting her eyes in satisfaction.
“Ah~ ah~, Anna’s cooking has gotten even better.
The last time I had her dinner was years ago, when I snuck into the kitchen.
Sis, you get to eat Anna’s food every day—you’re so lucky.
I wish I had a personal attendant like Anna.”
Even though Liti’s words were full of praise, Anastasia, who was eating, froze up.
She hesitantly looked up.
“You snuck into the kitchen… Only certain people are allowed in there, and even royals can only go in when the kitchen isn’t busy.
How did you get in right when dinner was being made, Liti?”
“Uh.”
Liti’s face stiffened instantly.
The kitchen had strict rules to prevent poisoning.
If even Liti, the second in line with poor physical abilities as a young elf, could sneak in, by law, the guards responsible for the kitchen should be dragged out and executed for serious dereliction of duty.
“Well… that’s because I made up an excuse to get them to leave, so I could get in…” “Even so, leaving the door unguarded breaks the rules.
Please tell me which day you went in, Liti.
When we get back, I can check the roster and find out which idiots were slacking off.”
When it came to business, Anastasia really had the air of the Second Captain of the Royal Guard.
With the blue markings on her left cheek, her serious expression was intimidating.
Cornered, Liti could only throw a pleading look at Fia.
Her big purple-red eyes looked especially pitiful in the firelight.
Fia swallowed her mouthful of stew and changed the subject in the silence.
“Why doesn’t Liti have a personal attendant? Aren’t there five squads in the Royal Guard?” “That’s because Liti said herself she didn’t want one.
That’s why she was kidnapped by a mere traitor.
If she’d had someone like me by her side, that shameful traitor wouldn’t have succeeded.”
Why? Fia looked at Liti in confusion.
Liti stuck out her tongue and pretended not to know, glancing off toward the carriage.
“The one Father assigned me was too slow, not gentle like Anna.
I don’t like people who don’t listen to me.” As she said this, Liti sat up straight, her eyebrows scrunched up cutely.
“…Those refugees keep staring at us.”
Just as Liti said, on both sides of the road where Fia’s group had camped, many travelers and refugee families were sitting.
Most of them looked exhausted, their faces and clothes covered in dirt.
When Anastasia parked the carriage on the roadside clearing, these refugees and travelers gradually set up camp nearby, including children and frail elders.
They barely made a sound, and even when they talked, their voices were so low they were almost inaudible.
Occasionally, they’d glance over, their yellowed, cloudy eyes full of longing, sometimes even swallowing hard.
“The forest is dangerous at night, with wild animals everywhere.
Camping near us makes them feel safer.
When nobles travel, they usually have several guards.
We don’t, but out of habit, they still stick close to nobles—it’s better than being alone.
If Liti finds them annoying, should I drive them away? In most human countries, commoners aren’t allowed to camp near nobles.
Nobles think commoners pollute the air, so even if I chase them off, they won’t resist.”
Anastasia’s words made Fia realize what was going on.
No wonder the refugees didn’t dare get too close to the carriage—even the closest family was at least twenty meters away.
They were afraid of her.
Anastasia had once said that nobles could skip the whole trial process and just hurt commoners with a blade, and the worst that would happen is they’d have to pay a little money, or maybe nothing at all.
For ordinary people, this world was just too harsh.
“Hmm… Their stares are uncomfortable, but it’s not enough to drive them away.
What do you think, Sis?” “Let’s leave it as it is.
No need to chase them off—they just want to survive.”
“Understood.
But I should warn them to behave, so they don’t think we’re easy targets—can’t let them get too bold.
The Holy Nation isn’t like the Elven Kingdom; here, violence works better than status.”
Saying this, Anastasia finished her meal at a speed that shocked Fia, then put down her bowl and spoon, straightened her green elven-style coat, and walked straight toward the refugee camp.
“Is eating fast part of the Royal Guard’s training too…?” “Nope.
Actually, Anna grew up in the Exile Lands, where criminals are sent.
Exile is just a step above the death penalty.
There are no laws or order there—people fight over a single bite of food.
If you don’t eat fast, someone else will steal it.
That’s why Anna eats so quickly.
She was actually eating slowly just now for our sake.”
Liti swung her slender legs wrapped in white knee socks, pouting as she explained.
“People in the Exile Lands never know if they’ll see the next sunrise.
If you survive today, you’re lucky.
The one who brought Anna out of that place was you, Sis—the person who should’ve been her enemy.
That’s why Anna swore to become your sword and dedicate her life to you.
In Anna’s eyes, you’re as warm and dazzling as the sun… If you forget even that, Anna will be so pitiful.”
“…It’s not like I wanted to forget.”
So that’s Anastasia’s past.
At this point, Fia quietly took out the yellow-green World Tree Key.
After Kalista explained its use, she’d immediately tried it on her body, but the World Tree Key had no effect at all.
Either the World Tree Key wasn’t as magical as Kalista described, or she didn’t meet the conditions for it to work.
Maybe her soul was too strong for the Key to affect, or maybe her compatibility with the elf princess’s body was so high that the Key couldn’t do anything.
Anastasia had said that mana surge reflected the soul of an elf.
When an elf died, the mana surge would shatter, and this process couldn’t be reversed—not even by a god.
The elf princess’s dying memories proved she was truly dead, so the mana surge should have been affected.
But in reality, Fia’s mana surge was perfectly intact, and Anastasia even said that in some small habits, she was exactly the same as before.
The way the World Tree Key and the mana surge behaved made Fia feel like she might actually be the elf princess herself.
If it weren’t for the memories in her mind that clearly didn’t belong to this world, Fia would’ve thought she just had amnesia.
Maybe she really was the original elf princess.
It was hard to make sense of.
“By the way, Anastasia just said ‘most human countries.’ Are there other human countries on the World Tree Continent besides the Milcandis Holy Nation?” Liti, fanning her cheek with one hand and leaning on a rock with the other, nodded seriously.
“Yeah.
Most human countries are in the north.
Besides the Milcandis Holy Nation, there’s the Kingdom of Yafreg to the south, bordering the Holy Nation.
To the west is an even bigger human empire.
And between the Holy Nation and Yafreg, there are lots of small countries—the most famous is the Duchy of Bart.”
“They used to be part of Yafreg, but about a hundred years ago, a Duke Bart showed up claiming to be ‘from another world.’ He declared his lands independent, so Yafreg sent troops to ‘put down the rebellion.’ A lot happened, and in the end, the Duchy of Bart appeared on the map.
After we leave the Holy Nation, we’ll pass through the Duchy’s border to get home.
If it weren’t for the Duchy and Yafreg being between us and the Holy Nation, Father wouldn’t have needed to cross the sea to conquer the Holy Nation.”
So there were so many human countries on the World Tree Continent.
Fia couldn’t help but be surprised.
In this world full of different races, where humans were at a natural disadvantage, Fia had always thought the Holy Nation was the only human country, with most of the land taken by other races.
But now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
She still knew too little.
Luckily, she had maps and books from the Aurora City temple.
She’d take a good look at them tonight.
And read through the magic books, too.
Fia planned to do it while on night watch.
Anastasia wasn’t a machine—she couldn’t stay up all night.
Taking turns on watch with Anastasia was the best plan.
Even if Anastasia didn’t want to, Fia would use her princess status to make her agree.
Thinking this, Fia stood up and walked over to the steaming stew pot set on the wooden rack.
The three of them had already eaten their fill, so it was about time to clean up the dishes.
But then, Fia ran into trouble as she tried to deal with the leftover rice and the meat soup in the pot.
Of course, the uneaten food could be stored in a storage item, but even in the subspace of a storage item, things still aged and rotted.
Even if the aging process was slower than outside, Fia didn’t think food left out overnight in the middle of summer would still be edible the next day.
The nanobots in her own body could digest it completely, but Anastasia and Liti would definitely get stomachaches.
Should she freeze it with an Ice Bullet to make an ice block, then put it in the storage chest? As this answer popped into her mind, Fia noticed some gazes directed at her from not far away.
Even though Anastasia had warned them, some of the refugees couldn’t help but look over, craning their necks to sneak a peek at the round stew pot in Fia’s hands.
She could see their throats moving as they swallowed, their eyes hungry and desperate.
Fia paused what she was doing.
Thinking about it, ever since she sat down, she’d barely seen these refugees eat anything.
Considering they’d escaped from the front lines up north where they fought the elves, they were probably penniless and couldn’t afford food.
After a moment’s thought, Fia picked up the stew pot and walked toward the refugees who were watching her.
“What are you going to do, sis?”
“I’m going to ask if those people over there need anything.
Liti, you stay here.”
“Are you going to help the refugees? I want to go with you, sis!” Liti quickly jumped down from the rock.
She’d acted like she didn’t like the refugees before, but now she wanted to help them… Fia kept this question to herself and nodded toward the carriage.
“Then help me bring out the rations from the carriage, Liti.”
Back when she first saw the refugees, Fia had already set aside some rations in the carriage that her group probably wouldn’t eat, thinking Liti might want to give them away out of kindness.
“Okay~” Soon, Fia and Liti appeared in front of the refugees.
Seeing Fia approach in her black dress, exuding a cold and distant aura, the refugees immediately tensed up.
Some of them, as if afraid Fia would accuse them of something, scrambled to their feet and quickly backed away from her.
Fia didn’t care about their overreaction.
Instead, she focused on a child closest to her.
This boy hadn’t followed his parents away, but was sucking his finger, staring unblinkingly at the steaming stew pot in Fia’s hands.
Chunks of tender meat floated on the surface of the broth, glistening with animal fat.
The smell of salt and spices mixed together, and the rich aroma alone was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
Not to mention the cut red peppers and green onions in the soup.
Anastasia’s cooking skills were no joke.
“Don’t just stand there, come on!” Seeing the boy hadn’t followed, his mother anxiously tried to pull him away, but Fia beat her to it, setting the stew pot on the ground and asking—doing her best to look gentle.
“Are you hungry?” The answer was obvious, but she had to ask.
“Yeah.”
The boy nodded.
“Then it’s yours now.”
Fia pointed at the stew pot on the ground, then had Liti put the paper bag she was holding next to it.
Whether on purpose or not, the topmost black bread rolled out of the bag, making it clear to everyone what it was.
Rustle, rustle.
Fia’s voice wasn’t loud, but all the nearby refugees could hear her.
Those who had backed away, those getting up, and those peeking over all widened their eyes in unison.
They’d been eyeing the stew in Fia’s hands for a while, but had held back out of fear for their lives.
They’d already spent all their money fleeing, and their rations were almost gone.
Many of them had been hungry for a while.
In fact, they’d planned to pick through the leftovers after Fia dumped the soup, hoping to find something edible once she left.
Now that Fia was offering the food to them herself, they couldn’t help but feel like it was a gift from the heavens.
The first to react was the boy’s mother.
Her fear vanished, and she stepped forward, bowing slightly, her dusty face full of joy.
“R-really? Lady noble, you’re giving us precious meat?”
“You can take the bread too.
We don’t need it.”
There was softer, whiter bread in the storage chest, and neither Fia nor Anastasia would choose to eat the hard black bread.
Giving it to the refugees wouldn’t affect their journey at all.
At first, Fia had felt a bit bad about giving away leftovers, but seeing how desperate the refugees were, she realized she was overthinking it.
“Th-thank you, Lady noble, thank you! What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and thank the young ladies!” The woman smacked the boy on the back of the head, her tone full of scolding.
Fia glanced at the other refugees—their greenish eyes were full of longing as they slowly edged closer, already ready to fight for the food.
Hunger could easily strip a person of reason and morals.
If she didn’t intervene, they’d start fighting over the food, and someone would get hurt.
Fia cleared her throat.
“I’m not giving this just to their family, but to all of you! Line up, no fighting! Anyone who breaks the rules will be chased off by the guards!”
As soon as she finished, the refugees quickly lined up.
Some were unhappy about others cutting in front, but when they saw the fireball appear in Fia’s hand, their complaints vanished.
Soon, Fia was handing out black bread, Liti was serving the meat soup, and the refugees lined up to get their food in the forest.
Fia hadn’t asked them to thank her, but every time a refugee got their food, they bowed repeatedly, saying things like “the Goddess of Life will bless you,” before stepping aside to wolf down the bread and soup.
Fia thought more than once that someone might choke to death right there.
But after only three or four people had gotten bread, the relief effort was interrupted by Anastasia’s arrival.
Anastasia didn’t object to giving away unwanted food, but she stopped Fia because there wasn’t enough soup to go around.
Anastasia thought they should put the bread into the soup, add water, cook it into a porridge, and then distribute it, so everyone could at least taste the meat.
There were too many refugees and too little soup.
As for bowls, there weren’t enough to give everyone one, so they had to reuse them—each person could only use a bowl after the last person finished.
While waiting for Anastasia to re-cook the soup, the refugees kept their place in line, afraid of being chased off, so no one got impatient.
When Anastasia brought the pot back, the crowd erupted in cheers, with people shouting things like “kind elf,” “elf saint,” and “messenger of the goddess.”
It’s worth mentioning that the first few people who got normal soup and black bread were now being eyed with envy and jealousy by those who only got the porridge.
Fia learned from the refugees that their usual food was boiled beans, barley, and wild greens.
They sometimes got black bread, but it was often mixed with things like sawdust and sand, so it was so hard it had to be soaked in soup to eat.
The black bread Fia gave them, with no impurities, was too expensive for them to buy regularly.
As for the oily meat, they’d never seen anything like it.
Only on major holidays would they buy a little meat at the market, and even then, a thick layer of oil floating on the soup was unheard of.
So even the heavily watered-down, mushy meat porridge made them incredibly happy.
They even licked their bowls clean before handing them to the next person—the ones who got bones were the luckiest and most envied.
Anastasia cooked three pots in total, enough for everyone to get a bowl.
“Ahh… this is definitely the best dinner I’ve ever had in my life.”
“I must be about to meet the Goddess of Life.”
“Why did I have to get help from elves when I hate them the most? Damn it!”
“I wish I could have another bowl… Can’t we throw in the rabbit’s guts and skin too and cook those…”
The refugees lying on the ground all started voicing their thoughts at once.
Even though it was just one bowl per person, Anastasia used less water, so there was actually a lot of flour in each serving.
Besides, Fia also noticed that someone was eyeing the stew pot, probably thinking about licking it clean.
Fia chose to pretend she didn’t see it and told Anastasia to quickly put the stew pot away to avoid any fighting over it.
It’s worth mentioning that during the food distribution, Anastasia didn’t act unwilling or keep a straight face like Fia had imagined.
On the contrary, Anastasia seemed especially happy, and she enjoyed handing out food to those in need.
Maybe it was because she’d been through the same thing—days of not having enough to eat or wear—so when she saw the hungry refugees, she thought of her old self.
That’s what Fia guessed, but she didn’t ask Anastasia to confirm it.
As for Liti, she handed out food to the refugees gently and kindly, perfectly fitting the image of a polite young princess.
It made Fia feel really comforted.
