Chapter 3: 61-70

Sadly I had to travel for three more days before I finally arrived at the next town. Just like Hammerlin, it had high walls to protect it from any monsters. The town's name was called Lovesdale, and well, I am now sleeping outside for two reasons. One, this town was like a red light district, and two, they did not let me into the town. While slavery was illegal, it did not mean segregation was not. So there were many towns that demi humans were not allowed to even enter, and Lovesdale was one of them, and thankfully so. I mean, just standing at the gate, I saw scenes one should not see until they turn the proper age. My pure maiden heart was not ready.

And so, I am currently lying on top of a large rock out in the middle of a field, staring up at the starry sky. It is at times like this that things seem very peaceful. The sounds of the insects and nightlife around you giving off a chorus that is static enough to slowly put anyone asleep. Lately, I have found much relaxation in being alone away from everyone else. I do not have to worry about what others think or what others might do to me if I am not paying attention. I can see why many dragons in stories back on Earth went out of their way to find caves to live in solitude. All while gathering many shiny things.

But this was not in any way a change in my goals in life. I was just enjoying the fact that after a week of harassment by some idiot, that I no longer have to deal with being bothered by anyone. Although I do kinda wish I could have slept in a nice warm, soft bed after so long. But fate was not with me, but this is also not so bad either.

I have no idea when I fell asleep, but as I open my eyes once more, I can hear the sounds of howling coming from the distant forest. On top of that, the ground under me is shaking violently. I have never experienced one myself, but from what my father had told me before, the sounds and vibrations I was feeling at this time were all signs of a monster tide. I quickly got up and took to the skies, and flew over towards the forest. Sure enough, the sounds of trees breaking could be heard all around. "Looks like Lovesdale is in for a rough night."-.

I could tell that it was only around two or three in the morning. The moons were still high in the sky. If someone were to ask why I was not taking care of the beast tide myself since I could easily do it, my answer would be simple, they were not nice to me. Why should I do nice things for them? Treat others how you wish to be treated. That is my motto! Well, it's not, but still. If they had offered to allow me to enter the city to get an inn or turned me away due to my age, I would have done so, but they discriminated against me for being a demi human. So why should I take care of it myself? They have guards who can take care of it all. But…. I looked over at the town that was still brightly lit and sighed. My eyes flashed with a magic circle, and four fireballs appeared in front of me. "I can at least use this to warn them. Fireball!"

I changed this fire spell so that it would not burn for a long time and so that even a drop of water could put it out. It should be enough to get the guards' attention so that they can see what is going on. My weakened fireballs flew through the air and exploded on the top of the wooden wall setting it on fire. I could hear the shouts of the guards from where I was. Luckily one person noticed the happenings while putting the fires out. Soon the entire wall had the town guard standing on top of it. Some even gathered at the gates getting ready to mount a defense.

As for me, I flew off to the sky and sat in the air. I took out some cookies Aunty Finna gave me, some snacks from my mother and Rachel, and a big glass of moogoose milk. Moogoose were kind of like a cow but just a giant bird. The milk that you got from them tasted slightly sweet. I set up my little snack party in the air as I waited for the monsters to break the forest tree line.

I did not need to wait long, and to my surprise, there were quite a few high level monsters. The levels ranged from level 1 all the way to level 40. Kinda makes me want to kill the level 40 ones, but that would ruin my late night TV.

Yes, I was using this as entertainment. I might sound evil, but aw well. I mean, it is not my duty to protect the masses. I was nice enough to warn them, and they look like they might be able to hold out. If it gets too bad, I might step in. But I should let them do what they are trained to do and get paid for. Protect those around them. 𝒊𝒏nr𝐞𝘢𝐝. 𝒄𝒐𝗺

And so I popped a cookie in my mouth and munched on it while I watched the mass of thousands of monsters rushing towards the town. "Oh, they are trying to form a defensive line? Eh!? Why are they only defending one area!? Are they dumb!? The monsters will push into town this way! Hey! No, you do not need ninety percent of your forces on the left side where all the low level monsters are heading! You only need twenty percent! Twenty percent! Ahhh! I want to smack them!"

I couldn't help but yell out as I munched harder on my snacks. This town guard was horrible, and their leader was ever worse. I think he is even drunk! "Ahhh! I can't take it anymore!"

I really couldn't. I mean, I thought the guard would at least know what they are doing, but they are basically leaving only a few men to defend against the strongest part of the wave. I quickly stored away my snacks and wiped my mouth before flying over to where their commander was standing, swaying back and forth on top of the wall, and landed behind him. He didn't even notice me at all! I lifted my foot so that my knee reached my stomach and thrust out with it, kicking the stupid human in the butt. "Stupid human! At this rate, you will all die!"

"What the hell!? Who kicked me!?" The drunk commander turned around to see me standing there. His eyes narrowed, probably seeing double. I waved my hand as my eyes lit up with magic circles and doused him in ice cold water. "Ahhh! You damn demi brat, what do you think you are doing!?"

"What am I doing!? I am trying to help you save this town. Look at what you have ordered! How are you men supposed to protect this town if your people are all focused on the low level monsters that even a child can kill!?" I was mad. The right flank was about to be overrun, but this damn mad man was not even paying attention.

"What right does a demi brat like you have to tell me how to command my men? I know exactly what I am… Ooooffff! You hit me!? Oooofff! You hit me again!" I even hit him a third time before picking him up and tossing him down to the ground below.

I then flew up into the air and looked at the battle before amplifying my voice with magic: "Listen to me! If you wish to protect this town, focus on the right flank! The higher level monsters are on the right flank. A group of one hundred of you can deal with the left flank!"

"Don't listen to her, do as I say!" I heard the commander yell out as he crawled up from the dirt, blood covering his face. I am sure I broke his nose. But he deserved it, and he deserved to be beaten up more but now was not the time. With no time to lose on arguing with an idiot, I waved my hand and cast a binding spell on him, and also put a mute spell on him so he couldn't speak any longer.

"If you listen to this drunkard, you will not only kill yourselves but also the people in the town you are supposed to protect. Move all but one hundred men to the right flank now! Anyone who doesn't move will be killed on the spot! You few hundred will stay." I waved my hand once more and cut off a hundred men from the rest of the group with an earth wall and corralled them towards the low level monsters.

I could hear yells of descent directed at me, but I did not care right now. All that mattered was fending off this monster tide that seemed endless. Seeing how the other soldiers refused to move, I waved my hand once more and, using earth wall again, I started to corral the rest of the few hundred men towards the right flank. I felt like I was dealing with sheep! I could tell by the screams and yells that these men did not wish to fight the stronger monsters but so what!? This was their duty. Their duty was to protect the masses! If they can not protect the people from a threat, what right did they have to live? If I catch any fleeing for their lives, if the situation is not against us, then I will turn them to ash. If the situation is against us, I could understand, but there were enough people here to handle the situation. Plus…. They had me!

"Keep attacking!" I yelled out. I was having a hard time dealing with these guards as they were not willing to listen. I was currently standing on top of the wall looking down at them, but things were just not going smoothly. "Should I change how I work with them?"

I tapped my chin as I watched more people trying to run away from the stronger monsters when there was no need to. I waved my hand, and three bolts of lightning struck down in front of the guards trying to run. "Stop trying to run away! We are far from losing the fight, and not a single person has taken damage. So why are you trying to run!?"

"Shut up, you stupid demi! No one wants to follow under your command!" One of the men yelled at me, so I struck him dead on with lightning before healing him again.

I watched as the guard I just hit with lightning look up at me with fear in his eyes and sneered before cupping my ear and asking: "What? I am sorry I didn't catch that? You wanted to fight them head on? Then what are you waiting for? Rush in already!"-.

But even with this, it was only a temporary fix. There were too many, and each one seemed to despise me with a passion. To truly get them to listen, I would need to zap them all. "Oh? My cute Little Faith is here!"

Hearing that familiar voice, I turned to see a bright purple eyed Adel standing there with a big grin on her face. "Adel? Why are you here!?"

"I got a message from the capital saying that a bunch of nobles sent out their sons to court you. As soon as I heard that, I quickly made my way back. I have been traveling nonstop, so I might be a bit of a mess. I had stopped at the inn here and was sound asleep, but then I had a dream that I heard your voice. But it seemed It was not a dream after all." Adel said as she hooked her arm with mine as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Seeing her sudden closeness made me think of Jen from my past life. She used to do the same. She would run up to me and hook her arm with mine and hug it while talking about this and that. In a way, this made me feel a little closer to Adel. But to be honest, I am very surprised that Adel was even here. To think she turned back around to meet up with me all because those idiots were trying to find me to court me.

"Ah yes…. I ran into one of those idiots.." I guess I made a strange face because Adel began laughing.

"Haha! I can see by your expression it must have been tough. But more importantly, are you having issues?" Adel asked as she pointed at the monster tide. 𝚒n𝚗r𝗲𝒂𝗱. c𝑜𝓶

"Well…. I wasn't really going to do anything about this because there was a town guard, but the idiot over there had no idea how to lead his troops. So I bound him, muted him, and tossed him aside. I then took command, but I feel more like a sheepherder than a commander right now because none of these men like demi humans. To keep them in line, I have been hitting them with lightning bolts." I mean, I had no choice. If I look away for too long, someone takes a chance to try to flee, so I have been training them with love taps.

"I see… Pfft… Hah…. Hahahaha!" Adel cracked up laughing. In a way, it was funny but still! "Sorry, Faith, it is just that the way you speak about it makes it funny. At any rate, let me give you a hand."

I watched as Adel clapped her hands, and two knights appeared on top of the wall. "You two take command and follow Faith's orders. If they do not listen, just kill them. The Gravos Kingdom does not employ useless people. Those who continue to try to run away will be deemed deserters and deserting at any point and time during a battle, whether it is enemy or beast, is grounds for death for not upholding the kingdom's law that they must vow upon when taking up a position of either a town guard or knight."

Hearing Adel make such decisive actions made me realize how weak I was truly being. I knew these laws as well, but as I was only a stand in commander and had no true authority, I resorted to striking them with lightning and then healing them. This way, they would get punished, and at the same time, I was saving myself from being charged with killing someone. Because, to be honest, I do not know if any of these guys are sons of some noble or something and the last thing I wished to do was to suddenly become targeted for another reason altogether.

"Listen up, you ignorant bastards. If I catch anyone trying to run away during battle, I will kill you on the spot!" One of the knights had already stepped forward and began yelling at the men down below. And shockingly, these basta…. Guards were listening to him without issue. It made me want to accidentally let a few lightning bolts go.

"Faith, just give your orders to Sir Randford. He will then relay it to the scum below us. I will be sure the guards of Lovesdale and their commander get a good earful." I had to admit Adel seemed to be a girl of action.

With the guards now under proper control, the monster tide was quickly being taken care of. While I should be rejoicing, I still couldn't bring myself to do so when I had worked so hard to get these guys to listen to me to no avail. With Sir Randford taking command, it is as if a fire was lit under these guards' butts, or they drank a gallon of caffeine because they were all charging in with boundless energy. I let out a sigh as I continued giving my commands. I could only bitterly smile when my words were loud enough to cover the whole battlefield, yet the guards would not budge until Sir Ranford repeated them.

"It must be hard…." I heard Adel mutter under her breath. I knew she probably did not mean to say anything out loud. She didn't even notice she had spoken out loud. But it was true it was hard and also made me wonder if becoming a commander was going to work.

I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes. I pushed out all my negative thoughts to the back of my mind and hoped that if I work hard, I will eventually be acknowledged. That those under my command will see my hard work and show me the respect I deserve. Although I am slightly cheating with my skills from the system. But I do hope in the future that everything will work out. This was the path I chose, after all.

Under the dual command of me and Sir Randford, the monster tide was easily repelled. So now I was standing in front of a certain idiot commander. I waved my hand and undid the binds and mute spell on him while bracing myself for what was to come. "You damn demi brat! How dare you treat me like this. Do you know who I am!?"

"She does not need to know who you are, Baron Strands. As far as I can tell, you are not even fit to hold the title of baron. You indulge in douchebaggery and run this town as some kind of hostel. If it was not for the fact that there was still one legitimate inn left in the town, I would have missed meeting up with my cute Faith. As for the monster tide, you are an utter failure as a commander. The king will hear about this." Adel's voice was loud and very cold. This was a whole new side of Adel that I am getting to know about. And it seems Adel is truly trying to be my friend, which makes me feel slightly warm inside.

"And who are you to say such thin…." I watched as Baron Strands turned and looked at Adel, his face turning whiter than my own. I had a feeling Adel was someone from a powerful noble family. Maybe the daughter of a duke or even a princess. I do not think her status is lower than any of these, especially with everyone's reactions when they see her. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Adel eyeing the baron as if to say if you tell Faith who I am, I will cut off your head. "You…. Ahem… " Oh? Seems he is brighter than I thought. Tch…. I was curious as to who Adel truly was, but I will wait until she is willing to tell me herself.

"So will you explain to me why you would give out such horrible commands and when pointed out you do not listen at all? Are you an idiot!?" Adel asked, staring at Baron Strands with an eyebrow raised and her arms crossed across her chest. She even had one foot impatiently tapping the floor, waiting for his answer. Since the beast tide was over, Sir Randford was taking care of cleaning up and ordering the guards while we were currently in the guardhouse.

"Pri…."

"Adel…" Adel said coldly. I covered my mouth, trying to hide my laugh. I mean, come on. The idiot already started saying your title. It does not take a genius to figure it out! I saw Adel side eye me, so I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Pri-Miss Adel… You do not understand I had everything under control. Then this demi brat came along and…." A loud sound of skin against skin rang throughout the room.

I stared at Adel in disbelief. She had just smacked the baron so hard he fell to the ground in shock. "I do not want to hear you speak any discriminating words towards my friend. Faith is not someone you can speak to lightly, nor can you ever say anything that would offend her. Offending her is the same as offending the royal family."-. 𝙞𝙣𝗻𝒓𝗲𝓪d. c𝘰m

"This…."

"This, nothing! Now answer my question, are you an idiot!? If Faith had not stopped you and taken over command, the right flank would have been overrun. Thousands of people in this town could have been attacked by monsters and killed. This blood would be on your hands. You are lucky I do not have you dragged back to stand in front of the king to be dealt with." Adel seemed really mad. Her hand was very red. I pulled her back and cast healing magic on her hand to keep it from swelling. My guess is she used all her strength because the baron's face was also swelling up.

One should not look down on a frail looking girl. They can produce some shocking power every now and then. Just as Adel did just now, she showed power beyond what I would ever expect. This was another reminder to myself to never underestimate anyone around me. No matter what they looked like, they could be super powerful demon lords, and I wouldn't know it until it was too late.

"I… It was a lapse of judgment…." Baron Strands finally spat out an answer, but for some reason, he was glaring at me. What did I do? I saved him from doing something stupid.

"Hmmm? I will be reporting this to the King. For now, me and my cute Faith will be heading back to the inn." Adel snorted and grabbed my hand and was about to pull me out of the guardhouse when Baron Strands suddenly yelled out.

"It is fine for you to return to your inn, Miss Adel, but my town has a strict policy that no demi humans are allowed inside." Baron Strands looked at me with his lips curled up as if he won some kind of prize. Did he really think I wanted to step foot into his lewd town? I mean, people are doing this and that in the middle of the road here.

"Oh? So you are saying I am not allowed to go back to the inn room I paid for?" Adel asked coldly. I could see her purple gem like eyes trying to pierce through the baron's head.

"Miss Adel, I said you can go in if you want, but the demi girl has to stay outside." I guess this baron is truly an idiot. Did he think that Adel was trying to confirm his statement? Did he not realize what she was saying?

"Yes, exactly. Since Faith is not allowed in then, that means I am not allowed in. I never thought a town under the Gravos kingdom would rebel in such a way. It seems you need to be removed from your post and have your land and title stripped from you. What do you think, Baron Strands… Sorry, from this moment on, it is Mr. Strands. Sir Randford!" Adel yelled out. It seemed she was dead serious. I could only shake my head and sigh. It seems the baron did not have much of a brain. No matter how much you hate demi humans, you should not let your hate control your actions. Otherwise, it can come right back at you and slap you in the face.

"Miss Adel, you called?" Sir Randford walked into the guardhouse, his sword already drawn.

"Take this commoner and toss him outside the gates. Anyone with the last name Strands is no longer allowed to take a single step inside any village, town, or city within the Gravos Kingdom." Adel was merciless. I never expected that she would go this far. But in a way, it made me frightened. What if the two of us got into a fight? Would I be kicked out of the kingdom? Would my head roll? These kinds of thoughts began to fill my mind causing a cold sweat to roll down my back. I would need to make sure never to anger Adel.

"By your word." Sir Randford stepped forward and grabbed Mr. Former Baron by his fancy shirt and began dragging him out of the guard room.

"Wait! Miss Adel, I was wrong! I can change my ways! Don't do this!" Surprisingly he was still calling Adel Miss Adel instead of the unfinished Pri title. This did show at least some loyalty to the kingdom. I mean, I believe if I spoke up for the baron and asked Adel to give him another chance, she might just do it but unfortunately, I was not that kind. I was already kind enough to help him protect his town, but I didn't do it for him, I did it for the people who lived here. While the guards and the baron might be demi haters, that did not mean everyone was. And even if it was only a few people, I hoped to at least keep those people safe. There were far too few people who did not mind demi humans after all.

"Sir Randford, you are moving too slow. I do not want to hear his voice anymore." Adel said with a frown, completely ignoring the former baron's plea.

"My apologies, Miss." Sir Randford hastened his steps and quickly dragged the former baron away. The only ones left were me and Adel.

"Now then!" Adel clapped her hands and slipped her arm around mine. "Us two will now head to the inn. I already have a room so you can share a bed with me tonight. I do so wish to get to know you better."

I could only helplessly smile as Adel dragged me out of the guardhouse and into town. I did not mind sharing a bed as I used to do it with Rachel all the time, but Adel always had a strange vibe about her that made me wary of her. But this could just be my overthinking. Maybe it had to do with how she acted when we first met. I am not too sure.

The hustle and bustle of the town was nowhere to be seen. Everyone had cleared the streets. Under the order of Sir Randford, it seemed the law of the town had now changed. It was no longer a redlight district like it was before. Now there was no telling if this will last beyond this night or not, but it was at least quiet now, so I hoped to get some sleep eventually.

The inn that Adel was staying at was actually quite expensive looking. It was much different than what I had expected in a town like this. It was very much the word high class. The inn itself had seven floors and even had a lift to reach those floors that worked using magic. When we arrived at the top floor, Adel dragged me along to the end room and opened the door using a key that was imbued with magic and brought me into what I would call a presidential suite. A large sitting room, dining room, a massive bedroom with a huge bath, and even a small kitchen at the side. To this world's standards, it was very extravagant.

"Come, I am sure you must be tired. The bath here is already hot so help yourself. I will ready some food for you. Believe it or not, I am not a bad cook!" Adel said with her nose held high. I could tell she seemed to take pride in her cooking. It did make me smile, though, but what I did not get was why. Why was Adel being so nice? This seemed to be beyond her scope of duty, would it not?

"Adel. I know this might sound rude coming from me, but why are you doing all of this for me?"

Adel looked at me with uncertain eyes before lowering her head. She played with her fingers for a minute as if lost in thought. "You are the first…. From the moment we met, you have not treated me special at all. You treated me as if I was a normal girl without much concern for doctrine. As you may have guessed, I am not some ordinary girl. I am none other than Princess Adellia Gravos. I am the first and only princess of the royal family. When I first heard my father speaking about you, I instantly wished to get to know you more. A girl my age who was able to fell multiple armies of an enemy nation and did so without asking for anything in return. When I thought about the courage that it must have taken to confront such an adversary, I wondered if I would ever have to make such a choice in my life. If I could do what you did.

"When I found out that my father wished to reward you by giving you a chance to join the royal academy, I begged for him to let me be the one to see you in person. I begged and even made my case saying that since you were a young girl having some ugly old man show up would make you feel uncomfortable. It was only then that he finally allowed me to make the trip to go to your house.

"When I saw you for the first time, I watched as you laid on the stone wall without a care in the world chewing on a blade of grass. The sight alone tickled me slightly and made me giggle. It was then that I thought to myself. Wouldn't it be nice if I could have a friend like this who was so carefree. A true friend….-.

"Faith, you might not believe it, but as someone who is a princess, I should have girls my age flocking to my side wanting to be my friend…." I watched as Adel's expression turned to one of self deprecation. She gave me a forced smile as she continued: "But you know…. Each one of those girls does not care a wink about me. They care about my status. They care about propping their family up and getting a higher rank. They care about using my royal status to bully those as they want. And then get angry when I tell them to never do such acts again.

"I am someone who loves the people of the Gravos Kingdom. I love each and every person in it as it is what allows the kingdom to flourish. Whether it is demi human or human, each one plays an important role in our economy and allows our kingdom to stand tall amongst those who wish to see it fall.

"But even so… I do not wish to be treated like a princess. I do not need fake friends. I only need a single true friend and nothing more. I am sorry for keeping my title a secret, but I did not wish for you to change your attitude about me due to my status. I just wished for us to be true friends, someone I could confide in and who would confide in me.

"I will understand if you do not wish to be friends with me anymore after this. But I hope you will mophh…" I placed my finger on Adel's lips before pulling her into a hug. A person in high standing is not always happy. Only having those around you who only care about using you is never fun. I can feel Adel's sincerity. I can hear the cries from the bottom of her heart that are asking for someone to truly be her friend. Someone she can trust and rely on.

"Then, Adel, let me reintroduce myself." I pulled away from Adel and took a step back, and bowed my head slightly. "My name is Faith Cyrilia. I am nothing more than a farmer's daughter from the border village of Cyrilia. Born and raised by two wonderful parents. I hope on this day the two of us can truly become friends."

Adel's eyes were staring at me in disbelief before a smile finally formed on her lips. She then pulled the hem of her skirt into a curtsey and bowed her head to me. "Miss Faith, my name is Princess Adellia Gravos. First Princess of the Gravos Kingdom. I may be royalty, but I do hope you will treat me as a normal girl and will become my true friend."

"Hehe, you can count on me!" I smiled and pulled Adel's hand. My worries about before were completely gone. I did not see a princess in front of me but a true friend that I can rely on in the future. Her being a princess was only a side bonus. Because I can tell from how Adel acts, that she truly does love the people of this nation and is thinking about how to best benefit the people. If I can help her in this endeavor, then I will do so. I can also tell she is not lying about wanting to be my friend. Some may say I am being too naive but one does not know what is over the hill unless one climbs to the top to see for themselves. I feel being true friends with Adel is worth the risk. The worst thing that can happen is I get mad and blow up the kingdom, right?

Maybe one day, I will tell her about my system and ask her if she is willing to allow me to use my appraisal on her. As of now, I only use it on monsters and plants, but I do wonder what kind of information I will get when used on a human. Maybe their three sizes? I gazed at Adel's chest, then at my own. A sigh escaped my lips as I realized that life may just be unfair after all. I am still growing! But so is Adel!

With our formal introductions now over, Adel chased me to the bathroom so I could wash up, before running off to the kitchen. And I must say the bath in this inn was absolutely amazing. It was just the right temperature, and the hot water was sinking into my bones, causing me to almost pass out from comfort. It had already been well over a week since my last hot bath, so I was a little stinky. And now that I think about it, Adel had been quite close to me. No wonder she was pushing me into the bath so quickly! She must have smelled my stink! Hah…. So embarrassing…. Aw well. Not like I am trying to impress her or anything. 𝗶𝚗𝘯re𝐚d. 𝑐𝗼𝙢

"Faith, I left a nightshirt and some underwear here for you. I do hope they will fit. I am not sure since they are not meant for demi humans." Adel's voice came in from the other side of the door. The bath had a dressing room area where you could change your clothes that was split from the bath area by a door. To be honest with how Adel acted, I expected her to come waltzing in to take a peek. But I guess that only happens in those Japanese light novels back on earth. Not that it matters. I got everything she has, so it's not much to look at unless she had a tail fetish. Rachel had such a fetish…. Would a Princess be willing to shine my scales for me though I wonder….

My mind wandered a bit more before I noticed my fingers pruning, so I decided it was time to get out. I slipped out of the bath and used magic to dry myself off from head to toe before wrapping a towel around me and walking to the dressing room. As Adel said, there was a nightshirt and some underwear for me to wear. Surprisingly the underwear was a lower cut. While I had clothes in my inventory, I remembered what Gesel said about it and decided to just wear what was given to me. I mean, I can not just suddenly pull my travel bag out of nowhere and go: Teehee, I had this the entire time!

Adel was a bright girl, so this would not work on her. So I could only put on the clothes she offered and walk out of the bathroom. Luckily everything fit rather well and even took into account my wings with an open back. Although the back of the nightshirt rose up due to my tail, but there was nothing I could do about that. I mean, when I was in a good mood, my tail would curl up a little and not drag on the floor. Only when my mood was down, did it droop down on its own. My tail seemed to have a mind of its own.

As soon as I opened the door to the bathroom, my nose was filled with the smell of cooked food, and surprisingly it did smell quite good. I guess it goes to show that Adel did have a thing for cooking. "Faith, perfect timing. I was just setting the table, come eat!"

Adel's excited voice filled my ears. She looked much happier than before. Maybe because she was now open about her status? Either way, it was good to see someone as nice as Adel smiling. She reminded me a lot of Jen, my best friend on Earth. Maybe this was why I was starting to feel a kind of kinship with her. At any rate, she is the first friend I have made outside my family. Now let's hope I do not die to her cooking.

I sat down at the table where Adel was placing plates of food in front of me. Each plate smelled very good. There was a noodle dish, a meat dish, a salad, and a few other side dishes I had never seen before. "Adel, you really outdid yourself."

"Hehe!" Adel put her hands on her hips and held her nose high. "Cooking is one of the only hobbies I can do. It was also in preparation for when I got married to some man, but I am not so sure I want to marry anymore."

"Why is that?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. But when I thought about it, it was kinda dumb of me to ask such a stupid question. Everyone had their reasons, like I, for one, do not see a reason to marry when my life span will be longer than others

"Mmmm…. I suddenly realized that marrying someone I do not love or wish to be with is not something I want to do. I am sure my father will not be happy, but what can he do about it? Tie me up and ship me off to another country to marry some prince I never met before? I love my kingdom, but I also think I deserve to have my own happiness. And Faith, I have you to thank for opening my mind to allowing myself to seek just that." I could not really relate to Adel's consequences since I did not grow up in a royal family, but I can say that if I was in her shoes, I'd run away as fast as I could. But I do not know what I have done to cause her to change her mind though.

But even though I was a bit confused, I knew one thing. "Then, if you are ever forced into a marriage you do not wish to be in, then call for me, and I will swoop in and save the day!"-.

"Then I will be counting on my cute little knight in shining armor to save me at that time." Adel smiled with blushing cheeks. She did have a cute side to her, after all.

"I must say, though, Adel, the man you do end up falling for will be one happy person. This food is amazing!" I was starting to wonder if everyone in this world were five star chefs. I mean, everything I have tried since being reborn in this world is always amazing. 𝗶n𝐧𝘳ea𝙙. 𝘤𝑜𝚖

"Hehe…" Adel gave me a forced smile and continued eating. I wonder if I said something wrong? Maybe it is just my imagination.

After a very well made dinner, I climbed into bed with Adel. Adel was wearing the same kind of nightshirt I was, except hers did not have an open back which confused me as to why mine did…. It was almost as if she was prepared for everything. Not that I am really complaining I mean, I do finally get to sleep in a comfy bed for the first time in a while. So I immediately snuggled into the blankets without reserve. I guess Adel did find it amusing cause I heard her chuckling at the side.

"This is the first time I am actually sleeping in bed with another person. I am glad my first experience is with someone who is not out to use me or a man I barely know." Adel said as she snuggled up next to me. To be honest, I was not sure how to respond to her words. All I did know was that I was very tired.

When I woke up the next morning, I was met with Adel's head using my shoulder as a pillow and my arm as a hug pillow. She was still sleeping peacefully. I have no idea when I fell asleep, but I did sleep very well. Seeing Adel's sleeping face next to me, I could tell she was in a deep sleep as well, she looked very relaxed. Although her brow was slightly furrowed, which made me wonder what she was dreaming about. My first slumber party with my new friend was quite uneventful. I was expecting Adel to talk my ear off, but it seems she respected the fact that I was tired and let me sleep. My guess was that she was also really tired.

I laid there staring at the ceiling for a while before Adel finally stirred. She lifted her head and rubbed her eyes, looking quite confused. "Faith? Oh right…. Good morning."

"Good morning." I said with a smile while stretching my now free arm. It had gone numb a while ago.

"Let me wash my face, and I will prepare breakfast." Adel crawled out of bed. Surprisingly she looked used to doing things herself. You would expect a princess to need a maid or two to take care of her, but she seemed fine and right at home doing everything on her own, although a little shameless as she did just take off all her clothes in front of me to put on new ones before heading out of the room. She did seem to be in a daze, though.

About ten minutes later, I sighed and stretched once more while letting out a yawn. Only then did I get up myself as I decided to head to the bathroom, but before I could, I heard Adel's voice call back into the room. "Faith, I have clothes prepared for you in the bathroom. So wash up and get changed. Breakfast will be ready soon."

I almost yelled back, 'Yes, Mom!' But I held it in and chuckled to myself. But once again, I was given a surprise. Shorts that took into account my tail. A shirt that also accounted for my wings. A pair of socks, boots, and even a hat. "Did Adel prepare all of these just in case?"

This was the main question on my mind, so after getting dressed, I walked out to the dining area and sat down. When Adel came out, I decided to ask. "Thanks for the food. But Adel, why do you have clothes and clothes that fit me so well?"

"Ah…. Sorry. Must seem strange right? Well, I kinda had them prepared before turning around. I had planned to give you these clothes on your first day at the academy as a gift, but I ended up giving them to you now instead. As for the sizes. I asked your sister in law, Rachel…." I kinda wish I knew when she had time to do all of this. Did she even meet Rachel!? I had my suspicions, but since Adel said it like this, I can only just accept what she is saying. For all I know, she had used some spell on me to get all my body measurements when she held hands with me back at the house. I mean, just getting clothes made would take a while as well.

"Well, thank you. It is thoughtful of you to prepare so much for me." I could only give a smile and change the subject. "Are you going to head back to the capital today?"

"Mmm… What about you? Do you plan to wander around more?" Adel asked. Her eyes showed a bit of envy. I guess as a Princess, her ability to run around and do as she pleases is very limited.

"I was thinking about it. I mean, I still have a few months, and if I really need to rush, I can always use magic to speed along and make it there in a week or less, depending on where I am at the time. The world is vast, and ever since I was young, I have always wanted to go on a journey and see its beauty. While I still have this dream, I figured I would live it in between following my new dream of becoming a commander of my own army." I still had plenty of time and have seen so little. I wanted to check out as much as I could before arriving in the capital.

"I see…" Adel lowered her head as she took another bite of her food. I knew her mood had been ruined, but there was not much I could do. We were friends, yes, but I still had things I wished to do as well. About a minute later I heard Adel speaking in a low voice. "Umm…. If you do not mind…. Can…. Can I travel with you for a short time? We will be surrounded by guards, but I still do not want to head back just yet and was kind of hoping we could travel together."

"That's fine." I saw no reason why not. I mean it is more fun to travel with others to experience things with friends. While it can be fun to travel alone, it does get boring being by yourself.

"Great! There was a place I wished to take you to that I am sure you will love. It is a place I discovered by accident. It is a very mystical place." Adel's eyes lit up. Her gloomy mood was all gone. Seeing her smiling again made me feel better. I was starting to feel bad for leaving her alone after she had turned around to come back to help me out.

"Then let's check it out!"

Two weeks later, the carriage that I was in stopped off on a side road. Well, calling it a road might be stretching it, but because it was more of a path cut through the thick forest. To be honest, I thought that riding in a carriage for two weeks would be uncomfortable, but I guess royalty really knows how to ride in style.

For one thing, I never would have thought that there was a thing called dimensional magic. It was a type of magic that could create a whole different space. From what Adel told me, this magic requires ten people to cast, and each one needs to be linked up because the spell itself is crazy long. Probably something I could not even cast in my current state. But I still wished to see the magic equation for it. It was different from spatial magic because dimensional magic was a place living beings could enter and had to be stationary, whereas spatial magic could be accessed from anywhere. Now, if you put such a thing on a carriage, it can then move around, but it has to be moved manually. And the carriage we were in had a small compartment that could be entered that was big enough for a small bed and a bathroom.

It felt kind of strange entering the door in the back of the carriage to find a small bedroom that was just as big or even bigger than the carriage itself. And by small bed, I mean a bed big enough for two people. If it was a single sized bed, there would be room for more things in the room. But just to make something this size took a long time to do. The equation always has to be adjusted for what you were trying to create.

Adel told me that there were places called small worlds that were created in ancient times that are not even close to being fully explored that the magic academy has access to. There were dungeons and all kinds of things inside to explore. And every year, the students would enter them to try their luck. If you brought something back, the academy would reward you with extra merits.-.

Sadly some of these small worlds had multiple entrances, so other kingdoms would also use them. But there seemed to be some kind of fundamental law that every kingdom would only allow those under the age of eighteen in. This has been some kind of strict rule that, if broken, would result in every kingdom attacking the one who broke it. i𝙣𝐧r𝑒𝘢𝒅． 𝚌𝚘m

Adel also told me that the dangers inside were not only students from other kingdoms but also the rare and ancient monsters living inside. It truly amazed me that the more I learned about this world, the more exciting it seemed. Such a large vast world that seemed to have no end to it was waiting to be explored. As I am supposedly going to be long lived, I had plenty of time to explore it all. I wonder what else I will find in the future. Maybe some underground civilization with high technology? Or some ancient alien technology not of this world?

My imagination couldn't help but run wild, but it was because of this that I so wished to explore things in the future. But getting back to the carriage, it was a rather smooth ride. Especially since we had the small space to sleep in.

During these two weeks, I have learned a lot about Adel. Like she is pretty much able to do anything. She is well suited for living outside the castle with her survival abilities. She knows which plants in the forest are editable or which plants can help heal wounds. Even the plants that are rare that could be taken back to be sold for a fair amount of gold. I, of course, did not let them pass by me, so I picked them up and stored them away.

Because we have gotten closer, I told her about my 'spatial magic'. I didn't tell her about the system itself, but I did let her know about my ability to store things. She pouted for a few hours but soon got over it soon after. I guess she was happy that she could give me nice clothes. While it was nice of her, I felt like it was taking advantage of her. Which was not good. Friendship was not something you could buy! And I think this was why she was always trying to buy me many new things.

Like we stopped in one city, yes, an actual city. And when I say city, I mean something along the lines of the size of like Connecticut in the United States back on Earth, but the entire thing as one city. She dragged me to these high end shops and was buying me all kinds of dresses that fit demi humans, which were more expensive than a regular dress.

To be honest, I kind of felt weird wearing a dress. Between the people who were glaring at me hatefully and my own self conscious with wearing a dress, I just felt out of place. I did find out, however, that while the city I was in, which was called Dagnar, allowed demi humans to live there, it was just that the quality of life was not very good for them. So me being a demi human in a fancy store made me the center of attention, and I am sure if it was not for Sir Randford and the other knights surrounding me and Adel, we would have been tossed out.

Another thing I had noticed was that no one even knew who Adel was. But I guess this was normal as there was no real communication between the cities besides inspections that happened twice a year. So no one even knew what their king looked like.

This has also bothered me a great deal as it must be hard to understand how your citizens are living if you are only reading reports from each city, town, and village. Those who do the inspection might be even taking a kick back on top of it to leave out anything that is unfavorable to the noble who is in charge of that city, town, or village.

As such, there is no telling how much money is actually being embezzled, or whether it is actually being used appropriately. Like funds to aid the poor and farmers that are under a nobles rule. When I asked Adel about this, she could only give me a bitter smile and tell me that because the kingdom was so big, it was indeed hard to keep track of it all, even with a team of people working on it.

The filing system they used, used magic for indexing things and keeping things on file, which was pretty interesting, but it was not foolproof. Many mistakes can be made, and everything is only registered based on what is reported by the investigators.

At any rate, you can say I now have a few fancy dresses. I did plan to buy some at some point because I heard there would be dancing in the academy that required formal wear, so now I guess I would be all set.

After all, I was not going to the academy to become a prim and proper young lady. I was going there to learn military tactics and become a good commander. A life filled with battle is the life I planned to lead. I would be one of those old army veterans who tells war stories to their grandkids. Although I think I would only be telling them to the new slimes that I replicate.

Adel fell in love with Mr. Blobs when I resummoned him during our trip. He was now treated as the king of the carriage. She would feed him all kinds of things, which sadly did not raise his level at all. Adel's face blanched when she saw me throw a random monster corpse to him that was twenty times his size. She even yelled at me and told me he was going to get fat and lazy.

I had to explain everything to her about how slimes worked before she finally understood. Only then did she let Mr. Blobs eat the monster corpse. But that brought on all kinds of new problems because the corpse disappeared as soon as Mr. Blobs touched it. I really had no way of explaining it, so I lied and said that Mr. Blobs was a rare kind of slime and that I had no idea what breed he was.

With so many things happening, you can say that the past two weeks have been fun and fulfilling. Which brings us to the path we were about to set out on. I still have no idea where we are going, and Adel refuses to tell me. But I was very curious as to how Adel knows about anything out this far from the capital. I mean, she told me herself that she rarely leaves the capital for anything and even if she does, it is only a few miles away from the capital itself. Not that it really matters. If she wishes to tell me, she will.

"We will need to go on foot from here, so it will probably be best if we change." Adel said while grabbing my hand and pulling me into the small bedroom.

"Do you have armor, Adel?" I asked as I started to pull out my leather armor and the underclothes that went with it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adel already taking her own clothes out and felt my question was kind of stupid, but she still kindly answered with a nod. "Yep! Everyone needs to have armor when going to the academy, so I have a few sets."

A few sets…. I looked at my only set of armor that I normally had to wash a few times a week and sighed. Must be nice to be rich. I really need to start earning some money! Although I guess normally, when one went out, it could be said they would only be carrying a single set of armor on them. So I guess it was not wrong to only have one set. I think I will start going with the motto of, only real adventures wear one set of armor until it can not be worn anymore! Although I do get annoyed with how sweaty I can get when it is hot…. Maybe I should get a few sets after all when I become rich. So much for my motto.-.

"What's so funny?" Adel's voice entered my ear. I almost jumped out of my skin because she put her face right next to it. I looked over at Adel, who was already dressed while I was still standing there in my underwear, and pursed my lips. "Just thinking about something my brother did when he was younger." And so I lied. But I can't help it. It is too embarrassing to say that I was lost in my own thoughts and that I was basically talking to myself and making myself laugh. She will think I am crazy, and then bam! I will be booted out of the carriage.

"Hmmm?" Adel raised an eyebrow as I quickly averted her eyes and began putting my armor on at lightning speed.

A couple of minutes later, we were standing outside the carriage, looking at the long path in front of us. It was already starting to get dark, but I guess there was a reason why we had to make this trek at night. Sir Randford stood in front of us and began issuing some warnings. "The place we are heading to is owned by the spirit race. We must not by any means attack anything unless it attacks us first." 𝘪n𝐧𝓻eа𝒅. 𝘤o𝘮

So it seems this place is under the watchful eye of the Kingdom. No wonder Adel knew about this place. This at least answered the question I had before. "Princess, Miss Faith, Always watch where you are stepping as well. Do not step on any spirits by accident. Spirits come in all different shapes and sizes and are easily injured, but if angered, they could upturn the entire Kingdom by causing droughts and other natural disasters."

The spirit race was a race that was the closest to the world and was born from the world. Any spirit race habitats were always secured and protected by the government. A one thousand mile perimeter is always established around their habitats. So this way, even the soldiers would not be able to bother them. During times of war, a huge force of soldiers would protect the habitat before any cities or towns. This was just how important they were.

And a commoner like me would never be able to check this place out without being with someone from the royal family. I had read all of this in a book, and was a major part of any kingdom's history. It was also something I needed to learn more about when I entered the Academy. They say knowledge is the greatest weapon, and to be honest, it truly was.

"Are you ready?" Sir Randford asked.

"Yes!" Both Adel and I responded at the same time, causing us to giggle. While Sir Randford was trying to be all serious, I was still rather calm. Because if anything happened, I could quickly act no matter what the situation held. At least, I hoped.

All the guards except Sir Randford all stayed behind while Sir Randford led the way. We made our way down the path that had tall grass up to my shoulders growing on the sides that hung over the sides of the path. We had to watch our step every inch of the way to make sure no spirits would fall victim to death by foot.

Although we did not actually see any spirits until about three hours later when the sun finally went down. Only then did we start to see glowing lights begin to fill the forest all around us. And to my amazement, spirits of all sizes began walking around. Some were shaped like leaves, while some took on the forms of sticks. There were even those who were nothing but a rock. Each one had a set of big black eyes, and almost stick figure sized arms and legs. You could even see some floating through the air as little balls of light.

"From here on, be extra careful." Sir Randford reminded. But what made me chuckle was the cute little voices of the spirits that repeated Sir Randofrd's words. "Yeah, be careful!" "He said to be careful!" "Careful, careful!"

I smiled and looked at the cute little spirits that were coming to check us out. I guess they were quite a curious race. I had a few climbing up my leg, so I stopped so that they would not get hurt. I even helped them up so they wouldn't fall. But as I did all this, everyone else was giving me strange looks, which made me realize that neither Adel nor Sir Randford has a single spirit around them.

I watched as Adel smiled warmly at me and shook her head. "Leave it to Faith to do the unthinkable."

I could only smile and stick my tongue out at her. The little spirits kept coming out of nowhere and climbing on top of me. At some point, I have no idea when but my head was covered in quite a few of them. Some rode on my horns while others swung from my hair. To be honest, this was the first place that seemed truly magical to me in this world. I know this sounds weird since I have been casting magic, but this was how I truly felt at this time.

As we walked further up the path, the bigger the spirits got as well. Currently, I had two rock spirits holding my hands while more large ones surrounded me. I do not know what it is that they like about me, but they seemed dead set on being near me.

Adel, on the other hand, was pouting. She wanted to have one of the little ones sit on her shoulder, but it spat at her and called her stinky. I almost died from laughter while Sir Radford's face turned bright red from trying to hold back his laughter. And poor Adel, the victim, lowered her head and pouted even more.

By the time we reached the top of the mountain, it was already late into the night. But what stood before us was truly a mystical sight. A large ancient tree spirit with a humanized face made of bark and a long beard made of leaves sat at the peak, looking at us with curious eyes. "To think humans would come this far after such a long time. And even a dragon who is loved by the spirits. This is indeed a grand occasion. I had been wondering why the little ones seemed so excited."

I watched as Adel stepped forward and dropped to one knee with her head bowed. "Your Grace, I have come with a word from my father. He says the war has been quelled, and the lands are safe once more. To ensure the safety of your lands, we had over a million soldiers encircling your territory to make sure it was safe."

"I see… It is good the pact with your kingdom is being upheld. As you know, I am able to see all that happens in this kingdom. Every vibration is felt by me. I know that you humans are not all good. But I can see that you are at least good at sticking to your word. But this little girl is very different. She gives off a feeling that I have not felt since ancient times. Strong yet noble. One who will help those in need. It is also thanks to her that your human war was quelled so quickly. I hope you humans will treat her well." I was a little shocked by what I was hearing. Why would the leader of the spirits of this Kingdom go so far to speak out for me?

"Your Grace, you do not need to worry about this. On my name, Adellia Gravos, I swear on my honor that I will be harmed first before any harm comes to Faith." Hearing Adel swear on such a thing left me feeling strange inside. Why would Adel protect me over her own life?

"Adel, please retract that statement. Your life is not something that should be taken lightly." I really couldn't have Adel sacrificing herself for me at some point to uphold her word. I mean, I have mana shield! What can hurt me unless it is indirect? The last thing I want on my consciousness is Adel being seriously hurt or ending up dead thinking she is protecting me.

"No, I will not!" Adel immediately refused. Looking at her serious expression, I could only sigh. I guess I can only promise inwardly that I will keep her safe if anything were to happen.

I guess Adel was happy with me giving in so easily because her puffed out cheeks quickly turned into a satisfied smile. The leader of the spirits looked back and forth between us and nodded his head. "I see you are both close, which is good. Child of dragons, I must ask you to look over this kingdom as well. Over the years, this kingdom has always held true to its promises and has made sure my lands are peaceful and kept safe from any of the other races. My spirit race is not one that can fight easily, and when we do, it will bring devastation to the lands even if it is not the fault of those who live upon them. But we are also not a race that can be created easily as we are all born from the planet itself. So I ask that if those from outside this kingdom come to invade these lands that you assist the kingdom in warding them off. If you do this for me, I will be sure that your home village will always have a bountiful harvest."

I gazed up at the leader of the spirits who was trying to make a deal with me in surprise. I guess he truly can see everything in this kingdom. But this was not a bad deal. It would not only help my family out but also aligned with my goal in life anyway. "You have my word. If war breaks out, I will be on the front lines defending this land. I also do not wish to see anyone taint these lands of yours. Not when so many cute spirits live here."-.

"Then I give you my thanks. It looks like this kingdom will have a prosperous future with this child helping it out." I kinda felt embarrassed. I have done nothing, but the leader of the spirits kept showering me with praise. I now had to live up to his expectations and keep my end of the bargain, so that my family, no matter how long they live for, will always have good lives. For farmers having a bountiful harvest every year is something that brings life and energy into their passion.

My father loved working in the fields, and so did my brother. My brother will one day take over for my father as he grows older and will also have his own family grow more and more. The more they can harvest each year, the more they can sell to the merchants. It would then allow them to provide for the new Cyrilia that are born. A faint smile formed on my lips, thinking about it. My nephew will one day grow up and have kids, and his kids will also grow old and have children of their own. I just hope each one of them will live peaceful and eventful lives full of happiness. And I….. I will watch quietly from the side.

"Faith?" Adel called out to me, breaking me out of my thoughts. 𝙞𝚗𝓷𝗿𝚎аd. 𝙘𝒐𝚖

I looked over at her and smiled. "Thank you for bringing me here today, Adel."

"Hehe, I just wanted you to see this place." Adel blushed slightly. But I am really glad I got to come here. I got to see such an amazing place. This will always be a day I will remember.

We ended up talking with the leader of the spirits for a while before saying our goodbyes, but before we left the mountain, a voice entered our ears. "Child of the dragons, please wait a moment."

"Hmmm?" I turned my head and looked up towards the mountain top.

"One of my kind has tried to hide themselves in your hair. Little one, it is useless to hide." The leader of the spirit's voice was stern. Soon I felt some tousling in my hair before a flower spirit popped its head out from within.

"I want to go with her…." The flower spirit voice sounded like a young girl, but I could only assume that she must be much older. I could also hear a bit of stubbornness in her voice.

"You know it is dangerous outside for our kind. If you leave this mountain, I can not protect you no matter what happens." I guess according to the leader of the spirits words, the spirits here are allowed to roam as they please but will not be protected by the pact of the kingdom.

"I know, but I will be safe with her." The little voice replied as the small figure with a humanoid shape, wearing a green leaf bell shaped dress and had a flower growing out of the top of her head, floated in front of me. It did seem to be a girl, from what I could tell. I am not sure if spirits had a male or female. I watched as she turned to me and bowed her head. "Please let me come with you. I will hide myself in your hair no one will know I am there."

A long, drawn out sigh came from the top of the mountain. "Child of dragons, would you mind looking after this little one?"

"It's fine. I do not see why not. But she will need to behave." I had no issues if she followed me around. I mean, after all, she was cute and small, so she wouldn't take up any space. I wonder if she will get along with Mr. Blobs? I guess I will need to introduce them later.

"Then I will leave this little one in your care. Child of dragons, I bid you farewell and safe journeys." The voice of the spirit leader began to fade at the end. I gave a slight bow and turned back around. I guess I got a new travel companion.

I looked at the flower spirit and smiled, and held out my hand. "Since we will be traveling together, just call me Faith. Do you have a name by chance?"

"No…. Spirits normally do not have names. Only names humans give us. Names have no meaning for us. But if you, Faith, wish to give me a name, I will gladly accept." The little flower spirit replied.

I stood there and thought for a moment looking at the little spirit, before a name popped into my mind. "How about Little Bell?" Her dress was shaped like a bell which reminded me of a bellflower from back on Earth. They were very pretty flowers and had a bell shape.

"Little Bell…." Little Bell seemed to fall into thought for a second before nodding her head. "This name I like, thank you Faith."

"Then shall we go?" I asked, motioning with my hand. Little bell nodded and landed on my hand before running up to my shoulder and hiding in my hair.

"I will stay here. It will be the safest place for me." Little Bell seemed to want to just be there for the ride as if she was on vacation.

With everything settled and an envious Adel, we exited the path and made our way back to the carriage. It was already very late in the night, so we planned to stay the night in the carriage at the end of the footpath. Adel was full of all kinds of complaints because the spirits did not like her. Even Little Bell kept her distance from her. I felt bad but also found it kinda funny.

"Tomorrow, we will head out of this special area and head back onto the road towards the capital. Faith, are you sure you won't travel with me?" I could tell Adel did not want to travel alone. But I also knew once we reached the capital, we would need to separate as well. At the rate that we are traveling, we will also be there about a month before the academy's entrance tests. This means I could still take the time to get to know the area around the capital and the capital itself.

Since I could enjoy my time with my new friend before we would be split apart for a while, I figured why not. I have all the time in the world to travel around. "Yeah, we can travel together. Once we reach the capital, you will need to go to the castle anyway. And I can take some time getting used to the city."

"Really!? No, wait! You can't say no now! You already said yes!" Adel looked very happy, which made me smile. I just hope nothing happens in the future that will make this girl who longed for a friend to do something stupid like try to protect me using her life. One thing I have learned in my twelve years on this world is that when people give their word about something, most of them will always keep that word. I guess I will just need to make sure nothing happens that will put her in danger.

–AN: New Novel Cover! The complete and full size image can be found on discord!–

"Faith!" Adel threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. "These past few months have been the most fun I have ever had. I truly hope this next month quickly passes by!"

"It really has been fun." I was not lying. The past few months while traveling with Adel had really been fun. The two of us could be said to be close sisters now. We spent every waking moment together and stopped off to see a few of the sights of the kingdom along the way, courtesy of our tour guide Sir Randford.

We saw awesome majestic waterfalls and many villages, towns, and cities along the way, and now I was at the capital, Sky Lake City. The capital that floated in the sky, well, a good portion of it. But sadly I would not get to see the floating island part of the kingdom until I passed through the large gates in front of me and made my way further into the city. The floating island was actually hidden by an illusion spell and one needed to enter the capital's middle region to even see it.

During our travels, I think Sir Randford was only stopping off at demi human welcoming places because we did pass a few places that we could have gotten an inn at only to pass them and camp outside. Which I did not mind, and neither did Adel. I found out Adel is scared of ghost stories. We had quite a bit of fun sitting around the campfire telling scary stories. Adel's face would always pale while holding my arm, shaking in her boots at the simplest story. It gave me a reason to tease her before sleeping.

Sometimes we slept in the carriage, other times, I would put up a protective barrier so we could sleep out under the stars. It was truly a fun time. And like all fun times, they do have to come to an end as everyone has their own duties and lives they need to live.-.

My only issue is the fancily dressed young man who has the same smirk on his face as the smirking knight who came with Adel to my home in Cyrilia village. It was so similar that I was starting to think that he was indeed that knight. But something felt off. "Adel, who is the dork over there?"

"Dork?" Adel raised her head and looked at me with a confused expression. I kinda figured that the word dork would not register in this world, but I couldn't help but call him that.

"The smirking fancy pants over there." I said out loud, making sure the young man heard me. I mean, he was staring at me, and it was annoying.

"Hmmm?" Adel turned her head, and her eyes went big. "Brother!? Why are you here!?"

"Brother?" I suddenly had a bad feeling. I am not sure if it was the fact that the only princess of Gravos called the young man brother or not, but I can only assume that Mr. Fancy Pants is one of the three princes of Gravos. I just hope my remark just now will not get my head cut off and nine generations of my family killed. I mean, his entire being froze upon hearing my words. The face he was making also did not look right.

"Smirking Fancy Pants…. Pfftttt! Hahahaha! It fits!" Adel suddenly registered my words and began laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.

"My dear Sister, it is not very ladylike to laugh like this in public. And Lady Faith, we meet again. Let me formally introduce myself. I am the first prince of Gravos. Prince Lance Gravos, The Crown Prince of Gravos." Lance gave me a knightly bow. I do admit he is very handsome when he is not smirking. I do not know if he thinks that smirk of his is sexy or not, but it makes him look -100 points lower than he does now when he is acting regally. Oh…. It's back again.

I bit my tongue in order to not comment before giving a proper curtsey that Adel was kindly nice enough to teach me during our trip, along with other proper etiquettes. "Prince Lance, it is a pleasure. My name is Faith Cyrilia, please call me Faith. The word 'lady' really doesn't suit me."

"It is a pleasure." Prince Lance replied with that stupid smirk. I really can't take it anymore! It just looks so stupid!

"Ummm… Prince Lance, if I may say something that might cause you to want to chop off my head." I just couldn't stand it. For a handsome man to ruin his image by putting on such a stupid smirk just irks me. I mean, I would do the same if this was my father or brother.

Now I am sure there must be quite a few gaga females in this kingdom who faint when they see that stupid smirk but not me. I come from a place where idols were in flow bloom. Jen had even showed me a magazine of some male idol groups before. While I never really understood the appeal, I can at least say they were indeed handsome, and their smirks made them look sexier, but this prince, it just ruined his whole image. And this is coming from someone who doesn't plan to get married. But I do like to look at beautiful people, whether it is a man or a woman.

I saw Prince Lance's lips curl up into a curious smile causing me to wish I never opened my mouth. "Faith, you need to be straight with him. He always does as he pleases. His Majesty will let it slide even if you beat him up." Adel snorted and stood at my side. The way she looked at her brother was as if she was trying to keep a thieving cat from stealing her man.

I watched as Prince Lance glared at Adel before turning to me and smiling: "Yes, please feel free to speak."

"Then…. Can you please stop with that stupid smirk? It really ruins your handsome face." Since I got the go ahead and have Adel's backing, I said it straight!

"Hah…. Hahahahaha! She is so right! I keep telling you that that stupid smirk on your face made you look dumb! Hahahaha!" Adel was cracking up while Prince Lance's face turned black. The smirk was all gone, replaced with a sulking one. At least now, he still looked handsome.

"But the noble ladies seem to like it…." I heard Prince Lance mumble under his breath. I could only scream out, 'I knew it!' inside my head. I mean, of course, the noble ladies will praise him for everything he does. He is the crown prince, after all.

"Well, I just figured I should tell you that… I do apologize if I have offended you." I decided it was best to make sure I apologized. I was pretty blunt just now.

"No, it is fine. What others think does not matter. Only what Faith thinks matters." Eh…. Did I just get hit on? I really wouldn't know, but I might have been. Or else he might just be being nice. I bet in reality, he actually wants to chop off my head for making him lose face.

"Brother, what is the meaning of this?" Adel stood in front of me with her arms stretched out to her sides.

"More like Sister, what are you doing?" Prince Lance and Adel were both glaring at each other? Are they having a feud?

"Ummm…." I decided to cut in before they started brawling here in the middle of the street. I wonder if the two siblings were not on good terms? My brother and I never fought much. I used to pick on him, but he would let me get away with it most of the time. And the times he didn't, he would just tickle me until I almost peed myself. Although, one time, I did, and I ended up kicking him in the face out of anger. That time ended with me getting reprimanded by Father. Not like I meant to break his nose. I mean, he made me pee myself! Anyway… This was a family secret that no one will ever find out. But to have a very serious fight? I have never had the chance to have one since my family always cared about each other.

"Humph!" Adel snorted once more before turning her attention to me and smiling. She even took my hands as she began speaking. "Faith, the inn is right down the road. It is called The Hayward Inn and is very demi human friendly as well as high class. The inn owner is already expecting you. You can stay there for now while we get the house we have prepared for you to stay at prepared."

"Adel, you really did not need to do all that…." I couldn't help but feel that Adel was spoiling me a bit too much. I did have money of my own. But I guess this is all set up by the king himself, so I probably should just accept it.

"No, she did need to. Faith, you must understand that you have done a great deed for our kingdom. His Majesty did not wish to bring you to the capital without having proper accommodations, and we already said that everything will be provided by the royal family. So it is fine." Prince Lance cut in, which for some reason caused Adel's gaze to turn a little scary.

"Then I thank you both and His Majesty."𝐢𝘯𝑛𝑟𝘦𝙖𝘥. ᴄ𝚘m

"It is fine there is no need to thank us. Your actions in helping this kingdom are already enough." Prince Lance replied and even bowed his head slightly. He then raised his head and gave Adel a big smile. "My dear sister, I think you should be heading back, should you not? His Majesty, our father, is waiting for your report."

"You!" Adel's expression turned complicated. She stomped her feet before throwing her arms around me and hugging me tightly once again. "I will be off. As my brother said, I do need to return to the castle to report to my father. But Faith…." Adel leaned her face closer to my ear and whispered in a not so low voice: "Watch out for my brother, he is a playboy. Do not let him sweet talk you."

"My dear sister, I can hear you. Faith, do not listen to her. I am still as pure as the day I was born. I am keeping myself clean until the day I meet my true love."

"Pure? Clean? Hah! Let me tell you right now, Lance Gravos, if you dare do anything to my cute Faith, I will hunt you down with everything I have!" Adel yelled out while shaking her fist and snorting.

"My Faith!? Humph! We will see!" Prince Lance glared at Adel as he spoke.-.

I guess as the bystander, I should stay quiet, but I do not understand why these two are fighting over me. It's like two male leads in an otome game staring each other down, waiting for the other to mess up. If this was a manga, there would be projections of mighty beasts behind the two with bolts of lightning shooting out of their eyes. Kinda wish I had some popcorn to watch the show.

After saying my goodbyes to Adel, who looked like she was about to cry as she left in the carriage, I stood there and looked down the long city road ahead of me. I could have gotten a ride, but I decided against it. I wanted to take a good look at the city I was going to be staying in for a while. Unfortunately, I can not see the floating island which hovers over the lower part of the city.

My only issue was the young man standing beside me with his hands behind his back with that same stupid smirk on his face. I guess old habits die hard. "Prince Lance, is there something I can help you with?"

"Me? I figured I would walk around with you a bit if that is okay?" Mr. Smirks smiled at me and caused me to want to kick him. Why would you want to follow me!? Sadly, I can not ask such questions since Adel is not here, so I have no one to protect me from getting my head chopped off. I wonder if this was his way of punishing me. He was taking revenge for my comment earlier.

Nevertheless, no matter what the reason is, I can only sigh and reluctantly nod my head. "If Prince so wishes…."

"Good! We should also stop to eat. I know a wonderful place." And with that, my day was suddenly decided for me. I do not know why it is, but this bast… Ahem…. This prince is just as arrogant as the ones I read about in stories. I do not know what kind of favor he is expecting of me, but he seems dead set on bothering me for the time being. 𝑖𝗻𝗻𝑟e𝒶𝗱. 𝒄𝑜𝑚

"Then I will let Prince take the lead." This is all I could say. To be honest, I was not hungry at all. Just before arriving at the city, I had already eaten lunch with Adel. She had made some delicious food, and I kind of gorged myself. Her cooking was just too good. When she gets married in the future, she will make her husband a happy man. Sadly then, I will not be able to eat her cooking as much.

But I do hope whoever Adel marries will treat her well. Because as her friend…. No! As her sister, I must protect her from those evil people, even if it means crushing an entire kingdom in the process. Although I am sure it will never come to that, at least I hope….

"Faith, these stores here are not too bad even if they are in the lower section of the city. They have many items you can not find anywhere else. I do stop in to buy trinkets here from time to time. Everything is made by the owners as well, which makes them even more unique." While I did not wish to be walking the streets of the capital with the crown prince himself, I had to say he was quite knowledgeable about the place. I really did not expect him to know so much. And the shop he pointed at was kind of run down, so It was surprising that he even goes there. As for these so called unique trinkets….. I am not sure what kind of animal that stuffed toy is supposed to be with its fat stomach and strange head with different size eyes sewn into it with a really creepy smile. But I can say this…. This prince's tastes were a bit unique indeed.

"I see…" I did my best to keep a smile. But we drew a lot of attention, and the girls on the street were glaring daggers at me. I really wished to say I am not doing this because I want to! I am being forced to play along! Also, yay for being single forever! Don't worry, you want him, take him! This, of course, could not be said out loud, or my neck would have one less heavy thing on top of it.

It's not that I did not find the prince attractive, it is just that I do not want a relationship. Just thinking about it puts me in a sour mood. But I can do nothing but force a smile and try not to lead the smirking prince on. "Here we are! Fillios House Of Meat!"

Really? This is the place you bring a girl to? Maybe I was thinking too much. There is no way any man who is taking a girl he likes out to a meal would bring them to a place like this. I mean, this was basically just a meat shop! It reminds me of the sandwich shops back on Earth.

Surprisingly or maybe not, when we walked in, we had all kinds of eyes staring at us. None of them were from anyone who would look like a noble of any kind, only commoners. And there was no staff here besides those standing behind the counter. There was even a small line waiting to put in their orders. It was definitely a busy place.

After five minutes, we finally made our way to the front, where a middle aged man and his teen son were working. "Your order?"

"Ummm, give me two large barandalia and cheese with the special sauce. Give us the works." As I stood there while the Prince ordered his food, I Iooked at the menu to see what I wanted. All the names were strange, so I did not really know what was what. But before I could even decide, Prince Lance grabbed my hand and began pulling me away.

"Huh? I haven't ordered yet." I said in confusion. Was he not taking me here so I can eat? I may not be all that hungry, but I can still take it to go if I do not finish it!

"Order? I already ordered for us."

Wait! What the hell do you mean you already ordered for us!? Why would you order for me!? I wanted to scream, but the only thing I could do was quickly take my hand back from the prince and sit down at the table, feeling a bit disappointed. Although it should be mentioned that the food here did smell good. I would need to inspect this place more when I was on my own.

But right now, I had to deal with the matter at hand. In other words, deal with a prince I did not wish to deal with. If it was not for the way he was doing things, I would not mind walking the streets with him, but currently, he is acting a little too friendly for having just really met kind of like those domineering CEOs I read about. Well, this is my take on it as I have read many novels on romance in the past. And this was usually how those arrogant male lead types worked. Which was never my cup of tea. I always yelled out, kick him where it hurts! But now I kind of understand why they couldn't. When dealing with someone of a higher status, things were not so simple. Oh, how I wish Adel was here to save me! But then again, they might start fighting again. I kinda wondered if the women of this world like it when guys acted like this. I, for one, do not!

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