Chapter 41: The Square

  The city castle of Tiara was not truly a castle in the grand sense of the word. It was more like a fortified estate surrounded by high stone walls, with the main guard station and the governing buildings for the city and the surrounding lands inside. Every larger city in Xantia had one, and it was this kind of castle that a player had to conquer if they wanted to take control of the city and its surrounding lands. And since surprisingly much of it had translated from the game into the real version of Xantia, Lily hoped it would be enough to just take over here.

  With a bit of luck, she could manage it without more casualties. The officer at the market square was still fresh in her mind, and she had this nagging feeling that something had gone out of control far too quickly. But at the same time, everything about this felt strangely natural to her. It was more than just memories of a game she had once played half of her life; it was as if the world itself was pulling her in, and the more she followed, the more it seemed to accept her. Contrary to that uneasy feeling, something deeper inside her whispered that it was okay to be herself, to be exactly the person she had always wanted to be. It felt right to take back control after losing it, because this time she could decide what to do with it, and no one else would ever decide it for her again.

  It was not my choice to come into this world. I didn’t ask the fucker to kill me or the simpleton to summon me. But it’s my choice to do things my own way. And what else should I do? Everyone here wants me dead just because I happen to have the wrong race. Her jaw tightened slightly under the helm. The race thing is so completely wrong.

  If a church like the Ecclesia was truly the main power here, or rather the main faith, then she had never had a choice to begin with. In their eyes she was already condemned simply for existing. So, if this world had decided to treat her as a demon, then perhaps it was time to act like one. But contrary to the cliché most people here probably believed about demons, she would show them something very different: how it had been in the Xares Empire, what it meant to live inside a multi-ethnic, half-continent-wide nation, and what it meant to be a true demon.

  She would also show no weakness, because one thing was clear: she had no real choice except to embrace the reality she was in. Maybe in the beginning she had still had a choice, but she had made decisions she could not easily take back. Were those decisions truly her own? Maybe. Had she been influenced by some kind of mind-fuckery? Possibly. But there was no looking back either way.

  In the end, you could break everything down to a single truth—the same truth that ruled Earth in the Middle Ages: might makes right. At its core, this world was no different from being thrown back into the eleventh century. She would probably have been burned as a witch within five minutes of arriving. And if not, her life would have been worth little more than becoming someone’s slave or breeding tool, especially since she wouldn’t have understood the language.

  Nothing would have been different in this world if she hadn’t had the fortune of arriving in her avatar’s body, armed with her in-game resources. If she had arrived as Lily Carter even with her in-game inventory, she would have been robbed the first moment she showed her inventory and killed for her items. She was not na?ve enough to think that Xantia would be any better than Earth for someone without power. She knew the game far too well for that.

  So, Lily had made up her mind; she would go through with it, no matter what happened. After all, she was not the type for some peaceful slice-of-life existence anyway. Those kinds of shows had always bored her to death. No, she knew she would have ended up in a mess like this sooner or later. It had simply happened much earlier than she ever expected.

  She focused her attention back on the road leading toward the city castle. Since she had not seen much of Tiara yet, and most of her impression came from her visit the day before, she was quietly grateful that the main road from the square led directly to the castle gates. It would have been quite embarrassing to march through the city with Thirra, a few dozen soldiers, and an entire crowd trailing behind them, only to get lost in the winding streets and somehow end up back at the same market square.

  Fortunately, that did not happen, and nothing seemed capable of disturbing Lily’s march toward the city castle. The main street was wide and paved with light gray stone, the kind that glimmered faintly under the morning sun. Lined with ornate buildings, tall windows, iron-wrought balconies, and hanging banners displaying family crests, the noble district presented itself at its best as Lily marched through it. She saw windows opening as people leaned out to see what the commotion was about, and a few of the richer inhabitants stepped onto their balconies, their faces a mix of surprise and shock. Servants and merchants had gathered along the edges of the street, staring in disbelief as the strange procession passed.

  After a while, the main street widened and opened into another large square. On the left stood the grand town hall, and opposite it on the right rose the fortified walls of the city castle. Directly ahead of Lily, at the far end of the square, stood a massive church that dominated the view with its tall spires and heavy stone facade.

  Lily had never been here before, but even at a glance, she could tell that every building around the square radiated authority. The walls were tall and stony, built to last, and between the church, the town hall, and the castle walls stood several imposing houses that looked important.

  Probably the guilds, Lily thought idly as her eyes swept across the square.

  But what caught her attention more than anything was the stillness. The square was almost empty, and the air carried a suspicious calm that made her slow her steps. It was too quiet for this part of the city.

  Lily slowed her march, and with a single motion of her hand she signaled the soldiers to stop. The movement rippled backward, and the crowd behind them also came to a halt. She continued forward slowly, walking beside Thirra as the two of them stepped alone into the open square.

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  After only a few steps, as if following an invisible cue, the heavy doors of the church swung open. A priest stepped outside, flanked by two tall men in shining plate armor. Behind them came a group of people who looked wild and disorganized, carrying a mix of weapons—oversized swords, axes, and staves—and wearing armor that did not seem to match at all. It looked more like a gathering from a junkyard than a disciplined force.

  At the same time, the gates of the city castle opened on the opposite side of the square. From there, a band of rough-looking soldiers poured out, followed by several serious men in mage robes whose expressions were as cold as their movements were controlled.

  So, the Adventurers’ Guild and the Mage Guild are taking part in this too, Lily thought, her eyes narrowing slightly.

  She stopped near the center of the square, facing the two groups that now stood opposite her. Before she could say anything, a man stepped out from among the soldiers emerging from the castle gates. He wore a thick golden chain around his neck and clothes far too expensive for the battlefield, his posture confident as he separated himself from the rest and began to approach.

  “Demon!” he shouted, raising his voice so that it carried across the square. “I am Mayor Felix Rottfeld, and I am here to stop you. You have no right to exist in this world, so go back to hell and do not plague the good people of Tiara!”

  Lily’s eye twitched under her helm, and her patience broke in an instant. She lifted her voice too. “Pesky human, do not dare to speak to me like that! I am Princess Lilithia Nocturne, Princess of the Abyss, Ruler of the Damned, and Blood of the High Demons. I am also a princess of the Empire, vested with full authority, and you should kneel in my presence.”

  The mayor’s face reddened as he straightened his back. “I have never heard of any Princess Lilithia Nocturne,” he shouted back. “And there is no Empire in Pangrea, so your words are nothing but lies. I would never kneel before a false Princess, let alone a filthy demon. And even if an Empire did exist, there would be no demon-kind in its ranks. They were banished from this world long ago!”

  Thirra shifted beside Lily, its claws flexing and its body lowering slightly as it prepared to strike. But Lily stopped it with a quick mental command, her voice calm and steady in Thirra’s mind. Not yet.

  She turned her gaze back to the mayor, her voice now cold. “Nevertheless, I am standing here before you, Mayor. You claim demons are banished from this world, yet isn’t it strange when the hell-lands still lie far to the south?”

  The mayor hesitated for a moment, confusion flickering across his face. Before he could respond, the priest stepped forward. His voice rose, thick with self-righteous fury. “Do not let the false words of demon-kind twist your mind! She wriggles in fear, as all demons do when faced with their destruction!”

  He turned toward Lily, his eyes glinting with malice. “There are no hell-lands anymore, foul demon. With righteousness, faith, and the blessing of the Goddess, we purged your homelands long ago.” His mouth curled into a sadistic smile. “But the fact that you didn’t know only proves what you are. You must be a summoned demon. Everyone knows summoned demons are weak, inferior copies of the real thing, unable to grow in our plane.”

  With the help of their goddess, Lily thought bitterly. The Inquisitor had confirmed before his death that their goddess’s name was indeed Luxandra. For real, is that bitch still around?

  She bit the thought back and looked first at the priest, then at the mayor. Her hand moved slowly to the hilt of her sword, the [Nocturne Crownblade].

  “I will not repeat myself,” she said, her voice rising so both groups could hear her clearly. “So, listen closely now. I, Princess Lilithia Nocturne, am here to take back what is rightfully mine.” She put deliberate emphasis on rightfully, mirroring the priest’s earlier use of righteousness. “This land belongs to the Xares Empire. I declare that the Empire never fell. I am Guildmaster of Doomsday, an official member of the Imperial Senate, and a Princess of the Empire. As long as the Senate stands, the Empire stands. You have one chance to surrender peacefully; otherwise I will show you what a ‘summoned’ demon is truly capable of.”

  The mayor stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Hahaha! A good tale, foul demon!” he said, shaking his head.

  But while the mayor laughed, the priest’s smirk faded. His expression hardened, and his hands twitched at his sides as his eyes locked on Lily with growing unease.

  The next moments happened so quickly that it was hard to tell who moved first. Lily now had her sword drawn, the [Nocturne Crownblade] glowing faintly as she raised it and pointed it directly at the mayor. He stopped laughing, and his face twisted in anger once more. “You dare point that thing at me?” he shouted, his voice cracking with outrage. His soldiers stepped forward immediately, forming a wall in front of him, their shields rising and their weapons drawn.

  ???

  Meanwhile, the priest took a few careful steps backward. His movements went unnoticed amid the growing noise and chaos. He leaned toward the two paladins standing directly behind him, his voice dropping to a low whisper.

  “She’s with the elf,” the priest muttered.

  “So, the message was true then?” one of the paladins answered quietly.

  “She mentioned the same guild,” the priest said.

  The other knight’s tone hardened. “Poor Lucien went out too soon. He’s probably done for.”

  “Ascended, was it?”

  “Yes,” the priest confirmed, his gaze flicking toward Lily again. “If that’s true, then there are at least two of them. The Holy Saint is still a few days away with the crusade.”

  The first paladin clenched his jaw. “What are the odds?”

  “Since we got the official warning about the guild?” the priest whispered back. “Bad.”

  The second paladin exhaled slowly. “Then we do what the Goddess teaches. The scriptures say the faithful must make offerings so that her true servants may secure her treasures for the community.”

  The priest gave a cold smile. “Agreed. Ser Elron, fetch the church treasure. Ser Windale, prepare the way. I’ll set the spark.”

  They nodded once and turned, vanishing back into the church as the priest straightened, his face shifting back into the calm mask of pious fury. He raised both arms and began to shout, his voice booming over the crowd.

  “Proud people and soldiers of Tiara!” he cried. “You heard the words of the demon! She wants to kill every man, woman, and child in this city so she can dance on your corpses and spit on your graves! Will you let her?”

  The adventurers who had come with him roared in anger, their weapons flashing as they began to charge across the square. Their armor clattered, and spells flickered in their hands, fire, ice, and lightning gathering at their fingertips.

  The mayor turned as he saw them move and waved his arm in a frantic gesture. “You heard him! Soldiers, protect the city! Mages, unleash everything you have!”

  The soldiers under his command shouted and rushed forward, following the adventurers’ charge. The mage guild’s robed figures lifted their staffs, chanting in unison as glowing circles began to form in the air above them.

  In the chaos that followed, the priest whispered a short incantation and vanished in a shimmer of light, his cloak spell wrapping around him as he disappeared back toward the church.