Chapter 249
Chapter 54: Royal Secrets (Additional)
【Fragments? Here?】
Vilyric glanced around the surroundings again.
She and Little Dragon Daughter were standing in the central square of Spris City. It measured a whopping 200,000 square meters but didn’t have many complicated buildings. Apart from some vegetation, amusement facilities, and monuments, it was almost completely open, and it didn’t seem like there was anywhere to hide anything!
【Even if you say that… can’t you be more specific?】
The voice of Xi Fu Lin inside the stone statue sounded increasingly exasperated.
【I can’t help it! Although my perception has recovered quite a bit since the last time, I’m still sealed. And this time the fragment… for some reason, the aura is very faint, with just a tiny bit remaining somewhere. It’s already tough just to sense it.】
Alright then, not a single reliable one.
To be honest, Vilyric was really enthusiastic about helping Xi Fu Lin find her fragments.
After all, this was the first deity she had encountered and gotten close to in this world. Understanding this mysterious existence directly was a huge help for her, even if it was just a soul fragment—it was much better than those vague beings she didn’t even know how to find.
She had a hunch that this unexpected surprise that Liliya handed over to her would be an important clue for understanding the past exploits of those gods, especially the relationship between the Earth Mother Goddess and the God of Sky.
Helping Xi Fu Lin restore her memory and power was intuitively beneficial for Vilyric, and she didn’t find the other party’s personality disagreeable based on their interactions so far.
Of course, Vilyric didn’t trust her completely and was keeping an eye out. For instance, she never brought up anything about helping Xi Fu Lin break the seal, and it seemed Xi Fu Lin didn’t even have a similar request.
It wasn’t clear whether she felt unable to break it or had some other reason, but since the other party didn’t speak up, Vilyric didn’t plan to ask.
In any case, helping Xi Fu Lin find more fragments was indeed a very valuable choice right now. In gaming terms, this might just be a very important side quest.
【Ok, I got it. But it’s daytime now, with people coming and going, it’s not convenient to investigate. Let’s take a look at night instead… uh, you don’t need to sleep or anything, right?】
Xi Fu Lin was silent for a while before she finally responded with a significant lack of enthusiasm.
【Can we not waste words?】
After telling Xiao Guang about the situation here, the pair of main characters briefly discussed and decided to return for the time being.
Once they got back to the residence prepared for the Envoy Group of Winged People in the United Kingdom, Vilyric happened to run into Philena, who seemed to have just returned from some errands.
One couldn’t help but say that this Envoy Group Leader was truly diligent; she had to check on nearly every little matter concerning the hundreds of team members. She was reportedly very strict with her subordinates, really to the point of being harsh. The only ones she rarely interfered with were those few people around Vilyric.
And since Philena led by example, busying herself all day without much time for rest, even though her subordinates occasionally complained about being tired, they were still very earnest and efficient in their work. The team could be said to have completely melded into one cohesive unit, like a military force that followed orders without question.
No wonder Liliya specifically requested Philena to be the Envoy Group Leader; she truly was a rare talent in management—or should we call her an overworked employee?
Ahem, but that shouldn’t reach her ears.
“Miss Vilyric, you’re back so early?”
The valiant young lady, dressed in immaculate knightly armor, walked in, and upon locking eyes with the Priestess who entered from the other side, she hesitated a moment, then waved her hand to send the few subordinates following her to rest.
“Ah, roughly. By the way, Miss Philena, do you have a moment? I’d like to discuss something with you.”
“Oh?”
Philena approached Vilyric and swept her eyes over her and the blonde girl behind her with a slightly assessing but not offensive gaze.
“Such a coincidence; I also wanted to discuss some matters with you. This isn’t the place for it; how about we move to my room?”
“Oh, really…? Then that’s fine.”
Initially, Vilyric only intended to inform Philena about running into Kunier and his companions on the way, as well as her speculation that the Beast Kingdom Envoy Group might have also arrived in the Kingdom of Azure. Since Philena suggested it, chatting further wouldn’t hurt, especially since she was about to have some leisure time.
By the way, even though both parties had traveled together for two to three months, they hadn’t really communicated much on a deeper level. Vilyric didn’t know much about this knightly lady she had met purely by coincidence upon arriving in this world. Her impression of Philena remained at first sight.
The three of them ascended the specially built staircase of the embassy, reaching the door marked with Philena Trelop’s full name. The Envoy Group Leader took the initiative to push the door open.
“Feel free to sit down; I’ll make you some tea.”
Philena began preparing the tea while Vilyric and Xiao Guang took their seats and looked around.
It was a very ordinary room.
Although the Kingdom of Azure had prepared accommodations specifically for esteemed guests of the envoy group, Philena, as the leader, seemed to have chosen not to use that and instead allowed it for Vilyric and the others while using a standard room shared with the ordinary envoy members herself.
Though she was a noble, many of her things maintained the same standards as everyone else. This was one of the important reasons Philena, despite being so strict, was still able to command respect.
The Envoy Group Leader was quick in her actions, and in less than a minute, she brought over a tray holding three cups of steaming tea and placed them on the table in front of them. She casually found a seat for herself as well.
Watching the short-haired knight gently blowing on her cup and lifting it with both hands, Vilyric couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s rare to see you so relaxed, Miss Philena. Don’t you have other tasks to handle later?”
Philena didn’t answer right away. After elegantly finishing her tea, she set the wooden cup down and nodded her head slightly.
“Everyone has been working hard all the way here. The Kingdom of Azure is different from the Wasteland, and Spris Island is relatively safe, so I arranged a day of free time. Of course, it includes myself as well.”
Not sure if it was just her imagination, but Vilyric felt that the knightly lady’s demeanor and actions at this moment, aside from not smiling, resembled a certain kingdom guardian dwelling deep in a dungeon, but Philena and Edith… should have no connection, right?
Once this thought took root, it spread uncontrollably, like firewood falling onto a haystack in winter. Unable to suppress her curiosity, the Priestess decided to probe a bit.
“By the way, Miss Philena, do you know Edith Meikailande, one of the founders of the United Kingdom? I’ve heard that she went missing not long after establishing the country, which is quite intriguing~”
“Hmm? Ancestor Edith?”
“Yes, yes! That’s the one! So you do know… wait, ancestor?”
Seeing the black-haired girl suddenly looking shocked, Philena shook her head helplessly, but an expression of deep yearning and longing surfaced on her face.
“Come to think of it, Miss Vilyric might not know. One of the founders of the kingdom, Lady Edith Meikailande, actually didn’t originally have the surname Meikailande. The royal family’s surname and lineage were established collectively by several founders who changed their surnames together.”
“There aren’t many descendants left from those founders, and among them… um… So they’re collectively referred to as the Meikailande family. As for the original family, some have continued until now, including our Trelop family.”
“Of course, because such a long time has passed, and our family hasn’t made a fuss about it, many nobles in the kingdom are already unaware of this. Actually, one of the founders of the United Kingdom, Lady Edith, had her full name originally as…”
“Edith Trelop.”