Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

“To think we would be beaten so handily while you were just going easy on us” Yamato said as she downed another Snack Cube into her mouth 

“Indeed, if those were just non-lethal attacks, I can’t imagine the brutality that lies in your lethal one’s” Wilcor added as he took a sip of tea

“If there is a rebellion against you, the casualties would be…to many to count” Python finished as she grimly looked at the empty teacup before her. 

“Do not dwell on those things, they leave a bitter taste in the mouth” Ophelia told them as she sipped her tea. 

The three then simply nodded as they understood her subtle words, each of them trying to divert their minds to something else. 

“So, what can you tell me about Valantros and Lowe?” Ophelia asked them

“Well, Valantros is the current head of the dragonkin tribe, with Mercy being the former. He has a lust for power and he seeks to only serve the strong, believing that the weak should be under the strong” Yamato started, a hint of annoyance in her voice 

“He has very little respect to His Majesty due to his growing age, in the past, His Majesty could best Valantros anytime, anywhere, but now that he is in such an elderly state with his powers slowly leaving him, Valantros no longer respects him. The only thing keeping him in check is Mercy, since she is the only one now who can without a doubt break him in half if he overstepped his bounds” Wilcor added as he took another sip of his tea. 

“I see, sounds like a fun person to be with in your free time” Ophelia said as she pulled out another bowl of Snack Cubes

“Not really, if anything, he’ll just tell you about how great he is” Python added as she took a few cubes and downed them

“So what about Lowe? I only saw him briefly, he is well-built and has grey hair that matches his tail and ears, when I used <Appraisal> on all of you, I was surprised to see that most of you were either Rank A or Rank B, with Mercy and His Highness being the surprising exceptions” Ophelia said, her voice holding curiosity as she asked her question

“Lowe is very much like Valantros, minus a person who keeps him in check, well, that’s not really true, the three of us can overpower him in a one-on-one scenario but he usually travels with his pack” Yamato answered her, 

“He and his tribe are known for their aggressiveness, much more than Valantross and his, partially because Mercy had eliminated a lot of her own tribe who were against siding and serving His Majesty” Wilcor added 

“But Lowe and his tribe have had no such event and frequently clash with other tribes as to show off their dominance, but the moment you earn their respect and admiration, they are loyal to a fault” Python finished. 

“Hmm I see, thank you for the information. I guess I will have to deal with them both soon” Ophelia stated

“Maybe, but you can always go around and challenge them and their tribe, if you can beat us, then it will be easy for you to beat them” Yamato told her, her voice filled with confidence 

“True, but that will be too tedious, I want them to know that their power is nothing in front of me, hence why I wish to take this test all of you are spouting about” Ophelia answered

“I see, well I wish you good luck with it then, considering that the test is quite dangerous and you will probably die trying” Yamato replied

“For now, let’s just enjoy the refreshments provided by Miss Ophelia” Wilcor chimed as he took a sip of his tea

“Agreed” the other three answered. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

An hour had passed since then and as Ophelia and the rest were enjoying their snacks and refreshments, a group of people were approaching them.

“Huh, looks like they are finally here” Ophelia remarked as she saw them from a distance

The other three turned their heads to the same direction Ophelia was facing and they saw Olertin and he had brought with him Iris and about a dozen guards. The guards wore leather armor with tribal designs on them and were equipped with short swords and daggers, except one of them had a staff whom Ophelia assumed was the group's mage.

"Miss Ophelia, judging by your relaxed nature, I take it you succeeded in your demonstration?" Olertin asked with a smile as he saw her relaxed nature

"Indeed Your Highness, we have come to an understanding after our little bout" Ophelia replied as she looked up at him and took a sip of her tea

Olertin let out a smile but then realized that there were chairs and a table as well before him, 

"Umm. Miss Ophelia, what are those?" he asked as he pointed at the fancy-looking china and furniture

"Simple chairs, a table, and some tea and snacks from my homeland, care to try some? I have more than enough for everyone you brought" Ophelia answered placing down the teacup and raising the plate that had “Turkish Delight” or Snack Cubes as she called it up to him 

"We will take you up on your offer then, please excuse us" Olertin replied with a smile as he picked up a cube and ate it. 

Ophelia then took out several other tables and chairs and brought out more tea sets with the same snack and placed them around her, Olertin and his group seated themselves and all of them began to dig in.

There were noises coming from the guards and Olertin and Iris as they drank the tea and ate the snacks, Ophelia smiled to herself as she saw them enjoy it all. Then after finishing his third plate of snacks and downing another cup of tea. He then turned to Ophelia

"The elders have come to a decision, they have decided to back Valantros on the right of succession by using The Test, like I said before, it will involve you being sent up the mountain and you have to fight and tame or kill the divine beast resting there. Only when you succeed will the other tribal leaders recognize you as my successor without any backlash" he said as he wiped his mouth, his voice holding a bit of annoyance with the elders 

"Do you have any tips on facing that divine beast?" Ophelia asked 

"I have no tips but here is some info, I know that it calls itself Spithe, it is a double-headed dragon. Its main attacks that I know of, are its fire breath that comes out of both heads. The fire is blue and is deadly accurate. Then if that didn't kill you there are its massive wings that it uses to create gusts of sharp winds that can cut through armor. Those are the only attacks I know of and I was lucky to make it out alive" Olertin answered her, his expression showing a slight discomfort in remembering those times

"I see, thank you for the information" Ophelia replied with an expression that was now deep in thought, she stood up from her chair and stretched a bit before turning back to Olertin and asking

"So, when is the test?" she asked

“A month from now, I was able to convince them that like me, you needed time to get ready” Olertin answered her

“Fair enough, but I feel like I could take it already…maybe I should spend that one month on something else”

“Hmm, you could meet the tribes of Yamato, Wilcor and Pythone” Olertin suggested

“That’s a good idea Your Majesty” Yamato added

“Indeed” Wilcor chimed in

“I support it” Python finished

“Then it’s decided then” Ophelia told them with a smile

....................................................................................................

A week had passed since Olertin told Ophelia about the tribal leader's decision, after some more talks, it was decided that Ophelia would visit the other tribes before The Test but found that most of them refused to even entertain her since she had yet to prove herself. This behavior angered Olertin as he understood who had given them such thoughts to undermine his successor but a small reassurance from Ophelia stopped him from doing something about it. With both of them having said discussion this morning

“It will only make me seem weaker and more fragile to them Your Highness” Ophelia told him one day in the throne room

“They seemed to have forgotten who runs this kingdom! I swear if I have to-” but before Olertin could finish his sentence, he let out a coughing fit that Ophelia had help him by patting his back,. Mercy as well walked up and offered him a cup of water. 

“Stop shouting Your Majesty, or you will leave us before anything can be sorted out. Trust Miss Opehelia, she will make sure everything is solved” Mercy added

“You know I can cure you of your affliction right? I can help you” Ophelia continued 

“Bah! I don’t wish to live like an immortal, I want to live my life to the end, I wish to meet my family, my wife who is already on the other side. I don’t want to delay anymore than I have to” Olertin told them, sadness in his tone

“Then at least pass away when everything is settled” Mercy told him, a slight sadness but also a tinge of anger in her voice.

“Right, right, I’m sorry” 

“Anyways, what will you do today Miss Ophelia? I don’t believe you can visit any tribe today” Mercy asked as she helped straighten up Olertin

“Oh, I will be heading to Wilcor and his tribe first, an assistant of his is to come by later” Ophelia answered her

“I see, well, they live in the woods east of the town, I’ll see to it that the assistant’s arrival is relayed to you, for now I am going to bring this man back to his chambers to rest” 

“I ain’t that old where I can’t walk Mercy!” Olertin cried as she helped him to his feet

“From my point of view you are” she replied as she easily lifted him up and began walking away. 

‘Heh, like an old married couple’ Ophelia thought as she watched them disappear behind the main chamber door. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

An hour later, as Ophelia was wondering the town, trying to give tips to the construction workers who diligently listened as she had shown them several ways to more effectively help them at their job, a runner came from the castle, informing her that the assistant Wilcor had sent was waiting for her at the front courtyard. 

Arriving at the courtyard, she was greeted by the sight of an elf with a white tribal coat that resembled a lab coat from her old world.  He was tall and had a pair of reading glasses that rested on his nose, his face as well. being handsome by the standards of her old world. 

“Miss Ophelia, I am Velchet, the assistant of Village Head Wilcor. A pleasure to meet you”  Velceht said as he stepped forward, extending his hand, his burly voice booming

“A pleasure to meet you too Mr. Velchet, shall we get going?” Ophelia asked as she shook his hand 

“Indeed we shall, stand back I will use a spell that the Village head had taught me” he said as he channeled magic into one of his hands, trying his best to focus 

“<Transport Gate>” he uttered 

VFWOOOOM

In the center of the courtyard a bluish portal had opened up, the swirling portal then transformed into an image of several huts and buildings in the midst of a sea of trees, which Ophelia had guessed was the elf village. 

“Follow me” he said as he walked towards the portal 

‘Huh, a low-tier transportation spell’ she thought as she followed him through the portal.

Arriving on the other side, Ophelia was greeted by the sight of several other elves dressed in the same attire as Velchet waiting for her, in the center of the group was Wilcor, dressed in his usual green robes. She also noticed that many of the other elves in the village were watching her, from the young kids running around stopping in their tracks, to teenagers and adults watching from their tree homes and the houses on the ground. 

“It’s quite a sight Wilcor, truly impressive” Ophelia stated as she greeted the elven village leader 

“I am glad you like it, Miss Ophelia, we have much to show you” 

“Then let’s get started, shall we? Lead the way”

“Of course” 

 Walking behind the older elf, Ophelia took in the sights of the village. The houses on the ground were all one-story houses with a square layout and a triangular roof, the treehouses on the other hand were built around the trunk of the tree, with some of them even built into the tree itself. 

In the center of the village was a giant tree, the tree was thicker and taller than the one’s surrounding it and there were golden tree wisps that floated all around it. 

“Huh…what is that tree? I haven’t seen one of those back from where I used to live” Ophelia asked

“This here is the village tree. As far as I can remember through our species' history, there is always a Elder Tree that the village is built around of, these Elder Trees help us connect with the other elven villages on the continent and I believe that way before they could be used to contact villages in other continents as well” Wilcor answered her

“Huh. that is impressive, from where I came from, the elves who always lived in the woods had never had a tree like yours” She added 

“Well, it seems like the elves that live on your continent have either lost or have hidden their Elder Trees very well, but considering your power, I am inclined to side with the former” Wilcor replied 

“But for now let’s continue”

As they continued walking, Wilcor began to question Ophelia on the different magics that she had been exposed to from where she came from

“So what types of spells have you encountered throughout your life Miss Ophelia?” he asked as they stopped in front of a giant building in near the outskirt of the village, this one had four stories and several chimneys were poking out of the triangular roof. 

“Well, I have encountered spells that could set you on fire, spells that can heal very very fatal wounds, magic that can report to you the position of anyone or anything at a certain time, transportation magic…a bit of everything really” Ophelia answered him as they entered the building. 

“Oh great! Then maybe you could help us with developing new magic for the kingdom, this building we are in is the kingdom’s magical research building, take a look around and uhh…see our progress” Wilcor said as he gestured to the room they were standing in. 

It was a large room that had staircases that led up to the visible second, third and fourth floors, with a giant rectangular hole in the middle of the room that could allow people to look up to the other floors and vice versa, standing along the railings of the building on the other floors were groups of elves each differing in size and body shape peering down below at their guest. The floors, walls, furniture, and staircases were made of dark brown oak, and sitting atop the tables and some of the shelves were glasses, test tubes in racks, and even beakers. 

“Well, it certainly seems like a lot is going on here” Ophelia remarked 

“Indeed it is, these magical researchers are usually very busy, however, I had instructed them that today they should meet you since you have probably been exposed to magic they had never encountered before…like the one you used on me..and Yamato…and Python” Wilcor replied, wincing at the memory of him being exposed to one of Ophelia’s spells. 

“Oh! Village head you're here!”  A voice called out from the topmost floor

Both of them looked up and saw an elf jump down from the 4th floor, landing with grace right in front of Wilcor. 

“You should have told me that you arrived already!” the elf told him

Looking at the elf, she was different from the others, while all of the elves that she had seen so far were the typical lighter skin with either black, blonde or brunette hair. The elf standing in front of her was the same height as Wilcor, had white hair, and had a darker tone of skin color, her outfit was much different as well, Ophelia took a small glance at one of the other female elves in the room and saw that while they had a shirt under their coat and wore a long skirt, the elf in front of her wore nothing but a tribal bra under her coat and a pair of black tribal pants with opened toed sandals. 

‘Huh, she looks like a “gyaru” from one of those manga’s…neat’ Ophelia thought as she looked at the elf in front of her. 

“I did tell you that we would be arriving today Vaeron, by I am pretty sure you either forgot or you weren’t listening because you were too busy doing research again” Wilcor replied to the elf named Vaeron

“Ehh…ok maybe I did forget, but you should have announced yourself at least!” Vaeron retorted, pouting towards him 

“Ok ok, I guess I am at fault too. Anyways, Vaeron, this is Miss Ophelia, His Majesty Olertin’s successor” 

The words from their village head made all of the elves murmur and mutter towards one another, all of their eyes glued towards the human girl clad in tribal robes. 

“Oh? So she is the one” Vaeron said as she circled Ophelia, scanning her up and down like a shopkeeper looking at a new item for their wares. 

“I can’t seem to get a read on her” She remarked, making many of the elves mutter amongst themselves even more

“I can’t either, heck I was beaten by her. So I think it’s fair to say we can drop that subject there no?” Wilcor told her

“I understand, well, with all of that out of the way. Greetings Miss Ophelia, I am Vaeron, the head researcher of the kingdom’s magical research division, I hope to learn something from our foreign successor” Vaeron introduced herself, extending her hand

“I hope I can teach something useful then Miss Vaeron” Ophelia responded in kind, shaking her hand. 

“Right. I will leave you all to it, I will be back by sundown Miss Ophelia, so. farewell “ Wilcor said as he and his entourage left. Leaving Ophelia in the care of the researchers. 

“Alright then, Miss Ophelia, could you please take a seat here and we will begin questioning you. I personally want to find out if the magic outside our little kingdom is either the same or vastly different” 

“Fair enough, we can begin” 

Ophelia followed Vaeron to a pair of chairs and a small table, both of them sat down and Vaeron conjured a pen and a notebook in her hand. Several other researchers stood behind her as all of them were ready to take notes. 

“Alright then Miss Ophelia, lay it on us” 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The hours had passed fairly quickly for Ophelia, deep in the discussion and enlightening discussion between the researchers and herself, she barely checked the time. Discussions about the use of runes, magic circles, silent enchantment, and incantation filled the long hours with heated questions against her, making Ophelia smile as her knowledge from the Imperial Library and her own experience really helped her give the researchers and Vaeron a grasp on the depth of magic that they had yet to scratch, showing them that their magical thinking which was mostly speculations and hypothesis were considered key and foundational knowledge to others outside their kingdom.

“By the light of the Elder Tree…your magical knowledge is on a higher plane of understanding than we currently have” Vaeron commented as she closed her notebook, her hands still visibly shaking as she took down all of those notes. 

“Well, it is expected, you guys are still a fledgling kingdom that just recently united and has had nothing but tradition to go off of when it comes to the study of magic” Ophelia commented, pulling out a tea set from her item box, shocking everyone in the room. 

“Wha..what is that!” Vaeron screamed as she gripped her head, clearly no longer able to process everything

“Oh…this is simply something called an “Item Box” Basically you can fit anything of any amount inside to keep it perfectly preserved from the instance you stored it. It’s kind of a more complicated magic that I would go into more depth but considering the way you look now, I think it’s best I save it for another time” Ophelia answered her, feeling a tinge of guilt for sending the head researcher into a spiral, unable to respond to her. 

“Amazing…to think someone like you has such knowledge and power…truly you deserve to be mine and mine alone” a voice said from the higher floors. 

“Excuse me what?” Ophelia asked as the elf jumped down and landed in front of her, his lanky and supr skiny appearance looked ugly to Ophelia 

“Sorry but I am Falangost, and I will be using your teachings just do this! <Domination>” Falangost tried to cast from his empty hand aimed at Ophelia, resulting in nothing happening.

“Falangost what are you doing!” Vaeron shouted, the brazen act seemed to bring her back to reality, a long needle in her hand, ready to attack

“I’m sorry madam, but if our successor is so easily controllable then it’s only fitting that the strong control her, and since I have allied myself with tribal leader Valantros and Lowe, I daresay I am with the strong. Plus to fall for what she calls a simple mind spell, she certainly is foolish enough to fall and be influenced by it. There is no way she can speak or do anything now without my command!” Falangost answered with confidence and arrogance in his voice. 

“I see”

{!}

All of the eyes turned to Ophelia who was supposedly ‘Dominated’ by Falangost, the elf himself also perplexed

“So you thought that you could control me. That’s laughable” she calmly said as she stood up, her eyes locked with the arrogant elf

“Wha..what!? But your supposed to be under my control! How are you doing this!?” Falangost shouted, slowly backing away from the human girl who was slowly approaching, knocking over several glasses. 

“To think that the two of them have already started to think of ways to control me…looks like I will have to pay them a visit later” Ophelia continued, not interested in answering the question

“St…stay back!” he shouted as he threw a book that Ophelia caught with ease. 

“I think I should visit them no? What do you think?” she asked the scared elf who was now in a corner of the room

“I uhh-” 

“Shhh. I think I know what to do” Ophelia cut him off before he could say anything

SNAP

VWOOM

“AAAAAGHHHHH”

VWOOM

Turning back to the rest of the elves, she saw that all of them were scared, which was understandable. They had just seen one of their own, even though now probably considered a traitor, disappear into the darkness that was simply summoned by the one person they thought couldn’t do anything. 

“Everyone, back to your stations” Vaeron told them, with the elves scurrying off into different parts of the building. 

“Are you ok Miss Ophelia?” she asked as she approached her, her steps a bit shaky as she believed one false move and she too would be sent into the darkness, and by the looks of it, never return

“I am, don’t worry Miss Vaeron. The reason the domination spell failed to work was that I did not give a full explanation on how it worked, and even if they did manage to use it, I am far, far too strong for a simple domination spell to handle” Ophelia answered her 

“Shall we resume our talks?” she asked 

“Well. if you are willing, then yes I would like to continue Miss Ophelia” 

“Splendid, let’s continue where we left off” 

 

A/N: Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! and I wish you a wonderful day, the rest of the chapters are still going to be Ophelia's for a while since it has been a while since we last touched on her, excluding the previous side story. anyways, let me know what you think in the comments below and once again thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!