Xingtie, started with a guitar, and made a living by singing

Page 131

Although it does fit the current situation, no matter what, she refuses to be locked in a noble cage and become a bird that can never spread its wings again.

This is the first stop in the true sense of the pioneering journey!

"Ah, Princess. Didn't the Queen tell you last night that there would be a celebration today?"

Senya, the forest general, drove the float to the center of the flower bed, smiling at the passers-by on both sides of the road while answering Nashida's self-questioning questions.

"Absolutely not."

The young girl immediately straddled the kitten and pecked its face.

"Besides, last night we agreed to just have dinner together, but then it almost turned into giving me a bath, and then wanting to sleep with me. Um, although it may be rude to say this, but isn't your Queen a little too 'explosive'?"

"Haha. That's the Queen's personality. Although she's lived far more years than the rest of us, she's never actually been outside, and few people have ever been able to get close to her."

Senya explained to Nashida with emotion.

"While I'm not unfamiliar with other ways of life, as the Queen, having grown up in the Golden Forest, and having inherited the responsibilities of the Fairy Queen, it's natural that she fulfills her mission to protect the people of the forest and the World Tree."

It is precisely because of this that the life she leads is actually both complicated and simple. At the same time, because of her high status, she lacks people who can truly approach her soul and teach her according to her aptitude.

Now, before her deadline, she welcomed her successor, someone with whom she could truly unleash her true nature. That restrained nature was now open only to Nashida.

“…That’s why I don’t like living this kind of life.”

It's not about pointing fingers at other people's lifestyles, but it's like the relationship between Wendy and her cat.

Although cats are very friendly to Wendy, she always gets allergic to cat hair and sneezes constantly.

For her, if it was just the throne of the forest people or the mission of protecting the world tree, it was not something she had to bear.

She also has the ability to leave at any time, but like the queen, she approaches the guy with natural kindness.

Running away is always the worst option.

"I see. I understand your concerns. After all, you weren't born in the forest, and you're used to disguising your identity and living a free life traveling the world. It's normal for you to dislike such a restricted life."

Senya had naturally heard about Nashida's previous travels disguised as "Wendy." To be fair, although this prevented the forest people from immediately welcoming the princess back, they didn't even know what kind of life she led or who taught her so much.

But, for the princess, doing so was absolutely the right thing to do.

When you're still weak, disguising yourself isn't a bad thing. Especially since the princess has noble blood, if she were discovered by some evil creature, or targeted by a cunning villain who can't hide his inner desires, she would be in trouble.

Then troubles will surely ensue, and I'm even afraid that the Demon King's forces are eager to get rid of the princess as soon as possible.

"But even though I know it's a cunning thing to say, please take a closer look at the people on both sides who are welcoming you."

She looked at both sides of the road and kept throwing flowers, even standing on tiptoe, hoping that the princess could find her children in the crowd.

"Not only Her Majesty, the Queen, but the people of the kingdom have also waited for far too long..."

Over tens of thousands of years, people went from being at ease at first to gradually feeling anxious. Even though the forest people did have an almost immortal lifespan, in fact, most of them aimed to survive the first ten thousand years.

For mortals, this would be about a hundred years old. And those who have passed the age of a hundred and have not yet “died of old age” are naturally worthy of being regarded as elders and treated with courtesy.

The same is true for the forest people. Although they can live longer, this is mainly because they are sheltered in the sea of trees and their perception of time is not that keen, especially in the Golden Forest, which is always green and never has a cold winter.

Tens of thousands of years are equivalent to several centuries for mortals. Even for the forest people, this is an unimaginably long time.

This is related to the fact that most of the forest people would not choose to live forever. They believe that returning to the circle after death is the ultimate law of the world.

If someone keeps resisting returning to nature, isn't that denying their identity as a forest person?

They are the protectors of nature and the children of the forest.

Even if they die, they will only return to their mother's arms. This is not something that scares them, especially since they have lived much longer than the world can imagine.

Besides religious reasons, there are also inevitable physical reasons. In principle, even after living for ten thousand years, the appearance of the forest people will not change at all, but once they believe that they are approaching old age, their body functions will also rapidly age.

In a very short period of time, they become completely old. (Although this time is actually several decades compared to the normal life of ordinary people)

On the other hand, the spirit, or soul, or the soft side of the personality will also be worn out with the passage of time.

Either you become indifferent and never feel happy or sad, or you become paranoid and stick to your own opinions.

Of course, most forest people inevitably fall into the latter category, which is why they are so fanatical and loving after seeing Nashida.

You could even describe it as "the child I pushed."

After all, for the forest people, the Fairy Queen is the common idol of all forest people, and as the heir, it is normal for Nashida to be said to be the queen's child.

"Hey. You all are good at giving people difficult problems, eh?"

"But, if you can solve these problems, I believe that the princess will be able to receive the attention of the gods again."

"Eh?"

When Nashida realized what she said, Senya smiled gently.

"Please believe me, this responsibility is not actually a constraint, but rather something more romantic."

"romantic?"

Young fairy girls cannot understand the romantic elements in this.

"Haha. Once you actually receive the crown from Her Majesty the Queen, you will surely fully understand what I am saying."

After such a mysterious smile, Senya said no more and drove to the palace.

There was an even grander ceremony waiting for Nashida.

Then came the complicated formalities and greetings that Nashida half-understood. Even when she wanted to run to complain to her companions, she found that everyone was just watching the fun.

Especially March Seven, who tells everyone that he is the princess's friend, and Xing is even more proud, holding his head high and chest puffed out, and they share the same opinion with March Seven.

As for Danheng, he was helping to carry things. Due to the two people's self-exposure, many forest people loved them and gave them many strange and interesting things, and even provided them with food and drinks. Even Nashida herself was greedy.

But the image problem is the image problem. Even when she was Wendy in the past, she could act like a spoiled child in private and seemed to want to slack off and act badly every day.

But in front of those who need her, Wendy always lives up to her godly appearance.

And now, rather than being a willful child who only thinks about herself, she hopes to... act more worthy of being loved.

The demon god is a lover after all. As the recipient of Barbatos's memories, he couldn't be completely unaffected by this.

In this way, the float arrived all the way to the inner hall of the palace. Although Nashida only acted as a mascot in the float throughout the whole process, occasionally scattering the candies handed to her by Senya, she did not even shed a drop of sweat. It was completely the people of the forest who supported her spontaneously.

However, this fanatical look made her feel like the only pure-blooded human in Cthulhu's deformed cultivation worldview.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call yourself the “Son of God”, right?

Of course, even if such a planet really exists, it always feels like a nightmare.

"You, you're daydreaming and distracted again."

Then, a slender finger gently poked her forehead.

The criminal who almost killed her with her breasts yesterday was now openly molesting her.

The people around them completely turned a blind eye to it, creating a harmonious scene of loving mother and filial daughter between the Queen and the Princess.

Even the elderly elders of the Senate had tears in their eyes, as if they were sure that the country would have successors.

"Um, do you really not need to think about it again?"

Although before coming here, I did think that after taking over the power, I would satisfy my own wild ideas and build her a palace of wisdom. However, when I visited yesterday, I found that those ideas had been completed many years ago.

Alas, so for a race with a long lifespan and great artistic talent, many of the fantasy things that can be thought of may already be antiques in their eyes?

"Of course not. You have already been recognized by the tree, so you are naturally the next queen."

The Fairy Queen smiled softly, then pinched Nashida's little face again.

It was clearly an important occasion for the transfer of power, and even after handing over this power, she would soon age after losing the blessing.

However, she always acted calm and even seemed not to care much.

"But you..."

When Narcida tried to dissuade her for the last time, the queen's fingertips gently touched her cherry lips.

Beneath that mature appearance, the pure and clean eyes gave her the illusion that she was looking at a little girl.

"I will be leaving soon. I know this is not the end of the journey—"

She bent down slightly, whispering in her ear like a mother to her child, or like a child to a hero.

“May the wind blow away the melancholy, and let the children of the forest return home one day.”

"You...know about me?"

"I have seen much. But don't worry, I still love you deeply, just as my people do."

The fairy queen smiled very gently, and then took her hand and walked step by step towards the throne made of golden tree roots.

"I won't tear off your wings. Because you are still young, you have only seen the blue sky outside the forest, so you think the treetops will be a barrier for you to fly to freedom."

As she finished speaking, the throne bound by countless branches slowly revealed its original appearance.

It was a faded wheelchair, full of traces of time.

The wind brings the seeds of stories, and time makes them germinate.

Nashida mobilized her power, and she could sense the passage of time.

In the past, it seemed that someone had sat on it, but in the end - its owner was free from constraints and flew into the sky like a flying bird.

A tree is a nest. A tree is a home. A tree is a starting point.

Touching the golden leaves fallen on the seat, pieces of ignorant and pure kindness are passed on to me.

"...Is it me who underestimated you?"

Nashida whispered softly.

"Come on. Don't worry about breaking it. Just think of it as a bird coming home to its nest."

The Fairy Queen looked at her expectantly, and then Nashida did as she wished and sat gently on this antique that had existed for who knows how long.

It's not comfortable. But, it makes people feel nostalgic for some reason...

Then the golden tree's radiance fell again, as if placing a crown on the young princess.

Thunderous applause broke out from the audience. The world seemed so small at this moment, as if it was only as big as the space between the thrones.

Nashida looked at the queen who was filled with joy, and then at her friends who were equally happy for her, as well as many, many forest people who surrounded her, applauding and blessing her.

Maybe it's not bad to continue like this?

Subsequently.

As this thought arose, Nashida noticed a slight change in the speed of time.

It was an extremely subtle change, almost imperceptible.

It was like a millisecond had passed.

but--

This time, something is wrong.

It's like a minute was suddenly cut off, and then two similar clips were edited together.

She subconsciously looked at the Fairy Queen. She thought she was just nervous, and then blinked quietly and spoke in lip language.

'Say something.'

...It feels so awkward.

Since today, she has always felt that time seems to be going faster.