Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.42 – When Spring Blossoms (1)
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……Even after saving the fairy, neither Lee Han nor the others had ever imagined they could 'dare' to converse with her.
To reiterate, fairies are sacred and exalted beings that humans could never hope to approach.
Intangible entities born from the mysteries of great nature, breathtakingly beautiful.
They live for eons beyond human imagination, occasionally extending a hand to pure infants or young children untouched by worldly taint or selfish desires—but otherwise, it's common knowledge that conversing with them is nothing but a pipe dream.
'…Those spellcaster bastards must be out of their minds. Kidnapping a fairy? Who the hell has to be that insane to pull something like that off?'
There was a saying that if you messed with a fairy, you'd never find peace even in death.
Even now, they seemed like some gutsy fools.
…Of course, legend had it that during the lifetime of the founding king of Pendragon, the Sword King, he and his brother—known as the Knights of the Lake—shared bonds of friendship and love with these very fairies.
However, the problem was.
'…That's just a legend, isn't it?'
It was too ancient a tale to take at face value.
There were entities with some semblance of fairy nature, but scholars widely agreed they were more akin to elves with pointy ears—degenerate fairies at best.
Just as a house cat and a tiger aren't the same despite both being felines…
Even if the fledgling mage was a 'half-fairy,' that just meant she might have a fortunate 0.0002% fairy DNA at best—she was nowhere near a pure 100% fairy.
To put it in simpler terms.
'In military ranks, a true fairy would be like the Minister of National Defense or a three-star general, a fallen fairy a second lieutenant, and a half-fairy a sergeant maybe?'
…For reference, humans ranked as plain old privates.
In other words, this fairy striking up a conversation with them was.
"……."
…No different from the Minister of National Defense telling a fresh private whose service has just begun, 'I'm not that intimidating a guy. Relax, make yourselves at home, haha'—pure blasphemy.
As if to prove it.
"………."
…Lee Han and his companions weren't relaxing at all; their faces were frozen stiff as they stood at attention.
For fear of what calamity might befall them if they dared offend her.
'Wh-what do we do?'
'J-just stay quiet, milady. Silence is the best policy!'
'If we get hit with [Fairy Prank], our lives will be cursed forever….'
Sensing the crisis, the three exchanged glances, averted their eyes, and subtly backed away.
Here, it seemed best to leave the kids out and let the adults handle it.
'These guys….'
He couldn't help but chuckle dryly at how sharply attuned his disciples were to their survival instincts.
…Wonder who taught them that.
'They learned well.'
Haha…
Lee Han broke out in a cold sweat.
"You're too kind…."
Fortunately, the Spring Fairy wasn't fixated solely on Lee Han.
She also took interest in the knight with striking teal hair and eyes, Lark.
For reference…
"…Um, that's a bit…."
"I-I do have some conscience, so…."
The fairy genuinely thought Lee Han was handsome, but he, having a shred of conscience, awkwardly protested.
For a mere private to contradict the Minister of National Defense—no, it was borderline treason, high treason at that.
"…Ah, y-yes…."
…She wasn't the narrow-minded type to punish humans for contradicting her, like some petty sort.
The Spring Fairy continued her warm, friendly smile, and Lee Han sweated bullets.
This gaze was intensely burdensome….
'…Guess fairy aesthetics aren't something to trust.'
Lee Han felt a strange novelty at learning one of the fairies' closely guarded secrets, but he didn't let his guard down.
Not knowing what she might say next.
And the fairy's following words were…
"……."
It was a statement brimming with gratitude, leaving the two knights with subtle expressions.
For some reason, it felt like dealing with an ordinary woman.
One who'd been rescued from peril and now sincerely expressed her thanks—a remarkably sensible woman at that….
An inexplicable odd feeling washed over them, prompting the standard, sensible response.
"W-we only saved you because we had our own reasons, so there's no need to thank us."
"Th-that's right, O Spring Fairy. Please withdraw such gracious words."
Lee Han kept it polite; Lark, from a family sworn to fairy-related affairs, looked flustered.
Their respective ways of coping—and the fairy…
Whoosh.
As the Spring Fairy's mood brightened, a warm spring breeze enveloped them.
Ssssh!
Beams of light darted around them like mischievous imps, chattering and showing their affection.
…Of course—who wouldn't?
The knights silently bowed their heads.
More importantly—
'So "one yet many" for fairies means something like this….'
One yet many.
A scholar studying fairies had coined the phrase, noting only those fortunate enough to meet one face-to-face could grasp it.
…And now, facing the fairy, Lee Han understood why.
'They're all connected to each other.'
His senses could perceive others' 'wavelengths' with extraordinary clarity, letting him feel how this fairy and the others were linked as one.
The guy with the [Third Eye] or whatever probably sensed it too.
'…No wonder ancients worshipped them as gods—such mystical beings.'
Like a person with countless clones, each wielding power over nature.
To the ancients, they must have seemed divine.
'Well, up close like this, they converse normally enough and seem reasonably sane….'
"…?"
"……."
"…Crazy."
Lee Han let a curse slip unwittingly.
The sight before him was that unbelievable.
Clop-clop! Clop-clop! Clop-clop!
…The vigorous hoofbeats heralded the rapid approach of the 'Harvester of Death.'
A knight rode a black warhorse clad in armor.
Donning pitch-black full plate armor, he exuded overwhelming intimidation just by sight.
…Yet the two focused not on the menacing steed or armor, but the knight's 'head.'
"…Carrying his head around like that."
"Impressive horsemanship."
"Is that really the priority right now?"
"It is impressive, isn't it?"
"……Is it?"
The knight had his head tucked under his arm.
Though his face was obscured by a helmet, the blue soulfire gleaming in his eyes confirmed the severed head was very much alive.
Dullahan.
Among monsters, it was an Unknown-rank entity too elusive to classify, infamous as the 'Reaper'—the Harvester of Death.
…It was exceedingly rare, and unusually for a monster, it didn't attack humans.
But the Dullahan's terror lay elsewhere.
"Doesn't it absolutely kill its marked target?"
"The tale of it piercing 100,000 troops to claim a tyrant's head is legendary."
It was an invincible knight that always slew its chosen prey.
Not called the Reaper for nothing.
…What kind of day was this?
First a 400-year-old archmage, then the fairy ruling spring, and now even a Dullahan—rarer than winning the lottery.
It felt like encountering every legend in the book.
Clop-clop, clop-clop.
"……."
Lee Han and Lark hardened their expressions as the Dullahan drew near, instinctively raising their auras.
Rooooar—.
The ominous aura emanating from the Dullahan naturally stirred the knights' battle instincts.
Clop…
The Dullahan faced them, its soulfire flaring as it eyed the skilled knights, battle lust rising.
A massive claymore and equally enormous lance floated behind it.
Poised to clash with the knights at any moment, the Dullahan…
Thwack!
Clop…
…After getting a knuckle-rap from the Spring Fairy, the Dullahan meekly lowered its weapons with a deflated air, leaving the knights blinking in confusion as their battle fervor deflated just as pointlessly.
"…Did you summon that Dullahan, Lady Fairy?"
"A request, you say?"
"……."
The fairy beamed with a kind, beaming smile, baffling the two knights…
Shoooo…!
…Until the ensuing scene revealed exactly what the 'request' entailed.
"…Souls."
"To me, it looks like it's harvesting 'heads.'"
As Lark said, blue orbs resembling heads began floating up around them in growing numbers.
Hundreds easily, ensnared by the Dullahan's gesture.
Shraa!
Chains from the Dullahan's torso pierced the blue orbs, stringing them like a slaver binding slaves with ropes.
A chilling spectacle.
The knights' faces stiffened rapidly as they guessed the nature of those orbs, swallowing dryly.
No way…
"……."
…The Spring Fairy confirmed it mercilessly, still wearing her warm, springlike smile.
"…I see."
"……."
"……."
"N-no, it's just… this is comf-comfortable, haha…."
"……."
The two knights stood rigidly at attention, eyes downcast, united in a single resolve.
…No matter what, don't mess with the fairy.