Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Fairies and Candy
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Puhuhuht.
Hyahaha! Pfft!
Whether hearing the laughter from inside the cabin or outside, the distance feels about the same.
Rachel, who had already dashed into the forest, was nowhere to be seen. She was probably searching for mana flows or something in her own way.
She wasn't using magic, but that didn't mean she couldn't sense mana itself.
"God, please..."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up."
As we passed other cabins, faint voices drifted out. Unwanted sounds were noise, and noise was one of the things that drove people mad.
'Best to resolve it now.'
In the original story, this was just a one-night rest stop where the heroines chatted idly.
Cooking food, sharing conversations, enjoying a brief respite from the pursuit.
But now, Kane would ensure I wouldn't get framed, so there was no need for such a healing segment.
"Find me an old tree thickly covered in moss, especially one with cracks around the roots."
"Yes, Young Master."
"We'll be back."
―With Aegis here, I'll scout around too, Administrator.
Trusting Aegis, who was circling me invisibly, I sent everyone out to search.
Just in case, I kept Codex drawn.
I'd heard no reports of other monsters nearby, but being a border area, it was wise to stay cautious.
"Too dark, maybe."
None of the cabins had lights on, and with the moon only a half-moon, it wasn't very bright.
Visibility worsened intermittently due to clouds. The surroundings were pitch black, and the occasional laughter offered no directional cues.
I snatched Aegis, who was flitting around me, adjusted a few spots to make it glow faintly.
Not because I was scared, of course. Just so the kids wouldn't lose track of me.
"Ah! Where are you?!"
Rachel's shout echoed from afar. She'd charged out confidently but apparently found nothing.
'Not a ghost monster to begin with.'
Even if it had been a ghost, the moment she yelled like that in anger, it would've spotted her. She was radiating intimidating pressure subtly enough to scare anyone—would a monster miss that?
A mana-sensitive ghost monster would've bolted for sure, not some oblivious regular beast.
I smirked, savoring my early victory, when Luna, Leaf, and Zero returned together.
"Found it!"
"I spotted it first, you know."
―All three were similar.
Seeing them all claiming first dibs made me wonder if I'd offered a prize, digging through my memories.
'I definitely didn't promise anything.'
Still, my party members had done well.
"Good job."
I pulled a jar of candy from my subspace, gave one to each with a smile, and nodded for them to lead the way.
Deep in the forest, away from the village. A small spring bubbled gently, surrounded by modest wildflowers.
From that little spring rose faint steam like mist, distorting in the breeze, amid vines-wrapped trees and weathered, moss-covered trunks.
Ahahaha!
Hee! Puhuh!
Taking in the fairy-tale scenery, I shook the candy jar in my hand hard at the renewed laughter.
Clatter, ting!
The candies rolling inside made a brief racket. I tapped the jar with my fingernail a few times, then took out one.
I handed the lemon-scented candy to Luna beside me and, before popping it in her mouth, pressed it with my fingertip and opened my mouth.
"Don't eat it. Crush it up fine."
"Huh? Fine?"
Luna gave me a puzzled look but cupped one hand like a bowl and pinched the candy between thumb and forefinger, shattering it easily.
I scooped a few fragments from her palm-like bowl and tossed them into a small crack at the base of a mossy old trunk.
"Let's go."
"Huh?"
"You're not catching the monster?"
―No life signs detected inside that hole, Administrator.
I smiled reassuringly at their words, brushed Luna's hand clean, and nodded.
"Back to the cabin for some sleep. Dawn's coming soon."
* * *
"Today, I'll catch it no matter what!"
Five days already.
Neither I nor Rachel had silenced the laughter yet. The mountain folk fidgeted, fearing we'd give up and leave, while Rachel grew even more furious.
'About time for it to bite.'
In the original, our healer found and resolved it first when Kane arrived, but with our current party, it took a bit longer.
Still, per the story, it was time for a nibble.
That's why I'd been scattering candy crumbs daily.
Whooo!
Sooo, sooo.
And today, not laughter but crying—or whining—sounds began.
"There they are!"
Rachel slammed her fists together and burst out the door. I watched, then slipped out once her footsteps faded.
"The sound changed today."
"Yeah. Sound changes, so other things might too."
Like a door opening, for example.
Tinggle.
I shook the glass jar of candies and tapped it with my fingernail.
Then, as if in ritual, I pulled out a candy to give Luna when—
A blue shimmer rippled from the crack under the mossy trunk, and something popped out.
"Sweet thing! Gimme sweet thing!"
"Me too! Me too!"
About a handspan tall, with thin, transparent butterfly wings.
"Fairy!"
"Fairy?"
―Fairy.
I lightly shook off the fairy wailing and clinging to snatch the candy from my hand, then spoke.
"Want candy?"
"Yes!"
"Yessy-yes!"
I chuckled softly and shook the jar at the three or four fairies hovering at my eye level.
"I can give you candy. What can you give me?"
"Candy!"
"Candy?"
"Sweet like flower nectar, doesn't stick to hands—this one!"
The fairies, looking like child elves shrunk to handspan size, flitted about in confusion.
No wonder they lacked caution—easy prey for humans, sold everywhere. After this, I'd tell them to seal the tree crack.
"I'll ask the Queen!"
"Ask her!"
Their handspan bodies shrank to coin-sized glimmers like fireflies, darting back under the trunk.
"So that's the source of the laughter?"
Zero whispered as they vanished. I nodded.
"A big rain recently eroded some soil, opening the entrance a bit."
As in the original. But phrasing it like Foresight vision, Zero, Luna, and Leaf nodded.
"Sealing the entrance would stop the sounds, right?"
"It would. But that'd be a waste. Better to get something out of it."
And tease Rachel a little.
She'd been hunting only monster auras; even passing by, high-tier fairies like these would've sensed dragon presence and hidden tight.
Imagining Rachel roaming mountains and forests for days, we all grinned.
Pop!
Waiting briefly, the root crack sparkled, and one fairy burst out. The little thing grabbed my index finger, tugging and beaming.
"The Queen says yes! You come in!"
"Not without my friends."
No way I'd let them lure me alone to corner and harass me.
Fairies acted like kids. Alone against dozens of whiny ones? My ears might ring so bad I'd just toss the jar and flee.
At my firm words, the silver-haired, silver-eyed fairy gaped, pondered, then huffed.
"Fine, all come in!"
She flew over our heads, flapping wings to sprinkle sparkling fairy dust.
Wonder if I could get some later. Rare material, even if no immediate use.
Dust rained down, and our view shrank. Now fairy-sized, we entered the root crack, now cave-sized.
"Wow, so beautiful."
"Like Lord Bahadi's starlight spring."
―Mana heart charging faster, Administrator.
Maybe because the spring was under the nearby tree. But its vastness defied logic.
Water from somewhere circled the village; fairy dust gathered cloud-like on the ceiling, illuminating everything.
Outside handspan-sized, we'd shrunk smaller here.
Fairies sat on wide mushroom caps like stools, singing or bathing in trickling streams. They mostly flew, so our walking stood out.
Dozens of them flitted about in vibrant hues from multicolored hair.
"Humans!"
"The sweet they gave us—called candy!"
Kyahaha!
Hoot! Hyahuhu!
Laughter. Fairies laughed at rolling leaves in the wind. Their joy infused mana into the laughs, carrying far.
A landslide exposed the root hole, leaking sounds to the village.
We wound through haphazard homes to the largest, prettiest throne: fresh moss, ivy vines, flower clusters.
"Welcome, candy!"
"It's Adelrian."
The fairy queen, crowned with woven tiny flowers, sky-blue hair swaying, smiled in greeting. Well, greeting the candy, really.
"I have one jar of candy. What does the Queen offer?"
No need for tedious human rituals.
Straight to the point for needs. Without stating mine directly.
"What do you want? I can give aged fruit wine or mana stones. Not asking for a fairy, right? You collect non-humans?"
My party all non-human but me, so her lip-pursed tease got a headshake.
"Nothing else?"
"Else? Fairy queen kiss blessing, maybe?"
She giggled; Leaf and Luna subtly blocked me.
No, Zero, why you too.
"I hold many treasures, need little common stuff. Something unique?"
Owner of ten thousand gold, swallower of Valbus's artifact vault.
My confident smile drew her fine laughter.
"Greedy human. Fine. It'll be tough, but try."
* * *
Morning, back at the cabin, Rachel glared with utter grievance.
"This is ridiculous. Invalid. Makes no sense!"
"It does."
I blew on stew from Zero's extra mushrooms and herbs from the fairies, sipping calmly.
"Ready to make the contract?"
Suppressing a smile, but Arrogance trait flared—Rachel clenched fists, trembling.
Surely not planning a swing?
"Unbelievable. Hah."
"Going back on your word?"
I dunked dry bread Luna offered into stew, bit in smiling. Rachel yelled "Aaaah!" once, deep-breathed, glaring red-eyed.
"A deal's a deal. Fine. Remember? No weird contracts. Must be state-recognized phrasing, got it?"
"Got it."
I burst laughing, pulled ink and parchment from subspace, drew something.
Heaven-Earth pattern and taiji symbol in black ink.
Placed before Rachel, I spoke.
"What's this?"
"From some country."
No lie.
Dragon senses would reveal the bet's essence as truth.
Feeling it true despite unknown crest, Rachel looked baffled.
No time for her to process. I spoke.
The vow to bind her.