Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: The Lake Fairy's Judgment
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Manticore.
A monster from ancient times that threatened humanity with the body of a lion, the head of a human, and a serpent for a tail.
Unlike most monsters, it wielded magic, possessed the intelligence to deceive humans, and even boasted anti-magic resistance against spells and auras, making it an exceedingly tricky foe.
Some even claimed its origins might lie with demons washed ashore into the human realm, given how much it resembled them.
Philip prided himself on knowing the manticore's combat prowess quite well.
'Just watch out for the curse magic and the venomous stinger on its tail, and it shouldn't be that tough.'
That was about as useful as telling a soldier that all they had to do was avoid the guns.
"Felicia shouldn't get herself killed, right?"
Philip muttered suddenly, anxiety creeping in. Neria responded.
―Nah, no way. That big sis looked pretty strong. Besides, I'd rather die than lose to a manticore. My fourth master's friend challenged one and got wrecked... Eugh! I'll skip describing the corpse.
"Manticores are cruel and cunning beasts. I don't know who you're pinning your hopes on, but that person's not making it out unscathed. If it's a woman... well, she'll meet a pretty gruesome end."
Giolo Matran, the man Philip had seized, sneered. Philip promptly smashed the back of his head hard.
"Shut that trap of yours. Aren't you ashamed? You're not some kid who got caught trying to capture a fairy. All you did was summon a monster and dump the cleanup on a bunch of green academy brats? I can't fathom how someone lives like that."
Giolo didn't deserve to be treated like a person. Philip wanted him rotting away in the mage tower's wizard-only prison for the rest of his miserable life—a fate far worse than death.
The torture experts there had a knack for making people regret ever being born.
He'd messed with fairies and bargained with monsters, so he'd never see sunlight again until his dying breath.
Giolo probably thought dying by fairy hands was the better option.
'Time to take the necessary measures.'
Philip stomped on Giolo's staff, snapping it in two. Then he broke both index and middle fingers on each hand to prevent spellcasting.
"Aaaagh! Graaah! What the hell are you doing?!"
Giolo thrashed and screamed.
"Packaging the merchandise. What does it look like?"
There were wizards who could cast dangerous spells with incantations alone, but Giolo Matran wasn't that skilled.
He might manage basic elemental magic, but Philip was ready to slice out his tongue at the first sign of it.
"Dragging you would be a pain, so stuffing you in a sack it is."
Philip emptied one of the grain sacks in the hut, then pointed at the opening.
"Get in."
"...What?"
"I said get in, you bastard. I could shove you myself, but I doubt your limbs would come out intact."
Giolo Matran forgot even the pain of his broken fingers in his rage, bellowing.
"Damn it! Sure, I screwed up, but that doesn't mean you get to treat me like a slave!"
"...Oh?"
Philip nodded, genuinely impressed by Giolo's delusional attitude.
"You're right. There's no reason to treat you like this."
As he spoke, Philip clenched his fist tight.
"You've just not been beaten enough for the reality to sink in. Once your body gets the memo on what you've done, you'll see. Hang tight."
A moment later, Philip hoisted a sack stained with blood in spots over his shoulder and left the hut. He planned to head straight to the fairy.
―I never knew you had this side to you, Master. Kinda... badass?
Neria asked cautiously. Philip let out a hollow chuckle.
"It's ridiculous. If everything had gone according to this idiot's plan, how many lives would be ruined because of one pathetic loser like him? Villagers nearby, soldiers mobilized if the fairy rampages, mercenaries, hunters acting as guides..."
It was an incident that could upend thousands of lives completely.
"...If he's willing to sacrifice kids for his research, he forfeits the right to be treated like a person. That's all there is to it."
―Makes sense when you put it like that.
Neria agreed.
Philip moved swiftly and soon reached the lake. He ran into Stefan, who was patrolling the area, and checked the situation.
"Instructor!"
Stefan lit up like someone finding an oasis in the desert upon seeing Philip.
"What's going on?"
Philip played it cool for now. Stefan shouted urgently.
"Lady Janis and Lua are in danger! A manticore showed up at the lake. Cheryl went to fetch a professor, and I was heading to help the lady!"
"Calm down first. So, which direction?"
"That way."
Stefan pointed to the western side of the lake. The thick mist made it impossible for even Philip's eyesight to grasp the full scene.
"Sharing my vision via Clairvoyance spell right now."
Stefan was quick on his feet—Philip had noticed that during the last field exercise. Through the Clairvoyance, Philip observed Janis and Lua's situation.
'Looks like Felicia rushed over.'
Felicia, hair still unbound and golden locks swaying, was battling the manticore. Janis wielded her staff in support, while Lua held her sword, guarding Janis.
The combo of two swordsmen and a mage proved highly effective.
The wingless manticore flew freely through the air, but it couldn't overwhelm Felicia—who could slay distant foes with sword aura—and Janis, who resisted its curse magic however imperfectly.
―Where's the fairy? It's her home, so why isn't she showing up?
Neria wondered. Philip shared the same doubt.
"Stefan, I'll handle this. Go join Cheryl back at camp."
Stefan gritted his teeth and shook his head at Philip's order.
"I can help too."
"I know you want to. But you know listening to me is the smart move. You're a student who makes wise calls, so I trust you will."
With the instructor putting it that way, Stefan couldn't argue. He nodded reluctantly and trudged back the way he'd come, face crestfallen.
As Stefan departed, Philip called out toward the lake.
"Lake Fairy!"
Mist began gathering a short distance away, coalescing into a nude woman with water-blue hair.
She fixed Philip with a hostile glare.
"Why'd you call me? Not content with summoning a monster into my lake—you want to poke at my mood too?"
Philip tossed the sack from his back to the ground.
"Guh!"
Giolo Matran, jolted awake by the impact, screamed from inside. Philip sliced open the sack's mouth with Neria, and as light poured in, Giolo flailed his arms to escape.
"First off, we didn't summon the manticore. This guy's responsible. He was researching you from a nearby hut, hit a wall, and summoned it to provoke you."
Philip figured the fairy would listen and clear up the misunderstanding. Fairies loved pranks but weren't malicious; she wouldn't turn her wrath on unrelated passersby like him and his group.
"...Does that matter?"
But the fairy's response was lukewarm. She fiddled with her water-blue hair, frowning.
"Giolo. Was it you?"
As her gaze turned to him, Giolo Matran shook his battered face side to side.
"Of course not! I'm your friend, aren't I? Why would I do that? This brigand's framing me. Fairy."
"...But you did it. Why lie to me? I called you a friend."
The lake fairy pointed at Giolo. Water gathered around his head, soon forming a massive bubble that engulfed it completely.
"Glug...!"
Unable to breathe, Giolo thrashed, clawing at the bubble, but his lungs were already filled with water instead of air.
"Wait, don't kill him."
Philip intervened. The lake fairy twitched an eyebrow.
"...Why? He's on your side or something?"
"Hardly. But scum like him doesn't deserve an easy death. Look at him squirming to survive. He tricked you into killing innocents, so he ought to suffer until he begs for death."
The fairy scowled at Philip's reply.
"Not my problem. Besides, aren't you human too? Can't say you're free of guilt."
"My group and I were just here for fun. No connection to that guy."
"How should I believe that?"
"Then why are you trying to kill him? You know I'm not lying right now."
Philip had to convince her. If she turned against humans, the butterfly effect could unleash unimaginable catastrophe.
"True. But I can't tell if someone's lying outright. I can just read their eyes a bit—what they're thinking when they look at me. I knew this traitor was using me too."
The fairy continued sadly.
"I was just happy he visited often and chatted with me. Never thought he'd pull something like this."
Philip broke into a cold sweat. This wasn't mere anger—it was disillusionment with humanity as a whole.
"...So, what do you want from me?"
Philip bit his lip at her question. Words seemed futile here.
'Should I just give up?'
It was all to nudge the future toward something better. If it was irreversible, fine—but it wasn't yet.
As Philip racked his brain, a scene flashed in his mind.
'...Could this work?'
Doubtful, but worth a shot. Philip met the fairy's eyes squarely.
"All I want is for you to make the right choice. Fairy, among the students facing the manticore, there's one you can give your name to."
She visibly startled, glaring at him.
"Do you know what receiving a name means to a fairy? It's no joke or lie you can brush off. If you're lying, I swear on this lake—I'll kill you."
Philip nodded.
"Of course. A named fairy ascends to a higher existence. And such beings appear once every few centuries at best. If I'm proven false, I'll pay any price."
His resolve showed; the fairy flicked her finger, dissolving the near-fatal bubble around Giolo.
"Kuhk! Cough, hack!"
Water gushed from his airways, and he greedily sucked in air he'd thought lost forever, making hideous noises.
"...If you lied to me, no human entering this lake will ever leave. Agreed?"
"I have no right to decide others' lives. But since I'm telling the truth, sure."
Philip's confident demeanor swayed her slightly.
"So, let's deal with that manticore first and talk after. Sound good?"
The fairy nodded.
"Not a bad idea."