Why...?

Why?

My stomach was full, and I'd worked hard enough for one day.

After exchanging contact info with Yun Doa and making plans to meet again, I headed home.

The moment I got back, I flipped the boiler ON!

It would take a while for the house to warm up, so I dove straight into bed, burrowed under the covers, and switched on the electric blanket.

The electric blanket heated up almost instantly.

"Haaah~ Pin, Arwen, come here if you're cold~"

"Pi!"

"Ppyu!"

For a while I just stayed under ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the covers with the fairies, letting the warmth soak into us.

My summons liked me so much that simply clinging to me was enough to make them beam with pure, radiant smiles.

After petting Pin and Arwen for a bit, I picked up my phone.

It was far too cold to haul myself over to the computer, so I figured I'd just browse the gallery on my phone for a while.

And then…

"…Huh?"

Every post on the Awakened Gallery was plastered with a name I knew all too well.

"…?"

Looking again didn't make it any less real.

How did these people even know about my class, Fairy King?

And what was this about rank four?

I-Is there a summary post or something?

There was, as it turned out.

An extremely brief one-line summary.

It was summarized so well that I understood it instantly too.

So this Fairy King person had taken the number four spot on the hunter rankings.

I immediately checked the current rankings.

Phew… okay, so it wasn't me.

Must be someone with the same name, then.

Uh… wait, though…

Wasn't my ranking way higher than it should be?

Even compared to when I first registered, this seemed way too high…

"…"

The second I saw that freshly posted thread, my mind went blank.

"Ah."

That's me.

S-so I'm the monstrous awakener who hit hunter rank four yesterday at dawn?

I'm the fourth strongest hunter in the entire country?

"Uh…"

What do I do?

Setting aside the whole rank-four thing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for a second, I absolutely could not let the Association find out my identity.

After all, I couldn't even use my ID right now — I was basically an illegal resident.

What if word got out that I was Fairy King, and the Association started digging into my background?

Uh, well…

Anyway, all sorts of troublesome things would definitely happen.

For now, I needed to look at my cute little fairies and calm down a bit.

"Pi?"

"Ppyu?"

Wait a second, though?

I wasn't that strong myself — what if it was actually my fairies who were ridiculously powerful?

"Are you guys actually super strong?"

"Pi! Pi!"

"Ppyu…"

Pin planted both hands on her hips with a flourish, striking a triumphant pose that practically screamed, Finally, you noticed!

Arwen just looked embarrassed, like she was flustered by the compliment.

Uh, well… these adorable little things were the fourth strongest summons in the country?

"…It could be true."

Cute or not, I'd already seen Pin one-shot an orc last time.

Maybe my fairies really were that strong.

Of course, how strong the fairies were was one thing — I still needed to set some ground rules going forward.

Given the situation, I couldn't exactly parade them around in public anymore.

"…We'll keep them hidden for a while."

I still had to go out and make money, though, so for the time being, hiding the fairies was my only option.

I really did need the money…

Late at night, when everyone was asleep.

After confirming that Ellie had drifted off, Seraphin and Arwen quietly slipped out of the rooftop house and gathered before the World Tree.

They faced each other, nodded with grave expressions, and opened their mouths to discuss their plan of action going forward.

"Pipi! Pipipipi!"

Seraphin spoke first.

Our Queen has so much to do, so we should gather magic crystals in her place! she declared — though from the fairies' perspective, even the sight of her sitting at the computer all day browsing the gallery and playing games looked like the important duties of a busy queen.

"Ppyuppyu."

Arwen nodded in agreement.

Their Queen had stood guard at the computer all day long; she must have been attending to critical affairs of state.

Therefore, they needed to gather magic crystals on her behalf.

"Pipi, pipipipi. Pipit pipi?"

But while we're away, the Queen could be in danger. What should we do? Seraphin said, her face full of worry.

"Ppyuppyu. Ppyuppyuppyu."

Don't worry about that. I've already cast protective magic, so nothing dangerous will happen to the Queen, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Arwen replied, and Seraphin let out a long, relieved sigh.

Good — with the plan of action settled, they were just about to set out.

"Pipi!? Pipipipi."

"Ppyu?"

Ah, right! This whole thing has to stay a secret from the Queen, Seraphin added, and Arwen tilted her head with a puzzled look.

"Ppyuppyu?"

Why? Arwen asked, and Seraphin launched into an elaborate explanation of what had happened before, gesturing wildly with her whole body.

Arwen nodded along.

So their Queen didn't want them to get hurt?

In that case, to spare her any worry, they simply shouldn't give hostile beings even the slightest chance to injure them.

Seraphin was thinking along similar lines.

Pipi?

Then wouldn't it be fine if they just eliminated every enemy that might possibly hurt them?

Pipi!

Yes! That would do it!

Seraphin thought this with a bright, sunny smile.

After that, the two fairies looked at each other and nodded firmly.

Whoosh!!

They shot up into the sky and scattered in opposite directions.

"…Why?"

When I woke up the next morning, these messages were waiting for me.

"…"

This was… a little too familiar a sight.

Hadn't something like this happened before?

"Pin? Arwen?"

I immediately looked around the room for Pin and Arwen.

They were right there — asleep by my pillow.

"Pi…"

"Ppyu…"

"…?"

So these kids did sleep, then.

Meaning it wasn't the fairies this time?

I scratched my head in confusion, got out of bed, and headed for the rooftop garden.

"Pi?"

"Ppyu?"

The moment I sat up, Pin and Arwen rubbed their eyes and toddled over beside me.

I asked them.

"Did you two go to a gate, by any chance?"

Pin and Arwen tilted their heads.

What are you talking about, Master? their expressions seemed to say.

Hmm… so it really wasn't them this time?

I checked the garden first.

If the fairies had snuck out to a gate in the middle of the night like before—

"…Nothing."

No magic crystals in sight.

But the growth percentage had gone up again.

"???"

What on earth was going on?

"It really wasn't you guys?"

"Pipi?"

"Ppyu?"

They looked up at me with big, sparkling eyes and just blinked, pure as could be.

Kids this innocent couldn't possibly be lying… but still.

I immediately started digging through the garden soil.

"…"

Beneath the dirt, tiny magic crystals tumbled out in a cascade—

You little… so you did go to a gate.

"Pi!?"

"Ppyu!?"

Caught red-handed, Pin and Arwen stared up at me and started trembling.

Of course, I had no intention of getting mad.

I already knew they were ridiculously strong, after all.

Plus, it seemed like they'd gone to a gate to help me grow.

I let out a sigh and said,

"Aish… just don't get hurt."

"Pi? Pi!"

"Ppyuppyu."

"And, uh… don't get caught, either."

"Pipi!"

"Ppyu!"

They seemed to understand me well enough, nodding earnestly.

I scratched my head and headed back into the rooftop house.

"Hmm…"

Anyway, I'd still have to go out today if I wanted to make money, right?

I was just finishing a quick shower and getting ready to head out when—

Ding—

"Hm?"

A text came through on my phone.

I checked who it was — none other than Lee Chaerin.

"Oh."

This was that thing.

Guilds usually split into multiple teams when clearing gates, and because healers were so scarce, they often hired civilian healers ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠separately.

Of course, they only hired healers with some proven skill — but it looked like I was getting the friend-of-a-friend discount.

I should go, right?

They were paying me just to stand around outside. Of course I was going.

The only problem was the fairies…

"Pi?"

"Ppyu?"

Ah. I just had a great idea.