A New Fairy Arrives

Late evening.

The Origin Guild master's office.

Seo Eunha, guild master of Origin Guild, was lost in a memory from long ago.

Five years earlier, when she had still been an A-rank hunter, she had taken part in the raid operation against an S-rank gate that had opened in the DMZ.

The S-rank gate known as the Forest of Forgotten Gods.

And living inside that gate was a monster humanity could not contend with.

That being had been small.

Yet before the overwhelming presence pouring from that tiny body, even three S-rank hunters had been unable to move a muscle.

Because the instant they moved, they would die. They had understood that at once.

Even now, she could not forget the words that fairy had spoken.

Humans have always been fools. Did you covet the resources here that badly?

Thick hostility had saturated that voice.

This is a warning. Do not speak of what lies here to anyone. Cross that line, and a terrible end will be waiting for you.

Seo Eunha quietly raised her wrist.

There, etched into her skin, was a leaf-shaped curse mark.

"A fairy…"

Among the survivors, that day was remembered as the worst of all — the Nightmare of the Fairy.

And now that fairy had appeared in Korea.

[4th — Fairy King]

It could not be a coincidence.

Not long ago, a fairy had shown itself inside a D-rank gate under Origin Guild's management. And now a Fairy King had climbed onto the rankings.

There had to be some connection between the two.

Seo Eunha shifted her gaze to the whiteboard standing at one side of the office.

A map of Seoul was pinned to it. Red marks dotted the map in places — each one a gate that had opened over the past week.

Only one area stood out for how few gates it had produced.

Gangnam…

The Gangnam district of Seoul. Strangely, almost unnaturally, gates barely opened there at all.

Which left one conclusion.

Something is in Gangnam.

Perhaps it was connected to the fairy as well. Which meant she had to confirm it for herself.

Whether this so-called Fairy King stood with humanity — or against it.

"Ugh…"

Just recalling that day made her body tremble, but she still needed answers.

Fortunately, she had a way to get them.

Yuseol said she was an acquaintance of his, didn't she?

If she asked Yuseol, she could at least arrange a meeting with that person.

The next morning.

Ding—

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I woke to the now-familiar cascade of notification messages.

Nnnngh! Stretching hard as I sat up, I caught a delicious smell drifting from somewhere nearby.

When I checked the kitchen, Ayla was already up and preparing a meal.

"You're awake, Your Majesty? Come, sit and eat."

Still half-dazed from sleep, I let Ayla guide me to the table and settle me into a chair.

Breakfast was soybean-paste stew.

Whoa… It felt like forever since I'd had doenjang-jjigae.

I scooped up a spoonful of broth and put it in my mouth. Sure enough, it was delicious. Ayla really could cook.

…Huh?

But… now that I thought about it, did we even have a dining table like this?

I stared at it in mild confusion until Ayla stepped up beside me and explained.

"I brought it so that Your Majesty might dine in comfort."

So it was Ayla's doing.

Uh… well…

Even so, accepting a table that looked this expensive felt a little wrong. I'd have to ask her later what it cost and pay her back. I could earn plenty of money, after all.

Once I'd finished eating, Pin and Arwen came flying over.

"Pi!"

"Ppyu!"

They tugged at my sleeve and pointed toward the garden patch, so they clearly had something to show me. I followed Pin and Arwen out to the rooftop garden.

And sure enough, the World Tree was undergoing a new change.

As the notifications rose, a low vibration rolled through the air — krrrrrm — and the World Tree began to grow a little further.

"Pi!"

"Ppyu!"

"Oh."

Shaaaaa—!

Pin and Arwen's bodies flared with light. The same phenomenon as before. Because the World Tree had grown, our fairies were evolving as well.

Then, with a soft puff, the light burst outward ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and scattered in every direction, as if the evolution had finished.

"Pi!"

"Ppyu!"

"…"

Pin and Arwen proudly showed off their growth. Compared to all that fuss, though, not much had actually changed. At most, their bodies had gotten a tiny bit bigger.

Hmm…

Honestly, I hadn't expected much. I'd had a feeling it would turn out just like last time.

Still, growth was growth. As a little celebration, I patted Pin and Arwen on the head.

"Pihiihi…"

"Ppyuuu…"

Besides, our fairies were cutest just the way they were. They didn't really need to change.

Pop—

That was when it happened.

At the tip of one of the World Tree's branches, a round fruit swelled up like a balloon. Then, with a soft thud, it dropped into the garden below — and cracked clean in half on impact.

This familiar pattern… don't tell me?

I checked the fruit at once.

Sure enough, nestled inside was a tiny fairy, sleeping just like Pin and Arwen had been.

Whoa! A new fairy!

What kind of fairy would this one be?

At a glance, she had silver hair in a ponytail, and her outfit looked… knightly? She was wearing silver armor, and on her back she carried a sword ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and bow so small they might as well have been toothpicks.

So a knight fairy? Or a fairy knight?

I carefully set her on my palm and gave her a gentle poke.

"Pyaaa… Pya?"

The fairy woke up.

Round eyes fixed on me. Then, rising slowly on my palm, she dropped to one knee and offered a greeting that looked exactly like a knight's salute.

"Pya. Pyapya. Pyapya pyapya."

After talking with fairies this long, I was pretty sure I could follow the gist. She was probably introducing herself with proper courtesy again.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you too."

"Pya."

"My. The third guardian has been born?"

"!?"

I flinched hard. She'd snuck up without a sound and startled me half to death. Ayla was already standing beside me, continuing as if nothing were amiss.

"This one's name is Lumiel, Guardian of the Silver Wind. She is charged with escorting Your Majesty and scouting the forest."

Ah. So her name was Lumiel.

Escort and scouting, huh… She definitely looked like a fairy optimized for combat.

"Pya. Pyapya?"

Hm? What was that?

"She's asking where her next opponent is."

Uh…

No. Absolutely not.

I shook my head firmly from side to side.

I already knew the fairies were absurdly strong. This one would almost certainly be just as powerful as Pin and Arwen. And that figurine-sized sword was definitely not for show.

She seemed to love a fight a little too much. I might need to keep a careful eye on her.

Breakfast done, I got ready to head out.

Today was a rare day of making money as a healer. I'd already planned to go out, but now I had an even better reason.

None other than Doa unnie, who'd become a friend not long ago, was calling me out. Perfect timing — I'd just been about to start healer work again.

I packed snacks and finished getting ready. That was when Ayla spoke up.

"Your Majesty? Are you preparing to go out?"

Ah. Right. I hadn't told Ayla I was leaving today.

I almost just nodded, then decided a proper explanation would be better and pulled out the notebook I'd stuffed into my bag, writing:

"Ah, I see. In that case, I shall prepare as well."

"…?"

Ayla was coming too?

Well… I didn't particularly mind, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn't Ayla need free time of her own?

While I was still thinking that, she had already finished getting ready to leave.

Whoa…

That was insanely fast. Were all working adults this quick?

Now that she was fully prepared, it felt awkward to tell her she didn't need to come, so I just decided we'd go together. Still, I should at least give Doa unnie a heads-up.

Doa unnie agreed with surprising ease. Was that just how social people were? Someone she'd never met was tagging along, and she didn't seem bothered in the slightest.

All right. Preparations done — no point waiting around. I stepped out of the rooftop house right away.

Today I'd earn a ton of money, give Ayla some allowance, and pay her back for that dining table.

"Your Majesty."

"…?"

"Outside, if you would permit me to address you as 'Miss' instead."

Yeah, "Your Majesty" was definitely a little weird in public. Though "permit me" felt a bit much — Ayla was almost too formal sometimes.

I nodded, and she continued with a gentle smile.

"Please wait a moment. I shall prepare the car."

…Huh?

Ayla, you have a car too?