Spirit and Fai...ry (1)
Spirit and Fai...ry (1)
For now, the fairies decided to live together.
It wasn't as if I was in such dire straits that I couldn't look after nine fairies.
It wasn't simply a matter of being able to, either. I also felt responsible.
I was the one who saved these fairies in the dungeon. I was the one who brought them here when I could have left them behind. So, having brought them, I had to take responsibility.
Bringing them all the way here only to drop them off and tell them to fend for themselves would be heartless, anyway. Where would I even send these kids who have nowhere to go?
...I don't know if this feeling stems from my personal emotions, or if it's an emotion blooming from this inexplicable sense of dissonance.
But I felt that way, so I was determined to take responsibility.
Of course, I did have the option of sending them to the Taesan family...
"We want to serve at His Majesty's side."
"That's right! The people must stay by His Majesty's side!"
The fairies refused that option with absolute finality. All huddled together with strips of cloth tied around their heads they'd picked up somewhere, they looked like the scene of a protest.
The sight made me smack my own forehead.
His Majesty, Your Majesty, Majesty, King, King, King...
It wasn't even the sound of a dog barking outside my house. I never imagined I'd be hearing the word 'King' in my lifetime.
[That damned King business... are you even sure about that? I still don't really get it...?]
"His Majesty is His Majesty."
"And you have the Knight beside you, too."
[......]
When I asked if they were sure, this was the answer I got.
A king is a king. They said they could sense that instinctively. When I said I couldn't understand, they argued that the Fairy Knight stuck to my side was proof.
Fairy Knight... a race, and that was Seo-yul.
I glanced discreetly at the butterflies fluttering at my side.
Their builds were small. Proportionally, their limbs were fairly long and slender, but their overall size was a bit larger than my hand.
All normal fairies were like that. Small of stature, with no distinct combat ability. Their innate racial trait was Mana Affinity, but they mostly used it to tend to nature.
Unlike those normal fairies, a Fairy Knight is as large as a human, and their abilities are focused on combat.
Seo-yul is still a child now, but she'll be different once she's grown.
The reason being the fairy's ruler entity... to protect the king, perhaps.
"The knight is a race born for His Majesty's safety. Of course, we common subjects will protect him if it's within our power, but fundamentally, they are the royal guard who safeguard His Majesty."
Kali stepped forward and recited knowledge said to have been passed down orally from their ancestors.
"There are cases of being born a knight innately, and cases of being chosen later by His Majesty to become a knight."
"I'll work hard to become His Majesty's knight, too!"
[No, I don't particularly want to increase the number of knights.]
"Huh?"
The fairy who had been waving its hand beside me widened its eyes. The other fairies reacted a little differently, tilting their heads in confusion.
I just shrugged my shoulders.
[In the first place, I have no awareness of being a king, nor do I know how to make a knight. Seo-yul was... a child who was born by happenstance. So, I don't hold the kind of expectations one might have for a knight.]
There is no purpose to a person's birth. They are not made for some specific use.
Of course, the Fairy Knight race might have the purpose and utility of protecting the king, but I didn't want to condone that.
Even if her birth was unintentional and tantamount to a mistake, I didn't want Seo-yul to cultivate strength and throw herself into battle just to protect the existence known as the king.
It might be my own selfishness, but I wanted her to lay down the whole protection business or whatever and just live happily.
[Even if you're called a knight, I won't force you to protect anyone. She's not a child I created hoping for that. Even if that is her essence, I will never force it.]
After saying that much, I tapped my necklace a couple of times.
Before I knew it, the fairies had also straightened their postures, their eyes shining brightly as they listened to my words.
[...Ahem, I'm not saying I'll never force it. It's just that I still don't know how to make a knight, and there's no need for you to throw yourself into combat to protect me. That's what I meant.]
Feeling awkward for no reason, I turned my head slightly.
All this talk of His Majesty and His people still didn't feel real, but I still wasn't used to those kinds of gazes...
"...Yes, we understand His Majesty's words. However, we want to be of help to His Majesty."
Kali, who had seemed lost in thought for a moment, said that. Since Kali was the thinking mind among those fairies, Kali was always the one to express such opinions.
[Help, help...?]
I pursed my lips at Kali's words. The fairies were radiating an aura that said 'entrust us with anything,' their faces full of anticipation.
...But nothing in particular came to mind.
[Hmm... this mansion doesn't require separate management, but occasionally Lady Eriel takes care of it. Could you help her out whenever she does?]
"Yes! Understood! Is there perhaps something else..."
[Umm...]
More than that? I really don't have anything....
[Ah, right. There are cultivation plots on this estate where various materials are grown. Could you help with growing those materials?]
"Yes! Leave it to us!"
The fairies answered energetically. Before, their willpower was evident, but now confidence was mixed in, too.
Fairies were certainly a race outstanding at tending to nature. Their affinity for mana, attributes, and spirits. All of that was helpful for cultivating nature.
[Then I'll leave it to you. Don't worry even if you mess something up.]
"We will definitely be of help!"
The nine fairies fluttered their wings vigorously.
.
.
.
"Ahaha! So that's why all the children became farmers?"
[Yes... that's how it happened.]
Ellia, who had heard the whole story, giggled.
"No wonder they were all so full of motivation. It was because it was His Majesty's order~"
[Ellia...]
"Aww~ why? The Queen simply called for her King~?"
[Ughhh...]
The corner of Ellia's lips, which she hadn't quite managed to cover with her hand, curled up playfully. Her eyes were similarly crinkled prettily, revealing her mischief.
At first, she'd blinked at the whole 'His Majesty,' 'Her Majesty the Queen' talk, but lately, she was actually enjoying it and using it as material to tease me...
It had been several days since the fairies came to live at the mansion.
Nothing special had happened in those days, but precisely because of that, the small changes occurring in the mansion were noticeable to its residents.
The fairies poked around the cultivation plots as I had instructed.
Honestly, I hadn't expected much.
How should I put it... it felt like the feeling of sending a child who wants to be helpful to their parents on some trivial errand?
- Your Majesty! These are the herbs that just grew today!
- [Huh...?]
But as if to overturn those expectations, the fairies began skillfully growing the materials in the cultivation plots.
They adjusted the soil's fertility and moisture where the materials were planted and appropriately harmonized the surrounding environment according to each material.
Using their own abilities, they infused the materials themselves with a moderate amount of vitality to promote growth and guided them to grow into better quality...
When I asked in surprise, seeing them act like experts who had done this many times before.
- Uh... you just help them grow well.
...was the simple answer that came back.
If I interpreted it, it felt like they were asking, 'Why can't you do this easy thing?'
They were indeed a race that managed nature; they had incredible talent in that area.
In addition to that, the fairies also started doing housework.
One might think, 'What could they possibly do with those tiny bodies?', but the fairies were competent at housework, too.
Fairies are born with outstanding Spirit Affinity. They are born with an affinity for all five attributes and can handle, at the very least, lower spirits without even forming a contract.
The fairies at the mansion were no exception. They had even said that in the dungeon, they survived the threats of monsters by freely commanding spirits.
I did feel a bit strange seeing them bring all those spirits here and skillfully deploy them for chores, though.
"Ah, that's something I taught them."
[Huh?]
"The fairies came to me calling, 'Your Majesty the Queen! Her Majesty the Queen!' and asked about housework. I gave them a few pointers, and they picked it up well and put it to use."
Shockingly, that spirit-arts-for-housework was Ellia's doing.
I never imagined Ellia had taught them that. As I stared blankly with my mouth agape, Ellia laughed again.
It felt a bit odd, as if I was being teased, but since she seemed happy about it, it wasn't an entirely bad feeling.
"The leaves are almost all fallen now, little by little. They were definitely green and fresh just last time."
[It's almost winter, after all.]
"You're right, it's already winter."
As we swallowed our strange feelings and walked along, Ellia rubbed her arms and looked around.
At Ellia's murmuring, as if she found it new and strange, I nodded in agreement.
The leaves that had been full of greenery were now mostly dyed red.
Some had even lost all their strength and were dropping off entirely. The pedestrians' outfits, which had once exposed skin, were gradually becoming longer and thicker.
So very much had happened, yet in hindsight, it felt like it hadn't been a very long time at all.
[Hm?]
A sensation intertwined with my right hand. A soft feeling wove between my five fingers and grasped my hand.
It was Ellia's hand. She smiled brightly and lifted our intertwined hands, waving them lightly.
"It's a bit cold. But now it's fine."
[I like it too.]
"Hehe, ah~ back in my hometown, around winter, it was bustling with taking care of the crops... Do you know? Even though farming has gotten easier with magic tools these days, there are still plenty of crop fields that can't be managed by magic tools, so people have to run around themselves?"
[I've heard about it. That magic tools have their limits too, so people are ultimately necessary.]
"Yes. Especially my hometown, it's kind of a backwater, so the human element was even more important than magic tools. The year before last, my dad used a magic tool wrong..."
[Oh...]
.
.
.
Listening to Ellia's stories about her hometown, we arrived at our destination in no time.
Our destination was one of the natural parks located within Siyoram.
Siyoram's natural parks are official training facilities, places where spirits sometimes appear thanks to the high-density mana and well-preserved natural environment.
As such, they were also suitable facilities for spirit casters to train in, so I had made a reservation the very day we returned from the dungeon.
The natural park we just arrived at, the site for the spirit's ascension, was, unlike the places we passed through, full of fresh, green leaves.
We crossed the lawn and entered the forest where trees suddenly rose up here and there.
"Right on time, and arriving all lovey-dovey together? While some of us have been out here since morning, preparing."
[Ahaha...]
Inside, Professor Liana was waiting.
There was a slight fog, but the woods were cozy, dappled with sunlight filtering through the leaves.
Sitting on a stump with her eyes closed, Professor Liana opened her eyes and glanced this way with a pout.
Of course, I didn't sense any genuinely sulky feelings. It was just a playful act, but I still felt gratitude and apologies toward Professor Liana, who had been working for days to help me.
- Ahem.
I carefully released the fingers intertwined with my right hand and stepped forward. I reached into the abruptly opened subspace and took out what I had prepared.
"Hm?"
[Ta, tada!]
Professor Liana, whose playful expression had held a hint of anticipation, blinked.
"A picnic basket?"
[Yes, I just made it this morning.]
Professor Liana's gaze fixed on the picnic basket in my hand.
At this, I grinned and laid out a mat on the ground, placing the picnic basket on top of it.
- Click.
"Wow, there's a huge variety?"
The lid of the picnic basket opened lightly. At the feast of sandwiches filling the inside, Ellia clapped her hands together and reacted.
I puffed out my chest with pride and explained.
[Professor Liana, you like sandwiches, don't you? Back then, when you were teaching me mana, you gave me sandwiches too... so I made some.]
"Ah... back then."
The early days of my first year. The time I first received Professor Liana's help when I was just starting to learn mana.
The sandwich Professor Liana handed me then still remains strongly in my memory.
At the time, I didn't have the mental space, and since I wasn't used to my lost sense of taste and smell, I had just been depressed while chewing the sandwich.
But even so, the gratitude that lingered in a corner of my heart remained.
[I ran a little late getting this ready. Let's share it as an apology!]
This was a thank-you for back then. Coincidentally, I was receiving help just the same, and the place was similar.
Professor Liana didn't seem to have noticed, but the picnic basket and mat were the exact same products as those from back then.
[Here! A specially delivered gift!]
Professor Liana accepted the bottled drink I handed her. It was an orange drink, still kept cold.
"To think I'm being repaid with this."
Professor Liana, who had been examining the sandwich and drink bottle for a moment, smiled brightly. At her reaction, where her delight was clearly evident, my face brightened as well.
As Ellia and I waited, Professor Liana picked up a sandwich and took a bite.
In case there was any issue, I swallowed nervously.
[How is it? Is it to your taste?]
"Yes. It's delicious."
[Hehe, hearing you say it's delicious puts my mind at ease!]
The corners of my mouth, which had been frozen stiff, naturally loosened into a silly grin. Professor Liana chuckled softly and took another bite of her sandwich.
"Let's finish these off, rest a bit, and then head right in."
[Okay!]
The same answer as back then. I replied brightly as well, and we had a brief mealtime.
Seeing Ellia and Professor Liana eating so happily made me smile again. I fiddled with the elixir I had tucked away inside my clothes.
It was an elixir made from the root of a Fairy Tree.
'If things have come this far, it's certain that I'm connected to fairies.'
In the past, when I collapsed after eating the elixir Hong Yeon-hwa gave me, I vividly remember seeing something like a strange vision.
It was only speculation, but the Fairy Tree root might have had some kind of influence.
So I planned to test that out today.
...I might collapse just like back then, but I've grown since then, so I should be able to overcome it.
"By the way, you still haven't eaten the candy I gave you with the exchange ticket?"
[Gasp.]
At Professor Liana's sudden remark, memories of the past flooded back.
▶ Professor Liana: And I'm sorry about what happened this morning (⑅◞‸◟)
▶ Professor Liana: [Royal Candy Exchange Ticket] x10
▶ Me: It was my fault. You have nothing to be sorry for, Professor.
▶ Professor Liana: I'm ReallyReally sorry! ?(T-T )ノ
The first class of my first year.
The embarrassing memory of not being able to properly introduce myself when Professor Liana asked.
The candy I received afterward along with her apology...
Now that I think about it, that's right.
I had completely forgotten about it.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul → Liana Bellus
●●●●●●●○○○(78▷79/100)
｢Affection｣ [Milk Cow?] ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Kind Adult｣ ｢Soft｣ ｢Warmth｣ ｢Voluptuous｣
Lee Ha-yul → Ellia Srade
●●●●●●●●○○(84▷85/100)
｢Affection｣ ｢Gratitude｣ ｢Dairy Cow?｣ ｢Chick｣ ｢Kindness｣
* * *
