Fairy (1)
Fairy (1)
"Pwah..."
The hands that had been moving frantically grew heavier, little by little, under the fairies' devoted care.
So did my cheeks, constantly munching away.
Forget my jaw aching—my stomach, which had felt empty no matter how much I ate, finally began to register fullness.
But my hands and mouth only slowed, never stopping.
A soul manifested without a physical body demanded vast amounts of mana and vitality.
Since I was newly born, there was no avoiding the need for immense intake to cover that consumption.
The wings were an especially enormous mana sink.
The fairy's innate talent revealed itself behind my back. The five-colored wings stretched wide as if rousing from sleep, then fluttered softly.
These wings were the main culprit forcing my hands and mouth to stay busy, siphoning off more than seventy percent of the mana I replenished.
'Still, they can't help but demand that much.'
The wings grew noticeably larger, then shrank back down.
During that process of growth, knowledge poured into my head in a rush.
Fairy abilities I hadn't been able to properly manifest until now—things that couldn't function because they clashed with my physical body—were finally beginning to bloom.
The fluttering wings scattered light.
Shimmering droplets of light clung to the earth, and the plants rooted in the surrounding soil glowed faintly, suffused with brilliant vitality.
It was a sight Seo-yul and the other fairies had often shown.
- Whooosh...!
But when I did it, the range was a little wide.
The already verdant plants straightened their stems and shed clear radiance in waves. My blurry perception grew entirely brighter.
- Oooom...!
The strongest reaction came from the Fairy Tree.
Its branches, releasing a deep resonant hum, stretched toward the sky with renewed vigor and emanated vivid pulses of mana.
Visible mana suffused the surroundings like a soft mist.
"Ah...!"
"Whoaah...!"
At the sight, the fairies who had been hovering nearby on the pretext of replenishing fruit opened their eyes wide.
The spirits that had always stayed close to the fairies slipped forward one by one and darted out to swallow the droplets of light.
- Oooom...!
A low-ranking spirit with a pale, indistinct form was enveloped in light.
In an instant, its rank surged. The spirit immediately gained an innate talent and took on a distinctive shape.
It had ascended to a mid-level spirit.
- Ah! You... you got bigger than me...!
- Woof!
The fairies' eyes went round when the spirit that had been similar in size abruptly grew larger than them.
At one fairy's pointing, a dog-shaped wind spirit playfully rammed into the fairy.
- Ahk, eek!
- Woof woof!
- Eek, ahahaha! It tickles!
A fairy tumbled onto the grass. The grass was so soft there were no injuries, but the spirit that climbed on top licked the fairy's face.
'So it had an effect even without a formal contract.'
And a somewhat stronger effect than before. The fact that a low-ranking spirit with barely any prior interaction had reached ascension said it all.
Fairy abilities. I had expected something like this, but the effect was even greater.
'When I get home and meet the ones I originally contracted, a lot of them might ascend to upper-rank.'
Among the nearly thousand spirits under my command, most of the non-rookies were currently stuck at the peak of mid-level.
From upper-rank on, ascension was difficult because it depended heavily on the individual's aptitude. But if I fully awakened my fairy powers and returned, it looked like many would reach the upper tier.
My wings swayed gently with anticipation.
"...Sniffle."
'Hm?'
While fairies and spirits were rolling around and playing, I suddenly heard a sniffle.
A spot a short distance in front of me.
A fairy who had been kneeling respectfully was biting her lip, her eyes reddening.
A fairy with a body shape similar to a human. It was the one named Kariade who had been attending to me and looking after everything I needed.
Flustered, I fluttered my arms.
- Why, why are you suddenly crying? Does it hurt somewhere...
"N-no, it is nothing at all... Sniffle..."
That didn't seem like nothing.
When I couldn't hide my bewilderment, Kariade lightly dabbed the corners of her eyes and bowed her head deeply.
"It is merely that my heart is overwhelmed with emotion at beholding Your Highness with my own eyes. I am deeply sorry for causing you concern."
- If nothing hurts, then I'm relieved...
I didn't imagine it would bring her to tears.
Nodding in relief, I quietly scanned the surroundings.
Before I knew it, the spirits and fairies had finished their play. No longer hiding behind trees or grass, they were now seated on the ground, staring at me intently.
Curious sparkling eyes and wiggling bottoms. Their wings, swaying like a puppy's tail, were especially striking.
In the midst of this, Kariade, her tears stopped, carefully rose from her spot.
"The Fairy Grand Minister, Kariade, once again offers greetings in blessing of the Great King's birth."
When I gave her my attention, she knelt once more and slowly bowed her head.
King.
The title felt so distant, yet I found myself unconsciously accepting it.
'I can't deny it any longer.'
Now that I was properly awakening the fairy's innate talent, I could perceive it clearly.
The sense of responsibility that rose whenever I faced a fairy, and among the knowledge sprouting within me, the knowledge regarding the method of a fairy's birth.
My spiritual species wasn't just an ordinary fairy; it seemed I was indeed a ruling entity of fairies.
'Just what the hell am I?'
I was newly aware of my own absurd hybrid nature.
A physical body and a soul of different species. No matter where I said it, no one would believe such nonsense.
- Ahem... Thank you so much for... the hospitality. It helped me greatly. Especially these.
I gently shook the flower in my hand. Four blue petals with a circle of vitality coalesced at their center.
- Each one was packed with vitality and mana. I was able to replenish mana and vitality without difficulty thanks to them. I'm truly grateful.
"...! As a subject, I have only done what is my duty."
Kariade trembled and prostrated herself deeply.
Suppressing the strange expression that wanted to surface at her profoundly respectful manner, I quietly sent a telepathic message.
- May I ask where this is? A place name, or a general location?
"This Sea of Trees is land located in the Korean Peninsula region, a place granted by a human faction called the Taesan Family."
'As I thought.'
Fairies living here made sense, but the vitality permeating the ground was extraordinary.
And the faint presence of Taesan lingered from the start.
Relief spread across my face.
If it had been a Gray Zone or Black Zone, that would have been troublesome, but if it's the Taesan Family, no problem.
There was much I wanted to ask.
But there was something I had to prioritize first.
- I'm sorry to ask so soon. Is there a way to contact someone from the Taesan Family?
"Yes. We can send a signal through magic to the humans who visit periodically."
- Ah, then may I ask you to do that?
"Of course."
The first step was informing my companions that my revival point had gone awry.
I hadn't told them exactly when, but if too much time passed, their anxiety would only grow.
'In my heart I want to go right away, but...'
I let out a deep sigh. My body... no, my soul? had no strength.
In truth, even moving my hands and munching was taxing.
That was the reason I couldn't get up and was slumped here.
My mind was hazy too; I wanted to fall into a deep sleep immediately. In a sense, my state was no different from a newborn's, so it couldn't be helped.
Compared to humans, I was essentially still at the newborn stage right now.
The fact that moving was hard and even using Authority was a struggle—that I was relying on mana detection instead of observation—said it all.
'...Sleepy...'
At that sign, the branches wrapped around my stomach moved.
They carefully pulled me in, spreading to form a bed-like shape. Then they blocked the sunlight and covered me with leaves like a blanket.
- Oooom...
The branches slowly swayed from side to side, emanating a warm will-thought.
It was interpreted as: I've eaten my fill, so sleep comfortably.
I tiredly rubbed my eyes and sent a telepathic message to Kariade.
- Contact... the Taesan... please... I'll...
"Yes, I shall carry it out at once."
- Th... ank, you
I sank into an irresistible drowsiness. I closed my eyes and slowly exhaled.
* * *
The Tower that had manifested in the Changhae territory.
Far from being withdrawn, the frontline centered on it had raised its alert level and was deploying additional forces.
No matter how silent the Tower remained, it was an obvious response, given that an outbreak or invasion could resume at any moment.
But elite forces from other families could not remain entrenched on the frontline forever.
Preparations had been lacking since the incident erupted suddenly during negotiations, and the clan heads and heirs especially had pressing family duties.
Thus, while they might return later, they had agreed to withdraw for the time being.
"The clan head?"
"She arrived a short while ago, they say."
"Alright, understood."
Lee Ji-yeon hid a complicated expression at her aide's report.
Lee Ji-ah and Lee Ji-yeon had first returned to the Taesan Family.
But they didn't travel together as far as the main house.
That was because Lee Ji-ah had split off midway and headed straight for the Death Vein.
She wasn't surprised.
It was common knowledge lately that Lee Ji-ah, as if the Death Vein were smeared with honey, had been entrusting authority to the acting clan head Lee Ji-yeon and staying there exclusively.
'...Is it related to her being unable to use necromancy?'
As Lee Ji-yeon walked steadily, complicated emotions clouded her eyes.
The 11th Head of Taesan. That Taesan Bukdu Lee Ji-ah, unable to use necromancy? It was unimaginable.
'For now, I've made the excuse that she entrusted the spirit harmonization to me to improve my own skills...'
That made the excuse easier.
But if this continued, there was no telling how long it would remain plausible. Swallowing a sigh, Lee Ji-yeon entered the main house.
As soon as she stepped into the mansion, servants rushed out to greet her. Lee Ji-yeon nodded vaguely and spoke.
"Organize the backlog of reports and bring them to the office."
"Acting Clan Head, perhaps you should take a moment to rest..."
At Lee Ji-yeon's command, a female servant carefully stepped forward.
She was a servant who had treated Lee Ji-yeon kindly since childhood, and she expressed her concern.
It couldn't be helped.
Right now, Lee Ji-yeon's complexion was utterly haggard.
The fact that a superhuman whose body and innate talent were both robust had ended up in that state meant her body and mind were steeped in exhaustion.
At a glance, she looked like she should be heading to the bedroom, not the office.
"I'm better than I look. If it gets hard, I'll voluntarily take it easy, so don't worry."
"...Yes, understood."
When Lee Ji-yeon replied with a small smile, the servant had no choice but to step back.
Grateful for the servant's concern, she still didn't rescind the order.
'I need to finish work quickly and go to Siyoram.'
Lee Ha-yul had said he would return through the Fairy Tree at Siyoram.
Hong Yeon-hwa had headed to the Calamity Flame family. The others had set their destination straight for Siyoram.
It wasn't as if Lee Ji-yeon going would actually be able to help, but her heart wanted to arrive as soon as possible.
"Acting Clan Head!"
It was then.
A man who had crossed through the main gate with hurried steps approached Lee Ji-yeon.
A familiar face. He was one of the personnel who managed the protected area.
But the urgent look on his face suggested something had happened.
Swallowing a sigh, Lee Ji-yeon turned her head.
"I greet the Acting Clan Head."
"Yes, good to see you. It seems an urgent matter. Please report first, if you would."
At Lee Ji-yeon's words, the man nodded and opened his mouth.
"It is news from the fairies who have settled in the protected area."
"Fairies? What sort of... matter..."
Lee Ji-yeon, who had been asking back wondering what new trouble had arisen, paused.
Fairies. Originally a word she knew, but one she had encountered and heard far more often after becoming entangled with Lee Ha-yul.
The man caught his breath and continued.
"A few days ago, it is said that the Fairy King has been born."
The Fairy King.
The word that the fairy in the mansion, the high-ranking spirit Terramor, used to address Lee Ha-yul.
Lee Ji-yeon's mouth fell open.
"Furthermore, concerning this matter, the fairies have sent a request to meet with the Acting Clan Head—"
"Let us go at once."
"Pardon?"
It was only a suspicion, but instinct screamed certainty.
Lee Ji-yeon immediately turned on her heel.
* * *