Fairy (2)
Fairy (2)
The world is brimming with all kinds of trees.
Fairy Trees are among the rarest.
Because a fairy is born in and dwells within them, and because a fairy's blessing and mana suffuse the wood, the industry regards them as an outstanding material.
But only fairies can create and raise the saplings, and the results vary with a fairy's rank, so the stock that reaches the market is hopelessly scarce.
Obtaining a steady supply is practically unique to the Taesan family.
"......"
Lee Ha-sol also understood just how rare Fairy Trees are.
It hadn't been long, but she had scoured the gray zones without so much as glimpsing a single Fairy Tree leaf—which said it all.
In the end, procuring the material directly had failed.
Only after searching numerous auction houses had she managed to find and stash away a spirit medicine made from ground Fairy Tree leaves.
She knew the basics: Fairy Trees supposedly had a distinct appearance and atmosphere, but their size was not much different from ordinary trees.
"......"
But the Fairy Tree in front of Lee Ha-sol's eyes was completely different.
Its scale could only be compared to a skyscraper, not an ordinary tree. Its broad, high-spreading branches blotted out the sky.
She'd seen it before, but it really was an astonishing size.
Lost in thought, Lee Ha-sol suddenly looked around.
"......"
"......"
- ......
She saw the group who had returned to Siyoram after listening to Lee Ha-yul's voice recording.
She hadn't even heard an exact time, yet somehow even the young unicorn was already sprawled on its belly beside the Fairy Tree.
'...Not that I'm any different.'
Lee Ha-sol habitually swallowed a sigh and glanced down at her arms.
Nestled in her embrace was the young Lee Ha-yul.
Feeling the ticklish breath against her chest, Lee Ha-sol stroked Lee Ha-yul's head.
'Looking at him this way, he just seems asleep...'
Lee Ha-yul had always been the type to fall deeply asleep when held and put to bed in someone's arms. That was all.
'When will he wake up...'
The full account Baek A-rin had relayed was hard to believe. Instead, she believed what Lee Ha-yul himself had said, and she was waiting like this.
Surely the same was true for the others.
Because they didn't entertain other possibilities, they had returned directly to Siyoram.
- Wooooong...!
Just then, the Fairy Tree let out a resonance.
Lee Ha-sol's eyes flew open and she started to rise, but after gauging the Fairy Tree's mood she settled back into place.
Standing with her arms crossed, Atra narrowed her brow.
"...How many times does that make?"
"Hm... about a dozen times now?"
- Wooooong...!
The Fairy Tree vibrated again.
The branches shook faintly. At the tremor traveling through the ground, Liana wore a bittersweet expression.
"The reaction is a little... strange."
"It feels like... it's throwing a temper."
Ellia, who had been examining the Fairy Tree closely, spoke up.
The others didn't say it out loud, but their expressions were similar.
For some reason, the will emanating from the Fairy Tree seemed tinged with irritation.
* * *
- Poke, poke
Across the edge of hazy consciousness, something touched my lips.
When I twisted my body away from the contact disturbing my deep sleep, it kept poking my lips again.
Having no choice, I parted my lips slightly, and something cold and squishy slipped inside.
Just big enough to partly fill my mouth.
When I reflexively bit down with my teeth, it burst without resistance and cool liquid moistened my tongue.
'Cool... water...'
My slightly parched mouth grew wet. As the water slid down my throat, my eyelids, heavy with sleep, lifted.
A world too blurry to make out revealed itself.
When I finally activated my mana detection, I perceived a branch pushed right up in front of my face.
The branch held some kind of droplet.
- Swoosh... swoosh...
The branch swayed gently side to side, emphasizing the droplet.
When my gaze barely tracked it, the branch slowly offered the droplet to my lips.
"Aah... nom."
I obediently accepted and ate the droplet.
The water itself was saturated with mana and vitality energy, so there was no reason to refuse.
'Huh?'
Two, three, four... before I knew it, the droplets had changed to fruit, and as I kept readily eating them, I felt gazes fixed on my face.
- Gasp
A fairy had been hiding its body behind a leaf with only its face peeking out. When my head turned toward it, it flinched in alarm and hid.
- ...Little one, I can see your wings, you know?
- ...!
The wings twitched. Eventually they fluttered cautiously, then folded and vanished. I giggled softly and pushed aside the leaf.
Deprived of cover, the fairy's pale-green eyes went round.
I pressed the fairy's cheek with my finger.
"Pyueng."
- Did you do something wrong to be hiding like that?
"Euh-ehng?"
- If you didn't do anything wrong, is there a reason to hide?
"Meuh-ehng?"
The fairy tilted its head at my words.
Its air was basically, Is that so?
As I smiled wordlessly, the fairy rolled its eyes around, then rubbed its cheek against my finger.
Right away, the fairy beamed and hugged my finger.
"Mm... King's finger, good!"
"Ah! Sepi! That's cheating!"
Just then, a pink-haired fairy burst out from a nearby leaf.
"Right! What would the scouting party be doing?! You've been coaxed over to their side!"
Not just one.
One after another, well over several dozen fairies poked their heads out.
I'd already known they were there. They'd been watching me since I was asleep.
- Hello?
The fairies, cheeks puffed up and glaring at the betrayer?, flinched at my sound transmission.
The one who answered was the pink-haired fairy who had emerged first.
"Uh-uh... King...?"
- Mm, nice to meet you.
I rose up slightly and gave a small smile.
The branches I had been lying on immediately moved, supporting my body like a backrest.
"King, may we come closer...?"
- Go ahead.
- ...!
Delighted by my answer, the fairies flew over stealthily.
Some landed right beside me, while others clung closely to my body.
'Come to think of it, they've grown more than before I fell asleep.'
With them flying right next to me, I could really feel it.
Before, they'd barely been at the stage of wriggling and crawling, but now it looked like they could at least walk around.
- Little ones?
Just then, will thought came up from below. Kariade, gazing up this way from beneath the tree, had her eyes slightly narrowed.
He must have sensed the commotion and come over.
"Eek, it's Kariade..."
Startled by Kariade's appearance, the fairies hurriedly hid behind me. I gave a wry smile and shook my head at Kariade.
- I'm all right, so don't worry.
- ...Yes. May I ask if my lord's rest was peaceful?
- Mm, it was truly comfortable. Thank you, too. Thanks to you, I could sleep without the slightest discomfort.
When I gave the branch a light tap, it swayed softly, as if pleased.
I smiled brightly and slowly rose. As I was flexing my fingertips and toes for a moment, the branch descended on its own.
- Thank you.
I stroked the branch once more, then hopped down onto the ground that had drawn closer.
Instantly, a horrified Kariade rushed over.
"My king, please—do not overexert yourself..."
- ...I am not so frail as that.
Not over something as simple as stepping onto the ground.
Anyone watching would think I was a patient bound for a sickbed.
"You have only just been born; please, I beg you to take care with your movements."
Kariade regarded me as though handling a piece of glass art.
Well, I still haven't explained all the circumstances. From Kariade's perspective, I must look like a newborn infant barely two days old.
- Your concern is appreciated. I will be careful, so do not worry. More importantly, has word been sent to Taesan?
"Yes, everything you instructed has been delivered, and the Taesan Family has conveyed their intent to visit at the earliest opportunity."
- That is a relief.
I brightened and nodded my head.
If someone from the Taesan Family is visiting, I can rest easy.
'The state of my body is a bit different, but if I show them Taesan, they'll at least pass along a message.'
My appearance alone might be similar enough for them to believe me, but if I show them Taesan, Calamity Flame, and Azure Sea, they'll at least deliver word.
Then the most urgent task—confirming survival—will be done.
'...Then what?'
That's where the worries start again.
The original plan was to awaken from the Fairy Tree I planted at Siyoram, then undergo stabilization and growth there.
But due to some unknown variable, I awakened in the Taesan Family—specifically, from a Fairy Tree that grew inside the Protected Area where fairies dwell.
'Even now, moving for long periods is difficult.'
I can stand and walk, but strenuous movement is hard.
That's because every bit of energy available for activity is being poured into stabilizing and growing my soul.
For reference, that energy is currently being supplied by the Fairy Tree coiled around my stomach.
Because of that, I couldn't stray far from the tree for the time being.
'Hmm...'
I rested my chin in thought for a moment. Then I idly raised a finger and let out a wisp of mana.
- Oong...!
Pure white mana instantly coiled around my finger.
The same color as before. But that didn't mean there was no change.
A minuscule amount of mana began to move.
It gathered at my fingertip and formed a sphere, bulged unevenly, then burst with a pop and split into thousands of fragments.
I swept the fragments back together and wrapped them around my finger like a planetary ring.
Throughout the whole sequence, I felt not the slightest strain.
'Manipulation is easier and more comfortable.'
The manipulation itself had become fundamentally smoother.
No doubt the result of my Mana Affinity itself having grown.
'As expected, Mana Affinity really was a Unique Ability rooted in a fairy's innate talent.'
It is widely known that fairies possess exceptional affinity for mana and attributes across the board.
And now, with the fairy's innate talent undergoing explosive growth, my Mana Affinity was developing right along with it.
'Then my Expansion Ability, Homogenization, should become easier too.'
The strain would lessen further, and that might even mean the number of abilities I can imitate simultaneously has increased.
Curiosity reared its head, but experimenting now would be too taxing. I swallowed my disappointment and postponed the test.
"A member of the Taesan Family is due to arrive shortly."
Right then, Kariade, who had been waiting beside me, informed me.
I shook the mana from my finger and nodded.
As I waited beside Kariade, I picked up a presence approaching from beyond the dense Sea of Trees.
'?'
I hadn't deployed Observation, but there was no mistaking this presence. My eyes went round.
"My king?"
Kariade, beside me, expressed worry and confusion at my reaction, but I had no time to respond.
- Slide
Because the Fairy Tree soon opened its barrier, and a party emerged through the undergrowth.
Five people.
The four humans in the rear wore uniforms with the Taesan crest on their chests.
The one in the lead was the same. The Taesan crest rose over a full chest, and a green winged garment floated softly behind her.
Brown hair rippled with a faintly trembling sigh. Her pale-green eyes met my own wide, rounded ones.
"...Honestly."
"It's been a long time."
Just then, Kariade stepped forward.
The fairy cleared his throat lightly, folded his wings neatly, and indicated me with a respectful gesture.
"As disclosed in advance, this person is precisely—"
"Junior Lee Ha-yul."
"Excuse me?"
Lee Ji-yeon cut off Kariade.
Kariade, who had been blinking at the sudden statement, recoiled in shock at the sight of me dashing forward.
- Lady Lee Ji-yeon!
Before the flustered Kariade could act on my behavior—
Lee Ji-yeon, as if she had been waiting, bent her knees and scooped me straight into her arms before rising again.
- Lady Lee Ji-yeon! I missed you...!
As I lifted my head from where I had buried my face in her chest, Lee Ji-yeon brushed my hair back.
Her eyes traced over my face, then closed her lips.
Her gaze flicked over the wings fluttering on my back before returning to my face. The corners of her mouth trembled.
"...You really, really... were alive...?"
- Yes! I said I wasn't going to die, that I'd be back soon and to please wait—
"—Mmh."
Pressing her lips firmly together, Lee Ji-yeon took my head and buried it deep against her chest.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness... really..."
Her shoulders trembling faintly, Lee Ji-yeon pulled me deeper into her embrace. At the damp sound of her voice, the corners of my eyes drooped.
I felt as if stakes were being driven squarely, side by side, into my heart and my conscience.
"...Nngh..."
Both psychologically and physically, my face was buried so thoroughly in her chest that my breath was completely stifled.
Squirming a little, I silently spread my wings wide and wrapped them gently around Lee Ji-yeon.
* * *
"...What is all this...?"
Ignoring the reactions around her, Lee Ji-yeon, who had been holding Lee Ha-yul in her arms, raised her head slightly at the voice that came from in front.
The fairy, Kariade.
She had met Kariade a few times before.
A position leading the fairies dwelling in the Protected Area. They were not on particularly familiar terms. Their acquaintance had formed through professional visits to this place.
Kariade's expression was filled with bewilderment.
Evidently, he hadn't heard the full situation from Lee Ha-yul.
"......"
After a moment's thought, Lee Ji-yeon reached the conclusion that explaining right now would be difficult.
Nor did she feel inclined to chatter out an explanation in the first place.
Shrugging lightly, Lee Ji-yeon pressed Lee Ha-yul's head against her and drew him deeper into her embrace.
Breathing in the warmth and scent rising from her arms, Lee Ji-yeon gave a small nod.
"...There's so much I want to say, but let's go back and talk for now."
"Go back? What do you mean by that?"
Kariade, who had been unable to follow the abrupt situation, widened her eyes.
"That person is the king of our race. Although my failure to grasp the situation delayed my words, the conduct currently displayed by a member of Taesan is extremely discourteous—"
"The junior is our child, though?"
"?"
Kariade's sharp retort came to a halt.
An utterly baffling piece of nonsense had burrowed into his ears.
And yet, for some reason, the voice was brimming with sincerity.
The hand that casually stroked Lee Ha-yul's hair dripped with affection and maternal warmth.