Chapter 152
Chapter 152
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: To Protect Everyone (5)
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Among fairies, Murmur was a remarkable genius.
This was by no means a statement limited to his magical abilities.
His intelligence, creativity, concentration, curiosity, critical thinking, and mental fortitude—
He was practically a mutant among fairies, who rarely grew out of a childlike way of thinking.
However, these traits were less a blessing and more a curse for Murmur.
The loneliness of being different from the other fairies was a great source of stress.
"Murmur! Come play with us!"
"No, I… I'm sorry. I don't think you'll have much fun with me around."
"What does that matter? Just having you here makes it twice as fun!"
"…Really?"
"Of course!"
But the other fairies accepted the slightly different Murmur just as he was.
He might be a very smart fairy, but he was still family. They were to be trusted and cherished.
Perhaps it was thanks to the fairies’ long-standing, genuine affection.
Murmur, who might have become twisted, was able to open his heart and accept them.
Of course, in the process, his perspective shifted slightly, and he developed a sense of responsibility to protect all fairies.
‘That’s why, as much as I came to cherish my kind, I hated humans. Greedy, selfish beings. I was certain they would try to harm us one way or another.’
Murmur had spent a very long time observing humans, learning their characteristics in depth.
A species that knew no satisfaction, one that could sacrifice others for their own gain without a second thought.
Especially before the Sky Garden existed for the fairies, there had been conflicts with those who coveted their magic.
To Murmur, humans were the worst kind of species, one he wanted to keep as far away as possible.
‘But… this human is different. I can read emotions, however clumsily, and I know. The affection this one shows the fairies… is genuine.’
However, Murmur’s preconceptions were shattered before the pure white girl.
In the short time they had spent together, she had shown no greed for the fairies’ magic; on the contrary, he could feel an air of genuine fondness from her.
Perhaps it was because she was a psychic who didn't use magic.
Even considering that, it was no exaggeration to say she was the most trustworthy human he had ever met.
Thus, after much deliberation, Murmur made his decision.
If he couldn't choose between the fairies and the world… he would just have to save them both.
"…I'm sorry, human. While I go look for the other fairies, I need you to find something for me."
"…?"
"I know it's not my place to ask… but I can't tell you the details of what it is. However, if it were to be released into the world, something very dangerous would happen. Of that, I am certain."
Murmur felt a pang of guilt, as if his heart was being squeezed.
The World Tree Seed he had stumbled upon one day.
He had decided he could trust this girl with it…
But would the process of retrieving it be smooth?
He was terribly worried that it might lead her into great danger.
But if not this girl, who else could he ask?
Biting his lip to keep his resolve from wavering, Murmur looked up at the pure white girl with a steady gaze.
"…!"
Did his feelings reach her?
The girl stood still for a moment as if in thought, then nodded with a deliberate expression, as if to say she understood.
She placed a hand on her chest, as if to say, *you can count on me*, then lowered her body and held out her pinky finger.
Murmur, who knew of human culture through knowledge, immediately understood her intention.
As far as he knew, this was a symbol of a promise.
A lighthearted promise made between children, not a particularly heavy one.
Murmur stared at it blankly for a moment, then reached out his own hand and linked his pinky with hers.
*This is our promise.* Yuria seemed to say, gently shaking their linked hands.
Then, she unlinked their fingers and lightly took off the fox mask that had faithfully hidden her face until now.
"Huh…?"
The girl's face beneath the mask was completely different from what Murmur had imagined.
He had presumed there must be a scar or some disfigurement, something that required her to hide her face so thoroughly.
Contrary to his expectations, the pure white girl's face was like a work of art.
He was so stunned that his brain, which never stopped thinking, momentarily ceased to function.
"…"
Was this a familiar reaction to her?
She smiled with a mischievous glint in her eyes and simply handed him the fox mask.
*This is important to me.*
*I will fulfill the request you've given me and come back for it.*
Though he couldn't read her intentions completely, Murmur carefully accepted the mask and nodded.
"This is… right, I see. I trust you, and you trust me. Is that what this means?"
"…!"
"I understand. I'll keep this mask safe for you. I'm counting on you, white human."
With the fairies who were mesmerized by the unmasked girl as a backdrop, a promise was forged between a fairy and a girl.
"Wow, she's so pretty… Could she be an angel…?"
"I think it would be fine to enthrone that human as the queen of the fairies."
"Woooah! I'm all for having a fairy queen!"
"Hwaaah! Chiriru's Whitey has become everyone's Whitey!"
*Ahaha, with these fairies, it's impossible to maintain a serious atmosphere.*
The pure white girl, Yuria, gave the fairies a light wave and an awkward smile.
***
The Sky Garden had lakes, hills, and clearings.
But roughly half of it was a single, massive forest of densely packed trees.
And since magic maintained a perpetually sunny and mild climate year-round,
the branches were lush, the trunks thick and sturdy, and the leaves vibrant with life.
In other words, if one moved through the treetops, it would be difficult to spot them from below.
Especially for someone like me, small and silent, the effect would be even more pronounced.
‘…Haa, is my hair color too conspicuous? Right, if there's white mixed in with all this green, there's no point in hiding.’
But if there was one problem, it was the existence of my white hair, which stood out everywhere.
It was the kind of white hair that shimmered on its own when it caught the sunlight.
Naturally, even if I was hiding among the leaves, I couldn't help but reveal my presence.
"For the most beautiful me to be treated like this by a mere slip of a girl… I'm sorry, Lady Olvisss…"
"…"
After having his ankle caught by my psychokinesis and being buried deep in the ground,
the modified human who had been pummeled by rocks and trees foamed at the mouth and passed out.
This was already the second time a modified human had spotted me.
I would have preferred to avoid getting bogged down and prioritize securing the World Tree Seed.
But if they had started chasing me, I had no choice but to eliminate them.
‘If they see me obtain the seed, and the Seven Extremes end up coming after me as a result… Ugh, that’s the worst-case scenario.’
If I had to face an enemy on the level of the Seven Extremes, I would have to draw out a power that only lasts for a few minutes and go for a quick victory.
Right now, when I didn't know how much time I'd need, it was an unwelcome prospect.
But even if it was unavoidable, being constantly interrupted like this was a problem.
If I kept getting delayed, the enemy might find the World Tree Seed first.
Therefore, I grasped the Tesseract hidden inside my clothes and spoke cautiously.
‘Tesseract, how much energy do you think it would take to change my hair color? Just for a little while is fine.’
[Hmm… it won't take much. If it's just for a moment, we should have plenty.]
‘In that case… yes, please make it black.’
Since I'll be moving through the treetops anyway, it should be enough as long as I'm not easily visible.
I quietly watched the fascinating sight of my white hair, visible below my shoulders, turning black.
Then, with another psychokinetic leap, I landed naturally on a tree branch.
It wasn't like I had turned invisible and couldn't be seen at all.
Still, it would be better than my conspicuously white hair. I was sure it would be effective enough.
‘It's only a few hundred meters to the place Murmur mentioned… I'll go fast!’
I immediately headed straight for my destination, the clearing with the large tree that Murmur had told me about.
Was it thanks to changing my hair from white to black?
Although I caught a glimpse of a modified human below, they didn't notice my presence.
How far did I go without being disturbed?
When I arrived at the place where Murmur had hidden the World Tree Seed, I was met with an entirely unexpected situation.
"Kugh! These… these things!"
"They just keep getting back up, no matter how many we knock down!"
"Gihihic! Resistance is futile! You will serve the same role as the soldiers you have slain!"
The scene was utter chaos.
A grotesque horde of undead was attacking a group of people huddled together in a circle.
The ones fighting back seemed to have some skill, as they were somehow managing to hold on.
But it was clear their stamina was being drained by the endless wave of enemies.
At this rate, their annihilation was only a matter of time.
As I was assessing the situation, a very familiar voice boomed out.
"Those who can no longer fight, please fall back! Help will surely come! You must not lose hope!"
The owner of the voice was our fixer agency's hacker and brain.
It was David, the bear beastkin, currently with flames wreathed around both fists.
Was his skill level just slightly below Alice's, close to that of an active Fixer?
He displayed incredible prowess, crushing the approaching undead with just a few punches.
But the endless assault of skeletons and zombies was clearly slowing him down.
Just how long had they been here in this state?
The mountain of corpses strewn about vividly revealed the intensity of the battle.
‘David is… Tch, I can't just stand by and watch!’
There was no time to leisurely debate whether to intervene.
David and the group of examinees were in a precarious situation, looking like they could be overwhelmed at any moment.
Without any time to mentally calculate the pros and cons, my body moved first.
"What's that…?"
"I-Is that an enemy?!"
The gazes of the exhausted, vigilant examinees turned toward me as I leaped above them.
A black-haired girl who had just shot out of the forest without a sound.
In such a tense situation, they seemed to have mistaken me for an enemy rather than an ally.
But I didn't bother to correct their misunderstanding.
They couldn't reach me, floating several meters above the ground.
Besides, I couldn't speak anyway. I planned to show them through my actions.
‘Crush everything… except for the people!’
Floating high in the air, I thrust my hand down with all my might.
My psychokinesis shot out from my hand, seizing every undead and modified human in sight.
Once they were caught, it was over.
I crushed all the captured enemies with force, as if crumpling a can.
The enemy's numbers were in the triple digits, enough to completely surround the examinees.
But as long as my concentration didn't break… numbers were meaningless against me.
"Gaaah?! My, my body…! This is nothing—!"
"Krr-crack…"
"C-crack…!"
The result was extremely simple.
The skeletons and other ordinary undead couldn't withstand the pressure and were completely crushed, their bodies disintegrating.
Even the sturdier giant zombies had every single joint dislocated, leaving them collapsed on the ground.
Well, it seemed this level of force wasn't enough for the durable modified humans.
Still, wiping out all the undead that made up their numbers could be considered a rather effective blow.
"What… is this? Is it gravity magic?"
"Amazing… they were all wiped out in one go…!"
"Reinforcements really came! We're saved!"
Did the result truly hit home for David and the other examinees?
Despite their long-standing exhaustion, they let out cheers, expressing their joy.
Having been saved from a desperate situation where they could have been annihilated in minutes,
even the most stoic person would be overcome with emotion at a time like this.
*First, I need to get rid of those modified humans quickly, and then send these people far away.*
Having reached that conclusion, I reduced the output of my psychokinesis and slowly descended to the ground.
I have to take care of this before anything more troublesome shows up.
A passion fiercer than ever before ignited within me, fueled by the liberating feeling of unleashing my power without holding back.