Chapter 88: The Fairy King (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: The Fairy King (2)
Just as Shedia was smiling brightly at the news that she could see the World Tree, the other elves spoke up.
“The Fairy King invited them?”
“You mean these intruders?”
The elves spoke as if they couldn’t understand, but the Ranger shook his head.
“They are not intruders, but the Hero. Show some respect.”
At his words, the elves' complaints vanished. They'd been going on and on about the Rangers earlier, and it seemed their authority was truly high.
Meanwhile, there was someone else shocked by the Ranger's words...
“The Hero...?”
It was Katarina.
She wore an expression of utter disbelief.
“Cloud, what is all this? You’re the Hero?”
“Did I not mention it? I’m the Hero.”
“...Stop joking.”
“I’m not joking.”
Katarina’s eyes twitched.
“Th-then I haven’t just been traveling the continent normally... I’ve been following the Hero on his journey to defeat the Demon King?”
“Correct!”
When I nodded in affirmation, Katarina laughed as if she’d lost her mind.
“Cloud, I’m going back to become the greatest dancer. Let’s meet again someday after you’ve defeated the Demon King.”
She was naturally looking for an escape route.
I planted a deep kiss on her. Pulling my lips away, I said,
“Hehe, you can’t go.”
After drilling the reality of her situation into Katarina, we followed the Rangers.
They led us through the forest for a while before guiding us into a cave at the base of a cliff.
“...Why are we going into a cave now?” Katarina muttered, her voice devoid of energy.
What, is she still not over the shock?
So weak.
Back in my day, the moment I revealed I was the Hero, there were enough people begging to come along to circle the training grounds and then some.
As I was clicking my tongue at the weakness of kids these days, we reached the end of the cave.
Emerging from the tunnel, we were greeted by a landscape so beautiful it made the previous forest pale in comparison.
A colossal World Tree stood at the center.
Surrounding the World Tree was a white castle wall, and within it, an elegant palace.
And beyond the walls stretched vibrant, jade-green fields.
“Whoa...”
The sight left not only Shedia but also Katarina completely captivated.
The Rangers gave the two of them a moment to admire the view.
They tried to act stoic, but the twitching of their faces revealed their pride.
“We should get moving. The Fairy King will be waiting.”
We proceeded toward the castle.
The white walls seemed to grow more majestic the closer we got.
This feeling peaked when we arrived at the castle gate.
The gate, made of the same material as the walls, looked incredibly sturdy.
There must be dozens of defensive spells layered on it.
Considering the gates of the Prona Kingdom's capital only had five defensive spells, this was an absurd number.
As I was admiring the magic plastered all over the gate, someone emerged from beyond its open doors.
It was a female elf with braided hair.
She addressed the leader of the Rangers who had guided us.
“Sir Kline, welcome back. Does that mean these are...?”
“The Hero and his party. I will escort them to the Fairy King.”
“Yes, please do.”
After his exchange with the female elf, Kline led us into the palace.
The palace interior was entirely white, as if designed by someone with mysophobia.
If not for the ornate patterns carved here and there, one might have thought it was a place built for torturing people.
As I was looking around the palace, Katarina tugged on my sleeve.
“Hey, Cloud. Those people over there... no, those elves are whispering about us. Why?”
I looked where she was pointing and saw elves dressed in luxurious clothes that Imperial nobles might wear. They were gathered together, whispering amongst themselves while looking at us.
I didn’t use the Behemoth’s sigil to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Just looking at their expressions told me it wasn’t anything good.
“They’re racists. They despise people with short ears.”
“Huh... Are ears that important?” Katarina asked, puzzled.
“To them, they are. We do the same thing, don’t we? Dividing people into common blood and noble blood based on their lineage.”
“Ah, I see.”
She nodded as if she understood.
Then, her expression soured.
“In any case, it means we’re not welcome here.”
“It’s better than being turned into a pincushion by their arrows.”
“That’s true, but...”
“That’s enough chatter. We are about to arrive at the Fairy King’s location,” Kline cut in, ending our conversation.
Soon, we stood before a stone door carved with the image of a great tree.
Kline knelt on one knee before it.
“Fairy King. I have brought the Hero, Cloud, and his companions.”
Rumble—
The stone door opened, revealing a white mist that blocked the entrance.
“Please, enter.”
“Is it... really okay to go in?”
“Yes. If you were to enter without the Fairy King's permission, you would wander the forest for the rest of your life, but you have been invited. You may enter.”
Kline’s words were meant to reassure Katarina, but they only made her more anxious.
I swiped my hand through the mist a few times before walking into it.
Beyond the mist stood the colossal World Tree.
It was so massive that just looking at a section of it filled my entire field of vision.
Turning my gaze from the World Tree, I saw countless spirits soaring through the air. Below them, a handsome male elf sat at a table.
This elf was different from the others I had seen.
He exuded a more refined and elegant aura.
“Cloud? Are you okay?!” Katarina’s panicked voice came from behind me.
“I’m fine, come on in.”
Shedia was the first to react to my words. She passed through the mist, and her eyes widened at the sight of the World Tree.
Next, Katarina came through with a look of resignation. Her reaction was not much different from Shedia’s.
“Welcome. I have been waiting for you,” the Fairy King said with a smile.
“It is an honor. To cut to the chase, may I ask why you summoned us?”
“The Hero of this era is quite impatient. Come, have a seat. We can talk over tea; there is no rush.”
I let out a small sigh as the Fairy King gestured to the seats across from him.
“Very well. Everyone, sit... What are you doing?” I asked, looking at Katarina, who was flailing about, surrounded by spirits.
“I don’t know! They just suddenly swarmed me...!”
She tried to push the approaching spirits away.
But there were too many for her to fend off with just two hands. Before long, she was completely buried in them.
Seeing this, the Fairy King spoke in a surprised tone.
“How curious.”
“What is?”
“Spirits do not normally like humans. That is why humans tend to have a low affinity for them. But that young lady is different. For a human, her affinity for spirits is astonishingly high.”
“It seems this is not the time for a leisurely cup of tea.” With those words, the Fairy King rose from his chair and whistled. The spirits enveloping Katarina quickly dispersed.
I walked over to her.
“Are you okay?”
“No... I’m not okay...” Katarina said with a completely drained expression. Her hair was a mess, one side of her face was smudged with dirt, and parts of her body were soaked.
Shedia watched with an envious look, then reached her hand out toward a spirit.
The spirit fled far away.
“...”
Shedia looked down at her hand, dejected.
I ignored her and checked on Katarina again.
Thankfully, there are no burns.
It seemed the fire spirits had held back.
“Young lady, what is your name?” the Fairy King, who had approached us, asked Katarina.
“Me? I’m Katarina. Why?”
“Katarina, you possess the rare talent of a Spirit Tamer.”
“A Spirit Tamer...? What’s that?”
“I cannot allow such a talent to go to waste.”
“Um... I asked what a Spirit Tamer is?”
“Unfortunately, the spirits here are bound by a contract and cannot leave the side of the World Tree. However, there is another way. There are still ancient spirits who are not bound by that contract.”
“Hello?”
“Follow me.”
“Hello?!”
The Fairy King started walking toward the World Tree.
I took Katarina’s hand and helped her up.
“Let’s go.”
“Wait, Cloud, who is that elf? What are spirits, and what’s a Spirit Tamer?”
“Is that important right now? He said he’ll make you a Spirit Tamer. Let’s go before he changes his mind.”
“But I’m asking what a Spirit Tamer is!”
“How can I explain what a Spirit Tamer is to someone who doesn’t even know what a spirit is? Just close your eyes and become one. You’ll figure it out naturally.”
“You want me to do something I don’t even understand?”
“Ugh, if you don’t know, just follow me! Would I ever lead you into something bad?”
Katarina narrowed her eyes and stared at me.
I knew that look.
It was the look a normal person gives someone trying to rope them into a pyramid scheme.
Come on, this isn’t some scam; it’s actually a great opportunity.
When I pulled on her arm with a bit more force, she reluctantly followed.
The Fairy King led us to the very base of the World Tree’s roots. He flicked his hand toward the ground. As if a massive shovel had been used, a large chunk of earth was gouged out and flew off to the side.
“Uwah...?”
Katarina stared at the scene in shock.
Shedia, too, seemed slightly surprised as she gazed at the massive pile of dirt.
It was understandable; the mound of earth was taller than a decent-sized villa.
“Don’t be so surprised. He may not look it, but he’s the king of an entire race. This much is to be expected.”
“The king of our kingdom can’t do things like that, can he?”
“You can’t put elves who live for thousands of years on the same level as humans.”
“Th-thousands of years...”
“I told you not to be surprised by every little thing. You’re going to see things far more incredible than this, so what will you do then? Ah, more importantly, let’s go down.”
There was a staircase in the hole the Fairy King had dug.
He descended first, and we followed. At the bottom of the stairs was another stone door. It opened smoothly when the Fairy King placed his palm on it.
What appeared was yet another staircase.
“The ancient spirits who refused the contract with the World Tree reside down here. Katarina, since your affinity is high, you should be able to contract with all four of the great spirits. Go and make a pact with them.”
Hearing the Fairy King’s words, Katarina looked at me.
“Cloud. To travel with you from now on, I can’t stay as I am, can I?”
“You don’t stand a chance.”
She frowned.
“Would it kill you to be a little nicer?”
“This is a matter of life and death. Misplaced kindness is worse than none at all.”
“And you’re the one who brought me along...” Katarina grumbled, pouting.
I looked at her and said, “If you really don’t want to travel with me, I’ll send you back. You came to travel with Cloud, not with the Hero.”
Katarina stared intently at my face, then let out a deep sigh.
“It’s fine. Even if I went back, I’d feel too empty to live without you. So, I have no choice but to follow, even if I don’t want to. I’ll be back.”
Her shoulders slumped as she stepped through the stone door.
“It might be dangerous, so take Shedia with you.”
I glanced at Shedia, asking if she was okay with it. She nodded, her face full of curiosity. As the two women entered, the stone door closed.
I stared at the sealed door and asked, “They’ll be safe, right?”
“Do not worry. They can be a bit eccentric, but they aren't malicious by nature. At worst, they’ll just play a few pranks.”
“I hope that’s the truth.”
“It is, so do not worry. Now, let us go back up.”
After climbing the stairs, the Fairy King gestured for me to sit at the table.
“Black tea or green tea, which do you prefer?”
“Black tea, please.”
“Very well.”
The Fairy King snapped his fingers, and the spirits floating in the air descended to brew the tea.
A water spirit took the tea leaves into itself, a fire spirit heated it, and a wind spirit stirred it. The completed black tea was poured into a cup and placed before me.
What the fuck.
Why does this seem so natural?
And why do you guys look so proud? Your friend just turned into black tea.
Ah. I guess it’s not dead yet.
The tea is waving at me.
Is it telling me to drink up?
If I drink this, I feel like a single flick of that elf’s finger will blow a hole through my stomach.
Is this some new assassination technique?
I was lost in deep thought when he spoke.
“Hero, why do you think I invited you here?”
“I believe I asked that when we first met because I didn’t know.”
“It is because I have taken an interest in you. There is one thing I simply must ask. Would you be willing to answer?”
“That depends on the question.”
“I see. Very well. Then...”
“And before you ask,” I said, cutting the Fairy King off.
I met his eyes and continued, “I am the only one left here, so you no longer need to hide. No, I would prefer if you didn’t. Speaking to a doll is a bit unpleasant.”
The Fairy King’s eyes widened. Then, he let out an amused laugh.
“Since when did you know?”
“I knew from the moment I first saw you.”
“You are an perceptive child.”
The Fairy King who had been drinking tea across from me instantly transformed into a sculpture made of twisted tree stems.
“And a strange one at that.”
A clear, pure voice.
I turned my head in the direction of the sound. This time, a beautiful female elf was watching me with her hands clasped behind her back.
“What do you mean by strange?”
The World Tree smiled.
“I have a peculiar set of eyes. They show me the inner world of intelligent life forms. And I have seen yours.”
“What did you see?”
“Chaos,” the World Tree stated flatly.
“The inner self my eyes reflect is filled with darkness and twisted beyond recognition. It feels like an endless, distorted abyss. You are a broken human. Of that, there is no doubt. However.”
A fervor entered the World Tree’s voice.
“Even within that twisted abyss, light and goodness exist, distinct and clear. They do not affect each other, as if they exist in different dimensions. In all my life, I have never seen a being with such an inner world. You are broken, and yet you are not. I find that so fascinating, so curious.”
The beautiful female elf turned into a wooden sculpture.
“So tell me.”
An elf in the form of a small girl tugged on my arm.
“How is that possible? How did you become this way?”
The child’s eyes were filled with a thirst for knowledge.
What could I say to satisfy this ancient tree’s curiosity?
I thought about it, but nothing came to mind.
So I just told the truth.
“It’s just... if you take that away, there’s nothing left of me.”