Columbus
The fairies. He didn't deny that they were a uniquely strange species. But if asked whether they were immensely interesting, then no, that wasn't it either. Those tiny creatures fluttering around were no different from what he remembered from his previous life. *Just like flies or mosquitoes. But they can talk, at least.* Mosquitoes with two arms and two legs. To Lee Dam, fairies were nothing more than that level of impression. Well, would they be of much help? In the end, those damn flies would just have to serve as alarm clocks.
“Oh? What are you going to do today? Again, going to tinker with machines with your grandpa?” “Yawn, sure. What's the complaint?” Lee Dam scratched his head while yawning and roughly headed outside. Right now she was renting an empty house in Copper Valley, and abandoned buildings dotted the town like they hadn't forgotten the glory of old times. As the fairy had said, rain was falling, but Lee Dam hadn't bothered to grab an umbrella. After all, the place she was going wasn't far. Every morning she went to the pub to eat. She never paid. It had just happened that way one day. Lee Dam had hunted down the Great Worms to save them, so it was only fair.
“Th-that's right, but our comrades are hiding in the mine—” “Why the hell would I go rescue them?” “Who knows when the Great Worms will show up next?” “My business?” Lee Dam pushed open the pub door and stepped inside. The only reason the fairy followed her was one thing. To save their own friends hiding in the mine. In the copper mine, the fairies were hiding, trembling from the monsters there. The fairies didn't need food because they ate mana, but the monsters forced them to flee the mine. But Lee Dam didn't care about any of that.
“Oh, Archmage! Just like I said yesterday, I prepared something spicy today. These old men can't even put this in their mouths, so the ingredients are left over—lucky us.” When the pub owner saw Lee Dam come in and sat at the counter, he greeted her cheerfully. The town had saved them, but no one knew how long the savior would stay here. Still, at least she hadn't made them work too hard for food. Of course, her stunning appearance probably helped his mercy continue quite a bit as well. The stew the owner served was bright red. The moment Lee Dam took a bite, it wasn't the Korean-style spiciness she wanted, but a sharp, fiery heat. Still, the long time without a real spicy taste wasn't that bad. *Back then I didn't like spicy stuff much.* Living here had made her crave spice. Most dishes were either bland or greasy—one of the two. *If I hadn't liked ice cream, I could've become a chef.* Early morning, apparently. Out of nowhere, Lee Dam was having a completely sane thought.
“Uwaaa?! You're eating that?! My nose is already burning!” Watching the fairy buzzing around beside her, Lee Dam sighed. “Shut up and sit still.” “Ye-yes……” The fairy pouted. The pub owner saw it, smiled wickedly, and approached. “But, Archmage, it's really amazing how you carry that kind of thing around. Do you all carry that kind of stuff in the Magic Tower?” “Th-this?!” The fairy looked dumbfounded, but the owner poked her with his finger like she was a cute little kid from the village. “What can you do? Even if you want to be the pub mascot because you're so small, you can't carry even one glass of beer.” “W-we fairies aren't to be taken lightly! We can use magic, you know?!” “Ah, ah shit!?” The owner's finger suddenly froze solid. The big man let out a childish whine that didn't match his size and looked miserable. “Y-your finger?!” It was like she had turned into a statue. The fairy laughed and puffed out her chest. “Huhuhu! How is it?! Amazing, right?!” “Frozen! It hurts! It hurts! Shit! Quick, turn it back to normal!” The pub owner's shout, his face drained of color, made the fairy hesitate for a moment before answering hesitantly. “U-um…… I-I can only do this much? It'll melt after a while.” “Melts?! How am I supposed to do business today! And now my hand is frozen because of you!” Thud! Lee Dam's hand shot out and grabbed the pub owner's frozen finger. Chiiiik! The heat pouring from her palm melted the ice in an instant. “Ah, ah it's hot!” Now the owner frantically pulled his hand away, crying out that it was burning hot, but his gaze was fixed on the fairy. “Ah, no…… I only wanted to show you that I can be useful, so I stopped—” “Hey, can other fairies do that too?” “Huh? U-um…… y-yeah, it is possible.” The fairy looked bewildered that Lee Dam was suddenly interested in her other comrades. But Lee Dam took a big spoonful of stew and checked again. “How far can you fly?” “Eh? M-me?” “Eh, you and your comrades. Whether I rescue them or not depends on it, so tell me properly.” ……! Lee Dam's words made the fairy's wings flap even more violently as she answered. “I-I can fly all the way to where there's clouds! O-of course, I don't know if you know, but it's super cold there and it might freeze solid?! But—” “Cool.” Clang. Lee Dam finished the stew and immediately stood up. “Thanks for the meal, boss. I'm feeling like something heavy for dinner tonight.” ……That would cost a lot of money. “You're really cheap.” Lee Dam grinned and stepped outside, the fairy following right after. The rain outside had grown heavier, and thick clouds covered the sky in gray. Ironically, it looked like Lee Dam was seeing the real face of Copper Valley, and the rain fell with more flair than usual. At that moment, an old man looking toward the mine side tilted his head. “Miss Dam? Where are you off to? Didn't you finish that discussion about the fever yesterday? And you're going out without an umbrella, you'll catch a cold.” “Ah? That's all fine now.” Lee Dam's grin spread as rainwater began to wash away around her. She had created a barrier with mana to block the rain. “Eek!” The fairy was pushed away too, but Lee Dam didn't care. “I found a solution for the fever issue.” “Mm? A solution?” “Y-yeah, it seems simpler than I thought.” Lee Dam's smile was beautiful, but it carried an eerie chill. The old man who had lived for so many years knew all too well that this was the edge of genius. Those people always twisted the problems they had to come up with solutions. This was called a revolution or innovation. It was similar to the madness edge seen in Ches Martin, who sparked the tooth-reform that put humans below machines in evaluation. “Take care.” That was why the old man simply said goodbye. He expected the woman named genius to bring yet another solution this time. But sadly. “…” Lee Dam's smile didn't mean a great technological reform. There was no need to catch the fever from inside. Lower thermal conductivity iron that made the fever less noticeable? Completely unnecessary. No matter what, as long as the fever was caught, it was fine. So. *Can't I just catch it from outside?* Right here, with a fairy who could fly to the clouds and freeze a human's finger? “Hey, what's your name?” “Ah! Me?! Finally you're asking! I'm Nibi! Among the fairies—” “Accepted.” ……Eh? Nibi looked at Lee Dam, who suddenly cut off her words and declared acceptance. Lee Dam smiled wickedly at her dazed expression and nodded satisfied. “It's really lucky in times like these, isn't it?” Lee Dam grinned and whispered while gently grabbing the fairy like she was precious. “You're hired.” If you had to put it in analogy, Lee Dam right now was Columbus. Columbus boarded a ship and arrived at the American continent. And there he discovered the natives living there. Lee Dam too. Leaving the Magic Tower, she arrived in Copper Valley. An unintended settlement had begun, but she found fairies living here. The result was the same—unmistakably similar. The beginning of enslavement.
* * *
About an hour after Lee Dam entered the mine with fairy Nibi, heavy footsteps mixed with the now even heavier rain. Uninvited guests were pouring into Copper Valley. “Eh?” “W-what?!” “Call Paul! Call Paul first!” The old men who had been enjoying the rain outside rushed to call Paul. In military boots, they entered Copper Valley. And standing at the very front was a woman wearing a beret that screamed determination. Captain Jennifer Iba. Paul, the hunter and self-defense squad member, slowly walked out. Ironically, the moment the two saw each other, they recognized. “Senior?!” “Iba? What are you doing here?” Former soldier Paul. Thanks to that, the atmosphere had become a bit lighter, but Paul was already thinking hard. *'Cause of the mage.'* Of course, as an official matter, Iba didn't hide it. “I believe you know a mage named Lee Dam. We came already knowing everything.” …… “She insulted the Boulian Republic's Representative Fontaine directly and, not only that, burned down the escort carriage and killed Republic soldiers.” …… “Accordingly, we have come to arrest her underlings. Please cooperate.” It was exactly the old feeling—just the greeting. Captain Iba stated her reason for being here in a businesslike voice. Under the umbrella, Paul, soaked with sweat despite the rain not falling, was troubled. *Still, she's the one who saved our village.* Without her, this place would already be in ruins, and we would have melted in the Great Worm's digestive fluid. But apparently the crime wasn't small either. Murder! “Haa……” What the hell was he supposed to do? Push her in or hide her? *'Where the hell did she go?'* Paul didn't know Lee Dam had gone into the mine. The fact that she hadn't shown up yet made him think she might have run away. At the village entrance, suddenly accompanied by a massive explosion. “Glory to the gods of the Nebula!” “Save the saintess!” Loud shouts erupted.