The Villainess and the Luinongs (1)
I handed out Nong-jjuk Candy to the Luinongs, who were huddled together like pigeons, while exploring the unknown. The result was a wealth of information about the mysterious race that had never been detailed in the original story—the Luinongs.
‘Luinongs possess immortality unless they suffer physical harm from others. On top of that, they’re completely immune to poison and disease.’
Plagues and death. These were things every living being in the world feared. Yet the Luinong race casually possessed the blessings of immortality and immunity to all afflictions. They even had the all-purpose ability to grant any wish if they earnestly begged something called ‘God.’ Just what in the world were these creatures?
Carrying a question as deep as the abyss, I wandered through Fairy’s Haven.
“……”
Squish. Squish. Squish. Squish. Squish. Squish. Squish.
Every time I took a step, it sounded like I was stepping on sponges. When I glanced behind me, I saw a swarm of Luinongs. The moment I stopped walking, they all halted in perfect unison.
“Why are you following me?”
I asked with a furrowed brow. The Luinongs looked frightened but still trailed after me in a line. Was it because I had tamed them with Nong-jjuk Candy? The colorful girls giggled and showed reactions full of curiosity.
“Looks like they all really like you, Edan.”
“…Like how kids are weirdly obsessed with junk food?”
No matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t normal for the Luinongs to ignore the beautiful princess and follow me around instead. I shook my head at Lue’s comment as we walked side by side. With a sigh, I waved my hand. The Luinongs, who had been watching from a distance, burst into laughter and gathered around me.
“What does the outsider want to know?”
“We’ll tell you everything! So you should be grateful!”
They looked ready to spill every secret if I just poked their sides. Even though I hadn’t asked anything yet, the bold fairies were practically itching to talk. They had clearly been waiting for someone to show interest in them.
“Just how long has this haven existed? You guys couldn’t have made it.”
The paradise, surrounded by pure white crystals, resembled an ancient city boasting magnificent architecture. There wasn’t the slightest artificial feel to it. It looked as if nature itself had created a home just for the Luinongs.
Dense cedar trees growing underground. Giant mushrooms serving as soft furniture. Warm, fluffy green moss. The sight of Luinongs frolicking across it all reminded me of a scene from a fairy tale. Would it have been this beautiful if human hands had touched it? The Luinong village, preserving a pure white mystery, was like the most perfect utopia nature could create.
“Even we Luinongs don’t know!”
“We can’t remember. Luinongs are all smart… but none of us can remember that part.”
All the Luinongs tilted their heads in confusion. There should have been at least some small clue, but they all reacted the exact same way as if they had rehearsed it. What could I expect from these pure, empty-headed little things? I let out a heavy sigh and gave up.
“Hmph, hmph…!”
“How dare a human look down on Luinongs!”
When I openly ignored them, the Luinongs grumbled and threw a tantrum. They waved their arms wildly, pouting as if to say, ‘If you don’t apologize, we’re going to sulk!’
Hmm. It would be troublesome if they really got upset. After all, I had come here to persuade the Luinongs of the haven. I decided to humor them a bit so I could win over the little ones later.
“Then tell me what you do know. Anything is fine, even the smallest details. If I like it, I’ll give you Nong-jjuk Candy.”
I pulled out the Nong-jjuk Candy from my pocket. The Luinongs immediately began trembling with intense excitement. When I added that I would only give it to one of them, their reactions grew even more frantic.
“Over there, icicles grow in clusters! Yellow, pink, green… Especially the green icicles are the most popular!”
“Ehh! Nubo’s mushroom bed is famous for being the softest! As soon as you lie down on the mushroom bed, everyone falls fast asleep and goes straight to dreamland!”
As expected, only trivial stories poured out. Icicles that tasted like fruit. The giant soft mushrooms the Luinongs used as beds. It was mildly interesting, but that was it. Maybe I should have asked about the being they called ‘God’ instead. I scratched the back of my head and handed each chattering Luinong a piece of Nong-jjuk Candy.
“Nom nom! There’s a glowing stick in the corner of the village!”
“It’s just a stick. If we tell him, he’ll call us idiots again.”
“We were so surprised. We never thought humans would come to the haven again.”
“Wasn’t he as sparkly as the pretty princess who gave us Nong-jjuk Candy?”
The little Luinongs sat in a circle on the grass like kindergarteners on a picnic. They sucked on their Nong-jjuk Candy and began chattering away. Wondering what they were talking about, I handed Lue a piece of candy as well and listened closely to their conversation.
“Besides us, who else has come to the haven?”
“Hieek! N-no, we were surprised!”
When I suddenly poked my head forward and asked, the Luinongs jumped in fright and shouted. They looked like they had been caught stealing something. I stared at them, silently urging them to answer.
“They suddenly came into the haven and left a stick behind.”
“A stick…?”
“A stick that sparkled like a shooting star. They gave the Luinongs food and said they were leaving it here!”
“……”
A beautiful woman like Elizabeta. And one man who volunteered to escort her. I didn’t know when it had happened. The Luinongs only told me that humans from the outside world had visited. A shock that pierced straight through my chest hit me. Anxiety swirled as I wondered if there might be traces of ‘them.’
In an agitated voice, I asked the Luinongs where the stick was. Though they looked terrified, they gladly guided me to the location.
“…Oh my god.”
We arrived at a place filled with icicles frozen solid like a snow-covered mountain range. There, reflected in the mirror-like transparent ice, I witnessed a radiant glow. A dazzling brilliance like sunlight. It was unmistakably the holy power of the Earth Mother.
In the center where the holy power shone brilliantly, the ‘stick’ the Luinongs had mentioned stood planted all by itself.
White Night Scepter
The holy relic of Saintess Beatrice, capable of severing immortality. A sacred weapon bestowed upon the Second Saintess by the Earth Mother.
The scepter, decorated with a golden orb and pure white ivory, was clearly a holy artifact from the Holy Empire. The Earth Mother’s divine punishment that destroyed immortality. The holy armament of the Second Saintess who had been given a great mission. Why on earth was it just sitting here in Fairy’s Haven?
The beautiful woman the Luinongs had seen was undoubtedly Beatrice. The Beatrice who had gone missing with her lovers had visited the haven for a short time. I had finally found a trace.
The moment I saw the Second Saintess’s holy weapon, my heart began to pound more violently than ever before.
“Isn’t that Bea’s staff?!”
Lue, who had arrived late, shouted in shock. The Luinongs who had guided us stiffened their fur and began whispering among themselves.
“It must be a really important stick.”
“We were swinging it around and playing with it until yesterday…”
“She used it as a laundry pole. It gave off warm light, so the clothes dried really well.”
The White Night Scepter was the weapon the Earth Mother had given Beatrice to cut down immortality. The Saintess Party had used the White Night Scepter to defeat the immortal ruler of the Demon Realm, accomplishing a fate everyone had thought impossible. Naturally, the Holy Empire revered the White Night Scepter as the highest sacred treasure that could not be traded for anything.
And yet that very holy weapon… had been used by the Luinongs as a baseball bat and a laundry pole. If the Holy Emperor and the cardinals had seen this sight, they would have let out deep sighs. They might have even swung thick bibles to smash the little Luinongs’ heads.
‘There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize this scepter.’
It was the weapon Beatrice had always cherished like a part of herself. She had never let the White Night Scepter out of her grasp for even a moment. So why… why had she left behind the scepter that symbolized her?
My head started to throb. I swallowed a groan and pressed my temples.
“Edan, are you okay?!”
“Of course. I just felt dizzy for a second.”
I considered retrieving the abandoned White Night Scepter, but decided to hold off for now. There was no need to rush. Fairy’s Haven was a completely isolated sanctuary from the outside world. That must be why Beatrice had left the White Night Scepter here. No one would be able to find the holy weapon if it was left in this place.
“For now, let’s leave the White Night Scepter as it is. Whether they use it as a baseball bat or a laundry pole… the owner abandoned it and left, so tell them to do whatever they want with it.”
As if letting go of any lingering attachment, I turned my head. Then I took Lue’s hand.
“Our goal is to take the Luinongs of the haven outside. Let’s think about how to bring them out of this closed-off world first.”
There was a limit to simply tempting them with snacks. I needed a surefire way to capture the Luinongs’ hearts. What could that be? I would have to discuss it with Lue from now on.
Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, I led the countless Luinongs toward Elizabeta. I wondered what the princess was doing right about now. I could only hope there hadn’t been any trouble. Because Elizabeta was notorious as the villainess with a fiery temper, I felt a deep sense of worry.
* * *
After touring the outskirts of the village with the Luinongs, we returned. Confirming Elizabeta’s location wasn’t difficult. The bold girls were packed so densely that the platinum-haired princess was bound to be right in the middle of them.
“Princess! Princess!”
“Don’t cling to her so much!”
I had heard of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but never of a villainess and Luinongs. The beautiful princess with flowing golden hair was surrounded by Luinongs cheering as if celebrating a victory. Just what kind of situation was this?
Elizabeta was wearing a flower crown woven from colorful blossoms. The Luinongs must have given it to her as a gift. For a moment, my head went blank at the sight of the platinum princess skillfully taming the Luinongs as if raising pets.
“Eek…! G-God?!”
While I was staring at the unbelievable scene, Lue, who had been watching from the side, suddenly let out a cry of shock. Her gaze, filled with clear bewilderment, was fixed directly on Elizabeta.