The Villainess and the Luinongs (2)
The moment Elizabetta gave the order, I wondered if the Luinongs—who had been hiding away in their paradise like mushrooms sprouting on damp wallpaper—would obediently come outside. It seemed far too easy. All the anxious worrying I had done suddenly felt ridiculous. To think a seemingly impossible problem would resolve itself so smoothly. In fact, I even felt a twinge of suspicion that something wasn’t quite right.
No matter how pure and simple-minded the Luinongs are… could they really show that much enthusiasm toward an outsider?
It was only natural for innocent children to be captivated by a beautiful woman. I had heard somewhere that the prettier and more lovely someone’s appearance, the less guarded people became around them. But the way the Luinongs worshipped the Platinum Princess went beyond simple admiration. It was closer to bewitchment.
There was no sign of the Luinongs who had once screamed and foamed at the mouth at the mere sight of outsiders. They simply revered Elizabetta like a goddess and cheered for her with all their might.
“Can you still sense the divine presence?”
“I-I’m not sure. It feels like I can sense it, but then again I can’t….”
A vague answer, as expected. I nodded at Lue’s trembling response. First, I decided to get a closer look and approached Elizabetta, who was surrounded by a swarm of Luinongs.
As soon as I drew near, Elizabetta turned to me with a bright smile.
“Edanant, you’re back?”
Her voice was exactly as it always was. There was nothing suspicious about her appearance either. It was nothing more than a gut feeling. So I decided to set my doubts aside for the moment.
“Your Highness, it appears that Saintess Beatrice visited the Fairy’s Haven.”
“What? Beatrice…! That damn wench came here?!”
The instant I delivered news of the thief who had stolen her fiancé, Elizabetta transformed into a white-haired witch. She flew into a rage, her emerald eyes burning with pure hatred. In the blink of an eye, the benevolent princess had become a vicious villainess.
The Luinongs who had been giggling and following the Platinum Princess immediately let out terrified screams. As if afraid of being swept up in the aftermath of her fury, they retreated like the tide, putting as much distance between themselves and her as possible.
Hmm. That explosive reaction confirmed it. This was definitely Elizabetta.
She stomped the ground so violently that her skirt fluttered wildly. Even that didn’t seem to relieve her anger; she continued to huff and puff with ragged breaths.
“Hieek!”
“The princess suddenly got angry!”
It was like a scene from a disaster movie. The Luinongs trembled with pale, horrified faces. The villainess’s overwhelming ferocity instantly dominated the atmosphere. Through this, the little fairies realized that their beloved princess had a terrifying side.
Never, ever upset the princess…!
The tiny fairies whispered among themselves and instantly established a new taboo on the spot.
“While searching the outskirts of the village under the Luinongs’ guidance, we discovered the White Night Scepter. It is the holy weapon of the Holy Kingdom that Saintess Beatrice once used.”
“…The White Night Scepter.”
The divine punishment of the Earth Mother that had sent the immortal Demon King into eternal rest. There was no way Elizabetta wouldn’t know about it. Upon learning that Beatrice had left behind a holy weapon in the Fairy’s Haven, her expression grew deeply meaningful. She must have begun to suspect that the Saintess Party’s disappearance wasn’t merely an act of elopement.
“Even someone like me who knows nothing about war has heard of the White Night Scepter. It’s the holy weapon that finished off the immortal Demon King! Unless she suddenly went insane, how could Beatrice possibly leave behind a holy weapon like…”
Elizabetta muttered while biting her nails. I spoke to her again as she stood there in shock.
“And it seems there was a man who accompanied Beatrice all the way to the paradise. I’ll have to ask the Luinongs exactly who he was, but…”
“……”
It might have been Maximilian. I swallowed those words with great effort. There was no need to say it outright—she would guess it anyway. But for some reason, Elizabetta showed no reaction at all. I even wondered if she had failed to understand what I meant.
It was completely different from how she had flown into a rage at the mere mention of Beatrice. Elizabetta remained utterly expressionless, as if she were hearing about a complete stranger. Her calm demeanor, like a tranquil lake, was so eerie it sent chills down my spine.
“I decided to forget about Maximilian, remember? I have no lingering feelings left. I’m not the kind of annoying woman who would cling desperately to a man who abandoned me so irresponsibly.”
“…Is that so.”
“Anyway, it’s fortunate. We’ve coincidentally found traces of the missing Saintess Party.”
“……”
Elizabetta spoke with a face brightened by relief. There wasn’t the slightest trace of lingering attachment or sorrow on her beautiful features. That was when I realized it.
Right now, Elizabetta was being controlled by some unidentified spiritual entity.
The Fairy’s Haven, filled with crystals emitting pure white radiance—how did it distinguish between day and night? It was a question that naturally came to mind. As time passed, I finally received my answer.
When the outside world reached evening, the brilliant glow of the crystals gradually dimmed. As darkness rapidly fell, the Luinongs began retreating one by one into their huts hidden beneath vines and leaves.
“This is my house!”
Lue kindly guided me to her own hut. It looked similar to the others. The only distinguishing feature was a crooked sign that read Lue Luinong’s House.
Even though she had spent three whole years outside, Lue’s hut was remarkably clean. The other Luinongs must have been taking care of it with great devotion. It was truly admirable family love.
“Edan, you can use the bed!”
“…It’s way too small for me.”
Unfortunately, the giant mushroom bed was absurdly tiny for an adult man. After all, it had been made for Luinongs. The same went for all the other furniture. Everything was dainty, as if I had arrived in a kingdom of dwarves. No doubt these were all creations of the being the Luinongs worshipped as their “Goddess.”
Like an overly protective mother, she had built a near-perfect paradise for the Luinongs who adored her.
“Go to sleep first. I’ll be back soon.”
Lue, who had been sitting on the bed, stood up as if to follow me. I gave her a bitter smile and shook my head. The situation could become dangerous. I left the stubbornly persistent Lue inside the hut and set out alone.
My destination was the spot where Saintess Beatrice’s holy weapon had been left behind.
As I drew closer, the White Night Scepter greeted me with its brilliant radiance. Even though night had fallen over the paradise and everything had grown dark, the holy relic Beatrice left behind continued to shine brilliantly, completely oblivious.
“Edanant.”
There was already a visitor waiting. It was Elizabetta. Or more precisely, the “something” that had possessed Elizabetta.
“Now that it’s grown dark, the once-noisy paradise has become quiet.”
“Night is the time for adults. The children should be going to bed now.”
The beautiful princess with flowing golden hair offered a faint smile. I wondered what she was thinking. Elizabetta took a step forward and turned her head. I quietly stared at her back as she approached the White Night Scepter and clenched my fists. I was ready to respond to any sudden situation.
“You’re quite the cautious one. You noticed from the very beginning.”
“……”
“Humans really are so hard to fool. It’s annoyingly complicated.”
“You were just clumsy.”
“Maybe so,” the Goddess of the Luinongs answered with a chuckle. Her playful, childlike voice made me frown.
“Anyway, welcome to the Fairy’s Haven. Ever since that wench of the Earth Mother barged in uninvited, all sorts of amusing things have been happening.”
“I don’t find any of this amusing.”
The goddess who had created the Fairy’s Haven had possessed Elizabetta’s body. The princess’s eyes, now a vivid violet, proved it. An overwhelming divinity could be felt. It was a magnificent divine rank befitting the creator goddess who had given birth to both the race and their paradise.
This was why the demons and cultists had gone to such extreme lengths to kidnap her—Elizabetta was the perfect vessel for summoning a deity. As if to prove it, the goddess’s divine rank and Elizabetta’s body boasted an incredibly high synchronization rate.
“Why did you steal the princess’s body?”
“How rude. It was the princess who summoned me from my long slumber, you know?”
I asked in a sharp tone. The goddess pouted like a sulking child.
“It wasn’t that my divine rank used the vessel. The vessel sucked in my divine rank.”
“…Is that even possible?”
“I don’t know either. This is the first time something like this has happened, so I’m quite bewildered.”
“……”
In other words, she had never intended to steal Elizabetta’s body. That was a relief. I had been worried about what would happen if the goddess who possessed her body decided to seize control. If the goddess of the Luinongs—who had been dragged into this against her will—would simply return control to Elizabetta and step back, the problem would be solved.
Thinking that, I let out a sigh of relief.
“Why would I give it back?”
“What?”
“This is the first time I’ve encountered such a perfect vessel. I plan to use it thoroughly until the body eventually ages and wears out. Besides, all the children of the paradise seem to like her very much.”
“…So you’ve finally revealed your true intentions.”
That’s how all these so-called gods were. Arrogant, greedy, and treating the humans who worshipped them as nothing more than disposable tools. It was exactly the outcome I had expected. I immediately regretted feeling even a moment of relief.
I stared at the goddess, who radiated overwhelming divinity, and released the restraints on my blessing. After all, I had lured her to this secluded place with the intention of reclaiming Elizabetta by any physical means necessary.
Creators always shape their creations in their own image. Broyan was no exception. Using her own ego as a mold, she had created the race she named the Luinongs. Just like the mischievous and accident-prone Luinongs, their original creator Broyan was also full of playful spirit.
That was why she deliberately spoke in a venomous tone, putting the visitor to the Fairy’s Haven in an awkward position.
“E-eh…?”
A jet-black torrent began to surge. At the same time, the man’s eyes turned completely black. It was the manifestation of his will to reclaim Elizabetta by force if necessary.
The black energy that had been drifting like haze soon enveloped the surroundings, sealing off the space.
“W-why are you appearing…!”
Broyan let out a terrified voice. It was because she had seen something that, in all her eternal life, she must never encounter.