Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: The Yandere Fairy's Gaze is Strange
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Clack— clack—
I hurried up the rooftop stairs.
I was certain the fairies wouldn't show up in broad daylight, but the sound of water coming from the rooftop was unmistakably real.
By the time I reached the rooftop, a humid heat immediately enveloped my face.
'...Who's there?'
In the middle of the rooftop, steam rose gently from a hot bath.
But what I hadn't expected was the dignified man soaking in it—not a fairy, but someone far more imposing.
It was King Yama.
With his arms draped over the edges, he leaned back in the steaming water, his face utterly relaxed as he enjoyed his bath.
Despite his heavy presence, the air around him felt strangely still.
"King Yama?"
The drifting steam framed his face like a spotlight, and his gleaming eyes slowly turned toward me.
"Yes, have you been well?"
"No, what are you doing here at this hour?"
Only then did King Yama clear his throat awkwardly and adjust his posture.
The water rippled with his movement, and he waved his hand lightly as if it were no big deal.
"Ahem. I came early because I have urgent business with you."
"Is it about the side effects?"
"Indeed. Have they returned since I left?"
"Twice."
There hadn't been any side effects at all, but I lied on purpose.
That way, I might squeeze a few more Heavenly Return Pills out of King Yama.
"You'll have to ascend to the Celestial Realm soon, so prepare yourself."
"...Pardon?"
"Didn't I tell you last time? You must go to the Celestial Realm."
"No, I mean, can't I go right now?"
"Do-un said he's found a way. It will take some time."
"Did you rush down here just to tell me that?"
"One more thing: you can't ascend to the Celestial Realm in human form."
This guy...
What the hell was he saying?
He wasn't implying I had to die to go up there, was he?
"...Do I have to die?"
"Why would you die?"
"No, didn't you just say I can't go to the Celestial Realm in human form?"
"You misunderstand me. The problem is the human appearance itself."
"...Pardon?"
"It means you need to change into one of my subordinates—not a human."
I tilted my head at King Yama's words.
"One of your subordinates?"
"Yes. If word gets out that a living human has come to the Celestial Realm, there will be too much talk."
"You mean change my appearance?"
"Just alter your outward look to be less human-like. No need to worry."
Tsk.
It felt a bit fishy, but I couldn't keep living with these side effects forever.
Swallowing a sigh, I took a step closer to King Yama.
"I have something to tell you as well."
"What is it?"
"Do you know a fairy called the Jua Fairy?"
King Yama narrowed his red eyes.
It wasn't mere curiosity—there was a cold, judgmental aura emanating from him.
"Jua Fairy? I know of her."
"The Jua Fairy is kidnapping human men to satisfy her desires, then erasing their memories and destroying the evidence."
"..."
"And there's a human man helping her."
At that moment, King Yama's facial muscles tensed subtly.
His initial expression was one of disbelief, but it gradually twisted into something darker.
"How do you know this?"
"I saw it with my own eyes."
"Are you sure it's the Jua Fairy?"
"I clearly heard another man call her 'Fairy' with my own ears."
"But how do you know the Jua Fairy in the first place?"
I straightened my back and continued.
"I heard about her from the Gold Fairy, and she's visited my house once."
"The Jua Fairy did?"
"Anyway, regardless of how I know her, isn't that beside the point?"
With King Yama's face flushing red, the hot bath water he was soaking in began to churn heavily.
His lips pressed into a tight line, and a dark aura started to overwhelm the space.
"The Jua Fairy was already a person of interest in the Celestial Realm. She's ignored the rules countless times by coming and going from the Human World as she pleased. But to think she'd go so far as to commit such depraved acts against humans..."
His voice grew low and gravelly, truly furious.
He gritted his teeth hard, and the vein bulging on his forehead gauged the depth of his anger.
In the heavy air that followed, he let out a deep breath.
"Then hurry up and catch her and punish her."
"I can't do that."
"...Pardon?"
"There's no evidence."
"Don't you have the power to oversee reincarnation?"
"H-how do you know that?"
"You'd need it to judge the deeds of the deceased and decide whether to send them to hell or not."
I blinked in disbelief, and King Yama cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem! True, but that power is limited to humans. I can't see a fairy's past."
"...Pardon?"
"That's why the Jua Fairy erased their memories after committing her crimes."
Damn it.
No wonder she was so brazen despite her madness—she was confident she wouldn't get caught.
"Then can't you restore the lost memories of living humans or the deceased?"
"Ordinary memory loss can be restored, but if a fairy caused it, the memories aren't just lost—they're obliterated. It's impossible."
"...King Yama, if I may be so bold, aren't you the king of the underworld?"
"W-what!?"
"I mean, you always claim to be omnipotent, but you can't handle something like this?"
King Yama tilted his head slightly, glaring at me.
His red eyes flashed momentarily before sinking heavily.
Even the steam rising from the water seemed to shrink back, sensing his rage.
"You dare mock me?"
Normally, his overwhelming pressure would have frozen me solid.
But now that I knew his powers were so lacking, it wasn't that scary.
"I just can't understand how the one who judges human lives and decides their next incarnation can't catch a single fairy."
"...What?"
"Just grab the Jua Fairy and interrogate her. Evidence will come out eventually."
King Yama's eyebrow twitched.
He raised his hand and slowly wiped the water from his face, and silence stretched on for a while.
Then, in a low but firm tone, he spoke.
"The Celestial Realm has strict procedures."
"Procedures?"
"No matter how omnipotent I am, I can't arbitrarily punish a fairy or a human."
"So you're saying that because of procedures, you can't do anything even with a criminal fairy right in front of you?"
King Yama sighed and nodded.
"...Yes."
Judging by his emphasis on 'procedures', the Celestial Realm felt no different from the Human World.
I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
"So how are you going to resolve this? Just let it slide?"
"We need evidence."
"By the time you find evidence, human men will be getting raped by the Jua Fairy."
"Even so, I can't break Celestial law."
I barely swallowed a curse and spoke calmly.
"How do you plan to find evidence?"
"I'll have to talk to the Cloud Flower Great King who oversees the fairies. But why are you getting so worked up?"
His question blanked my mind for a moment.
'Yeah, why am I so heated about this?'
I asked myself.
I was definitely angry about the Jua Fairy kidnapping human men, satisfying her lust, and erasing their memories.
But why?
Was it pity for the men living on, unaware they were victims?
Or frustration that no one could stop her ongoing crimes?
A hot emotion surged from deep in my chest, but I couldn't pinpoint the reason.
One thing was clear: her brazen actions disgusted me, and it was even more frustrating that King Yama was tying it up in 'procedures' without acting.
I furrowed my brow slightly and let out a short sigh.
"I'm kind of close to the Gold Fairy, you know?"
"...I suppose you are."
"I thought the Gold Fairy was decent, but seeing someone like the Jua Fairy ruin that image just rubs me the wrong way."
King Yama's eyes widened at my words.
"What!? The Gold Fairy is decent!?"
"Why? I figured you'd agree, King Yama, since you're the one collecting her sweat-absorbing clothes."
His red eyes wavered faintly.
As if he wanted to say something but held back.
After a long silence, he twisted his lips into a smile.
"Ignorance is bliss."
"Sure, the Gold Fairy has her rough edges, but her nature is kind, right?"
"Anyway... I think we can resolve this quickly."
I reacted immediately to his words.
"Y-you found a way?"
King Yama crossed his thick arms confidently.
A strange glint flickered in his eyes as he lifted the corner of his mouth.
"I'll handle it myself."
King Yama stepping in personally?
Yes, that's what I wanted.
How much better if he'd said this sooner?
I clapped my hands and raised my voice.
"As expected of the King of the Underworld."
King Yama beamed with pride.
Then his gaze turned straight to me.
"So, with that said... I need you to be the bait. Can you do it?"