★★
Hmm…
[Have you arrived?]
In a dark space, Eringium, Poppy, and Asta fluttered in the faint light upon hearing Aethernum’s voice, soaring through the air.
“Lord Aethernum. Are you okay? You don’t look well!”
“Asta is very worried.”
“Lord Aethernum! I’ve safely brought Sylvia back! Did I bring her back correctly?”
The three fairies had been suddenly summoned. Upon returning to Aethernum’s lair, they were startled but soon found comfort in the familiar aura.
[Yes… You did well, Eringium.]
“Hehe.”
“But why did you suddenly call us?”
Aethernum, leaving his body as stiff as a fossil, only opened his eyes to look at the fairies. His faded eyes held a murky blackness. The fairies, looking into his eyes that blended with the darkness, awaited an answer.
[The King of Beasts, Tenebris, seems to be heading this way.]
“Isn’t that a big problem?”
“What should we do… Asta is very scared, Lord Aethernum.”
“What is it that we need to do?”
Eringium asked with a brave voice, and Aethernum slightly lifted his eyelids, smiling thinly.
[You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you, Eringium.]
“What did I do…”
Eringium, feeling embarrassed, rubbed her nose. Poppy grumbled beside her.
“Honestly, you were really boring before. What? Boring is a good thing, right? Because meals are delicious!”
“Asta thinks so too, Poppy. That’s a compliment.”
“Right?”
“You guys!”
[My dear children.]
Despite his weakness, Aethernum’s voice, filled with strong power, made the three fairies turn their attention back to the dragon.
[As you can feel, my time is really running out. I must bring my last descendant here before my breath ceases.]
“Lord Aethernum…”
Hearing about his weakening power was different from feeling it. Poppy and Asta teared up.
[You must bring them here. That way, my descendant and that child will not be harmed. Did you understand my words well?]
As Poppy and Asta burst into tears, Eringium responded with a determined expression.
“We will surely fulfill it, Lord Aethernum.”
[Yes… That gives me some peace of mind.]
Having finished speaking, Aethernum closed his eyes that were barely open. The three fairies watched him for a moment, then fluttered toward the exit. Rushing back to Felix and Sylvia, they flew across the royal palace and came across a commotion.
“What on earth do you know!”
Bella stormed out of the palace hall, yelling at Barbara, the stewardess. Barbara bowed her head in shame.
“How can you, the former queen’s stewardess, claim you don’t know! You think I don’t know you’re trying to deceive me!”
Slap!
Bella, accustomed to hitting Barbara, spat out words in irritation.
“I am the queen, where can’t I go? I’ve heard there’s a treasury only the royal family can enter. But why can’t I properly feast my eyes on those many jewels? Ah, you’re deceiving me. Such wretches only learn their lesson when they’re shaken down thoroughly.”
Bella, disregarding any royal dignity, grabbed Barbara’s hair with both hands and shook her violently.
“I didn’t spare your life for you to live. If that brat had confessed willingly, I wouldn’t be suffering like this.”
“Ugh, ugh.”
Bella, pulling her hair as if she would rip it out, caused red blood to flow down beside Barbara’s ears.
“Vile woman.”
Feeling the sticky sensation on her hands, Bella pushed away Barbara’s head, causing her to fall to the floor. Bella then stomped on her mercilessly.
“Useless ones deserve this treatment.”
As Bella stamped her feet with all her emotion, a furious voice reached her ears.
“What in the world are you doing!”
Having lived in the palace as if it were his own home, Count Lansmorris arrived upon hearing the commotion. With heavy steps, the count approached and harshly slapped Bella’s cheek.
“I wonder if you even possess any dignity.”
“Oh, brother… But!”
“Quiet! Who gives such a punishment to a person in charge of the pantry in a place like this? You always act just like your mother.”
Bella’s shoulders shrank at her brother’s rebuke. It was the last thing she wanted to hear.
“Your mother was truly foolish and lowly. Who do you think brought you up to this point, having been raised under such a mother!”
“I’m sorry… brother.”
“Don’t call me brother!”
The count said firmly, with a disgusted look at her calling him ‘brother’.
“In the meantime, find the treasury of the Capitis royal family. Look for it yourself on foot, without causing trouble to innocent people.”
The count glanced at Barbara with a sly look and called out in a sleazy voice.
“Um, Lady Barbara? I will call a doctor, so please give me your hand.”
He doesn’t show respect to Bella, who is a queen, but asks Barbara, who is in charge of the pantry, politely. Barbara, unable to say anything, glanced at Bella. Noticing this, the count withdrew his hand for a moment and said to Bella.
“What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be searching by walking around?”
Bella nodded frantically, startled by his murmuring.
“Yes, I will. Brother… I mean…”
Count Lansmorris, knowing very well what she wanted to say, answered with a cunning smile.
“Good, it’s fortunate you are a child of our family. So, won’t you listen to what your brother has to say?”
As if his words were a lifeline, Bella nodded vigorously with a bright smile.
“Of course! I am a child who will be helpful to the family. I will definitely find it and be of help to you, brother.”
“Good, I’m looking forward to it.”
With a single kind word and expression from him, Bella disappeared with another maid beside her.
“Now you can hold my hand, right? Oh my, you are bleeding quite a bit. Tsk, the saying ‘stupid but strong’ isn’t wrong, I see.”
Barbara, embarrassed, lowered her head and took the count’s hand to get up. The count, charmed by her graceful demeanor, escorted her with a pretense of reliability, unaware that Barbara’s eyes had turned cold.
Three fairies looking down from above said at the same time,
[Delightful.]
Then, they flapped their wings vigorously and flew up.
[But isn’t ‘delightful’ a good word?]
Poppy asked, puzzled, to which Asta affirmed with an innocent expression,
[Yes, it’s a good word. Sylvia always says it’s delightful when she eats freshly cooked rice.]
[So, it’s not a curse then! I never knew cursing could be this difficult!]
Poppy exclaimed. Then Eringium laughed softly and replied,
[Poppy, you said it right. It’s delightful for us because that stepmother is suffering such humiliation. Sylvia said that this kind of delightfulness is the correct expression! More delightful than the taste of rice!]
With her lavender eyes sparkling, Eringium raised her hands high as Poppy and Asta applauded.
[Eringium! Were you always this smart?]
[Asta, I’m touched! Erin has grown so much!]
[What! I’ve always been a smart fairy! Smarter than Clover!]
Eringium shouted, then closed her mouth as she realized what she had blurted out.
[Ah, it’s just us here, so it’s fine. If you had said that in front of Sylvia, you would have gone hungry all day.]
Poppy said with a playful laugh. Then Asta spoke up as she moved towards the window to go outside.
[How wonderful it must be for the missing children? I also want to go back there soon. Right?]
[Yes, I’m looking forward to it.]
As Poppy and Asta conversed, Eringium could not join in. This was because she remembered Sylvia’s earnest words to her.
However, Eringium also desperately wanted to return. After all, their true home was Felix itself, so if he stayed by Sylvia’s side forever, they would not be parting.
Bright red, light purple, and lavender-colored flower petals floated up into the clear sky. Riding naturally on the flowing wind, they flew leisurely towards their rightful place.
★★
Having had a decent night’s sleep, the Croban mercenary group and the ducal knights mounted their horses. Sylvia was handing out lunch boxes, drinking water, juice, and fruits to them one by one.
“Siri, come on up.”
Felix said as he watched her taking care of the members. She grabbed his naturally extended hand and climbed onto the horse. Felix, worried that even his touch might be rejected, felt his restless heart settle down in an instant.
Following her, Felix lightly mounted his horse and said,
“We head southwest. Hubert, Dennis, Henry, you three will temporarily take charge. In my absence, your words will be as if they were mine. Follow the orders and move swiftly.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Despite the resonant voices of the knights, Sylvia was lost in thought. She was worried because the three fairies had been out of sight since morning.
‘Where on earth could they have gone?’
She feared that the three fairies might have disappeared all at once. Noticing Sylvia’s concern, Felix whispered softly in her ear.
“Don’t worry, they haven’t disappeared.”
While speaking, he took her by the shoulder and made her lean on him.
“We’re going to speed up. Hold on tight to the handle.”
He wrapped his arms around her as if embracing her and took hold of the reins.
“Let’s go!”
Felix led the way, and the members followed in a single line. They advanced, stabbing and slashing at the beasts that sprung forth. For a moment, Sylvia forgot about the fairies and aided them with her magic, handling each beast with her wind magic. While doing so, Sylvia recalled her expertise in plant magic.
The dense forests of the Shebusalatus mountains required them to travel on narrow paths, making it necessary for Felix to lead the way. He dealt with the approaching beasts and cleared the path ahead.
Hubert, Dennis, and Henry led their groups in the middle of the procession, following Felix in a single file. If the path were clearer, perhaps they could move more easily.
Though her thoughts lingered, Sylvia acted quickly, channeling a large amount of magical power through the plant magic circles engraved on her ring and body. As Felix felt the flow of her magic and looked down curiously, the ground trembled.
“Your Highness!”
Trees around Felix’s horse began to move aside as if they had grown legs to clear a path.
“Sylvia!”
Hearing his surprised voice, Sylvia smiled broadly and lifted her head, pressing down on his chest with her crown.
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