I had somewhat expected Professor Liana’s reaction of shock turning into sheer horror.
Hadn’t I felt something similar? It wasn’t just my jaw dropping; it was like my consciousness was about to take a flying leap…
“So, you’re telling me… that this little one came from an artifact known as the Egg of Origin obtained from the Tower of Growth?”
[Uh…]
[Yes.]
“Oh my…”
Some time passed.
I had finished the general explanation. Professor Liana, sitting calmly on the opposite sofa and listening intently, let out a deep sigh filled with various emotions.
“I had a hunch that Lee Ha-yul needed urgent help, but I never expected you’d come back with a baby…”
I never imagined anything like this in my wildest dreams.
With one hand on her forehead, Liana lifted her head, her green eyes blinking several times, staring at the baby cradled in my arms.
Specifically, at the colorful wings spread out behind the baby.
“To bring along a newly hatched fairy instead of a human baby… that’s astonishing.”
[Well, your explanation on fairies came to mind.]
[Since you delve deep into spirit magic, I thought you’d know a lot about fairies.]
It seemed crazy that the baby popped out of the egg, and the fact that it called me “Dad” felt like the world was crumbling around me.
But the baby’s presumed fairy race was a very important matter.
Trying to hide my complex feelings, I gently touched the wing tips.
The multicolored wings twitched slightly. Thankfully, it seemed more like a request for a pet than a sign of discomfort. In fact, it swayed as if inviting more touch.
A soft sound rumbled from the baby’s chest.
One of my findings from closely observing the baby was that it seemed to quite enjoy having its wing tips lightly stroked.
“Since there are various relationships between spirits and fairies, I do know a little about fairies.”
While observing the peculiar sight of the baby, Liana nodded and spoke.
‘At least this is a relief…’
I let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
Out of what I thought would barely amount to a fizzle, the Egg of Origin had produced a baby.
With wings believed to belong to a fairy attached to its back.
And that baby was cheerfully calling me “Dad”…
In the midst of everything, thankfully, Liana knew about fairies.
‘What should I ask first?’
I had organized some thoughts, but still had countless questions.
The fairy race was something rarely encountered even in the original story.
The third loop “Samjong” when I officially visited the Taesan Clan and spotted one.
In the eleventh loop “Geumgang Warrior,” I caught a glimpse while rummaging through the Taesan Clan…
Outside of those instances, I had merely stumbled upon them in the depths of the Magic Realm or untouched nature.
Even in the original work, meeting a fairy was rare.
Thanks to that, my knowledge and information about them was quite limited.
[I have a lot of questions.]
[May I ask you a few?]
“Yes, of course, I’ll help.”
Her immediate response was cheerful.
“Before that.”
Just as I was about to follow up with questions, Liana raised one hand to halt me.
Curious, I straightened up, and she closed her eyes tight.
Her slender fingers tapped on the table, and her eyelids twitched.
She appeared to be deep in thought.
“Before that… may I ask a few questions first?”
As I waited patiently, Liana opened one eye and asked.
That was quite a simple request. Seeing her ask makes me think my previous explanation lacked something.
I believed I had summarized and highlighted the key points properly, but… was it insufficient?
[Yes.]
[I will earnestly answer as much as I know.]
“Thank you. There’s something I’ve been curious about for a while, and I thought I should clarify this.”
Liana smiled and clasped her hands, resting her chin on them.
Nodding, I sensed we were about to get to the main topic.
Honestly, I wasn’t too nervous. I already knew that Liana was neither strange nor malicious.
I also believed that her questions wouldn’t stem from a desire to harm me.
And.
“Is Lee Ha-yul a human?”
[Huh?]
I was blindsided by direct character questioning on whether I was human.
I never imagined such a comment would come from Professor Liana, who had always been kind and benevolent towards me…
A ludicrous affront to my ethnicity momentarily froze my brain.
“…Why would you… Ah… Huh? No, wait! That’s not what I meant!”
Professor Liana, who had looked serious, blinked in surprise at my bewildered expression.
Realizing her statement, her eyes widened as if she was grasping a revelation and she frantically waved her hands, denying her comment as a misunderstanding.
“I didn’t mean that! I wasn’t insulting you! I swear! I meant just literally asking about your race!”
[Sorry…]
[If you point out the incorrect parts, I’ll try to correct myself.]
“No! I really didn’t mean it like that!”
Liana’s eyes spun with confusion.
.
.
.
“I’m sorry. I should have elaborated right away…”
It didn’t take long for the misunderstanding to clear.
After Liana’s frantic explanation, it turned out she had no intent to belittle me and had genuinely asked about my race.
[I’m still not quite following.]
[Could you elaborate further?]
“Hmm… Of course.”
…It was even more puzzling.
She asked me if I was truly human. It was as if she thought I might be a race other than human.
I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
What on Earth could lead her to believe that I wasn’t human?
“I’ve been guiding Lee Ha-yul a bit since the beginning of the semester, and there have been several things I mentioned to him.”
Ruffling her hair as if regretting her earlier mistake, Liana took a sip of her coffee.
Then she unfurled her clenched fist one finger at a time as if to explain this time without making a mistake.
“First, the purity of your magic is off the charts.”
[I remember.]
“More than just a little, it was extraordinarily pure, yes.”
Magic purity. High purity and virtually devoid of impurities.
At the time, I had no clue, but looking back now, that was one of the reasons my ‘homogenization’ extension ability became possible.
Pure. Untouched by the mixture of unrelated things. Thus, it easily absorbs and taints anything.
Therefore, it can change and adapt to anything.
Because of this trait, I could use homogenization to mimic the unique abilities of elemental and special classes.
“Second, an affinity for spirits so strong that you can control them without the need for a prior contract.”
Liana continued her explanation.
“Do you remember that fairy magic is closer to pure natural elemental energy? I taught you this during spirit magic class.”
[I remember.]
“Also, I mentioned that spirits are entities made of elemental energy, and fairies are specialized in handling spirits in terms of magic property and affinity, right?”
[…I remember.]
After saying that, Liana nodded while spreading her fingers.
“Lee Ha-yul’s magic is strangely pure, allowing it to be converted into ‘nature-like elemental energy’.”
[For now… that’s the case.]
“And your affinity for spirits is so extraordinarily high that you can exert control over them without any contracts.”
‘……’
I had an inkling from the middle, but hearing it all clarified Liana’s train of thought.
Magic purity. Elemental energy. Affinity toward spirits.
Thanks to her pointing out and comparing, it all started to click.
It seemed my expressions reflected my thoughts, as Liana nodded.
“I was beginning to think that Lee Ha-yul wasn’t human but rather a fairy.”
[Does that even make sense?]
My necklace directly replied that it was utterly absurd.
I was trying to grasp why Liana would… think of me as something like a… fairy.
But I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“Based on the information I received at the beginning of the semester, I didn’t initially believe Lee Ha-yul was a fairy. I thought he merely had extraordinary uniqueness.”
Liana shrugged her shoulders.
“The suspicion arose from the spirit handling part. Controlling spirits without a contract is something I think only fairies can accomplish. Of course, it was just a possibility up to that point.”
Liana’s gaze flitted between me and the baby nestled in my arms… the fairy knight.
“…However, seeing this picture strengthens that possibility.”
Magic is pure.
Can handle spirits like a fairy without a contract.
A fairy came from the Egg of Origin drop that suits the user…
[I’m aware there are many similarities…]
I took a moment to gather my thoughts and tapped the necklace.
[But doesn’t that seem like weak evidence to suspect my race?]
“Of course, I’m not entirely sure. While I know of fairies, I’m not thoroughly knowledgeable about them.”
However…
Liana left room for doubt as she nodded.
“That a fairy was born from an artifact known as the Egg of Origin, and that fairy is a fairy knight, calling Lee Ha-yul its parent… makes it quite a high possibility, indeed.”
With that lengthy explanation concluded, a heavy silence fell over the laboratory.
‘…What is happening?’
All I could do was wear a complicated expression.
I felt drained, slumping onto the sofa as if the energy was sucked out of me.
My body felt weak, my mind was muddled.
Ever since then, a series of shocking events had relentlessly knocked me around.
Not only did a baby fairy nickname me “Dad” as it hatched from an egg, but now I was questioning whether my very race was not human…
‘Then what are my parents?’
What were those who raised me? This is bizarre. Is it even possible for a fairy to be born amidst humans? I originally had no concept of interspecies in my previous world.
“Now, Lee Ha-yul, feel free to ask any questions you have. I’ll honestly answer whatever I know!”
As if understanding my muddled thoughts, Liana graced me with a compassionate smile and allowed me to ask.
“Haah…”
As I stared vacantly while my mouth moved, the baby raised its arm and stifled a dainty yawn.
It seemed sleepiness was creeping in. After all, babies naturally have a strong inclination to nap.
Unable to resist the urge to gently stroke the baby’s head while succumbing to fatigue, I asked what was most relevant.
[So, should I get the baby vaccinated?]
“Pardon?”
[Even if it’s a fairy, it’s still a baby.]
[Shouldn’t vaccinations be a thing?]
Liana blinked in surprise. Her reaction indicated she hadn’t expected such a question would fly my way.
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