Chapter: 585
It’s a phrase I’ve seen somewhere before.
Direct murderous intent is scary, but it’s not the scariest thing.
Knowing that an opponent wants to kill you brings a certain fear, but on the other hand, it allows you to prepare against it.
However, the actions of someone who has completely deviated from common sense and the situation can reveal such an unexpected depth that you can hardly guess its basis, and that, someone once said, is truly terrifying.
In the past, I thought it was nonsense. Even after narrowly escaping death several times, I didn’t feel much conviction in it, but now I understand those words were correct.
“Why are you so afraid, my little kitten?” The first prince’s sweet, disarming smile felt creepier than the dark evil god I faced yesterday.
“Alrn Young Lady?”
I quickly stepped back, not wanting to touch the hand he reached out with, feeling wary.
As much as I wanted to smack the prince on the head with my mace to knock some sense into him, the situation around us felt too precarious for that.
[Lucy, are you willing to speak as I instructed?]
‘If I open my mouth, won’t it make things worse?’
[Don’t worry. No one here can harm you. So just calmly smash that guy’s self-esteem apart.]
‘…No, that wouldn’t be right, would it?’
Why is this human who usually tells me to shut up suddenly acting this way?
Of course, I’d love to do that, but that would be a terrible idea! I don’t want to stack any more karma points here!
“Brother. Lady Lucy Alrn is still fatigued from the battle. Shouldn’t we plan for another day to have this conversation?”
Yes! Arthur! Chase him away like a boss! I’ve often been the tank, so now it’s your turn to draw aggro!
“Hmm.”
As I cheered Arthur from behind, I noticed the first prince’s gaze was shifting.
The way he looked at Arthur was distinctively different from how he’d usually regard him.
Unlike the others, the first prince treated Arthur as a proper younger brother.
Even when his own faction was criticizing and ostracizing him, the first prince respected him.
But things were reversed now.
Those surrounding the first prince were addressing Arthur with courtesy, and he, in return, was glaring at his brother with hostile eyes.
There was no hiding the animosity he felt toward his sibling.
“That is true.”
Suddenly, the first prince changed his expression. It wasn’t an expression of a brother, but more of the politeness he adopted when standing before the queen.
“Thank you for your insight, Third Prince. It indeed would be very rude to seek an audience with Lady Alrn at this time.”
“…Brother?”
Even I felt the change, so there’s no way Arthur wouldn’t notice it.
His brother’s transformation left Arthur visibly flustered, but the first prince ignored it completely.
“I sincerely apologize for my thoughtless behavior, Lady Alrn. I will formally request an audience after ensuring a more opportune time. Until then, I wish you good health.”
After spouting just that, the first prince turned and left, leaving Arthur staring at his back for a long while.
*
Leaving the distracted Erginius to modify his past work, the Fairy Queen carefully approached a girl sitting nearby in prayer.
So focused was the girl that she didn’t notice the Fairy Queen had crept up right next to her.
“Huh?”
That solemnity sparked the mischief within the Fairy Queen. The old Fairy Queen had always been a rather grown-up person.
She had to be an adult since it was her job to manage the pranks of other fairies.
Many overlooked this fact, but at the core, the Fairy Queen was still a fairy.
Underneath the guise of purity, she had buried the word restraint deep underground and was just suppressing the mischief she carried, just like the other fairies.
From the first moment she saw the Saintess, she thought: “This person doesn’t look much like a girl.”
And it was no surprise, as such a naughty body just didn’t exist in the world, right?
While the sly fox was somewhat threatening, this person was undeniably a competitor.
In fact, she was more threatening than the fox.
The fox was rotten to the core despite her looks, while the Saintess was the epitome of someone so pure it almost evoked jealousy.
A person so white and noble, that at one time, I desired to be like her. Thus, she is pitifully sensitive to even the slightest darkness.
She may still not have caught Erginius’s interest for being underage, but once she grows up, the Saintess will undoubtedly be a definite competitor! I need to seize the initiative!
With a scheming smile, the Fairy Queen crafted an excuse and stealthily approached behind Phoebe, pulling her into an embrace.
“Eek?!”
“Eek? That’s quite the cute shriek. Makes me jealous since you sound like a girl.”
“Y-Your Majesty, the Fairy Queen?”
“Yes, yes. I’m the Fairy Queen. Some say I’m so outdated and rotten that I smell strange?”
“N-No! That’s not… um, Lady Alrn was just joking! I’m sure the Young Lady thinks you’re very beautiful!”
“Really? You actually think so?”
“Of course! Lady Alrn is exceptionally kind and noble! She can’t possibly be compared to someone like me!”
Perhaps because I’ve absorbed some of the darkness of the divine, the Fairy Queen realized there was not a hint of a lie in Phoebe’s words.
I know the hero is the kind of person worthy of a divine selection, but I don’t think she’s purer than the Saintess. That person is still quite human.
Which makes her all the more extraordinary.
“…Y-Your Majesty?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Could you perhaps let go of me?”
“Must I? You’re so soft; it feels nice to hold you like this.”
“That’s absolutely not appropriate!”
🤦
The flush on Phoebe’s cheeks made the Fairy Queen feign disappointment and withdraw slightly.
As much as I wanted to tease her further, I had to remember that the Saintess is our benefactor.
“So, why did you come here, Saintess? If it was to see Erginius, I’d have to get mad.”
“I have no interest in him at all.”
“I find that a bit disappointing. What’s wrong with Erginius? He may have a few unmanly traits, but he’s a great mage and a hero!”
“…Sorry, but if you keep joking around, we won’t be able to progress with the conversation.”
“Oh dear, I’m sorry. Maybe being called ‘Aunty’ is making me act childish.”
The Fairy Queen laughed heartily, putting on a guise of elderly wisdom, while Phoebe’s expression turned a bit awkward.
“The reason I came to see you, Fairy Queen, is regarding a matter that our Church of the Lord discussed beforehand with the Crown. We were aiming to negotiate the monopoly of the upcoming event for our religion. However, since Erginius has achieved divinity, this situation has become ambiguous.”
“Ah, so the Fairy Forest has become a sanctuary for the dark god.”
With Erginius’ miraculous feats allowing him to earn divinity, the Fairy Forest has now become a holy ground for the dark god.
In such circumstances, the Church of the Lord opposing the darkness moving nearby could only incite rivalries over Erginius’s divinity.
“Worry not on that front. Though he has gained the power of the dark god, Erginius is also a believer of the Light. I assure you that, as long as you aren’t in the woods, things will be fine.”
Once I spoke with Erginius, I would relay what he said, and Phoebe bowed very deeply, thanking me.
“Is that all you needed?”
“Yes, that’s all.”
“Anything else? You saved the Fairy Forest, so if you have any wish, I’d gladly grant it.”
“My actions were inconsequential. I was merely following the light of Lady Alrn.”
After hearing Phoebe’s words, the Fairy Queen momentarily sealed her lips before heavily exhaling. Just moments ago, she had seemed light, but now she regained her regal demeanor.
“As someone with even a slight connection to the dark god, I shall offer you some advice, Saintess. Nothing in this world is purely white. All possess both great and small darkness.”
“Yes, I do think so, but why is that?”
“Because heroes are the same.”
“Isn’t that the truth? So, can we just be friends instead of treating you like another god I should serve?”
Upon seeing Phoebe’s stunned expression, the Fairy Queen couldn’t help but chuckle.
“If you keep treating the hero like a god, you’ll get sick of it someday.”
“…Y-Yes? Y-Yes!? What do you mean?”
“Oh dear, as soon as I mention the hero, he’s incoming.”
With Lucy walking from afar, the Fairy Queen quickly hid the flustered Phoebe behind her, tilting her head at Lucy’s expression, which seemed ready to burst.
“Fairies, what happened?”
– Your Majesty!
– It’s a long story!
– The thing is…
Hearing what the fairies beside Lucy had to say, the Fairy Queen couldn’t help but twitch her lips upward.
“Is it about the hero? Sounds like it’s going to be rather amusing… Oh, this ought to be fun.”
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