Chapter: 562
‘The Fairy Queen must still be in a deep sleep. So she will probably invite you all, as usual.’
‘If you bow slightly as is common in the social circle and mention my name, things will go smoothly. However, if you greet her like any other person, do not mention me. That dream must be before you meet me.’
Before coming here, Joy recalled Erginius’ advice. She confirmed that the faintly visible hand of the Fairy Queen was grasping her dress as she mentioned Erginius’s name.
It’s hard to gauge her expression. If the darkness within the Fairy Queen had been a little lighter, I could have used what I learned to survive in the social circle.
The Fairy Queen’s hand released the dress and moved toward her chest. Her body was hard to see, but I could make out the gathered arms and twitching feet.
I’ve seen such a movement countless times in the social circle. Shy girls can transform like that.
“Fairy Queen?”
“Ah. Ahh. Sorry. Lord Erginius called me a #!$)@!”
Amid the Queen’s voice, darkness intruded. Her excitement was disrupting the dream.
There’s no time for leisure. I need to settle this before she wakes up. The question is likely about not allowing disciples.
“Lord Erginius taught me this magic, perhaps thinking the same.”
As Joy spread her hands, the magic circle drawn upon them became a stage for a fairy made of magic power to begin dancing.
“She said this was magic she had never revealed to anyone.”
Once Joy confirmed that the magic was complete, she raised her head to see the grotesquely twisted face of the Queen.
Two eyes? Three? Why is her nose near her ears? Where did her lips go?
No. Are they in place?
Are they not?
Are they?
Are they not?
No.
Huff!
“Joy.”
Feeling the warm hand of Phoebe on her shoulder, Joy steadied her breath at the sight of her smiling lips and determined eyes.
“Please reinforce your mental barrier. The moment you started speaking, the energy thickened.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s I who should say that. Your burden is the heaviest.”
After Phoebe gently smiled to reassure her, she stepped back, and Joy looked at the Fairy Queen again.
“This is a rather serious matter, Your Majesty. May I go inside and talk?”
“Uh. What’s the topic?”
“It’s a story that makes the girls’ eyes sparkle.”
Once again, the Fairy Queen’s face twisted, but Joy remained unfazed. It was a little dizzying, but bearable.
The divine essence Phoebe had infused in her still lingered, and the reinforced mental barrier was fine against this level of energy.
“Ahem. If it’s just you, I will gladly invite you.”
“Can I not go with my friends?”
“…If you’re a disciple of Lord Erginius, you know what it means to enter the center of the forest. It’s not something that can be easily granted.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Since she heard it from Erginius, Joy knows what heading to the center means.
That place is reserved for those who have been granted permission.
It’s not somewhere an acquaintance can carelessly step into.
“However, I believe my friends are worthy of being invited by a fairy.”
The twisted face of the Fairy Queen turned from Joy toward the back. Though her expression was unrecognizable, it seemed she nodded, hesitated, or tilted her head slightly.
Is she in deep contemplation?
The nodding is gradually lessening, and the contemplation is extending.
She’s considering refusing.
It seems being just a disciple of Erginius isn’t enough. How can I persuade her?
Should I consider going alone in the worst-case scenario?
Into a place filled with darkness that lightly digs into the mind.
Into a bizarre location.
Into a danger where I might die at any moment.
Into an unknown place that feels like falling into hell.
Alone.
…
Did Lucy always go forward calmly in the face of such fear?
…
“Me!”
“Hey. Chicken coop.”
The voice Joy bravely called after her decision was easily drowned out by Lucy’s long-hidden youthful tone.
“Wha. Chicken coop?”
“Your brain must have wrinkled as much as your face, so why is your judgment so late? Did you implant brain wrinkles onto your face?”
With every word Lucy spewed, the surrounding darkness thickened.
A scene that resembled the previous one but was different.
It was anger.
The Fairy Queen, who had swayed in her love in front of Joy, was now waking from her slumber, filled with anger.
The stirring is larger than before.
At this rate, she’ll wake up before we even begin the plan!
Lucy! We agreed to stay quiet! Why did you suddenly pop out!?
The others are the same!
You should have stopped her!
If you thought someone would pop out, you should have grabbed her!
What are you doing?
“Watch closely.”
Tap.
Lucy’s light step touched the ground before bouncing away.
Unlike before, her steps lacked divine essence, but that didn’t matter.
Even without divine essence, Lucy shone brightly just by being herself.
Tap.
Lucy dances.
Tap.
The fairy dances.
Tap.
Playfully.
Tap.
Gently.
Tap.
Beautifully.
Tap.
Just like the fairies of a distant past.
– A dancing #%@!?
– Me too! Just like! $@!$$
– Wow! So good! $@%!
– I’m better than #%!%
Were they entranced by that beauty? One by one, those who had once been fairies, now consumed by darkness, flew around Lucy.
Although the distortions of those long ago, eroded by darkness, seemed to tarnish Lucy’s dance, at some point, their dances began to intertwine.
Tap.
The fairy dances.
Tap.
The fairy dances with a human.
Tap.
The fairy dances with another fairy.
Tap.
Laughing together.
Claiming they are better.
Stumbling over each other.
Letting go and grabbing again.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Suddenly, Joy wondered if she was witnessing an illusion from the past. A dream of the fairies when they were still fairies, hundreds of years ago.
So that’s why Lucy showed us her dance.
Now I get it.
Had I not seen Lucy’s dance back then, I might have reached out, captivated by that scenery.
“…You.”
At the voice that came from the side, Joy lifted her head and froze at the sight of the Fairy Queen’s face.
Not because it was even more grotesquely twisted than before, but because her pure, shaken azure eyes were too beautiful, swaying in emotion.
This is.
This is.
The true Queen of Fairies.
“Chicken coop. I can answer now, can’t I?”
As she shook off the fairies that clung to her while dancing more, Lucy asked, and the Fairy Queen nodded.
“There’s no need to prevent you from entering the heart of the fairy forest.”
Leaving behind words to follow her, the Fairy Queen stepped forward, and with a puzzled expression, Lucy followed behind.
Then, the rest of the party, who had belatedly come to their senses, followed Lucy’s footsteps inward.
Each cherishing the feelings of the scenery they had just seen.
*
Huff! I’m so glad that worked out.
It was genuinely scary when the Fairy Queen’s face was all messed up like Cthulhu!
I was constantly planning an escape route from the forest!
If it hadn’t been for seeing the fairy’s dance, I would’ve thought about risking my life.
[If I had left it alone, your friend would have gone in alone. I had no choice.]
‘…I never said that.’
[Oh? Then I must have felt guilty and made an excuse for no reason.]
I suspiciously raised my head, thinking she might have read my mind, and saw the Fairy Queen’s face.
Eyes that seemed to capture the emerald sea, clear to the very bottom.
Skin as white as marble yet undeniably full of vitality.
Unlike the impoverished me, she was bursting with life.
I’ve met many beautiful people before, but facing the Fairy Queen felt different.
How should I put it? Should I say I’ve come to understand the feelings of a sloppy fox at least partially?
Back when I met the Fairy Queen during Ganshu’s trial, I didn’t feel this level of emotion.
Indeed, Ganshu must be that old hermit who holed up in the library, so he couldn’t properly recreate it.
If that perverted crow knew, he would have a fit, claiming it was an insult to the Fairy Queen.
Wait. Could he not? That crow has more than a few weaknesses held over by Ganshu.
“Fairy.”
At the clear voice calling me, I turned my head to see the Fairy Queen smiling softly.
“What does chicken coop mean?”
…Is that really what you want to know!?
Of course! It makes total sense! Just out of nowhere calling me a chicken coop is definitely the biggest mystery!
I’m dying to know too!
But how do I answer that!?
I was thinking about the smell if it were in your precious parts, so I called it a chicken coop! How can I say that!?
No way! If I said that, she’d turn into Cthulhu again like earlier!
I want to live in a medieval fantasy, not a cosmic horror!
Friends! Help! Heeeelp!
Say something plausible as a cover for me!
The moment I speak, calamity will unfold!
“If it’s difficult to answer, you don’t have to.”
Really!? Thank you! Thank you so much! You saved me!
“Right now, it seems there are more important matters at hand.”
About Lord Erginius!?
I thought it was just a one-sided crush from that sympathy loser, but it might actually be mutual love!
Heheh. Understood! I’ll immediately step aside!
For the upcoming matters, Joy should raise her favorability.
“I remember.”
Huh? What memory? Did you recall that sympathy loser’s cute and sloppy side?
“In front of the overwhelming darkness of the Evil God, a little child who felt fear yet raised a shield to protect me.”
…Huh?
“Yeah. That child called me the Chicken Coop Queen. At that time, I was too flustered to think.”
Wait? Wait, wait?
“That little back was so tiny, yet strangely so reliable.”
Is she talking about that time?
“Though I’ve grown a bit taller and become prettier since then, I still couldn’t forget that back. I couldn’t.”
The Fairy Queen.
“I’m glad to meet you again, small hero. I am the queen of fairies. Please call me comfortably.”
She remembers the trials of Ganshu!?
“Ahh. What a truly delightful dream.”
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.