Chapter: 557
Arthur was closely observing the magic that Joy was unfolding next to him.
“Wow, she’s leveled up again in just a few days. The composition of her magic has really become refined.”
He was worried she might make a mistake, but it seems that was an unnecessary concern.
Ahh… Arthur sighed in relief, relaxing his shoulders, only to turn his head hurriedly at the thud sound. Lucy Allen had collapsed on the floor.
The mace that never left her side rolled on the ground, and the shield that made her look braver than anyone else didn’t even make a clatter, while her posture was so limp, like a doll with broken strings, it was chilling.
Ignoring the noise around them, Arthur chuckled to himself. “Is she trying to pull another prank on us?”
Hahaha. She must be. I mean, why on earth would she collapse like that?
“If you want to act, do it convincingly,” he thought. “Who would believe that just moments ago, she was basking in the Lord’s love, and now she suddenly collapses?”
“No problems with her body. She’s perfectly fine. But why? Why isn’t she waking up?”
Arthur, desperately trying to deny reality, finally snapped back to his senses when he saw Phoebe’s pale face.
“Recovery magic is useless. There’s no curse either. Then…”
“Phoebe, calm down. Desperation won’t help.”
“How can I calm down when the Young Lady is down?!”
Her anxiety, which was never visible in front of others, was now obvious. In her panic, she had lost even the thought of keeping her composure. Arthur took a deep breath and stood before Phoebe.
“Saintess.”
“This is useless. This is meaningless. Then… then…”
“Saintess!”
Once he jabbed his voice directly into her mind with his magic, she finally lifted her head and met Arthur’s gaze.
“Do you really think Lucy Allen would collapse so easily? Have you decided to follow the path of weakness instead of the Saintess?”
“…No.”
“Then please calm down. Using your energy like this will only worsen the situation.”
Phoebe, her eyes trembling, clasped her hands to her chest and stepped back, while Arthur turned away with a sigh.
The fragment next to him, Soladin, silently gestured to the right.
Following his gaze, he noticed Frey, sword drawn, facing off against a woman made of intertwined tree roots.
With a piercing gaze, Karl, suppressing his emotions, asked in a flat voice, “Did you do this?”
“Yes. I invited that person.”
“Why?”
“To ask for help from someone under the Lord’s energy.”
As the woman smiled, Frey swung her sword to sever her head, but the woman’s face was instantly replaced by regrowing roots.
Seeing that, Frey tried to strike again, but Karl extended an arm to block her.
“I have no intention of attacking you.”
“How can we trust that?”
“Do you really think I could breach the powerful psychic barrier that person possesses? I am but a part of the queen, and I’m nowhere near strong enough to penetrate that person’s mind. It’s only because their protector allowed me to spend cozy time with them that I could be here.”
“Can you speak clearly?”
“Oh. You aren’t fully aware of what they possess? That’s troubling.”
“No, I understand now. You’re saying Ruel allowed you access, right?”
The responder to the woman, as she pondered with her hand on her chin, was Phoebe.
“Correct. The person imbued with the Lord’s light.”
“May I ask why you’re permitted to approach the Young Lady?”
In her typically cold tone, Phoebe faced the woman, who struggled to force a smile.
“Forgive my late introduction. I am the queen of the fairies, a piece of the person wandering in deep slumber between dreams and reality.”
The Fairy Queen. The worst enemy they’d envisioned. The group, always prepared for battle, instinctively took their places.
This was a formation they had practiced countless times. There could be no deviations.
“I mentioned I have no hostile intentions, didn’t I? Don’t you know? For entities like me, lying is quite difficult. I’m telling the truth?”
Joy recalled Erginius’s words about fairies. Fairies are pure. So pure, they believe others are pure as well. This held true even for the Fairy Queen. To put it simply, her head was in the clouds.
“Touching someone else’s friend without a word and claiming you mean no harm is not convincing.”
As Joy represented everyone’s thoughts, the Fairy Queen crossed her arms.
The frown on her brow indicated she was troubled over how to persuade them.
“Can’t we just slice her? She looks ripe for it.”
“Lady Kent, I also think so, but please wait a moment. Killing her willy-nilly will be pointless if she’s the cause of the Young Lady’s collapse.”
“Karl’s right. Frey Kent, I hope you can evolve from beast to human.”
“Um… ugh.”
Just as Frey struggled to contain her impulses, the Fairy Queen suddenly raised her head.
“Huh?”
In a voice filled with confusion, she hurriedly turned her gaze to where Lucy Allen had been lying.
Yawn.
Lucy Allen, who had apparently woken from her slumber, was stretching and yawning.
The concerned group found her nonchalant demeanor hard to believe, but…
“That was seriously the most boring dream ever.”
Seeing Lucy’s playful smile, they lost all desire to comment.
Even on this barren land tainted by the Evil God’s energy, her bright smile had the power to warm hearts.
*
[Did the story go well?]
‘…Did Grandpa let me in? No wonder it seemed so sloppy compared to my worries.’
The fact that she had pierced my mental barrier meant she was nearly on the level of the Evil God, yet the forest prepared by the Fairy Queen was ridiculously inadequate.
Ganshu’s challenges were far more threatening.
Bring back that rush I briefly felt with something that wasn’t in the game!
Surely this can’t be over. There must be something more after this. There’s no way she shouted so confidently without a backup plan.
Ignoring countless other unease, I waited for phase 2, only to wake up from this nightmare?
[Well, it seems your ability was beyond common sense rather than her preparations being lacking.]
‘You were watching the whole thing, huh?’
<...Oh dear.>
‘Heh heh. Grandpa. We’ve been getting along well lately, haven’t we? Should we stir up some conflict like in the old days?’
[No, well, there’s something called past relationships. I’ve received kindness from that person too, and her intentions don’t seem too malicious…]
Ignoring Grandpa’s desperate attempts at explaining, I stood and walked past my friends, who were staring at me dumbfounded, and approached the Fairy Queen, now embodying her form through the rotting root.
“Ready to declare defeat, chicken-lady?”
The price for betraying my innocence is high. How dare she challenge me with such a dungeon?
If I had my way, I’d put a leash on her and wander the forest, shouting that she’s a loser who got stomped by girls despite living for nearly a thousand years.
But if I did that, some virgin outside would go wild, so I couldn’t really do it.
“…Yes, I’ve lost.”
“How strange. Why is your neck so stiff? With a title of a queen, don’t you know about manners?”
“What?”
“Bow your head. I should get a proper apology from this dimwitted lady who’s being such a nuisancy even when I’m offering help.”
Of course, I wouldn’t let anyone notice, but I absolutely need that apology. How dare she get my hopes up and then disappoint me…
Cough. No.
For betraying Erginius’s efforts, the consequence will not be small! Apologize if you know what’s good for you! Fairy Queen!
“W-well, I-I’m sorry…”
Seeing the Fairy Queen, who once thought she was something important, bow her head made me satisfied, and I turned to explain the situation to my friends.
Then I blinked at the sight of them looking dumbfounded.
Hmm. Uh. To those clueless, did I seem a bit trashy?
*
Fortunately, clearing up the misunderstanding wasn’t so difficult. The Fairy Queen acknowledged her defeat and explained the situation herself.
Realizing that they had gathered the power of the nation only for the subject to ask for her death, my friends admitted I had a right to be angry.
“I thought so. Even if Lucy Allen seems oblivious, she’s quite attentive, right?”
“Exactly. Lucy looks nice despite her appearance.”
“Why mention something obvious? If the Young Lady is angry, there’s bound to be a reason, right?”
“…It seems many times I’ve been bullied without a reason though.”
“What? You fool?”
“No! I just spouted nonsense for a moment! Lucy!”
For reasons unknown, I glared at Karl, who was smiling in the back.
Looking like a puppy waiting for a treat, I spoke to the Fairy Queen, who was kneeling on the ground, clearly noticing her status.
“Miss chicken-lady, who’s lost her brain and turned innocent. I assume you know we’ve got a lot of questions?”
“Yes, yes! Please ask anything!”
The Fairy Queen, who had turned cooperative unlike when I met her in my mind, seemed odd, but this was better than whining that things weren’t going her way.
“Tell me what’s been happening inside.”
Hearing my question, the Fairy Queen thought for a moment before letting out a voice filled with lament.
“The Queen’s dream is nearing its conclusion because the person in the dream has appeared in reality.”
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