Chapter: 561
The day of the operation. After Lucy and her party entered the forest at dawn, Myrrh stared into the woods with sharp eyes from the front lines.
As one of the oldest forest owners, not only did he lead various forest beings, but he also remembered how beautiful the Fairy Forest once was.
Therefore, looking at the decayed woods filled him with greater worry than others.
The power of the Fairy Queen is formidable.
In the past, when she was awake, her authority extended over all forests in the world.
So if this plan fails, all forests on the surface will be in danger.
As much as he wanted to jump in there himself.
“Haha! A dirty mutt covered in mud can’t enter the house, right? Better wait pitifully outside. That’s more fitting for a beast-smelling you.”
Recalling the face of the girl who had helped him greatly in the past and would do so again, Myrrh sighed while covering his face with his large hand.
She is someone who can create miracles.
Closer to the myth than anyone else in this world.
So he thought it was okay to believe in her, but a corner of his heart felt uneasy.
“Lord Myrrh.”
Returning to reality upon hearing Lina’s voice, Myrrh tucked in his protruding nails and turned his head sideways.
“What’s the matter?”
“Can we contact those staying in other forests?”
“It should be somewhere nearby.”
“Please exchange contact every hour. If problems arise, the first place abnormality will occur is the forest.”
Nodding, Myrrh requested that she contact the other forest owners and looked back at the woods.
“Lord Myrrh, you remember the time when that forest was beautiful, right?”
“Indeed. The Age of Myth was a time when the forest was more beautiful than any other.”
It’s not just a story limited to the Fairy Forest. The nature of that era, when gods and humans frolicked together, flourished beyond comparison to today.
This was because many gods influenced the forest positively.
And much more magic power resided in nature than in modern times.
Fairies extended their nurturing hands beside nature.
“What kind of person was the Fairy Queen? Lucy just referred to her as a chicken coop.”
“A chicken coop? What kind of expression is that?”
“Maybe she’s saying that she smells like a chicken coop?”
“…Her? Did you get something wrong?”
Even in the Age of Myth, he was a formidable wolf who was the forest’s owner, thus he wasn’t exactly someone who could win the fairies’ favor.
The fairies would say, “She looks too scary!” “I feel like I’m going to be eaten!” “I don’t like her!”
In any case, besides her appearance, there were no disqualifications for her; he had the chance to meet the Fairy Queen through her favor.
“When I first saw the Fairy Queen, I felt purity.”
“Was it white?”
“I’m not sure what that means. Hmm. You know how among humans, there are those who fiercely argue over horses? One of the topics they fight about is where evil begins.”
Some assert that what’s full of goodness at birth gets stained with black while living in the world, while others say that those full of evil from birth learn rules through the world.
From the perspective of Myrrh, the forest owner, it seems truly pointless, but there is a benefit to listening to their claims. In such times, he can borrow their words.
“The Fairy Queen was born pure and lives eternally in purity. There’s no way an impure expression like ‘chicken coop’ could intrude.”
She is different from fairies who live purely because they were born pure and remain so.
The being that is the Fairy Queen can still remain pure while knowing the world.
Realizing this, Myrrh had felt tremendous awe.
Now that she has been tainted by darkness, the story is meaningless, but still, he has not forgotten that feeling of impact.
“What interests me is her appearance, not that.”
Recalling the distant past, Myrrh was excitedly sharing his thoughts, but Lina’s response was cutting. Right. You’ve always been such a beast.
“…I doubt there’s anyone more beautiful than her among the living I’ve seen.”
“Even more than Lucy?”
“Are you talking about the Young Lady of the Allen Family? Hmm. Hmm.”
Having never compared their appearances before, it’s hard. All he can say is that both are beautiful.
After a while of silence from Myrrh, Lina chuckled and spoke.
“Alright. We will meet soon, so I’ll evaluate then.”
“Do you really think we can meet her again? The Fairy Queen who has been engulfed by Evil God’s Energy for centuries?”
“Of course.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because Lucy can’t help but save the unfortunate.”
Moved by Lina’s affection-filled words, Myrrh turned his gaze, smiling at her sparkling eyes.
The child who once only saw the value of everything has now developed personal feelings.
It’s a good thing. Could it be because there’s a child receiving Lord Jushin’s love?
…Of course, Lina’s attitude towards Lucy Allen is somewhat, no, considerably excessive, but she’ll learn to temper herself over time.
She’s just inexperienced for now.
Just inexperienced, right?
She wouldn’t do something like that knowing she’d be hated, right?
I hope I’m not misinterpreting this in a good direction.
“Lord Myrrh.”
“Hmm?! Ah. I wasn’t thinking anything. I have no particular suspicions.”
“What are you saying? Over there.”
Following Lina’s finger, Myrrh turned his head to confirm that there was something wrong with the Fairy’s forest barrier.
Energy was leaking from inside. Was the Fairy Queen’s dream being disturbed?
“Go tell the knights. The time for confrontation is coming.”
“I’ve already contacted them. I’m capable, you know.”
“Indeed.”
“I even know that you thought I was a pervert, Lord Myrrh.”
“…Do I have evidence that I thought such a thing?”
“I don’t have it, but I think the very conscientious Lord Myrrh can’t lie.”
Lina wore a playful smile reminiscent of someone, but to Myrrh, that smile felt more terrifying than playful. The pressure in that grin was completely different.
“I hope you’ll bring me a gift next time.”
“If you mean accessories, ha, fine. I’ll do my best.”
*
“Lord Erginius!”
“I know. Prepare.”
Sensing the dark energy flowing from the forest, Erginius finished his meditation and stepped outside.
The forest that had been eerie and quiet like a graveyard was trembling. The Fairy Queen’s dreams were being disturbed.
“Your Majesty, I heard you asked the fragment to kill yourself?”
Erginius also understood. That it was the easiest and most realistic way.
“But you see, if you were going to solve it that way, you wouldn’t have waited hundreds of years.”
Choosing that option should suffice as a last resort.
Before that, he should exert all efforts he can muster. Nevertheless, it’s not something he should say, having left so much responsibility to the next generation.
“May a miracle happen.”
Praying a prayer he hadn’t done even in the Age of Myth, Erginius headed towards the place where the Partlan magicians were.
It was time to prepare for war.
*
– You know, the Queen is really beautiful!
– Yeah! She’s more fragrant than any flower!
– I always want to be by the Queen’s side!
– I want to see the Queen smile forever!
Joy bit her lips tightly at the fairies continuously chanting praises about Lucy.
Could it be that she learned how to handle illusions from Lord Erginius? Behind their dazzling appearances, she could see the ugly truth.
Behind their cheerful laughter lies the expressionless face of a doll.
Hidden behind the pure voices of the children was unsightliness.
The refreshing forest was, in fact, shrouded in darkness, and among the lives here, nothing was proper.
No, the very essence of life does not even exist.
The forest that died hundreds of years ago has turned into a hell, merely imprisoning the deceased.
…Others couldn’t possibly not feel this.
Lucy doesn’t need to say; Phoebe, blessed with the Divine Grace of God, also bears that burden. Lady Kent and Professor Karl must feel some sense of discomfort, being martial arts masters to a certain degree.
Even the Third Prince seems to feel some form of unease. When he’s in a bad mood, he tends to clench his jaw excessively.
Everyone feels that discomfort.
Yet, they’re all forcing smiles to match the fairies’ tales.
I’m not the only one enduring the urge to vomit.
Hoo. It’s fine. I’m used to pretending to be calm in any situation.
How much hardship did I endure in maintaining my expression every time an accident due to Lucy occurred in high society?!
Compared to that, this is nothing. Right?
With a faint smirk, Joy followed behind her friends, but soon stopped when she felt the energy emanating from deeper within.
It wasn’t just horrifying or disgusting; it was far beyond that.
The energy lurking inside was the Evil God itself.
It was a denser and more sinister energy than the one sent by the Evil God during the academy’s attack.
Is the Fairy Queen in there?
“Joy.”
Just as Joy gulped, Arthur spoke from beside her.
Startled, she almost choked but managed to swallow it down as she waited for Arthur’s next words, feigning calmness.
“You know, we must not give Lucy Allen a chance to speak. We don’t know what might happen.”
“I’m well aware, Your Highness.”
Right now, Lucy is keeping quiet at the advice of her friends, but none of them believe she’ll stay quiet till the end.
If she were the type to remain calm, Lucy’s reputation wouldn’t have sunk so low.
“The initiative of the dialogue should be held by the Saintess, and we’ll support from behind.”
“That sounds good. The fairies show the biggest favor towards Phoebe.”
“I’ll do my best, albeit lacking.”
The ones who have felt the power of the Fairy Queen were each throwing out words as they held a meeting for countermeasures.
“Hello, everyone.”
However, all of that was rendered meaningless the moment the Fairy Queen revealed herself.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen guests.”
A being that seems to draw together all the darkness engraved in the night sky.
Something so dark that you couldn’t even see what lay within.
Didn’t Lord Erginius say that the Fairy Queen is infinitely close to deification?
That statement was indeed correct. The darkness before me is exceedingly close to the Evil God.
“Nice to meet you. I am the Fairy Queen, the mother of all fairies existing in this world.”
The Fairy Queen smiled and spoke, but Joy couldn’t see her smile.
The darkness within her obscured everything, making it hard to even comprehend what she said, let alone smile.
It wasn’t just Joy who felt this way. Everyone present felt similar emotions.
The darkness the current Fairy Queen holds is so profoundly terrifying that it touches the very essence of life.
This is the existence from the mythic age. The great evil that the heroes faced.
It’s certainly threatening.
Far different in caliber from the monsters encountered in dungeons.
Even the dragons seen during the academy attack wouldn’t reach this level.
Scary.
Terrifying.
I want to run away.
I want to kneel and beg for my life.
I want to cry.
I’d rather bite my tongue than stand before something so dreadful.
“An…”
But you know, I can’t keep hiding behind Lucy and leave everything to her.
I came here because I want to stand beside my friend.
Joy, as if waiting for Lucy to step forward, blocked her trembling hands with magic, calming them down forcibly before bowing her head before the Fairy Queen.
“Greetings. You, the owner of all purity in the world, in white and blue. I am merely the daughter of the Partlan Ducal Family, one of the five dukes of the Soladin Kingdom and a disciple of the great Great Wizard Erginius.”
“…Disciple of Lord Erginius?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I have come to deliver the message from my esteemed master to you.
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