Pastel organized the messy office together with the Good Fairy.
After sorting the last papers, she shook her hands.
“Cleaning’s done!”
The fairy echoed back.
—Cleaning’s done!
So neat and tidy.
They clapped their hands.
“I was really despairing about what to do if the fairy went corrupted, but luckily we solved it with our friendship!”
—The Good Fairy is not swayed by wicked thoughts!
“That’s true! Anyone who can casually commit things like the extinction of humanity must be an inherently evil being, but that’s definitely not you, Fairy!”
—Exactly!
It’s a mystery how the Corrupted Fairy ended up in such a serious predicament. Did the Cult brainwash the Good Fairy race?
Just like the different shadows of a coin’s front and back, flip!
But isn’t the Cult also part of humanity?
Oh?
Not just poor cost-effectiveness, but a total clash of values.
According to the Demon Lord, the Cult acts not by worshipping an evil deity but by trading with it to fulfill their desires, which seems contradictory.
Could it be that the Good Fairies have fallen, but still can’t escape the Cult’s clutches and are destined to be joyfully exploited and then discarded?
Ugh.
Only bad predictions for the fairy race.
Pastel turned to the fairy, who was munching on gems to take a break.
“Fairy, when you were corrupted, you called that fairy spirit an evil deity. What happened there? Surely it’s not the same being?”
The fairy gasped in shock, her small mouth scattering gem powder everywhere.
After a moment of silence, her expression turned serious.
—It’s impossible! Even if I was corrupted, confusing the Fairy Spirit with an evil deity is a big mistake! The Fairy Spirit is as good as I am, the very embodiment of moral values! That title doesn’t suit them at all! If anything, they should be called the Good External Spirit!
The fairy gave a thumbs up.
—The Fairy Spirit couldn’t possibly be an evil deity!
Exactly!
Looks like my thoughts were right!
“Then the Cult is misleading the fairies! The Corrupted Fairies think they are acting autonomously towards humanity’s extinction, but in reality, they are brainwashed to worship the evil deity and are just being used by the Cult!”
The fairy’s eyes grew wide.
—I wasn’t aware of that setting……?
“It must be true! Otherwise, the Cult wouldn’t just leave the troublesome fairies alone! Even if the fairies keep it quiet among themselves, if they are all pursuing the same goal, their words will inevitably slip out! And if they’re not taking any action against it, it essentially means there’s no need for action!”
All their actions, thinking they were annihilating humanity, align perfectly with the Cult’s interests.
At some point, when they finally attempt to cross the line out of persistence, it’s likely that’s when the Cult decides to dispose of the fairy race.
The fairy felt astonished.
—That seems right! Good Fairies can’t be bad to the core! It’s clear they are being exploited!
“Ugh!”
Pastel trembled her fists.
“Bad Cult!”
I can’t imagine what my dad, who holds a high position there, is doing!
Even resurrecting mom hastily will only get me slapped!
“Fairy! What do you think the Cult wanted with the gem mine?”
The fairy had definitely mentioned that the gems were imbued with the evil deity’s power. If they went through the trouble of brainwashing that information, it likely holds a lot of truth.
“To inject the evil deity’s power through massive amounts of gems to grant powerful wishes?”
The fairy, who had been nibbling on gems again, froze in place as she was about to put another one in her mouth.
Looking around, she carefully set the gem down.
—Well, who knows? Ah! That’s right! Fairies are a good race at heart, so they can purify the evil deity’s power and absorb it as good energy!
The fairy pointed at Pastel.
—Just like how you can consume gems being a pure native like that! I’m not sure about granting powerful wishes, but even the corrupted gems can be used as food! Whether they’re corrupted or not!
The fairy admired herself and popped another gem back into her mouth.
Looks like it’s not about powerful wishes.
Well, it might be similar to preparing large quantities of food before a war, gathering supplies before a big event, right?
Ugh.
I can’t imagine what they are planning.
Wait, more importantly, why are these perfectly intact stones being connected to the evil deity’s power?
Isn’t the personality deity the landlord? How could an evil deity exert its powers deep underground when the landlord is clearly there?
The Corrupted Fairy mentioned the personality deity died wretchedly.
But she also said the temple is alive and well, and even the Demon Lord, who was being hunted for divine murder, found it absurd to hear about that.
Demon Lord: “Why am I being hunted when I’m not even dead? I didn’t steal the divine powers, they were forcibly given to me by the personality deity! And now they’ve forgotten I exist, not granting any related revelations?”
After all, the recent prophecy warning of the Demon King’s destruction of the Empire also came from the personality deity.
Alive and well.
I don’t get it.
Well, there’s no need to inject only perfect information when brainwashing the fairies.
Since the Good Fairy didn’t deny the gem being imbued with the evil deity’s power, that seems right. But the claim that the personality deity is dead must be a lie.
They must be boldly encouraging brainwashed fairies to act without knowing there’s a landlord present.
Seems like it!
Pastel nodded to herself while pulling out snack gems from her pocket.
“I don’t know what evil deeds the wicked Cult is planning, but as long as the Good Fairy and I are together, we can overcome any adversity!”
She popped a gem in her mouth.
Munch munch.
A sugary taste spread.
—You bet!
The Good Fairy enthusiastically joined in munching on the gems.
Munch munch.
The Demon Realm continent exists underground.
As the airship departed from the Empire heading to the Demon Realm, the altitude displayed on the instrument panel gradually decreased from N meters. In the Sky Island, the ground level reached 0, and by the time they arrived in the Demon Realm, it showed underground N meters.
Throughout the flight, what they saw above was the sky, and what was below was the sea, so it wouldn’t be apparent to anyone.
But in this world designed by the gods, the Empire is placed on elevated land with the Demon Realm underground, creating a balanced relationship with the Sky Island in between.
The gem mine was located deeper within that underground continent, extracting gems from the depths.
Once, it was the forefront of free spirits exploring what lies beneath this flat artificial world, but now it has become a den for those blinded by money.
And the most money-blinded of them all, Pastel, approached the mine with a pounding heart.
Carriages with various security from the Sky Island Knight Order came to a halt.
The doors opened, and Pastel hopped down.
“This is the gem mine where digging can lead to treasures worth their weight in gold!”
From today, it’s mine~!
Flames dancing in her eyes, she dashed ahead.
A massive pit opened up below, the depth indeterminate. Magic lights and steps fashioned a gentle curve down into the mine along the inside walls.
A cool underground breeze swept through. Her pink hair fluttered.
Gasp.
This isn’t what I imagined a mine to look like.
It’s not an entrance hollowed into a towering mountain, with minecart tracks leading inside.
Pastel, who had been excited about riding a minecart, found herself in a daze.
Huh?
“Don’t just run off. I brought the Knight Order to prep against Cult assassination, but if the main character acts foolishly, that does you no good.”
The Demon Lord, who hurried to catch up, sighed.
“Ah, that’s true.”
Pastel clung tightly to the Demon Lord’s arm. Vigilantly glancing around, she noted that some of the Knight Order had already entered and searched the area thoroughly, but the Cult, feeling wronged over losing the mine, might launch a super ultra assassination operation.
Total vigilance! Total vigilance!
Suddenly, a group of muscular and intimidating figures rushed towards them.
“Gasp, assassination?!”
Pastel hid behind the Demon Lord.
The leader of the halted group bent at the waist.
“Governor Craft! Please, come this way!”
They were staff members.
Hehe.
Upon closer inspection, Melissa, who had arrived early, was with them too.
Two hehes.
They greeted each other and entered a building next to the pit to complete a few entry procedures. Of course, they heard about safety precautions as well.
A while later, Pastel was able to gaze majestically down into the mine pit.
With her hands behind her back, she struck a pose. Her melancholy pink eyes peered into the underground. A gust flowed through the dark space where lights twinkled like stars.
Is this the evil lair imbued with the power of an evil deity?
Gunshots echoed periodically in the distance. Didn’t they say that there were many dangerous underground creatures affected by the gems, making it less than safe?
Phew.
No matter how seasoned a warrior I am, it’s only natural to feel tense in this situation.
A wind swept through the underground.
The murky energy that seemed ready to engulf the surface.
Is this evil?
Pastel took a deep breath.
A rich sweet aroma filled her nostrils.
Oh?
Is that a delicious smell?!
Turns out it was a dessert den~!
Her lips curled up in a grin.
I need to ask the Demon Lord for a fresh gem cake!
Oh yeah!
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.
