I was momentarily away from the stronghold, but thankfully, no monsters invaded it.
To be precise, it would be more accurate to say the monsters that tried to invade were shredded by the magic traps I had set up.
Thanks to that, the stronghold remained intact, and I could go to sleep right away.
– Uuuhh…
But I didn’t skip my watch.
Even though I had my spirits and magic, along with Lee Ji-yeon’s and my own magic and surveillance, I couldn’t get too relaxed inside the dungeon.
Therefore, Lee Ji-yeon and I decided to split the watch duty.
I would take the first half, and Lee Ji-yeon would take the rest.
I sat in front of the heating magic tool in the center of the stronghold, blinking blankly.
After a brief disturbance, silence had now settled in the stronghold.
Outside, there were still sounds of monsters clashing and competing for survival, but inside the stronghold, it was eerily quiet.
“Coo….”
“Cooool, coooool…”
In the midst of the silence, several breathing sounds could be heard.
The steady breaths of Lee Ji-yeon were audible from behind the tent.
And beside me, in the camping chair, there were various chaotic noises of sleep-talking.
The fairies didn’t enter the tent and fell asleep beside me on the chair.
As usual, they huddled together, clinging to each other, and squeezed against my spirits, entering a stormy sleep.
– Uuuhh…
Normally, the spirits would be glowing brightly, but to avoid disturbing the sleep, they had gone into a dimmed mode, which was quite funny.
‘…They’ve lived relying on each other since birth, so it’s only natural they’d be that close.’
I had heard the fairies’ story.
They were fairies born in this dungeon from the start.
The earlier-born fairies had died one by one, and eventually, the remaining children had struggled to survive.
The dungeon’s rank was Level 2.
It must have been a tough place for fairies without any combat abilities to live in, but somehow, they had managed to survive using their special stealth.
But recently, a crazy monster… the lizard monster that Lee Ji-yeon had brutally beaten was viciously pursuing them.
‘Detection ability… so it got caught up in that.’
It seemed like somehow, the monster detected the fairies’ presence and went on a crazy chase dedicated to hunting them down.
To the monster, fairies were like delicious potent pills flying through the sky.
After being hunted for a long time and reaching a moment of danger, Rio, in a desperate mood, randomly shot a rescue signal that I caught, and I poofed in to save them.
‘Lucky me.’
It was pure luck.
There was no other explanation for it.
Everything just happened to align perfectly.
For someone like me, who often faced a lot of misfortune, it was indeed a unique experience.
Thanks to that, the nine fairies were able to stay together and now lay slumped on the chair, snoring.
– Your Highness! Why are you closing your eyes?
– Your Highness has six wings… whoa! Your Highness’s wings are changing!
– But why isn’t there a knight next to you?
‘Ugh…’
But there was one question that remained unanswered.
Why are they suddenly calling me a king?
– Because you are a king?
This kind of response came back when I asked.
It felt like I was being asked why we call humans humans.
‘…Am I really a fairy?’
But in the end, the fairies clearly considered me one of their own.
I couldn’t help but feel a bit conflicted.
When put together, it seemed I was indeed some sort of quasi-fairy.
Thinking of myself as a fairy was a somewhat embarrassing thought, but from a tribal perspective, it felt quite peculiar.
– Perhaps the Savior has become aware of their species?
– The characteristic of a species can act as a form of uniqueness.
The question of whether I had recognized my species.
An explanation that the characteristics of a species can manifest as unique abilities.
Ariel was continuing to give hints that didn’t violate any constraints.
Your unique ability is a species-specific uniqueness.
‘Magic affinity.’
It was probably the unique ability of being a fairy.
It matched the trait of fairies being exceptionally attuned to magic and attributes.
I could understand that.
It sounded a bit vain, but the fact that the top tier in this world offered me enormous support based solely on my potential was intriguing.
So then…
‘What about Jack of All Trades?’
Jack of All Trades.
A dubious classification that belonged to versatility and technology.
I couldn’t possibly consider this a tribal uniqueness.
– The Savior has yet to recognize their own species.
But Ariel seemed to indirectly refute my thoughts.
You haven’t recognized your species yet, that it’s not just fairies, there is more.
In this context, the ‘other’ compared to magic affinity could only be Jack of All Trades.
‘…What do I even think for Jack of All Trades to be a species-specific uniqueness?’
The question itself.
Nothing was coming to mind.
I felt like my head was trapped in a dark night sky.
– Rustle
That was when I sensed a presence.
I didn’t tense up.
“Ahh… It’s time. Good work.”
Soon the tent opened, and Lee Ji-yeon staggered out.
[Did you sleep well?]
“Yeah, thanks to you, I slept deeply.”
Perhaps still a bit drowsy, Lee Ji-yeon rubbed her eyes and plopped down onto the chair beside me.
It wasn’t the chair the fairies were on.
So thankfully, no fairy casualties occurred under that huge backside.
‘…Thank goodness it doesn’t feel bad.’
Even when I sneaked a peek, there didn’t seem to be anything awkward about her demeanor.
It seemed she took the fairies’ queen comment as just a joke the kids were making.
With a sigh of relief, I felt grateful.
[Then I’ll head back in now.]
Now the remaining watch was on Lee Ji-yeon.
‘What should I do first?’
Of course, I wouldn’t sleep.
More precisely, I was sleepy, but I didn’t plan on dozing off.
I didn’t even want to sleep, and even if I did, I’d probably have nightmares.
It was just then that I was about to get up.
“Hey, can you sleep alone?”
[Huh?]
At Lee Ji-yeon’s words, I froze for a moment.
[W-What do you mean?]
I involuntarily blinked in surprise.
I was poked where it really hurt rather than feeling absurd.
But I didn’t clearly reveal that.
Outwardly, I shrugged nonchalantly.
[How old do you think I am? That joke is a bit childish…]
“I heard it from Senior Elia. She said the kid can’t sleep without someone next to them, so please take good care of her.”
[Elia…]
My rebuttal was swiftly shot down.
The other party had already heard the truth.
Though it made me incredibly happy that Elia thought of me, a wave of embarrassment washed over me…
“…Can’t you really sleep alone?”
[……]
As I buried my face in my hands, I nodded slightly, and Lee Ji-yeon looked down at me with a strange expression.
“…Come here. I’ll give you a life boost and help you sleep.”
[..W-Well, I don’t necessarily need to sleep.]
“Hey, in a dungeon, you should rest when you can.”
That day, I slept soundly.
.
.
.
Once all the tasks were done.
Lee Ji-yeon and I wasted no time taking the fairies and leaving the dungeon.
Of course, there was a possibility of a small hitch along the way.
Despite their intellect and nature, the fairies were beings born in and belonging to the dungeon.
They were inherently restricted by the dungeon and couldn’t leave.
– Uuuhhh…!
“Wow!”
But that wasn’t a problem for me, someone with the power of space.
Since they couldn’t pass through the entrance, I simply tore a new entrance through the wall.
The whirlpool that opened in mid-air made the fairies’ eyes sparkle as they waved their hands excitedly.
“…Is it really space magic?”
[Yep.]
That caused even more suspicion and questions on Lee Ji-yeon’s face, but I didn’t care.
In truth, it wouldn’t be a big deal if they found out now.
I had enough power and authority not to be swept away.
As we stepped outside the dungeon, the evening sky was painted orange.
[Senior, it’s getting late, how about we have dinner before heading out?]
“Ah… is that alright?”
[Of course!]
[You’ve helped us so much, I’d like to treat you to a meal!]
The time had indeed gone past dinner.
I led Lee Ji-yeon and the fairies to the mansion.
Although I had taken an extra day beyond the original schedule, I had already said it might be delayed by a few days, so there was no major issue.
Upon arriving at the mansion.
Clearly, being slightly late wasn’t a problem.
The issue arose elsewhere.
“Your Highness, is this lady also a My Lady?”
“Hmph, yes, I… this one ‘too’?”
[?]
As I was welcomed, Hong Yeon-hwa blinked her eyes in surprise.
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