"Fairy kingdom, king, huh?"
In the past, this would have made his hands and feet twist in disbelief, but now it didn’t even stir much of a reaction.
The fairies living in the mansion, his own spirits, and even Riana’s spirits.
They were all so accustod to calling him “king” without a second thought.
These days, instead of feeling absurd, his head automatically turns in curiosity, wondering why they keep calling him that…
"Teramor... I greet the king."
So, when a spirit, barely familiar, suddenly kneeled and bowed, calling him "king," Ihayul took it in stride, no longer fazed.
[“Hmm...”]
His expression beca complicated. Even so, it seed like he was accepting such a title too casually...
But his expression grew even more complicated at the explanation from the extrely respectful earth spirit, Teramor.
[“Fairy Kingdom...”]
In the original story, it was said that one might occasionally find a fairy wandering around places known as “nature.”
So fairies wandered alone, but most lived in small villages.
At most, they were village-scale.
He had never heard of anything on the scale of a kingdom.
The term “Fairy Kingdom” was only sothing he had heard in miscellaneous information or fairy legends.
He had never encountered a ruler of the fairies.
"The Fairy Kingdom... has perished."
Teramor, who had bowed deeply, muttered.
"The monster invasions were especially fierce. They poured out their forces every day without rest, and even high-ranking monsters continually attacked."
[“Wasn’t the kingdom supposed to be protected by the barrier of the fairy tree?”]
The fairy tree had several functions.
One of them was concealnt and protection. It naturally hid the existence of a settlent with a barrier, and even if discovered, it would release a powerful protective shield.
"The invasion began, and it collapsed due to a particularly powerful monster’s attack. Unfortunately, the king was ill at the ti..."
Though still bowed, his expression darkened. Without needing to confirm his face, the sorrowful emotion was palpable.
The oppressive feeling around him made Ihayul tighten his lips.
‘...If it’s already perished, it makes sense I couldn’t find it.’
At the sa ti, he organized the story he had just heard.
No matter how hard he tried, there was no way to see a kingdom that had already been destroyed and vanished.
That’s why he had only heard about it through docunts or oral legends.
The Fairy Kingdom had perished.
The cause was the invasion of monsters. While tragic, it was a common reason.
‘Was it destroyed during a ti of chaos?’
The great upheaval. Many nations had perished during the chaos that followed it. It would actually be faster to find a nation that didn’t perish.
"At that ti, I was a spirit belonging to the Fairy Kingdom, and I responded to the invasion. My kin and other fairies did the sa."
[“You’re a high-ranking spirit now. Were you the sa back then?”]
"Yes... I wasn’t as powerful as I am now, but I was a high-ranking spirit, and after fierce resistance, I received a fatal wound that reached my soul."
The fatal wound caused him to lose consciousness, and when he finally ca to, he found himself deep underground.
[“That dungeon... the place you were in.”]
"...I barely survived, but I was in a state where my life could end at any mont. In that state, the dungeon made an offer."
An offer.
It was easy to deduce the answer without even hearing it.
‘Did it sit down in exchange for maintaining life and healing?’
The environnt must have been right for it. The dungeon was likely trying to latch onto the will for expansion.
Since he was a spirit, it wouldn’t have been impossible to form a contract.
‘Is the dungeon really that intelligent? Or can the will for expansion not be considered as self-awareness...?’
He tapped his fingers silently.
‘Siyarham was established 120 years ago.’
According to the records in the mansion’s headmaster’s office, the headmaster had been preparing to establish Siyarham even before that.
They were already building artificial islands and dungeons for students to use by that ti.
‘Did I get dragged into that dungeon while unconscious?’
After a long ti of slow recovery, when did he begin to recover his high rank and beco an alpha?
By the way, where was the Fairy Kingdom located, that it ended up flowing into Siyarham’s artificial island?
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
"I’m sorry. Though I regained consciousness, I haven’t recalled all my mories. If you could give a little more ti, I would recall them..."
[“Ah... I see. I wasn’t considerate enough. Don’t make that face...”]
Ihayul hurriedly stopped Teramor, who was about to bow even deeper to the ground.
“......”
The serious conversation led to a quiet atmosphere.
Watching the expressions of his teacher and Professor Riana, Ihayul sat back down on the sofa.
[“I’ll ask a few more things. Don’t apologize if you don’t rember. Do you rember how many other high-ranking spirits like you were there?”]
"I don’t know the specifics about other attributes, but... among the spirits that responded to the invasion from the land, there were about twenty."
[“Twenty?”]
High-ranking spirits, twenty.
In terms of hierarchy, high-ranking spirits were just below the fourth rank, right? He recalled that they could be considered close to the fourth rank depending on the situation.
With twenty high-ranking spirits on the land, if you counted the other attributes as well, there would be nearly a hundred high-ranking spirits.
There were many more middle and lower-ranked spirits, and considering it was the Fairy Kingdom, the fairy forces would have been considerable too.
Given that the fairy tree was planted everywhere, they had to consider that as well.
But according to Teramor, their kingdom didn’t win the upper hand and was pushed back.
‘What monsters invaded?’
During a ti of chaos, there were many vicious monsters.
Monsters were nurous, and among them, certain monstrous individuals were born out of the chaos.
The two-headed hydra, for example, was a monster born near the end of the chaos.
Even considering that, it was shocking that the Fairy Kingdom had been destroyed.
‘Second rank?’
The gap between ranks grew wider the higher you went.
Second rank is stronger than third, and third is stronger than fourth.
The first rank, by definition, was considered an unimplented entity, so aside from the top-tier beings, the second rank was considered the strongest monsters.
The second and fifth cycles.
Ihayul himself had fought monsters of the second rank, and they had ended up fighting to the death.
"That Teramor... I couldn’t protect my kingdom and barely hung onto my life."
In the quiet atmosphere, Teramor bit his lip. His clenched fists trembled.
"I couldn’t even protect the king, nor did I achieve Lady Guinevere’s protection."
[“...Don’t say it like that... Whose protection?”]
"But at the end, I t the king... Ihayul-nim."
Teramor raised his head after bowing deeply since the start of the conversation.
Though Ihayul couldn’t see it, he could observe the indescribable emotions swirling in Teramor’s face and eyes.
"I’ve already failed once, but I still wish to serve Ihayul-nim by his side. Please, allow to do so..."
[“...Don’t say it like that. I’ve already brought you here, so of course, we’ll be together. Don’t worry...”]
"Ah...!"
Teramor, who had been stiff with nervousness, brightened up. But soon after, he let out a small gasp and lowered his head again.
“…That’s quite a story to hear.”
The main story had ended.
Professor Riana, noticing it, patted Ihayul’s hair.
“Fairies... These days, I’ve gotten so familiar with them, but suddenly we’re hearing about their kingdom. It’s not sothing to joke about.”
“It’s amazing that it wasn’t just a rumor, but an actual place... but...”
His teacher also spoke. Having sat beside Ihayul, she gave Teramor a sowhat uncomfortable look before gently brushing his hair.
[“I told you not to call ‘king’ so casually...”]
“That’s true, but when I first heard the story of the kingdom, I had a stupid look on my face, didn’t I?”
[“Well... It was an unavoidable story.”]
“Yes, but still.”
Feeling the touch on his head, the slight headache from earlier dissipated. Ihayul exhaled deeply, letting his body relax.
“Are those two queens?”
A question ca from in front of them. Teramor, who had been observing the surroundings, looked from one side to the other before carefully asking.
“Yes, they are Queen Atra and Queen Riana.”
“Ah…”
The answer ca not from the person in question, but from the fairies who had been listening intently.
With a small gasp, Teramor straightened his posture.
“I am Teramor. It is an honor to et Queen Atra and Queen Riana.”
“...Yes, it’s nice to et you, Teramor.”
“…Nice to et you.”
The polite greetings made both of the queens blink in surprise. Ihayul blinked too. The greeting had been sudden.
After exchanging greetings with the two queens, Teramor suddenly lowered his gaze and focused on Seoyul, who was sitting in Ihayul’s arms.
Teramor’s eyes fell on Seoyul’s hair and eyes.
“...Knight?”
“Hello.”
Seoyul waved his hand. A question mark appeared above Teramor’s head.
A knight... He probably ant a fairy knight. It seed strange to him that such a knight was nestled in Ihayul’s arms.
Ihayul nodded and patted Seoyul’s head.
[“This is Seoyul. As Teramor said, she’s a fairy knight... and my daughter.”]
“?”
A faint thought appeared. It was filled with questions. Teramor, frozen, rolled his eyes.
“Did you already see the next generation...?”
[“No, she’s not born that way...”]
Several days passed after receiving an explanation of the situation from Teramor.
Nothing special had happened.
Now that fairies and spirits, even a one-horned sea lion, were living here, the addition of Teramor didn’t cause much of a stir.
Teramor hadn’t completed his recovery yet, though. Most of the ti, he rested quietly in the feathers of his wings.
With the return of those who had been in dungeon practice, a short period of normal life in Siyarham resud.
“Really, it’s worrying... We’re already entering the tower, huh?”
Normal life was but a brief mont.
Dungeon practice ended, and the tower entry period was coming soon.
The training ground in the mansion. Lee Jiyeon, who had taught him Taesan, sat on the ground, letting out a worried sigh.
Ihayul, sitting next to him, tilted his head.
[“Is there sothing to worry about for the seniors entering the tower?”]
As far as he knew, there were no particular issues with this year’s third-year tower entries.
‘Unless it’s because of family matters?’
It was well-known that Lee Jiyeon was managing the family’s affairs as a deputy of Taesan’s family head.
Although it wasn’t a formal succession, she had taken on significant responsibilities.
“I’m worried about the juniors, not myself.”
[“Eh?”]
Lee Jiyeon, who had taken a deep breath, glanced at Ihayul. The green wings brushed against his wings, wrapping themselves gently around his waist.
“Mmm...”
The warmth flowing from the wings that wrapped around his waist felt soothing.
“Second-year tower entry is during the chaotic magic period. It’s tough, but knowing that the juniors are going through the sa experience makes even more worried.”
[Aha]
Indeed, the first tower entry for second years was sothing to be worried about.
After all, it ant being thrown into the chaotic magical period. Even the Fairy Kingdom was said to have fallen during that ti.
It would be a hard experience if you were dropped right into the middle of it.
‘Thanks to that, they’ll grow a lot though.’
The first tower entry for second years was an opportunity to grow rapidly, even in the original story.
Although any tower entry would lead to growth, this one would be the most crucial for growth.
Especially for Ihayul.
He needed to grow even faster.
[“But don’t worry too much. You’ll struggle, but in the end, everything will return to normal... whether it’s injury or death...”]
“That’s the right mindset. But for so reason, when it cos to you, I’m still uneasy about it...”
[“?”]
As Lee Jiyeon straightened up, Ihayul noticed the look in her green eyes—it wasn’t the cleanest.
[“I feel wronged...”]
Even with all the past baggage, being worried about during tower entry seed a bit unfair.
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