“Are you asking for help because you, the incompetent loser wizard, couldn’t solve sothing so simple? Did you even try to handle it on your own? Or have your brain turned to mush, leaving you incapable of any new ideas?”
I frowned at Erginnus’s statent, which suggested it was impossible to survey the Fairy Forest, and he shrugged as if there was nothing more to say.
“Sorry. But even I didn’t expect this. Who could have known the queen would be half-awake?”
Just yesterday, Erginnus had visited the Fairy Forest and attempted to inspect the situation inside the barrier but had failed.
The energy lurking inside had blocked his vision.
Completely caught off guard by this unforeseen situation, Erginnus did his best to figure out what was obstructing him, eventually reaching one conclusion.
The Fairy Queen was likely isolating them in a space between dreams and reality.
“She’s not fully awake yet. If she were, the barrier would have already collapsed.”
“So what is it then, Mr. Virgin Wizard?”
“She’s wandering between dreams and reality. In the anti, she’s unconsciously trying to protect the forest.”
When I asked what evidence he had for this, Erginnus looked at with a nostalgic expression, as if recalling the past, and continued.
“You were born long after the Fairy Forest was sealed, so you don’t know the legends about fairies.”
‘...Grandpa, could you stop talking in riddles and explain it in detail?’
In the age of myths, fairies were naturally part of the world around them.
They loved playing pranks, were subtly suspicious, frolicked among animals and flowers, and showed off their beauty. Humans desperate to et these fairies were everywhere.
However, fairies didn’t easily permit etings with humans. They only approached those they chose, and wouldn’t even show the tips of their wings to anyone else.
But trying to physically threaten a fairy wasn’t an option, for they were powerful, and the gods who were close to humans at the ti were favorable toward the fairies, making it impossible to touch them.
If we were to compare this to a ga, it’s like people collectively figuring out the entry requirents.
Later, when asked directly to the Fairy Queen, it seed that these conditions were rely about the fairies’ preferences.
So ultimately, the way to et a fairy was just to et their standards, right?
If they didn’t like you, they’d go, “Ugh, disgusting,” and wouldn’t even show their faces.
...Isn’t that a bit too worldly? Give back my fantasy!
The fairies I know are supposed to be pure and cute!
How can you judge soone based on conditions like that and still be called a fairy!
This sounds more like a bunch of shallow people obsessed with their own interests!
‘...Wait, Grandpa. Does that an Erginnus was rejected by the Fairy Queen?’ ‘Isn’t that basically the sa thing!’
Hundreds of years of unrequited love shot down with, “Sorry, you’re just not my type, biologically.”
Is reality this cruel!?
No, more importantly, how is Erginnus's ntal state still intact?
How can he talk about it so calmly, knowing that hundreds of years of love were crushed?
Is a great magician’s ntal fortitude beyond human limits? For soone who’s shown a whole lot of awkward nerd-like monts, that seems doubtful!
“At this point, Benedict would have explained it to you. My guess matches his.”
Is he denying reality? Is he calmly accepting that he was rejected!?
As I marveled at Erginnus’s superhuman ntal strength, he continued explaining nonchalantly.
“I’m Erginnus now, but I’m not the real Erginnus. I’m a fake created by the old great mage. And fairies don’t tolerate those who harbor falsehoods.”
“Puhahaha! Ugh. Hmph!”
“...What’s wrong with you?”
I burst into laughter at the dig at Erginnus but didn’t have the courage to explain the truth to him.
I felt guilty about crushing his pure heart, and more importantly, if he fell into despair over his rejection, our entire plan would fall apart.
I just laughed without saying anything, and Erginnus, tilting his head in confusion, shrugged before continuing.
“Anyway, after confirming this, I searched for a way to remove the Fairy Queen’s interference. Since I was the one who created the barrier, I thought that with the knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years, I could resolve it.”
But Erginnus failed. Just as he had spent centuries preparing for this, the Fairy Queen, who had remained within the barrier, had, over the long years, absorbed the energy around her and made it her own.
“I don’t know why her consciousness has only half-awoken.”
“Isn’t it because the loser wizard’s barrier is so weak, just like his social skills?”
“There’s nothing wrong with the magic. We’ve tested it before... No, never mind, explaining it now wouldn’t help. What matters now is the solution. I need soone to replace .”
What is this skeleton talking about? There’s no one who could replace a magician who’s been called a historic genius! He must be out of his mind.
Ah, I guess he’s already gone mad.
He’s pretending the shock of rejection never happened, but it clearly did.
“What are you talking about, you madman?”
“Although it sounds absurd, it’s not entirely impossible. As I ntioned earlier, the Fairy Queen isn’t fully awake yet.”
The Fairy Queen’s consciousness had partially returned to the real world, but she wasn’t completely awake. She was still looking at the scenes of dreams, like a sleepwalker.
“If the queen judges people according to fairy rules, she’ll welco those who fit these rules. Of course, you’ll have to endure several little pranks along the way.”
The part about the pranks bothered , but before I could ask, Erginnus spoke again.
“That’s why I’m asking you to find soone who fits the rules. You and your subordinates should be able to find soone suitable.”
Well, if the conditions are clear, finding soone shouldn’t be that hard. I have Karia’s network for that.
The problem is whether that person can be trusted.
“The conditions are as follows. First, appearance. Fairies are pure and honest. They place the most importance on what they see.”
So they have to be pretty.
“They also need to be kind. Fairies can sense the karma accumulated by a person over a lifeti.”
So they must be good-hearted.
“They need to be sowhat strong as well. Fairies look for soone who can handle their pranks.”
They need to be strong.
“They must possess both purity and chastity.”
So, they must be virgins.
“And they need to have magical knowledge. Without it, even if they’re blessed by a fairy, they can’t replace .”
They also need to be good with magic.
Hmm? Wait a second. Looking at these conditions, it seems like one person fits all of them?
Innocent, pure, and a bit of a fool.
“Do I have to take over Erginnus’s role?”
“Yeah. If you do, I’ll pass on everything I know to you. Do you want to do it?”
“I’m the young lady of the Partlan family. Do you think I’ll be intimidated by sothing like this?”
Joy straightened her shoulders and spoke confidently, but the hand she placed on her chest trembled slightly, unable to conceal the nervousness. She was more nervous than her magic could hide.
“If you’re scared, you don’t have to do it. You know?”
It was a suggestion that if she didn’t want to do it, she didn’t have to. But Joy frowned and looked at as though I had said sothing ridiculous.
“Lucy, didn’t you just hear what I said? I won’t run away from sothing like this. After all, I’m your friend.”
Huh. Well, if she’s this determined, I don’t see a reason to stop her.
Even though she often does silly things, in this case, she’s well-suited for it, so it makes sense.
“Do whatever you want. I’m just curious to see what kind of nonsense you’ll get up to next.”
“That’s a sha. There won’t be any problems this ti, though.”
“Wow. That’s quite the confident answer. If you hadn’t been shaking like a leaf, it would have been impressive. Haha, too bad.”
“...P-Please just go do what you need to! I need to learn from Erginnus!”
Joy's cheeks turned bright red in an instant, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I left the room.
From behind, I could hear a scream-like sound.
Typical Joy. She always reacts so well, it’s fun to tease her.
Well, apart from that, I should also think about who will guard Joy.
Even if she gains the favor of the fairies, if the people around her aren’t suitable, they’ll dislike her.
Since strong individuals are involved in this matter, it shouldn’t be too hard to pick one out of the bunch.
But soon after, I realized that the fairy rules were more complicated than I had initially thought.
It wasn’t that finding soone who t each individual condition was hard. Even if the fairy expectations were high, there are plenty of talented people here. If we wanted to, we could find soone.
The problem is that all of these conditions need to be fulfilled together.
“Master, think about it logically—do you really think soone who ets all these conditions would still be pure?”
...
No.
This doesn’t make sense!
There’s no way a person with that perfect of a set of skills and looks could have never been in a relationship before!
In a dieval fantasy world where even twelve-year-olds get married, where is this idealized being?!
Such a person just doesn’t exist!
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