Arthur watched closely as Joey cast her spell.
Her skill has improved again in just a few days. The structure of her magic has beco more refined.
He had been worried she might make a mistake, but it seed that concern was unnecessary.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Arthur relaxed his shoulders, but the sudden sound of sothing falling made him quickly turn his head. Lucy Allen had collapsed on the floor.
The mace, which she had been holding tightly, now rolled on the ground, and the shield, which had made her look the most reliable, couldn’t even make a clink of sound. Her posture, now as chaotic as a broken doll with its string snapped, felt ominous, as if it were signaling death.
Ignoring the surrounding noise, Arthur stared blankly at Lucy. Was she trying to mock us again?
Ha ha. Of course, she was. What reason could there possibly be for her to collapse right now?
If she was going to pretend, she should at least make it convincing.
The very sa person who had been flaunting how much she was loved by the gods just a mont ago, suddenly collapsing—who would believe that?
“She’s fine. Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s fine. But why? Why? Why isn’t she waking up?”
Arthur, who had been denying reality, finally snapped back to his senses when he saw Paybi’s pale face.
“Healing magic is useless. There’s no curse either. Then...”
“Paybi, calm down. Don’t panic like this.”
“How can I calm down when the young lady has collapsed!?”
The nervousness that never showed in front of others was now evident in Paybi. Her mind was in such a panic that she had lost the thought of keeping calm. Arthur, becoming more composed, took a deep breath and stood in front of Paybi.
“Saint.”
“This is useless. This too ans nothing. Then... then...”
“Saint!”
After embedding his voice into Paybi’s mind with magical force, she finally looked up and t Arthur’s eyes.
“Do you really think Lucy Allen would fall so easily? Have you made up your mind to follow soone so weak?”
“...No.”
“Then please calm down. Expending your strength like this will only make things worse.”
As Paybi, trembling, crossed her hands over her chest and stepped back, Arthur sighed and turned his gaze to the side.
The fragnt of Soladin, who had been standing next to him, silently gestured with his eyes to the right.
Turning his gaze in the direction indicated, Arthur saw Frey, who had drawn her sword, facing a woman made of intertwined tree roots.
With a gaze as sharp as the tip of a spear, the woman asked, in a cold, detached voice:
“Did you do this?”
“Yes. I invited her.”
“Why?”
“To ask for help from soone who carries the power of the gods.”
When the woman smiled faintly, Frey swung her sword and severed her neck. But instead of her face, it was replaced by a newly sprouted root.
Seeing this, Frey tried to swing her sword again, but Kal, extending one of his arms, blocked her path.
“I have no intention of attacking you.”
“How can we trust you?”
“How do you think I was able to break through her imnse ntal barrier? I, a re fragnt of the Queen, am nowhere near strong enough to penetrate her mind. The only reason I’ve been allowed to spend ti with her is because her guardian has granted permission.”
“I would prefer you spoke in a way we could understand.”
“Oh, don’t you fully understand what she holds? This is becoming a troubleso situation.”
“No. I understand. You’re referring to the fact that Lord Ruell allowed you near her.”
Paybi responded to the woman, who was resting her chin on her hand in thought.
“That’s correct. The one who carries the light of the gods.”
“What makes you worthy of Lord Ruell’s permission to approach the young lady?”
The woman, who had tried to smile politely, now bowed her head respectfully at Paybi’s cold tone.
“My apologies. I am the Fairy Queen. I am but a fragnt of her, lost in a dream, wandering between dream and reality.”
The Fairy Queen. The worst enemy they had imagined. The group, always ready for battle, naturally took their positions.
It was a formation they had practiced dozens, hundreds, thousands of tis. There was no deviation from it.
“I told you I have no intention of being hostile. Don’t you know? Beings like find it difficult to lie. It’s the truth.”
Seeing the Fairy Queen tilt her head in confusion, Joey rembered sothing Erginos had said.
Fairies are pure. So pure that they believe others must be pure too. The Fairy Queen is no different. To put it simply, her head is in the clouds.
“You’re touching soone’s friend without a word and saying you an no harm? That’s not very convincing.”
Joey, representing the feelings of everyone present, explained, and the Fairy Queen crossed her arms.
Her furrowed brow seed to indicate she was considering how to convince them.
“Why not just cut her down? I think we could do it.”
“Kent, young lady. I agree, but please wait. If we just kill her without understanding why she collapsed, it’ll be aningless.”
“The blade speaks wisely. Frey, Kent. I hope you can evolve from beasts into humans.”
“Hmm. Ugh.”
As Frey held back her impulses, the Fairy Queen, who had been frowning, suddenly tilted her head.
“Oh?”
With a voice full of confusion, she hastily turned her gaze to where Lucy Allen had collapsed.
“Haah...”
Lucy Allen, now awake, stretched and yawned.
The group, who had been worried about her, was taken aback by her relaxed behavior.
“That was such a boring dream.”
Lucy’s playful laughter made them lose any intention of scolding her.
Even on this barren land tainted by the power of the dark gods, her smile shone brightly, lting the hearts of those around her.
‘...Did Grandpa send in? No wonder it felt much more pathetic than I had feared.’
Breaking through my ntal barrier almost ant that she was as powerful as a dark god, but the fairy queen’s prepared forest was so poorly constructed.
The trial set by Gancho had been far more threatening.
I had montarily gotten excited about sothing that wasn’t in the ga!
I can’t believe this would be the end. There must be more to co. There’s no way she would have spoken so confidently without sothing else up her sleeve.
Ignoring the many anxieties, I waited for Phase 2 to arrive, only to be greeted by the fact that I had woken up from a dream?
‘...You were watching the whole thing?’
‘Heh. Grandpa. We’ve been getting along so well lately, haven’t we? Maybe it’s ti we have a little conflict like we used to?’
Ignoring Grandpa’s desperate excuses, I stood up, passing my friends who were staring blankly at , and approached the Fairy Queen, now fully ford through the withered roots.
“Are you ready to declare defeat, chicken coop aunt?”
The price for betraying my purity is high. To challenge with such a pathetic dungeon.
If it were up to , I’d attach a leash and parade her around the forest, shouting, “I’m a pathetic old aunt who’s been beaten by a girl, even though I’ve lived nearly a thousand years!”
But of course, if I did that, so virgin outside would probably make a fuss, so I won’t.
“...Yes. I have been defeated.”
“Strange. Why is your head so stiff? You call yourself a queen, but don’t even know manners?”
“What?”
“Bow your head, you clueless idiot. I’m going to make sure you properly apologize for being such a fool when I was trying to help you.”
Of course, I wouldn’t make a scene. I’d make sure to get the apology I deserve. You made hopeful and then disappointed ...
Ahem. No.
The sin of betraying Erginos’s efforts is not a small one! If you understand, apologize! Fairy Queen!
“I-I... I’m sorry...”
Seeing the Fairy Queen, who had thought she was sothing, now bowing her head, I felt satisfied. I turned to explain the current situation to my friends.
They were staring at in surprise.
Hmm. I wonder if it looked like trash to those who didn’t know anything?
Fortunately, clearing up the misunderstanding wasn’t that hard. The Fairy Queen, who had admitted defeat, explained everything.
The friends who understood that the person who had gathered the country’s entire military strength to save her now wanted to die, acknowledged that I had every right to be angry.
“I thought so. Lucy Allen, even if you seem clueless, you’re actually quite ticulous.”
“Yeah. Lucy’s actually nice despite how she looks.”
“Why bring that up? If the young lady gets mad, there’s obviously a reason for it.”
“...Though I feel like there were plenty of tis when we were just bullied without reason.”
“What did you say, idiot?”
“Nothing! I was just rambling! Lucy!”
Not knowing why, but seeing Joey glaring at with a satisfied smile behind the others, I spoke to the Fairy Queen, who was kneeling and looking at .
“You rotted away and beca sweet, huh, chicken coop aunt? You probably already know, but we have a lot of questions for you.”
“Yes. Yes, please ask anything.”
The Fairy Queen, now cooperating rather than whining, seed strange compared to when we had t in my mind, but this was better than her complaining.
“Tell what’s happening inside.”
After a mont of thought, the Fairy Queen sighed and spoke in a lanting voice.
“The Queen’s dream is about to end. It’s because the figure in the dream has appeared in reality.”
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