Chapter 944: First Encounter with Mash
Unable to figure things out no matter how hard he tried, Bogart could only focus on his own tasks.
At least he understood that Eiji wouldn't interfere with him.
Otherwise, he would have died yesterday.
...
Wheat fields outside the city.
"Thank you so much, Lady Mash!"
After arriving at the wheat fields, Mash swiftly defeated the gathered Mors, minimizing the damage to the crops and earning the enthusiastic gratitude of the fairies.
Led by Kulma, the fairies joyfully expressed their thanks to Mash.
"This way, we can focus on farming properly. It seems this year's harvest will surpass previous years!"
"Then the question is, Kulma, how much grain have you personally harvested this year?"
"Looking for a fight!"
Kulma, embarrassed and angry, chased after her companion, throwing a flurry of playful punches.
"We fairies don't get hungry. Who would eat rice? At most, we might try it out of curiosity!"
She lifted her head, speaking with an air of seriousness.
"That's right, that's right! All we need are oak trees!"
The surrounding fairies chimed in with laughter.
Oak trees were a type of vegetation commonly favored by fairies. They were planted in major cities across Britain but still couldn't meet the demand, as being among oak trees helped fairies recover their vitality quickly and effectively!
The reason lower-class fairies went to great lengths to acquire treasures was to save up money to buy oak trees, preventing themselves from disappearing due to the Queen's excessive collection of the existence tax.
Although fairies had no concerns about lifespan, they would still die once their vitality was completely depleted!
"I see, so that's why almost all the workers harvesting here are humans?"
Mash looked at the wheat fields before her and finally understood.
In Sheffield, where fairies and humans coexisted, the wheat fields were almost exclusively tended by humans. Most fairies, like Kulma, lost their enthusiasm for harvesting within minutes and returned to the roadside to rest and play.
The soldier from the Fang Clan's eyes flickered.
He wanted to say something but ultimately kept his mouth shut.
"Fairies are supposed to help harvest half of the crops—that's Bogart's order..."
Habetrot smiled wordlessly, her expression cold.
"After all, with such a large wheat field, if only a few humans are harvesting, when will they ever finish?"
"Huh?"
Mash was taken aback and exchanged glances with Habetrot for a moment.
A white wolf sat curled up by the roadside in the distance, casting a glance in their direction.
"One should handle their own affairs. Human food should be harvested by humans—I think that's only natural, right?"
Kulma scratched her head, wearing an embarrassed smile.
"Besides, we fairies find it difficult to approach iron items. Although it's not as severe as with Mors, iron is still poisonous to us. It's a matter of inherent nature; it can't be changed."
"Is that... so?"
Mash nodded, though still somewhat confused.
"Iron only becomes poisonous when iron weapons injure the body, and the Fang Clan has quite strong resistance to iron."
Habetrot muttered under her breath as if talking to herself, seemingly unintentional.
The atmosphere in the wheat fields grew somewhat strange.
"But Kulma does have a point—one should indeed handle their own affairs."
The soldier who brought the two of them laughed heartily, smoothing things over.
"Well... that makes sense."
Mash thought for a moment and found nothing wrong with the statement, then smiled softly. The cheerful atmosphere quickly returned among the group.
Habetrot pursed her lips and said nothing more.
"What's that?"
Culma's eyes suddenly lit up.
From the direction of the castle, a somewhat familiar figure approached. Though the cloak obscured their form, the silhouette vaguely matched the person they had seen yesterday!
Mash and Habetrot also noticed the figure.
The white wolf by the roadside, for some reason, bristled slightly, baring its teeth as it glared over.
"Does them calling you Mash mean you've regained your memories?"
The cloaked figure stopped before the group.
Though his stature wasn't particularly imposing, for some reason, he stood out vividly in their eyes at that moment.
"Speaking to me... No, I just found a note I left before losing my memory. I haven't regained my memories."
Mash showed the inside of her cross shield, where a note was indeed pasted, bearing her own name.
She found it a bit strange—this cloaked person seemed to ignore Habetrot and the others nearby, his gaze entirely fixed on her from beneath the hood.
Did this person know her from before she lost her memory?
"I see—"
The cloaked figure nodded, seeming somewhat speechless.
From Boggett, he had already learned the origins of the Nameless Forest. Though he was surprised to hear about Bagust's past actions, something else was more crucial.
What the Nameless Forest stripped away wasn't memory but one's sense of self—including name, origins, and the like—though common sense and personality remained intact.
And if, during her amnesia, Mash had formed a new sense of self, recovering her original self would become increasingly difficult!
"Boom!"
Eiji threw a punch.
The powerful force of his fist created a brief vacuum, stirring the air like a typhoon passing through. Layers of smoke rings appeared in succession, and the tremendous sonic boom momentarily stunned everyone present.
"Danger!"
Mash instinctively raised her shield.
"Clang—!"
The impact reverberated like a tolling bell, unsettling the nearby fairies.
A great force transmitted through the shield, jolting Mash's delicate frame. Her legs weakened, and she stumbled back several steps.
"Huh?"
Eiji looked at her in surprise.
Was the shield maiden this strong?
He had thrown that punch with the intention of sending her flying, yet she had only taken a few steps back?
"What are you doing? What do you think you're doing? Don't you dare lay a hand on our Mash!"
Habetrot finally reacted, angrily shouting as she hefted her spinning wheel, ready to swing it.
"Wait, Miss Habetrot!"
But Mash suddenly stopped her.
"Why are you stopping me?"
"This person has no intent to kill."
As she said this, Mash even carelessly moved the shield away from in front of her.
If Eiji had meant to kill her, a single step forward would have been enough to shatter her internal organs.
"Not bad."
Eiji retracted his fist, showing no sign of fighting spirit.
Despite having just thrown a punch, the atmosphere unexpectedly remained quite friendly.
"What exactly are you here for?"
Habietrot stared speechlessly at the two of them, wondering why they seemed to be the only ones in perfect sync. Wasn't Mash supposed to be my bride?
"I came to assess her combat instincts—to see how much of her strength remained after losing her memories. The results exceeded my expectations, which is generally a good thing."
Eiji casually pulled up the hood that had been blown back by the force of the punch. The fairies nearby, who had been watching them with intoxicated fascination, finally snapped out of their daze, their faces filled with regret and disappointment.
"Mash Kyrielight, a trial awaits you!"