“That‘s a bit…”
“…?”
She said no.
“The method of killing is a bit scary… and I‘m a fae too, so learning how to kill fae is a bit much. Hehe.”
“And it‘s okay that they were trying to kill you?”
“They didn‘t actually kill me. And…”
And?
“If only I‘m in pain, everyone else can be at peace.”
The fae girl said, smiling.
If you looked down just a little from her innocent smile, you could see her roughly worn-out clothes.
Clothes so dirty you couldn't even tell their original color, and feet that had been on the verge of being amputated due to frostbite.
Her appearance, which showed no trace of sadness, resembled Morgan.
The man was angry.
He said he understood and let it go, but his insides were burning.
Did I say something wrong?
No. It was right to refuse.
Because the man, when he said he would teach me how to kill fae,
Was enjoying it to an unsettling degree.
“You didn‘t get hurt anywhere today, did you?”
“…I didn‘t get hurt.”
“Hold out your hand. Your legs and arms…”
“You pervert! Taking liberties with a l-lady‘s body!”
“What lady, a little kid is just a little kid.”
Should I have learned it…?
A few days later, as the fae‘s bullying grew worse, the girl approached me first.
“I want to learn something. Anything but the cruel stuff.”
“Then there‘s almost nothing I can teach you.”
“Aren‘t there any skills that are convenient for living?”
“I‘ll think about it, so for today, stay quiet as a mouse.”
I ignored the girl‘s question of why.
Because I didn‘t think it would be good for her to know.
“What is it! Tell me!”
“No. It‘s annoying, so go outside.”
“Technically, this house. I was here first, so it‘s my house, you know? If anyone‘s going out, it should be you, mister!”
I told the girl, who was making a ’What do you say to that? You can‘t argue with that, can you?‘ face.
“Either you pay for my clothes that you dirtied.”
“…I‘m leaving because I don‘t want to fight! It‘s definitely not because I don‘t have money!”
Cute little thing.
The girl slammed… pretended to slam the door and closed it gently as she left.
And a few seconds later, the door creaked open.
“Um, I‘ll be sleeping in the forest at the bottom of the hill.”
“Okay. I‘ll come find you later.”
“…Yes.”
That night.
“Fairy Knight Gawain. I have come to Tintagel upon Her Majesty‘s command.”
“You came pretty fast, huh?”
“There was a command from Her Majesty. Her Majesty Morgan‘s command…”
Barghest averted her eyes slightly.
It seems Morgan gave her some kind of hint. It probably wasn't good news.
“Is your health well, Your Majesty?”
“I‘m fine, so don‘t worry.”
“Understood.”
Barghest knelt and awaited my command.
How should I bring it up? I pondered for a moment.
’I have a fae friend, so could you rough up Tintagel a bit for her?‘ That wouldn‘t work, would it?
No matter what, I can only see a future where Tintagel is destroyed.
The Fae Kingdom is Morgan‘s land.
No matter how corrupt Tintagel is, no matter how much Morgan lets my actions slide, I only want to touch it moderately.
I can‘t change the Fae Kingdom to my liking just because I don‘t like it.
I don‘t want to be that passionate either.
As I was thinking, I found a good answer.
“Come to think of it, didn‘t you say you knew a good weaver around here?”
“…Do you mean the blacksmith, Your Majesty?”
It was a blacksmith. Damn my memory.
“Yes, the blacksmith.”
“Shall I kill him?”
Barghest said something terrifying with a straight face.
“No. I heard he lives in a remote place. Would it be a problem if his family grew by one person?”
Barghest‘s eyes widened.
“He could raise one young fae, couldn‘t he?”
“…Your Majesty. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Barghest suddenly cut me off.
It was so unexpected that I just blinked.
What is she trying to say?
Barghest, who was sweating cold, carefully opened her mouth.
“Could it be that you‘ve fallen in love, Your Majesty?”
“This insolence. With your life…”
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop. Just stop now.”
“Understood.”
After stopping Barghest from committing suicide, I properly conveyed my intentions.
Barghest said, ’as expected of Your Majesty,‘ and that she had believed in me, but… well. Now?
Anyway, my words also had room for misunderstanding, so I laughed it off.
Instead, I reminded her to complete the mission for sure.
If she moves away from Tintagel, the bullying towards the fae girl will also decrease, right?
“And, um… is there a fae who knows magic?”
“There is only one fae I know who uses magic. Your Majesty already knows her.”
Ah.
-My husband. Are you looking for me?
I saw a hallucination and heard an auditory hallucination at the same time.
I just remembered that a fae who can handle mystery has no need to use magic.
“…Not Morgan. It‘s my first outing in decades, and I don‘t want to go back to the royal palace already.”
“If it is Your Majesty, you should be able to use a clone.”
“I just don‘t want to see her.”
“Did you say you do not wish to see Her Majesty Morgan? This is…”
Barghest narrowed her eyes.
“Are you suggesting I‘m having an affair behind Morgan‘s back!”
“I have said nothing, Your Majesty.”
“…Keep this a secret.”
“I will take it to my grave.”
My head hurts.
Barghest granted my request.
She ostensibly came to Tintagel to procure an assistant for a blacksmith for the purpose of armor procurement for Mors suppression.
When a Fairy Knight suddenly appeared looking for manpower, almost no fae volunteered.
It wasn't that there were none at all, so Barghest used her physique to intimidate the fae.
When she warned that the work would be very difficult, the Tintagel fae voluntarily offered up the fae girl.
“Blonde hair and short stature. It is indeed you.”
“…Short stature?”
“We are departing. Follow me.”
“Shouldn‘t you explain properly!”
“Hey?”
“…Ma‘am.”
Watching the fae girl being dragged away from a distance, I was filled with mixed emotions.
I can only hope she adapts well.
“Then I should get to my own work.”
First, find a staff.
A big fae. The Fairy Knight I had only heard about came and dragged me to the outskirts of the village.
A very, really, extremely disagreeable fellow.
Just tall like a pole and acting all high and mighty.
I can grow up fast too, you know?
“It might take some time, but…”
“Grow up fast. You start learning the work tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
I got scolded by a new man.
From today, I live in this blacksmith‘s house.
His name is Ector. His characteristic is his mean-looking face.
But he‘s really kind on the inside. He‘s the first fae I‘ve seen who doesn‘t look down on me for not being able to handle mystery.
“…Even that tall pole-like one didn‘t insult me. Ugh. Don‘t think about it. Don‘t think about it.”
This place is much more livable than before.
There are no holes in the walls for the wind to blow through.
It also means that the man won‘t have to lean against the wall to block the hole.
It‘s not warm, but it‘s not cold either.
There‘s even a blanket to sleep under.
“…Ah, it hurts~ Won‘t someone heal me!”
Only my voice echoed in the empty room.
There was a thumping sound from downstairs, as if to tell me to be quiet.
“Besides, the man isn‘t here. I won‘t see him again, right…”
This is all because of that tall pig fae!
“How is she? Does she seem to like it?”
“I am not sure, Your Majesty. What is certain is that the way she looked at me was impure. I felt like I was looking at a troublemaker.”
“Really? That‘s a relief, it seems she likes you.”
Barghest didn‘t seem to understand my words, but she didn‘t ask again.
She just nodded.
“Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, I have one less worry.”
“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
“You came all this way. Was your official business not affected?”
“Please do not worry, Your Majesty. I have just finished suppressing the Mors. I felt like I was on vacation.”
Then that‘s a relief.
Barghest left right after that.
She said she was fine, but it seems I did hold up a busy person.
“For the next request, I should call a person who is playing and eating… no, a fae.”
Is there a fae I know who is highly capable, has plenty of time, and…
I was resting when a streak of blue light flashed across the sky and then fell vertically right where I was.
I seriously thought I was going to die of a heart attack.
“Yahoo. Your Majesty, hello. I‘m so happy you called me. I hear you‘re on a secret trip lately? Are you letting me in on it?”
Let‘s not get involved. The moment I match that energy, I‘m done for.
“Ah. Lancelot. The Fae Kingdom‘s finest sword. Thank you for coming.”
“What‘s this, Your Majesty. Why are you putting up such a wall today? Are you being watched by Her Majesty? That‘s always the case.”
“What did you just… never mind.”
Right. It‘s not strange.
There‘s no way Morgan would suddenly let me go. She‘s a fae with a plan.
I believe she at least won‘t do anything to harm me.
That‘s probably why she‘s not saying anything even when I‘m using a Fairy Knight for errands.
“Ahem. I have a favor to ask of you today.”
“What is it? An affair?”
“…Did you hear from Barghest?”
Mélusine brought a hand to her mouth and made an “oh my” sound.
“I was just testing you. Your Majesty, is it true? Does Barghest already know? And she‘s even keeping it a secret?”
“I‘m doomed.”
Mélusine‘s eyes curved beautifully.
You‘re a novice if you‘re deceived by her innocent appearance.
A crazy ancient dragon is sleeping inside her.
“I‘ll keep it a secret from Her Majesty. Instead, you have to tell me exactly what you‘re doing, okay?”
“You said you‘re watching everything, so what‘s the difference?”
“There‘s a big difference between me revealing it in the throne room and Her Majesty knowing it alone, isn‘t there?”
I see. She‘s threatening me with Morgan‘s authority.
…Does this crazy Fairy Knight even know who she serves?
“I understand for now.”
“And call me Mélusine. Doesn‘t Lancelot feel too distant?”
“I agree.”
Unlike the beaming Mélusine, my face is rotting away.
Please don‘t do anything strange…!
Honestly, I didn‘t even expect it.
“Ah, that‘s not how you do it.”
“Who are you?”
Mélusine approached the fae girl who was training with a staff in her spare time - also known as swinging it around wildly.
“Your body is too stiff. Are you from the earth clan or something?”
“Huh?”
“Watch carefully. Whether it‘s a staff or a sword, I find them boring and don‘t use them, but… I‘ll show you.”
To the fae girl holding a staff made of ash wood, Mélusine challenged her to a duel with just a single tree branch.
The properly infuriated fae girl, not even noticing the strangeness, accepted the duel.
Her huffing and puffing made her look like a wild boar.
Come to think of it, I‘ve never asked the fae girl her clan.
Could it be the wild boar clan?
I don‘t know if that clan actually exists.
“Even if you get hurt, I can‘t heal you!”
“It‘s fine. You won‘t even be able to graze my clothes.”
“Haaah!”
The fae girl who charged in with great spirit was brutally crushed by Mélusine.
The duel consisted of 3 stages.
This was repeated endlessly.
The duel ended when the lump on the fae girl‘s head became bigger than the tree branch in Mélusine‘s hand.
The declaration of surrender surprisingly came from Mélusine.
“I‘m done now. I‘m tired.”
“What? Why are you stopping? I‘ve just figured it out.”
“Figured it out? Pfft. That was really funny.”
I didn‘t want to agree with Mélusine, but this time I couldn‘t help but nod.
Still, she tried.
Have a drink.
But the fae girl didn‘t seem to have any intention of giving up.
“Don‘t run away! Fight me!”
“No~pe.”
Mélusine, sticking her tongue out, cowardly fled into the sky.
The wild boar clan (I‘m not sure) was a pitiful fae who could not fly.
It was a far-fetched dream for the fae girl, who was jumping up and down, to have another duel with Mélusine.
“You coward! I fought you on the same ground! Are you running away because you‘re at a disadvantage?!”
“…Disadvantage?”
Until Mélusine was triggered by the fae girl‘s remark.
Mélusine, triggered by the remark about running away, swooped down on me as if she were falling.
She landed with so much force that a 5m diameter hole was created in the ground.
I could tell she had been considerate when she fell on me.
“You think I‘m running away because I‘m going to lose? That‘s ridiculous.”
“Th-then fight me.”
“Fine. I‘ll face you with all I‘ve got.”
Mélusine put on her visor.
It was the same one she used when going to suppress the calamity.
Mélusine had now sincerely decided to crush the fae girl.
I thought I had to stop this and jumped out of the forest.
I called for help, and now she‘s causing a ruckus.
“Stop it, you bratty little dragon!”
“…Mister?”
Ah.
I didn‘t think about getting caught.