982. More Terrifying Than a Fallen Fairy
As soon as Sinar entered the city of fairies, he forgot the surrounding commotion and immersed himself in himself.
If you need a spark, give me a spark.
If patience is required, then patience.
Through everything she could, she paved the way for her swordsmanship.
The name of the fairy city was Kirhais, and everyone unleashed their own strengths and helped her. Subsequently, inspired by the Indules shown to her by Encred, Sinar redefined the Sword of the Four Seasons. In the process, a small but substantial new goal emerged for her.
“Bran, listen.”
“Right. I’ve heard this countless times, but I never get tired of it.”
Woodguard Bran roams around more often as Lockfried than as a Border Guard. People used to follow him out of curiosity just by him stepping out, but now, unless he is an outsider, they just accept it.
He was very interested in city life. As a result, his way of speaking resembled some of them. In
other words, he used irony.
“Yeah, it’s always fresh and fun to hear, isn’t it?”
In this respect, Sinar was no match for Bran. She had been wandering the continent for a very long time.
Properly ignoring Bran’s words, she remained faithful to her purpose and chattered on about whatever she wanted to say.
I am thinking of writing a book when I get out.
Sinar spoke. It was right after he had finished training, wiped the sweat from his face, and drunk the dew given to him by Dryuers.
“What book?”
Bran gave up and played along. Sinar had adapted herself to life on the continent rather than life as an elf.
All of this had been done to deal with demons, and although she had now defeated them, the elf who had wandered the continent had developed habits that made it difficult to live the same elven life as before.
She easily felt bored in the stagnant passage of time. Her mind was also restless due to an impatience she had never felt before.
Shouldn’t she hurry up and go see her mate?
In any case, for one reason or another, Bran understood her struggle against boredom. And that was part of the reason he kept talking about that book endlessly.
The Story of the Returning Fairy.
“Here we go again,” Bran thought, nodding. “Just because I understand doesn’t mean it’s not tedious.”
“Right.”
“It starts with finding one’s mate. A man who hasn’t seen a fairy for a long time falls in love at first sight again. That is how the story begins.”
“I see.”
“It will be interesting.”
“I suppose so.”
“You have no soul.”
“Are you expecting a fairy to express emotions?”
“That’s not really something a fairy should be saying, considering she goes out to the city every day to chat with humans and arm-wrestle with giants.”
“That’s that.”
Sinar and Bran’s eyes met. She knew, too. The world would change. To survive
amidst that change, interaction was essential for the Elves. This old Woodguard had stepped forward to lead that exchange. Well, part of it was for her own enjoyment, too.
“And so begins the story of the returning elves. How does it feel to have witnessed the beginning of a grand epic?”
“Did you actually hear the news about Enki?”
Bran recited the fact he had kept silent so as not to needlessly interrupt Sinar’s training. This, too, was his duty.
“Speak. I am listening.”
“Esther, I mean, the witch known as the Black Flower, placing her hand on his chest…….”
What the fairy scout had seen in the middle of the night was conveyed exactly as it had been, without any embellishment. He added his personal opinion that they exchanged emotions by placing their hands on their hearts, and that the way they looked at each other was extraordinary.
“Indeed.”
Sinar nodded. “At least it’s not exploding.” Bran thought as he lit the tobacco. It was cider puffing and emitting acrid smoke.
“You placed your hand on your chest, didn’t you? Then I guess I should do the opposite and bring his hand to my chest. It must be warm.”
It was a trivial joke mixed with mild jealousy. Esther was a person worthy of recognition.
Sinar knew it, too. Conversely, Esther knew it as well.
And so, she stepped outside and joined the party to begin the epic of the returning fairies.
Let’s go.
As she dragged out her words and shouted, Yongin followed suit.
“Let’s go.”
“I’ve picked up that weird way of speaking.”
Saxon looked at the fairy and spoke, and Sinar smiled and replied.
“This is the language of the city these days. If you fall behind the trends, you grow old. Saxony.”
Saxon possessed superhuman patience befitting a first-class assassin. That is why he swallowed the words that he did not want to hear you call him old.
“good job.”
Yevatrice, noticing this, spoke and took his hand. Saxen squeezed his hand once, let go, and left at the front. Naturally, Ragnar, along with Audin and others, tried to join them, but Kreis’s letter held them back.
“We are heading to the Empire. It is naturally dangerous, but if the commander is detained or captured there, we will strike immediately. So please be prepared. Abnaier, your role will be significant.”
To put it simply, the letter conveyed this message: Encred is that significant to them. Everyone agreed.
In addition to this, Crys issued various instructions disguised as requests. The remaining members also had plenty to do.
I wouldn’t even dare to try to imitate that.
Abnaier muttered as he surveyed all the instructions Kreis had given him in a letter from afar.
No one could match the human Kreis in his ability to predict and prepare for the future from where he sat.
Abnaier sincerely thought so.
In any case, the Saxon, the Dragon, and the Elf departed. The three of them did not bother to stop at the Safe Road or any city.
“Would you like to go the way of the fairies?”
Sinar led the way. She never gets lost in any forest—except for the Forest of the Demonic Realm, that is.
After passing through a few forests, Saxen stepped forward. He was one of the most wanderers on the continent.
As an assassin, he made a living managing the Information Guild, roaming the entire continent.
That is how they entered the city of Saltenberg. It was a field where patches of green could be seen here and there through the dry straw.
This side had cultivated a considerable amount of rice paddies and fields. If dealing with monsters became a daily routine and bandits decreased, they would expand their fields. It was a reasonable idea.
“That’s nice.”
Sinar looked to be in good spirits. For days, she had been reciting the words “the beginning of the epic.” Saxon did not ask what that was, but Temares had asked and heard it several times. Sinar simply replied that since she was witnessing the epic firsthand, there was no need to explain it.
We passed through land where the scent of manure and crops mingled. Three soldiers on guard at an outpost on the safety road were keeping watch, and upon confirming our identity, they performed a military salute.
Saxon was now quite well-known, and the appearance of the elves stood out everywhere. Of course, the most conspicuous among them was the Dragonman.
“What? Isn’t that the person?”
The chatter of the soldier atop the outpost reached the ears of the three. Had rumors about Yongin already spread? Despite Saxony’s discipline and control, Temares’s eccentricities were enough to spread beyond the city. He flirted with everyone regardless of age or gender.
It was astonishing that he had stirred the spring breeze in the hearts of several old women. However, the words were not directed at Yongin.
“Who? Ah, the fairy who fell for that bewitchment?”
That’s not wrong.
Sinar admitted.
“And that person is the one Lord Rem was talking about, right?”
Rem? What Lord Rem said?
While Saxon was questioning this, the soldier’s tone became more cautious.
“I told you to be careful, he’s like a cat in heat.”
“He has a decent face and is a member of the Knights, but I also told you not to show him any women.”
“Surely it’s not that bad?”
“Still, I should be careful…”
“You son of a bitch?” Saxon was rarely angry, and Sinar looked back at Saxon but said nothing.
“You’ve already gone in.”
Yongin coolly assessed the situation and voiced his conclusion. It was a spirit that had been elevated recently as he redefined his duties.
The most important element of his duty to be together was Enkrid, the special being who had awakened his interest.
The three of them had already entered the city. Saxen held a dagger hidden in his sleeve with a calm expression, Yongin was filled with a desire to faithfully fulfill his duty, and Sinar looked forward to seeing his long-lost companion react with surprise upon seeing him.
That is likely to happen if he appeared suddenly.
And so, they came face-to-face with the party. It was in front of the villa on the outskirts of the city, which was used privately by the Lord of Saltenberg.
The King and the envoys of the Empire were figures of too high status for the Lord to handle. Moreover, would he announce their visit to the entire city? There was no need for that, and since the route was kept secret to prepare for any potential attacks, such a thing was out of the question. Naturally, he hadn’t informed the Empire either.
The Lord of Saltenberg would likely only have found out after they arrived.
And so, to some of the soldiers, he had merely left the news that the Order of the Mad Knights had arranged to meet here.
While waiting, Rem spread rumors about Saxony saying he was bored, and that became a landmark leading them straight to this place.
This is the result.
Encred was still putting effort into Seriana today to extract information from the Empire.
“Seriana, there is something on your face.”
“Ah, it’s because my hands are like this.”
They were sitting on the grass, enjoying refreshments and discussing what the newly bloomed flowers were and noting that there were flowers in this land not found in the Empire. Then, just as Enkrid was removing a small blade of grass from Seriana’s face, Sinar appeared.
“good night.”
Seeing that, Sinar drew his sword.
“You are a devil.”
“It is the highest level of profanity a fairy can say.” She approached, speaking. Balmung blocked her path.
“What is this? A fairy? Is it a fallen fairy? It is full of murderous intent.”
Valfir Balmung had encountered and fought various fairies. Not every fairy had to have dark skin to be tainted by demonic energy. There were many corrupted fairies who looked perfectly normal on the outside.
With this level of murderous intent, was he an assassin sent by a henchman?
Hadn’t he seen several such men before arriving?
Just then, a strikingly handsome man, whose appearance was unmistakably striking, vanished from his spot and suddenly appeared behind Rem.
Two daggers crossed where Rem’s neck had been. The daggers cut only afterimages. He bent his knees and lowered his stance to dodge. He didn’t just dodge; he drew his axe, twisted his body, and swung it from below upward. That axe, too, sliced through the air.
“You barbarian, I will kill you today.”
The handsome man spoke. Sinar lost his reason upon seeing the woman chatting affectionately with Enkrid.
So the beginning of the epic was a love triangle.
Yongin spoke in admiration. Wasn’t he witnessing firsthand the beginning of the story of the Returning Fairy that Sinar had been muttering over and over again?
Sinar silently placed his hand on the Nideul Grip.
The devil’s minions are indeed nothing but madmen.
Just as Balmung was thinking and resolving to this, a man with lemon-colored hair and vertically split eyes approached Encred and asked.
“Do I still not need to transform into a female body?”
“If we are to be together, would a female body be better? Or a male body?” It was a question asked with pure intentions.
Balmung’s pupils trembled slightly as he listened.
“What is this? What kind of nonsense is this?”
He felt as if he had been cast by some kind of seductive spell. Of course, he acted like an experienced knight.
“under.”
He shook off distracting thoughts with a short yell. He focused solely on his work. Blocking Seriana’s path just like that, he spoke.
“Nephir.”
“I’m ready, too.”
The wizard and the knight have already dealt with the minions once. This time, Encred, Rem, and Esther are with them.
Ah, it’s not an enemy.
It was Krang who had been munching on bread right behind him. Balmung neither recoiled nor turned his head, but Krang continued speaking.
“Welcome. This must be your first time seeing a knight order like this, right? They are the Order of the Mad Knights.”
The name of a knight order symbolizes its identity.
Just as it is for the Imperial Knights, it is the same for the Knights of the Continent. The Order of the Red Cloaks carries the meaning that they will fight to the end, even if their cloaks are soaked in blood.
They were not called the Order of Madmen for nothing. The reason why such a low-class name as “Madmen” was attached to a knight order that should have been full of honor was clearly visible.
“It’s been a while. I thought you were leaving, but are you staying? You said Kreis might not come.”
Krang greeted Yongin with a very nonchalant tone.
“I have found my duty.”
Temares answered, sat down in front of the refreshments as if nothing had happened, and picked up a snack to eat. Seriana was surprised. She had experienced all sorts of things in the Empire, but these people were truly astonishing.
The most surprising of them all was the fairy who suddenly brandished a sword. Her gaze was terrifying.
Just then, Bianca Conti, the Empire’s hawk, had mentioned that two crazy women were by Encred’s side.
Even the wizard would glare at me at the drop of a hat, and his gaze was truly terrifying.
This fairy is just insane. She draws her sword out of the blue. Would she have swung it if Balmung hadn’t stepped in to stop her? It looked like she would.
You’ve come.
Esther spoke. Her face lit up with a rare brightness. Her welcoming expression was evident.
It was Sinar’s return. Esther welcomed it the most. She seemed to welcome it twice as much, especially upon seeing the look on Celiana’s face, who was speechless with surprise.
Sinar.
Encred simply raises his hand in greeting.
“My mate, what are you doing instead of coming and snuggling into my arms?”
The fairy spoke confidently.
“Are you going to let someone else fondle your chest and just let me get away with it? Do you intend to tear this frail fairy’s heart into pieces?”
Is this a joke, or is it serious?
At those words crossing the line, Seriana saw Enkrid speechless for the first time.
Anyone would likely be left speechless by such a ruthless jab.
Saying it that way is highly open to misunderstanding.
Enkrid replied. It seems Sinar’s age makes it uncomfortable to speak informally.
“There is no misunderstanding here. Stay away from that woman. Before my sword forcibly tears you apart.”
Seeing how the situation was unfolding, both Seriana and Balmung seemed to have a rough idea of what was going on. That fairy was Encred’s woman.
That was the conclusion they reached. A fairy blinded by jealousy was more terrifying than a fallen fairy.
