A sudden gale erupted from the center of the lake, swirling violently in all directions.
Immediately after, the entire surface of the lake radiated a dazzling light, and beneath that glow, an incredibly mysterious magic circle abruptly unfolded.
“Eh? Eh?! What, what’s happening?!”
The fierce wind whipped Hyurim’s hair and clothes wildly, the blinding light stinging her eyes and making them hard to open.
Splash!
The sound of breaking water rang out.
“The world above the ground! I’m back~!”
A figure bathed in radiant light leapt out of the water, appearing above the lake’s surface, all while speaking words that made little sense.
Moments later, the magic circle vanished and the light faded away.
Before Hyurim stood a woman whose skin was as delicate as white porcelain, eyes clear like emeralds, and long golden hair shimmering under which hid a pair of sharp, slender long ears.
Her beauty was nothing short of divine—like an angel from a fantasy—if one ignored the three pairs of six translucent wings emitting a faint glow behind her.
“Oh, the chosen lucky one, are you the one who called me?”
The golden-haired woman hovered above the lake’s surface, her wings behind her still and motionless, radiating an incredibly sacred aura as she spoke, emerald eyes fixed forward.
Then, “……” The golden-haired woman was momentarily stunned.
Opposite her was a small girl who did not react with awe or reverence as expected, but instead wore a terrified expression.
“Mo-mo… monster appeared!!!”
“Huh?”
The golden-haired woman looked utterly confused.
Hyurim’s face was pale, her small pupils full of panic as she scrambled backward using hands and feet.
She retreated until she reached the edge of the rocks, with nowhere left to run, before raising her wooden stick, trembling as she pointed it at the woman hovering above the lake.
“D-don’t, don’t come closer!”
There was even a hint of tears in the girl’s voice.
“Wait, who did you say was the monster?!”
The golden-haired woman was very angry, clenching her fists tightly.
Then, with her left hand on her hip and her right hand pointing directly at Hyurim, she scolded, fuming: “Listen well, you ignorant one! I—”
She pounded her chest and lifted her chin proudly, “—this noble person! Am one of the oldest beings in this world, a devoted follower of the great Mother Earth Goddess Telaya, the primordial Fairy, Fairy King—Semilis Pan. Gennin! Wipe your eyes clean and look carefully! Show me your respect!”
“Eh? Fairy King…?”
Hyurim’s eyes shimmered with tears but held a trace of confusion.
Semilis nodded vigorously.
“Yes, yes, that’s right! The great Fairy King people often speak of is me!”
“What kind of monster is that?”
“Of course… I am NOT any kind of monster!!”
Semilis shouted loudly.
“Eek! Don’t eat me! Magic bullet, magic bullet, magic bullet…”
Hyurim’s face turned pale with fright as she grabbed some stones from the ground and wildly threw them at Semilis.
Bang!
Semilis’s head tilted slightly backward, a clear red mark appearing on her forehead.
Veins twitched at the corner of her brow.
“So—who’s the monster here!!! And stop throwing things at me right now!”
Wow!
Wow!
Her shout startled the birds in the forest into chaotic flight.
It also successfully made Hyurim stop.
After a moment, Hyurim carefully studied Semilis’s face, that angelic visage indistinguishable from a human’s, and there was no doubt it was unlike any monster described in stories.
“Sigh… not a monster?”
The small girl’s eyes still held some confusion.
Seeing that Semilis had finally calmed down, Semilis spoke with no patience, “Of course not! To mistake the noble and magnificent me for those filthy monsters, your rudeness is unmatched among all the chosen ones throughout history!”
“But, but…”
Hyurim didn’t quite understand Semilis’s words, “But humans don’t have wings, right? And they can’t fly in the air either?”
Semilis froze, veins twitching again at her brow, and she clumsily grabbed her head, shouting, “Ahhh! What’s wrong with you! Didn’t I say I’m a Fairy? A fairy, a fairy! Don’t you even know what a fairy is?!”
“Nope.”
Hyurim shook her head decisively.
“Uh—”
Semilis was stuck midair, a whole bunch of retorts painfully stuck in her throat.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she said, “Listen, fairies are…”
Semilis spent a full half hour explaining to Hyurim the history and ecology of fairies.
Fairies are magical beings created by the Mother Earth Goddess Telaya, born from the source of natural magic, different from humans and beastmen.
They possess innate magical abilities and endless life, characterized mainly by their transparent wings.
As Telaya’s devoted followers, fairies mostly live in the Sky Realm Tiramshein, and are rarely seen in the lower world.
Semilis herself was the world’s first fairy and the Fairy King of the fairy tribe, with three pairs of wings!
Besides idling about in the Sky Realm as their king, she also serves as the Mother Earth Goddess’s apostle, often handling various affairs between the heavens and the earth.
Her apostle status is clearly and thoroughly recorded in the churches of the lower world, and she is widely revered as a divine envoy.
“Well? Now do you see how magnificent I am? It’s perfectly fine to worship me~!”
Semilis proudly lifted her chin, speaking condescendingly.
However, she clearly overestimated Hyurim, a seven-year-old child whose little brain and worldview… At this moment, though Hyurim understood Semilis’s identity, she couldn’t relate at all to the other’s pride and greatness.
After all… Divine envoy, king, all those titles—she simply did not understand. “Huh? Don’t understand.”
The seven-year-old Hyurim didn’t know how to be polite and honestly spoke her mind.
And this was the most crushing.
Fairies are born with the ability to see through lies.
“……”
Semilis crouched over the lake, endlessly drawing circles, feeling close to depression.
“?”
Hyurim tilted her head, not understanding why the other suddenly changed like this.
“Ahhh! Forget it… let’s put the fairy stuff aside for now!”
Semilis suddenly snapped out of her gloom, jumped up, covering her head and shouting.
Hyurim was startled by the sudden move, but now knowing she wasn’t a monster that would eat her, she was no longer afraid.
“Alright! Let’s quickly finish this mission, then finally have some fun after such a long time!”
Semilis slapped her cheeks vigorously and perked up.
Then she looked at Hyurim.
“Hey, you—” Her voice abruptly stopped.
Her emerald eyes studied Hyurim closely.
Short hair shining silver like starlight, a small crescent-shaped ahoge sticking out, crystal-clear bright silver eyes reflecting the light, tinged with some timidity.
Flash!
Her wings shimmered, and in the next moment, she was right in front of Hyurim’s face.
“Yah—!”
Hyurim was so startled by the sudden close face that she almost fell backward.
“Hmm, you really are a bit strange.”
Semilis, seemingly oblivious to her behavior, said to herself: “I was distracted just now and didn’t notice, but now I realize—you’re so tiny. Are you a dwarf? But you don’t quite look like one, more like a human. Maybe a hybrid? No, that’s not right either. Or could you be a new intelligent species? Never heard of such a thing before…”
Hearing Semilis’s rambling comments, Hyurim frowned and puffed her cheeks in displeasure.
“I’m human, I’m human! Not some new species!”
“Eh, lying! Humans aren’t that small.”
Semilis looked unconvinced.
“There are! Because I’m a kid!”
“Oh right! A kid.”
Semilis’s eyes suddenly lit up with realization.
“I’ve never seen a human child chosen before, so tiny and cute!”
Semilis circled around Hyurim, even starting to pinch her cheeks.
“Amazing, has the world above developed this much now that even human children are chasing after legendary powers?”
“Mm, mm… let go!”
Hyurim struggled to free herself from the grip on her cheeks, complaining,
“I’m not short! I’m only seven years old, so this is how tall I am. In a few years, I’ll grow taller.”
“Wha—”
Semilis looked utterly shocked by the unbelievable statement, frozen in place.
“Seven… seven years old?!”
“That means a little baby!?”