While it was nice to travel without moving a muscle, the feeling of tree bark rubbing against her skin was nothing to boast about.
The Silver-haired Fairy led Su Yao, who was being carried by a Treant, deeper into the Forest.
Without warning, the scenery suddenly shifted into a vast expanse of shimmering turquoise.
“Is this… teleportation? No, a Barrier?”
Su Yao tried to use her Combined Scouting Skill to Sense any anomalies on The Way Back, but she found nothing.
“This is a special Barrier of our Fairy Kingdom. You can think of it as Magic that makes people see an Illusion Technique.”
“So, you use this ability to make Humans lose their way?”
“Exactly. However, we only care to ‘play’ a little longer with those who are ‘kind.'”
Hah, how thick-skinned. It was clearly a troublesome prank, yet she insisted on calling it playing.
“What about the people you’ve captured and brought to the Fairy Kingdom? What happened to them?”
“We didn’t capture anyone! Only those who receive the recognition and affection of our kin are brought to the place where we live. We provide them with warm hospitality. Of course, all their Memories related to us are erased when they leave.”
So that was it. The legends of people who went missing in the Forest for a while only to suddenly reappear elsewhere were likely because they had been taken away by them.
Hearing it that way made it sound like a Fairy Tale, but the “warm hospitality” this girl mentioned—it couldn’t possibly be like what happened last night, right?
If it wasn’t, she was going to cry. Why was there such a massive difference in treatment despite both being brought to the Fairy Kingdom?
Could it be that fairies had that awful personality where the more they liked someone, the more they bullied them?
Or did she simply have a special constitution that attracted rough treatment from others? No matter how she looked at it, this was too terrifying…
“Don’t get the wrong idea. We like people who are kind, beautiful, and pure! Not a flat-chested masochistic Blonde Loli like you, whose head is filled with perverted ways to play!”
Fine! If that’s how it is, I don’t need to help! I should just find an opportunity to escape.
“However, even though you are selfish, cunning, and a pervert, you aren’t exactly a bad person. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have brought you back.”
What was this? Was she giving her a “good person card”? Don’t think she would forgive this Fairy just because of that.
“Since you know I’m ‘selfish,’ you should prepare some sort of reward for me, right? Also, I demand compensation for what happened last night!”
“Eh? What happened last night? Could it be… you couldn’t stand the loneliness and secretly used Magic? Do you enjoy playing with yourself that much?”
The Silver-haired Fairy teased her while flying back and forth through the air.
Her words made the Blonde Loli’s face turn red. Of course, it wasn’t just out of shyness; it was mostly out of anger!
This girl was definitely saying that on purpose!
“Any normal person would struggle, okay! Anyway, if you don’t give me a reward and an apology, I won’t help with this Trouble!”
“Now that you mention it, I really do need to prepare some rewards for you. How about I give you these Vines?”
“You jerk, let me go back right now!”
She was fuming. If they had a real fight with swords and spears, this Fairy wouldn’t be her match.
Yet, Su Yao never expected that she, who possessed two types of Water-element Mental Interference Resistance Auxiliary Magic, would actually fall for her Illusion Technique.
The Chlor she saw after returning to the Inn after chasing away the Fairy was a fake.
This meant she had essentially allowed the other party to tie her up with her own hands. It was… incredibly stupid.
Losing because of a lack of skill was one thing, but she didn’t expect this girl to be so relentless with her tongue!
“Cough, sorry. For some reason, I find your current appearance very amusing… I see. Perhaps this is how that girl you live with feels?”
In any case, Su Yao was certain now. This girl was just like Chlorel—no, worse. Chlorel was never this excessive!
“Back to the point. Let’s talk about the reward. I will give you a sword that our Fairy race has preserved for generations. Of course, if you want these Vines, I can give them to you too.”
“Who wants those Vines! But, what does this sword look like?”
A Fairy’s sword, and one passed down through generations at that. Wouldn’t that be a true “Steel-cutting” sword?
If she could actually obtain a Holy Sword, forgiving her wasn’t out of the… No, she still really wanted to spank her!
“The hilt is gold, and it’s even inlaid with some gemstones. Unfortunately, so much time has passed that the blade is a bit rusty. Still, for someone living in Human Society, the gold and gemstones should be very useful, right?”
Hah, to think she actually expected something for a moment. A Rusty Sword, gold, and gems—was that it? Was she trying to brush off a beggar?
“I don’t want some rusty sword. I want you to agree to let me build a canal to divert water from the Lake to the agricultural area of my town.”
“No way!”
As expected. She had already guessed as much when she heard those little ones saying the Lake was a Sacred Land. What a pain.
“Everything in the Sacred Land belongs to the Mistress. I cannot make that decision. The only thing I can give you is that sword. It’s a sword that has been passed down for over a thousand years; perhaps you’ll find it more useful than you imagine.”
“A thousand years? Does the sword have a name?”
“It does. Although most of it has rusted beyond recognition, the inscription on the blade is still clear. That sword is named—Durandal.”
……
“Lilith, what direction are you sensing now?”
“This way. The Master’s physical State is completely normal. It looks like there shouldn’t be any Trouble for now.”
Although Chlorel was currently a bit irritable, she was mostly worried.
The stupid loli spending a night outside was something that had happened once before.
It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but Lilith had rushed into the Monster Room in a panic to tell her that she could no longer Sense the Life Mark she had left on Su Yao.
According to her, the sensation had vanished into thin air. Either it had been “shielded” by some powerful existence, or Su Yao had suddenly “evaporated.”
Either way, it meant that the stupid loli was in danger.
If she were operating within Human Society, Su Yao was indeed very strong; almost no one was her match.
But the place she set out for yesterday was the wilderness. She only found out later that “strange incidents were frequent” near that Lake.
Bizarre disappearances, sighting Monster Reports of large “water monsters,” the howling of the undead on the shore at night…
In short, there was a reason why an important Water Source was designated as a national border line, and she had actually failed to stop her from venturing into danger alone…
“Chlorel, let everyone rest for a bit. Since Lilith has sensed the Tracking Mark again, we should conserve some strength. That way, we can support Miss Su Yao if an emergency occurs later.”
“Let’s do as you say.”
The small team of over thirty people took a break on the spot according to Sofia’s request.
However, what they didn’t notice was that in the Forest behind the team, two cloaked figures—one tall and one short—were following them…
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