On the first day of training the friends to prepare for the temptation of the fairies, I started to seriously reconsider if it would be better to go in alone.
Arthur, who spent more time lying on the ground than being awake, Frey’s movements were duller than usual and lacked sharpness when trying to grab me, and Faebie kept staring at me blankly, forgetting things she needed to do. Even Kal couldn’t maintain eye contact with me and repeatedly missed his movements.
Joy, who had come to watch us after finishing her lessons with Erginus, wasn’t much different from the other fools.
Her face, so red that not even a fan could hide it, could barely manage any magic in the face of the fairy’s dance.
With all of them like this, it was obvious that if we entered the forest, it would be chaos. It would be less of a help and more of an obstruction!
I had doubted whether these fools would improve with just a few days of training, but as each day passed, my doubts were slowly being proven wrong.
By the second day, they could look me in the eye without hesitation. By the third day, they were moving as usual, and by the fourth day, they could handle the fairy’s dance and even the energy drawn from the armor perfectly.
The most remarkable change was with Arthur. The clumsy fool who wobbled at every touch had, by the fourth day, started to answer calmly even when poked suddenly.
Of course, if I kept teasing him, he’d eventually break down, but that was the same for everyone else.
<With this, you won’t falter even when faced with the fairy's dance.>
‘Is that so? I still think it’s a bit clumsy.’
<That’s because the one performing the dance is you, Lucy. No corrupt fairy’s dance can shine as brightly as yours.>
Hearing Grandpa’s confident words, I breathed a sigh of relief and told my friends to rest until we entered the forest. We had to maintain optimal condition when we entered.
While we prepared to enter the forest, those gathered around the fairy forest quickly set up their preparations.
Erginus, while teaching Joy, had succeeded in setting up magic with the help of Partan’s magical troops.
Other units were also neatly positioned in predetermined locations.
The clergy, led by Faebie, had prepared the sacred artifacts provided by Count Arteia, in case of the worst scenario.
And on the sixth day, at dawn, just before the sun rose, my friends and I set off again toward the fairy forest.
“The black energy seems stronger than before.”
“The Third Prince’s feelings are correct. I think so too.”
“Is this the aftermath of the fairy queen waking up?”
The fairy forest was turning into a far more horrifying place than when we first set foot in it.
The trees, withered and twisted into grotesque shapes, could no longer be called plants of the earth.
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From the cracked earth, the energy of the dark god kept spilling out.
Creatures formed from things that gathered together in black shapes bore features that no evolution could ever produce.
And the creatures that had once faintly resembled fairies were now completely unrecognizable as such.
The voices, incomprehensible to human understanding, swirled around us, giving off a nauseating feeling.
The only fortunate thing was that, despite being tainted by the dark god’s energy, they still carried the essence of fairies. The fairies still didn’t seem to view us as enemies.
“We can’t let our guard down. Everyone, Erginus said it would be strange if the fairies' characteristics didn’t disappear.”
But we never relaxed our vigilance.
Joy, having learned much from Erginus, kept warning us.
We moved swiftly, reaching the vicinity of the barrier faster than before, but we couldn’t see the rising sun.
The energy from the barrier covered the forest, staining it black.
“The outside of the barrier is like this. I wonder what the inside looks like.”
“I wonder. It seems like it will be pretty interesting.”
“Only you would find this interesting, Frey Kent.”
While Joy worked on the barrier, Arthur and Frey were bickering as usual.
Hearing their conversation, I silently thought and spoke to Grandpa.
‘I think it’ll be fine.’
The energy here is completely under the fairy queen’s control. If not, it wouldn’t make sense that we aren’t being attacked.
Even the energy outside the barrier is resisting the dark god’s will and moving as the fairy queen desires.
Within her domain, it’s safe to assume that she can handle even the powers within this energy as if they’re her own.
“Everyone, get ready.”
As I raised my head, following Joy’s voice, I saw the doorway to the inside of the barrier appear.
“You didn’t mess anything up, did you? You idiot.”
“...I think it’ll be fine even if there’s a mistake. Lucy. The entity on the other side is welcoming our entrance.”
Hearing Joy’s words, as she handled the barrier and wasn’t interrupted, but rather had taken control of it, a hollow laugh escaped me.
“So, that means we need to consider the possibility that this is a trap?”
“It’ll be fine. You hopeless prince. The dream queen, who’s still asleep, doesn’t have the intelligence to set up a trap.”
If the fairy queen had regained enough sense to set a trap, the barrier wouldn’t be intact.
She is still dreaming. That’s why she’s inviting us, who have passed her criteria, inside.
“So, you’re not going to say that you want to run away now, right?”
Getting up and stretching, I grabbed my shield and mace and looked over my companions.
“If I wanted to run, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble.”
Arthur shrugged his shoulders and drew his sword.
“Why run? This should be fun.”
Frey tilted his head as if he didn’t understand my question.
“I’ll gladly follow you to hell if that’s where you’re going.”
Faebie, with a gentle smile, placed those heavy words on my shoulders.
“Where else would my protection go?”
Kal, seemingly unconcerned, placed his hand on his sword’s hilt.
“Do I have the right to run too?”
“I think you do. Idiot. You’re just a magic tool. No human rights for you!”
“Then why ask?”
“Because I wanted to mock you if you’re whining about being scared.”
Hearing my reply, Joy chuckled and stood behind me.
Seeing my friends, who were strangely dependable, I grinned and took a deep breath before turning my gaze toward the door.
“Then let’s go tease the stinky fairy queen.”
Leading the way like a true tank, as soon as I passed through the door, the scenery around us changed.
The color that had been tainted with darkness regained its hues. The sky, a mix of blue and white, was as clear as a spring day.
Looking down slightly, I saw trees shaded in a deep green. The trees, so dense they covered the sky, still didn’t block the sun, making me think this is what natural beauty really means.
Turning my gaze back to the trees, I saw butterflies fluttering about.
Small animals peeked out from the underbrush, quickly scurrying away.
I saw a deer stopping for a moment, looking at me, then quickly darting off.
Brightly colored flowers bloomed, and fairies, hidden behind the petals, silently watched me.
“...What is this?”
“How can there be such a beautiful place under all this darkness?”
“I never heard of this.”
“Tch. How boring.”
“Stay alert. This is enemy territory.”
Hearing their words, my friends were left speechless by the scenery, and Kal urged them to stay focused.
It’s convenient to have a seasoned knight by your side in situations like this. I don’t have to tell them to stay alert—they just naturally take charge.
“Lady, what do you think?”
“Just as I expected. The fairy queen, whose brain must be full of mold, is predictable.”
Back when we entered the dungeon created by the dark god at the Burrow estate, I had to search for the reality hidden within the mansion’s scenery.
It’s the same now.
What we’re seeing with our eyes is all a falsehood shown by the dark god’s power.
The scenery beyond our senses is probably far worse than what we see.
“Lucy, should we reverse the dark god’s influence?”
“I know you want to be heroic, but right now, it’s a bit much, idiot. It’s not the right time.”
We mustn’t misunderstand our goal. We didn’t come here to fight the fairy queen.
Our goal is to enter the core of the forest, release the dark god, and let him consume all the energy here.
We don’t need to disrupt the fairy queen’s dream. In fact, even if we understand reality, we should play along with her dream.
It’s more comfortable to act as a clown than fight the queen herself.
Hearing my words, my friends quickly understood and lowered their weapons.
“Acting like a clown isn’t hard.”
“Exactly. It’s what I’ve been doing at high society events endlessly.”
“It’s embarrassing, but I’m confident in this sort of thing.”
“I’ll make sure to keep up with you all.”
Seeing my confident friends talking, I suddenly turned my gaze sideways.
Naturally, Frey, who had been by my side, met my gaze and tilted his head.
“Why?”
“Idiot knight. Can’t you just do nothing?”
“Why would I?”
“Huh. Can’t do it, huh? Yeah, that’s the level of an idiot knight. I should’ve known not to expect anything from you.”
“No! I can do it! I can totally do it!”
After I teased him, I saw Frey’s eyes change, and I promised to play with him once everything was over.
Seeing my friends watching me with a strange look in their eyes, I grinned and turned my attention to the door.
“What’s wrong, you bunch of losers?”
“Uh... Lady Lucy.”
“Uh... Lucy, well...”
“Let me be direct. Lucy Allen, is that really something you should be saying?”
Arthur, who had taken the lead, frowned and said something very true.
Hmm... Well, yeah.
After everything happens, I might be able to get away with it. But right now, anything I do will just make it worse!
Fine! I’ll shut up! After all, when I’m quiet, I’m the most beautiful!
I smiled slightly, knowing they understood my meaning, and as I closed my mouth, my friends hurriedly turned their heads and cleared their throats.
What’s wrong with them?
Is there something wrong again?
This is what I was told to do, right?
Just as I was about to retort, fairies hidden behind flowers suddenly popped out and spoke to us.
Tch. I guess I’ll just wait quietly in the back for now.