Benedict Allen's sword struck the monstrous creature that had risen from the earth.
The creature, which was a fusion of life sprouting from the earth below and life born above, became something neither here nor there. It let out a fierce cry, even in the face of a massive great sword that was larger than its own form, but the scream didn’t last long. The moment Benedict's great sword touched the creature, its body burst open.
“Please, be a bit more thorough, Sir. Wearing the monster’s skin isn’t exactly pleasant.”
Posel, who had been guarding Benedict’s side, grumbled as he wiped the blood and flesh off his face.
“I’m sorry. I was in a hurry.”
“Are you worried about the young lady?”
“Yes.”
Not long after Lucy entered the barrier with her friends, the battle began.
At first, a horde of monsters, the likes of which could be found anywhere in the world, poured out from the forest.
Soon, however, grotesque figures twisted into strange shapes appeared.
They had nine wings, five eyes, and walked on one leg, reaching the ground with arms that had never existed before.
They were cursed beings from the moment of their birth, incomplete creations born from the dark fairy queen who had been consumed by darkness.
Benedict and the knights, regrettably, had no choice but to mourn these creatures who had gained life and then defeat them. They stood at the front lines, waiting for the moment when the plan would come to fruition.
But despite the passing of time, the barrier didn’t falter, and the monsters emerging from the forest grew increasingly bizarre.
Even now, as the sun slowly descends after noon.
“I remember the time when the highest-level dungeon appeared.”
The commander’s voice rose, blood veins bulging, as he shouted.
The cries, rising high to suppress the terror they felt in front of the monsters.
The sound of countless weapons twisting and clashing was accompanied by a terrible noise.
The soft female voice that pierced the heavy battlefield felt out of place.
“First Queen.”
“I thought the country was going to fall apart back then.”
The First Queen, seeing Benedict’s slight confusion, smiled and shook the sword she held in one hand.
“How many lives would have been lost if you hadn’t been here?”
“I only did what I could.”
“Yes, of course. You said the same when you defeated the dragon that came to the capital to find treasures. And when you held the front line during the sudden war. You always say you did what you could.”
Despite all his great accomplishments, Benedict Allen never sought recognition.
He simply did what he could, smiled refreshingly, and returned to his domain.
“It was quite troublesome. The other nobles were in an uproar, wondering if I was ignoring the hero, and I couldn’t tie you down with a reward, so I was fretting.”
“...I apologize, but why mention that?”
“Because I finally think I can make you owe me.”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s nothing. Allen, what you should be looking at right now is not me, but ahead.”
As the Queen spoke with a smile, a massive aura surged up from behind Benedict.
It was a completely different power from the evil god’s that had once ruled the fairy forest. A warmth more comforting and inviting than the sun that had risen in the sky.
“Divine power of the Lord.”
Benedict, who had seen the sun rising from underground in the past, widened his eyes as he saw the sun blooming in the collapsing barrier.
Nutrients settled in the cracked earth. The twisted, dried trees regained their vitality.
The forest regained its original green. The sound of children laughing once again echoed in the fairy forest.
The forest, once thought to be tainted by darkness, now breathed life again. The hell that was thought to have no escape was now filled with past happiness.
“Now then, lead your knights and go forth, Allen.”
Benedict, who had been staring blankly at the eternal spring landscape, snapped out of it as he heard the First Queen’s voice.
“The brighter the light, the darker the shadows grow. This world is sensitive to balance.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means your dear daughter will be in danger. Watch carefully, Allen. With your eyes, you can surely see the shadow cast beyond the miracle?”
The fact that the forest had regained its green meant that the evil god of darkness had claimed the darkness that lingered there. The ancient deity, who had existed for centuries, was waiting for an opportunity beneath the miracle.
“We will maintain this front line in cooperation with the kingdom’s second and third knight orders, so don’t worry. I’ve already discussed this with the Second Queen.”
Since the first time he met her, the First Queen had always been a person whose true intentions were unclear. Even now, it is hard to guess why she is looking out for him.
But one thing is certain. This task is something that must be done, no matter what cost must be paid.
“It is the First Queen’s command, Allen. Please bring back news of victory.”
“Benedict of the Allen family. I will raise the kingdom’s glory and return. Posel!”
“Knights! Assemble!”
The Allen family’s knights, who had been stationed on the frontier for many years, once again set forth.
The goal is clear.
To shatter the myth and protect the smile of the one who will become their master.
The great wizard Erginus stood in the heart of the fairy forest, gazing at the sun-like flower that bloomed.
“Duke Partan.”
“Yes.”
“Leave the rest to me.”
“Do not worry, great wizard. I will not let your wisdom be in vain. But...”
“Do not worry. Joy Partan is not only your dear child but also my precious disciple.”
I cannot afford to lose the genius who will carry this world forward after me.
After saying this, Erginus, extracting his magical power, struck the earth with the end of his staff. His form disappeared.
The hero from the distant past, leaving behind a legacy, heads toward the fairy forest.
He had come to deliver a single message, crossing over hundreds of years.
“I hear the laughter of the fairies.”
The wolf, Mure, who remembered the age of myth, listened to the laughter that echoed with the warmth of spring, and let out a hearty laugh as he transformed into a wolf.
“It’s time to pay off the debt from hundreds of years ago.”
“Now is the time to see the beautiful fairy queen!”
The wolf, with the sharpest of fangs, and the fox, with the ability to become anything, struck the earth, heading toward the center of light.
“Is it the light that saved me?”
The woman, who had been trapped in the flames for decades, gathered her hands.
“O great Lord.”
Those with unwavering faith raised their prayers to the miracle unfolding before them.
“This is an absurd matter.”
The knight, who would one day sever the world, rushed toward the center of the forest, letting out a bitter laugh.
“Isn’t it joyful!? We now have the chance to add our hands to the beauty of the miracle!”
The apostle of the goddess followed with a wild shout.
Everyone standing on the battlefield witnessed the miracle that had found its place in the world.
Those with colossal power, whose strength was tied to the flow of the world, paid attention to the reenactment of the myth.
Some rejoiced.
Some were moved.
Some gasped.
Some frowned.
Some buried their heads in their hands.
Some smiled a bittersweet smile.
And again...
After hundreds of years, a woman, released from her madness, awoke in the dream left by her love. Realizing it was a dream, she waited for him, enduring the long years, only to give up at one point. The fairy, who had been saved by a small girl, finally awoke from her dream.
The queen, seeing the child dancing with the fairies in the flower field, stood up.
“Do not move!”
The knight, guarding the child’s side.
The girl, holding a sword, who valued the child above all else.
The boy, who had been freed from the curse after ten long years.
The girl, who had learned magic from the one the queen loved.
The girl, blessed with the Lord's love.
To protect the dancing child, they stood in the queen’s way.
They were not unaware of fear. They had not forgotten their fear.
They were not throwing away their lives.
They simply had resolved to overcome all hesitation.
Just like those who had come to the fairy forest in the distant past.
The fairy queen, with a light smile, overlapping the scenes she had seen countless times in her dreams, straightened her posture and immediately bowed her head.
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“I apologize.”
She apologized for what she had done, giving everything up to darkness.
“And thank you.”
She expressed her heartfelt gratitude to those who had allowed her to meet again the ones who had never given up on her for hundreds of years.
Even after hearing those two hearts, those who sought to protect the child did not let their guard down, but the queen did not mind them in the slightest.
“Do not worry. I no longer have the right to dance beside such a small hero.”
Leaving the words to stay by the child’s side, the queen swiftly turned her body and faced the other side of the light. She faced the shadow cast beneath the miracle.
“It’s been a long time.”
“Indeed, it has. Fallen fairy.”
The red eyes, glimmering from the darkness, looked at the queen.
“Do you think you can return to the past? Do you think your corrupted heart can release love?”
“No. Not at all. Hundreds of years have passed since then. The purity of that day cannot be restored.”
“Then seize it. Be true to your heart. Claim it.”
“No.”
A refusal that the former queen would never have uttered, firm and resolute.
“Even a fairy queen is still a fairy. Mischievous and spiteful.”
“What does that matter?”
“They won’t easily nod at a worthy opponent. Not to you, loser.”
In the face of playful laughter, the darkness began to grow stronger.
The restrictions that had confined the darkness began to crack.
The power created by humans crumbled before the overwhelming darkness.
“Once someone has been tainted by darkness, it’s easy for them to be consumed by it. Even if you think you’ve regained your purity, a part of your heart still holds the darkness.”
As the growing darkness overwhelmed the miracle created by the child, it was only natural.
A god is one who causes miracles.
The black hair of the man, appearing through the veins of the earth, fluttered in the spring wind.
“Such things will never return.”
The face revealed between the strands of his hair was certain.
“Never.”
He was the queen's first and last love.