Chapter 49

R̂êäd̀ ̂öǹ​ ̈K̂​ä​t̂​R̃éäd̈în̈​ǵĆäf̂é

Lucy, who had noticed that Finn was missing, looked around.

She retraced her steps and checked the nearby stalls, but Finn was nowhere to be seen.

“H-how, could she have gotten lost…?”

Estelle asked worriedly from inside Lucy’s embrace.

Lucy narrowed her eyes.

That was possible, but it was also possible that someone had forcibly taken her.

Fairies were quite rare, and if caught and sold, they could fetch a high price.

If that were the case, finding Finn wouldn’t be easy.

Lucy first looked for a place where she could avoid people’s gazes.

Coincidentally, there was a narrow alley behind the square.

Unlike the noisy atmosphere of the festival, it was a very quiet place.

Lucy walked there and summoned Amon.

A chilly aura descended around her, and red eyes glowed from the darkness.

“!”

Estelle seemed startled and burrowed deeper into Lucy’s embrace, while Derrick shot a sharp, wary look.

“…Keke.”

Amon looked at Lucy and spoke.

“Something’s different about you, Lucy.”

He was likely referring to Lucy’s hair.

Currently, Lucy wasn’t donning her usual white hair but a short red wig.

Lucy nodded and opened her mouth.

“Amon, there’s someone I need to find. Can you help?”

“That’s not hard, but who are you looking for?”

“A fairy. Her name is Finn, with blue hair and a very cute appearance.”

“Keke, a fairy’s head is too small.”

“You can’t eat Finn.”

At Lucy’s words, Amon slumped his shoulders slightly, looking disappointed.

Lucy spoke again.

“But if someone kidnapped Finn, you can do whatever you want to them. Just find Finn.”

“Understood. Do you have anything that carries the fairy’s scent?”

Lucy had heard that Amon could easily track anyone as long as he had their scent.

That’s why she had asked for his help.

“I…”

Lucy hesitated slightly before speaking.

“Finn was inside my clothes for quite a while.”

“I see.”

Amon approached and pressed his face against Lucy’s clothes, sniffing.

His red eyes flashed.

“There’s definitely a scent. The scent of a fairy. A sweet floral scent. By the way, Lucy, is that crow on your shoulder and the rabbit in your arms human?”

“Yes.”

“No wonder, keke. You’ve been up to some interesting things. Anyway, I’ll find that fairy.”

“Thank you.”

Whoosh!

Amon leaped off the ground and melted into the darkness.

“…”

Lucy took a light breath and then walked back toward the square.

Since she had asked Amon for help, Finn would likely be found soon.

She could go back to the square and enjoy the festival…

Thud—

But Lucy stopped after only a few steps.

She saw masked figures entering the alley.

They were clearly the assassins from earlier.

What should I do?

Lucy pondered for a moment but realized there was no need to think too hard.

Currently, Lucy was disguised with a wig.

They probably wouldn’t recognize her.

Lucy stroked Estelle in her arms and walked forward calmly.

“Stop, girl.”

But the assassins immediately blocked Lucy’s path.

“Tell us where Estelle is right now.”

“…”

There were three assassins.

One blocked Lucy’s front, while the other two blocked her back.

They had surrounded her to prevent her from escaping.

“We have the fairy who was with you.”

The assassin in front of her spoke while staring directly into Lucy’s eyes.

“If you don’t tell us where Estelle is right now, we’ll skin that fairy alive.”

“…”

Only then did Lucy realize why Finn had disappeared.

She had been kidnapped by these guys.

“Wh-who…?”

Lucy decided to play dumb for now.

“What are you talking about…?”

She tilted her head and blinked her eyes.

“Ha.”

The assassin let out a laugh, as if finding it ridiculous.

“Do you think you can fool us just by wearing a wig? You’re the girl from the terrace earlier.”

“You’re really underestimating us. Do you think assassins are a joke?”

“And you’re still wearing the same clothes. The wig is obvious too.”

“If you’re going to disguise yourself, do it properly. This is too sloppy.”

“How stupid.”

“Even a child wouldn’t fall for this.”

The assassins ruthlessly berated Lucy.

“…”

Lucy weakly removed her wig.

Her white hair cascaded down softly.

“Now, speak. Where is Estelle?”

The assassin pointed a sharp dagger at her.

“If you tell us where Estelle is, you and the fairy will be safe. But if you don’t, you’ll experience unimaginable pain.”

At the assassins’ words, Estelle trembled slightly.

Lucy hugged Estelle tightly, as if to reassure her.

“Still…”

Lucy opened her mouth.

“You haven’t noticed Estelle.”

“What?”

The assassins frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

They looked around, but Estelle was nowhere to be seen.

“Are you messing with us right now?”

The assassins approached Lucy with a threatening aura, as if they were about to attack her at any moment.

At that moment,

[Found her.]

Amon’s voice echoed in Lucy’s mind.

[The fairy is safe.]

Lucy’s eyes turned cold.

The assassins, unaware of this, continued to approach her.

“Looks like there’s no other way. A girl like you won’t talk unless she tastes some pain.”

“We’ll pull out those cute nails one by one until you tell us where Estelle is.”

At that moment, Derrick flapped his wings and whispered to Lucy.

“Return me to my original form.”

Lucy immediately lifted the curse on Derrick’s body.

With a poof, Derrick stood in front of Lucy, shielding her.

The crow’s form disappeared, revealing a clean, armored figure.

“?!”

The assassin in front of him flinched and tried to step back.

But Derrick swung his sword faster than the assassin could retreat.

Slash!

The assassin’s head flew into the air.

“What the hell!”

The two assassins behind immediately sprang into action.

One rushed at Derrick, while the other tried to grab Lucy.

But neither achieved their goal.

The assassin who rushed at Derrick was split in half vertically, and the one who lunged at Lucy was engulfed in black flames.

◈

“H-h-huk….”

Finn trembled, cornered in a tight spot.

A horrific massacre was unfolding before Finn’s eyes.

Crunch—!

Suddenly, a demon appeared and began devouring the masked men’s heads whole.

“S-stop it!”

The masked men resisted fiercely.

They quickly surrounded the demon and stabbed their sharp daggers into its body.

Clang!

But not a single scratch appeared on the demon’s body. Their daggers simply bounced off uselessly.

“Keke…”

The demon chewed through the men’s heads one by one, as if hunting.

“S-save me!”

Occasionally, a man would try to flee in terror, but the demon’s movements were so fast they were nearly invisible, and it never missed its prey.

Soon, silence fell.

The floor was soaked in blood, and headless corpses lay scattered everywhere.

Nearly twenty men had been killed.

“H-huk…”

Finn’s eyelashes fluttered.

The only ones left alive were the one-eyed old man and Finn herself.

The demon approached the old man, blood dripping from its mouth.

“G-get away!”

The old man flinched and stepped back.

“Don’t come near me, you damn demon brat!”

Swish!

The old man swung his hand, and a dagger flew.

It was a superb throw, something an ordinary person wouldn’t even notice.

But it had no effect on the demon.

The dagger struck the demon’s body with a thud and bounced off.

The old man looked utterly defeated.

“Keke, I was told to spare you…”

The demon reached out and grabbed the old man’s leg.

Then, a sickening crack echoed.

“Kyaaak!”

The old man let out a horrifying scream.

“My leg, my leg!!”

His leg had turned to mush. The bones had been crushed into powder.

Whoosh—

The demon tossed the old man into a corner like trash, then turned and walked toward Finn.

“H-huk, k-kuk…”

Finn curled up her legs and trembled.

She was scared.

So scared that she felt like she might wet herself.

She wanted to run away, but this was a confined space.

There was a door on one side, but it was firmly shut.

“I-I didn’t do anything wrong…”

At that moment, the demon reached out and grabbed Finn.

“…!”

Finn shut her eyes tightly.

The thought of being eaten by the demon made her feel strangely sorrowful.

The outside world was truly dangerous.

She shouldn’t have left the fairy kingdom.

What was Lucy doing now? Was she enjoying the festival?

‘If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve become friends with Lucy…’

To die without making a single friend.

She couldn’t understand why she had left the fairy kingdom in the first place.

“You must be Finn.”

The demon spoke.

“Keke, fairies really do smell nice. Hmm, I can smell Lucy on you too.”

“…?”

Finn cautiously opened her eyes.

The demon was now sniffing Finn’s body, its face pressed close.

“Lucy…? Did you just say Lucy…?”

At Finn’s words, the demon nodded.

“Yeah, Lucy sent me. She asked me to save you.”

“L-Lucy did…?”

Finn felt her eyes grow hot.

So that’s what happened. Lucy had sent the demon.

A wave of relief washed over her, and her body went limp.

At the same time, a warm sensation spread down her legs.

“…Huh?”

The demon tilted its head.

Something began dripping from the demon’s hand.

“You, don’t tell me…”

“…”

Finn’s face turned bright red as she hung her head low.

In her relief, she had accidentally disgraced herself in the demon’s hand.

She was too ashamed to lift her head.

The demon scratched its head, unsure what to do, when suddenly, the door creaked open.

Thud—

The one who entered through the door was none other than Lucy.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Amon is weird but dependable, quite dependable actually.