Chapter 50

R̃é​ád̃ ́óǹ ̃K̂át̃R̀ẽàd̂ï​n̈g̀C̈ãf̈ê

Whoosh!

Black flames soared in a deserted alley near the square.

Lucy was incinerating the assassins’ corpses.

Her black flames, which could even burn bones, quickly and cleanly reduced the assassins’ bodies to ashes.

Without a trace.

“That’s an incredibly powerful spell…”

Derrick spoke up from beside her.

“It’s really fortunate that we’re not enemies…”

Derrick genuinely thought so.

Curses that turn people into beasts, demon summoning, and now these black flames…

Lucy was undoubtedly an extremely powerful witch.

If they had been enemies, Derrick wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Estelle looked up at Lucy and asked.

“U-um, did you find that fairy…?”

“Yes.”

Lucy nodded.

“Finn is safe. The assassins are being dealt with. And there’s an old man who seems to be in charge, so I told them not to kill him but to subdue him. We need to uncover the mastermind. So, I’m planning to go to where Finn is now, but the festival…”

“Th-the festival is fine now. I’ve already seen enough. Thank you so much.”

“Then, will you come with me to where Finn is?”

“Ah, yes… Since this happened because of me…”

“Alright.”

Lucy began walking, still holding Estelle.

Derrick no longer needed to be turned into a crow, but Lucy decided to keep Estelle as a rabbit for a little longer.

It seemed safer that way until everything was completely resolved.

Estelle’s body was warm and soft, and the texture was pleasant.

Lucy continued to stroke Estelle as she headed to where Finn was.

Finding Finn wasn’t difficult.

All she had to do was go to where Amon was.

But how would she find where Amon is?

That was also simple.

Amon was a demon summoned by Lucy.

If Lucy wills it, she could intuitively sense Amon’s location.

The place she arrived at was a building located in an alley not far from the square.

An old, gloomy building.

Exactly the kind of place assassins would use as a hideout.

Finn and Amon were in the basement of the building.

Lucy walked straight into the building’s basement without hesitation.

Thud—

“Stop!”

“Who are you?”

Assassins tried to block her path along the way, but each time, Derrick’s sword flashed.

Slash!

Derrick was a knight.

A knight skilled enough to escort the mayor’s daughter.

There was no reason Derrick couldn’t handle assassins.

Unless it was an ambush, the assassins’ blades were no match for Derrick.

Soon, Lucy arrived at the door of the room where Finn and Amon were.

Creak—

When she opened the old iron door, the stench of blood wafted out.

“…”

The room was in a gruesome state.

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

Amon stood motionless in the room, staring at Lucy.

“Ah, you’re here, Lucy.”

Amon’s tone sounded oddly awkward.

Lucy tilted her head and approached Amon.

“Where’s Finn?”

“Finn is… here.”

Amon cautiously opened his hand.

There, sitting in his palm, was Finn.

“Finn.”

Lucy called out to him.

And in that moment, she sensed something was off.

“L-Lucy…”

Finn was fidgeting, unable to lift her head.

Given Finn’s personality, she should have been more lively.

Had she been scared?

“It’s okay now.”

Lucy held Estelle in one arm and carefully picked up Finn with her other hand.

Then, she felt something damp and warm.

“…”

Lucy realized.

She… wet himself.

A brief silence fell.

Finn’s face was on the verge of tears.

“N-no, Lucy. Just in case you’re wondering, this is, um, sweat. Fairies sweat a lot, you know, so…”

Finn rambled nervously.

Lucy exchanged a glance with Amon and then nodded slightly.

“Yeah. I think I’ve heard that fairies sweat a lot.”

“R-right? So, I’ve been sweating a lot.”

Finn forced an awkward smile.

Her gaze still couldn’t meet Lucy’s.

“…I’m curious about the taste.”

Amon casually brought his hand to his mouth.

“Ah!”

Finn immediately leapt up and flew toward Amon.

“No, no!”

Finn clung to Amon’s hand with her whole body.

He was desperate.

“Don’t eat it!”

“…Fine.”

Amon reluctantly lowered his hand.

Finn looked at Lucy with a red face.

“U-um, Lucy, that old man over there, he’s definitely the leader! We need to deal with him!”

Finn tried to change the subject.

But Lucy didn’t need to worry about the old man.

Derrick was already approaching him, slapping his cheek.

Smack—!

“Who ordered the kidnapping of the young lady? Tell us who’s behind this!”

When the old man stubbornly kept his mouth shut, Derrick stomped on his broken leg.

“Aaargh!”

◈

As the old man’s screams echoed, Finn approached Lucy and whispered.

“U-um, Lucy… Could you tell that demon… thank you? And, um, sorry… for sweating so much….”

At Finn’s words, Lucy glanced at Amon.

Amon stood hunched over, still staring at his hand with a look of regret.

Lucy smiled faintly.

“Why don’t you tell him yourself? By the way, Amon likes having his head patted.”

“H-his head…? Won’t he get mad if I do that…?”

“He won’t.”

“Ugh… Alright, I’ll tell him myself.”

Finn cautiously flew back to Amon.

“Uh, your name’s Amon, right?? Thank you so much for saving me… And, um, sorry for getting your hand dirty with my sweat…”

Amon shrugged.

“Well, it’s fine. More importantly, I’m curious about the taste…”

“Don’t be curious!”

Finn flew up above Amon and began patting his head.

Swish— Swish—

However, Finn’s hands were so small that the area she could pat was inevitably limited.

Still, Amon let out a soft chuckle.

“Keke, who would’ve thought the day would come when a fairy pats my head? I used to swallow fairies in one bite back in the day.”

“…”

Finn abruptly stopped patting and flew closer to Amon’s face.

“You can’t eat me. And you can’t eat the sweat on your hand either. Got it?”

“I don’t listen to beings weaker than me. I only follow Lucy’s orders.”

“W-well then…”

Finn hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I’m Lucy’s f-friend, so… from now on, could you listen to my requests too? Got it?”

“Hmm.”

Amon’s gaze shifted to Lucy.

His expression seemed to ask, What should I do?

Lucy conveyed her will to Amon through her thoughts.

[It’s fine to grant Finn’s requests.]

“Keke.”

Amon’s red eyes gleamed.

“Alright, Finn. I’ll listen to your requests too. But in return, I’d like you to pat my head often.”

Finn’s face brightened.

“As much as you want!”

Finn fluttered her wings and flew up, vigorously patting Amon’s head.

◈

According to the information Derrick extracted from torturing the old man, the one who had ordered Estelle’s kidnapping was, as expected, the mayor of Cressia’s rival.

However, there was no tangible evidence that he had ordered the kidnapping.

The old man’s confession was based solely on circumstantial evidence.

Even if they presented the old man as a witness, it would be impossible to take any substantial action.

Because of this,  Derrick simply beheaded the old man on the spot.

“Still, it’s a relief we uncovered the mastermind. Now we can keep a closer eye on him and be more cautious.”

 Derrick sheathed his sword and bowed respectfully to Lucy.

“You’ve been a tremendous help. I sincerely thank you.”

Then, Estelle in Lucy’s arms also spoke up.

“Th-thank you so much… Thanks to you, Sir  Derrick and I are safe… and I got to enjoy the festival… I don’t know how to repay this kindness…”

Lucy smiled and gently tugged on Estelle’s rabbit ears.

Now that everything was settled, it was time to return Estelle to her original form.

Though it was a bit disappointing.

“It was nice meeting you.”

The sensation of stroking Estelle had been incredibly pleasant.

Part of her even wanted to take Estelle with her in her rabbit form.

But that wasn’t possible, so Lucy restored Estelle to her original form.

With a poof, Estelle returned to her human self.

“Ah…”

Estelle moved her body and smiled.

“Huh, it feels a bit strange… To think I was a rabbit… I don’t think I’ll ever forget today…”

Becoming a rabbit wasn’t an experience one could easily have.

For Estelle, it would be an unforgettable memory.

“Um…”

Estelle took a step closer to Lucy.

“W-would you like to stay at our mansion tonight…? M-my room has a cozy bed, and, um, a large bathtub… Since you couldn’t stay at the Moonlight Inn because of me…”

Estelle clutched the hem of her dress as she asked.

Her face had turned bright red.

“Sure.”

Lucy nodded readily.

She needed a place to stay for the night anyway.

She couldn’t wander the streets indefinitely, not knowing when her mother would show up.

Besides, the mayor’s mansion would undoubtedly have much better facilities than the Moonlight Inn.

There was no reason to refuse.

“Th-thank you. Th-then, I’ll take you to the mansion right away…”

At Estelle’s words, Lucy sent Amon back and began heading to Estelle’s mansion with Finn.

“Huu, I want to take a bath as soon as we get there…”

Finn muttered as she fluttered her wings.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
She should be glad she didn’t live as a rabbit considering…

Nevermind.