episode_0009

Melodian, the Town of Music, and Fairies

“….”

“Hmm~”

We woke up on the second floor of the inn and were eating breakfast on the first floor. Aria, who finished her meal first, stared at me with a very happy expression. She had no idea that I had suffered because of her yesterday… Ugh… The bread I was chewing wouldn’t go down my throat…

“Zeke-nim…? Is there a problem…? Surely… not poison in the bread…?”

“It’s nothing like that… I just didn’t sleep well.”

“What?! Then I’ll quickly get you some medicine or a drink that’s good for fatigue!”

“Huh? Hey! Aria!!”

Everyone in the first-floor dining room watched in surprise as Aria suddenly rushed outside without listening to me, just because I said I was a little tired. To be honest, I was tired, but I was also shocked. This happened last night when I couldn’t sleep because I felt Aria’s gaze.

“Hehehehe…”

‘Damn… I feel her gaze again… Is she really sleeping? What kind of sleeping habit is this? Did Aria lie to me?’

Honestly, I was curious. How could a person have a sleeping habit where they keep their eyes open, smile, and stare at someone else? As an explorer, this was a great curiosity, but it was also a gamble, almost a challenge. If it was a lie, and she got caught, I didn’t know what terrifying reaction Aria would have.

‘Alright… It’s all or nothing…!’

If I keep living without knowing, I might not be able to sleep! I made a big decision, slowly turned my body, and opened my eyes. Then I saw Aria with her eyes open, smiling brightly as she looked at me. It was a lie after all?!

“Ah… Ari… huh?”

Wait a minute. I hear something. A strange sound came from beyond Aria’s laughter. This is… breathing… Could Aria really be sleeping? I lightly waved my hand in front of Aria’s eyes. But Aria didn’t react at all and just kept staring at me. This breathing, this reaction… Aria was definitely sleeping.

‘….What kind of sleeping habit is this… Ugh… Let’s stretch and go back to sleep… Huh?’

When I sat up, I felt Aria’s gaze follow me. And when I looked at Aria… her head really turned? I tested it by lying back down. Then Aria’s head turned to follow my face. What is this… What kind of sleeping habit?! Shocked by it, I couldn’t say anything and eventually fell asleep. And while eating breakfast, seeing Aria’s face reminded me of it, which is why I was eating without energy. Honestly, it’s absurd that she could do that while sleeping…

“Sigh… A sleeping habit she doesn’t even know about… I’m scared to tell her what kind of reaction she’d have, so I can’t…”

Right… Let’s keep it a secret. Otherwise, I don’t even want to imagine what else might happen. Anyway, today I need to continue the records I couldn’t make yesterday. Melodian is famous for its jerky and uses the currency of the Magrion region. Melodian is also a place many bards pass through, reportedly because Melodian’s instruments are of excellent quality. Furthermore, as bards gather here to perform and sing, people who love music also come here. It’s even said that Melodian is so famous among music lovers that even nobles don’t consider it an inferior town.

“Now the problem is history… I only know that there’s a lot of welfare for bards… but why do humans and fairies live together in Melodian…? I couldn’t find it in the library yesterday…”

“Oh, you couldn’t find it, Mister?”

“Huh?”

As I chewed my bread with my eyes closed, thinking about history, I heard a familiar voice in front of me. I opened my eyes and saw the person sitting opposite me. It wasn’t Aria, and it wasn’t a human. It was Eli, the fairy who said she was the second of the sisters I met yesterday.

“Eli?”

“Yeah. I eat here often. Wait… that Black Saintess next to you… Su… surely!!”

Realizing that Aria wasn’t next to me, Eli started to panic greatly. She was probably worried that Aria would harm them again. Her face turned pale… Wa… wait a minute!

“It’s not like that! Don’t cry, Eli! She went to get something good for my fatigue!”

“Ah… ahh…”

Still imprinted with the terror of that time, Eli couldn’t easily escape it. Her sister was almost dismembered right in front of her… I poured water into the fairy-only cup next to me and gave it to Eli. Eli drank the water and started to calm down.

“Haa… Thank you, Mister…”

“You subtly dropped the formalities.”

“At that time, the Saintess next to you was too scary… What kind of person is she…?”

“Her country fell, and she survived alone. Her mind is unstable. I apologize on her behalf.”

“Ah…”

After hearing my explanation, Eli avoided my gaze and sighed. Then she looked at me again and opened her mouth.

“But we also made a mistake… If you ask who was more at fault, we were more at fault. Thanks to your words yesterday, we were able to find strength.”

“Oh, right. I saw your performance last night, didn’t I?”

“Yeah. Did you hear the song?”

“Yes.”

“I see… How was it?”

“It was good.”

“That’s a relief…”

Eli visibly relaxed. Honestly, I’m the one who’s relieved. Before, I was drunk when I said something to Aria and it worked. But I said it to you while sober. I kept wondering if I said it properly, if I said it well, if what I said was good. Still, it’s good that you liked it. Phew… Aria too, really… Lately, a lot of situations that make me tense have been happening… especially with giving advice or counseling…

“If you hadn’t told us we could do it yesterday, Mister, we would have kept relying on bad choices. So I want to repay you…”

“Who… is this…? Hohoho….”

My face stiffened at the voice I heard while looking at Eli. Eli also froze on the spot as she heard the voice she could never forget. Aria, who had brought a drink in a cup, was staring at Eli with a truly terrifying smile from behind her. Eli was so scared she couldn’t even scream.

“Ugh… ugh… ughhhhh…”

“It’s that fairy from yesterday… But why are you by Zeke-nim’s side? You thieving cat of a fairy…. Zeke-nim… I’m enough for the woman by your side… Other women…!!”

“Eli came to repay me! She said she wants to compensate us because we helped her get off a bad path!”

“Still, no other women…”

“Not even my mother?”

“….Zeke-nim, again!!! That’s too much!!”

When the topic of my mother came up, Aria was speechless, then started jumping up and down, tears welling up in her eyes. I’m sorry, Mother… This unfilial child couldn’t help it. If I didn’t, I don’t know what this woman would do. As Aria suddenly showed a cute reaction, Eli froze on the spot. This time, she froze from truly great shock.

“What…? You didn’t react like that last time?”

“You’ll get used to it if you know her too. By the way… Aria, what’s that in your hand?”

“Oh! There wasn’t any medicine or drink good for fatigue anywhere, so I made some myself! It’s a drink made from fatigue-relieving fruits picked from a distant mountain!”

“Uh… But how did you make it?”

“Huh? I just squeezed the fruit by hand and put the juice in the cup?”

“Wait… that color… Isn’t that Iren tree fruit? It’s hard to peel without a hammer…?”

…? Hearing Eli’s explanation, I froze on the spot again, and Eli also looked greatly flustered. But the people next to us who recognized Aria were amazed at how incredible Aria was. We’re scared, though… As I became greatly flustered, Aria handed me the drink.

“Here! Please drink it quickly!”

“Ye… yes…”

“Mister. That fruit is sweet, you know? It’ll be delicious.”

“Don’t speak informally to Zeke-nim…”

“It’s fine, Aria. I’ll drink it well.”

“Ah, yes~”

Aria, who had been uncomfortable with Eli speaking informally to me, quickly lost her displeased mood and gave me a beaming smile when I said I would drink the beverage she made. Right… If I hadn’t, you would have harmed Eli again… Huh? This drink…

“Oh. It’s delicious, isn’t it? And it really makes my fatigue disappear… How did you know?”

“I saw it in a book. It was in the library just now.”

“….You found that in such a short time?!”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

…..Let’s not even talk about it. Should I call this miraculous or powerful…? At least I know it’s terrifying to the bone. Well, since my drowsiness seems to have disappeared a bit, I should at least thank her…

“Aria, thank you…”

“No need for thanks~ I’m receiving Zeke-nim’s gratitude with my whole body! Ahhh…”

“Don’t do that where there are many people, sit down. Anyway, thank you.”

“Ah! Yes~”

Before Aria could make another ecstatic expression, I told her to sit down. People’s attention was already drawn because Aria just squeezed the Iren tree fruit with her bare hands, so if she made that kind of face, I’d be even more embarrassed…

“Alright… Eli, how will you repay us?”

“Oh, want to see this?”

Eli handed me a piece of paper. It was written in small letters, suitable for a fairy, but when I held it, the paper quickly grew larger. Ah, this is the way of life in Melodian I read about in books. They said they created magic paper that grows or shrinks to match the race, so fairies and humans could live in harmony… Wait a minute. The content is…

“You had good school grades, didn’t you?”

“Yes. You said you were an explorer, right, Mister? Aren’t you curious about Melodian’s history?”

“Oh? Of course I am. I couldn’t even read the first page of related books because of yesterday’s incident.”

“I know history well. I’ll tell you accurately instead. How about it?”

“Huh?!”

What a windfall?! Reading books and recording takes time. But if there’s a genius in front of me, it’s a different story! I might even be able to leave today, if this goes well! As I nodded, Eli took out a book from her bag.

“What book is it?”

“It’s everything important I organized while studying. I’ll tell you. First, you know fairies are forest-dwelling beings, right?”

“Yes.”

“The reason there are fairies living with humans in Melodian is that among ancient fairy groups, there was a group that was friendly with other races. That group eventually left the fairy forest and fortunately met kind-hearted humans. And the ancient humans learned wind abilities and songs from the fairies, while the fairies learned how to play and make instruments from the humans, and they came to live together.”

“So this paper was also made then?”

“Yes. And they started making jerky together, and with human architectural skills, they could live harmoniously with the fairies. Do you know about the Boyati Stone Wall?”

“Yes. It’s incredibly sturdy, isn’t it?”

“That was made by the ancient humans and fairies of Melodian together. It has a small amount of wind energy flowing through it, making it stronger than most stone walls. The Boyati Stone Wall was built with others for trade after living together and meeting humans and other races from other places.”

“So, Melodian provided the wind energy?”

“Yes. The area where this stone wall connects to trade routes is called the Magrion region. You can think of all the ancient life forms in the Magrion region as having built that stone wall.”

Wow… This is a gain beyond imagination. Not only did I learn about Melodian’s history, but also the true nature of the Boyati Stone Wall. So, the beings of the Magrion region are proud of that stone wall they built for trade… And thanks to it, countries and towns outside the Magrion region also happily use that trade route. In short, the Magrion region might as well have decorated a chapter in the history of trade.

“Not all ancient fairies got along well with humans at first. But as they met various humans, they say their suspicions also faded. They said it was even better to sing together. Their lifespans also increased while living with humans. It’s speculated here that the lifespan of Melodian fairies today increased thanks to human medical skills. How was that? I hope it was helpful…”

“That’s enough!….Oh, do you know when Melodian’s history began?”

“About 3,000 years ago.”

“….That long?!”

“Yes.”

……It was a place boasting such a long history?! No… more than that, everything was solved by Eli alone… I finished the record of Melodian in the blink of an eye. I couldn’t suppress my joy at the incredible gain. Even the slight fatigue I had left disappeared…!!!

‘….Gasp?!’

Eli must have felt the same thing as me. Aria, sitting next to Eli, was giving another terrifying smile. Is she that jealous of Eli!!!

“I can find things in books too, Zeke-nim!”

“Still, the drink was delicious.”

“….Hehehe…”

You’re probably the only one who can change the atmosphere to happiness with just that one sentence…. Anyway, the record of Melodian is finished. The next page is one of the countries or towns in the Magrion region… Hmm…

“Boska? This is our next destination.”

“What?! Mister! That’s a dangerous place! Public safety isn’t good there either… Ah.”

“Yes.”

Eli, who was about to say that Boska’s public safety wasn’t good, realized something and cut herself off. Eli also realized it. As long as Aria was by my side, nothing bad would happen to me… It’s terrifying, but there’s no other Saintess as reliable as her.

“Aria, I’ll count on you in Boska too.”

“Of course! Are you leaving now?”

“Just a moment. But what about you guys?”

“Oh? We were noticed by the Fairy Elder that evening and became bards. Now we can earn money and live, so we’re satisfied. My sister was very anxious because I dropped out of school midway.”

No wonder… there was a reason the eldest sister hurried to get the Siren’s Song… Well, then… we should leave.

“Alright. Aria, let’s pack. I don’t think there’s anything else to see here. I’ve already recorded our lives from before.”

“Ah, yes! Then I’ll pack the luggage…”

“Then I’ll go talk to my sisters and Tiara! Don’t leave without me!”

“What?”

Eli suddenly stood up, spread her wings, and flew outside. Why is she suddenly like that? I was curious but decided to leave her be for now and packed my luggage with Aria. Of course, including the jerky we got from the innkeeper. Thanks to Aria’s fame as the Black Saintess, we received the jerky without paying. Was saving that Mister such a good deed…? Anyway, after packing all our luggage, we started walking towards the town entrance.

“A lot happened, didn’t it….”

“Indeed… But I was happiest when I sang for Zeke-nim!”

What about the sisters? In Aria’s mind, the sisters were long forgotten. Well… I get it. Now to leave the town…?

“Excuse me…”

At the town entrance, I saw the three fairy sisters fluttering their wings, flying at my eye level. They had come to see us off. The eldest fairy spoke to me.

“Thank you so much! Thanks to you, we didn’t go down a bad path and can live by our own strength…”

“No thanks needed… But…”

“Yes?”

“What’s your name?”

“…?!”

No, I really don’t know. You told me your sisters’ names, so I only remember their names… No one told me your name. The eldest fairy scratched her head and then told me.

“I haven’t told you, have I? I am Riera. Thank you very much… Zeke-nim.”

“Alright. Live well, Riera. And Eli and Tiara too.”

“Oppa! Thank you! I won’t forget that you saved my sisters!”

“Excuse me… Mister…”

After Tiara expressed her gratitude, Eli suddenly approached me and spoke. She already gave me that gift earlier, so what else does she want to talk about…

“Mister. Could I perhaps join you on your journey…?”

“Huh?”

“…!!”

Excuse me? What did you say? Everyone present was flustered by Eli’s completely unexpected words. Then Eli explained to me.

“Th-that! I’m curious too! You’re an explorer and you record the world! I’m curious too…”

“Hehehehe…”

“!!!”

No. I’m saying this for your own good… If you come along, Aria will definitely do something… I smiled and shook my head, and Eli, seeing my reaction and Aria’s dark smile, sighed and said.

“Alright… I’ll give up… But can you show me your records later? Is that possible?”

“Hehehehehehehehehe…”

“What if that’s not possible either!!!”

“Go away from Zeke-nim… I’m enough for Zeke-nim’s side…!!!”

As Aria began to make a more terrifying expression, Eli started to get scared. Any more than this is dangerous. I have to intervene.

“Aria, let her see the records. My records will be seen by everyone in the world anyway.”

“….Since Zeke-nim says so! Alright!”

You really are unfathomable, Aria… Eli, seeing Aria’s reaction, also let out a deep sigh of relief. Good. It’s time to leave.

“Then, see you next time! Sing well and be happy!”

“Goodbye, Zeke-nim!! I hope to see you again someday!!!”

“Don’t expect it~”

“Hey!!”

Aria!!! Please stop being a wet blanket!!! But despite Aria’s words, the fairies waved their hands at me and saw me off until I was out of sight. Yes… At first, it wasn’t good, but it’s a relief that the ending wasn’t bad. However, Boska is a dangerous country. The ending might not be good there either, I suppose. Still, I will challenge it. Because that’s what an explorer does.

“….”

“Um… I didn’t do anything…”

“I know… We just got here…”

But why is Boska burning when we arrived?