episode_0071

*The Fairy Who Desired Life*

“Hohoho~ Seeing you so surprised, it seems you already know about otherworldly beings, don’t you? You haven’t told me everything yet, have you?”

Akada chuckled, seeing our stunned reaction upon hearing Revo’s name. It was true we hadn’t told her anything about otherworldly beings during our conversation. Yet, Akada had already made contact with one… No, come to think of it, Revo was alive even when the World Tree was killed, so it was a possibility we could have anticipated.

“Indeed, Zeke-nim hasn’t told us everything yet. But isn’t this just you being impatient?”

“Oh dear, I wasn’t complaining. I apologize if I caused a misunderstanding. Still, to think you already know about otherworldly beings… Have you perhaps even met Revo-ssi?”

When Akada asked if we had met Revo, I felt something was strange and tilted my head. What was it? Were they not in constant contact? I had thought she would have tried to stay in touch with the person named Revo who had encouraged her.

“Huh? Village Head-nim, are you not in constant contact with this person named Revo?”

“No. He left, saying he could no longer interfere and that there was no longer a reason for him to be here. He said he had only come to investigate temporarily, not to completely protect this place. He claimed this wasn’t a mutant dimension that his organization needed to manage… Oh dear. I’ve been rude. I should have told you about him first.”

“Ah, no. We haven’t met him, but we met his subordinate, Estur. From him….”

“Oh? Was Estur in this dimension? Hohoho~ If that child had come here, I would have welcomed them gladly. It’s a shame. Revo-ssi always spoke so proudly of his subordinate, to the point that my ears felt calloused from hearing it so much, so I know about Estur as well.”

“Ah, I see. Then there’s no need for a long explanation, I suppose.”

“Hmm… but I have a question. Estur is a being who has lived for over 400,000 years. Yet, just now, didn’t you refer to Estur informally?”

When Arai expressed curiosity about Akada referring to Estur informally, I also found it puzzling. Estur was clearly the oldest among those I had met… Why was Akada referring to Estur informally? When Aria asked about it, Akada chuckled softly, took a sip of tea, and spoke.

“Ah… Have they grown that much already? Time in the outer dimensions truly passes quickly. It feels like just yesterday Revo-ssi told me Estur was working hard despite being 24 years old… Truly… I can’t tell how many years have passed outside while a thousand years have gone by here… 400,000… They’ve lived for a long time indeed.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Ah, it seems you haven’t heard about that yet. Dimensions each have their own time. Here, one second might pass, but in another dimension, a week might pass. Well… More importantly… Was Estur healthy? Did that child tell you how Revo-ssi was doing?”

“Th-That…”

When Akada asked about Estur and Revo’s well-being, I hesitated to answer for a moment. I couldn’t tell her something like that… that Estur was gravely injured, and that the H.S.A., to which Estur belonged, had been destroyed, to Akada, who had been encouraged by Revo, a member of that organization… The moment I turned my head away, Aria wrapped her arm around mine and whispered.

“Zeke-nim. Don’t be afraid.”

“How do I tell her this…”

“It’s alright. It’s news that will be revealed someday anyway. If Zeke-nim is feeling too burdened, I will tell her.”

As I felt the burden, Aria tried to inform Akada about the H.S.A. news instead. I then grabbed Aria’s hand, stopping her, and as I held her hand, Aria was startled and turned her head to me, blushing.

“Z-Zeke-nim?”

“Thank you, Aria. You’ve given me courage. I’ll tell her.”

“…I’ve received th-thanks from Zeke-nim… Hehehehe…”

When I thanked her, Aria quickly turned her head away from me and began to grin broadly. Akada, who hadn’t known what we were whispering about, scratched her head and asked.

“What on earth were you talking about for the Saintess-nim to suddenly avoid Zeke-nim’s gaze and… be smiling like that?”

“She encouraged me for a moment. Phew… I won’t hide it anymore. I’ll tell you everything. You can trust this because I heard it directly from Estur-ssi.”

I told Akada everything I had heard from Estur. Akada was greatly surprised to hear that Estur was gravely injured, and when the story of H.S.A.’s destruction came up, she was dumbfounded. As I finished conveying the news of H.S.A.’s demise, Akada’s hands trembled as she slowly set her teacup down on the table, and she spoke with a trembling voice.

“W-What… what are you saying…? E-Estur gravely injured… H-H.S.A. de-destroyed…? Th-Then Revo… Revo-ssi?! What about the others?!”

“Unfortunately, Estur-ssi didn’t know everything. He said he fell here while fighting a formidable enemy.”

“Th-That can’t be… No… They can’t have died… How strong those people were… N-No… no…”

“Don’t worry though. An acquaintance of Estur-ssi visited this place. When I mentioned that I had met another otherworldly being here, Estur-ssi instinctively felt that not all H.S.A. members had died.”

“R-Really?! There were o-other otherworldly beings?! In this world?!”

“Yes. So, Estur-ssi said that Revo-ssi might also be alive.”

“Haaah…”

Akada, who had been tormented by the anxiety that Revo and the H.S.A. had all been annihilated, let out a deep breath as she learned that Estur had speculated they were all safe. All the tension in her body seemed to drain away at once, and Akada slumped in her chair, looking up at the ceiling, and spoke.

“That’s a huge relief… To hear there’s a possibility they’re alive… Just hearing that puts my mind at ease… By the way… another otherworldly being? What do you mean by that, Zeke-nim?”

“Ah… well, we were keeping it a secret since Village Head-nim doesn’t know about the otherworld… Um… the man who destroyed Boska, whom we mentioned, was an otherworldly being. His name is Ru. Do you happen to know him?”

“Hmm… That’s a name I haven’t heard before. Still… thanks to Zeke-nim and Saintess-nim, I’m glad to receive news of my cherished friends. Even if it’s tragic, there’s also hopeful news, which puts my mind at ease… and somehow… I feel very happy.”

“Yes… Huh? Village Head-nim?”

Akada suddenly stood up, surprising Aria and me. Then, Akada suddenly prostrated herself on the spot before us… was she… bowing?!

“Thank you for bringing me news of my cherished benefactor and friends, even after 1,500 years. I am deeply indebted to you all. To be able to free this area from the World Tree and even hear news of my dear benefactor… What greater favor could there be?”

“W-W-Wait a minute, Village Head-nim! Still, a full bow isn’t quite right, is it?! Please get up quickly!!”

“Hohoho… Did you only just realize that? It’s only natural to bow to Zeke-nim…! Because Zeke-nim has achieved accomplishments even greater than that!”

“Don’t say such strange things next to me, damn it, Aria!!!”

When Aria was about to say something cruel again, I covered Aria’s mouth with my hand. Then Akada let out a small laugh and spoke to me.

“It’s truly been a long time since I’ve had such interesting guests. Aside from Revo-ssi, there haven’t been any… Should I say it’s been 1,500 years?”

“…That’s incredibly old…”

“Indeed. Hmm… Since Zeke-nim has shared an enjoyable story, I suppose I should share one too, shouldn’t I? I’d like to tell you about the time I met Revo-ssi… Would that be alright?”

“Yes, gladly. Hmm… Aria, would you mind the tea…?”

“I’ll get it right away!!”

The moment I fiddled with my empty teacup and opened my mouth to ask for tea, Aria, who had already caught on, quickly took my teacup and headed for the kettle. I scratched my head in bewilderment.

“…She’s incredibly quick-witted.”

“Then, while we wait for the tea, I’ll tell you first. It seems the Saintess-nim isn’t at all curious about my story anyway~”

“…Village Head-nim, you’re sharp too… Alright. You may speak… May I perhaps record this story as well?”

“Of course. So… I mentioned before that I received the World Tree’s curse while delving into immortality, didn’t I? At that time, I was…”

As Akada began to tell her past story, I quickly took out a pen and paper and began to transcribe Akada’s tale. So… it was a story from 1,520 years ago. There was a group of fairies living peacefully here without a leader, it was said. Akada, who was greatly interested in magic and concocting potions within that group, was putting various ingredients into a cauldron and making something.

“Let’s see… if I add the spirit’s breath… who knows… if this will help…!!”

Akada, a purple-haired fairy dressed in black witch attire, was conducting another potion experiment today. Akada began to boil water, a spirit’s breath, and a peculiar fruit in her cauldron, and as the liquid in the cauldron gradually turned purple, she became flustered.

“Whoa, what?! Th-This is a big problem?! If it turns this color, it’s not the color of the Elixir of Life… Ugh… It needs to turn green, the color of the Elixir of Life, for it to be considered a close success… What do I do…?”

“Akada! You were doing another strange experiment today, weren’t you?!”

Akada, at a loss after her failed experiment, was greatly flustered when someone suddenly flung the door open and entered. The fairy who came in then smelled the odor from the cauldron, quickly covered their nose, and put on a serious face.

“Ugh, what is this smell….”

“I failed again today… Haaah… It turned a completely different color instead of green, the color of the Elixir of Life…”

“What on earth did it turn into?”

“A potion that makes your ears grow big if you drink it.”

“What kind of potion is that?!”

The fairy who had suddenly entered Akada’s house was greatly bewildered upon hearing that the potion Akada made had turned into one that made ears grow big. A few minutes later, Akada and the fairy neatly cleaned up the contents of the cauldron, then sat down in chairs and began to rest, wiping their sweat.

“Phew… Are you still trying to make the Elixir of Life?”

“Of course. That’s my dream.”

“Is there really a need for that? This is the Criton region, isn’t it? The World Tree-nim is protecting us like this, so is there really a need to make an Elixir of Life?”

“Of course! Our lifespan is only 40 years! To live long, I need to make the Elixir of Life! Then we’ll be able to do more things, just like other races!”

“…Won’t you incur divine punishment for that?”

“Just you wait…!! I’ll develop it someday, no matter what!!”

Despite the fairy’s dissuasion, Akada’s will burned, and she shouted that she would definitely make the Elixir of Life. A few nights later, Akada was dumbfounded when she saw the liquid in the cauldron.

“Green… No… lime green… It’s a color closer to the Elixir of Life…!!”

Akada lost her mind when she saw the liquid in the cauldron had a lime green hue. Then, regaining her composure, she hastily began to pour the liquid from the cauldron into a small bottle. Akada smiled brightly as she looked at the bottle containing the potion.

“It’s done…!! It’s done…!!! If I research more based on this… I’ll be able to uncover the secret of immortality even further!!”

“I see. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

“…?! Wh-Who?!”

Akada was greatly flustered by the sudden voice and looked around. Then a woman with sky-blue hair appeared from behind the cauldron, and Akada was greatly shocked to see her.

“Y-You are… World Tree-nim?!”

“Yes. My child. I appeared in a small form for a moment to see you. I heard you were diligently researching, desiring immortality, and it seems that’s true.”

“Huh…?”

“That effort… that passion… This mother is truly moved… So, for my child whose efforts are so great, this mother wishes to give a gift.”

“A gift…?”

“Yes… I will grant you immortality.”

“…?! W-Wait a minute!!”

Akada, having heard the World Tree’s words, was greatly surprised and hastily tried to stop the World Tree. But the World Tree had already extended its palm towards Akada, and a green light from the World Tree’s palm began to envelop Akada. Akada then made a terrified expression and shouted at the World Tree.

“Wait!! That’s not it!!”

“Don’t decline. This is a reward for your efforts. Here…”

“N-No!!! That’s not what I want!!!”

Despite Akada’s screams, the World Tree did not stop emitting light. As the light completely enveloped Akada’s house, Akada closed her eyes. And as the light faded, Akada opened her eyes, realizing that the World Tree, which had been before her just moments ago, had vanished without a trace, and she began to scream.

“No… What I wanted was… longevity, not immortality… Am I really… have I truly become immortal…? No, right…?”

Akada stared at her hands and began to doubt if she had truly become immortal. The next day after that event, Akada, thinking she had not become immortal, was concocting potions.

“No way… I couldn’t have become immortal, could I?… F-First, let’s make a potion… let’s start my daily routine… I… I’ll die someday, won’t I…? Surely I haven’t become immortal? No, that can’t be… I’m a living creature that lives and dies, after all…”

Even in her daily life, Akada was always anxious and afraid because of the possibility that she might have become immortal. Then, 15 years after that event, Akada became certain that she had become immortal. Akada remained shut in her house, just as she had been before, and began to mumble to herself.

“All my friends have died… they all died of old age… But I can’t die… Damn the World Tree… This is a curse… This is a curse…”

Akada began to despair at reality, as all the fairies she had known since childhood had died, yet she herself could not die. And naturally, that hatred turned towards the World Tree, which had suddenly appeared and made her immortal. For four years, Akada immersed herself in creating death potions in order to die. But each one only brought immense pain. As Akada continued to suffer agony without being able to die, she sat with her back against the wall, staring blankly at the ceiling.

‘I miss them… I miss everyone… The outside world is scary… I’m a monster… Where is everyone…? I want to follow them too… How do I follow…? I…’

“Whoaaaaaah!?”

“…”

Suddenly, the ceiling collapsed with a man’s scream. Akada, in a daze, saw someone thrashing amidst the dust cloud beneath the broken ceiling. Then, the man who had fallen through the ceiling into the house clutched his head and mumbled.

“Ugh, my head… It seems the coordinate settings went awry… Phew… To think I’d crash-land so violently into someone’s home, a complete stranger’s at that… Huh?”

“…? H-Human…?”

As the hazy dust began to clear, Akada saw that the red-haired man who had fallen into her house was human and murmured “human.” Then, the man was startled to see Akada and urgently grabbed Akada’s arm, shouting.

“What is this?! Why is your body so thin?! A-Aren’t you too weak?! Are you alive?! Can you hear my voice!?”

The red-haired man covered Akada with his red cloak and began to worry about her. However, Akada was in a daze and too flustered to grasp the situation, so she couldn’t open her mouth.