episode_0744

“Ugh!”

Astria woke up with a sound that would make anyone burst out laughing, and wiped her face with cold sweat.

It was a really strange dream. A villainess with the warmth of spring. There’s no way something like that could happen.

Lately, I’ve been so worried about the never-ending day that I’ve even had dreams like this.

I should read some novels in moderation.

“Astrica.”

“Hic?!”

Astria turned her head in shock and her eyes fluttered when she saw the woman sitting next to the bed.

Even though the woman didn’t introduce herself, Astria knew who she was.

Because there is only one being that possesses the kindness and tolerance of nature that can humble even the master of the forest.

“Your Majesty the Queen?”

“Yes, that’s right. My name is Fairy Queen Runevia.”

“Yes. How is Her Majesty the Queen here? No. This is not the first. The owl that guards the end of the world and is the master of Fines. My name is Astrikah.”

As Astrikah, who had been flustered, lowered her head with trembling hands, Runevia smiled lightly.

“You are a cute person.”

“Ah. Hehe. Ugh. Go. Thank you.”

Astria was smiling on the outside, but behind her back she was sweating coldly.

The Queen of the Fairies is in fact a being infinitely closer to a god, although she resides on earth.

For Astria, standing before a being that could erase the master of the forest with a single gesture was truly a cruel thing.

“Should we stop the formalities and get to the main point?”

“ba. Do as you wish.”

“Astrika. Is it true that night has disappeared from this forest?”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

Runevia let out a sigh of relief at Astrikah’s story of how one day the night suddenly disappeared.

Having been given some of the power of darkness, she was able to naturally detect singularities without having to look for them.

Even if it has nothing to do with darkness, if something goes wrong in nature, it is normal for her sensitive senses as the Fairy Queen to sense something.

However, Runevia did not find any singularity anywhere in this forest.

Astrika isn’t lying.

I confirmed that the sun was shining only in this forest while night had fallen in other forests nearby, and the children staying in the forest also answered that night had not fallen.

But if you ask me why, it’s hard to give an answer.

Perhaps Astrikah is the same.

There were traces of countless anguish left on the various pieces of paper left in this room, but there was no actual conclusion to that anguish.

“Lunevia. Did you get an answer?”

Lucy opened the door slightly and stuck her face out, asking a question with a faint sense of anticipation, but Runevia shook her head.

“I think I’ll have to go around and check.”

“What should I do if I spread my little ones?”

“I think you should see it for yourself. It’s hard to see the details with a child’s perspective.”

“It’s annoying.”

After Lucy closed the door and told her to come out immediately after the conversation was over, Runevia turned her head back to the bed and found Astrikka shivering with the bedsheets over her head, and opened her lips.

“What are you doing?”

“Did you go?”

“If you’re talking about Yeong-ae, she went outside.”

This is the first time I’ve seen something like this. Lucy may have a slightly sharp image, but her inherent beauty is so great that she won’t have time to feel fear.

“Ah. What on earth does this person named Alun Yeong-ae do?”

“Hmm. Well.”

Runevia couldn’t answer easily. It wasn’t because she had no words to describe Lucy.

There were so many adjectives to describe her that I didn’t know which one to use.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Runevia made a decision and opened her mouth with a soft smile.

“There are too many words to describe him, but for now, this is the best way to describe him. He is the hero who saved the continent from the evil gods, and the only child of the god.”

“That person is the daughter of the great god? Not a villain?”

The moment she saw those suspicious eyes, a coldness settled in Runevia’s heart.

I understand that you don’t know much about the world since you are the one who guards the end of the world. However, it is hard to bear to say such things after seeing the warmth that Alun Young-ae possesses.

He is the savior of the continent, the one who announced a new beginning to the world, and the benefactor of the fairies.

“Astrica.”

Astrikah, startled and startled by the voice like frost in midwinter, shrugged her shoulders and cautiously examined Runevia.

“Whatever you think is fine. It’s a matter of personal preference. Just don’t show your preference. That would be an insult to the countless people who have been saved by Alun Youngae.”

“Ah. Me. Yes. Yes!”

Only after Astria nodded several times did Runevia smile and get up from her seat.

“Then please guide us. So that this forest can regain its night.”

The loving smile now made me wonder if the voice that had been so cold just a moment ago wasn’t an illusion.

*

While the masters of the forest, Runevia and Astrika, were talking, I wandered through the forest with Frey.

What I learned was that the missing night was having a significant impact on this forest.

In this forest close to the moonlight, there were many plants that survived by taking advantage of the energy of the night.

As for now, Astria and the fairies are somehow managing it, but this situation won’t last long.

If things continue this way, the many living things that form the foundation of the forest will die and naturally, the forest will become desolate.

I wish Runevia would notice something. She’s both the Fairy Queen and the Goddess of Darkness, so it’d be a bit of a hassle if she couldn’t find anything.

Frey, who had been blankly staring at the sky, opened his mouth while wondering why things had turned out this way when he had only come to look at the stars.

“Can’t we just cut down that sun?”

“…Do you think that makes sense?”

“There’s nothing that can’t be done, right?”

As I was trying to explain to him how huge a planet the Sun is, I sighed as I remembered how intelligent Frey was.

Let’s not waste time explaining things to someone who doesn’t understand, and just do what we can.

“Ah. Hello. Alun Youngae. That. My name is Astria.”

As she met and talked with Runevia, Astria trembled and greeted her politely, perhaps calming down.

“Yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Lucy Allen. This is Frey Kent.”

“Hello.”

“I’m an idiot so I’ll just talk nonsense, so just ignore me.”

“Lucy. That’s too much.”

“That’s not wrong.”

“Okay, you two. I know you’re on good terms, so let’s go solve the case.”

Astrika, who had been sweating profusely between us, finally let out a sigh of relief after Runevia intervened.

“Astrica?”

“Net! I’ll show you right away!”

Astria, who had been crouching and screaming, transformed into an owl and sat in front of us.

Wow. It’s hard to believe that the guy who was just crouching down is so handsome.

“You can get on.”

“Really?!”

I was planning on asking you to give me a ride anyway!

Without refusing, I climbed onto Astria’s back and patted her head, urging her to fly faster.

Finally, the owl’s wings spread and I looked at the shrinking forest, letting out a sigh.

I’ve flown countless times before, but this is the first time I’ve felt like this! I feel like I’m the main character in a fairy tale!

– We can let you fly too.

– Astria. I hate it.

– Cheee.

“Is there any reason to be excited about this?”

I ignored the voice of jealousy coming from next to me and spent my time humming.

The place we arrived at was a frozen lake.

At the bottom of the lake, which seemed to have melted, fish could be seen swimming around.

Is there still unfrozen water under the ice?

“I will investigate in my own way, so would you like to find out in your own way, Young-ae?”

“Okay. Okay.”

Although I lack knowledge compared to the Fairy Queen or other heroes, there are still things I can do.

Anyway, all I have to do is find something suspicious. Searching unfamiliar places and finding traps or gimmicks is my specialty!

And with an animal next to me who has intuition that’s even better than that of a beast, it makes things a lot easier than going around alone!

“Pray. Follow me around and tell me if you see anything strange.”

“What will you do if you find it?”

“Good job. Good job. I’ll pat you on the head while saying that.”

It was said that he would be treated like a dog, but Frey was more focused on the immediate reward than the underlying meaning.

“Okay! I’ll work hard!”

As Frey, who was very excited, looked around with blood vessels in his eyes, the fairies next to me raised their voices.

– Us too!

– If you find it, I’ll give you a reward!

– I’ll run around hard!

“Yeah. Yeah. I’ll do it for you guys too, if I find it.”

Most likely, you’ll find useless things, but there’s always a “what if”. The more kids there are to wander around, the better.

“Lunevia. Why aren’t you going and just standing there?”

“Me. Me. Compensation.”

“Haaa.”

Your Majesty, please keep some manners. If the ruler behaves like that, what will the people below see and learn from it?

Isn’t it? I think fairies would prefer that kind of honest appearance.

Astrika, the only two-eyed person in the one-eyed village, twitched her eyes in confusion at the situation and then let out a scream.

“Me too, please!”

“There’s no need to agree with them. They’re weird.”

“…Is that so?”

“Does this look normal?”

“That’s…not true. Yes.”

After the little commotion passed, we searched here and there in the forest but couldn’t find anything that seemed plausible.

The other places Astria had guided me to were the same. I searched for a long time but couldn’t find anything strange.

“Shall I call Erginus?”

He shook his head at Runevia’s question, which had become gloomy due to the successive failures.

“Leave that as a last resort.”

It’s a waste of time to call for help now.

I’ve already tried the strategy! Unless there really is no answer, I want to try to solve it myself! I don’t want to see the answer sheet!

“But now there is no place to investigate.”

“No. There’s still one left.”

I raise my head and look beyond the trees. I see a cliff that rises high into the sky.

“Up there.”

A place that was once considered the end of the world. There must be something there.

“Let’s go beyond the end of the world.”