episode_0022

At the top of Dead Eagle Hill in Moolian’s cabin, there was a large room that served as a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and alchemy studio, along with a separate slaughterhouse-like space.

In the slaughterhouse, the drying of plant-based materials and the dismemberment of unfortunate animals took place. Strictly speaking, it would have been more appropriate to call it an “alchemy material processing facility,” but Moolian preferred to refer to it as a slaughterhouse.

The yard attached to the cabin had a well dug during its construction, along with a garden where herbs and poisonous plants used in alchemy were grown (protected by a curse meticulously crafted by Moolian, so there was no worry of theft). An outdoor restroom with moon-shaped holes on the door was built, harmonizing with the cabin made by Moolian himself using timber, bricks, and glass, creating a serene atmosphere.

However, the interior of the cabin was dominated by a cold order.

Moolian’s bed was neatly arranged like a soldier’s bed, with blankets, pillows, and sheets in order. Various books were placed on the shelves, with comics grouped together, alchemy textbooks arranged separately, and spellbooks in their own section.

The slaughterhouse was no different. Despite years of butchering activities, there were no traces of bloodstains on the walls or floor, unusual for a place where countless animals had been slaughtered over more than ten years.

The herbs drying on the eaves outside the slaughterhouse were neatly arranged without any disorder, while drawers and wall-mounted tools such as saws and grinders patiently awaited the next quiet moment to tear apart animal flesh and bones.

Moolian’s cabin, ruled by order and discipline, was subtly disrupted by anime character posters scattered sparsely on the walls.

“Sorry, we only have chicory coffee. If you had come a week ago, I could have shown you the delicious taste of southern black tea.”

Moolian placed a tray with three mugs filled with chicory root coffee and a bowl of freshly baked crackers on the square table.

“Thank you for your kindness.”

“…The smell is unbearable…”

Eliza expressed her gratitude to Moolian politely, while Vine sniffed the mug, wrinkled his nose, and frowned.

Moolian pulled a chair back and sat facing the two who were sitting side by side.

Vine took a sip of the dark-colored coffee in the mug, grimaced at the taste, and swallowed a mouthful.

“…This coffee is strange. It smells awful, and the taste is weird. Do humans really enjoy drinking this?”

Having encountered coffee for the first time, Vine criticized it.

“Well, coffee does have a unique taste. Even among humans, opinions on the aroma and flavor of properly brewed coffee vary greatly.”

Eliza responded to Vine’s question and took a sip of her coffee. Compared to the exorbitantly priced bean coffee, it lacked flavor, but with added sugar, it was tolerable.

“Anyway, I won’t be drinking coffee.”

Vine picked up a cracker, took a couple of bites, seemed to enjoy it, and quickly grabbed another one.

“I haven’t seen real coffee, let alone instant coffee recently. Not only do I not have the money, but there are no merchants selling coffee either.”

Moolian nibbled on a cracker and swallowed a sip of coffee.

“If it’s rare enough that you can’t find it even in Libreville, then coffee must have become incredibly scarce.”

“Of course. Coffee, you see, is a crop that cannot be cultivated in Neubagatnesal. To savor fresh coffee, one must wait for traders to come from the southern continent of Nazareth, which happens only once every 10 to 20 years. The supply is incredibly limited due to this rarity. With the approaching Day of Hardship, we are left relying on coffee produced before then and still present in Neubagatnesal. Over the centuries, as coffee consumption increased, finding coffee that is safe to consume among what remains has become rare.

Fortunately, tea trees grow well in the northern and central regions of Neubagatnesal. Otherwise, the despair might have led to mass suicides!”

“Haha….”

Eliza watched Moolian, who was passionate about coffee despite the hardships after the Day of Hardship, and smiled admiringly.

“Moolian,” Vene said. Eliza was surprised to hear Vene call Moolian by name. She had expected an odd nickname like ‘Black Hood,’ similar to how she nicknamed female humans or kangaroos ‘mice’ (Eliza’s considered nickname was ‘Black Hood,’ as Moolian always hesitated to remove the dark cloak covering her body even indoors), but Vene simply used her name.

“Why do you ask?”

Moolian responded with a smile.

“Reveal your true identity.”

Moolian’s smile widened.

“I’m just a humble alchemist with a keen interest in fairies. Anything beyond that is meaningless.”

‘Meaningless.’ It implied more than just ‘that’s all.’

“Don’t lie.”

Vene stared straight at Moolian with piercing eyes. It was the gaze of a predator that had frightened many humans, including Eliza, but Moolian remained unfazed.

“You seem to know Fairy language very well. You either interacted with a fairy unable to reclaim its physical form during chaining, or you learned Fairy language through interactions with folklore fairies. One of the two.”

“Every time I saw the illustration of the Blood Fairy in the book, I was drawn to the red eyes, but seeing it in person is so delightful. I might go mad… who knows…”

As Moolian blushed and spoke, Vene’s expression gradually turned menacing, as if she might resort to violence at any moment.

‘A book?’

Amidst this, one word shook Eliza to the core.

“Moolian? Can you show me the book you mentioned?”

Before an irreversible tragedy could unfold, Eliza swiftly changed the subject.

“Oh! I completely forgot. I’ve been enjoying our conversation so much that I forgot all about the highlight of today’s gathering!”

Moolian stood up from her chair, rushed to the bookshelf, pulled out two books displayed at a height she could easily reach, and brought them to the table, holding one in each hand. The books were bound in brown leather and seemed to have been made long before the Day of Hardship arrived.

In the center of the top book cover, a short title unfamiliar to Eliza was embossed in gold, surrounded by a butterfly-like pattern covering the entire front.

Vene read aloud the title written in Fairy language. She knew what the butterfly pattern symbolized.

The butterfly pattern symbolized the fairies of folklore, those vile creatures.

“Vene? What does this mean? It sounds somewhat Southern in pronunciation…”

After a moment of thought, Vene answered Eliza’s question.

“It means ‘us.’”

Upon hearing that word, a shiver ran down Eliza’s spine.

“This book contains records of all existing fairy sects. It could be called an Encyclopedia of Fairies without exaggeration. Unfortunately, pages with the publication year have been lost over time, but considering its age, the condition is quite good.”

Muri-an spoke as he opened the book to show them.

“……”

Ellaiza frowned as she looked at the drawing on the left page.

“Why does it look so unpleasant….”

The fairy in the picture had almost no resemblance to Vina. While the upper body had a human form, it had the lower body of a spider and lacked the white pupils in its eyes. Looking at the black eyes that seemed to gaze from ancient times, Ellaiza felt an instinctive fear.

On the back of the humanoid figure were insect wings similar to Vina’s wings. With an unbalanced body, it seemed challenging for it to fly with those wings.

“Hada de máquina….”

Vina muttered while looking at the drawing.

“In our language, it would be something like ‘Fairy of the Spindle.’”

“Fairy of the Spindle, huh. They seem to suit well with spiders spinning webs.”

“They were fairies who enjoyed making clothes, just as their name suggests.”

“They were like the fairies in fairy tales or something.”

“Is that so… Why is your evaluation of fairies so extreme, Vina?”

“I love all fairies. The fairies from fairy tales and even those who live by consuming the rust shed by goblins. But I still think some things need to be said. Those are insults to fairies.”

“Ahaha….”

Ellaiza turned over the yellowed paper and moved on to the next fairy, admiring the drawings without knowing the fairy language.

While Vina didn’t say much about the drawings, after seeing three types of fairies (each a mix of humans and insects), she told Ellaiza to stop when they reached the next drawing.

“These repulsive things….”

Vina grimaced as she looked at the drawing.

Compared to the previous four fairies, this one was prettier and cuter. Her skin was as white as Vina’s, and her pupils were not a chilling red but a soothing pink that comforted the beholder.

While the other fairies were depicted naked, this one wore a delicate, flowing dress that split into several branches like a flower at the end, adorned with a necklace featuring green gems.

Except for the skin color and the colorful butterfly wings, she looked the most human-like among the fairies Ellaiza had seen so far.

“The fairy of fairy tales, Hada de cuento. It’s said to be the fairy that interacted most frequently with humans.”

“The fairy of fairy tales? Really?”

The fairy of fairy tales. It was a fairy that Vina had always criticized whenever the opportunity arose.

Ellaiza turned the page. However, even after flipping through many pages, the next fairy’s drawing did not appear.

“…Seems like these individuals are full of pride for their own kind.”

It took nearly forty pages before the next page about the following fairy appeared.

“It seems like the book is written from the perspective of the fairy of fairy tales. Butterflies are a symbol loved by the fairy of fairy tales, and Hada del alcohol, known for its strained relationship with the fairy of fairy tales, the fairies of alcohol, were portrayed with an extremely narrow-minded perspective. Let’s see….”

Muri-an held the book and began reading aloud.

“The fairy of fairy tales stands out as the cutest among all fairies who have inherited the blood and flesh of the great ancestors, and this can be logically and scientifically proven. The big-hearted midnight fairies are earnest wallflowers even in trivial matters, the big-hearted iron fairies are aesthetically deficient beings who do not appreciate the charm of clover and dogwood, the big-hearted library fairies….”

“…Yes, I’ve understood how cute they are. I also got that they have chest complexes. Please stop reading now….”

With a throbbing headache, Ellaiza pleaded with Muri-an.

“The fairy tale fairies are known as the only faction of fairies who were friendly to humans. While there have been individual cases of fairies being kind to humans, the fairy tale fairies are unique in their overall friendliness towards humans.

“They wanted to be loved by humans, who saw them as toys that could easily catch and tear apart human prey for fun. If there were fairies who provided the spark that led humans to condemn us to hell, they must have been the fairy tale fairies. Disgusting and hypocritical imitators.”

Moorian and Vina provided Eliza with information about the fairy tale fairies.

“Yes, that’s not incorrect.”

Moorian smiled as if amused, agreeing with Vina’s aggressive opinion and quickly flipping through the pages of the book.

“Look! Here is Vina!”

Moorian showed them a picture near the end of the book.

“….”

The fairy in the picture resembled Vina. Unlike Vina’s lush pink hair, the fairy had white hair like a fairy’s skin. However, with predatory eyes tinged with red, there was little difference between the two.

“Ada de Sanguerre. Fairy of Blood.”

Moorian spoke solemnly, like a judge delivering a verdict.

“The Blood Fairies were the most numerous and cruel among the fairies. Before the Inferno, they were feared as ‘demons.’ Some mistakenly referred to the Blood Fairies as ‘snakes,’ enemies of the ‘wings.’”

“Hmm, my proud compatriots.”

Vina boasted proudly of her own kind.

“Mistaken, you say?”

Eliza was intrigued by Moorians words.

“‘Snakes’ were not real beings; they were created by the followers of the ‘wings’ to insult other deities, weren’t they?”

“That’s a half-truth. ‘Snakes’ existed separately from other deities. The original Saint Karen sacrificed herself to destroy the creatures originally called ‘snakes’ and later oppressed beliefs in separate divine beings, labeling them as ‘snakes.’ The reason the Blood Fairies were called ‘snakes,’ or demons…”

Moorian looked Vina up and down.

“For being both cruel and too beautiful?”

“…Human imagination is truly unpleasant.”

Vina sighed.

“But surprisingly, among the fairies…”

“If you continue, I’ll tear off your facial skin.”

Moorian kindly threatened Vina without showing any signs of discomfort.

“Anyway, Eliza will naturally learn more living with Vina. Isn’t it better to tell her now?”

“….”

Vina remained silent, looking at Morian.

“Wow, scary. Okay, I won’t mention it. Delicate areas like facial skin take quite some time to recover.”

Eliza was deeply concerned about what Vina was trying to hide about the Blood Fairy but suppressed her curiosity. There was nothing good that would come from provoking Vina.

Instead, Eliza picked up the book that Morian had placed on the table and flipped through the pages. There were as many pages about the Blood Fairies as there were about the fairy tale fairies, but Eliza, unfamiliar with fairies, had no way of knowing how the fairy tale fairies viewed the Blood Fairies.

Eliza turned the page to the last chapter of the Encyclopedia of Fairies.

“….”

It was a fairy that looked exactly like the Blood Fairy.

With insect wings displaying beautiful colors like stained glass and everything matching, from skin to eye color, except for pink nipples.

On the right page containing descriptions of fairies, there were only two lines written: a sentence that appeared to be a name and another single line below it. It contrasted with the detailed explanations given for other fairies that spanned at least three pages.

“Gran Antepasado, the Great Ancestor.”

Moorian first translated the name and then proceeded to translate the single-line sentence into a language Eliza was familiar with.

“Beautiful sun, our beginning.”

“….”

It was a praise sent by all fairies, including the Fairies of Bloodline and Fairy Tales, to the Great Ancestor.

Eliza gazed at the fairy in the picture. Seemingly compassionate, yet with eyes devoid of mercy for beings other than fairies.

Eliza looked at the fairy and felt an inexplicable longing, unable to comprehend or empathize.

Vine alternated her gaze between the Great Ancestor in the picture and Eliza, who couldn’t look away from the drawing.

Eliza and the Great Ancestor in the picture. They looked exactly alike, like twins. From their physique to their eyes, even their hair color.

Eliza and Moorian seemed unaware of this fact. While Moorian might have been pretending not to know…

“Why is Eliza pretending not to know? Why? Given her nature, she would have surely made a fuss about it.”

Vine pushed aside her doubts. Questions that couldn’t be answered immediately were nothing but burdensome baggage.

“It’s confirmed now.”

Vine thought, wrapped in a sticky, gritty hope.

“Elsa can save us. I’m certain. It’s an undeniable solution.”

The Great Ancestor. The key that unlocks the lock firmly securing the ceiling of hell.

“If that’s the case, I need my help. With someone as fragile and lost as Eliza, survival is clearly impossible.”

Guiding the key towards the right path for the fairies’ salvation was the duty of a Fairy Princess.

“Elsa.”

Vine called out to Eliza.

“Yes? Oh, I was lost in thought for a moment.”

Eliza, released from the ancestor’s embrace, scratched her head and responded to Vine’s call.

“Elsa, I will protect you.”

“Huh? Me?”

Taken aback by Vine’s sudden words, Eliza was perplexed.

“I will protect Elsa from the vile and heinous threats of the human world.”

“T-Thank you.”

Eliza smiled, unsure of how to react.

Vine also lightly smiled at Eliza.

Moorian observed the two with apparent interest.

Tonight, Moorian planned to speak with Vine alone. The Fairy Princess was a great being

(Great indeed! Yet too late to realize, ensnared by shallow friendships, failing to protect even her own kind!)

and Moorian did intend to assist Vine.

Vine and Moorian shared a common pursuit: the revival of the Fairy Era.

However, what they truly desired was quite different.