Book 1 Chapter 852
852.
Eliza sat on the bed, arms crossed and legs coiled, a fierce expression on her face.
In front of Eliza sat Kale.
Kale sensed the presence of a frail creature trembling above his head.
‘No. Is it not frail?’
The being hidden in his hair was a fairy, said to be one of the three great mythical beasts.
Being friends with Leo, the existence of a fairy was quite familiar to him, but otherwise, it was a precious being one might see only once in a lifetime.
Anyway, Kale spoke.
“Now, now. Eliza, calm down first.”
“Hmph!”
“Excuse me. Fairy lady? Why don’t you calm down a bit too?”
At his words, the fairy fluttered above Kale’s head and then carefully landed on the floor.
Her eyes met Eliza’s, who was glaring at her with wide-open eyes, and she shrieked ‘Heeek!’ before quickly hiding behind Kale.
Seeing that, Kale scratched his head and said,
“Don’t be too scared, could you introduce yourself?”
At his words, the fairy girl, regaining her courage, cautiously stepped forward.
She then slightly lifted the hem of her dress and bowed.
-Oh, hello. My name is Kiya, the Fairy Princess.
“Fairy Princess?”
Kale’s eyes widened, and Eliza’s eyes narrowed.
“Then you must know Kilian?”
-Yes.
At Kale’s question, Kiya, with her large, round eyes, replied,
-I don’t want to admit it, but that bastard is my older brother.
Unlike her timid and delicate appearance, harsh words burst from Kiya’s mouth.
And a moment later.
Her large eyes began to well up.
“Why, why are you crying?”
As Kale asked in bewilderment, Kiya spoke in a voice on the verge of tears.
-I had forgotten that bastard was my brother, but suddenly remembering it was just too embarrassing…
“I can understand that, considering that fairy’s usual behavior.”
As Eliza said with a cold smile, Kiya clasped her hands together and her eyes sparkled.
-You’re someone who understands!
She wore a welcoming expression, but then her eyes met Eliza’s, and she quickly reverted to a terrified look.
Seeing that, Kale wore an amused expression.
“It seems the siblings don’t get along.”
-Of course not.
“All the kids I know with siblings, they all get along well.”
Chelsea and Avad were prime examples.
Celia also got along well with her brother Rhys, and Eliza had a good relationship with Perena.
At Kale’s words, Kiya said,
-No way. If they really got along well, one of them would have been picked up under a bridge.
“……”
Kale glanced at Eliza.
Eliza looked completely uninterested.
“So? Where’s my letter?”
*Crackle—!*
Pure white lightning flashed from Eliza’s body.
It was Pegasus’s lightning.
Seeing Eliza’s impatience, Kale said,
“Kiya.”
-Yes.
“Was it you who stole all the food in Lumerne this time?”
-…
At his words, Kiya bowed her head deeply.
-I-I’m sorry.
“Before I ask why you did that… did you also go to Eliza’s room?”
-Yes. I went to her room last night.
Eliza’s eyes widened further as she watched Kiya speak, furtively glancing at Eliza.
“Did you perhaps take the letter from there too?”
Kale calmly reassured Kiya.
At the question, Kiya tilted her head, then opened a sub-space and put her hand in.
A moment later.
A letter envelope containing Eliza’s letter emerged from the sub-space.
-This?
At her words, Eliza *snatched* the letter envelope!
“Alright, so that means the incident is resolved, right?”
Kale grinned.
Eliza narrowed her eyes at him.
“What do you mean the incident is resolved? We still haven’t found out anything about this fairy stealing food.”
“Well, I suppose. Won’t she answer if we ask? Before that.”
Kale smiled brightly and held out his hand.
“What?”
“Could I perhaps see what you wrote?”
“No.”
“Aw. Don’t be like that. Huh? Huh?”
“Where do you get off trying to act cute? So cute.”
“……”
At her words, Kale squatted on the floor, scratching the ground idly with his finger.
Eliza, pressing her temples, handed Kale the letter.
Receiving it, Kale chuckled and opened the letter envelope in a corner of the lab.
Eliza shook her head and sat in front of Kiya.
“So? Why did you come to Lumerne, and why did you steal the food?”
At the question, Kiya’s face darkened slightly.
-I came to meet Leo Flove.
“Why Leo Flove?”
-A great calamity has occurred in Fairy Land.
“Calamity?”
-Yes. My Royal Father… meaning, the Fairy King’s life is not long.
At her words, Kale and Eliza made shocked expressions.
Fairy King Silrod.
A being who had not appeared in history for the past 5000 years, shrouded in mystery, yet his symbolism as the only remaining Beast King was immense.
He had lived through the Age of Heroes itself.
And the news of the impending death of the Beast King, who had saved the world alongside the great heroes of a distant past, was an astonishing major event.
“Is that certain?”
-Yes. That’s why my Royal Father said he needed to see the unnamed hero, Leo Flove. Following his will, I came to Lumerne to meet the unnamed hero.
At Kiya’s words, Kale looked puzzled.
“Unnamed hero? Leo just got the epithet ‘King of Beginnings,’ didn’t he?”
-Huh?
Kiya’s eyes widened.
-Oh, I see. Fairy Land has been cut off from the outside world for quite a while, so I didn’t know.
“Fairy Land is cut off from the outside world?”
Eliza looked puzzled.
-Yes. It wasn’t easy to come here because of my Royal Father’s barrier.
“That’s strange. Why would there be a need for a barrier?”
Eliza fell into thought.
“I know. Where Leo went.”
At that moment, Kale said with a serious expression.
Eliza and Kiya looked at Kale.
“He noticed the change and went to Fairy Land.”
“He noticed there was a problem in Fairy Land before he even heard the news?”
“Kilian, who contracted with Leo, is, in name, the successor to the Fairy King.”
-I don’t want to admit it, but yes. Ah, if Leo Flove has already gone to Fairy Land, then that’s a relief.
“It seems I’ve made a wasted trip.”
At Eliza’s words, Kiya shook her head.
-That’s not true.
“Why not?”
-Because there was a harvest.
At Kiya’s words, Eliza looked puzzled.
But Kale accurately saw through what the harvest was.
“Is the situation in Fairy Land not good? To the point where food is desperately needed.”
Kale asked with a serious face.
If Fairy Land was cut off from the outside world, the fairies might be suffering from a food shortage.
Kale thought that Kiya stealing food in Lumerne might be due to the situation in Fairy Land.
At Kale’s question, Kiya said,
-No. Fairies can live on dew alone.
“Then why did you steal the food?”
-It’s my snack.
“……”
Kale made an incredulous expression.
-I tend to eat a lot.
Seeing Kiya suddenly acting brazen, Eliza clicked her tongue.
“Now you truly seem like that rogue fairy’s sibling.”
-What?! I cannot tolerate that! Apologize!
As Kiya flared up, Eliza’s eyes flashed open.
-Heeek!
Kiya was terrified.
“Now, now, calm down.”
Kale mediated between the two.
“Since you’re a first-time offender and a mythical beast, not human, if you return everything you stole, I won’t hold you accountable.”
-Th-this is the reward for my labor, which I worked hard to obtain.
Seeing the brazen Kiya, Kale said,
“If the reward for labor is good, then they should be made to pay the price for their labor.”
Kale grinned.
“Eliza, catch her.”
*Crackle, crackle—!*
At his words, Eliza invoked her magical power.
Pegasus’s lightning caught Kiya.
-W-what are you planning to do?
As Kiya asked in a trembling voice, Kale said,
“There’s a Professor Tina Tingel in Lumerne’s Department of Magical Engineering.”
Tina still taught magical engineering as a visiting professor at Lumerne.
“Her hobby is dissection, and she said she really wanted to dissect a fairy.”
Kiya’s face turned white.
“It’s okay. She said she sews them up well.”
-Heeek! I-I’ll return it! I’ll return it!
Seeing the terrified Kiya, Kale smiled faintly.
Watching him, Eliza said,
“You’re surprisingly good at blackmail.”
“You know who my best friend is, don’t you?”
“Leo Flove?”
“Right. I learned a lot from watching him.”
“……”
At Kale’s words, Eliza unconsciously said,
“Don’t learn strange things.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
The Leo Eliza knew was a sadist who had perfected the art of tormenting others.
‘Well, Kale wouldn’t learn something like that,’
As Eliza thought to herself.
Kale, having released Kiya, thought of Leo.
‘…From Leo’s perspective, with the last remaining old friend in this world not having long left, he must not be feeling well.’
His friend wasn’t just a simple friend.
He was a comrade-in-arms who had overcome the Age of Calamity together.
Of course, through the memories of the Hero Records, Leo had encountered his past connections many times.
But…
‘Ultimately, those were beings of the past.’
Fragments of miracles.
They were different from Silrod, who was truly living in the present.
‘If the Fairy King dies… then Leo will be the only one who can remember that time.’
Kale couldn’t even imagine it.
Kale, who had worn a bitter expression for a moment, then felt another question arise.
‘But… Fairy Land being cut off from the outside world.’
This was an unusual situation.
‘Speaking of which, Professor Mel is also absent right now, isn’t she?’
Dragon Lord.
Melina was also not in Lumerne at the moment.
In that case, there was a high probability that she was moving with Leo.
Kale, whose thoughts had reached that point, made a serious expression.
‘…Isn’t some enormous situation happening that we don’t know about?’
***
The food shortage incident that occurred in Lumerne was resolved in just one day.
“Just how little faith do the students have in my brother?”
Lil shook her head.
Lil was the one who had insisted that Leo couldn't possibly be responsible when it was suggested that Leo had caused the food shortage incident.
“Well, that’s because Leo is certainly capable of such a thing.”
Elena also felt something was odd, but she understood why the students suspected Leo.
“So?”
Currently, Elena and Lil were in the Student Council President’s office.
Elena smiled faintly.
“Why has our Acting Student Council President called me, the Vice Student Council President, and Lil at this late hour?”
“You seem to be in a bad mood, Senior Elena.”
“Huh? No way?”
“Please don’t be too upset. After all, the Acting Student Council President can exercise authority when the Student Council President is absent, right?”
That was why Kale was able to leave the dormitory and come to the student council office despite it being curfew.
“I wouldn’t have used my authority unless it was absolutely necessary.”
“Oh my? Did you think I was upset about that?”
“Weren’t you?”
As Kale tilted his head, Elena said,
“Kale.”
“Yes.”
“Who’s your ideal type, Kale?”
“Excuse me? Why suddenly…?”
“I was just wondering if you liked strong-willed women.”
“Haha. Well, I wonder.”
‘She found out.’
Kale smiled nonchalantly, breaking into a cold sweat.
Watching Kale, Elena, who was smiling brightly, said,
“Anyway. This incident has been resolved, so why did you call Lil and me out so late tonight?”
Seeing Elena getting to the point, Kale made a serious expression.
“I will be activating a mission under the authority of the Acting Student Council President.”
At his words, Elena paused, and Lil’s expression turned serious.
Elena straightened her posture and crossed her arms.
“The details?”
“To support Leo in Fairy Land.”