Book 1 Chapter 870
870.
-We've arrived.
At Melina's words, everyone showed tense expressions.
High above the Fairy Forest where the old Fairy Land is located.
Leo's group looked down at the winter forest stretching below.
When Melina dispelled her polymorph, everyone quickly fell towards the spot.
It was a sudden fall from high above, but no one was flustered.
The moment Chelsea and Lil tried to grab Leo.
Faster than that, Chen Xia embraced Leo and fell to the ground.
Softly-!
Chen Xia, having landed on the ground, rubbed her cheek against Leo's head.
“Get down.”
“Yes.”
At his words, Chen Xia smiled faintly and put Leo down.
“You keep treating me like a child.”
“Young Master Leo should have treated us a bit like children normally.”
“If you don't call children children, what do you call them?”
At Leo's words, Chen Xia made a slightly sullen face.
Meanwhile, the others also landed on the ground.
“Let's split into teams and decide each team's search area.”
They needed to find the key to dispel the illusion in the old Fairy Land.
As it was a search mission, dividing the personnel was efficient for now.
At Leo's words, Eliza said,
“Didn't you say that the Tartarus Legion Commanders have also invaded this illusion? But is it okay to recklessly divide our personnel?”
At Eliza's words, Leo crossed his arms.
“Have you already forgotten? Each and every one of you now possesses strength comparable to at least a Legion Commander.”
“Count me out. No matter how good I am, I can't be a monster like that.”
At Leo's words, Carl raised his hand and said,
“What do you mean by that right now! Carl! Are you saying I'm a monster?!”
“EEK?!”
Lil, who had been upset just moments before by Leo's teasing about being a monster, reacted sharply.
At her words, Leo said,
“Calm down. I'm not saying you're a monster.”
“I got agitated. I apologize, Carl.”
“It means all of you are monsters.”
Lil no longer agitated, stared blankly at Leo with an expressionless face.
Under her gaze, Leo subtly averted his eyes and said,
“Alright, that's enough joking.”
‘Wow, that brazen Leo Flobe actually averted his eyes.’
‘Scary, Senior Lil.’
‘At this point, she really seems like a monster.’
Eliza, Chelsea, and Chen Xia marveled inwardly.
Of course, they knew that the moment they uttered these words, Lil's terrifying gaze would turn to them, so they couldn't speak them aloud.
Lil went in front of Leo's face, who was trying to avoid her gaze, and continued their staring contest.
Under that gaze, Leo scratched his head roughly and said,
“You look pretty when you smile, so don't make that kind of face.”
At his words, Lil, whose mood instantly improved, smiled.
Leaving the cheerful Lil behind, Leo said,
“Even if we encounter a Legion Commander, a two-person team should be able to handle it sufficiently.”
At Leo's words, Melina said,
“In that case, I'll search alone.”
If they formed teams of two, one person would be left.
Mel volunteered for that role.
“Then how do we decide the teams?”
At Lil's question, Chelsea pushed Carl, and Chen Xia pushed Eliza's back, bringing the two closer.
“First, as a couple.”
“Who's a couple?! Who?!”
When Chen Xia said with a faint smile, Eliza flared up.
Then Chelsea said,
“Xia. We don't know what the future holds yet.”
“Chelsea, for once you're saying something right……”
“So we should call them a prospective couple.”
“Indeed, that makes sense.”
Eliza furiously swung her whip at the two who were teasing her.
Of course, the two annoyingly dodged the whip.
Leo let out a deep sigh.
“Why are you sighing so much?”
Carl, who had dodged the whip and came to Leo's side, asked, and Leo replied,
“Because they look like adults on the outside, but their actions are childish.”
“Ah, well, what can you do? Right now, only their bodies have grown.”
Carl chuckled.
“They'll change when they're truly grown up, won't they?”
“No. Even when they reach the age of their true appearance, they'll probably still be like this.”
Leo shook his head slowly and said,
“If you're all done, gather around so I can make teams. We'll do it by drawing lots fairly. No complaints then, right?”
As a result of drawing lots.
Eliza and Chelsea.
Carl and Lil.
Leo and Chen Xia formed a team.
Chelsea made a sullen face.
“I wanted to see more of big brother Leo's cute side.”
At her words, Eliza said,
“At least keep it in photos.”
“Hmm. Not a bad idea, but wouldn't big brother Leo be a little embarrassed?”
Chelsea thought that even so, he might still be embarrassed about his child-like appearance.
“Young Master Leo wouldn't be embarrassed at all. He didn't even bat an eye when he cross-dressed.”
“What?!”
At Chen Xia's words, Chelsea was astonished.
“That happened too.”
“See? He's completely unconcerned, isn't he?”
At Leo's nonchalant reaction, Chen Xia shrugged.
“P-pictures! Do you have pictures?”
Chelsea grabbed Chen Xia and asked.
“I do. He was incredibly beautiful.”
“Sh-show me!”
“No.”
“Why?”
Chen Xia smiled brightly.
Melina, watching the scene, said,
“Alright everyone, stop chattering and spread out.”
At her words, Chelsea licked her lips and entered the forest with Eliza.
Lil and Carl also disappeared into the forest,
and once Melina left, Leo said,
“Let's go.”
“Yes.”
Chen Xia smiled faintly and followed behind Leo.
***
The search area assigned to Leo and Chen Xia was inside the old Fairy Land.
Since the Fairy Forest itself was quite extensive, the Fairy Land that Leo and Chen Xia were in charge of was relatively smaller in scope.
“Even so, it's very big.”
Chen Xia said, looking around from the center of Fairy Land.
“Because it's Fairy Land.”
“Even if it's smaller than other places, the probability of the key being inside Fairy Land is high, so… it might take more time.”
At Chen Xia's words, Leo snapped his fingers.
With that, Fiora, Arte, and Kirian appeared.
Fwoosh-!
As soon as Fiora was summoned, she transformed into the appearance of a beautiful woman.
As the future was projected, even if she took on a human form, she was no longer a child.
Fiora elegantly lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed towards Leo.
“Fiora, I have answered your call. Master.”
“You're magnificent, Fiora.”
“Thank you, Arte.”
“I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Please slap me just once on the cheek.”
Smack-!
“Ahng?!”
When Fiora slapped him on the cheek without hesitation, Arte clutched his cheek and slumped to the ground.
And he made an ecstatic expression.
“I love it so much.”
“Young Master Leo's phantom beasts are always full of personality, no matter when I see them.”
Chen Xia said, shaking her head in amazement.
Then she looked at Fiora.
“By the way, you've grown up so magnificently.”
“Hmph.”
Fiora made a triumphant expression.
-Strange! You're not fat!
At that moment, Kirian pointed a finger at Fiora and said,
Then Fiora created a fly swatter out of flames and smacked Kirian.
Smack-
-Ack!
“Refrain from rude remarks, Fairy.”
Fiora snorted.
At that moment, Chen Xia made a puzzled expression.
“But Kirian hasn't changed at all?”
At her words, Leo paused.
Indeed, it was as she said.
Arte is no different now or in the future.
Arte was originally the Pegasus who made a covenant with the first emperor of the Rodren Empire.
He was an entity whose growth was already complete.
So it was natural that nothing would change even in the future.
That's why he had overlooked it.
‘Kirian is still a young fairy.’
If so, Kirian should have also changed, like Fiora.
At the very least, his wings should have taken on their complete form.
However, Kirian remained in his original form, having not yet regained his full power.
At Chen Xia's words, Kirian said,
-That's probably because I haven't found all my wings yet!
“There's no way the future Fairy King wouldn't have found all his wings.”
At Leo's words, Kirian's body trembled slightly.
Looking at such a Kirian, Leo said,
“Kirian. You don't wish for the future, do you?”
“……”
At Leo's words, Kirian slumped his shoulders.
This place is within an illusion.
Those who wish for the future project their future selves, and those who wish for the past project their past selves.
If so, it should also be possible for those who wish for the present to project their current appearance.
Leo sighed lightly as he looked at the downcast Kirian.
“I can guess why you were banished from Fairy Land.”
At Leo's words, Chen Xia tilted her head.
“Weren't you kicked out for being a prankster?”
“That's right. But I thought there must be a reason why this guy pulled pranks on a scale serious enough to get him banished.”
It's true that Kirian is inherently mischievous.
But even so, was the problem so severe that Shiloh, the Fairy King, had to personally seal his powers and banish him?
Not really.
Being banished with one's powers sealed is a punishment reserved for those who have committed grave sins.
Until now, he had simply thought that Kirian had matured a bit after being banished.
“This fellow accepted his banishment calmly.”
“Well… isn't that because the Fairy King is the strongest fairy?”
“Kirian possessed overwhelmingly strong power compared to other fairies.”
“What?”
“If he hadn't lost his wings, he would have been comparable to the Fairy King.”
At his words, everyone made surprised expressions.
Kirian pouted.
“That unruly fairy is that strong?”
When Fiora asked with an incredulous expression, Leo calmly replied,
“In battle, Fiora, he fights with power equal to yours.”
“That's because Master drew out his potential, isn't it?”
“Yes. But Kirian has lost his wings now. The foundation of a fairy's power is its wings. In other words, Kirian possesses that much potential even in his wingless state.”
At his words, everyone looked at Kirian with wide, surprised eyes.
“If he were truly a rascally fellow, he wouldn't have been docilely banished when Shiloh tried to banish him.”
-As expected, Leo is quick-witted. Is it because he's Father's friend?
Kirian grumbled.
“The excessive trouble you caused to get banished… and accepting your banishment docilely… was it all because you didn't want to become the Fairy King?”
-That's right.
“Why would you do such a thing……”
As Arte made a perplexed expression, Chen Xia said,
“…Were you afraid that Lord Shiloh would disappear?”
-……
Kirian said nothing.
Leo sighed.
“You must have known. That you weren't merely an heir among the Fairy King's children, but a fairy born to become the Fairy King. And that the moment you became the Fairy King, Shiloh would disappear.”
-If Father passes away, I have to do what Father was supposed to do.
Kirian grumbled.
“You unfilial…!”
Arte covered Fiora's angry mouth.
Because he had noticed that, given Kirian's personality, he hadn't truly refused to become the Fairy King for that reason.
-…And Father was someone who lived his entire life bound by 5000 years ago.
Kirian bit his lip.
-I wanted him to… look at the present era a little.