[68.4] A Fairy Like No Other

[***Disclaimer: This chapter includes mention of murder, torture, death, minor mention of violence against a child, and blood/gore that some viewers might find uncomfortable. Reader discretion is advised.]

A few years later….

Soon, the child who could only hug my thigh now reached my waist. His mannerisms improved as he got used to the new way of life. His grey skin now had a healthy hue and he was no longer frail and malnourished.

The two of us would practice drawing, only coming into town to collect supplies. I hadn't visited the villagers in a while, but I didn't really care.

I was still irritated by how they treated Asmonious.

As we walked on the street, the chatter of bystanders reached my ear, "Did you hear? There was some genius child that invented paper!"

I quickly jumped into the conversation with a bright smile, "Paper?!"

They nodded, "Yes! They even taught us how we could make it ourselves. It is truly a gift!"

My face lit up as I turned to Asmonious, "Do you understand what that means?"

He shook his head.

I picked him up and twirled him around, "We have something we can paint on!"

I turned back to the people on the street, "Where can we get some?"

"They sell it in the inventor's hometown! It takes half a day on foot."

"Wonderful!" 

I grabbed Asmonious and hurried in the direction of the other town, laughing hysterically as I did. He allowed me to pull him along, his eyes staring at me silently. 

Once we were in the next town, I searched around. Sure enough, there were several stores selling all types of paper and even-

"Canvas!!!" I skipped over to a store with a bright smile, "They actually have canvas!"

Asmonious strolled over next to me and looked at it, "Is it important?"

"Of course it is! This will be great for painting on… Now we just need to find oil paints or acrylics." 

I picked out enough to last a while and purchased it. Once outside, we found a secluded place to put the canvas into the interspatial bag. As I did, I heard a commotion happening on the street.

I stuck my neck out, "What's happening?"

I held Asmonious's hand and walked out to check what was going on, only to be met with somber expressions on everyone's face.

I leaned over to a woman beside me, "Why is everyone upset?"

She sighed, "The inventor who gave us the gift of paper was found dead…"

My eyes widened, "What?"

Another sighed, "Such a shame… He was so young. He had such a bright future."

"How did he die?"

"They are saying demons murdered him and his family."

I felt Asmonious's small hand tighten in my grip. I glanced down at him and noticed the nervous expression hidden deep underneath his innocent face.

I led him away from the group, "Let's return home. We have enough supplies to last for a while."

Once we were away from the town, we entered into a stretch of the road that was desolate. I was about to summon my ice chunk when I heard a voice stepping out of the dense woods.

"Vira! Vira look! It's my pup! He's actually still alive!!!"

I froze, my entire being traumatized by that very name.

It was only when I felt the panicked hugging around my waist, that I remembered the person who called him "pup". I pushed Asmonious behind me as I turned to face the two people stepping out of the forest.

A tall man with an arrogant smile and shiny blondish-red hair stood beside a woman in a cloak. There were splotches of blood covering the hems of their robes.

My expression soured, "You two were the ones who killed that inventor."

Although I couldn't see Vira's face, I could see the man beside her.

His eyebrows raised, "Huh. How could you piece that together quickly?"

My hand slowly raised to point at Vira, "Wherever that woman goes, only death follows."

"Ehhh. Vira, it seems like she knows you."

Vira peered at me from under her hood, "Woman, take off your veil so that I can see your face."

I snickered, "Why would I listen to the requests of a murderer?"

Vira didn't speak for a while before casually saying, "Orphelio. If you want your pup back, take him. Let's just kill her and be on our way."

His face lit up, "Really?! You'll let me keep him still!?"

She sighed, her voice so harmonious it greatly contrasted her evil nature. "As long as your hobbies don't interfere with your duty."

"Oh! My goddess, I truly do love you!"

As he stepped towards us, I raised my voice. "If you try anything, it will be the last thing you do."

He laughed as he pulled out a sword humming with a bright light shimmering along the blade. My eyes narrowed as he grinned at me, "Do you really think you are intimidating? Do you know how many I've killed? A simple woman like you will be easier to kill than plucking a flower."

At the sound of a whimper behind me, I was reminded of the child I was trying to protect.

I've never been much of a fighter, so can I really take these two on? I never had the chance to face Vira on my own, but even Cyrus, Atta, and the Swordmaster couldn't stop her.

And now there's this psychotic man beside her?

So what should I do?

The man snickered at my defensive pose, "Listen. Give me my son back and I promise I won't make your death painful."

So it really is the man who abused this child.

I looked him up and down.

He's younger than I thought he would be…

He only seems to be in his teenage years. When I read those notes, I imagined someone who looked far more evil than him.

I retorted sarcastically, "I'm going to have to decline such kind conditions."

"Hah! Are you sure? Do you know how I usually kill people? I never take their lives quickly…" His expression darkened as he smiled, "I just find it beautiful the way they struggle, begging me for mercy… Only to never receive it."

I felt sick just staring at him, "You need serious help."

"Oh, come on. You are such a prude." He clicked his tongue, "Whatever. I'm bored talking to you. Are you going to hand over my child willingly or are you going to be difficult?"

I remained firm, "This isn't your child. You lost that right when you threw him into a dungeon and spent years abusing him."

He laughed joyfully, "What business is it of yours?"

My grip tightened, "This is my disciple! It's my business because I care for him!"

"Well, he is my son." His grin sent shivers down my spine, "So you don't need to take care of him anymore. Hand him over. Now."

I felt Asmonious flinch, trying to shrink in closer to me. Feeling him tremble, I clenched my jaw as anger grew in my chest.

I tried to push the anger down, "He's. Not. Your. Son."

I summoned my ice dragon from thin air, directing it to swirl around us and growl at the two attackers.

They were both shocked by the sudden appearance of the dragon, they took a step back. Orphelio turned to Vira, "Vira. What's going on?"

Vira pulled out a sword, "She's an arriver. Kill her quickly."

I could no longer suppress my anger as I watched Orphelio's face morph into…

My ex.

Realizing I was about to go berserk, I quickly used the dragon to scoop up Asmonious and fly far into the distance where it would be safe.

Fire erupted at my feet, burning my clothes and causing my veil to be tossed off. I could no longer control the overwhelming feeling of fury building inside of me as darkness crept across my vision.

My blackened fingertips started to spread further up my arm, causing my already charred skin to creep closer to my elbows.

The rising wind blowing and whipping around me, caused the hood of Vira's to be cast off. Her eyes widened as she took a step back, "Her face… She has no face…"

Orphelio looked at Vira, "She's a fairy!? Aren't they usually small?"

Vira's expression hardened, "They are and they always mind their own business. They never interfere with human life."

"Then what? She's a new kind of fairy!?"

"…I don't know what she is."