Wish 16: Weakness

After understanding what the little girl wanted...

We headed towards the small forest near the village.

The sight reminded me of my own village.

As soon as we entered the forest, the atmosphere has changed...

It was negative, but it suited me.

As we delved deeper into the forest, the negativity became stronger...

And a gray mist started to surround us.

The little girl was struggling to breathe due to the atmosphere...

But despite that, she didn't stop and continued guiding me.

During that time, I felt my mana reacting to something...

Or rather, someone!

The girl was on the edge of losing consciousness, so I carried her...

And hurried forward.

Until we reached the center of the forest.

There, I saw several animals gathered around someone.

That person was severely wounded...

And those animals were protecting them...

Among them were birds, rabbits, bears, and even butterflies.

Butterflies??

Could it be that those butterflies were the ones I reacted to...

Or was it the wounded girl?

I approached the girl...

I put down the unconscious little girl near those animals...

And they made way for me.

And...

Beautiful...!!

Wait, why does this girl appear small, yet I don't feel that way?

Her clothes are all torn, as if she were attacked by multiple swords...

And these burns...

Were they caused by magical swords?

I got closer...

Examined all her wounds...

And gave her a little bit of mana to help her wake up.

And after making that mana her own...

She woke up...

And looked around...

"My king! ... I fin..ally foun..d you!"

What does she mean by her king?

Did she mistake me for someone else?

"You fool... who do you think I am?"

"You... you're my king..."

Please... the fairies... all of them are in danger!"

Fairies??

Wait, is she really saying that I'm her king??

"It seems you're still confused...

I'm leaving, I didn't come here to play with a child like you."

I carried the girl with me and...

"You... you're hiding your true form..."

How did she know that?

"What's your proof?"

I don't think anyone can see through my camouflage...

But somehow, she managed to do it.

"Our king... he possesses a sense...

All of us... we can sense him...

We fairies... beg our king to return..."

Is she still slurring or what?

Am I the king of the fairies?

My horrible luck always leads me to encounter the strangest people.

But... I don't want to get attached to anyone again.

"I am not anyone's king... I will leave."

I left the forest while carrying the little girl...

When I think about it...

Why do I keep protecting this girl?

Is it because she's just a servant?

No...

I see a reflection of my old self in her.

Fate truly is strange...

That's why I cursed my destiny...

And embraced my despair.

Yes...

Despair can be beautiful sometimes!

.....

I returned the girl back to the village...

And because of her, I didn't destroy that village.

Well, partly because it resembled my own village.

I left that village and headed towards another place to spread my despair there...

I flew for several hours...

And found something strange...

No matter how far I flew, all that lay before me were green plains...

So, I landed and attempted to continue my journey on foot.

The same thing happened...

Even though night had fallen, I couldn't see anything other than the green plains in front of me.

So, I sat down to recover the mana I lost...

And waited until the sun rises.

Then, I returned to the village I had left behind.

I asked the villagers if there were any cities or villages nearby.

They informed me that the nearest village is the Elf Forest.

But the Elf Forest is forbidden to strangers...

Anyone who approaches it will be killed.

I found that challenge exciting.

So, I left the village, following the direction the villagers had indicated...

In the end, it was all in vain.

No matter how far I walked, I didn't reach any destination...

In fact, I walked for three consecutive days and didn't spot anything.

In the end, I thought of one thing that might be the reason for all this.

It's that small forest!

Then, I returned to the forest.

I spent a week doing nothing...

Sigh...

...

When I approached the forest, I noticed that the negative atmosphere was much stronger than before.

And suddenly, someone emerged from among the trees...

Covered in pink blood...

Torn clothes...

And many injuries...

That foolish girl!!

"MY...K..I..N..G!"

What the hell is this?