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Gyuri, the little fairy who was hiding, leaped out and yelled, “If you bully Sihyeon, I’ll punish you, Popi!”
Gyuri waved her arms at Terzan, but it appeared more like a cute whine than a threat to any observer.
Luke looked at Gyuri in disbelief and said, “Uh… Huh? A fairy?”
However, Terzan was not surprised by the sudden appearance of the fairy. Instead, she calmly looked at us and nodded her head. “Hmm… as expected.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I smell it… the scent of a fairy.”
“Have you met a fairy before?” I inquired.
“I’ve seen them a lot in the past… …since I am from the Shadow clan,” she replied.
Since the Shadow clan guarded the entrance to the fairy world, I wasn’t sure if that was why Terzan was familiar with fairies.
I asked Terzan, who was teasing Gyuri, more directly, “Terzan, do you know about the ‘Entrance to the Fairy World’?”
-STARTLE!
Terzan trembled slightly and stopped moving when I mentioned the entrance to the fairy world. Then she slowly met my gaze and asked, “Why do you ask that?” Her cold voice was heard in my ears.
Although not as strong as when subduing Locus, her menacing spirit radiated subtly.
Oops! Did I speak too hastily?
It was a little awkward when Terzan reacted decisively. Still, I could be sure that she knew about the entrance to the fairy world.
When Terzan gave a cold reaction, Andras and Lia intervened to calm the atmosphere.
“Terzan, Sihyeon is someone you can trust. Otherwise, why would so many Black Hawk members step out?” Andras said.
“That’s right, sister, he is someone who was acknowledged by Mr. Kaneff,” Lia added.
Kroc also defended me by expressing his sign language enthusiastically. Thanks to that, Terzan’s cold momentum quickly calmed down.
Instead, Terzan’s empty gaze focused on me. I felt a silent pressure to explain myself.
“Where should I start explaining this…”
“From the beginning!”
“Hmm. Then it’ll take a long time.”
“I have a lot of time.”
She nodded her head, indicating that I should stop talking about useless things and start explaining myself. I had no choice but to tell the story of my first visit to the Demon realm one by one.
Terzan was immediately captivated by my story and became enamored with it. Locus and Kroc, who also didn’t know most of the stories, also perked up their ears quietly.
The tale of my life on the farm was quite extraordinary. Perhaps because of the positive reactions from the listeners, I became more animated and continued to share my stories.
Andras and Lia nodded with joyous expressions, as if to say, “That’s how it was.”
Most of the stories were simplified, but I detailed the part where the fairies suddenly vanished from the strawberry field.
“So I need to go to the fairy world to bring them back. Please, Terzan. If you know anything about the entrance to the fairy world, please tell us.”
Terzan, who had listened intently, fell silent for a moment. We anxiously waited for her response.
It wasn’t long before she spoke again.
“I understand what you’re saying… You want to meet the Fairy Queen, right?”
“Yes.”
“But… wouldn’t there be a reason?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Fairy Queen has been leading the fairies for a long time. Long before I was born… Would she call them back without a reason?”
Terzan shook her head slightly.
“The Queen is a wise leader… and wouldn’t do anything without a reason.”
“But this is too much. Taking them away without any explanation…”
“Why should she explain?”
For a moment, I was speechless.
“Not everything needs to be explained… that’s what it means to be a Queen.”
Terzan’s calm explanation hit me like a ton of bricks.
I had unconsciously thought the Fairy Queen was being oppressive, endangering the strawberry field by recalling the fairies who were actually doing well.
But what if…
What if there was a justifiable reason for the Fairy Queen’s actions? What if I was forcing myself to think otherwise?
The queen had been leading the fairies for a long time, while I was just someone who had stumbled into the demon realm from another world and had formed a bond with the fairies.
When viewed from a third-party perspective, it was the Queen who was more trustworthy. Terzan was speaking from that perspective as well.
“The entrance to the fairy world is a secret place… I can’t take you there. Give up.”
Terzan spoke as if she didn’t need to say anything more, got up from her seat, and turned away.
“Please hold on a moment,” Andras said quickly, grabbing Terzan’s arm. She glanced back at us briefly, but it seemed like she wasn’t interested in any unnecessary conversation.
“As Terzan mentioned, there must be a reason for the Fairy Queen’s behavior, but something seems off,” he continued.
“……?”
“Sihyeon isn’t just someone who formed a connection with the fairies. He also received blessings from many of them. If that’s the case, wouldn’t the wise queen have acknowledged Sihyeon in some way? It doesn’t make sense,” Andras explained, glancing over at Gyuri.
“That’s right, Popi! My friends and I kissed a lot. Popi!” Gyuri chimed in.
“If Sihyeon received such recognition and blessings from the fairies, then it’s unlikely that the Fairy Queen would have ignored him. Don’t you think so?” Andras said, prompting Terzan to turn back to us with a nod.
“This is just a guess, but could it be that the Fairy Queen took the fairies urgently because of a big change?” he suggested.
“A big change?”
“What do you mean, Andras?”
“Explain it in detail.”
Andras cleared his throat before continuing his explanation. “When the fairies disappeared, I looked into records and books about the Fairy Queen. There weren’t many records left because she’s such a mysterious figure.”
‘When did he look into that?’  I thought, impressed by Andras’ thoroughness.
“The Fairy Queen is undoubtedly an absolute figure for all fairies, but she’s not your typical ruler. There are records that indicate she lives like any other fairy,” Andras continued.
“The big demon is right, Popi! She plays with us just like any other fairy, Popi!” Gyuri added, sharing her own experiences.
“So even though the Fairy Queen has led the fairies for a long time, there have been few occasions where she’s displayed her authority. She only steps forward when the fairy realm is in danger, such as during the Dimensional War,” Andras explained.
“Wait a minute! So does that mean the fairy realm is in danger right now?” I asked anxiously.
“Oh no! What do we do, Popi!” Gyuri added, looking around anxiously.
– Woosh!
Terzan once again approached Andras with her ethereal movement.
“Is that true?”
“It’s all speculation. However, given the situation so far, I don’t think it’s a baseless story.”
“……”
“If my guess is right, it might not be the strawberry field that’s in danger, but the Fairy World.”
Terzan’s eyes shook for the first time. A little uncertainty flowed from her, who rarely showed her emotions.
Andras didn’t miss this moment and kept talking.
“Terzan, maybe the Fairy Queen asked for Sihyeon’s help. Gyuri here is evidence of that.”
“……?”
“If the queen wanted to take everyone, she could have taken them all. But she intentionally left Gyuri with Sihyeon. What could be the reason for that?”
“….. To guide you guys to the fairy world?”
“That’s right. You might not know, Terzan, but Sihyeon has a special ability. Maybe that ability is vital to the crisis of the fairy world.
“Andras is right. Sihyeon is truly a special person. Thanks to him, I was able to escape from the curse too.”
“Our lord is quite special indeed. Right, Kroc?”
“……. “
Following Andras and Lia, Locus and Kroc also nodded in agreement. Terzan’s gaze turned back to me again.
This time, her eyes contained a serious expression that was not just simple interest but seemed to be trying to penetrate into me.
Terzan, who had been looking at me for a while, scratched her head and tilted her head.
“I’m not sure… Other than not having horns, he seems ordinary…”
-Woosh!
Coming in front of me instantly, she lifted me up with her arms. I felt a rush of air as my body lifted off the ground.
“Ugh?!”
“Strangely pleasant scent… But, I think it’s a scent that fairies would like.”
“Excuse me, Terzan? Can you put me down, please? It’s embarrassing.”
“Uh…Sorry.”
Fortunately, she put me down obediently on the ground. Instead, she continued to pet my head.
“You want to go to the entrance of the fairy realm, right?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know if we can get to the entrance, but I’ll take you to the Forest of Silence first.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
As Terzan gave her permission, everyone in our group cheered quietly. Even Luke, who had been hiding behind us like a mouse, smiled brightly.
-Woosh!
Terzan put out her hands in front of me, who was happy. I put on a puzzled look and she snapped.
“What’s the reward?”
“Oh! As much as possible for the commission fee and expenses…”
“I don’t need money.”
“What? If you don’t need money, how can we pay…”
“It’s all right, Sihyeon.”
Andras stepped forward on behalf of me who was confused.
“I’ve brought your pay in advance.”
He took a fairly large box from his sleeve and handed it to Terzan.
“Since it’s something the leader acknowledged, the reward will be certain.”
“Leader Kaneff?”
Terzan immediately opened the box and checked the inside.
As soon as she checked the contents of the box, her eyes, which had been blurry so far, shone strongly for the first time.