Chapter 138

Involuntarily and completely against her own will, the child, though small, was placed in a position to be responsible for an entire world. Jun-sang watched the new Fairy Queen sitting blankly on the cloud-like bed and it was only then that he realized anew that the child did not yet have a name.

“…”

“…”

That wasn’t the only problem. The child could understand Jun-sang’s words to some extent, but she hadn’t yet learned a language. All she could do was express her intentions through gestures and facial expressions. The Queen’s wish was originally a means to restore the Fairy Realm to its original state and win her heart. However, with the former Queen quitting her position and becoming Jun-sang’s pet, the quest and the purpose of the wish had become completely entangled.

Of course, it was too late to call the former Queen back. Jun-sang squatted down towards the child, who was tilting her head and looking at him, and quietly asked, “What is your wish?”

“…”

The straightforward, no-nonsense manner of speaking was not unusual for those who knew Jun-sang, but it was difficult for a child without proper language skills to easily understand. The child’s communication ability was at a level where she first had to understand the word “wish.”

“…”

“…”

Of course, Jun-sang wasn’t the kind of person to kindly take care of such troublesome things. Unlike Henes, this child was not yet a being within Jun-sang’s protective circle.

In the end, Jun-sang had no choice but to summon Henes, who was an expert in such matters, as a second-best option. Henes, startled by Jun-sang’s sudden dismissal without a word, appeared with a surprised expression.

She was first relieved that Jun-sang was safe, then surprised that the Fairy Realm, which had been stained in gray, was now radiating its original beautiful colors, and finally, she was puzzled that the Queen was nowhere to be seen.

“What… happened?”

In response to Henes’s question, Jun-sang briefly explained what had just happened.

“Oh, my…”

“I had no choice. If I hadn’t done that, I couldn’t even imagine what the rampaging Queen would have done.”

“…”

Although the circlet had been passed to the child, it was impossible to know whether the abilities she had shown came from the circlet or were her inherent abilities. He would have to find out about that later, but it was also true that there was no other way to resolve the situation without first taking the Queen into custody.

“The Queen… I feel so sorry for her.”

“…”

Jun-sang gave a wry smile at Henes’s words. He hadn’t completely dismissed the thought that he might have been a bit harsh, but Jun-sang didn’t regret the current outcome. It was possible that Henes, instead of the child sitting blankly over there, might have been the one to wear that circlet. If he had to choose between a slightly unhinged Queen he barely knew and Henes, Jun-sang would choose Henes without a moment’s hesitation.

Anyway. Jun-sang briefly explained the quest to Henes.

“Hmm… So I just need to ask what her wish is?”

Jun-sang immediately nodded in affirmation and then added another condition. “The less complicated the wish, the better.”

“I see.”

Henes thought for a moment, then nodded and said, “Got it. Leave it to me.”

Jun-sang gently stroked Henes’s cheek to express his gratitude. “Thank you.”

Henes was a little embarrassed by Jun-sang’s casual display of affection in front of the fairies, but she felt a sense of happiness spreading in her heart. “It’s a matter of course.”

Jun-sang left the conversation with the child to Henes and took a step back to watch. Then, some fairies who were talking among themselves approached Jun-sang and spoke.

“Excuse me… there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

The fairy, who had a slightly sharp look in her eyes and gave the impression of a secretary, first introduced herself. “First, let me introduce myself. I am Cella, the chief aide to Queen Lyches.”

A chief aide. Well, it would be strange if there weren’t such a title and system for a realm that had been ruled for ten thousand years. Jun-sang gave a slight nod and replied, “I’m Jun-sang.”

Cella bowed deeply to Jun-sang and continued, “Sir Jun-sang, what I would like to ask is not about anything else.”

“What is it?”

Cella asked with a serious expression, “Is the Queen safe?”

“…”

These fairies probably thought he had moved the Queen somewhere else. It wasn’t a strange assumption. Since she had suddenly disappeared in front of them, it was the most rational conclusion for them. And it wasn’t exactly wrong. Although Jun-sang didn’t know the exact details, he had indeed sent her to the pet standby space.

“Of course. At least as long as there’s nothing wrong with me.”

“…”

Cella just stared at Jun-sang, who replied calmly. It would be strange if they didn’t even try to rescue the Queen who had disappeared. That’s why Cella immediately asked the next question.

“Are you… planning to hold the Queen hostage?”

Jun-sang chuckled and replied, “I wonder.”

“…”

“Whether she becomes a hostage, a slave, or a companion… that depends on your actions and hers, doesn’t it?”

Depending on how one heard it, it could be a threat or a suggestion. Cella immediately bit her lip and glared, but Jun-sang didn’t flinch at her gaze.

“I told you. What happens to her depends on your actions and hers.”

When Jun-sang said that again, Cella closed her eyes, trembled, and calmed herself down before bowing politely and apologizing again.

“If my attitude seemed rude, I apologize. I am sorry.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

Actually, Jun-sang hadn’t intended to go that far. But Cella had subtly shown a threatening intent, so he had merely responded accordingly. He understood her loyalty to the Queen, but understanding it and accepting it were two different things.

When Cella apologized politely, Jun-sang opened his mouth again. “Anyway, it would be a good idea to arrange a way to contact and move to and from this place. I don’t intend to carry that troublesome burden around forever.”

“…”

Cella’s eyebrows twitched and she bit her lip again when Jun-sang referred to the Queen she served as a “troublesome burden.” Jun-sang looked at her and said again, “What? Am I wrong?”

“N-no. You are right.”

“Anyway, if you have a simple way to contact or move, tell me.”

Cella immediately replied, “There is a very simple way.”

“What is it?”

“To create a Spirit Gate.”

Jun-sang frowned. “I thought… you needed several preconditions to create one.”

“Of course. But for a simple sound transmission, not a material transmission, it doesn’t need to be so grand.”

“Hmm…”

“The principle is simple. Instead of a tree or an animal with strong life force, a fairy uses her own body as a medium to open a Spirit Gate. It doesn’t need to be as big as the Spirit Gate you used to come here, and it doesn’t need to be permanent.”

“Aha.”

With Cella’s explanation, Jun-sang was able to solve a question he had wondered about before. It was how the fairies located far away knew about his encounters with Inia and Ilma-ren at the beginning. But if they could open a small gate in their bodies to transmit sound like this, it would be possible to communicate using the Fairy Realm as a relay station.

Thinking this far, Jun-sang suddenly had an idea. The quest had one major blind spot. Even if the Fairy Realm returned to normal and a Spirit Gate was created in the Forest of Agelah, its effect would be limited to this planet where Agelah was located. In other words, for Jun-sang and other returnees who were supposed to be on Earth if not for the quest, the effect would be halved. No… even on this planet, not Earth, the effect would naturally decrease the farther one was from the Spirit Gate.

But what if Jun-sang could open a gate of the same scale as the one he used to get here, in his own body? He would be able to draw the full power of the spirits from anywhere, be it on Earth or anywhere else. Of course, the problem was that it would require the unsettling process of implanting a fairy stone into his body, but if necessary, it would even be possible to use the fairies’ workforce through his own body.

“Is that… safe?”

Cella quickly replied, “Of course. If you need it, I can show you a demonstration right now.” She seemed to think that Jun-sang suspected this was some kind of trap. Of course, either way, Jun-sang needed to see their demonstration.

“A demonstration? That’s not bad. Go ahead.”

“Yes.” Cella immediately called a young fairy and showed him the process of creating a Spirit Gate in her body and even the process of communicating. It seemed that for a simple means of contact, there was no need to implant a fairy stone. Well… since the fairy stone itself originally came from a fairy’s body, it was only natural.

“It’s simple.”

“That’s right. It’s a very simple and safe method.”

“But there’s a problem.”

“Yes? What…”

“I’m not a fairy. So it’s difficult for me to use a method based on a fairy’s life force right away.”

Cella quickly replied, “In that case… you can use fairy dust or a fairy stone.”

“Are both possible?”

“Yes. However, the difference is that fairy dust is almost for single use, while a fairy stone can be used continuously once it’s implanted.”

“I see.” Jun-sang nodded and then asked again, “Then, while we’re at it, how about creating a proper Spirit Gate?”

Cella’s expression was surprised at Jun-sang’s words.

“What? Th-that’s…”

“Doesn’t it just need to have enough life force?”

“That’s true, but… that kind of life force for material transmission is difficult for a normal human to handle…”

Jun-sang chuckled and said, “Didn’t you see the broken marks on the wall as you came in?”

Cella looked bewildered as to why he would bring that up, then she was startled and said in a trembling voice, “D-don’t tell me…”

Jun-sang immediately replied, “That’s exactly right. I’m the one who did it.”

“That can’t be…”

Jun-sang unleashed the Mad Dog’s Dignity towards Cella, who was making an expression of disbelief. Cella, who was swept away by the unsettling and powerful wave that suddenly erupted like a storm, lost her words and trembled.

Jun-sang silently watched Cella, then released the Mad Dog’s Dignity and quietly asked, “What do you think? Do I still look like a normal human?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

At that moment, Henes, who had finished her difficult conversation with the child, approached Jun-sang and Cella.

“Jun-sang. The conversation is pretty much over.”

Jun-sang immediately turned to Henes and said, “Oh? What’s her wish?”

“She says she wants to see the mother wolf who raised her.”

“Ah…”

Although Jun-sang had summoned a Crimson Wolf, it was natural that it wouldn’t be as good as the mother wolf who had actually raised her. If this had been a human society, it might have led to unfavorable results for both the child and the wolf, but this was a world of fairies who lived with nature, so bringing in a few wolves to live with them would not be a problem.

The problem was how to find the mother wolf who had raised the child… but this was a problem that Jun-sang didn’t need to handle directly.

“Cella.”

“Yes.”

“Your new Queen wants to see the mother wolf who raised her. Can you find her?”

Cella replied immediately, “It might take some time, but now that the Spirit Gate is open, it’s not a difficult task.”

“Good. Get to it right away.”

“Yes.”

After replying, Cella realized that she had answered Jun-sang’s command just as she used to do for the Queen, but there was no way she could refuse. After all, Jun-sang had the former Queen in his custody and was practically the new Queen’s guardian. In fact, though it was called custody, Cella, who had witnessed the process, couldn’t ignore the fact that Jun-sang had been chosen as the Queen’s partner.

“Ah… and.”

Cella, who was about to give instructions to the other fairies, quickly reacted when she heard Jun-sang calling her.

“Yes?”

“I’d like to open the Spirit Gate right now. And it would be good to add a function that allows me to open and close it whenever I want.”

Of course, this too was an order that could not be refused. If contact and communication were cut off like this, it would be the fairies, not Jun-sang, who would be in a difficult situation.

“I will… prepare it right away.”