Chapter 27: A Love Across Social Boundaries

The robe of twilight has already fallen.

The little lamb has been summoned to the heavens.

Pity, pity—come swiftly this way.

---

A blue-haired young girl, foretold to die.

We managed to find her just in time, before her predicted demise—but unfortunately, she refused to listen and ran away.

"...Irine, please stay calm. If we lose you too, we’re in serious trouble."

"I-I understand."

I wavered—should I keep chasing her, or give up?

Maika had no intention of letting me go after her. That made sense—I'm the only one who can still fight right now.

Now that Karl had collapsed, I couldn’t afford to leave this place.

"Are you going to abandon that girl, or abandon us? That's the choice you're facing, Irine."

"...Yes."

She was right.

Chasing after the girl now would mean leaving Karl and the others behind.

I owe my life to Karl and Sakura. Abandoning those who saved me would go against everything I stand for.

"Don’t worry, Miss Maika. I was just distracted by a fairy only I can see. Of course, I’ll stay and protect Karl and the others."

"I’m sorry, Irine. And thank you. For a noble, that must be an incredibly painful choice."

"...No. I’m the one who nearly lost her composure."

I'm sorry, little girl. If everyone regains consciousness and you're still alive, I'll make sure to protect you next time.

Maika is right—I can’t leave this place.

...I’m sorry, little one.

With a feeling that was almost resignation, I kept watching the silent fairy, who faced me and continued to sing.

This way. This way.

The fairy kept calling me.

What... was that thing?

Earlier, when I followed its guidance, I found the young girl. So maybe it wasn’t an enemy?

But that girl is the reason my team is in shambles. If I think about it that way, maybe it is the enemy?

Please... this way.

The human-shaped fairy kept beckoning, expressionless.

It understood human speech, yet clearly wasn't human. A fantastical being cloaked in a luminous, ethereal glow.

...How strange. What in the world is that thing?

Then, suddenly—

The world shifted.

Ah... it’s that girl.

Someone was sprinting through the forest.

—Leave her. She’s beyond saving.

—Your own life comes first.

Voices echoed—voices I recognized.

—I'll clear the way. The rest of you, just focus on staying alive.

—We’re counting on you, Karl.

—They’re coming!

Ah, that’s right. That’s us. Those are our voices.

But... I don’t remember any of this.

We were surrounded by monsters in the forest, with no way out. Karl charged in to break the siege, while Lev and I held the rear line in formation.

But we've never been caught in a situation like that before. Not in this forest.

—Ah?!

—Irine!?

Then, the scene turned red.

Before I knew it, a ferocious beast—like a massive Doberman—was on top of me, roaring.

—H-Help!

—Irine, are you okay!? I’m coming!

—Ah—

Was I caught off guard? Or is this just how powerful the monsters in this forest really are?

Struck from a blind spot and slammed into the ground, I couldn’t even put up a fight.

—

Squish.

—

A sickening pain, and it felt like my skull was about to split open.

I realized I’d been eaten—headfirst—by the monster, only after I saw my own headless body lying before me.

—

My breathing grew ragged.

“...gh.”

I opened my eyes wide and reached for my neck.

Smooth skin met my fingers.

Still intact. My neck was still firmly in place.

“Is it that bad? Irine, you look terribly pale.”

“...Y-Yeah.”

What was that just now? What was that vision?

Was it... a daydream? Am I really supposed to believe I was dreaming in the middle of broad daylight?

It felt far too real for that. A dream with such weight and clarity, as if I had truly lived through it.

But it wasn’t reality. My head is still attached, and I’m still alive.

God, I feel sick. Utterly miserable.

—Come here.

A childlike voice echoed in my head.

Damn it. It’s still ringing in there.

Enough already. I’m tired of this.

I’m done letting things I don’t understand mess with my head.

Am I losing it? Dreaming of my own death—what the hell is wrong with me—

—Big sis, you’re gonna die, you know?

I was still reeling from that disturbing dream when—

The voice coming from the fairy shifted, turning cold.

...Come here?

—You don’t want to die, do you?

“Irine? Hey, Irine, are you alright?”

“...”

“Are you feeling sick? Aftereffects from that thing earlier?”

Before I knew it, I was slumped down on the ground.

That thing—that fairy—is saying I’ll die if I keep going like this.

“—Ah.”

Is this a threat? Or... a warning?

Should I go after that girl? Or is it better to ignore her?

Which is it? What am I supposed to believe?

The fairy was still singing, facing my way.

A cool, serene, disturbingly pure song.

“...Ah.”

“Irine?”

Of course. It's simple, really. I just have to do what I always do—tell if someone’s lying.

And she—whatever she is—clearly isn’t lying.

If I keep going like this, I’ll die.

“Miss Maika. It might’ve been a hallucination, but... the fairy spoke to me.”

“What did it say?”

“It said I’ll be eaten by a monster and die... if I stay like this.”

I can tell. At the very least, whether someone’s lying or not.

That fairy—that presence I couldn’t even see—wasn’t lying.

It wasn’t a trap or a scare tactic. It was a genuine warning.

“Fairy. Should I chase after that girl right now?”

Steeling myself, I spoke directly to the fairy.

What should I do next? What will keep me alive?

“Irine...”

“I know it sounds crazy. But I don’t think the fairy is lying.”

Maika stared at me with a look I couldn’t quite place.

To her, I must seem like a madwoman, dancing to the tune of something only I can see.

But... after being shown a vision of my own death, how could I just sit here and do nothing?

...You don’t have to chase her.

...Come here.

The fairy said that, then pointed to the ground at her feet.

Drifting gently in the air, she looked straight at me, still pointing to the earth below her.

...Huh?

“I’m going to where the fairy is, just for a moment.”

“No! Irine, calm down. You’re not thinking straight. You can’t go chasing after something only you can see.”

“Well, um, apparently it’s right there—at the base of that tree.”

So the fairy isn’t telling me to chase the girl after all?

She’s pointing to the shadow of a nearby tree—calling me over there. But for what?

“At the base of the tree...? There’s something there?”

“Yes, or so she says.”

“Then I’ll go check. Irine, stay here.”

Maika clearly didn’t want me to be the one walking over there.

Well... she’s probably right. I’m not exactly in my right mind.

Better to have Maika, our scout, investigate instead.

“Then, please do.”

“Got it. Wait here.”

I said that, then pointed directly to where the fairy was.

Now, what could possibly be waiting there?

...Here, right here.

As Maika drew closer to the spot the fairy pointed to, the fairy gave a cheerful laugh.

“Around here?”

“Yes, right around there.”

Maika walked straight ahead, right to where the fairy floated—

“Ah!”

—and found the little girl from earlier, passed out with a bump on her forehead.

---

“She’s tied up and wrapped like a roll of straw.”

“That’s the criminal restraint method, isn’t it?”

We had successfully secured the blue-haired little girl.

We’d confiscated a suspicious orb found during a body check, tied her up tightly with rope, and left her on the ground like a burrito.

“Hm. That settles everything.”

“If you ignore the fact that this looks exactly like a kidnapping, yes.”

“She’s the one who attacked us. She has no right to complain if we sell her off.”

Maika was clearly furious about what this brat had done. Well, considering our party was nearly wiped out, who could blame her?

Call it petty or justified—that was up for debate.

“In any case, we’ve finally achieved our original goal. We owe it to the fairy.”

“Yeah. Now we just need to get back to town quickly and have someone examine Irine’s ‘see-the-fairy’ condition.”

True. What even is this?

I could still see those soft, glowing swirls throughout the forest. That cluster of lights must be the fairy.

I mean… it is a fairy, right? Not some kind of monster?

……

……

The fairy, looking very pleased, was sitting atop the dizzy, blue-haired girl.

Huh. What is this little thing trying to do?

“Hey, fairy. Hey.”

I tried speaking to it, and the fairy tilted its head curiously.

So it can understand me, right?

“So... is it over now? I’m not going to die anymore, am I?”

……

…Nope? Not yet?

Oh—good. It understood me.

And it actually responded.

“Maika, be careful. It says we’re not out of the woods yet.”

“Is that so? Hm… Maybe this fairy isn’t a hallucination, but some kind of phenomenon?”

“That’s what I think. It’s pointed out that girl’s location twice now—it’s hard to believe that’s just coincidence.”

Yeah. This fairy probably isn’t just something I imagined.

It’s likely one of those magical entities that only people with aptitude can see. Though it’s a little concerning Sakura couldn’t see it at all.

“What’s it saying now?”

“Let me see…”

Right. I should ask it directly.

“Excuse me, fairy—”

────Where is it!?

────What is ‘it’!?

The moment I addressed the fairy, the world shifted again.

An echoing voice rang out, and the scenery blurred and distorted.

────You can’t handle this many enemies alone!

────I know that…!

────The self-defense device I had! Where did it go!?

Oh—this is different from the last vision.

In the previous one, the blue-haired girl was already dead.

And our group, surrounded by monsters, was trying to break through with Karl in the lead… I got unlucky and was bitten to death, headfirst.

But this time, I was carrying the girl on my back.

────That thing was too dangerous, so I threw it away. If it misfired, we’d all be dead.

────It won’t misfire! Not unless you deliberately charge it with magic!

The girl screamed and squirmed on my back, loud and unrelenting.

Meanwhile, I barely managed to fend off the monsters' relentless attacks.

────Karl, hurry!

────I’m trying! Dammit, how many of these things are there!?

Karl was fighting desperately to carve a path through the horde. But the rest of the party was rapidly being worn down.

────Ah—!?

────Sakura!!

And finally… Sakura, whose footing had been unsteady, was caught by a monster that slipped between me and Lev-chan.

Everyone was too busy handling their own enemies. No one could come to her aid.

────ah—

With barely any resistance…

Its fangs tore straight into her slender neck.

……

……

……

……

……

“……Phew.”

The world slowly regained clarity.

I took a breath and looked around—Maika was leaning in, concern etched on her face.

“Irine, are you alright?”

“Oh, I was just having a little chat with the fairy.”

I see now. This must’ve been some kind of precognition magic.

Yuri had mentioned it before—a spell that shows “the most probable future.” For some reason, the fairy had shown me that vision.

In other words, that wasn’t a daydream or hallucination—it was genuine magic. A glimpse into the most likely outcome.

“Hey, Maika. By the way, what are you planning to do with that orb the girl was carrying earlier?”

“Oh, that dangerous magic tool? I was just going to toss it. I don’t know how to use it, and it might go off—too risky.”

“Would you let me hold onto it instead? I have a feeling it might be important later.”

“…Huh? Well, as long as you don’t set it off, I don’t see why not.”

If we had just one stun grenade in that scene, things could’ve gone very differently.

That must be what the fairy was trying to tell me—not to throw it away.

……

♪

When I picked up the orb, the fairy began dancing happily. Looks like I made the right choice.

I’ve done everything I can. The rest… is up to fate.

---

"...and that’s how we captured the girl."

"I see. Huh... sorry about that."

On the way back. We waited until Karl and the others regained consciousness, and now we were walking through the Forest of Mana once again.

"..."

The little girl still hadn’t shown signs of waking up, so we’d tied her hands and feet to a thick Yowin oak branch and were carrying her over the shoulder.

She looked like a roast pig on a spit.

"Hey, that crazy loud thing—what the hell was it?"

"...No idea. I’ve never seen a weapon like that before."

"Same here. Yowin’s really ahead when it comes to magical tech, huh."

Yeah. Even in my house, which belongs to the military nobility, I’ve never seen anything like that. No way a regular adventurer would know about it.

"Irine, Sakura—you two ever seen anything like it?"

"No. That was a first for me."

"Of course I haven’t."

Weapons like that are supposed to be distributed to high-ranking noble families like the Velmunds first. Which means that little girl got her hands on that stun grenade knockoff before we did.

In other words, that brat being slung over Karl’s shoulder like a prize catch might actually be from a family even more prestigious than ours...

"This damn kid’s pissing me off..."

"Yeah, poke her a little, Lev."

"...Well, she does deserve some payback. Maybe I’ll doodle on her face or something."

Yeah... it’s a little hard to speak up when your entire party’s ganging up on a girl who might be a noble with a higher title than yours.

Not that I’m even sure she is higher ranked. So... let’s just not worry about it for now.

"Anyway. Irine, you’re still seeing it, right? That fairy?"

"Yes. And everything the fairy told me is what I just shared."

"Then that means... any second now, we’re about to get surrounded by a horde of monsters—"

Nice. Knowing in advance takes a load off my shoulders.

At least we won’t be caught by surprise.

"Ah, there’s a ton of them. Just like Irine said—beast-type monsters, swarming us."

"That true, Maika?"

Maika had just returned from scouting ahead.

So that hallucination was a precognition spell after all.

"Um, everyone—please turn around and cover your ears."

"Huh? ...Ohh. Right."

Alright, let’s change the future. Just like that little girl did earlier, I poured mana into the magical device—

"Take thisssss!!"

—and hurled it as hard as I could in the direction Maika had pointed out. Then I covered my ears and shut my eyes.

────A deafening blast echoed through the forest.

"NYAAA!! It’s so loud!!"

"Ugh... even from this distance it’s unbearable. My ears are ringing like hell."

Good. Looks like the stun grenade worked like a charm.

"My ears!! M-my ears are dying!!"

The little girl, who hadn’t been able to cover her ears because her hands and feet were tied, was woken up by her second stun grenade of the day.

There was blood trickling from her ears. Her eardrums were probably blown.

"Alright, alright, I’ll heal you. But I’m charging you for it."

"Wh-what? I can’t hear anything!"

"I’ll send the bill to your parents. So be ready for that."

The girl had finally come to, but she clearly didn’t grasp what was going on.

Alright, once her eardrums are healed, I’ll say something.

"Miss, are you awake?"

"...Ah! You’re the ones from earlier!"

"You fell and hit your head after that. We’re currently carrying you back to town."

"Right, yes, I see... well, thank you for that—wait!"

Once Sakura restored her hearing with magic, I addressed the girl gently.

She might be a noble above my station, so I should handle this carefully...

"Why are you carrying me like this?! I look like livestock!!"

"You’re imagining things."

"Poke, poke."

"Stop poking me!!"

...Yeah, this isn’t gonna end well.

"This is an outrage! Absolutely disrespectful!! Do you even realize who I am?!"

"You never told us, so no."

"I’m Rita! Rita Goddess Sefar!! There, I said it! Now hurry up and let me go!!"

...Rita Goddess Sefar.

That name... I’ve heard it somewhere before...

Wait—Sefar?

"..."

"What’s wrong, Irine? You’ve gone pale."

"Sefar... Did a noble house like that exist?"

"I’m not a noble!! You insolent worms!!"

...Hold on. Isn’t Sefar the name of this kingdom’s royal family? Yeah, that’s right. And only royal women are allowed to take ‘Goddess’ as a middle name.

But a girl like her? In the royal family? I mean, I don’t really have ties with the royals, so I wouldn’t know... but if she’s legit, then I’m in deep trouble. The Velmund family might get dismantled over this.

You’ve gotta be kidding me. What the hell is a royal princess doing out here without guards, in a place this dangerous?

"...If you’re not a noble, then I’m not scared. Take this—some nasty-smelling seeds I found earlier."

"GYAAAHH! It reeks!! Those seeds smell awful!!"

"I’m shoving them up your nose... consider this payback for earlier..."

"Stop it!! You’re disgusting!! GYAAAAAH it stinks!!"

...

Yeah, this is seriously getting out of hand. What the hell are we gonna do now?

---

"Royalty?"

"Took you long enough to figure it out, you insolent wretches!! Wretches!!"

We sat the little girl down on the head seat, still wrapped up like a roll.

"There's no way she's royalty, right? Why would someone from the royal family be wandering around the forest alone?"

"She's not lying, you know?"

"She's probably just a kid who thinks she's royalty. Yeah, that's gotta be it. If not, then the Tendo family's dream of revival is..."

We were stuck on how to deal with her.

If she really was royalty, the difference in status was just too overwhelming. We had no idea how to even approach the situation.

"Hmm... if she is a real royal lady, this could get complicated. How about we bury her somewhere around here before word gets out?"

"Eeeeek! M-murderers!!"

With a soft flick, Maika pulled out her dagger, eyes cold and dead serious.

Hey, now.

"Maika, stop scaring the kid with that awful joke."

"She's totally terrified! ...Wait, that was a joke, right?"

"...Huh?"

"...Huh?"

Huh?

"A-A reward!! If you obey me and treat me with proper respect as royalty from now on, I’ll give you a reward!!"

"My, how generous. But we’ve already committed so many acts of disrespect... Wouldn't it be safer to just get rid of you?"

"I-I forgive you! I swear to the goddess I’ll overlook all past offenses, so please stop thinking such scary things!!"

"Fufu, thank you."

Apparently, the little girl had sensed that Maika was seriously considering killing her.

With a frightened expression, she declared all our previous disrespect null and void. Lucky us.

"...So anyway. Lady Rita, right? What were you doing alone in this forest?"

"I-I was looking for someone..."

"Looking for someone?"

When Karl tried to get more out of her, Rita turned her face away awkwardly.

Oh?

"Um... I snuck out of a party with a friend to come have an adventure in the forest."

"Wait, you ran away from a party...?"

"It’s the party’s fault for being boring! Just sitting around listening to music is so dull!"

So she did run away from home.

Well, I used to sneak off when I was little too, so I can't really judge. Doing squats after ditching a party is the best feeling ever.

"Then... we got attacked by monsters, and we got separated..."

"Wait—so there's still a kid out there alone in the forest?"

"Y-Yeah! She’s just a commoner, so she can’t even use magic! I've been searching for her since yesterday!"

So not only did this girl run away from home, she went adventuring in a dangerous forest.

Even for a kid, that's a serious lack of foresight.

"But I couldn't find her at all... Please, help me look for her! I’ll do anything if you can find her!"

"Yeah, but..."

Even if we wanted to help, where would we even begin? It’s a huge forest, and the kid can’t use magic. She could be hiding anywhere.

Maybe we should go back to town and call in a specialist in detection magic?

"Dear fairy, dear fairy, do you know where that girl is?"

Well, might as well try asking the fairy first.

"...What’s a fairy, exactly?"

"Lady Rita, that woman over there is a strange lady who can see fairies."

"I see... That’s unfortunate."

Quit looking at me like I’ve lost my mind. I can see them, you know.

...Ah, there.

The fairy pointed in the direction we should go—same as before. It just happened to be the road leading back to Yowin.

"She says it's straight ahead. Toward the town."

"I see. Well, we don’t have any better leads—might as well trust it and keep moving."

Yeah, even if it's a dead end, we can form a search party once we're back in town. That’d be more efficient.

"Wait, you’re not seriously thinking of heading back, are you? That other girl’s still out there!"

"Yeah, but wouldn’t it be better to return and gather more adventurers? We’re really short on hands right now."

"...Mm. That’s true."

The little girl accepted it, so for now, back to town it is.

If the fairy’s direction is right, maybe that kid already made her way back on her own.

"Hey, careful—there’s a bunch of unconscious beasts up ahead."

"Would be a pain if we stepped on one and woke it up."

Also, it might be a good idea to ask Yuri for a reading. We were only able to save Rita thanks to her fortune-telling in the first place.

I don’t know if she can do missing-person stuff, but it’s worth a shot—

---

...Here. This is the place.

And then, the fairy—

She stopped and pointed to one of the unconscious beasts.

"...Irine? You stopped so suddenly. What's wrong?"

"......"

Ah. Yeah. Of course.

There’s no way a child with no magic could survive in a forest crawling with monsters like these.

"...Right there."

"Huh?"

I saw it.

I saw what she was pointing at.

"...Ah."

A massive beast, collapsed with a bloodied lump of red flesh clutched in its jaws—the size of a small child.

——Thank you, big sis.

A quiet child’s voice echoed through the forest.

A pure white light wrapped around the child's unrecognizable remains.

"No... No, that’s not true... That can’t be true..."

"R-Rita..."

"That outfit... those clothes... that’s what Roppo was wearing—"

Looks like Rita saw it too. The one she’d been searching for. The “commoner’s child” she spoke of, in a form far too different from before.

——Thank you... for saving Rita.

Ah... I get it now. Damn it. So that’s what this was all about.

A fairy, huh? Hallucinations, huh?

——I’m just glad you’re okay, Rita.

The fairy I’d been seeing—this supernatural guide that had led me all this time—

"NO! Roppo, Roppo!!"

"Get a hold of yourself! Don’t struggle! You’ll wake the monsters!"

"It’s my fault! It’s my fault!! I said we should sneak out—I said we should go into the forest!!!"

——She was nothing more than a ghost, trying to protect her.

Beside the crying little girl, the spirit smiled.

In her eyes, there was no hate, no anger. Just relief that Rita had made it out alive.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! It’s all my fault, it’s all because of me..."

Light filled the forest.

The ghost of the child who watched over Rita shimmered into soft, glowing particles and slowly faded into the woods.

She must have been satisfied. She saw that Rita was safe, and let go of her regrets in this world.

...Seriously. What a little knight.

Even in death, this poor child protected her friend. She used me to do it—but she pulled it off.

"...Fairy. Do you have any last words?"

I was the only one who could see her.

The only one who could speak for her.

So I spoke.

——It was a hopeless friendship, way out of my league.

I gave voice to that innocent farewell, carrying the fading ghost’s final thoughts.

——Thank you for playing with me.

——Lady Rita.

The spirit leaned over and gently embraced the crying girl—and then, wearing a look of pure contentment, she vanished.