Disastrous Romance - Chapter 14
Chapter 14
“I knew this would happen, so I brought another one!” Sensing Kai’s dejection, she forced a cheerful tone. She was glad she’d thought to pack an extra set of clothes, though she hadn’t expected to need it so soon. She quickly retrieved the clothes from her bag and handed them to Kai. As he dressed, her gaze shifted, landing on the Fairy King.
The King stared, unblinking, her gaze piercing. A shiver ran down Elijah’s spine. She tried to hide her unease as she studied her.
“Um…?”
“I said the curse is broken! You!”
“Wha—what?”
The Fairy King, who had been mumbling the same phrase in a daze, suddenly shot to her feet and pointed at Elijah. Startled, she took a step back.
“Who are you?! I’ve been trapped here for eleven years because of this curse! How did you break it?!”
Elijah was taken aback by her sudden shift in demeanor. The high-pitched voice and sharp tone were the same, but it was as if someone gripped by madness had suddenly regained their senses. Gone was the obsessive fawning over Kai. Her eyes now focused, she spoke with a trembling voice. The ‘Hidden Story’ notification and the Fairy King’s words were clearly connected.
“Tell me more about this curse.”
“How… how did the curse…?”
“Hey, Fairy King.”
“Yes?”
“Tell me what kind of curse it was, how it happened.” Her innocent blinking was infuriating. Just a moment ago, she’d been practically draped over Kai.
“Well, it was eleven years ago. Summer, just like now. The forest felt… different that day, darker than usual. It felt… ominous.”
“Get to the point.”
“Okay. If there are gods in this world, I thought it was their doing. An absolute command was planted in my head.” The Fairy King touched her temple, a dazed expression on her face as she recalled the event.
“What command?”
“‘Take the most beautiful man in the world.’ For the past eleven years, I couldn’t escape that thought. So…” Her voice trailed off as she glanced at Kai.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! But it wasn’t my will.” It seemed she truly had been under some kind of control. Her demeanor was drastically different from before, when she’d been about to stab Kai’s heart. Batting her pale green wings, she now seemed almost… cute. Elijah watched her, a puzzled expression on her face, as she hesitated.
“And the other fairies, they changed too. They were always kind, but they started attacking people… and I was always in a haze. This couldn’t have been the will of a god. It had to be a curse!”
Putting the Fairy King’s story together with the game notifications, Elijah reached a conclusion. Her abilities as a Knight of Vigor could break this curse. It was a mechanic she’d never encountered in Deus Play.
‘Is this related to the happy ending?’
“Gasp! Are you a god?” The Fairy King inhaled sharply, seemingly arriving at her own conclusion. She really was a fairy, so naive.
“I’m not a god. Now—”
“But you must be someone important! Anyway, as thanks, take this. It’s precious to humans.”
Cutting Elijah off, the Fairy King scooped up a handful of the glittering dust scattered around them. The thick green granules quickly formed a small mound, which she poured into a leaf pouch.
‘…Isn’t that her blood?’ Elijah thought, suddenly finding the sight of her casually gathering the sparkles rather grotesque.
“Here! It’ll be useful someday. And my name is Junabi. Remember that.”
[Fairy Dust: Dust imbued with mystical energy. Amplifies certain energies.]
As she hesitantly accepted the pouch, an item window appeared. It seemed Junabi was right; the dust did have some use. Elijah decided there was no need to refuse and pocketed the fairy dust. True to form, Fairy King Junabi was apparently quite talkative. Once she started, she barely gave Elijah a chance to speak.
“And… oh! Right. You can take him too.” Junabi pointed to a corner of the undergrowth Elijah hadn’t noticed while focused on Kai. What she saw made her gasp.
“What?!”
“I’m sorry! I brought him here about a year ago. I was going to… raise him… to… take him. I couldn’t help it!”
‘How long has he been there…?!’
In the shadows of the undergrowth, a small boy, perhaps ten years old, huddled on the ground. His hands and feet were bound with vines similar to the ones that had held Kai captive. His shimmering honey-gold hair, pale skin, and angelic features suggested he was of noble birth. The boy stared directly at her with deep emerald green eyes.
