Chapter 388

The next morning, an unexpected visitor arrived at my residence as I was preparing to depart for Panam.

“It’s been a while. You’re really hard to meet.”

A height shorter than mine, lemon-colored hair, and long, pointy ears. The overwhelming smell of alcohol was gone, but how could I not recognize such a distinctive appearance?

The fossil of the Special Ward. A 15th-year student at the Academy. A woman who doesn’t know graduation.

Ferne was standing right in front of me.

“What, Ferne? What brings you here?”

We weren’t exactly close enough to meet privately like this. Have we even met four times so far?

“I have an offer you can’t refuse.”

Ferne smiled slyly and uttered something absurd.

“An offer I can’t refuse?”

She must be naive. There’s no such thing as an offer you can’t refuse. Except for mine.

“Let’s say it’s an offer you won’t want to refuse.”

Ferne’s smile deepened. Her fairy-like beautiful face made it pleasant to look at, but I couldn’t let my guard down.

According to Lacey, fairies only smile when planning horrific torture and massacres. If they start smiling, you should pull out their ears and be on high alert.

I glanced at Ferne’s twitching ears amidst her lemon-colored hair.

…Should I pull them out? They look like they’d come right off if I tugged.

“I don’t know what kind of offer makes you so confident. I’ll hear it out. Is it a long story?”

After some thought, I decided to postpone pulling out her ears. I expanded my senses to check the surroundings, but there didn’t seem to be any other fairies hiding.

“If you save me, I’ll give you the chance to enslave all fairies. How about it? Tempting, isn’t it?”

….

……

“…What?”

What kind of insane talk is this? This isn’t something to say with a big smile. The statement was so shocking that my brain momentarily stopped.

“What, what nonsense is this?”

“Humans love enslaving fairies, don’t they? Though it’s usually the exiles who’ve lost the World Tree’s blessing… But if all fairies were to suffer that fate, wouldn’t it be interesting?”

This seems like a crazy idea. What is this fairy thinking? She was more normal when she was drunk.

As I was left speechless, Ferne extended a hand and smiled ominously.

“I can see it. The anger and destructive impulses within you. The endless hatred towards other races. The infinite loathing burning like flames. In other words, you and I desire the same thing.”

I don’t know what she saw, but it seems like her alcohol-addled brain is causing hallucinations. I could only let out a dumbfounded laugh.

Perhaps mistaking that laugh for agreement, Ferne narrowed her eyes and took a step closer, as if asking me to take her hand.

“Come. Let’s burn the World Tree together.”

“…Burn the World Tree?”

That’s not something to say out in the open.

No, it’s not something a fairy should be saying in the first place. And she’s talking to the wrong person.

“Yes. If we turn the World Tree into kindling, the blessings bestowed upon the fairies will disappear. Then, they won’t be able to resist and will fall into slavery.”

Certainly, it wasn’t a wrong statement.

The strength of fairies comes from the blessings of their god, the World Tree. A fairy who loses the World Tree’s blessing is no stronger than a slightly agile knight, even if they were the strongest of their race.

If we burn it down, the fairy race would instantly fall to the bottom of the food chain.

“Join me in casting all fairies into the abyss. As long as they target humans, you, who claim to be the protector of humans, have no choice but to strike first.”

I don’t recall claiming to be such a thing. Ferne’s proposal was so extreme, bordering on insanity, that I couldn’t find the words to respond.

I thought she was just an alcoholic fairy, but why does she turn into a genocidal maniac that even Hitler would be shocked by when she sobers up? Did her parents die or something?

“…Should I introduce you to Lacey? I think you’d get along.”

“No thanks. She’d probably try to burn me too.”

That seems likely.

—

After that, I managed to calm my bewildered mind and asked Ferne for a detailed explanation. I needed to know why she was suddenly proposing a fairy extermination policy.

“So… you betrayed Alvheim and left?”

“It’s not that I betrayed them… they betrayed me, us.”

According to Ferne, she was originally a fairy patrol officer and one of the key members of a faction that sought to reform Alvheim’s outdated system. However, their reforms were crushed by the higher-ups, and the surviving reformers were reduced to a state worse than slaves.

The reason she was in the Empire was that she had been sent as a spy, using other reformers as hostages.

“Then shouldn’t you not betray them? If Alvheim finds out, the hostages will be killed.”

“After 15 years without a word, they’re probably already dead or being drained of their life force at the roots of the World Tree until they die.”

Ferne seemed to have already given up hope that her comrades were safe.

Anyway, Ferne had been acting as a spy for Alvheim, reporting the Empire’s information to her homeland for fifteen years… though she admitted she hadn’t really reported much. Since there was no way for them to verify, she just did the bare minimum.

The reason the fairies hadn’t attacked the Empire was partly because she had exaggerated the Empire’s strength in her reports.

“But now they’re telling me to kidnap one of the half-blood heirs and return. Like I’d follow that order. It’s obvious they’d dispose of me once I returned.”

So, these ear-pricking bastards were planning to kidnap Asha.

If they tried, they’d be turned into swiss cheese. Seeing how many machine guns are mounted in her workshop.

Of course, Ferne didn’t follow that order. She just sent a confirmation and disappeared from the Special Ward.

Since Alvheim had attacked Himmel despite ignoring the Empire, she couldn’t remain a special student anymore.

“Now I have nowhere to go. I thought about seeking refuge with Emperor Leopold… but you seemed like a better option, so I came to you.”

Her conditions were simple. Provide her with a hiding place from potential fairy assassins. In return, she would guide me to the World Tree in the Great Forest.

The conditions themselves weren’t too demanding, so I accepted. A hiding place could be arranged at the Golden Mansion.

Even fairy assassins would find it difficult to infiltrate a place guarded by masters and high-level mages.

“Thanks for accepting. I feel relieved now.”

As I accepted her conditions, Ferne smiled and shook my hand.

“See, you also want to exterminate the fairies, don’t you? I knew I saw something in you.”

“Uh… yeah. Think what you want.”

No, you monster. Don’t smile like you’ve found a kindred spirit. Unlike you, I only want to exterminate those who threaten peace.

—

After the shocking conversation, I left the capital as Leopold had instructed, wearing a cloak of concealment. I left behind Durandal, which I always carried, and changed into everyday Empire attire, making me feel awkward, but it was necessary.

Since I was going to commit assassinations, I couldn’t walk around in my usual gear. It was better if my movement south remained unknown.

If the Panamites had any brains, rumors of my heading south would confirm the assassin’s identity.

I traveled on horseback for three days. If the horse died, I couldn’t switch, so I had to consider its stamina.

[Quite leisurely, isn’t it? Sometimes traveling alone like this isn’t bad.]

Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I traveled alone.

‘Leisurely is a bit of an understatement. The number of flies clinging to me isn’t just one or two.’

Complaining to Hersela, I caught a fleeing thief and tore him in half. Blood and organs spilled out from the torn section, like an overturned stew pot.

[Isn’t that also part of the joy of traveling?]

‘Is it…?’

It’s more annoying than fun. Traveling alone in a remote area, the number of guys who think they can take me on is countless.

I’ve been cutting down almost fifty a day, and the smell of blood never leaves my hands. I don’t even have time for a proper bath.

“Ahhh! Someone help! A demon, a demon is-!”

“Really, if you’re going to run, don’t attack in the first place.”

I caught the fleeing thief with a tentacle of life force and crushed him, then lit a cigarette from my pocket and surveyed the surroundings. The torn ground was littered with human fragments, and heads were stuck to tree branches like fruit.

The forest had turned into a hellscape, filled with the stench of blood, organs, and excrement. Though I couldn’t smell it.

[That mask is quite useful. I didn’t expect it to be this effective.]

‘Indeed. It works well.’

As Asha had guaranteed, the portable purification device performed beyond expectations. I could still smell the forest’s scent, but not a whiff of the stench.

I was curious about how it was designed.

—

The next day, I finally made contact with the disguised merchant group Leopold had prepared. After washing up in the makeshift bath they provided, I boarded the carriage heading to Panam.

The carriage floor had a double structure, so I only needed to hide inside when crossing the border. When we reached the border, I went inside. It was a bit cramped, pressing against my chest, but it was bearable.

And so, I crossed the border and finally arrived in Panam.