“What? A fairy?”
A fairy? What kind of nonsensical story is that?
“Yes! There was a fairy! I saw it clearly! A tiny human with wings flying around!”
“It dropped sparkling dust from its wings and even spoke! Can you believe that? It spoke!”
Naturally, the Farm Owner’s reaction was…
“…It dropped sparkling dust from its wings? Did you perhaps inhale some sparkling dust in the forest?”
“You sassy redneck! I really saw it!”
…There was a suspicion that the people returning from the forest had collectively taken something.
Is it any surprise? Saying one saw a fairy right after coming back from the woods doesn’t sound like a reasonable statement at all.
Moreover, if the fairy they claimed to have seen was grotesque or bizarre, it might be understandable. But to say they saw a cute fairy like the one who fights evil pirates in a morning anime? Who would believe that?
Much more logical was the suspicion that they had taken something, experienced hallucinations, or that there was some hallucinogenic substance in the forest that made them all go crazy.
However, such doubts soon dissipated.
There were not just one or two people claiming to have seen fairies.
“…Is this for real…?”
If it had been just a few, I might have brushed it off, but all those who went to the forest describe the same thing.
Though I wanted to believe seeing a fairy was just a hallucination, at this point—
“…Oh, damn forest is the problem. Damn it…”
The Farm Owner realized only after hearing their stories.
The forest.
It was the forest that was the problem. The creepy feeling he always got from that forest was indeed justified.
‘No wonder my animal instincts were warning me.’
It didn’t take long to accept that there was something in the forest.
He had always felt uneasy about it and thought every day about wanting to chop down that damned forest. Plus, realizing that the feeling he got each time he looked at it wasn’t because he was weak—similar to children resisting going to a dusty attic—but stemmed from his instincts, it all suddenly clicked into place.
Thus, the Farm Owner almost concluded that the forest was the problem and decided it was time to take action.
So, what was that action?
Simple.
Clear out the forest.
There was no point in worrying about other issues; the straightforward and blissfully ignorant yet undeniably effective conclusion was to simply clear that forest out.
The Farm Owner quickly began contacting the farmers he was on friendly terms with.
He called upon those with heavy machinery to come to the farm and help clear the forest, while asking those without equipment for help in chopping down trees using chainsaws.
When that wasn’t enough, he even requested help from a known official, asking if it would be possible to set the forest on fire, only to be flatly refused—no need to state how sincere he was about clearing that forest.
Thus, machines and people gathered.
Brrrrrrrm.
A massive logging machine with several enormous tires started moving.
The sharp scent of oil and thick smoke wafted from the machine as a huge crane began to move.
Wahh-!
The machine, equipped with a massive chainsaw instead of a claw, rolled forward, moving on legs like a spider.
It even included an exoskeleton support device allowing a lumberjack to handle chainsaws far larger than what a normal person could manage.
People and machines slowly approached to clear the forest.
Normally, without any special events, the forest would have been erased completely by them.
However…
[ Evil humans! What are you doing! ]
Just as they were about to destroy the forest, something sprang out from it.
It was something tiny that sparkled and glowed.
Even in broad daylight, it captivated people’s attention with its strange glimmer, and its tiny wings flapped incessantly. Beautiful sparkling dust cascaded beneath those tiny wings, and it floated effortlessly in the air, its body larger than its wings.
“A fairy…?”
Yes.
It was indeed a fairy.
A very small fairy resembling a cute girl.
It was exactly how one would picture a fairy when thinking of them.
[ You villains! Stop your mischief at once! ]
Everyone blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of the fairy.
The person holding the chainsaw unknowingly turned it off, and the lumbering machine that was progressing smoothly came to a screeching halt at the hard tug of the brake. Even the spider-like machine with its stakes and drills halted, folding its legs obediently.
“…What the hell is this? How do I even respond to, uh… this?”
A fairy…?
A fairy?!
This was no daughter running around in the princess dress bought from the department store.
At this age, who would even dare mention a fairy…?
The onlookers, who were tough men, stood there dumbfounded, staring at the fairy.
…Was it just me?
Did that fairy seem to flinch at their gaze…?
[ Destroying the forest is an unforgivable act! You are about to harm the countless animal friends and plant friends that live here! ]
…Or maybe not?
…It doesn’t seem like she is.
Seeing her boldly—no, quite confidently—speak those words, I must be imagining things.
If she were concerned about being looked at, there’s no way she would be saying such things, right?
[ This forest is home to countless friends! They are trembling from the sound of you villains approaching! This forest belongs to everyone! You are the villains! ]
The fairy began to chant boldly, basking in everyone’s gaze.
It looked somewhat like a lecture given to a child who had done something wrong, and it had that moral, educational feel one often sees in cartoons aimed at young children.
“Countless friends…”
“Animal friends, plant friends…”
“…Oh, God! What am I hearing?”
Of course, the grown-ups found it excessively cringe-worthy—but…
So what?
At least it suited the charming fairy making the remarks.
[ The squirrel family living in this forest got so scared by your approaching sounds that they choked on their food! They abandoned their breakfast and fled up a tree! They were in such a hurry that the baby squirrel almost fell off the tree! This is all your fault, you villains! ]
“Those squirrels….”
[ And what about Mr. Mole? He was taking a nap in the sunny spot and got disturbed by you all! Now he’s digging aimlessly and running away! You must apologize to him! ]
“Those moles….”
[ The wolfdog sister, who has the blood of brave wolves, and the puppy brother, who is head-over-heels for her, were also frightened by you! If you dare to enter this forest, you will feel their wrath! The wolfdog sister will come with her wolf family and give you a lesson! ]
The fairy began shouting at the villains aiming to destroy the forest.
It felt somewhat like a plea or a reprimand.
She began recounting the adorable animal friends living in the forest and their grievances, leading one to think that perhaps they were in the wrong for wanting to destroy the very forest there.
An adult who bullies cute animal friends?
That just screamed villainy.
“Wolfdog…wait a minute. Isn’t killing the wolf and the dog the right thing to do?”
[ What?! You’re saying you’d kill them?! You bad villain! ]
…Although there were indeed a few that looked dangerous among those ‘animal friends’…
Regardless, judging solely by the fairy’s words, it was clear that everyone gathered here seemed to be a villain.
“…Should we still clear this forest?”
“Hmm.”
Naturally, there was no way they could continue with the deforestation in this situation.
Ah, of course, the people gathered weren’t feeling especially sensitive—they wouldn’t start crying and go, ‘Destroying the forest is bad! We’re the bad guys!’ after hearing the fairy’s words.
They didn’t particularly empathize with what the fairy said nor did they feel pity for the ‘animal friends’ mentioned living there.
What halted their work was simply the presence of that fairy itself.
It was something peculiar that could not naturally exist without being related to some special power, and they felt uncomfortable with it.
“What if we ignore her and keep going, and she attacks us?”
“She mentioned animal friends, but what if she mutated some animals with radiation, turning them into monsters that would attack us?”
“Maybe there’s a secret experimental facility created by aliens there. That fairy could be a hologram, and the moment we step into the forest, advanced weaponry might blow our heads off.”
“Or it could be related to curses. That form could be a manifestation of a spirit embedded in some cursed object left by a wicked shaman. If that were the case, we might face a dreadful curse….”
Thus, a certain atmosphere began to form—‘at the very least, it might be better to avoid clearing the forest,’ and those with machinery were even turning away from the forest.
Yet among this, one person completely failed to blend in.
A person who had experienced strange and terrifying events over the past few days, who felt wronged because those around him assumed it was all due to hallucinations and doubted him.
That person was the Farm Owner.
“Fairy, animal friends, plant friends…?”
The pieces of the puzzle began to fit together.
His experiences, pieces that had been scattered, started to come together as one.
And finally…
“…unfuckingbelievable holy shit! That fairy was the problem!”
…He realized that the very culprit that made him go through this damned mess was that fairy.
