“Is there something good happening?”
Melissa, sitting in the front row of the train and sorting through documents, glanced over and asked.
“Huh?”
Pastel paused her fountain pen from directing the consolation measures for the deceased former knight members and filling their vacant spots with other former knights.
“I’m really sorry that this doesn’t fit the situation, but yes!”
Pastel chuckled.
“I feel like my soul is being filled, and I’m happy! At this state, money and power might not even matter?”
“Really?”
Melissa was surprised.
“Setting aside the mourning, it’s a celebration! I was always believing that you, Pastel, would eventually find your dignity away from unclean greed.”
“Uh-huh? If you keep buttering me up like that, I might suddenly want to evolve into Super Ultra Governor Pastel!”
“What’s that about? Sounds kinda silly. Let me take that back.”
“Uwah? If you do that, I’ll feel so left out!”
Pastel pouted while scribbling with her pen. The document was finally completed.
She stretched and handed it to Elly, who was busy and quiet beside her.
“Ugh! Hah! Melissa, have you ever experienced something fairy-tale-like? Like meeting a fairy?”
“Something fairy-tale-like?”
Melissa scratched her cheek with the quill pen as she reminisced.
“I have! Definitely!”
“Huh? You do?”
Wow!
Is this the fantasy world?
I thought Melissa was so innocent she just believed in storybooks, but did she actually form a bias from experiences?!
Well, I did meet a fairy too!
“Tell me! Tell me! I’m curious!”
“My mother used to say that in our territory there’s a legend passed down through generations.”
Wow! Wow! A legend!
Her pink eyes sparkled.
Seeing her reaction, Melissa got a bit shy.
“It’s not about dragons or anything, though.”
“That’s fine! That’s fine! Even if it’s not a glowing dragon, tell me!”
Melissa cleared her throat.
“It’s a legend that says if a talented child listens to their parents and works hard, the biggest apple tree in the territory will give them a present.”
“Wow?”
Pastel’s jaw dropped in surprise and then froze. Her pink eyes rolled around.
Isn’t that just a lie parents tell to make kids behave?
The premise of the legend is way too convenient for the parents!
If you listen to your parents, you’ll get a gift!
Plus, if any child can receive it, imagine all the gifts they’d have to prepare. By specifically claiming it’s only for talented kids, they dodged a lot of trouble!
Melissa giggled behind her hand.
“You might not believe it, but it’s true! I received a gift! The day I drew 16 strokes, I ran to the biggest apple tree and there was a present, right here.”
She pulled out a staff from her wizard robe and stroked it against the wooden surface.
“It’s a branch from the apple tree. The apple scent is gone now, but it lingered for a while.”
Wow.
Pastel was torn between disbelief and the urge to tell her the truth.
Should she reveal the reality to this naive friend?
Or should she respect the effort of the Duke of Camarot, who worked day and night to protect his child’s innocence?
The thought of an invented legend to encourage good behavior, and the timing of the mother ordering a magical apple tree wand for her daughter who believed so earnestly tugged painfully at her heart.
It was like the Santa Claus dilemma…!
Pastel was confused and clapped her hands together.
“Melissa, that’s amazing! I want one of those too!”
“Since you’re not a resident of our territory, that might be tough. But if you visit again, I’ll introduce you to the biggest apple tree!”
“Okay, okay!”
Pastel nodded vigorously.
I must really be special for having met a fairy.
Wow.
She flipped her head to the side. Elly was focusing on reviewing the reassignment of the former knight members, her brow furrowed.
“Elly, have you ever experienced something fairy-tale-like?”
Pastel started asking her surroundings out of delight.
Elly only rolled her eyes over her paperwork, keeping her head down.
“Can you lower your voice a bit? It’s distracting.”
Huh?
She had been working overtime for two days, and now her boss, who had been leaving on time, was trying to have a silly chat. She looked like an annoyed office worker.
Uh-oh, Elly had been working three days straight, so that comparison might be off!
Aah.
Pastel obediently turned her head and placed her hands demurely on her thighs. She maintained an ultra-quiet and reserved posture.
“I’m sorry.”
Melissa, caught in the same chatter, fumbled for something to do. Obviously, there wasn’t much she could do at her level for something as significant as reassignment, so she just fumbled awkwardly.
The train jolted along the tracks. Even though she had given instructions to analyze the suspicious engineers’ equally suspicious train to see if they could get their hands on some questionable technology, applying that immediately was out of the question, so they were moving at a human running speed instead of on a bicycle.
But as it raced day and night, it was faster than horseback riding, something noble children wouldn’t usually learn unless it was for cargo transport, so there was some demand for passenger transport too.
Of course, it was slower than switching horses at intervals or riding an airship, so Pastel still had to send urgent information to the capital of the demon realm by other means, indicating the private sector still had a long way to go in terms of technology to cover operational costs.
However, what could be promising was the questionable engineers’ equally dubious technological prowess.
The cult, which was thought to specialize in the production of gem medicines and poisonous gases, had easily surpassed the Craft High Merchant’s technology! Even though it was a collaboration of technologies between the Sky Island and the United Kingdom of Demon Realm!
Ugh, it felt like facing a lifelong rival.
Seeing as her father’s workplace was her lifelong rival too.
—Look over here, here.
Huh?
Pastel heard the fairy’s tiny whisper and looked around. But there were no signs of the fairy in the compartment.
—It’s outside!
Once she listened, she could indeed hear something outside. Logically, it would be normal for the fairy to be inside the compartment, so she checked that first.
“Let me open the window for a sec! The air feels stuffy!”
Pastel flung open the window. The wind rushed in with a whoosh, tossing her pink hair around.
“Wow! So refreshing!”
It was so refreshing that it was almost cold!
Pastel poked her head out the window, letting the papers flutter around her as background noise.
“Fairy!”
Where are you?
—Shh.
The fairy, perched on top of the train car, hurriedly pressed a finger to her lips.
Oh right!
The fairy’s existence is a secret!
Pastel quickly pressed a finger to her lips too.
“Shh!”
—No, shhh.
Oh.
Pastel adopted a serious expression and pressed her finger to her lips quietly. Lowering her voice significantly, she said.
“Shhh.”
—No.
The fairy looked at her, speechless.
Then, realizing her original purpose was more important, she whispered again.
—I’m not used to hiding yet, so I might have shown myself to others while being outside. What should I do about the witnesses?
“Huh?”
The tiny finger pointed towards the barren land.
It was pointing at a group of riders rapidly approaching under the crimson sunset, noticeable by their masked faces and rifles in hand.
“Uwah!”
Anyone could tell they were train robbers…!
The fairy curled up, wrapping her arms around herself, trembling.
—I’m a righteous fairy, so I don’t know how to handle witnesses! What should I do?
Waaah.
“Fairy, can you do anything?”
Like Super Ultra Fairy Magic?
—I’m kind and don’t know how to fight…
The fairy smiled brightly.
—but I can grant wishes!
The black energy swirled around.
—What wish do you want?
Granting wishes?
Wow! What a truly fairy-like ability!
Of course, she’s a fairy!
Pastel’s heart raced.
This was like the story where a good-natured person in a village being attacked by bad robbers prays for salvation and a deity answers!
“As for me…”
What should I say, what should I say.
Her pink eyes sparkled.
“I wish for ultimate wealth and power…!”
Pastel shouted out her desires.
And then immediately wanted to facepalm.
That was so out of place!
Completely unrelated to the situation!
Also, it wasn’t a kind-hearted wish to ask the fairy for help!
Ahh!
So embarrassing!
I want to hide in a mouse hole…!
“Or rather!”
Pastel hurriedly retracted her silly wish and solemnly prayed with utmost sincerity. Her eyes closed, and her hands came together.
“Please make the robbers leave without fighting!”
The fairy nodded.
—Wealth and power? Got it! I’ll do my best!
Huh?
The fairy clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.
—God, please give this girl the world’s greatest wealth and power.
Suddenly, granting the wish sounded like a subcontracted job.
She attempted to wish in a very half-hearted voice without any hesitation, snapping her eyes open right away.
—Oh no! For a mere fairy to have such a heavy wish, huh?!
Her gaze turned towards the barren land.
The bandits on horseback were slowly approaching at speeds a million times faster than the sluggish train.
Then the lead horse stumbled. The leader swayed and fell off. The following bandits panicked and yanked their reins. A cloud of dust rose as their gallop came to a halt.
Huh?
The bandits hastily jumped off their horses. Supporting their injured leader, they shouted and quickly hoisted him onto a horse, spinning the reins around. The bandit group hastily fled the way they had come.
Oh?
What is this!?
Pastel whipped around to face the fairy.
Her pink eyes sparkled.
“Did you just playfully grant my wish?!”
What a sense of wit!
Fairy, you’re totally competent!
—Huh?
The fairy wore a bewildered expression.
—Uh, yeah! That’s it! I did it! I’m a fairy!
The fairy puffed out her chest, striking an arrogant pose.
—I’m that capable of a fairy, so you should probably listen to me from now on!
“Wow! I’ll remember that!”
Fairy, you’re amazing!
