The silver-haired Fairy was hard to read just by looking at his expression.
He gazed at Encrid silently for a moment.
If Frog had eyes that could discern talent, the Fairy had the sharpness to detect lies.
Encrid spoke sincerely, and the silver-haired Fairy understood it as such.
Though he couldn’t quite comprehend the method.
The silver-haired Fairy sat by the wall, allowing him to lean back.
He leaned against the wall, straightened his back, and observed Encrid once more.
Through the round window behind the Fairy, Encrid noticed a few young Fairies peering in curiously.
Some stood a few steps back from the window, watching intently.
They were still young, their lack of emotional restraint evident.
They were children whose curiosity shone clearly.
As he watched, a few adult Fairies approached the children and said something in a language Encrid didn’t understand.
Words like “Pululu-s” and “Dekedo” were faintly audible.
‘Now that I think about it, isn’t it strange how we’re able to communicate?’
Even though Fairies had their own language.
Whatever the adult Fairies said caused the children to shrink back and retreat.
‘They probably told them not to spy.’
As Encrid continued observing, the adults who chased the children away pricked their ears up.
‘They chased the kids away and took their place.’
That’s how it appeared to Encrid.
And in truth, that’s exactly what happened.
It was an excessive amount of interest.
It didn’t look like it, but their actions proved otherwise.
The interest was overwhelming.
"You should probably apologize."
Pel spoke from behind as Encrid continued observing.
This was the same man who dared to suggest sewing the Captain’s mouth shut.
There was no need to listen to him.
"I’m being sincere."
Encrid muttered.
"Just drink the tea first. Hold the tea in your mouth without swallowing. Please."
Pel was one of the Shepherds of the Wilderness.
He thought himself a fool who didn’t know how to socialize.
He was mistaken.
The true fool was right here.
Asking for a lesson on how to slay demons and receiving a response to keep swinging until it’s dead.
This was pure madness.
And then another thought crept in.
‘Is it because of his talent?’
Perhaps his talent in swordsmanship was so overwhelming that it left him lacking in other areas.
Like Ragna, who couldn’t walk east even after watching the sun rise.
It was a wild assumption, but there was no one to correct it.
And Encrid truly was sincere.
Could he have forgotten how to interact with people?
He felt compelled to respond sincerely to the Fairy’s heartfelt words.
If any issues arose, he could always explain later.
Thus, a trivial farce unfolded.
The silver-haired Fairy organized his thoughts and spoke.
"Fairies govern their society through a council formed by several families."
It was an abrupt yet necessary statement.
When the Fairy spoke, attention naturally shifted to him.
He calmly explained the structure of Fairy society.
The head of each family became a council member, and from among them, a leader was chosen.
The leader listened to everyone’s opinions before making decisions.
This was how the Fairy society operated.
However, there was also a family that acted as guardians rather than kings in human terms.
"And I am the head of the Ermen family."
Encrid didn’t know, but the Ermen family was one of the central pillars of the city.
They hadn’t proven themselves through force, but their skills had supported the city for generations.
"And right now, I’m the only council member left, so my decisions represent everyone."
The silver-haired Fairy, who had been leaning against the wall, sat forward.
Lowering his head slightly, his silver-gray eyes locked onto Encrid’s.
He assumed a proper posture and spoke again.
"We’ll fight together."
His voice carried unwavering determination.
Suddenly?
Encrid realized he had fallen behind in the flow of the conversation.
"What?"
Encrid abandoned formalities and asked curtly.
"You didn’t come prepared for this?"
The Fairy tilted his head and asked in return.
"I don’t know anything."
Encrid replied honestly.
"Then why did you come here?"
The Fairy straightened his back and asked.
"I came to ask why Sinar left."
"You just came to ask? Didn’t Sinar say anything? About duty or the danger facing the species?"
In truth, he had heard nothing.
"No."
The silver-haired Fairy, Ermen, paused to reflect on past events and murmured.
"So you tried to handle it all alone, Sinar. You always did."
Though the words were meant for Sinar, who wasn’t present, his tone remained even.
He calmly recalled what had happened and accepted it.
"What a foolish thing to do."
His next words, however, carried hints of regret.
For Encrid, it was a series of incomprehensible statements.
They were words, but he couldn’t grasp their meaning.
Tap.
Encrid lightly tapped the table with his fist.
It was an effective way to grab attention.
The silver-haired Fairy’s gaze returned to Encrid.
"Could you explain the situation?"
"It’s a difficult story. One that’s harder to swallow than sprouting potatoes, but if you really want to hear it, I’ll tell you."
And so, he began his tale.
"In our city, there’s a cave where monsters emerge. And within that cave, a demon resides."
The Fairy society was in decline.
Like leaves withering on a tree, destined to fall and crumble.
"These days, even children make arrows, and some Fairies roam the continent as mercenaries."
In any society, children represent the future.
But even Fairy children had to contribute to survival.
In a crumbling society, there was no room to discuss the future.
This was all because of the demon dwelling in the cave.
The decline wasn’t caused by one misfortune.
There was oppression from the empire’s Fairy kingdom and a schism caused by a druid faction splitting off.
Yet the origin of all misfortunes was the demon’s cave.
And that demon approached with warmth but turned into flames.
Encrid straightened his back and listened intently.
"Sinar saw it as her duty to slay the demon. For the Fairies, it might have been a blessing, but for her, it was a curse."
Sinar’s duty was to face the demon in the cave.
The demon had made its desires clear. Bring forth its bride. Sinar wasn’t the first to be chosen as the demon’s bride.
Fairy Knights had ventured into the cave to slay the demon but failed and died.
Then monsters poured out of the cave.
The city had to suffer and fight back.
Misfortune continued to pile up.
After some time, another Fairy Knight tried to slay the demon and also perished.
The misfortunes never ceased.
The demon used time to wither and destroy them.
It endlessly sent monsters from its cave.
Fairies skilled in spirits, spells, and swordsmanship died one after another.
The attempts to slay the demon failed.
Finally, the demon demanded a bride.
Peace was restored through the sacrifice of one Fairy. It was the demon’s reprieve. No monsters emerged for years.
But after another decade, the monsters returned. The Fairies had desperately tried to prepare. They had left no stone unturned. They had learned a few things.
"Becoming the demon’s bride meant becoming its plaything. Until the demon gets tired of them."
Peace fell over the city, but it was an accursed peace.
The voice was monotonous, yet it carried traces of regret, anger, worry, and sorrow.
Even as day turned to night and hunger set in, Encrid endured and asked for confirmation.
"So the brides entered the cave and became the demon’s?"
"They sought reprieve from the demon. In the end, we failed to break the curse."
The silver-haired Fairy nodded as he spoke.
Sinar bore the demon’s mark. She suffered nightmares and likely heard the demon’s whispers.
It was a scar etched into her childhood.
If Sinar finds a partner and marries, the demon’s curse will fade.
But her partner will inherit the demon’s curse instead.
Was that how it worked?
Was that why she kept teasing him about being her fiancé but never came closer?
"When she was young, the demon whispered in her ear. It told her she was cursed. Some ignorant people even drove her away because of it. But those people all left this place. They fled to survive, even if it meant losing their essence."
Encrid smelled a sharp scent mixed with the forest’s fragrance.
It was the smell of blood and iron, not something common within the Fairy city.
"Sorry, but I need to leave now. Your timing wasn’t great."
The silver-haired Fairy rose—not quickly, but not too slowly either.
By the time he took three steps, Encrid had already processed, interpreted, and absorbed the information the Fairy had shared.
‘A demon appeared and burned the city.
It then made a cave in the forest, turning it into its lair.’
‘In other words, a demon sleeps inside that cave.’
‘The demon demanded a bride every few decades.’
‘The Fairy city exhausted its fighting forces trying to slay the demon.’
‘Fairy Knights died one after another.’
Misfortune followed misfortune, all seemingly because the demon desired the Fairies.
Even without seeing the demon, Encrid could feel its possessiveness, obsession, malice, and greed.
The cave was a small Demon Realm, constantly spewing monsters, but when a bride entered, the monsters stopped.
The demon within was insidious and cruel.
It was likely enjoying watching the city slowly wither and die.
A hazy image formed in Encrid’s mind.
A demon cackling with Sinar beside it.
Would its long red tongue lick her emotionless face?
Beyond processing information, his imagination painted vivid pictures.
And all of this happened in the time it took the silver-haired Fairy to take three steps.
His ability to analyze and grasp key points was exceptional.
It was a talent even Krais had acknowledged many times.
And not just Krais, anyone who knew Encrid recognized it.
He had identified the root of the danger and understood the risks and threats.
Yet, if Encrid believed he was right, he never hesitated.
That’s what made him a madman.
‘At the heart of this danger is the demon. Or more precisely, the Demon Realm.’
The Demon Realm was the problem here too.
Damn Demon Realms.
He had lost Oara in the Gray Forest.
Was it Sinar’s turn now?
A ripple stirred within him.
It was a mixture of urgency, frustration, anger, and stubbornness.
But his face remained calm, perhaps even calmer than the Fairies’.
He was simply organizing his thoughts and preparing for what needed to be done.
"What do you mean by fighting together?"
Encrid asked the silver-haired Fairy’s back as he headed outside.
Like a stone tossed into a lake causing ripples, Encrid’s words carried intent.
So whether it was a lake or river, it had to ripple in response.
"I mean we’re going into the cave. To kill the demon."
Ermen replied.
He wasn’t sure if Fairies had loyalty or not.
But they didn’t weigh their entire species against Sinar on a scale.
They were simply following the path they believed was right.
"We should have done this long ago."
The silver-haired Fairy added.
Before he knew it, Encrid was walking beside him and asked,
"Is your name Ermen?"
"When we become the head of a family, we give up our names."
"Then why is the city called Kirhais?"
Encrid asked, prompted by the mention of the Fairy city’s name earlier.
Ermen answered smoothly. Underlying his response was perhaps a hope for help.
Sinar hadn’t asked for help, which left Encrid with no chance to answer that call.
"Didn’t you know? Kirhais is named after the family that has protected this city for generations. In your terms, they’re the royal family."
He added that Fairies referred to them as the guardian family.
Even though he repeated an earlier explanation, there wasn’t a hint of irritation.
‘She was a queen?’
A new ripple stirred in Encrid’s calm mind.
A queen? That was definitely surprising.
What if he called her ‘the old queen’ later?
Ah, she’d probably try to put holes in him with fire. That wouldn’t be so bad, though.
If she returned and acted that way, it would mean she was alive and well enough to joke with.
"Where is the cave?"
Encrid asked Ermen.
"If you’re not here to fight with us, then I should probably stop you."
Ermen’s silver eyes wavered. Even with their emotional restraint, how could anyone stay calm through all this?
Fairies weren’t devoid of emotions, they simply suppressed them.
Sinar had entered the Demon Realm, the cave where the demon lived, to protect them.
Krang had told her to abandon her duty.
That meant—
‘Don’t risk your life for the Fairies.’
But Sinar hadn’t listened.
Encrid respected her, and so he respected her decision.
Encrid wanted to see the Demon Realm in the Fairy city of Kirhais.
Since he had come this far, he might as well yell into the cave,
“Come out and play, Sinar!”
Wouldn’t that be amusing?
Following Ermen as he walked, Pel whispered to Luagarne.
"I’m a little scared."
Even if pride stopped him from admitting it, the words slipped out.
"You’re not scared of the demon, are you?"
Luagarne asked, despite knowing the answer.
He’d felt chills several times himself.
"No, I’m scared of the Captain."
Pel replied.
And he was right.
Encrid exuded a calm rage, like a cold flame.
It was cold but still burned fiercely.
And somewhere in that fire, hope protruded like sharp thorns.
Ermen walked along a narrow path through the forest.
With tree roots bulging out of the ground, the scenery seemed to rush past as they walked.
Even though they were on foot, it felt like looking out of a moving carriage.
"We’re here."
Ermen’s voice called out as the path ended.
They had reached their destination, a small clearing.
As soon as they arrived, a foul stench hit their noses.
It was nothing like the smell of animal waste.
It was the kind of smell that comes from rotting corpses left long enough for maggots to fester.
Some demons were said to emit such odors.
Perhaps the demon in the cave was one of them.
A large group of Fairies had already gathered outside the cave.
Even at a glance, there were over a hundred of them.
Standing before them, Ermen spoke.
"The demon’s reprieve has ended. No, we will end it."
Ermen declared.
Sinar had tried to protect them. That was her choice.
But the Fairies had made a different choice. They’d rather fight the demon than lose Sinar.
Encrid admired their resolve.
And it was genuine admiration.
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