At those words, Bran scrunched his bark-like face—it was his version of a smile.
"Haha."
Ermen and a few other fairies laughed as well. Some of them were even in tears. Encrid suddenly felt the weight of being in a fairy city.
Although he hadn’t noticed it himself, some of the fairies seemed to have understood the joke Sinar had just made. It seemed there was a rather sentimental side to the joke as well.
"Fairy humor... no matter how much I hear it, I can’t seem to get it."
Encrid said, locking eyes with Sinar.
"There’s no need for you to understand. I’ll always be by your side to whisper it in your ear."
Sinar replied, standing and stepping closer. Close enough for her breath to touch him.
"You’re too close, Sinar."
When Encrid responded, a few of the fairies watching them started murmuring.
"I see."
"Is that what it is?"
"The heartbreaker."
What are they even talking about?
It took Encrid another two days of recovery before he could rise from his bed. It went without saying that rest was just as important as training.
Since he needed rehabilitation, he started by loosening his body with finger exercises and gradually worked his way up over three days, training from small muscles to larger ones without any equipment.
By the fourth day, he resumed his usual morning regimen—a routine so rigorous that it amazed both fairies and humans alike.
"Already?"
"Shouldn’t he still be resting?"
"The Demon Slayer is up and moving?"
"Does he have troll blood in him or something?"
He heard all sorts of comments. Some were close to provocations, but the fairies who made them meant no malice.
In fact, their words were filled with concern, as if they were ready to sacrifice their own lives for him.
Fairies often loitered around Encrid. Among them were many who brought fruit or other offerings.
There were even more incredible tales circulating than the usual “Your mom’s a troll” remark. Well, “tales” might be an overstatement; they were more like rumors.
"So, the heartbreaker, huh? It seems to be true."
That was the general sentiment.
Why such rumors had spread in the fairy city was beyond him.
"Why do they call you that? Oh, probably because you enchant so many women and then ignore them."
One fairy explained.
"I’ve never done that."
Still, during a conversation with Zero, some baffling revelations came to light.
"Sinar said so—frequently, every time, and whenever she opened her mouth when you weren’t here."
A sigh almost escaped him, but he didn’t bother confronting her. He had plenty to do. Even now, Zero was staring at him eagerly, awaiting their duel.
"We did promise to spar, didn’t we?"
"I thought you might have forgotten. But are you sure you’re in good condition?"
Behind them, Pel and Luagarne were observing. Since Encrid wanted to properly assess Zero’s skill, he didn’t want the fairy to let down his guard.
One can’t truly gauge another’s ability without clashing in earnest. Some things only become clear in the heat of combat.
Encrid carefully chose his words, aiming to inspire his opponent. It was meant as encouragement, albeit in the blunt style of fairy humor.
Ah, fighting you would be easier than breathing—even if I tied one arm behind my back and lost both legs.
He delivered the sentiment with sincerity, the way the fairies had taught him. It worked as intended.
Zero, despite being a fairy, was brimming with competitiveness and a desire to prove himself. Not all fairies were the same, after all. Just as there was Frog, who excelled at crafting trinkets, there were fairies like Zero.
At Encrid’s words, Zero nodded silently—his response slower than usual.
"My sword is a bit big for a Naidil."
Zero remarked, his tone flat, though his emotions were transparent to someone as perceptive as Encrid.
‘He’s mad.’
Zero stomped the ground a few times before settling into a stance.
"I, Zero, request a duel with the Demon Slayer!"
Encrid saw this as an opportunity to help Zero train his composure. He found Zero to be quite likable and offered more encouragement.
"Ah, how about I don’t even draw my sword? Using just my fingers might be a bit tricky, though..."
"…Human, I’ll kill you."
Zero briefly lost control of his emotions, and as expected, a fairy who couldn’t maintain composure was easily defeated.
As Zero lay on the ground, Encrid commented,
"I thought fairies were supposed to be good at staying calm?"
"That’s a bit of a weak point for me."
"For now, I recommend focusing on your strengths rather than erasing your weaknesses."
It was light advice, but Zero nodded earnestly, eyes shining. Advice from someone of Encrid’s caliber was worth taking to heart. Ignoring such wisdom would require undeniable proof of one’s own abilities.
The next day, Zero challenged him again.
"You can beat a ghoul, right?"
Encrid teased, once more testing his composure.
"By the way, are either of your parents snails? Do snail fairies exist? You’re so slow, it’s making me yawn."
"Graahh! Human, I’ll kill you!"
After a few rounds of sparring, Sinar approached and asked,
"Are you trying to turn him into a fairy berserker?"
"It’s composure training."
Encrid replied.
"You’re not just bullying him, are you?"
"Not at all. By the way, what’s this about me being a heartbreaker?"
Sinar paused briefly before answering.
"I can’t leave this city. I’m engaged."
She maintained a neutral expression, raising her chin slightly. To Encrid, it looked like she was trying to make a statement but couldn’t find the words.
Her next words were what she’d been saying every time they met recently.
"Stop spreading strange rumors, will you?"
"Fine. I won’t."
Sinar was honest—there was no undoing the rumors she had already spread, but she promised not to spread more.
Whenever she visited the fairy city, Sinar often spoke of Encrid.
The Squad Leader of Enchantment who enchanted countless women but never reciprocated their feelings. A man who received countless letters from ladies yet met none of them. A man who only spent time with women if it was to his advantage.
The last story stemmed from how he only sought her out for sparring and how he would leave for long journeys without informing her.
What should one call someone who makes hearts flutter but never returns their feelings?
"A heartbreaker, that’s what."
She concluded.
Bran, who was an excellent listener, occasionally joined Sinar in criticizing Encrid. Bran approached Encrid now, holding his habitual cigarette.
"You seem active, heartbreaker."
"Fairies don’t lie, but they’re adept at distorting the truth."
Encrid replied.
"That’s right. We believe distortion is better than outright lies. We also have a habit of avoiding things if we can."
"Fairies really do love peace, don’t they?"
Bran glanced at the water Encrid was drinking. It bore the crest of a family known for gathering morning dew—a treasure among the fairies. Drinking it was said to purify blood and strengthen bones.
To acquire such water, one would need accomplishments of the highest order. Yet here was Encrid with over five bottles of it.
"And? Is the water good?"
Bran asked.
"Ah, it’s excellent."
Encrid replied.
"It’s a gift."
But there was no reason to criticize that miserly fairy. Bran, too, would have given his very heart if he could.
Instead, he brought sap from the Woodguard.
"What’s this?"
"Sap. It’s an ingredient you could never get through alchemy. Its value far surpasses that of water."
There was no lie, though there was some distortion. Both dew and sap were precious, but while sap was limited to alchemy, dew could be consumed by anyone, serving entirely different purposes.
So, saying their values were incomparable was technically true.
How could one compare two things with such different uses?
"I won’t ask why everyone is so desperate to give me gifts, but it’s too much."
Encrid said as he accepted the sap. His attitude impressed Bran, too—he didn’t treat the gift casually but carefully placed it aside.
With such a demeanor, how could anyone refuse a man who had slain demons to save an entire race?
Not only Bran but all the fairies were kind to him.
"It’s not too much."
Bran replied, shaking his head at Encrid’s comment.
"Let’s just say it is."
Encrid responded.
There was something oddly comfortable about Bran—at least to Encrid.
Bran stood beside him like a tree, silently watching.
In truth, Bran wasn’t just tree-like; he literally became a tree. It was a technique called Tree Form, one of Woodguard’s specialties.
The "Symbiosis" technique that Knights used originated from the fairies, who blended seamlessly with their environment.
Later, Druier also came by, bringing leaves as a gift. These were none other than the Leaves of Druier, treasures of the fairies.
Encrid accepted them and carefully wrapped them in a fine cloth. He already had four such leaves.
Watching this, Bran thought to himself,
‘They’ll uproot the entire field to give him everything, won’t they?’
It was a comment on how their generosity might leave them with nothing. Just then, Ermen approached, also carrying a gift in both hands.
"No words could ever express my gratitude, so I hope you’ll accept this instead."
Deep in the city of the fairies was a tree over ten thousand years old. It was the source of the forest’s vitality and was often called the World Tree.
Ermen had brought a fruit from that tree.
‘To give that away, every council member would need to agree, and the queen herself would have to approve.’
Bran thought this while wondering who in their right mind could refuse such a gift.
"When the weather warms, please eat it. It’ll warm and protect your body, but it needs time to ripen."
"And Sinar must remain in the city. I trust you understand?"
"Yes, I’ve already been told."
It was something he had heard not long after waking up. Sinar had said she would stay to protect the city, even if it meant fighting to her last breath. Encrid respected her decision.
Ermen then knelt quietly. His posture was solemn, calm, and composed.
He placed both knees to the ground, a gesture shared by both humans and fairies, reserved for the most earnest of requests.
"Ermen?"
Bran, who had been watching, broke the silence, stepping closer with a creak.
Without turning, Ermen spoke.
"I have a request, Demon Slayer from the Border Guard."
"You could’ve just said so."
Encrid replied, scratching his head, pausing whatever he had been doing with Ember.
While sorting through his thoughts, Ermen had approached him.
"Teach us how to fight monsters."
Encrid blinked slowly, his insight cutting through the past, present, and future of fairy society.
‘Peace.’
Fairies, valuing stability above all else, had lived in closed societies, distancing themselves from the Demon Realm, demons, and war.
They believed this isolation was essential to preserving their race.
Then, a Demon Realm appeared within their city.
‘Crisis.’
Demons posed not just a threat but an existential danger to the entire race. The fairies had nearly lost everything.
They weren’t fools. They learned from the experience. If fighting was necessary to preserve peace and stability, then they had to fight.
Their attitudes needed to change. Yet, this tragedy wasn’t purely the result of their stubbornness.
‘In reality, they were already changing. It was just too slow.’
Ermen’s words signaled a call for rapid change.
Encrid was reminded of something Sinar had said a few days earlier.
"I can’t leave this city. You know that, right?"
"You’ve told me this forty times already."
"I could tell you as many times as my age."
"Over four hundred times?"
"That was a slip of the tongue. See you next time."
Sinar often visited him, admitting her mistakes more often than seemed typical for her.
It lingered in his mind, as it wasn’t something he expected from her.
Was she desperately hoping for something? Was she so focused on expressing something that she slipped up in her words?
"I can’t leave the city. That’s non-negotiable."
That was the crux of it.
Ah, this fairy was truly...
Fairies, unable to lie, distorted the truth instead. As a guardian of her race and the city, Sinar had no choice but to stay.
"Do we need to start with basic training to fight monsters? Teaching it step by step would take months."
Pel asked from behind.
Luagarne, quicker on the uptake, replied,
"That’s not it, is it?"
Encrid, quicker than Luagarne, added,
"I heard this city’s vitality is weakening?"
The aftermath of the demons lingered, draining the land of its energy.
This was something Encrid had heard from Sinar and others. On reflection, it seemed like Sinar had sent them to tell him.
"Are you aware?"
Ermen was already considering migration. He was prepared to fight off monsters, humans, or any other obstacles to protect his people. The fairies were ready to venture out into the wider continent.
Like running across a barren wilderness, they were determined to overcome adversity and plant seeds of hope.
However, with proper preparation, there was no need to endure unnecessary hardships.
Why run on bare feet when a wagon could carry you more comfortably?
Why wait for a single seed to grow when fertilizer and saplings could hasten the process?
"Let’s start with migration."
Encrid said.
This was the beginning of learning how to fight monsters. The first lesson was simple—stay close to someone who already knows how.
BRING THEM TO THE BORDER GUARDDD!