The whole of Hall Plain is divided into four continents: East, West, South, and North.
At the southernmost tip of the Southern Continent—excluding unexplored regions—lies a vast forest known as the Fairy Forest. Its expanse is considerable, but as the name suggests, no humans or monsters dwell there.
Only fairies can live and move freely within this forest. This is why it is called the Fairy Kingdom.
The day was still dim. Perhaps because the sky was veiled in deep blue clouds, the sun had yet to fully appear. A pale mist settled softly over the forest, wrapping it in a dreamlike haze, while dew glistened on the leaves, signaling the early dawn.
The forest’s dawn was bitterly cold. Apart from the occasional rustle of the wind through the trees, silence reigned.
Whiiish, whiiish.
Sensing the chill of the breeze, a woman lying among the bushes opened her eyes and blinked a few times.
Slowly, she wiped the dew from a leaf and licked it off, then calmly rose to her feet, fixing her gaze in one direction. Moments later, through the mist, a pair of eyes gradually emerged.
The figure stepping out of the fog was a tall, slender man with long ears. Considering the woman’s similarly pointed ears, it was clear they were both fairies.
The man held his gaze steadily at a respectful distance, and the woman looked up at the sky with a sorrowful expression.
“Is it the sixtieth day since the Yggdrasil flower bloomed?”
“Yes. Exactly sixty days.”
“I see…”
“Why? Are you disappointed? After waiting hundreds of years, you lost the queen’s throne right before your eyes.”
His voice was low, almost like a beast’s growl. Yet the woman sighed softly and shook her head calmly.
“Not at all. I was hoping for Margarita’s return more than anyone else. The queen’s throne… it was never meant for me.”
“Is that so? Then why do you look so sad when everyone is rejoicing the birth of a new queen?”
“Because I wasn’t waiting for the queen’s vacancy to be filled—I was hoping for Margarita’s return as a friend.”
“The flower that bloomed 800 years ago withered three years ago. Now…”
“I know these feelings aren’t right. But the blooming of the new Yggdrasil flower means a new queen has been born. In other words, I have to let go of the memories I’ve held onto of Margarita all this time. That loss is unbearable.”
“Pull yourself together. At a time like this, you can’t be swayed by such human emotions. You’re disqualified as a High!”
He shouted, but her expression didn’t waver. If anything, she met his gaze with quiet eyes, as if agreeing.
“Maybe you’re right.”
“…Nimue!”
After staring at her for a while longer, the man closed his mouth tightly and turned away.
“Follow me. All the Highs are waiting.”
His voice lowered again, and she turned to look at him. For a fleeting moment, a sharp resolve flickered through her otherwise lonely eyes.
“All the Highs are waiting? At this hour?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Tell me now… You’re not planning to search for the new queen, are you?”
“No. Something else. The humans of the Southern Continent have sent word.”
Stopping abruptly, he half-turned to watch her, then spoke in a low voice.
“Your sword has brought the news.”
A bright morning.
“This is a bit tricky.”
Heo Jun-young stood comfortably but frowned as he muttered.
“Hmm. Then let me explain again…”
I paused, stroking my chin and tilting my head as I took a step forward. But Heo Jun-young shook his head with a look of annoyance and smacked his lips.
“Ah, no need to explain. This isn’t about understanding—it’s about execution. No, it’s a problem with the magic circuits. Even if we ignore tangled or twisted flows, you can’t match the speed of the mana flow you described. I’m not some kind of monster.”
“Hmm? But you picked up Gungshin Tanyeong pretty quickly.”
“Is Gungshin Tanyeong the same as Ihyeong Hwanwi? The difficulty levels aren’t even comparable. That’s why I’m whining. Damn it. If I’d known it was this impossible, I wouldn’t have agreed to the exchange in the first place.”
“Why are you like this? It’s not that hard. If you learned Gungshin Tanyeong in two weeks, Ihyeong Hwanwi shouldn’t take that long. At most, four weeks…”
“You learned it in four weeks, huh? Sorry, I still can’t master it after six.”
“……”
I fell silent. Come to think of it, how long did it take me to learn it?
Just then—
“Are you kidding? Who are you teasing now?”
I turned to see Yu-jeong curled up, letting out a sharp cry. She was struggling, groaning in frustration, clearly annoyed that things weren’t going her way.
Like a beetle sensing danger, she curled up tightly before suddenly shouting and straightening her upper body.
“Ha!”
…but nothing happened. She just stood there, hands raised high toward the sky, as if cheering.
“Ha.”
Heo Jun-young quietly mimicked her, covering his mouth and turning his face away. Yu-jeong slammed her hands down in irritation.
“Cut it out. We’re both struggling here. You’re just making me feel worse.”
“Your attitude’s twisted, but at least speak properly. I mastered Gungshin Tanyeong. Like this!”
As soon as he finished, Heo Jun-young crouched down, stomped his foot, and moved forward, then used Gungshin Tanyeong again to return to his spot.
Shrugging and wagging his index finger side to side, Heo Jun-young made Yu-jeong glare fiercely. She stomped her feet but had no comeback, eventually turning to me and bouncing up and down.
“Hey, oppa! Teach me too! Why do you only teach Jun-young oppa and not me?”
When I wanted to say, “When did I?” I just nodded quietly, knowing her temper well.
Just as I was about to explain again, Yu-jeong flailed her arms excitedly.
“Ah, not the explanation. Do that thing you did last time.”
“The thing I did last time?”
“You know, when we stick close together, you help me with my posture and guide the mana flow. Yeah?”
“……”
No matter what I said, it wasn’t exactly wrong—but saying we ‘stick close together to fix posture’ sounded like something else entirely.
Her eyes sparkled oddly, as if she cared more about the perks than the practice itself…
I heard Heo Jun-young mutter, “Is this the rise of a second temptress?” and immediately decided to call it a day.
“Sorry, but I have to go for now. I’ll teach you next time.”
“Huh? Where are you going? You promised to watch over me all morning.”
“It’s almost lunchtime. That’s enough for today. And you know what day it is, don’t you?”
“…Oh, right. Today’s that day.”
Realizing the significance of the day, Yu-jeong’s face fell slightly. Though I felt a twinge of guilt, I straightened my chest and back confidently. She knew the event was important, so there was no helping it.
After urging them not to fight under the guise of encouragement, I stepped out through the main gate, bathed in bright sunlight.
“Maybe I’ll give it a try. Ha!”
“You little…”
Our destination was the Warp Gate—more precisely, the ancient magical city of Magia.
Arriving at the ancient magical city of Magia.
Ruined buildings and scattered debris lay everywhere. Looking around, the city looked much the same as when we first conquered it. Though we’d done some cleaning before, it was only enough to clear paths.
You could call it quaint, but it wasn’t a place anyone could comfortably settle. But that didn’t matter much. Since plans to open it as a city had been abandoned, there was no point in spending extra money.
The sole reason I came to Magia today was the Mercenary Academy.
Nearly two months ago, I enrolled Jegal Haesol and Cha Hee-young as the first trainees. Today was the day of the long-awaited first graduation ceremony. (The training periods for the User Academy and Mercenary Academy differ by about 40 days.)
After a moment, I gazed up at the once-majestic fortress of Mavolo, now standing alone amid the ruins, home to the Mercenary Academy. Activating my mana detection, I stepped inside and soon reached the first-floor lobby.
Compared to the User Academy, the Mercenary Academy was admittedly lacking. Calling a single renovated fortress an academy was almost laughable.
But at the same time, it was unavoidable. With the academy limited to just six students per year, building a large facility that would house around ten people including the instructors would have been ridiculous.
“Hmm?”
Just as I was thinking that, I suddenly sensed the presence of about three people through magic detection. Oh. Are they on the same floor?
Since the presence was coming from the first floor, I headed straight there. Peeking through the window of the room that used to be the reception area, I caught sight of something.
“Whoa.”
I couldn’t help but let out a small admiring sound.
Inside, Helena Lu Ayens was passionately giving a lecture, while Jegal Haesol and Cha Hee-young listened intently, their faces fully focused. Helena was so animated, using both her expressions and gestures to deliver her speech with fervor.
I had expected them to be slacking off since it was the graduation day, but instead, they were giving it their all until the very end.
Watching them like that, a sudden sense of pride welled up inside me. There’s nothing wrong with seeing someone work hard.
Then, a faint curiosity stirred. What kind of lecture was this that required such dramatic acting?
Driven by sudden interest, I sharpened my hearing and listened through the window.
“…And so I cried out, ‘Ah! Magna Carta! I love you! For you, I would give everything—even my own body!’”
…What?
Wait. Who’s loving whom? What kind of nonsense is this?
“But Magna Carta looked at me with disgust. Ah~ but I understand. Magna Carta and I are enemies. Helena Lu Ayens here is, after all, forced to be the commander of the humans…”
“W-wait a moment, Instructor Helena!”
“Hm? Why the sudden interruption, Trainee Cha Hee-young?”
“It’s just that something seems off. I’ve read records about our clan’s dragon-sleeping mountain campaign before, and I even looked into related legends out of interest. But…”
“Are you saying my explanation contradicts those records?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Helena shook her head and clicked her tongue.
“There’s a saying: exposed lies are beautiful, but hidden truths are ugly. Trainee Cha Hee-young, you’re so innocent.”
“…Excuse me?”
“All those records about the legend are lies. They’re just diaries humans conveniently interpreted to suit themselves.”
“R-really?”
Startled, Cha Hee-young asked, and Helena nodded emphatically.
“Think about it. Would you trust records written by an unknown author, or would you believe me, Helena Lu Ayens, who was there and experienced it firsthand?”
“…Now that you mention it, there were some things that didn’t quite add up. Like why the great hero accepted the curse after all the battles were over. Ah! Could it be—”
“Yes. It was because of love.”
“That’s so unfair! Just because of love!”
“Don’t say that lightly! I loved Magna Carta that much!”
“……!”
Helena retorted boldly, but her right hand was visibly trembling. Surely, the true spirit of Helena inside was throwing a tantrum. Understandably so—she was spouting such nonsense.
“Actually, there’s one more thing I should reveal. I was once pregnant with Magna Carta’s child…”
“Whaaaat?!”
Helena and Cha Hee-young exchanged knowing looks.
Then, after catching my eye, Jegal Haesol gave a cheeky little wave. I rubbed my fist slowly and pushed the door open.
The brief feeling of being moved from earlier had completely vanished.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Luckily, today’s session ended early, so I canceled my reservation and am posting this at midnight. :)