00867 Battle of the East Continent, Part Four
Sometimes in life, you hear people say things like:
“I nearly fainted from shock!”
The implication is that they were so startled they almost passed out. But when you think about it, it’s kind of ridiculous. Sure, screaming or panicking makes sense, but just being so surprised that you lose consciousness? Does that really happen?
Well, I don’t know. I’ve never experienced it myself, so I can’t say for sure. Maybe some people really do react that way.
…That was my thought just ten seconds ago.
“……”
The moment I returned to my office after going out, I realized I might need to revise that opinion a bit. Not that I was about to keel over from shock, but I definitely understood what it meant to be at a loss for words—and I was feeling it right now.
Let’s think calmly. There are three people in this room, all without my permission.
To be more precise: Ansol is sprawled out on the bed, face buried in the pillow; Mar tilts her head in curiosity; and Jegal Haesol is frozen stiff, reaching out toward the “Monster Summoning Box 4” sitting in the corner of my desk.
It’s a pretty unusual group… but fine. I get the situation. They probably tried to sneak off with the confiscated box and got caught red-handed. That would explain why they’re all frozen in place like this. If my guess is right, the only thing left to do is punish them.
Then—
“Wait!”
Just as I was about to act, the woman who seemed to be the ringleader raised her hand. Jegal Haesol quickly stuffed the box into her clothes, puffed out her stomach, and turned to face me. What now? Is she going to try to talk her way out of this?
“I get it. I understand. You’re angry because we rummaged through your stuff without permission. I’d be mad too.”
“You’re quite perceptive. Then what’s with that calm attitude of yours?”
She chuckled, patting her belly—or rather, the box—like it was some kind of lucky charm. It was a little irritating.
“Listen. We knew you were coming soon.”
“……?”
“Ansol said, ‘Big brother’s coming soon, so let’s get out of here quickly.’”
“Eek.”
At that, Ansol, who had been lying still like a corpse, twitched. I wanted to say, “So that’s why she was making such a fuss on the bed,” but I held back and listened.
“So we prepared a contingency plan, just in case. Heh heh.”
“That sounds promising.”
“Now, let’s get to the point. First, our demands.”
“Sure. If it’s a last will, I’m all ears.”
“If you let us go safely with this box… Hey, hey, you better not come any closer. We’ve set magical traps.”
“Hmph.”
Ignoring her warning, I stepped forward—and sure enough, the floor erupted with noisy magical alarms. I sighed and said, “Additional charge: Attempted assassination of the clan lord.” Then, one by one, I stomped on the traps until they shattered without even activating.
“…Crazy.”
Why the shocked look? You don’t even know my magic resistance?
After easily bypassing the traps, Jegal Haesol took a step back and shook her head. What’s she trying to do now?
“D-Don’t come any closer! No, no!”
“……”
“What do you want me to do?”
“……”
“What should I do, huh?!”
“Oh, I’ve seen that manga too. It was pretty good.”
At that moment, the pervert who had been pretending to sleep finally reacted. Jegal Haesol bit her lip quietly, shooting a glare at Ansol that said, “If you’re not going to help, just stay out of it.” Then, suddenly, she opened her eyes wide and stared at me fiercely—like a heroine defeated by the villain and cornered in a crisis.
“You win. Fine. Do whatever you want. You’re the victor.”
“What victory? A simple apology would have sufficed.”
“No! I told you to do whatever you want! Isn’t that what you wanted? To mess me up with that disgusting, hideous thing…!”
“……”
That was my limit. If she wanted a beating that badly, I’d give her one. I raised my fist high and brought it down hard.
A moment later.
After a little violence, the situation seemed to settle. I’d taken back the box, and the two women knelt side by side, rubbing the tops of their heads where white steam seemed to rise. If you ask why I hit Ansol too, it’s because she’d been acting cocky, saying, “At least one box should be okay to take when we leave.”
“So,” I said, gently stroking Mar’s hesitant head, “you wanted to take the box for research.”
From what I gathered, Jegal Haesol had long been suspicious of Ansol’s luck. She approached her to uncover the secret behind it. That made sense—if you could control the power that even summons a godlike demon like Hwajeong at will, it would be an incredible weapon.
The problem was, when Jegal Haesol got close, Ansol spilled the beans about the previous box incident. So they snuck into my office both to retrieve the box and to experiment on the connection between Ansol’s luck and the box.
“Then why didn’t you ask for permission first? And why did you drag Mar into this?”
I pressed my forehead and asked. Jegal Haesol shook her head sharply.
“She’s insurance.”
“Insurance?”
“Yeah, sis! Don’t say that!”
“Right. Mar was our shield, just in case we got caught… Sorry.”
She really has no filter. At least she knew she was wrong, because when I glared at her, she quickly lowered her head.
“Dad…”
Mar, who had been quietly watching, suddenly choked up with tears in her eyes. Maybe it hurt her to see only the two older sisters getting scolded. Her usually sharp ears drooped, and she looked clearly upset. She was at fault, but what could a kid understand? Those two probably coaxed her with sweet words.
“No, Mar, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I’m sorry… I just really wanted to open the box…”
“Is that so? Here.”
I handed it over before I even realized it.
“Huh?”
Mar’s eyes went wide. She blinked a few times, then looked up at me in surprise. Cute.
“D-Dad?”
“If you want to open it, then go ahead. Open it.”
“Really?”
“Of course. But don’t ever do this again, okay?”
“…O-Okay!”
“Eeeeeek!”
Just as Mar, mouth wide open in shock, was about to throw herself at me in gratitude, someone shouted loudly.
Glancing sideways, I saw Jegal Haesol looking exasperated, and Ansol standing up with her mouth agape.
…Oh, right. This box belongs to Ansol, doesn’t it?
“Big brother… that’s mine…”
“Sorry. This time, you’ll have to give in.”
“But I paid a million GP for it…”
“Of course you’ll be compensated. But the box itself is off-limits.”
I said it sternly, and her lips pouted. But no means no. After all, I confiscated the box because Ansol disobeyed my orders.
“Um, sis.”
Mar, clutching the box protectively, looked back at Ansol.
“Why not?”
“Why not open it together?”
“Huh? Together? …I guess that’s okay.”
“Yeah. Let’s open it together.”
Mar smiled brightly and stepped forward, while Ansol gave me a pleading look. It was pitiful, but no.
—Wait, hold on.
Just as I was about to shake my head, Hwajeong’s voice echoed in my mind.
‘Let them open it?’
—Yeah. But be ready to close it immediately, just in case.
‘What? Last time you said not to let them open it at all.’
—Hmm… that’s true, but…
Hwajeong paused, then continued.
—I told you before, right? The Fairy Queen’s words and actions always have a reason. The fairies don’t revere their queen for nothing.
Now that I think about it, I’ve heard that a few times—when she gave me Beatrice Stella, before the Steel Mountain assault, and when I got the Hammer of Hope.
‘That’s a bit vague. And Mar isn’t even the Fairy Queen yet.’
—Technically, yes. But just watch quietly. Nothing to lose, right?
Though I felt uneasy, I finally agreed after her persistent persuasion. I haven’t lost by listening to Hwajeong’s advice before, so it’s better to wait and see. If anything goes wrong, I can just shut it again.
“Okay, so on the count of three, we open it?”
“Yeah!”
Watching the two kids squeal excitedly around the box, I suddenly sensed someone sneaking up behind me.
“Keep it down, will you?”
I preempted, and a soft chuckle followed.
“What do you mean, ‘keep it down’?”
“Just asking.”
Before I could finish, Jegal Haesol provocatively swung her left leg over the desk.
“Like this?”
“Aren’t you embarrassed?”
“Of course I am. Especially since my legs are my erogenous zone and charm point.”
“…Do you think I’m a joke?”
She pulled out a cigarette and lowered her voice.
“The two of them are too focused on the box to hear this.”
“Hey, don’t act all tough for no reason. It hurts my feelings too.”
“It’s not that—I’m just saying that sometimes your actions go a bit too far.”
At that, Jegal Haesol folded her legs back down and, slipping closer, whispered softly.
“Clan Lord, have you ever heard this saying?”
“If it’s nonsense again, I’m not interested.”
“Still, hear me out. They say that no matter how many signals you send, some idiots just don’t get it. Sometimes you have to be blunt and spell it out for them to understand. So, as for me…”
“…?”
“I don’t care one bit about those beneath me, but on the other hand, I wouldn’t mind being looked down on by someone better than me at least once. After all, I’m a woman too.”
“What are you getting at?”
And then, at that very moment—
“One, two, three!”
“Three!”
Vwoooom!
Before anyone could react, the two shouts overlapped, and the box erupted with a dazzling light.
Fwoooosh!
In the blink of an eye, a brilliant burst of light exploded, flooding the entire field of vision. The ‘Monster Summoning Box 4’ had been activated.
And the next moment—
“Ah, ah?”
A voice, unfamiliar and clearly flustered, sounded out. At the same time, a sudden, refreshing scent filled the air. The crisp, invigorating aroma was like breathing in the pure air of a pristine forest, clearing the mind completely.
Meanwhile, at the same time—
“W-what’s going on here?”
“Where’s Nymue? Where is Nymue?!”
“I-I don’t know! The moment she put on the Thorned Coffin…!”
“A white magic circle! A magic circle suddenly appeared and swallowed Nymue!”
The once calm and peaceful Fairy Forest was now thrown into utter chaos.
“Then why did she disappear?!”
“I-I can’t even see the Thorned Coffin anymore!”
Watching the frantic fairies running about, Erwin suddenly clutched his chest and sank to his knees.
Nymue’s disappearance.
It happened during the long-awaited coronation of the Fairy Queen—an event they had waited over eight hundred years for.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
And so, the Thorned Coffin has fallen into Kim Suhyun’s hands…