As the brilliant glow that had filled the room gradually dimmed, a slender woman emerged from within the light. Though her body was wrapped lightly in garments woven from leaves and roots, delicate even for a woman, the pronounced curve of her chest made her identity unmistakable.
“Oh! Her ears are pointed, just like Mar.”
Ansol, who had fled early on, spoke with a hint of wonder, and only then did I take a closer look at the woman’s features.
True to her forest-dwelling kind, her skin was pale and flawless, her limbs slender yet smooth. Her silver hair, neatly flowing down past her hips, seemed to capture and radiate the light, dazzling anyone who looked. Beneath long, delicate lashes, her clear silver eyes held a slightly startled expression, exuding a calm and mysterious aura.
Tap, tap… Suddenly, my eyes caught sight of a thorny crown that had fallen from the fairy’s head. It looked old and rather shabby. The crown rolled across the floor and came to rest right beside Mar.
“Ah.”
The fairy let out a short gasp.
“Ah, ah…”
Her voice was soft, but her next actions were strange. She suddenly dropped to her knees, slowly clasped her hands over her mouth, as if on the verge of tears.
Her trembling eyes were fixed on Mar, who was being held by Ansol. Why was she acting like this all of a sudden…?
Could it be that she recognized him? Do fairies have some kind of biological connection that triggers mutual recognition?
Bang!
At that moment—
“Hyung!”
“Brother!”
The door burst open noisily, and Dumb and Dumber barged in shouting.
“Hyung, just now… huh?”
“W-wow!”
Anhyun and Jinsuhyun, gripping spear and sword tightly, stopped in their tracks and simultaneously let out admiring exclamations. No doubt, these two were brothers.
I sighed and gently tapped Jegal Haesol’s shoulder.
He, who had been quietly watching, muttered with a hint of irritation, “Ugh, this is already too much.”
Then he dispelled the spell he had summoned.
When did he even prepare that magic?
Though it was still midday, the first-floor plaza buzzed with small groups of clan members. They must have sensed something unusual and come over, startled to see a fairy.
< Resident Information (Native Status) >
[Strength 86] [Endurance 74] [Agility 98] [Vitality 92] [Magic 96] [Luck 96]
< Special Ability (1/1) >
< Potential Abilities (4/4) >
< Stat Comparison >
Margarita (Total 554 Points)
[Strength 90] [Endurance 78] [Agility 100] [Vitality 92] [Magic 96] [Luck 98]
(Remaining points: 0)
Nimue (Total 542 Points)
[Strength 86] [Endurance 74] [Agility 98] [Vitality 92] [Magic 96] [Luck 96]
(Remaining points: 0)
Mar (Total 332 Points)
[Strength 21] [Endurance 27] [Agility 43] [Vitality 41] [Magic 100] [Luck 100]
(Remaining points: 0)
Nimue. The name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. Judging by her well-rounded stats and the resident info, she was likely a highly respected fairy within her tribe.
Honestly, when I handed over the box earlier, I never imagined a fairy would be summoned. But thinking about it, it makes sense. If gods can be summoned so easily, why not fairies? It’s probably safe to assume that all living beings except the user can be summoned—regardless of probability.
Still, it was quite sudden, but somehow the feeling was good. My heart fluttered as if I had just completed an expedition and found a rare treasure. They say the fairy queen’s words and actions always have a reason.
With Hwajeong’s words in mind, maybe there was cause for hope…
Whisper, whisper!
Murmur, murmur!
That’s what I wanted to believe.
But looking around, the situation was far from simple.
“Wow, lucky you. Really lucky, lucky.”
“No, you bastard, you’ve got Cha Heeyoung.”
“I’m just jealous of hyung. Seriously…”
“True. Honestly, I’m into silver-haired goddesses too… Damn, some are just born lucky, others aren’t.”
Dumb and Dumber were glaring at the fairy, venting their frustration.
“Isn’t this just too much? Again, and again. How many people do you need to be satisfied?”
“I feel sorry for Suhyun. So many rivals…”
“Phew. This is serious. She’s got slender legs, a delicate figure, and a big, beautifully shaped chest. Exactly Suhyun’s type.”
“Ladies, we need to take the initiative. Let’s put Hanna up front and try to intimidate her.”
The six women—Goh Yeonju, Jung Hayun, Lim Hanna, Nam Daeun, Kim Hanbyul, and Lee Yujeong—huddled together, whispering.
It was frustrating. Why was the conversation turning like this? I just summoned her, and it wasn’t even me who did it. I could understand their curiosity, but couldn’t they say something constructive? Like, “Who is that fairy?”
Despite being surrounded by humans, the fairy remained composed. I was grateful for that. If she had panicked and flailed, it would have been a mess. Though since seeing Mar, she hadn’t stopped staring at him, clutching the crown she dropped tightly in one hand.
Her quietly trembling eyes shone with a mix of sorrow and joy. There seemed to be some story behind it, but for now, I decided to see how she’d react.
I gently brushed Mar’s plump cheek, who was nestled in my arms.
“Ah!?”
Stretching out his chubby cheek, Mar responded as expected.
“Daddyyyy.”
He shook his head and giggled, and I fixed my gaze on him, as big as a lantern. Then the fairy’s eyes finally met mine, and I quietly spoke.
“Do you know Mar?”
“Mar?”
“This child’s name is Mar.”
“So your name is Mar… then, could you be related to Margarita?”
The fairy hesitated, then suddenly looked startled, as if she’d just realized something. Slowly, she rose from her chair, placed a hand over her heart, and bowed respectfully.
“Forgive my late introduction. I am Nimue, the Fairy of the Lake, entrusted with the general oversight of the Forest of Fairies.”
Her greeting was simple but dignified and graceful. It was strangely captivating—she reminded me of Yuhyeon, who had awakened as the ‘Sacred Queen.’
“…”
Wait a minute. General oversight fairy?
I almost blurted out in shock but held back. If I remembered correctly, the queen’s seat was still vacant. So the fairy currently in charge was effectively the leader of the entire tribe. I had expected some rank, but this was far beyond what I imagined—a true heavyweight had been summoned.
I took a deep breath to calm myself.
“I’m Kim Suhyun, a human. Please, have a seat.”
“I gratefully accept your kindness.”
“By the way, this must be quite confusing for you, but you seem surprisingly composed.”
“That’s because I’ve dreamed of this meeting. Not just once, but many times.”
“Dreams?”
“Yes.”
Nimue responded with a gentle smile and bowed deeply once more.
“To you, who have fulfilled the wishes of all the fairies and brought about the meeting we only dreamed of, I offer my deepest, indescribable gratitude.”
I didn’t quite understand what she meant, but I wished she wouldn’t be so thankful. If it weren’t for Mar, she might have died the moment she was summoned…
“Daddy, daddy.”
Mar, sitting on my lap, whimpered and looked back at me. At that moment, Nimue suddenly frowned, as if she had just noticed something.
“Thirteen pairs of wings?”
“Huh?”
“How can there be thirteen pairs of wings… That’s impossible.”
“Ugh…”
Her calm demeanor vanished in an instant. I gently stroked Mar’s head, puzzled.
Now that I thought about it, I remembered reading in the first round that fairies could never have more than twelve pairs of wings—and only the queen was allowed twelve pairs. That explained her reaction.
“What’s going on? Why…?”
“I’ll explain. As you might have guessed, Mar is the child born between Mavolo Ailite and Margarita Dalant Bitrais.”
“Mavolo, Ailite?”
“Yes. I’m currently acting as his father, but there’s no blood relation.”
I heard a grinding sound—probably Nimue’s teeth. She clearly harbored strong negative feelings toward Mavolo.
“Thank you for the detailed explanation. Then what about the wings?”
“Of the thirteen pairs of wings, twelve belong to the former queen, Margarita.”
“…What?”
“They were forcibly transplanted due to an accident.”
I thought I had earnestly explained what I was curious about. But Nimue’s reaction went far beyond what I had imagined. Her face, drained of all color, was utterly stunned.
Anyway, she didn’t seem like she was going to recover anytime soon, so I kept talking.
“Wing transplantation… I’ve heard it’s a kind of taboo in the fairy world.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Nimue’s eyes.
“You know quite a bit. But aside from fairies, no human should know the details…?”
“Not in detail, but I’ve done some digging here and there.”
She nodded slowly, then let out a long, heavy sigh.
“I see… Yes, that’s right. We fairies strictly forbid wing transplants. It’s absolutely forbidden—truly the ultimate taboo. Not even blood relations are exempt.”
“The reason it’s so severely prohibited is because a fairy’s power is contained within their wings.”
“The wings develop and bloom alongside the fairy’s growth. In other words, the wings are a kind of record, a culmination of everything the fairy has experienced as they grow.”
“And we call that the ‘origin.’”
By now, every member of the clan was hanging on Nimue’s every word. Of course, they valued this deeply, but I’m sure they were also curious about Mar’s exact condition. I was, too.
“So I just don’t understand.”
Nimue’s gaze grew even more complicated as she looked at Mar, who was nodding off.
“Mar’s current state must be a mixture of Margarita’s power and knowledge, as well as all the experiences she had in life. In other words, an adult’s origin has been forcibly added to a foundation that’s still at the child stage. And yet, setting aside the fact that she’s alive, how on earth is her personality even holding together…?”
Throughout her words, Nimue’s expression was tinged with sadness. In the end, she couldn’t finish her sentence and quietly closed her eyes.
It was then.