Episode 376
Chapter 114: Descendants of the Fairies
“It feels like this space is about to collapse any moment now.”
Jin spoke, sensing the tremors within the pocket dimension.
“Yeah. You were right—it was a good call not to break it.”
Valeria stood up, lightly brushing off her robe as she added, “That was quite an intriguing conversation, Jin Runcandel.”
During the three hours they spent inside the pocket dimension, the two had shared a great deal. Mostly, Jin talked while Valeria listened.
As a disciple from his past life and now a comrade in this one, Jin recounted how he had lived so far—not as idle rambling, but to share important information that would help them understand each other better as allies.
He spoke of becoming a Shadow’s Contractor at a young age (technically from the moment he was born after his reincarnation), the many secrets he uncovered during his cadet days, what he gained as a prospective Rider, the experiences he’s had since becoming one, and his plans for the future…
And how, through all those events, he had come to meet Valeria.
Valeria was genuinely fascinated by Jin’s story—not out of politeness, but because she felt the weight of the years he had lived.
“A human who’s only nineteen, yet has been through so much…”
Of course, Jin also knew about Valeria’s life, even though she was only seventeen. He understood better than anyone how her brief childhood happiness had ended, leaving her to endure lonely, ascetic days.
So, just before the pocket dimension completely collapsed, one story Valeria shared struck Jin deeply.
“You noticed earlier what I was mourning, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“That was a tribute to the Gray Owl Mercenary Corps—my family, all of them dead. After they were wiped out by Ziphl, I vowed never to let anyone get close again.”
Valeria met Jin’s gaze, then hesitated, closing her mouth as if to say more but holding back.
“Why?”
“It’s nothing. Anyway, after hearing your story, I think our mission together has become a little clearer.”
Jin was quietly surprised that Valeria had brought up the Gray Owl Mercenary Corps first. And he had a sense of what she had chosen not to say.
Fssssss…
The collapse of the pocket dimension was accelerating. Particles of spiritual energy scattered like black pollen, drifting away into nothingness.
Though they had spent only about three hours inside, outside, noon was fast approaching.
[They’re back!]
[The kids have returned, Lady Sheila!]
Ruru and Miru, the feline tribe members, were the first to greet them. They wore the spiritual energy armor cloaks Jin had given them, looking like giant fluffy balls of fur.
The torrential rain had stopped, and the clouds parted to reveal a bright sun shining down.
[You’ve returned.]
Sheila flew forward to meet them, looking exhausted. Despite the fairy glow that radiated from her entire body, she appeared gaunt. It was understandable—she had been betrayed by her own kind and had killed her only sibling with her own hands all within a day.
“I didn’t expect time to pass like this. While I was gone, did any trackers come looking for us?”
[Yes. Someone has been blocking those who try to enter the forest.]
“Who…?”
[They call themselves Lady Green Rose.]
[Yeah, Lady Green Rose. They said you’d know who that is.]
[We’ve never had a human find us so easily before.]
[We didn’t even realize Lady Green Rose was nearby.]
Ruru and Miru had spent the night hiding and watching the forest entrances, worried about being tracked.
At one point, when they turned their heads, they saw Yona smiling. They panicked and tried to run, but Yona, who found the feline tribe adorable, introduced herself with a new alias.
‘So, Sister Yona has been helping me all along.’
Jin felt grateful but also a chill run down his neck.
‘When exactly did she start following me…?’
He had no clue. That meant Yona could have killed him anytime she wanted. Of course, she wouldn’t.
[What’s your relationship with Lady Green Rose? Are they an ally? Not an enemy pretending to be one?]
“We’re very close. She’s an ally.”
Ruru and Miru sighed in relief. They had decided that if Yona were an enemy, Jin wouldn’t be able to handle it.
‘No matter when Sister Yona started watching my back, there’s no way Ziphl will learn that the record mage came with me to the Vantara Forest.’
There was no need to rush leaving the forest. While inside the pocket dimension, Jin had worried that if the outside situation worsened, he might not be able to speak with Sheila.
Jin met Sheila’s eyes.
“The name ‘Descendants of the Fairies’ was just something people called you, Lady Sheila. You’re not descendants at all…”
[We’re just fairies who lost their honor and were cursed by a witch.]
Sheila’s voice was self-deprecating.
[We’re terrible beings. We kill helpless humans who happen to wander into our forest, trade with the rulers for the King’s Blood, and rot away in our own little world.]
At that moment, Jin recalled the last thing he had read in the King’s Blood records.
Around that time, the fairies had forgotten most of their memories from when they were truly fairies.
They had only come back into existence by borrowing the power of Helluram, not truly reclaiming their ‘selves.’
They hadn’t just forgotten their true fairy memories. Most of the fairies, except Sheila, were even forgetting what Helluram had done and said to them.
Because it was boring.
A life without purpose, meaning, or hope was nothing but endless monotony. So they found amusement in killing humans who happened to enter the forest—and that was enough.
Only Sheila, as their queen, still thought about the future.
“…Still, you kept the promise of Solderet.”
[It wasn’t me who kept it. It was because you came that it was kept. You are the promised contractor of a thousand years, so I didn’t have to try to keep the promise with Solderet.]
“There’s a saying among humans: the best way to deal with guilt is to hate yourself. But you’re not human, Lady Sheila.”
Jin paused briefly before continuing.
“So face it. You made a mistake long ago, paid a harsh price, were cursed, and while the other fairies lost themselves completely, you never forgot Solderet’s message.”
That was enough.
As Jin finished, Sheila’s wings trembled slightly.
[…Thank you.]
“That might have been presumptuous of me. Thank you for listening kindly.”
Sheila’s gaze shifted to Valeria.
[Come closer.]
Valeria stepped forward, wearing an expression as if she sensed something.
[What did you feel from the records you saw through the King’s Blood?]
Slowly, she closed and opened her eyes once.
“When I entered the Primordial Forest, I felt a strange, agonizing longing.”
[That’s because your soul originated there.]
“My family has existed since the 1400s. And now it’s 1799. That’s quite a gap from the records in the King’s Blood.”
[Yes, the records I left are from a thousand years ago. Yet your soul is rooted in the Primordial Forest.]
“How can you be so sure?”
[Once, a human named Minka Hister came to find me.]
Valeria’s eyes widened.
[That human was Minka Hister. Like you and the kin I betrayed, she had a unique red hair that you never forget once you see it.]
Minka Hister.
Valeria knew the name well. She was the progenitor of the Hister family and the first to leave a ‘legacy site.’
She was also the first human to use record magic. All the unique record magic of the Hister family began with her.
“…Why did the progenitor come to see you, Lady Sheila?”
[To tell me.]
“Tell you what?”
[That the fairies who fought against Ziphl to the very end… have all been forgotten. But before my old brothers were completely erased, before they ceased to exist forever, they left behind a single spark…]
Sheila’s body glowed red. A storm of regret, sorrow, rage, and passion tore at her chest.
[That spark never died and finally sprouted into me.]
A thousand years ago, the fairies were erased from history by Ziphl’s manipulation.
But they left behind one final record.
A record in the form of a ‘soul.’
The fairies who lived in the Primordial Forest understood the laws of nature more deeply than any other beings.
One law they understood was the cycle.
Humans, beasts, forests—even steel that seems unchanging—all eventually break down over time, returning to the earth, the flowing rivers, the wind, and are absorbed back into the world.
They become nutrients, mixed into seeds, and give life again.
The fairies gathered all their souls and sent them back to nature, fervently hoping that someday those souls would bloom again somewhere…
Four hundred years passed.
Finally, the fairies’ souls circled back and formed a single name.
The name Hister.
As Sheila explained this, tears streamed endlessly down Valeria’s cheeks. She didn’t even realize she was crying, breathing heavily.
Sheila looked at her like a beloved niece, yet as if she had committed an unforgivable sin against her, unable to comfort her carelessly.
“What kind of person was the progenitor?”
The question was filled with countless unspoken emotions.
[If I were to judge, she was beautiful and dignified to a fault. Strong, yet lonely. Seeing you now, I remember clearly what kind of person she was.]
Minka Hister was a person who vanished alongside the Histers when Ziphl erased them from history.
That’s why Sheila barely remembered his visit four hundred years ago. She could only recall a faint image, but ever since Valeria came to the forest, a strong sense of déjà vu had been growing inside her.
And now, for the first time, she saw Minka’s face clearly in Valeria. Along with Minka, the faces of Luet Damiro Yul—and her own sister—came sharply into focus.
The ancient fairy souls within Valeria were reigniting memories long erased.
[Can you tell me your name?]
“Valeria. Valeria Hister.”
[You are a descendant of the fairies. Not one of the wraiths haunting this Vantaramo forest, but the only one who has inherited the true legacy of the fairies.]
At that moment, one heavy, long-standing burden weighing on Valeria finally came to an end.