Chapter 34 - The Fairy and the Beginning of the End
—Onee-chan.
Outside her fading consciousness, Elenoa felt as though she had been addressed in a way reserved for true family.
Had it been a dream? It was something she could not confirm.
From now on, there would be no answer.
The morning of the seventh day since the monster attack. The assessment of damages, the removal of rubble, and the securing of food for the immediate future were mostly complete, and they had already embarked on full-scale reconstruction.
The House of Stylus, which had not even been given time to mourn Lumina's death, was quiet as if a fire had gone out. The two who lived there were not the type to make noise to begin with; one of them rushed about with work all day, while the other devoted herself to housework. That was their daily routine.
She did not even feel stifled by it.
There was only a fatal sense of absence.
The lovely voice, the energetic footsteps, were gone.
Elenoa woke up with the morning sun, as usual. This was his bed. Previously, when sleeping in this bedroom, she would normally enter her cage, and when in human size, she would go to her own room.
A human body temperature was snuggled closely against her back. She could hear his calm breathing. There was a pressure around her waist, and she knew its source.
She let out a breath and rose, gently undoing the arms of the boy who was sleeping while loosely restraining her.
She turned away and stretched her body.
She had no wings to extend.
Her internal organs, bones, and flesh, once broken, had returned, but the wings she had used as a connector for them would not return.
—Can I no longer fly?
The white one-piece dress she used as nightwear, which had an open back, now held no meaning at all.
—He praised me, saying my wings were beautiful.
Elenoa turned her back to the bright morning sun and looked at the boy. She softened her mouth as she gazed at his sleeping face, unchanged from the past. Even sleeping together like this, there was nothing to feel guilty about; they were simply snuggling. For the boy who had learned the terror of loss, and the fairy who had learned the terror of being forced into pain, this outcome was inevitable.
When she gently combed Louis's hair, a hoarse voice said, "...Is it morning already?" His eyes opened slightly, and he looked at Elenoa as if dazzled by the light. She did not know whether to be happy or sad that he, who used to be a heavy sleeper, had become easy to wake since the incident.
Elenoa bent down and buried her face in Louis's shoulder. Feeling him there, she said, "I'll call you when breakfast is ready," urging him to go back to sleep.
After finishing breakfast, Elenoa saw Louis off.
As she helped him put on his black robe, she remembered that the ingredients in the cooling box were running out. Meals, which were a form of entertainment for fairies, were essential for humans. Even if the market was still in chaos, they had to secure food.
"Um, there are no ingredients in the cooling box. I have to go buy some... but the merchants are already coming, right?"
The minimum level of distribution had recovered.
Yet her mouth, her throat, trembled as she reported that they needed to go shopping.
"What should I do? You don't need to worry about my portion... Do you need lunch or something today? If so, I have to go out and buy it early—"
"You are"
Louis stopped Elenoa, who was piling up words while looking down.
"Afraid of humans, aren't you? You probably don't want to go outside either."
"............"
—I am afraid.
It was the honest truth she had to suppress, even while aware of it. So why did he point it out so sharply?
As long as she was working as a housekeeper here, she had no choice but to go out into the human world. She could not provide healing, and they had no use for someone useless.
She clenched her hands at her chest. And then,
"I thought that what humans did to us fairies was a long time ago,"
Her hidden true feelings spilled out.
She knew it was wrong for a fairy, yet she had begun to forgive humans.
But that trust had been thoroughly betrayed.
Since the time when fairies, tired of humans, began to live in hiding, the essence of humanity had not changed.
"I hate humans... so much..."
"Yes, so do I."
The boy caught each of her words with his ears and gently agreed with a "yes." Then he took her hand.
"Shall we leave this place?"
"...Eh?"
"Once things settle down, let's live quietly in a place with no people. Just the two of us, without involving anyone else."
Since when had he been considering such an audacious plan?
Elenoa had no reason to refuse Louis's proposal.
Moving to the depths of the forest was natural for the nature of a sorcerer. It did not matter if there was a single fairy there. How many famous great sorcerers had picked up children abandoned in the mountains, raised them, and made them their disciples?
Still, the reason she could not honestly say "yes" was that she cherished this home, where Lumina's memories remained. But if he said, "We will keep this house," she had no choice but to nod.
Having confirmed her acceptance, Louis said, "Well, I must be going," finally remembering his obligation to go to work.
Elenoa, who was trying to say "Take care" with a wry smile,
"Ah"
—Staggered, tilting.
Her head went blank for an instant.
She immediately stepped out with one foot and did not fall. Was it due to lack of sleep?
She straightened her posture to see Louis off, this time for real, as he looked at her with concern.
"You look pale. I wish I could rest as well..."
"No, you can't. You are in a management position, after all."
"Yes. Please do not overdo it. I will buy the ingredients. Please stay in bed."
"...I'll do the housework as much as I can. I won't push myself."
Elenoa, who pasted on a frivolous smile and waved her hand lightly, had become less likely to maintain the carefree atmosphere she once had. The events of the past few days had taken such a toll that even her demeanor as a 'Housekeeper,' which had some leeway, was showing signs of gloom.
The court sorcerers who had witnessed the incident involving Elenoa and Lumina—a dispute that some sorcerers recognized as a case of group assault—were currently losing sight of what they were supposed to protect.
All the court sorcerers had seen how close Louis and Elenoa were. They knew that her personality and emotions were no different from those of humans.
Therefore, they could not agree with the atmosphere that suggested it was natural to sacrifice her.
And they had become afraid of humans.
Some had overlaid fairies onto the monsters they had used for research. Even if reconstruction ended and their original lives returned, they would likely be unable to continue research using living creatures.
On the day reconstruction began, Louis gathered his direct subordinates in the conference room within the Research Institute. He explained the allocation of work for the time being and simple precautions, and casually added, "If anyone wishes to submit a resignation, please do so."
"You likely have many thoughts regarding that day. In fact, several people have already requested to resign. Those who do not know about the incident may stay as they are, but if you are concerned, please ask someone. It is not a pleasant story. If you wish to continue researching here without worrying about anything... you can be called the model of a sorcerer. You are very calm and value your thirst for knowledge. I do not think that is a bad thing.
As a special measure, you need not worry about the rule that resignation notices must generally be submitted three months or more in advance.
The resignation date will be after the reconstruction is complete, at the earliest. With a generous estimate, the town will return to normal in about a month. Distribution and such are under the jurisdiction of the political administration, so we do not need to be involved. ...Those who wish to quit should say so without hesitation.
However, do not expect severance pay. Everything is an exception."
—I cannot stay here either.
After Louis indicated his own retirement, several others raised their voices as if caught up in the momentum, and he ended up laughing with a dry voice.
The mouth that had softened recalling that matter immediately tightened again. The emotions moved by recalling a heartwarming slice of daily life had worn down considerably.
In these few days, Louis had accepted fifteen resignations.
Regarding the monster invasion, both the route and the cause were officially considered a mystery.
The reconstruction itself was progressing at a remarkable speed. The destroyed houses were being rebuilt by the court sorcerers, dozens at a time each day. The damage was particularly severe in the central part, and those serving the court worked like horses.
At the edge of Louis's vision as he passed through the town, a subordinate was building a brand-new house.
A woman, presumably the homeowner, ran up to the subordinate and bowed her head over and over again. Her voice saying "Thank you" was soaked in tears.
"Thank you! Sorcerers are truly amazing, I'm so surprised!"
"...Well, that will be all."
In contrast, the voice of Louis's subordinate was stiff. Only when his eyes reflected Louis did his voice bounce with human liveliness.
"Chief! Thank you for your hard work."
"Yes, thank you for your efforts."
"To the Research Institute? Yes, that's right. Shall we go together? Yes, please." Exchanging such simple remarks, the two headed toward the Research Institute.
They advanced while bringing up trivial topics, such as the fact that they had already rebuilt five houses today, or that he planned to shut himself in the basement of his parents' home as soon as he quit the Institute.
Suddenly, the subordinate muttered.
"...Will it be alright?"
"Is there something worrying you?"
Looking at him, the subordinate quietly averted his gaze. He was not yet used to Louis's beauty.
"I don't know how many will quit the Institute, but there are some with ranks that cannot be easily dismissed, right? They said there were many who wanted to quit... Will the superiors be satisfied?"
"As for the sorcerers under my command, I have already spoken to the Mage Corps Commander. Though, well, he probably will not be satisfied."
"Then"
"Even if he is not satisfied, I will make him acknowledge it."
The night of the tenth day since the monster attack.
In the Chief's private room, Louis was preparing to go home.
Ars was on a sofa a short distance away, but Louis had his back turned to him.
"Sorcerers are not by nature the type to serve the country. Rather than having many talents reluctantly expended here, it would be better for them to shut themselves away in their parents' homes or deep in the mountains as they please, and conduct research according to their own preferences."
"Return to their original dwellings? Well, there are quite a few who were like that before being lured and dragged out to the Institute. That's just prejudice, isn't it?"
"I belong to that category myself. Putting that aside, research chosen freely by each individual will advance sorcery, regardless of the field. They should have the spirit to manage somehow even without the Institute's facilities, and if they desire assistance, they can simply call for it."
Besides knowledge, they should have cultivated personal connections as well. I think being alone in solitude is fine too. Being in this Institute means they possess considerable skill, after all.
Ars shook his cooled tea and gulped it down like a nutritional drink. He was used to Louis's exasperated gaze that said, "There is not a shred of elegance in you."
"All my subordinates are excellent. I do not want them to be crushed here."
Louis snapped his fingers. Snap. All the lights in the room went out.
"—That is the pretext, but what do you think?"
At Louis's words, Ars froze.
He felt as if his superior's back was being swallowed by some incredibly ominous shadow.
Louis, who had suddenly turned around, was silhouetted against the moon peeking through the large window, so his face was not visible. But he felt as though he was smiling.
"I do not dislike the sorcerers here, but I do not think I can forgive the people of this country. When this grudge eventually grows high and I attack even this Royal Capital, it would be better if there were fewer obstacles... Why are you making that face?"
"Chief... you..."
"It is a lie. It is unlike you to take it seriously."
He was a superior who spoke airily to Ars's agitation.
Louis had said it was a lie.
—Really?
Louis must have seen Ars's 'unlike him' expression. Ars himself did not know what kind of expression he was making to reveal his agitation.
To the adjutant, who was wondering what to ask and whether he should ask, Louis smiled elegantly with a "hehe."
"Abuse of authority feels good. Placing a child like me in the upper echelons was this country's misfortune. It is truly refreshing."
"............"
"Ars, you will likely become the next Chief. You may escape somewhere now and hand over that seat to someone else, or leave it vacant, as you please."
Louis's face, smiling brightly, floated eerily in the shadow of the moonlight.
Then, Ars, who had quietly averted his eyes, discovered something on Louis's desk. It was far from the sofa and hard to see clearly, but it was a bottle about the height of a woman's little finger, filled eight-tenths full with a colorless, transparent liquid.
"...What is that?"
When asked by Ars, Louis blinked for an instant. Realizing he was referring to the small bottle, he said something abstract like, "If I had to say, it is a chemical of memories."
Louis held up the small bottle as if displaying it between his index finger and thumb, letting the moonlight shine through it. The chemical, which had no peculiarities, began to carry a faint iridescence. Blue, purple, orange, and yellow; the seven colors did not muddy, displaying beautiful mottling.
Gazing at the chemical swaying smoothly like water, Louis said,
"This is a chemical I happened to be making when Elenoa came to the house. It was incomplete at that time, but after letting it mature carefully and going through various processes... it somehow took ten years for this to see the light of day."
He spoke nostalgically. "She took seriously the lie that 'if you inhale the vapor from this, your lungs will rot'."
A sweet color was included in that voice.
Ars realized. This superior probably could no longer trust anyone but that fairy.
And the night of the twelfth day since the monster attack.
This day was surely the boundary.
"I'm home, I've returned... ...Elie?"
Even though Louis transferred from the Research Institute, Elenoa did not come to greet him.
Recently, due to material shortages, brewing tea had become rare, but she had always greeted him. No matter how late it was, she should have come pat-pattering over, but she was not there.
She would usually still be awake at this time.
Louis advanced his steps. If there was a place she was always in, it was the kitchen. Feeling anxiety that no sound other than his own could be heard in the house, he ran, and soon arrived at the kitchen.
Breathing heavily, with his brows furrowed painfully, he saw her collapsed on the floor.