Chapter 84 - The Fairy and 'Mother'
When Louis first met her, he had the hood of his robe pulled up.
At the time, Elenoa was an innocent fairy who knew nothing of her past life or games. She was playing by floating a huge leaf that had fallen from the Great Tree on a puddle formed in a depression created by the tangled roots of the Great Tree. There had been heavy rain the day before. She would squeal with delight as the leaf, acting as a small boat, drifted gently with the wind on the water's surface, and she loved playing this little boat game.
A fellow fairy cried out, "Pii."
The fairies, who had been spending their time as they pleased around her, fell silent all at once.
Carefree Elenoa was on her leaf at that moment too, and while floating on the puddle, she looked in the direction everyone was focusing on.
A pitch-black human figure, as if born from the night darkness of the forest, had intruded into the fairy paradise. He quietly peeked out from a corner of the trees surrounding the giant tree; that was Louis.
The shining eyes within his hood looked at the fairies and stopped on Elenoa.
They certainly made eye contact.
Eyes the color of the full moon that Elenoa loved so much. A color she loved was embedded in a human, a race the fairies hated.
Finding it strange, she blinked her eyes.
To her, who was frozen stiff without a shred of sense of crisis toward the intruder,
『 』
Louis moved his mouth. Thinking back on it now, she believes he was saying "Elenoa."
Eventually, a nighttime chase began, and
『I finally caught you』
She was caught helplessly by those small hands.
Beneath the hood was a boy as cute as an angel.
At the time, she hadn't considered at all that they would end up in such a relationship.
――That angel child, by me?
She didn't know what to do.
She thought about it all day at her parents' home (the Great Tree).
She thought that the seed had likely taken root when she last slept with him.
The small fellow fairies at her parents' home innocently rejoiced, saying "Congratulations, congratulations," and brought her forest fruits. Having more companions was a good thing. A happy thing.
However,
――『War will likely begin』
The sharp pain in her stomach was surely not due to the child. The child was not large enough to compress her internal organs. It was sleeping within her womb.
――Hunger is because magical power is becoming nutrition for the infant.
――The reason I couldn't return from human size was... perhaps for the baby's sake.
Because she carried the blood of the human 《Louis》. In order to be nurtured like a human infant, the mother's body also had to become closer to that of a human woman. Or so she thought. A fetus that is half-human would not adjust to the size of the mother's body.
"Really, can something like this happen?"
For two hundred years, she had been continuously loved. There had been no sign or trace of a child, yet of all times, it happened now.
"This twisted nature already resembles the father..."
There was no room to doubt the blood connection, and she was at a loss with complex feelings. While sitting on a branch of the Great Tree with her hand on her stomach, a cherry fruit was pressed against Elenoa's cheek, urging her to eat, to eat.
"Thank you."
『Delicious』
『Sweet』
『Eat This』
New fruits were handed to her, and
"Thank you, I will accept them."
It seemed her fellow fairies were mentally prepared to support her until childbirth. That in itself might be peaceful. As for conflicts among the fairy race, they were at most arguments over someone eating fruits they were supposed to watch over, and within three hours, they would even forget they had fought.
Furthermore, original fairies do not have mammalian births from within a female's womb, but her fellow fairies did not worry about such trivial details. Companions are companions, new life. It was that simple, and they all celebrated together.
The fairy dwelling was comfortable. If time permitted, she could remain at ease indefinitely.
"This is what a real return to one's parents' home for childbirth is."
However, she had to move today or tomorrow. It was already about half the number of days she had promised. If she wanted to fly back safely, she needed ten days.
Her body was no longer one that could endure recklessness. If she acted without a plan, not only would she be in danger, but she would expose the child to risk as well. It would be best to inform Louis and have him come to pick her up, but unfortunately, this place was outside the range of telepathy. Elenoa, who had no means of communication, had no choice but to return to the Demon Realm on her own.
She hadn't obtained the Moon Clock either.
With this, she didn't even know what she had gone outside for.
Until now, every time she entered a human settlement that caught her eye, she had heard voices of resentment toward Demon Lord Louis. She had seen various things. Weapons prepared in houses, broken stone walls, corpses she had found eaten to pieces on mountain paths, villages that had been destroyed long ago, large graveyards newly developed on the outskirts of towns,
――『War』
Her wings suddenly felt heavy.
Louis had indeed said that war would begin. But Elenoa thought that was probably wrong. Because even now, there was so much death. There were so many injured people.
As Bis had once said somewhere,
――『Since we've been holding grudges and killing each other for so long, this situation is, so to speak, a quiet war, isn't it?』
The war with humans had likely begun long ago. It didn't matter who started first. Because they had no choice but to hurt each other, they had no choice but to surround and protect what was important to them.
That was why he.
"...What should I do?"
She stroked her stomach, which still had no protrusion. When she thought that there was life beneath this skin and flesh, it was a strange sensation.
――Did you come to me in my 'previous' life as well?
――Was I able to give birth to you safely back then?
――Was it a boy? A girl?
――Do you have fairy wings?
――Did you resemble me or him more?
"Well, there's no point in thinking about it."
Now is now. His child was here. That was the only certain fact.
She suddenly felt lonely and wanted to see him.
It was also established as a promise when going out. If there were any problems or abnormalities, she was to return immediately. She remembered the promise he had made her look him in the eyes and heed.
"Alright, let's go home."
A pregnant woman must not overexert herself. It was best to return straight home. If she overdid it here and something irreversible happened, it would truly create a rift between her and Louis.
She didn't know if this child, who would be born in the Demon Lord's Castle in these turbulent times, would be happy. But regardless, everything started with a safe childbirth.
『Return?』
『Dangerous』
"I'm returning. I have to go back to this child's father. It's okay, I will properly set up a barrier."
She flew gently from the branch of the Great Tree. She wavered for an instant, but she did not fall.
From her worried fellow fairies, she received a few fruits as a parting gift. They were fruits imbued with the magical power of nature. When she ate one, it had the sweet taste that fairies loved so much.
Smiling and saying she would come again, she took flight.
She set up a barrier around her. Elenoa's barrier was so sturdy that even Louis would groan in admiration. She intended to maintain the barrier until she entered the Demon Realm and lower her speed for safety.
She flew out of the deep forest and soared into the sky. After a while, when she looked back, she couldn't even tell where the Great Tree had been, and she felt lonely, but she faced forward and flew straight, straight ahead.
Would Louis be happy?
Would he not say it was a nuisance?
Would he not make a displeased face, asking why at such a difficult time?
She did have such negative thoughts, but she immediately withdrew them, thinking that was unlikely. Because he was gentle, he would surely be happy enough to cry.
"What should I name them?"
She should think of names for both a girl and a boy.
Since it was the child of Elenoa and Louis, they would surely have abundant magical power. Yes, it was his child. Even if they had no magical power, even if they didn't resemble them much, they were still his and her child. He had always wanted a child. He had said let's create a family connected by blood. He had said that Bis would surely become a good older brother.
She had to cherish and raise them carefully so as not to lose this sign of happiness she had obtained.
"Hehe."
Elenoa's mouth relaxed slightly, and
――Tan,
There was a sound. It was a very light sound, yet one that left a terrifying reverberation. As if someone had strongly pushed her shoulder from behind, she wavered in the air, and Elenoa was confused.
Her left shoulder.
When she gently looked down, blood welled up from there.
"...Eh?"
Tan, tan, tan,
Each time it sounded, a long reverberation echoed through the great nature below. Immediately after the second sound, her right wing made an ominous "pari" sound.
Something had passed through the barrier and hit her.
"What?"
Her body tilted with a lurch. Her vision blurred. Unconsciously trying to protect her stomach, she tried to move both arms. But her left arm hung limp and did not obey her at all.
There, Elenoa's barrier was forcibly dispelled, and she was covered by a new, clean transparent wall. It was a sphere like bluish glass, and she felt a sense of relief from the familiar magical power.
The effect of the earring Louis had given her,
『If the owner receives damage above a certain level, a powerful barrier is deployed』
She realized this had activated.
It seemed she was shot a few more times after that, but this time, they did not penetrate the barrier.
"...Ah, ...ah, eh...?"
Blood flowed down, and her breathing became ragged.
There was a hot, foreign sensation in her left shoulder. Without even thinking hard, Elenoa had the knowledge.
――A gun.
She remembered that humans had those in their training. It was not just any ordinary gun. If it were just a normal bullet, it should have been repelled by Elenoa's barrier. This sensation of nausea, dizziness, and the rapid loss of magical power and stamina.
"Silver... bullets...?"
She didn't know. Elenoa's knowledge had no such thing.
"Gh...!"
Silver was the natural enemy of fairies. She had to dig out the silver embedded in her shoulder, but she had no strength left to fly.
Curving her back and protecting her stomach, Elenoa fell.
While falling, she briefly saw a human trembling and aiming a gun muzzle at her near a rocky area that caught her eye.
In her fading consciousness, she recalled a troubling proverb,
War is the mother of invention.
She had only focused on the strength of magicians and Heroes, underestimating human inventiveness.
The civilization she had thought was rather declining had not been completely inactive. Humans had been strengthening their power behind the scenes. Sacrificing everything else, they had sought the power to fight.
Falling.
Falling.
Helplessly, into the deep forest.
――What should I do?
『Six, if there is a risk of being found, always maintain a barrier.
Seven, if there are any problems or abnormalities, return immediately』
――What should I do?
He will bear this burden again.
He would be sad, thinking it was because she had given such instructions.
『I made a fatal mistake once. That day, when I left you and that child at home』
No, no.
Back then and now, Louis had not made a mistake.
He had always given the correct instructions. Thinking for his younger sister and his lover, he had shown the best method for each situation.
Even so, whose fault was it that it had come to this?
Was it Elenoa's fault for selfishly saying she wanted to go out?
Was it because everything she tried to do backfired?
And it was the humans' fault.
They surely used silver knowing that the Demon Queen was a fairy. Because they had not given up on their lives.
Everyone wants to be happy.
Yes, even though I tried my best, even though I just want to live happily with him, yet something always gets in the way――,
――Ah.
"...So, ...that's it."
She understood.
No matter how hard she tried, she could not be happy.
This world, more than anything else, was wrong.
The moment that answer settled firmly in her gut, tears overflowed. Elenoa's vision swayed. Droplets spilled out, shining and scattering in the blue sky she saw while falling upside down.
"...Louis."
――You are right.
――You haven't made a mistake at all.
Please, wait for me, believe in me.
I will definitely bring this child and return to your side.
＊
Demon Lord Louis, unable to show the unsightly state of being distracted with worry for his wife who had returned to her parents' home, continued his political duties as usual, but it was likely obvious to those around him. Especially to Bis, who gave him trash-like consolation, saying, "As long as it's not a divorce, it's fine, meow."
When he went to the throne room in response to a request for an audience, he was indulging in hopeless thoughts such as, "This space is indeed a good place for fairies," when,
"Yes, sorry!! There's something urgent I need to inform you about, is that okay!?"
The one who hurriedly opened the door and entered was his subordinate, Bis.
"It might be better to have Lady Elenoa return here. A report just came in that humans seem to have the idea of coming to capture something that appears to be the Demon Lord's weakness first."
Rarely out of breath and with his tail puffed up, Bis continued.
It was an emergency so severe he even forgot his sentence endings.
"My weakness?"
"Although the information is not yet confirmed, there are rumors that they are secretly developing weapons using silver――"
Snap, something cracked in his head.
A broken sound that only Louis could hear.
"...――."
He stood up from his seat. "Louis?" Bis looked up suspiciously. A promising (apparently) Demon who was in the middle of an audience misunderstood something and hastily prostrated himself.
Louis looked into the void.
There was a momentary ripple in his connection with Elenoa. Furthermore, he had been set up to be notified when the effect of the earring he had given her activated.
"She was hurt."
If the earring's barrier had deployed, it meant she had received considerable damage. It was not a superficial wound. If things went poorly, it was an injury that could endanger her life.
What had happened? Was she okay? He wanted a reply. Elenoa, Elenoa, no matter how many times he called her name in his mind, she seemed to be outside the range of telepathy.
He could sense that the connection was becoming weak. She was in the human world. She had been injured there, and surely, right now, she was in great pain. She might be calling for help. She must be suffering.
『 Ru min cha 』
Just like that time.
Who was it?
Who had harmed that gentle fairy?
That was decided without even needing to think.
"――Humans...!"
※Note, this is a happy ending. It's okay.