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The fairies of this world and the other are of many different kinds.

And there are also fairies classified as monsters in this world.

For example, Jack Frost.

He often appears in wintry regions overflowing with icy magic, attacking livestock and humans, extinguishing campfires, and freezing the food stored in warehouses. The more he multiplies, the greater the damage becomes.

Truly a nuisance among nuisances.

And fairies aren’t much different either.

They occur in the warm, life-rich springs and summers, wreaking havoc by attacking livestock and people, setting villages ablaze, and muddying food supplies in warehouses.

When looking at the mischief caused by these different pest-like fairy monsters, they hardly seem like separate entities.

Their appearances, however, are distinct.

“Is this a fairy?”

A gently glowing body.

Two pairs of translucent wings.

Small yet distinct facial features.

The stereotypical image of a fairy that comes to mind is indeed pretty and cute when seen in person.

I couldn’t believe these beings were in the same category as Jack Frost.

“But I heard that Seophone Island is barren and that this place is far from warm Iceland.”

“That is correct, Your Grace.”

For a moment, Shen’s expression turned perplexed as she glanced at Karem, nodding subtly. Her gaze remained fixed on the fairies that were swimming in the bowl of Seophone Chips, gnawing at the chips like they were snacks.

“Poring…?”

Flora found herself frozen, caught between curiosity about this unknown creature and the anger of having her food snatched away.

“However, people have misunderstandings.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“People mistakenly think that fairies only appear in warm regions, but there’s a condition even more important than temperature.”

Shen gently grasped a flower petal that fluttered down with the breeze.

“Life force. If there’s enough vitality in nature, fairies can spawn even in a cool weather like today.”

“Isn’t this warm enough?”

“Your Grace, Iceland is—”

“I know what you mean.”

In a typical summer, autumn, and winter of Iceland, it aligned with the autumn, winter, and harsher winters of other regions.

In other words, it’s dreadfully cold like most of the Northern Hemisphere.

Anyhow, that wasn’t the point here.

‘So, does this mean that the appearance of fairies is Flora’s fault?’

From Shen’s reaction, it seemed like that was essentially the answer.

Flora, who drew vitality from the forest, helped Gordon by infusing life force into an ancient tree to create a Tree Spirit…

“Your Grace, Baroness. May I excuse myself for a moment?”

Before Karem and Flora could respond, Shen stood up from her seat and stretched out her hand. The vines cascading over her dress twisted together like living tentacles, forming a long staff.

“Fortunately, there’s only one.”

Shen walked to the center of the open space and struck the ground with her staff. The bottom of the vine staff dug into the earth, spreading out like roots.

“A temporary barrier to prevent fairies. That is the foundation.”

“Um, but Catherine is already making a barrier—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Shen shook her head.

“Fairies are like pests; if one appears, ten more come around—”

“Like Jack Frost.”

“The species and the vermin classification are similar, indeed.”

While they looked cute, thinking back to Jack Frost’s behavior from last winter left a bad taste… but the appearance—

“Grraaargh!”

Karem decided to cancel that last thought.

With jagged teeth and a furious expression, the cuteness was long gone.

“Oh, how could I forget.”

With a light wave of her hand, the vines draped over her dress shifted. A vine shot out like a whip, snaring a fairy and splitting apart—

“Ow—”

“Poring!?”

Kiyaaaahh-!

The fairy was torn to shreds.

A grotesque sight, with head, limbs, and wings torn apart.

Boom-!

But there was no explosion.

In a flash of glimmer, the fairy vanished with a puff of sparkling dust, settling like festive particles on the ground.

“…What? It turned into dust.”

Seeing it was much like flour mixed with glitter made me feel quite baffled. It felt familiar somehow.

“That’s Fairy Dust.”

“Oh, is that what it is?”

If that was the case, Karem had seen it often at the Mage Tower.

Used as an enhancement for alchemy, magic, and potion-making, mostly stored in glass bottles.

“Indeed, Your Grace.”

“I thought fairy droppings were what that was.”

“That’s a common misconception among those seeing fairies for the first time. Fairy Dust gathers wherever a fairy has died. More importantly—”

Shen looked down sadly at the sparkling bowl of Seophone Chips.

“This means it can’t be eaten now.”

“Poring!?”

“Baroness, while Fairy Dust itself has no effect, one must not eat food that vermin like that have been inside.”

“Poring! Porong! Poring, Porong!!!”

Karem finally calmed Flora down after frying a new batch of Seophone Chips in a large bowl.

However.

“Your Grace. But what about that bowl?”

“I’ll take care of the taste of that later—cough—and throw it away separately.”

“Excuse me, but what did you say just now—”

“It was nothing.”

It was obvious what someone would do with that bowl where a fairy had swum around.

*

*

*

“Fairy? Here in this Iceland?”

During dinner time, Catherine, sitting in the royal seat at the banquet table on the first floor of Armsport, recoiled momentarily as she turned her head while about to take a bite of cottage pie.

“Yes.”

“From Bolton Forest?”

“Yes.”

Having heard of the events in Bolton Forest, Catherine could only feel flustered.

And rightfully so; a fairy? She had never heard of fairies appearing in cold regions.

She was startled for the same reason as Shen and understood in the same manner.

“Really, did fairies have such secrets?”

Sigurd paused in tearing a specially prepared crisp Eisenbart-style leg of pork, looking at him.

“Didn’t you know?”

“How would I know that?”

“You’re an A-Class Adventurer.”

“Who cares about the ecology of trivial fairies?”

To the locals seeing fairies yearly, they were merely pesky and glittering weeds that attacked people and livestock.

And the same went for adventurers.

Though Fairy Dust could surely be valuable. However, by the time one became a C-Class, other quests offered much better returns.

“Of course, it can become a bit annoying if something like the Twinkle Tide happens. But that’s not a common occurrence.”

“Twinkle Tide?”

“Mass appearance of fairies. Each one is quite pathetic, but once they gather, the situation becomes serious.”

“It seems like it would be easy to subdue.”

“Though they’re pathetic, they all use magic, which is quite troublesome.”

“Eh? Magic? Oh right, Jack Frost was like that too.”

“Exactly. They just shoot light beams.”

Sigurd waved his hand dismissively as if to say not to worry about it.

“More importantly, have you told Gordon?”

“Not yet. I thought Shen would say something—”

“He seems to not know, so hurry and tell him.”

Catherine, quietly eavesdropping, shook her head and gestured Mary to eat the pie she was reaching for.

The pie itself differed from the one she usually had.

The pie made without any flour at all.

It features thin slices of beef sautéed with onions, carrots, mushrooms, and peas, simmered with various spices and tomato paste to create its filling.

The completed filling is transferred into a container, topped with cheese, butter, cream, and mashed Earth Apple, pressed down with a fork, and baked.

This pie, named Cottage, resembles a quaint countryside cabin.

The filling of the Cottage Pie, touching her tongue, burst with the sweetness of the tender, simmered vegetables and the richness of the meat.

Then, as it baked in the oven, the lightly browned Earth Apple resisted just enough under the pressure from her tongue and the roof of her mouth before disintegrating into mush.

A fragrant aroma burst forth from the butter and cream enveloped in the refreshing flavors that flow over, while the rich acidity of tomatoes that follows elevate her appetite.

The pie, as simple as the ingredients used, had just one unique component.

It merely replaced flour, yet that alone created a pie entirely different from any she had eaten before.

That ephemeral crispness combined with the softness inside.

The harmony of the stewed filling and sauce.

Each component complemented one another perfectly.

“Contractor. Would you like another piece?”

“This time, I’d prefer something with a bit of texture.”

“How about fries?”

“Sure, just a moment.”

At that moment, Catherine noticed Sigurd IV scooping a handful of Seophone Chips.

“Those chips look good. I’m curious.”

The dish prepared in the same manner as Seophone Fries.

They were thin like paper but retained their form splendidly. Catherine instinctively understood what the texture would be like. She bit into a chip Mary had brought.

Crunch-!

And indeed, it was just as she expected.

Even hardwood, when shaved, can become more fragile than parchment. Yet the Seophone Chips maintained their sliced form until they reached her mouth to be chewed.

Even the pieces that broke apart under the pressure of her teeth crumbled into crisp bits without leaving a trace.

Apart from that, there were numerous kinds of dishes ready on the table. However, right now, her favorite were the quaint and crispy two dishes.

“So.”

Still, not having an unpalatable taste, Catherine’s gaze turned back to Karem, considering whether to try some of the other dishes.

“What about that bowl next to me since a while ago?”

“This one?”

Karem picked up the bowl that had been set beneath the royal seat and tipped it. The half-filled Seophone Chips sparkled slightly in the light.

“You mentioned earlier that a fairy appeared in Bolton Forest?”

Catherine crossed her arms, as if urging him to finish his thought.

“The chips are filled with the fairy’s wings and were sprinkled with dust, apparently.”

The Seophone Chips, having remained bright and not damp from the rain, still looked crispy even after some time.

“Are you planning to eat that?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Wait, something felt off. Karem, about to eat the chips, paused and scrutinized Catherine.

“What are you staring at?”

“No, I found your reaction suddenly strange.”

“Are you really thinking of eating that?”

Why was this person showing such disgust, while another person remained indifferent? The contrasting reactions were peculiar.

“Karem, my junior.”

“…Is this really something serious?”

“Well, it’s about fairies. They belong to pest species that are too embarrassing to even say they’re kin to Jack Frost.”

“Right. You called them vermin.”

“But while using them as ingredients may be one thing, you’re considering eating them directly?”

“Nobody said anything when it was King Frost.”

“That’s ice we’re talking about, not Fairy Dust, which is fundamentally different.”

“Lord Arberni said it’s not toxic.”

That prompted a gasp from Mary.

Well, of course. Among fairies, a monster-like fairy that fell into the category of pests was the equivalent of a cockroach.

No wonder house fairy Brownie Mary was aghast at the thought of eating something that had rolled around like that.

“Contractor, Contractor. Regardless of anything, eating a dish sprinkled with Fairy Dust is truly out of the question. You must be stopped.”

“Well, that sounds like an easy task.”

Mary looked at Catherine with a strange expression. It was entirely different from her previous shock at Karem’s antics, as though she had resigned to it all.

“Karem. You said that fairy swam and ate from that bowl, right?”

“Yes. It sprinkled dust everywhere while doing so.”

Of course, Catherine wasn’t about to utter base comments about fairies being vermin and filthy.

She had a much more concrete idea in mind.

“Are you really planning to eat something someone else has touched?”

“Nyeeer. Wait a minute.”

At that remark, Karem paused, having started to eat the chips he had previously been stopped from taking, and scrutinized the bowl intently.

‘How did the fairy eat this?’

The Earth Apple, the main ingredient in Seophone Chips, was quite large, larger than what one could hold with one hand.

Thus, the Seophone chips, fresh from frying and still maintaining their shape without breaking, would be an impossible size for someone with a less-than-large mouth to eat all at once.

As that crossed his mind, Karem noticed the chips, nibbled at by the fairy, peppered throughout the bowl like gnawed upon leaves.

“Oh, right. That was the case.”

“That’s a brilliant thought. I’ll take care of it.”

“Please hurry and take it away.”

Catherine nearly nodded while watching Karem hand off the sparkling bowl of Seophone Chips, but then she turned sharply.

“Wait, the fairy.”

Fairies occur in places with abundant life forces. Thus, they must have appeared in Bolton Forest, which Flora personally nurtured.

Catherine’s head spun around.

“…Karem. Did Shen set up a barrier against fairies in Bolton Forest?”

“That’s what I heard. Oh, wait.”

The vitality amplified by Flora to awaken Tree Spirits.

The life force stimulated and enhanced by Shen by creating a Bersengetto-style Village Forest with druid magic.

In Iceland, which is perpetually cold, this was Summer, the warmest time after all.

“This is… the season in Iceland where vitality is at its peak, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Therefore, fairies must have emerged in Bolton Forest.”

And while Flora herself hadn’t tended to it, there were other forests touched indirectly by her work.

“Oh, slender buttocks of Sorn.”

Just as Sigurd IV’s hand dropped the Eisenbart-style leg of pork onto the plate, the gates exploded open.

“Chief!”

But it was already too late.

In a world beyond civilization’s grip, destroyed by a swarm of Grizzly Beavers.

All around the mountains and rivers of Baron Bolton’s territory shone with the fluttering lights of fairies, sparkling like starlight.

“Giggle giggle giggle—”

“Giggle giggle—”

“Giggle giggle—”

 

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