Chapter 164
Fairies are born from nature and return to nature. Most creatures do the same, but fairies are particularly obsessed with it.
First off, the birth of fairies can be classified into two types: spontaneous generation and childbirth.
Fairies close to spirits, born from the condensation of natural qi, according to the flow of time.
Or through their own development, raise their rank and gain physical bodies.
And when they awaken their emotions and gain a gender,
they finally form relationships and give birth, and such second-generation fairies possess physical bodies and flesh from birth.
The death of a primordial fairy is equivalent to returning to nature, ending with their fairy power simply dispersing, but the latter is not the case.
That is why such graves exist.
Thus, the second-generation, after death.
Wish for their flesh to rot and decay, returning to nature.
Just like their parents.
However, a fairy's flesh does not rot.
Perhaps as proof of this, fairies do not believe in gods and sometimes consider the earth as their parent.
"This place doesn't look much different either."
Lush vegetation spread out before Callius's eyes.
The entire world was covered in green, a domain where dense fairy power could be fully felt.
A vast green forest that was hard to believe was an underground cave greeted him.
"A mindscape."
But it is not real.
A fake that seems real.
This place is a mindscape world formed of fairy power.
It was inside the mindscape of those who wished for their flesh to rot and return to the soil.
"At this level, it must be a royal tomb."
A royal tomb, not a simple grave.
It meant it was the grave of a fairy with royal blood.
Moreover, a mindscape of this scale.
The level of those buried here would probably be strong enough to make even Callius a little tense.
Those who have lived long lives, their emotions worn down and their spirits utterly exhausted, possessed a strength that could not be taken lightly.
Originally, anyone would have hesitated to set foot here.
For a fairy's anger is like a natural disaster.
[Outsider who possesses fairy power but is not a fairy. Why have you set foot in our resting place?]
The owner of the tomb asked about his visit with a generous voice.
However, Callius did not fail to notice the anger harbored within it.
"……."
The fact that a being that should be buried in the grave was still unfolding its mindscape and existing.
Meant they were already awake.
[Do you too desire our flesh?]
Callius, who could not possibly fail to understand that meaning, stopped in his tracks.
Desiring flesh.
This was by no means a normal question.
It meant someone had previously visited for the sake of their flesh.
'Tsk, so Junis...'
There were a few methods for Junis to resurrect.
The first was to find the Shield God's holy relic.
Absorbing the divine power of Lumitera contained within it to purify the body.
It was a method that took quite a long time, but one could pursue resurrection stably.
And the second was to use the power of holy water or an elixir of greater caliber.
Therefore, Callius had even shown the Creation Holy Water to Junis.
Of course, he only showed it to her proxy, but it was bound to reach her ears.
However, since there was still no reaction, Callius thought Junis would take the former method.
But this place was reality, not a game.
Callius had underestimated Junis's grudge.
Junis probably.
'Desires the flesh of the fairies in the grave.'
A half-fairy.
The Shield God's saintess who had lived her whole life being despised and looked down upon by the same fairies.
Thanks to that, her personality was a mess, becoming a troublemaker who always caused problems, but...
Her roots were still that of a fairy.
Instead of needing to revive her once-dead flesh with the Shield's inherent ability.
She was going to take this opportunity to become a fairy.
'I was beaten to it.'
Looking at the atmosphere, whatever scheme she had used, the owner of the tomb had a gentle voice, but the others were not so much.
The killing intent felt from the fairy power radiating from all directions was as sharp as a blade.
[What do you desire to have come here?]
Regardless, Callius was in a situation where he had to negotiate with them.
If they were to enter combat recklessly, he would probably annihilate their souls, and if that happened, Callius would no longer need the fairy's flesh.
Because an empty shell without a soul was useless even if made into a sword.
Having set foot in the grave of those seeking rest and disturbed them, it seemed it would not be easy to get past this.
However.
'I didn't come without any countermeasures.'
Callius strode forward.
[What have you come here desiring? You who harbor a dragon while human, and harbor a fairy.]
A massive pressure.
It felt as if the world itself was crushing Callius.
That was proof of how high the karma and the rank of the mindscape the owner of the royal tomb possessed.
However, without letting out a single groan, Callius sat down on a nearby rock.
[?]
At the fairy's expression of doubt, Callius plucked a bit of grass and brought it to his mouth.
And soon.
♬~
A peerless performance began.
A single performance rather than a few words of dialogue.
As Callius's performance began with a grass flute in his mouth, the spiritual bodies of the fairies, who had been shaking the earth in anger, grew quiet.
The tone of the flute was gentle.
But the emotions contained within were not. It was enough to stir the fairies' emotions. The fairies' birth and the processes of their lives crashed over them like surging waves.
[How could this be...]
[Ah, that's right. It was like that... I.]
[At that time, I shouldn't have done that. I should have accepted him.]
Their respective memories and sentiments spilled from their mouths.
Softly locked away memories.
They embraced pain and happiness.
They felt it.
That the human who visited the royal tomb was actually wishing for their rest.
The deep meaning contained within the performance that reached them without needing words.
Rather, they could understand it even better.
Swiftly.
When the grass flute left his hand, the fairies felt a deep sense of regret.
[Ah...]
Enough to unconsciously let out a sigh.
That much, Callius's performance was enough to instantly captivate the fairies' souls in a short time.
Looking at the fairies who couldn't continue speaking for a while, Callius broke the silence.
"The reason I came here was to inform you that a being who will disturb your rest has arrived."
[Disturb our rest?]
[That half-baked bastard?]
Probably referring to Junis.
Before their indignation could grow larger.
Callius continued speaking.
"Great beings. There is one who targets your flesh. They are vicious, and if left to their devices, the world will become quite noisy. I will stop them so that no one will disturb your eternal rest."
He did not lie.
The atmosphere of the fairies who heard the words was slowly changing.
If it were up to him, he wouldn't want to help with Junis's resurrection or anything like it, but...
'The situation is not favorable.'
The Iron Lord hanging at his waist was emitting a faint vibration. Callius's eyes momentarily captured a corner of Ablpix.
Vision sharing with the Ashen Knight.
It was one of the secondary abilities contained within the Iron Lord.
It was a scene of her fluttering pink hair as she single-handedly slaughtered the entire Ashen Legion.
There probably wasn't much time.
[But...]
[We cannot fully trust you...]
Callius immediately took out a violin from his coat. It was something he had put in his subspace just in case for a time like this.
He grabbed the bow and fixed the violin to his chin. Then, the rhythm of the violin, which he had never played in his life, was simply felt.
As naturally as moving fingers attached to his body, Callius was able to play the violin naturally.
This too, was his talent.
Thanks to the Bard's Blessing.
♪~
As he started playing the violin once again, the mouths of the fairies who were about to question him closed shut. Soon, they shuddered and began to shed tears with only their souls remaining.
His performance was that sweet.
It was as sweet as a lark singing, then unfolded brilliantly like the sound of a bell.
Soon, it shattered with the sound of waves, swayed in the gentle breeze, and began again.
They were already captivated by the mysterious tone flowing with nature as the theme, which fairies would like. This was also somewhat influenced by the fairy aura Callius emitted.
[Trait - Fairy Aura]
With that alone, the fairies already had some degree of favorable impression toward him.
But when he said he wished for their rest and even played a sweet performance, they couldn't help but believe him.
Originally, they would have kept public and private matters separate, but they were in a soul state that had discarded their flesh.
Because they were beings with nothing more to desire, they were all the more easily captivated by the sweetness of the music.
[We... How can we help you? You who befriend nature.]
[Just say the word. I didn't know I could feel such sweetness of the soul even after death. You who have given me posthumous emotion... I will grant any request of yours.]
[I share the same sentiments as them. Outsider who visited the grave. I only wish to hear your performance once more.]
What would those with only their souls left desire?
They wanted to quickly finish everything else and hear Callius's performance again. Because it felt like with that, they could soothe their exhausted souls and enter eternal rest.
What they desired was simply rest.
Only peace.
[General Vladi has merged into the 「Iron Lord」.]
[General Agato has...]
[Commander Garcia has...]
The situation was already turning urgent.
Their emotions through the Iron Lord.
The temporary vision sharing was portraying the situation in Callius's absence.
There was no time.
But even if he went now, nothing would change.
The Saintess of Lactus.
Callius did not have the power to stop her.
Of course, that was for now.
Therefore.
"Please lend me your strength."
* * *
Boom-!
Obarna, holding a broken staff, breathing roughly.
And before her, Saintess Eili, standing her spear upright with an expressionless face.
The victory or defeat was obvious to anyone.
Obarna was barely standing, but the saintess was no longer looking at her.
Beyond her.
She was looking at the Shield's Saintess, Junis.
"You certainly have a talent for making people annoyed, both then and now."
"Isn't that the same for both of us? Still, you came alone this time. Back then, you brought a bunch of lackeys."
Eili didn't continue speaking at Junis's sarcasm. She neither denied nor affirmed, but silence was affirmation.
Junis's lips twisted.
"Looks like you brought lackeys again. Right, that's more like Eili."
But Eili gave no answer.
Whether she didn't feel it worth answering or not was unknown.
She only moved with heavy steps.
At Eili's strides, Junis's feet also stepped back.
Thud.
When she hit the barrier and could no longer step back.
Eili's steps also stopped.
"Seems even the Shield God can't save your pathetic life."
"Shut up. You're just a whore who spread her legs for the Spear God."
"Your nauseating and filthy way of speaking is still the same. You'd think dying once would change you."
"If dying once could change me, I wouldn't be like this right now. I would have cracked your skull with a shield long ago."
"Right. Let's just end this."
Perhaps feeling no meaning in further arguing, the saintess raised her spear.
"Let me ask just one last thing."
"Fuck off."
"On the Day of Beginning, what were you promised?"
The Day of Beginning.
Not expecting that word to come up, Junis's face contorted bizarrely.
"As expected, you too..."
It was then.
Eili and Junis's eyes snapped open.
A thick energy they had never felt in their lives.
"!"
The sudden presence of a demon made the hair on their entire bodies stand on end.
Craaaaash-!
The impact sound ringing right after.
"Kyaaah-!"
A roar and vibration violent enough to shake heaven and earth spread fiercely.
And on that day.
One of Ablpix's stone pillars, which seemed to support the sky, collapsed in vain.