Chapter 100: Chapter 81: The Cold Touch of a Fairy.

Filthy! Filthy! They dared touch my mistress! Those brigands dared to harm my princess?! Unforgivable!

Hatred. Anger. Frustration. Fear.

My mind was being overwhelmed by a typhoon of emotions that a normal fairy should never experience, as my race was a carefree, free-spirited humanoid race whose daily thoughts were mostly, “How can I have fun today?” Whether it was through being mischievous and pranking others or celebrating another festival in honor of our patron goddess, Zephira, we fairies knew very little of how dark the world truly was.

It wasn’t even because of our lack of knowledge about the outside world. My elders have always told me tales about how fairies would wander the continent of Altrust, experiencing so many wondrous sights that you could never imagine in our village deep in the elven forest of Saelariel.

Once these adventurous fairies returned, they always brought back treasures and trinkets from places unknown to the common fairy. Their return was a reason for celebration, a chance for them to retell their grant tales! Oh, how they loved them, despite the exaggerations and twists of truth. No fairy could tell if they were true or false; we just enjoyed them.

Fairies didn’t care. We weren’t interested in solemn and truthful retellings that would waste our afternoon appetite. We craved for the exciting, heroic stories of how a being no larger than an insect could topple a giant beast that would even tower over our elven neighbors. We needed something to spice up our fruit and vegetable drinks, after all.

However, I never was able to experience this part of our history, for when I was born, our village accepted a total isolationist policy from all races, aside from the elves and dwarves, the only races who came to our rescue in our darkest hour.

The main culprit for this end of an era of fairy adventurers was none other than the wicked souls of the humans and their monstrous creation that would lead to the notorious ‘War for the Fairies.’

Many fairies died during this time, captured and taken advantage of by the jealous humans who realized that the only way to overcome their inadequacy was to decimate a large population of an already low populated race.

It didn’t even stop there, their invention the “Arcanuit Drainers,” a twisted contraption of the dwarven mana battery, even led to the capture of all things mana, and there was no better prey than Faefolk of all kinds. From the lesser fae, like the sprites and spriggans, to our elemental cousins. Nothing showed the humans’ total lack of sympathy for other races better than this cruel, cold truth.

This should have been the time when us fairies should have accepted reality and escaped our self-imposed illusion, though nonetheless, we didn’t. We kept true to our traditions and culture that stood in alignment with a fairy’s nature. We didn’t give in to despair, we kept going.

So what if we are trapped here. So what if we couldn’t travel the world anymore. So what if we couldn’t savor new exciting stories anymore. We shall adapt. We shall make up our own stories so we could retell others. After all, weren't most of the stories the free-roaming fairies gave us figments of our creative nature?

So we hid from the world and its terror. In our own dreamland. In our own perfect “fairytale.”

I believed all of this. All the books I read and all the “wisdom” I heard from my elders were my truth, the only ones I knew. Whether it was the conflict between the beastmen and humans or the “War for the Fairies,” I only thought of them as “fun and games,” stories that my elders made up for us young fairies to roleplay.

… But all of it … my entire life crashed and cracked on me in the most brutal, callous, and damning way possible! The person that I, a simple maid, was supposed to protect and serve died right before me, all while I was unable to act rationally because my view of the world was destroyed. My anger at that time was my way to cope with the situation that ultimately clouded my decision making.

What use was 87-years’ worth of living when I couldn’t do anything when it mattered the most? I was at my wit's end when it happened, so why did everybody else act as if it didn’t matter? As if her existence wasn’t even worth grieving? Why couldn’t anybody explain it to me?

A PRINCESS JUST DIED! OUR FAIRY PRINCESS!

… I initially became a follower of Plesia because I found her tenets “exciting” … but I soon fully accepted them, as I found Zephira’s … too lackadaisical. The Goddess of Wind was also the Goddess of Celebrations and Travels; it fitted perfectly with the fairy’s old lifestyle, but not for me. Not anymore.

So, I left. I left on a quest to regain the honor I lost on the day Princess Schuri died. I was distraught, scared, and frightened of the big world but that was when I found my shining light, illuminating the darkness away inside my mind.

Princess Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor, a descendant of the legendary black dragon Kargryxmor and a blessed of the Goddess of Light, Aurena. An imperial princess with a brave heart, courageously diving into the darkness just to protect and save a fool like me.

Origin Gods, is this your way to tell me that the path I am walking on is wrong? Is this my chance to atone?

On that day, I swore to atone for my sins. My revenge was only a second thought to my true duty to serve, protect, and educate this newly born dragoness with memories from another world. The look of childlike wonder she would give whenever she learned something new truly fulfilled me as her retainer.

I thought, until the day I got my revenge, that I would never be able to feel such simple joy like serving tea to my new mistress and her head retainer. Princess Hestia and Miss Saori made me embrace my fairy nature that I thought I had given up.

…  Which made it unbearable as I saw my princess being threatened and grabbed by some lizardman. Rage overflowed me as I shot that [Ice Spike] in the beastman’s hand. “I will never forgive those who hurt Lady Hestia!” I thought at the moment, and I truly believed so, but it slowly waned when I learned that Caszcur, the lizardman who grabbed my Mistress, only did it to protect those he swore to protect. I sympathized with it.

My anger once again invoked when I saw Princess Hestia turn into a human with her [Humanization]. I didn’t know what overcame me. How could I even think of hurting the one I swore to protect?! Only with the help of Miss Saori did I finally calm down and reflect on my actions, accepting that I had to cast away the dark shadow covering my soul if I wished to be a help to my mistress and friend.

For that reason, I controlled myself in the presence of those humans, Lorena and Colwyn. I wanted to do nothing less than to freeze them in an eternal sleep, but I knew that Princess Hestia would hate me for it. I respected Miss Saori for her maturity and wisdom, so earning her ire would be unthinkable also, especially after her scolding. I had to adapt.

However—please, forgive me Goddess Plesia and Goddess Zephira for what I was about to do—I would never forgive those scum who defiled Princess Hestia’s fair skin with their filthy hands and harmed her to the point of bloodshed. Abominable bandits! Foul trash, all of them! These human and beastman brigands deserved judgement.

As [Hestia’s Retainer], I, Tasianna Marina Silverpond, shall deliver it to these wretches!

"Oi, lads, fucking stop slogging behind and get them legs moving! Ya saw that explosion, we gotta check it out," a filthy, greasy, mullet-wearing man shouted, stopping his sprint through the woods to look back.

“Fucking hell, Jasper!” a few of the people following behind him, humans and beastmen, complained. “You have da Agility and Stamina. As if we can catch up if you start running!”

The man named Jasper frowned, glancing at his entourage like a dissatisfied leader. “Huh? Ya think I will take that for an excuse?! Go hunt some fucking boars or goblins, they’re everywhere. Get some experience for levels, ya idiots! Ya ain’t getting stronger if ya glog ale the whole day.”

This group of bandits, robbers and killers, were currently running towards the explosion I set up using Princess Hestia’s bombs. Upon her signal, I was supposed to set off her bombs to cause a massive explosion to spread the bandits into two groups, drawing some away from the main camp where Priest Kushlek'zar and the saurians would start the main raid.

My role was only that, and nothing more. I was supposed to distract them and then swiftly return back to the camp to aid in the main raid … however, I have decided that I was needed here. As much as it pained me to admit, I knew that the person I was supposed to protect was stronger than me. Princess Hestia didn’t need me to defend her.

Although I trusted she was strong enough to protect herself, it also brought me great shame as I couldn’t help but admit I was still far too weak to serve as her shield. Just like the heroes from our tales. I admired her strength and her will to strive for her dream.

… Which meant that I couldn’t afford to be complacent with my current state.

“Brrr, fuck! What the hell, why has it gotten so cold?!”

“Argh, fuck! Shoulda brought more coats with us with how winter is ‘ight around the corner.”

“Enough with ya yapping, ya maggots! Don’t drop ya guards while we have no clue who da hell caused that shit!” Jasper shouted, trying to calm down his group of brigands. “Grrr, but what the hell. It wasn’t this cold just a minute ago—OH SHIT!”

Piercing through the air, an [Ice Spike] flew towards the mullet-headed bandit with deadly accuracy, aiming to immobilize his legs, however, through his usage of [Prediction] the man avoided it and my spell instead hit a man behind him.

“Arrrrghhhhhh!” my wrong target screamed.

“Bitch! She’s there, after her!” Jasper commanded, having found me hiding in among the trees.

Tch, I need to train more. Regardless, Frozen Shield!

From the most recent spar I had with my companions, I finally learned the disparity between people who had a fully max level [Chant Revocation] and those who didn’t. This difference was massive in a tense battle where every second mattered.

I accepted that simple fact, so I did what was correct and fully leveled that skill. No price was too high if it could help support my Princess.

Without needing to chant, I shot out the shield made from freezing ice in the direction of the bandits.

“Dodge!” he yelled, prompting all the bandits, aside from one, to jump out of the way of my spell’s trajectory. “Ha, ya think ya got us with that, ya bit … ch? Where da fuck is she?!”

The bandits were turning their heads around in a frenzy, bewildered by the fact they weren’t able to see my silhouette anywhere, shouting how I simply disappeared into thin air. They were directing their weapons in an unorganized fashion, clearly on-guard from my failed ambush.

They were probing in every direction … besides from above.

<[Elvenized (Moderate)] inflicted on [Fairy, Tasianna Marina Silverpond]>

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Icicle Gale!

Blue mana mist expelled from my body as I transformed from my fairy form into my elven body, all while shooting out freezing winds through a cyan magic circle.

“““Uarrgahhhhhhhh!”””

Hysterical wailings of pain resounded beneath me as I stayed afloat in the air by constantly flapping my butterfly wings. How did I get there? Well, I used my [Frozen Shield] to block their sight from me for a second, which I used to [Elvenize] back into my fairy form, using my now smaller frame to slip through their sight and attention as I snuck up in the air to buffet them in a rain of cold, sharp icicles.

No mercy.

I knew Princess Hestia was currently conflicted on whether she should be killing these people or not, but that was not a problem for me. I felt no restriction from killing these filthy bandits at all. Those who would harm my friends and mistress will be struck down by my hands!

“Fucking bitch! DIE!”

Being the only one at an adequate level with a decent skill set, Jasper narrowly dodged through this hailstorm with labored breaths, wheezing as he threw one of his daggers at me.

Naturally having already noticed it with my [Prediction], I canceled my spell and materialized another [Frozen Shield] in front of me, blocking the dagger. If I only was able to learn [Multi-Cast] or [Continuous Cast] in time, I might have been able to keep [Icicle Gale] active, but alas, I was still inexperienced.

“Fuck! That trick again! Ha, as if I will fall for it this time! You’re aiming for my blind spots, right, but now I know that you can fly, you bitch, you won’t fool me again.”

His breathing was heavy, clenching onto his remaining dagger with a fierce determination as he kept moving around to protect himself from another supposed sneak attack, all while his comrades were moaning their last signs of life in their own puddle of blood. Jasper was so focused on his own survival that nothing else mattered to him … which proved to be his last mistake.

Thud.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!

An explosion.

It wasn’t as loud nor destructive as the other one, but it was enough to send Jasper flying away, riddled with wounds and burn marks. The sounds of dying men also vanished from below, as all were in the center of this powerful attack. They probably were already on their way towards the Goddess of Death, Ilsaphone, to be judged under her unbiased gaze.

<[Elvenized (Major)] inflicted on [Fairy, Tasianna Marina Silverpond]>

Descending, I shapeshifted back into my complete wind elf form once I believed I was low enough to the ground to safely land. I went over to the area where I first started my assault and picked up the outfit Miss Saori so meticulously made for me.

As I became smaller upon transforming back into my real body, I also had to leave what I was wearing behind. The only items I brought with me as I flew to the sky to launch that attack were the clothes I wore as a fairy and one of Princess Hestia’s bombs, a perfect tool to end this fight.

I dusted and cleaned my clothes from every piece of dirt and quickly put them back on. Miss Saori and Princess Hestia picked this combination out for me, so I had to make sure that they were presentable once I returned to them. It would be rude if I were to damage them, although they would be easily fixed using my mana.

“Grack, gack … urgh.”

As the dust cloud started to settle and the pained coughing of a man on his last breath spread through the quiet night sky, I knew that my time here was nearly over. I walked over to the man, who was holding onto his bleeding stomach, pierced by his own dagger from that explosion.

He leaned against a tree, trying to patch himself up until he saw me approaching. “Hehe, ya got me good there, lass. What the hell sorta attacks were those, huh? Damn, didn’t expect a mage would come with the next batch of mercs. Guess I fucking jinxed us, huh?”

I did not speak. Silence was my answer.

“Come on, Icy. No need to give me the cold shoulder while I’m fuckin’ bleedin’ out here. Don’t leave a man hanging like that, ha- gack, gack, ark …”

Blood came out of his mouth, plenty enough that it would fill up multiple cups. From the amount of blood he lost, I believe a normal human should have already died but until his Health dropped to zero, he would continue existing.

“Hey, mind letting me go? Promise I’ll turn a second leaf and-oof! Urggh”

Before he could utter any more words, I grabbed the man's throat as a cold aura began emitting from my body, slowly sapping the warmth away from his body. “Silence, human. For your sin of harming my Mistress, you shall be judged.”

“M-Mistress …?” he murmured with the last of his strength, losing even the power to staunch his bleeding as the pink color of his skin started to turn pale.

“Lady Hestia Atsuko! You dared to blemish her with your filthy hands and then you even harmed her! Unforgivable … Unforgivable!” I shouted, letting out all the emotions that I was desperately trying to hold back. “You will die.”

“Is … tha … t … so?” he replied with a smirk, looking up into the starry sky as the light in his eyes slowly faded. “Worth … the try … S-guck-orry Mackl-”

And with the sound of breaking glass, the pressure I was exerting on his freezing throat snapped it apart, decapitating the human and ending his miserable existence.

<Experience has reached a breaking point. [Fairy, Tasianna Marina Silverpond] has risen from [Level 49] to [Level 50]>

<Attributes have increased due to level up>

<Acquired 600 skill points>

<Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Arcane Mind Lv. 9] [Silent Cast Lv. 3] [Stealth Lv. 5] [Accuracy Correction Lv. 2] [Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 5] [Night Vision Lv. 6] [Evasion Lv. 5] [Acrobatic Lv. 5] [Mid-Air Maneuvering Lv. 3] [Identify Lv. 6] [Stamina Recovery Lv. 2] [Enhanced Mana Growth Lv. 6] [Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 4] [Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 6] [Enhanced Intelligence Enforcement Lv. 4] [Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 5] [Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 3] [Enhanced Stamina Capacity Lv. 2] gained>

<Multiple acquisition requirements fulfilled. [Magic Power Enhancement Lv. 1] [Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 1] [Battle Mind Lv. 1] [Terror Aura Lv. 1] acquired>

… The System messages were long. I hadn’t looked them up until now.

…

“… Huek … Miss Saori was right …," I whimpered as something slowly flowed down my cheeks.

Holding onto the cold, bloody remains of this human's throat, something stirred inside me the moment I saw my level go up. I felt re-energized from having my Mana regenerated but there was also something that was currently weighing down my shoulders.

I … didn’t know what was going on within me. I killed all these men to fulfill my duty as Princess Hestia’s protector and retainer, bringing down just punishment for a band of criminals. They caused others suffering. They were clear sinners in the eye of my Goddess, as even Priest Kushlek’zar and the other Tide Watchers were condemning them.

That was the right thing to do, right? Right?

Princess Schuri, what I did was correct, right? Right? Didn't you want me to stop the man who tortured you? The man who broke our peace. The man who shattered the dreamland. Our fairytale ended too soon …

Princess Hestia? I did this to get stronger. To become strong enough to serve you well. It was the right thing to kill them, right? Right?

… So, why do I feel so empty?

Why do I feel so empty, Miss Saori?

I was confused, so confused. However, I knew that standing around and weeping in my own solitude would help no one. The night was still young and the fighting hadn't stopped yet.

My Mistress needs me, was my only thought as I dragged my heavy footsteps towards the person who I considered my “Shining Light.”