Chapter 922 – Opportunity to Turn Back
000
After Chopper finished telling the whole story, there was silence inside the lab.
Phew, all I could hear was her sigh.
“How is it. It was quite a long story, right? I think it would have been better to sit down and listen.”
And, Chopper was talking while looking back at Cleon.
＂No, my legs are fine… More than that.＂
And Cleon will look back on her group.
Perhaps others felt similar feelings.
“I’m taking in too much information at once, so I just need to organize it… So? Dorothea was originally a human, and she became the Fairy King by using the tool you developed to steal the Fairy King’s power?”
“Okay. And she was trusted even among the fairies, so no one objected to her becoming the fairy king. The only fairies who know the details are the Fairy Council, including me… But we were her accomplices. Even if I regret it later and oppose her enthronement, one person’s opinion will only crush me.”
Isn’t Dorothea helping the fairies from her first adventure for this purpose from the beginning?
In hindsight, everything was bound to become suspicious.
＂The treason you mentioned earlier… That is, to take down Dorothea from her position as king?＂
“That’s right. The process and the results. The worst tyrant in the history of Fairy Village so far. If she continues like this as her king, this world will one day be left with only demonic beasts.”
As Chopper said this, she picked something up from the mountain of miscellaneous items around her.
It was a miniature of a certain magic tool.
Above the sphere, a pyramid-shaped sculpture with mirrors on all sides was floating. There was no particular sense of magical power.
However, there was an eerie feeling as if the eye-shaped pattern on the top of the pyramid was looking in this direction.
“This is a model of the execution platform. The original is stored under the table in the council room you all have been to.”
“The structure is simpler than I thought.”
“The important thing about the execution platform is the magic contained within it. … The magic of a ‘witch’ that is so full of malice that it is hard for us fairies to understand. Dorothea contained within it the magical essence of the devils who had repeatedly carried out evil experiments on the fairies of this world for thousands of years. “You probably heard that fairies executed on the execution platform, strictly speaking, do not die, but rather become demonic beasts, right?”
Everyone in her group nodded at Chopper’s words.
Actually, Nagi and Tohen confirmed that that was the case.
“… Careclona Dorothea said it was more humane than killing the fairies directly, but that ignored the fact that they were hiding something.”
＂What does it mean?＂
Chopper began to quietly answer Cleon’s questions.
“It’s not something new that fairies value their roles. In fact, for us, whether we can perform our role is a law that has existed since the creation of this world called Fairy Village – no, since the creation of the fairy race.”
“That’s not exactly a bad habit that arose when Dorothea became king…”
“By your human standards. It might be strange to face death just because you can’t do your job. But fairies are ‘a race that was created that way in the first place’. Please think of that as being different from humans and accept it.”
Because fairies have a similar appearance to humans, we may have unknowingly applied human standards to them.
Regarding that part, it was necessary to think separately to some extent.
“But… The inability to do one’s job is not solely caused by defects at birth. Decrease in function due to aging, or injury from an accident, or acquired psychological factors… Similar to you humans, fairies change gradually, even if the speed is slow. It’s natural to not be faithful to one’s role. And for those fairies, the original fairy scent was to face extinction naturally. And the fairies that disappeared like that… Are reborn again over time.”
“You mean reincarnation?”
“You could say that. Her appearance and name change, but she is reborn as a new fairy who inherits some of her memories and roles from her previous life. This fairy scent has been continued that way.”
In other words, for a fairy, death is not a complete death, but a kind of process to throw off one’s current self and resume the meaning of one’s life.
“But. Even though the fairy who was hit by Dorothea’s scaffold takes the form of a demonic beast, she does not die. So, it’s just taking away the role that the fairy originally had and passing it on to someone else. No new fairies are born. Well… Not only that. Because they keep executing fairies for different reasons. Half for fun.”
Therefore, if Dorothea continues to execute like this, the number of fairies and the number of demonic beasts may one day reverse.
No, maybe the day will come when the Fairy Council, and she will be the only fairies left in this world.
That’s what Chopper meant when he said that there were only demonic spirits left.
＂So, in order to prevent her future like that… I want to protect her. I will hit Dorothea.”
＂… The reason you told us that plan, of course…＂
“I want you to cooperate too.”
Chopper nodded her head in response to Cleon’s question.
＂Why us?＂
“Because we have confirmed that you have the skills to do so. I regret lending control of the necklace to Careclaw, but meeting you was an unexpected harvest.”
Chopper answers while shrugging his shoulders.
＂Can you lend me control of the necklace to Careclaw? … Surely, the one who took off the necklace there was Careclaw?”
“Yes, that’s right. Careclaw, like me, is one of the traitors who are trying to bring Dorothea down… So for now, we are in a cooperative relationship. The reason we removed the necklace… Was to diminish the power of Dandelion, who is a complete loyalist… Well, our purpose itself… Is a little different.”
Chopper’s words remind Cleon of Careclaw’s actions.
There was no hostility towards Dorothea or anything like that from her.
However, it would be a lie if I said there was nothing suspicious.
It seems that there was a different feeling inside the mask-like face of the scarecrow.
＂How are they different specifically?＂
When Amelia asked a question as if she was concerned about Chopper’s words, Chopper turned to her and answered.
“Careclaw wants to become the new fairy king. Thanks to the wisdom she gained from her fairy king, she developed a vanity that she had never known before. At first, being a noble was enough… But now I think I want more than that. And my purpose is… To return the Fairy King, who lost his power to them, to its original state, and to return this Fairy Incense to its original form.”
Bring back the Fairy King.
That is, the name, abilities, appearance, and memories must be returned to the Fairy King’s demon beast somewhere.
“But to return the fairies executed by the scaffold to their original form, you need the authority of the Fairy King and the scaffold, right?”
“That part has already been cleared. When the execution platform starts working… I can take over control.”
Chopper shakes her head at Amelia’s point.
＂Using that, I will take the power from the three fairy nobles, including me, and Dorothea, and return the two fairies to their original state. That’s my rebellion plan.”
In Chopper’s words, she naturally expressed her determination to return the heart she had won to the fairy king.
It was ironic.
The Tin Woodman, who originally had no sentiments or emotions, simply carried out what he was ordered to do without feeling guilty about what he was about to do –
Since I have the heart of a fairy king, I want to return everything to the way it was.
The group nodded quietly, feeling that way, and then Kuon made a questioning voice as if there was one thing that was bothering him.
＂Two fairies…? Aside from His Majesty the ancestral Fairy King, is there anyone else…?”
“Quon. It was in Chopper’s story, right? A fairy who stayed by the fairy king’s side until the end.”
When Lila spoke to Kuon as if asking if he had forgotten, Kuon nodded as if he understood.
＂Is this a knight of the Fairy King?＂
“Yes, that’s right. Her power may not be comparable to that of the Fairy King, but she was nonetheless the strongest fairy of her time in terms of force. A knight of loyalty who took up his sword and fought as her shield for the wizard, the Fairy King.”
A knight who came close to stopping Dorothea’s rebellion by cutting off her head.
“Indeed… If she returns to normal… She is now a demon, right? Where is she now?”
＂That-＂
Cleon nodded her head as if she understood, and before Chopper could reply, Lila said “Hot” And closed her mouth for a moment as if she realized something.
Then, she placed her hand on Cleon’s shoulder and spoke with a cold sweat on his face.
＂… Cleon. I think I know who that driver is.”
“What? “Really?”
“Okay. When she told us we were taking him with her, she thought Dorothea’s reaction was a bit strange…”
Cleon looked surprised by her words.
In other words, what she thinks is a knight of the Fairy King is-
＂V, is that what Vuvre is like!?＂
Sasha raises her voice instead of Cleon.
＂Yes.＂
And, Chopper answered instead of Lila, confirming Lila’s guess as ‘true’.
“The beast you call Buvre… Is a fairy called ‘Melusine’ in the past. The younger sister of His Majesty the Fairy King, who was a lake fairy, and a proud and beautiful water swordsman. The fairy knight, Melusine.”
It was a story that made my head hurt.
＂Why is a guy like that in the human world… Ah.＂
Lila speaks in a slightly annoyed voice, then pauses as if she has found the answer herself.
“Dorothea must have been quite afraid. Putting it in her circus and using it as a spectacle would have been a humiliating act, but she gave up even that and threw it into the human world so that it wouldn’t reach her eyes. By blaming her for their treason.”
＂… That’s why her other fairies felt uncomfortable when they saw her… ＂
Lila let out a sigh, as if she finally understood.
“If it’s Vuvre… You said earlier that Ninianne is with you, right?”
“Ah. In that case, we need to retrieve Buvre from Ninianne… And take him to the Hall of Congress.”
Chopper, who heard Amelia and Cleon’s conversation, blinked her eyes and spoke.
“No. That’s good. Just ask Ninianne to come in alone with the vivre.”
“To Ninianne? … Do you plan on getting Nini Anne involved in her plan?”
She is a maid who works at the fairy king’s castle.
She certainly seemed to have more common sense than others, but if it was to the point of rebelling against the Fairy King, she didn’t know.
＂But even if you hide the circumstances and ask to come in, they will also view it as suspicious…＂
“No. She is the center of our plans.”
As if ignoring her group’s discussion, when Chopper spoke like that, her group’s eyes turned to her once again.
＂What does that mean?＂
“Nini Anne – she is the one we need to take away Dorothea’s power and return it to her.”
“… Huh?”
Cleon seemed to not understand her words for a moment, but when she understood what she meant, she had no choice but to jump up.
＂Ninianne is the previous queen… A lake fairy!? But she used the scaffold, so why didn’t she become a witch?”
＂Because he is the Fairy King.＂
＂It’s not explained…＂
Laila speaks as if that alone is not enough.
But Chopper tilted his head and answered her.
“The Fairy King is a special being. For she had suppressed all the witches to her east, west, south, and north, until she was overtaken by her Dorothea with her own magic. Although she was attacked because she was careless and had low physical strength… It must be said that she had strong resistance to the witches’ spells from the beginning.”
Looking at the scaffold in her hands, she continued her story.
“Therefore. Even though she fell victim to the witch’s clever tricks, she did not lose everything. Even if she lost her powers, memories, and name, she never lost her original self… And her grace.”
＂Thanks to her, she didn’t become a witch…＂
Clearly, she was a powerful being that could not be compared to Dorothea or the witches.
“Dorothea, in her place, was unable to let her go from her own reach. She probably wanted to keep it close by and keep an eye on it. If there is even a trace of her regaining her memories… She can take action immediately.”
“It’s just as you said. Dorothea was so thorough in hiding Ninianne’s identity that she prevented Ninianne from coming out from behind the castle and the tent, and she executed everyone who knew her true face.”
Chopper nodded her head, saying that Lila’s guess was correct.
She looked back at the group, then slowly opened her mouth.
“Ruler. I am my past. My plan. … And I told you everything I thought. I know. It was my own fault that changed this world like this. … And there is no need for you to participate in saving this Fairy Incense.”
And then she slowly got up from where she was sitting and lowered her head and lowered her back.
“… But. It is impossible for me to return this Fairy Incense to its original state on my own. Without your help… Careclaw’s rebellion will either succeed or fail – and change this Fairy Village in an even worse direction.”
I can imagine it in my head.
If Caer Claw’s rebellion succeeds – she will probably sacrifice even more people to the scaffold to strengthen her own authority than even Dorothea.
On the other hand, if it fails… The fairies of this world will be sacrificed until Dorothea’s mood is relieved.
No matter which way we went, it was clear that it was a hellish situation.
To resolve this situation, we must bring down Dorothea and return to the era of the original king, the Lake Fairy.
It wasn’t difficult to understand her thoughts.
Someone else here would have made the same choice in her situation.
＂Okay.＂
So, Cleon answered like that.
No one in the group opposed his words.
It would be safe to think that everyone accepted it.
＂Really…?＂
Chopper raised her head as if surprised that Cleon’s answer came back faster than expected.
“Of course, we are adventurers, so we will receive compensation accordingly. … But, putting that aside-“
Cleon seemed to be clenching his fists.
“I don’t think Dorothea and Careclaw will feel better if I don’t give them a treat.”
＂I agree.＂
As if Lila was doing the same, her eyes and the tips of her hair lit up.
“… I never thought I would be involved in another country’s treason…”
＂Ahaha… Amelia. If it seems like a problem between countries, Amelia, can you go back first?”
＂Well, it can’t be!＂
When Amelia reacted in surprise to Sasha’s words, Kuon smiled as if he were embarrassed.
“Everyone, it looks like they were quite stressed after coming to Fairy Village…”
“… Thank you, humans. The reward for you must be.”
Chopper nodded and clenched her fist.
Finally… The opportunity has come to put the gears that have become dislocated back into place.
It is a precious opportunity that should never be missed, both by her and by this world.
And whether she could seize that opportunity was up to her and Cleon’s group.
