NOVEL NEXT Chapter 296.1
Chapter 296.1. Fairies
The word “magnificent” was fitting. The sentinel let out a gasp of admiration, finding the scene before his eyes worthy of such a description.
Guided by Titania, we arrived at the center of the dome. In the vast space, hundreds of cores were neatly stored in capsules. The two-meter-tall metal capsules were filled with green liquid, with the cores floating at their centers. The capsules were attached to containers mounted on pillars, with numerous cables extending from them.
Amidst the rhythmic, pulsating sounds, the capsules were stored at perfectly even intervals on pillars that stretched all the way to the ceiling.
“Are all of these fairy units?”
“Y-yes. Aside from those destroyed or absorbed, 279 fairy units are stored here along with their specialized equipment.”
When the sentinel confirmed with Titania, Sakimori couldn’t help but grin at her unexpected answer.
“Specialized equipment? Even their specialized equipment is stored here?”
“Y-yes. Each fairy unit has its own specialized equipment.”
Titania replied in a timid voice, still seemingly afraid of him. Sakimori chuckled wryly, but this was no time for that. If that was the case, then these fairies must be incredibly powerful.
This was reassuring. The probability of the operation’s success had just increased significantly.
“P-please don’t send them to their deaths.”
“Don’t worry. They’ll be well compensated for the danger.”
Reassuring the worried Titania, Sakimori waved his index finger like a conductor, spreading his mana thinly across the surroundings.
The cores inside the capsules that came into contact with his mana were absorbed and sent to the equivalent exchange store.
[Obtained Dryad Core]
[Obtained Brownie Core]
[Obtained Fairy Core]
The log displayed that numerous fairy cores had been obtained. It seemed there were no issues.
“Serika, start the preparations. The deadline is one week from now, when the setup is complete and my mana tank is fully charged. Until then, we’ll stay holed up here.”
“Understood. I’ll start preparing then. Good luck, okay?”
“Leave it to me!”
[Hidden Door]
Serika nodded, and when she asked Sachi for help, the little girl nodded firmly and waved her hand. A door appeared on the wall, and Serika opened it without hesitation. It led to her laboratory, where numerous packed pieces of equipment were stored.
“Alright. Let’s move this equipment in. Everyone, lend a hand.”
“Fine. But my help doesn’t come cheap, you know?”
“Using this equipment for manual labor? What a waste.”
“Well, peace is good, isn’t it?”
“I’ll help too.”
Led by Shizuku, the group began lifting the equipment and carrying it inside. The box fairy, startled, rattled her wooden box in surprise.
“E-explain this to me!”
“Don’t worry. We have a whole week. Plenty of time.”
While spreading my mana to absorb all the fairy cores, I reassured her with a smile.
“Is this… bad? Is it bad?”
“It’s for humanity. In other words, for justice. With this, I’m destined to become the world’s savior.”
“W-wait, Pixie. Is this bad? Explain it to me!”
Despite my confident grin, Titania only grew more frightened. I didn’t understand why.
Ignoring my confusion—or perhaps frustration—and brushing off Titania’s protests, Shizuku and the others continued moving the equipment inside.
“I’ll explain once everyone is revived. Repeating explanations is inefficient.”
Serika smiled at the timid Titania as she carried the equipment. It was a sort of follow-up, I suppose.
Titania probably wanted to know the details of the operation before her comrades’ cores were absorbed, but too bad. Explaining was a hassle. Whether she accepted it or not, the operation couldn’t be stopped now. I had no intention of stopping it.
All that was left was to push forward and ensure the operation’s success.
“Now, while absorbing, let’s revive the fairy units.”
Summoning the equivalent exchange store, I began exchanging cores for fairy units. Rapidly pressing the buttons, I revived everyone in no time.
[Exchanged for Dryad]
[Exchanged for Brownie]
[Exchanged for Fairy]
Magic circles appeared in the air one after another, and various adorable fairy units in the form of young girls materialized. Their hair colors ranged from pink to blue, and their styles… well, their styles didn’t matter. It wouldn’t be gentlemanly to comment on a lady’s figure.
“Being fewer in number makes us more valuable, right, Sentinel? Right?”
“Performance isn’t determined by appearance, so it’s not an issue.”
Shizuku tugged at my sleeve, but I didn’t mind, so she could rest easy.
“Where is this place?”
“Who am I?”
“There are humans here!”
The newly created fairy units spun around, chattering excitedly. As the saying goes, three young girls together make a noisy crowd.
“It’s Pixie~”
“Nadja’s here too~. Is the little girl Silky?”
“It’s the troublemaker trio~. There’s even a divine machine. How rare.”
True to their fairy nature, they were curious and began chatting cheerfully after observing their surroundings and confirming Shizuku and the others. They showed no concern for their current situation.
I tilted my head, wondering if they felt no anxiety at all. And it seemed the trio was known as troublemakers.
“Everyone~. I’m sorry, I couldn’t protect you all. I’m the queen who’s supposed to protect the fairies.”
From inside the wooden box, Titania’s weak voice apologized. As the queen, she had intended to let her pitiful comrades, who had been exploited by humans and sent to another world as combatants, rest in peace. But as their guardian, she had failed to protect them. She felt responsible and was deeply depressed.
Now, revived by the Demon King, she seemed on the verge of tears. Hearing Titania’s words, the fairies exchanged glances and nodded.
“It was nice drifting in the world of sleep, but it’s also good to be back in the real world for duty.”
“I want to eat some food too.”
“I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?”
In response to Titania’s apology, the fairies smiled gently, saying there was no need to worry. Whether they truly meant it was unclear, but none of them seemed to blame Titania.
These fairies had been used in war for a long time. I recalled the words I had heard many times: “For humans, why are they so strong?”
From that, I could guess that the humans of Shizuku’s world had not participated in the war. The fairies had egos and, of course, emotions.
Thus, I respected the fairies as living beings, equal to humans. The humans of Shizuku’s world must have been different. They likely treated the fairy units like the mindless familiars I created.