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Chapter 28
“I found the sand, human!”
“Really? Faster than I thought.”
“What kind of reaction is that?”
I answered calmly, but Perry pouted his lower lip and muttered. His mood was sour because he didn’t get the answer he wanted.
“I’ve been looking at sand all day! My wings hurt, my wings!”
I forced a smile, lifting the corners of my mouth.
“Alright, good job.”
“What? That’s it? Show a little more respect! Praise me properly!”
Perry puffed out his cheeks like a blowfish. How unfair. I’d never even gotten a ‘thank you’ when giving him energy. I tapped his puffed-up cheeks and gave him the response he wanted.
“Amazing. I knew you could do it, Perry.”
Perry’s cheeks flushed bright red at my reluctant, 99% insincere compliment, and he turned his face away with a small pout.
“Hmph! You know it!”
A little later, Perry’s mouth started running like a motor.
“What would you have done without me? You should be glad I’m here! You always complain when I eat a fistful of cookies, but if I do it, I’m a capable fairy! Got it?”
“…….”
“You ignore me, but if I went to the fairy realm, everyone would bow and say, ‘Master, Master, please teach us how to use magic!’ Human, I’m not someone you can just ignore!”
Ugh, noisy. The effect of all that reading shows here. Perry kept talking without pause.
“I’m saying, if I go to the fairy realm, I’m not a fairy who gets treated like this!”
“Yeah, yeah. So, which region?”
Seeing that I was trying to dodge the question, Perry crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.
“Come on, don’t be like that. Which region?”
“Hmph, Cent.”
What the… Why there of all places? I raised one eyebrow and stared at Perry, clearly displeased.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you know how hard it was? Flying around with this fragile body while detecting magic is exhausting!”
“You can move using magic, right?”
“Oh, how did you know?”
Is he asking me a question? Perry’s eyes went wide, and he froze, genuinely surprised. So, he just blurts things out assuming I wouldn’t know.
Isn’t there more he’s lying about? I scanned Perry suspiciously. He circled upward and rose high into the air. The magic pouring onto the top of my head scattered like stars.
“I-I can’t do it all the time! I can only teleport to places where the contractor is.”
He wriggled his hands trying to explain, but my trust was already shaken. I’ll have to ask a fairy scholar about this later.
“Anyway, making me, fragile as I am, work so hard… Human, you’re going to be punished!”
“Oh, really?”
I scratched my ear at his nonsense and pondered the next step. There was a villa in Peard, so it would be convenient to bring in sand if I bought land there. It might actually be a good thing.
“But this is strange.”
Perry tilted his head and scratched it. The small fairy, now flying low, landed on my lap.
“The sand feels… off.”
“Why, what’s wrong with it?”
“I felt the energy of the fairy realm.”
“Of course. You’re finding the magic left behind by a sand fairy.”
“No, it’s different! It was freshly left, very recent energy!”
Magic is like a steamed bun… fresh? Perry brushed his jaw and lowered his voice seriously.
“I think this…”
He suddenly raised his face like he had an epiphany from a detective movie scene.
“Oh no! Did the Fairy King come to catch me? Kyaa!”
Perry flew through the air, clutching his head with both hands. In a blink, he scattered magic and scurried around the corners of the room.
“What a waste of my energy.”
I shook my head, ignoring the daydreaming Perry.
“The sand’s settled, so the second issue is investment.”
Anima wasn’t affected by the seasons, but, like the Salis Kingdom, it needed a dry environment, so a special process was required.
The production requirements for Anima were: sandy soil, sunny dry environment, Anima seeds. Meeting all conditions required a greenhouse, seed imports, labor, and Perry’s magic.
“What now…”
Investment was needed, but even the Peard Guild couldn’t justify ordinary families investing their lifelong savings into such an uncertain venture.
I needed to convince them without mentioning Perry, but how could I explain the sand? I felt like I was about to argue against a solid wall.
“Tsk, ugh. What’s that smell?”
Taking a deep breath out of frustration, a foul odor hit me. I pinched my nose with my knuckles. Where was it coming from?
Sniffing like a dog, I creased my nose, searching everywhere: bed, curtains, dressing table. Even the torn letter I suspected might be Dele’s, I sniffed.
Unable to locate the source, I was about to ask Perry for help when he shielded his body and started slipping out the window.
“Perry, where are you going?”
Perry froze like a guilty thief, eyes rolling in the air. I quickly grabbed one of his wings, and the other flapped violently in resistance.
“What… what are you doing?! Let me go!”
Even though I wasn’t trying to smell him, the stench around Perry wafted up to my nose. I pinched my nose and narrowed my eyes.
“…The culprit of this smell.”
It was both the smell itself and revenge on Perry. From our first meeting, he mocked me for saying humans smelled like fertilizer. I later learned he teased me because I had reacted indifferently to fairies.
Perry teleported away from me. His tiny, rice-grain-sized face turned red.
“Whose fault is this?! It’s not my fault the sand’s covered in magic while you roll around to sense it! Dog… dog poop isn’t my fault!”
A moment later, Perry calmed down, burying his face in his hands.
“It’s the greatest shame in my fairy life. Sob sob.”
A weak sob came, as if he might start crying. He collapsed on the table, hiding his face with his hair.
Of course, Perry, usually so neat, ended up like this because of me. His hair hung limply along the grain of the table. I lightly tapped his shoulder and asked:
“Perry, want me to wash you?”
Perry’s reaction was far more intense than I expected. He straightened his back, and his tiny body produced a voice that could shake the mansion.
“Are… are… are you crazy? Human?!”
“You only need to say ‘are,’ Perry.”
“What… what’s wrong with my mind?!”
“EDM?”
“Don’t… don’t toy with me! I’m male! I’m… male!”
I wasn’t sure if he was even hearing me as he rambled like an unrelenting wave. Male… maybe it shows on his face. Perry furrowed his brow.
“What’s with that face? Human, you don’t realize that if I gather magic and humanize, my beauty is amazin—”
“Alright, alright, enough. I’ll tell Donna to bring some lukewarm tea.”
I waved my hand, cutting off Perry’s motor before it restarted.
“You… ungrateful human!”
Perry flew out the window, muttering curses like a newborn bird.
He ran away. Did I go too far? I scratched my head. When he returns, I’ll have to give him chocolate cookies in his left hand and walnut cookies in his right.
“Having them like this…”
gulp.
gulp.
gulp.
I could hear them swallowing. Seeing my family after a few days, their faces were full of worry. The pale Count, and even Dave, unusually tense.
Tremble tremble—
Dave’s legs knocked against the table as he shook them. He was tense, unsure where I might suddenly dash after announcing I would go to Cent.
Sherry, sweating, avoided my gaze. This wasn’t just nervousness. Why is she like that? Momentarily puzzled, I got to the point:
“I intend to produce Anima flower tea.”
“Anima? Is that even possible?”
The Count and Dave’s eyes sharpened. Dave straightened his posture.
I felt uneasy trying to convince them. Discovering special sand and being able to grow Anima there sounded like a risky venture, even if I didn’t explain the magic—it would seem like intuition-driven business.
They had the duty to preserve the family guild. No matter if they were family, they wouldn’t casually invest in something so unlikely. I made my bold proposal, but worry crept in.
“Trust me, I’m confident.”
A brief silence followed. My dry palms became damp, and I had to wipe them on my clothes.
“Ugh.”
The Count rubbed his forehead and bowed. He probably thought it was a reckless challenge. Worst case, I’d have to reveal Perry’s existence. Just then, faint anxious noises of someone struggling to swallow came from somewhere.
What is it? There’s no reason to cry here… The source was the Count, turned away from me.
“Are… are you crying?”
The Count’s shoulders trembled. Shocked by the situation before him, he slowly opened his mouth.
“No, why would I cry?”
His mouth was full of empty air.
“This father thought… this father believed… when you stepped out into the world, you’d do great things. This father…”
Everything he said began and ended with “this father.”
Even as he tried to maintain dignity, he took out a handkerchief from his chest, worried I might see him cry. He waved it, unfolded it, and closed his eyes. The handkerchief was soaked with tears in the exact shape of eyes.
A character I couldn’t handle had appeared.
