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Translator & Proofreader: OssanTL
As they walked down the paved road in the village, it was eerily quiet, with hardly any villagers in sight.
Every now and then, a child would peek out from a house only to be hurriedly pulled back in by what seemed to be their parents, as if they were afraid of something.
The putrid smell was a dead giveaway that something was seriously wrong.
Zeros and the others had a hunch they already knew the cause.
“Could this be the fairies’ doing?”
“Most probably, those pesky fairies must be causing trouble again for the low-level villagers…so annoying.”
“Well, fairies are like that, aren’t they? You’ve seen it in [Sword and Sorcery], right?”
“Sure, but…I can’t help but go easy on them because they’re so cute.”
“I can understand how you feel, but plenty of vicious monsters look cute on the outside, you know?”
Fairies might look cute and harmless, but don’t be fooled by their appearance.
In reality, they have a twisted sense of fun that involves killing creatures and pulling malicious pranks.
The main reasons for this are their long lifespan and ability to survive solely on magical natural energy, which means they have no interest in things like food.
Additionally, fairies have childlike intelligence and lack an ethical sense of right and wrong.
On the bright side, fairies are pure and innocent, but their innocence often leads to cruelty.
They are curious and capricious, causing trouble with their whimsical behaviour. Most physical and elemental magic attacks have little effect on them, so they become overconfident, knowing they cannot be harmed.
They find human panic amusing, and their childlike intelligence means they lack any sense of danger, appearing anywhere on a whim. To fairies, killing creatures is like bullying other children, and they do it without hesitation. The problem is that they have the power to do so.
“When I was playing the game, I wanted to make a contract with a fairy or a familiar…”
“Not doing it was the right choice. You would have been in for a world of hurt. That’s for sure.”
“I could have handled it, no problem~. After all, I’m a veteran player!”
After walking for a while, a large crowd gathered, and angry voices could be heard.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a church, with villagers protesting and surrounding a priest.
“So you’re saying that fairies are very pure and have no malicious intent. They don’t act on desires like humans and are a race that lives freely with pure hearts.”
“Does that mean it’s okay for them to kill livestock in large quantities?! Our livelihoods are at stake too!”
“It’s not just livestock! They bury us in holes or push us off cliffs on a whim! Where’s the purity and innocence in that?”
“Just the other day, a baby was brutally dismembered! My neighbour Misa was so shocked she couldn’t leave her bed!!”
“Last year, a child from Judan’s place was dissected while still alive in the forest! Enough is enough!!”
“It’s easy for you to say since you haven’t been attacked!”
“That’s because I am a devout believer of the Four Gods. Perhaps the reason the fairies attack is because you are disrespecting the gods?”
That was a terrible story.
It seems that the damage caused by the fairies has been going on for several years. Despite being troubled by this damage, the priest insists that he is blessed by God and tries to get through it by deceiving everyone with the grace of God.
The villagers would surely be angry if they were accused of lacking faith.
Not only are they already angry about the fairies, but these words are like pouring oil on the fire. It wouldn’t be surprised if things escalated into a riot.
The Ossan was somewhat curious about the fairies, so he pretended to be an ignorant traveller and started gathering information.
“Excuse me, what’s going on here?”
“Huh? What, you a traveller? That’s rare.”
“Just passing by on my way to Santor, using the highway. So, what’s the commotion all about?”
“It’s about the damage caused by the fairies. We’re trying to persuade them with the help of the priest from the Four Gods religion, but…”
“But the priest doesn’t seem interested in helping at all. It seems like a waste of time.”
“““““!?”““““
The Ossan had let slip an unnecessary comment.
The intense glares of the villagers were all focused on Zeros. But knowing the nature of the fairies, he decided to get through this by telling them the truth.
“Fairies have nothing to do with the Four Gods. They recognize the priest’s clothes and won’t harm anyone wearing them. If they see someone in regular clothes, they will attack them without a doubt.”
“Wait a minute, if the Four Gods have nothing to do with it…why don’t they attack the priests? I don’t get it.”
“Perhaps someone has made a contract with the fairies. ‘If you don’t attack, I won’t harm you,’ or something like that. If you think about it that way, everything makes sense, don’t you think?”
“Who would make such a contract…a Mage? No, Mages and priests are on bad terms.”
“I don’t know. But trying to persuade that priest over there is pointless. It’s quicker to take care of them if they attack. Luckily, you can gather some valuable potion ingredients from fairies, so you can sell them at a high price.”
As everyone looked at each other, they began discussing how to defeat the fairies.
Normal attacks don’t work on fairies, and they have high resistance to magic. However, their endurance is extremely low, so if a villager’s attack were to land, the fairy could be defeated in one blow. But that’s assuming the attack hits…
In the midst of this, there was one person who spoke up against the plan. It was the priest of the Four Gods religion.
“Wait, everyone! We shouldn’t be swayed by the words of that mage over there. The fairies are a pure race. Are you suggesting that we kill them? You will face the judgment of the Four Gods!”
“If that’s the case, are you going to convince them? It’s because of them that people have died! If they’re such a pure race, why are they causing trouble for others?”
“““““That’s right! That’s right!”““““
“The fairies are races with innocent hearts. That’s why they are like children, pure and innocent. I think humans should be like that too.”
“If they’re so pure, then why can they harm children? Are you saying it’s okay to do anything as long as they’re innocent and young?”
The priest had already become teary-eyed.
Defending the fairies would earn the villagers’ animosity, but siding with the villagers would go against the teachings of the Four Gods religion.
In the Four Gods religion, fairies are the first race created by the gods. Still, these fairies have been causing trouble with their mischievous behaviour. In a sense, this priest was also a victim.
“Hmm, if we recognize fairies as a race, then wouldn’t it be reasonable to subject them to judgment? Fairies should also be subject to that, just like how permission is granted to kill thieves who attack merchants. At least, that’s what I think.”
“W-what kind of terrifying thing are you saying…? Fairies have much greater power than humans! There’s no way humans can stand up to them!! This is why lowly wizards like you…”
“I’ve already taken care of two of them since arriving in this village. I killed them without holding back because they attacked me. Is there a problem with that?”
“W-what…you killed fairies…? That’s impossible…”
“It’s kill or be killed. That’s all there is to it, you know? Besides, one was about to drop an anvil on my head.”
The power of fairies mainly comes from their pure magical energy. They possess a lot of magical energy and are skilled in manipulating it, allowing them to perform powerful attacks. However, the problem is that they only use their exceptional abilities for their own pleasure.
While they can use their power as they wish, causing significant trouble for others is different. As a recognized race, the actions of fairies could lead to war and even result in the extermination of their entire species.
In such a case, even the Four Gods religion that defends fairies could lose its status as the state religion.
“Shouldn’t we consider hiring a mage? It’s difficult to defeat them physically and magically. Still, magic might have a higher chance of taking care of the fairies.”
“I see… Maybe I should plead to the lord. The fairy damage is severe, so maybe he’ll do something about it.”
“Wait! Killing fairies is an act of defiance against the gods! Think it over!”
“Shut up! What did the gods ever do for us?! The baby that was killed wasn’t even a year old!”
“The child who was killed was only ten years old! Don’t act so high and mighty when you’ve done nothing!”
“There are also many injured people! If we let this go any further, we don’t know what will happen to us!”
The damage seemed even worse than what the Ossan had imagined.
The foul smell wafting from all over the village was because they hid the innards of slaughtered livestock directly beneath the houses, which humans couldn’t reach, causing them to rot and create a disgusting odour as a form of harassment.
Just hearing about it made Zeros cringe. They did terrible things like leaving severed heads of livestock at the entrance, burying physically disabled elderly people alive, and pushing pregnant women into the river.
“Ojisan… Fairies… Fantasy world…”
“It’s good to dream of fantasies. But the reality is like this. Fairies are known for mischievous behaviour towards humans, even in legends like those in England. Whether fairies are friendly towards humans is a separate issue from how to deal with them.
In reality, fairies are completely different creatures. It would be easier to interact with beastmen who can communicate with humans. Fairies won’t listen to human talk and forget things quickly.”
“Ojisan… What did fairies do to you in Sword and Sorcery? You seem to have a lot of hostility towards them.”
“When I was a low level, fairies pushed me off a cliff, and I was swept away in a river, then they dropped rocks on me from above, froze me under a waterfall, and I died and had to respawn. During a battle with a rare monster, my legs were tangled in vines, and I was immobilized and then charged at, and they stole my healing potions. And during a raid boss fight, they dropped me in a pitfall…etc.”
“Ugh… fairies are too much. I understand why you don’t like them, Ojisan.”
The villagers didn’t understand anything about [Sword and Sorcery] or [Respawn]. Still, they knew firsthand how wicked the fairies’ mischief could be, so they nodded vigorously as they listened to the two people talk.
The villagers truly sympathized with the old man, and this was a shared sentiment that only those who had been victimized could truly understand.
“They can slip through walls, so they can invade anywhere, and those without power are easy prey. They think they can escape even if caught. They have enough power to do that.”
“What a waste of a strong ability. In a way, it’s enviable, but it also means making enemies…”
“As a countermeasure, you can defeat them with weapons imbued with magic, but they are small and fast, so it’s difficult. Why don’t you try raising a [Fairy Eater]?”
“What? I’ve never heard of that monster.”
“It’s a mutated species of [Man Eater] that preys on fairies. In return, it doesn’t prey on humans, and its seeds can be used as medicine. Fairies are stupid, so they often get lured and eaten by high-concentration magic. By the way, I have some seeds.”
“““““Please sell us those seeds!!”““““
“Ohh!?”
The villagers were all ears.
They didn’t know what to do in this situation, so they were desperate for any solution to free them. And the old man had that solution.
But the priest wasn’t too happy about it. If the mage could devise a solution to this situation, it would be a serious blow to the priest’s reputation. He was a devout believer, and he would do anything to prevent that from happening.
“Well, are you suggesting using monsters… how horrifying! Monsters are evil creatures that go against the gods, and to use their power is a devilish act!”
“I think it’s more reasonable to strive and wish for happiness, no matter what it takes, rather than just obeying the teachings of a do-nothing god. We’re no different from demons if we just sit and watch without doing anything while people suffer.”
“What an evil thing to say… know that accepting the benefits of monsters is akin to selling your soul to a malevolent god! This is why I can’t stand mages…”
“Oh, come on, you’re benefiting from the blessings of monsters, too, aren’t you?”
“W-what are you talking about… I would never accept the blessings of such evil creatures…”
“Hey, isn’t the priest’s clothing you’re wearing made of [Silk Crawler] thread? And your staff is a [Dea Trent], and the magic stone you’re wearing for protection is also obtained from a monster. You’re telling me you’re not benefiting from their blessings?”
“What?! Yes, these materials were obtained from monsters, but they were purified by sacred magic…”
“I don’t care about the logic. The fact is, you, too, have benefited from monster materials. It’s an unchangeable fact. Don’t you think it’s unreasonable that priests are allowed to use them, but regular people are not?”
Priests dislike mages because they twist the doctrine with logic and deny their faith with reason.
No matter how much they try to persuade mages with the content of their doctrine, they end up undermining everything with sound arguments. Therefore, the priests hated mages.
And now, the priest was defeated by the suspicious mage before him.
“Ojisan, even if you hate the Four Gods so much, there’s no need to take it out on the poor priest who’s just a messenger.”
“I don’t have any intention to do that… But if the villagers can’t move because of their faith during a tough time, it would be better if they were not here. Oh, this is a seed of [Fairy Eater].”
“Where did you get that from just now? You didn’t have anything a moment ago, did you?”
“That’s a trade secret. A magician never reveals their hand to anyone, or they will come up with countermeasures.”
Taking out a Fairy Eater seed from his inventory, he handed it to one of the villagers.
He had collected these seeds while surviving in this world and even during Celestina’s combat training. He had plenty in stock, so giving them away to someone else was no problem.
To the villager, it was strange that the seed had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, but it made them understand that the mage in front of them was more powerful than he looked.
However, the priest who witnessed the scene of him taking out the seed from his inventory had a different reaction.
“Are you… no, could it be… are you the Hero!?”
“No, just a shady magician. ‘Hero?’ What’s that? Is it tasty?”
“Don’t play dumb! The ability to summon things from the void is a special power possessed only by heroes! There’s no way you could have that power and not be a hero!!”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not a hero. I have no intention of becoming some trivial thing like that either.”
“Trivial?! Why would a hero defy the Four Gods? They are the chosen ones, are they not…?”
“Chosen, you say? But I do not intend to become a tool you and your kind have forcibly abducted and labelled as ‘heroes’ to serve your interests. Besides, I’m not a hero myself. I wasn’t summoned here either.”
“Isn’t that power unmistakably that of a hero? Why do you deny the gods?”
“You’re persistent… Heroes are not just chosen individuals. They are the ones who have gone through many trials and tribulations to become the chosen ones. People call them heroes. I can’t stand the fake title of ‘hero’ forced upon someone who didn’t ask for it. It’s just suspicious and disgusting.”
A shady-looking person calling a hero “shady” is quite surreal.
“Priest-sama, it’s useless to talk to this old man. He hates the Four Gods and will get angry if you push him around.”
“Are you saying I should acknowledge this mage who denies being a hero!? He is one of the chosen ones given power by the gods …”
“Well, you better not say anything more than that. Otherwise, Priest-sama might end up dead.”
“…What do you think I am? I won’t stoop to the level of indiscriminately using magic on weak opponents like that.”
“Eh? Didn’t you mercilessly attack those ambushers with magic? The fact can’t be changed, you know?”
It seemed to him that he could understand how Iris was viewing him.
The priest looked at her with disbelief.
The Hero is supposed to be a divine warrior, summoned by a ritual granted by the Four Gods to fulfil a mission they were given. They were the expendable troops who followed the Four Gods’ orders. The [Metis Holy Kingdom], the Four Gods’ religion’s main temple, is the only place where they are allowed to summon the Hero. The heroes were God’s representatives, using their powers to show God’s will and aid many people at the Archbishop’s request. It was unbelievable to think that there were magicians who denied the Four Gods despite having the power of the Hero.
In reality, the heroes were obedient to the will of the Four Gods Religion and were granted exceptional treatment.
“Are you a hero?”
“Does it look that way to you? What even is a ‘hero’? I don’t think the heroes around now are acting on their own beliefs. They just go with the flow. Well, if they get in my way, I’ll fight them. They’re just a nuisance.”
“Are you planning to fight against heroes!? Are you really that intent on denying your status as a hero!!”
“How many times do I have to say it? I’m not a hero.”
“Yeah, that’s true… you look pretty shady. You’re more like a hermit than a hero, almost like a vagrant.”
Everyone agreed with that opinion. After all, everyone present here is nodding in agreement.
The Ossan is lonely. Well, he is still single, and that is true in every sense.
He likes to dress suspiciously, but even the Ossan, treated like a vagrant, felt depressed inwardly. At that time, a villager came running in a hurry.
“S-S-S-S… something terrible happened!!”
“What happened? What’s going on?”
“The little boy from Simon’s place… was attacked by fairies! Inside his house!”
“Those damn fairies… Anyway, Priest-sama, snap out of it!”
“Huh, what?!”
“Don’t just stand there. Come on! Someone’s hurt, we must treat him quickly, or it’ll be bad!”
“Y-yes, you’re right. Let’s hurry.”
The villagers started moving around in a hurry. Ossan and the others were left behind in front of the church.
A whirlwind passed by right in front of them.
“…Ojisan, don’t you think you should go too? It’s probably an event, right?”
“This isn’t a game, so why would there be an event? I think it’s just a coincidence.”
“But, Ojisan, your secret tool might come in handy! Let’s go~.”
“Am I some kind of future robot…? Well, there are several similar tools I have…”
“Thus, O Great Sage, march forth!”
“Iris, why…why are you so excited?”
Of course, it’s because it’s an adventure.
Iris is currently adventuring with her admired [Exterminator]. The fact that she was on this adventure had elevated her excitement.
What’s more, an event occurred. With Iris, who had an unnecessarily high level of motivation, pushing him on, Zeros chased after the villagers and eventually arrived at a single house.
Honestly, the villagers were getting in the way. They managed to push through the crowd and successfully entered the house.
They saw the figure of a young boy, cruelly cut up and covered in blood. It was hard to say if he was lucky, but he was still alive despite being slashed open. Zeros judged that it would have been too late to save him if he had been dissected, but he could be healed.
Iris wrinkled her nose at the smell of blood and endured her nausea. She finally understood the malice of the fairies in this world, which was worse than that of the fairies in [Sword and Sorcery].
“Priest-sama, hurry! Please, help Luo quickly!!”
“Yes, I understand. By the mercy of God, heal this person’s wounds… [Light Heal]”
The priest used [Light Heal], a slightly more powerful version of the basic healing magic [Heal]. However, it still takes time to heal seriously injured patients.
This is probably because the priest’s level is low, and his [Intelligence] stat is not particularly high. The speed at which the wounds are healed is slow.
“I can’t let him die like this. I’ll be right back.”
“Ugh…can you…help me…? Ojisan…”
“This is my first time trying to heal someone in this world. Well, I’ll do what I can.”
Zeros head calmly towards the treatment area despite it being an emergency situation.
The priest noticed this and frowned, snapping at the Ossan.
“What, What are you doing here! There’s nothing a mage can do here! Leave immediately!”
“Since it’s an emergency, let’s continue the treatment. Now, [I heal, the great healing hand!].”
The recovery magic used by the Ossan, [I heal, the great healing hand].
It’s a modified magic formula that combines the [Refresh], which heals all abnormal statuses, with the advanced recovery magic [Grand Heal]. It has a similar effect to [Resurrection], which heals abnormal statuses and injuries. Still, the effect of [Resurrection] is only moderate due to the two effects. The recovery effect for mages is lower than that of priests, so the recovery effect is slightly reduced.
Zeros recovery magic was an experimental magic created to maximize the correction effect by the occupational effect of mages and priests. However, he was depressed at that time when he found out that the correction effect would not decrease because it was recovery magic.
To reduce the correction effect, the effect of equipment items was higher.
By the way, the power is tremendous if a high-level player uses it as a single magic. If you become a player like Zeros, the correction effect won’t matter much. However, it is different in battles with raid bosses where a slight difference in recovery effect can mean life or death.
That’s how the Ossan sees it…
“What, a mage using holy magic!? And the power of this spell, it’s just… unbelievable!”
A healing magic that not even priests knew about. And its effects were beyond amazing, as the wounds of the young boy were healed in no time.
Things were incredibly severe in the game setting of [Sword and Sorcery], with players dying from massive bleeding. The amount of remaining blood was determined by the status values. While it was possible to treat missing limbs and such, it was unclear if that could be done in this different world. After all, losing an arm here didn’t mean it would grow back. The magic formula for healing magic was much more complicated than attack magic, making it challenging to improve. However, the [Annihilators] were thrilled to do so.
They acquired specialized knowledge of human anatomy and medical books, conducted endless trials and errors, and finally completed the magic. In a sense, it was more complicated than 01 magic. The only way to know if the magic would work was to try it.
Despite being an unusual and unorthodox magic, it worked wonders in this world. The boy’s wounds were healed at a terrifying speed, and his critical condition was completely cured quickly.
The villagers erupted in cheers.
‘Hmm… So the effects are actually stronger. Even normal magic seems to be more powerful than I thought… Maybe it’s because the magical energy density is higher.’
After recalling the effects of the magic he had used until now, he was convinced that its power far exceeded that of Sword and Sorcery. This was particularly evident with the healing magic he had used this time.
Normally, healing magic would gradually raise one’s HP as their body healed, but [I heal, the great healing hand] treated both ailments and injuries simultaneously, which made the healing process extremely slow.
This was unchanged even with Ossan’s abnormal stats, so there was no way he could be healed quickly. This was the decisive difference between this world and the world of [Sword and Sorcery].
The effects were like healing magic used in a 2D RPG game. In fact, if you weren’t careful, your HP would be completely restored instantly.
“This…such holy magic. Is it not like a miracle of the gods?”
“Well, the magic turned out to be more effective than I expected. It’s like a surprise, but it yielded good experimental results.”
“Oh, and who are you? You insist on not being a hero despite possessing such power to even use holy magic! Such power, loved by the Four Gods…and, as a mage, can even use holy magic.”
“Holy magic, huh? This is just a light attribute magic. I’ve incorporated a few other attribute magic, but it’s a modified magic I’ve worked on myself. I’ve never relied on the Four Gods for anything. It’s all the result of my efforts.”
“What?! Are you saying that magicians created holy magic?!”
“Well, that’s where you’re denying it. It’s not that we created holy magic. It’s just that what we claim as holy magic is the same as what mages use. Otherwise, there’s no way mages could improve it, right?”
“That’s…then eventually, all mages will be able to master the so-called holy magic.”
“I suppose they will. It doesn’t matter to me, though. It’s just a matter of going back to before the war with the evil gods, sooner or later.”
The Ossan casually dropped a bombshell.
The priest, who had been given holy magic to serve the people and spread faith, was stunned by the harsh reality. Understandably, everything he had believed in had crumbled. Still, the priest’s expression revealed his faith had been completely invalidated, and he could no longer believe in anything.
If the holy magic is of the same nature as the magic used by mages, then their existence would also be that of mages. This was a cruel reality that devout believers could not easily accept.
“I don’t have any intention of denying faith, you know? I think that preaching morality for the sake of people is noble. However, I won’t show any mercy to scumbags who use it as a cover to satisfy their desires in secret. Betraying those trying to preach the right path sincerely and properly and indulging in money and women as they please. Are there people like that among the priests?”
“W-well, I can’t deny that… people make mistakes, after all…”
“Isn’t it the role of priests to correct those mistakes and cultivate a better and righteous heart? It’s not all about power. I think it’s more important to cultivate a heart that uses power correctly. If you need a god to guide you correctly, then use one. Don’t you think the titles of priest and mage are trivial?”
“What’s important is a righteous heart… I never thought I’d hear about faith from a mage…”
“I strive for peace every day, you see? I just want to live peacefully… hmm?”
During the with the priests, Zeros felt a presence and used [Element Eye] without incantation.
“Hey, what’s wrong, Ojisan?”
“Shh! …Someone’s here.”
The room fell silent, and an indescribable stillness filled the air.
Amid this silence, a strangely cheerful voice could be heard in the room.
‘Ahhh, he got healed. He should’ve just died…’
‘It’s okay, it’s okay. There is still plenty of prey out there. Who should we go after next?’
‘But, that last one was fun. ‘Help me, Mommy ~!!’ Hahaha!’
‘Should we have taken their eyeballs too? And drag their guts out.’
‘We did that before, remember? It was really funny~♪.’
Fairies are not wrong to be pure and innocent. Therefore, their actions can be cruel.
What would happen if you gave a gun to a curious child without any sense of good or evil? The fairies themselves, who are the answer to that question, were chatting and in good spirits, despite their dissatisfaction with having saved the child’s life they had cut to pieces.
This race, which has powerful abilities but no personal growth during their long lifetimes, is pure and yet evil.
[Gamma Ray]
The magic, which had converged and fired, instantly obliterated the fairies, and the “Fairy Gems” fell to the ground.
The villagers and priests didn’t understand what had happened. Even the fairies were puzzled, having received an attack they could not detect. The fairies that had somehow escaped the attack were confused.
‘Oh? Where did everyone go?’
‘They vanished, they vanished! Oh, wait… could it be our core…?’
‘No way, they were killed?! By humans?!’
‘Strong magic… Could it be that guy?’
‘Kill, kill, the enemy of our friend ♪ He’s dangerous.’
“It seems like you had quite a bit of fun, but now it’s our turn to have some fun, right? [Gamma Ray].”
The [Gamma Ray] attack, which released with its range slightly widened, eliminated all the fairies except for one.
‘Hei!? What did you do?! What did you do, huh?’
“Well, I just used an attack that you guys can’t possibly escape from. How does it feel to be on the receiving end of the hunt?”
‘You’ll be in big trouble if you do something like this! When the princess gets angry, she’ll flatten you!!’
“The princess, huh? Oh, you must be talking about [Fairy Rose]. If that’s the case, there must be a village nearby. It would be better to wipe it out completely. After all, you started the war, so you can’t complain if you’re killed.”
‘That’s so mean! We were just playing a prank! Why do we have to be killed for that? You’re being tyrannical!’
“The people you killed probably said the same thing.”
‘Humans are weaklings and nothing but toys anyway. Since they’ll just keep multiplying, killing them is fine♪.
“Well, you guys are the same. Then, it’s okay to kill you too, right? After all, you’re weak. Kukuku…”
A complex magic circle appears floating in Zeros’s palm.
The stacked magic circle consists of multiple discs overlapping each other. The magic formulas inscribed there convert magical energy into physical phenomena.
‘You’re lying! I won’t prank anymore, I swear! Help me…’
Before the fairy could finish her pleas for mercy, she disappeared with a look of happiness on her face.
The little demon was eradicated by a more powerful demon king.
The villagers and priest were left speechless by the ruthless judgement.
“Ojisan…what you’re doing is evil, you know? If you’re going to be a hero, at least be a little cooler.”
“I’m not pretending to be a hero. Pure justice has nothing but weaknesses, making it powerless against true villains. After all, you can’t even move when a hostage is taken, right?”
“Ugh…I can’t say anything when I know I’m guilty.”
Iris got kidnapped by some thieves a while back. They had taken some kids hostage, and she couldn’t make calm and rational judgments, which almost left her in a state where she couldn’t get married.
Things would have gotten really ugly if it weren’t for Zeros and the knights showing up. But let’s be real. In the real world, it’s not like some hero is going to swoop in and save you whenever you’re in trouble.
“So, it seems there’s a fairy village nearby. What should we do? Even if we leave the village, there will still be damage.”
“Are you seriously planning to wipe out all the fairies!? That’s just…”
“I’m sorry, as a priest of the Four Gods Religion, but this is a problem for our village. There is no other way for us to live in peace. The choice is up to the villagers… and also,”
“A-Also… what is it? Is there still something else?”
“Once we recognize fairies as a race, this will become a war between the Fairy Tribe and the Solistia Magic Kingdom. Even if the [Metis Holy Kingdom] defends the fairies, it will be an interference in domestic affairs if they make trouble after the fairies are eliminated.”
“Once recognized as a race, we can only leave the matter to the Fairy Tribe. If the [Metis Holy Kingdom] interferes, it will lead to large-scale war, and many lives will be lost.”
“!?”
The priest was dispatched alone to this country and was obliged to report back to the [Metis Holy Kingdom].
However, if he were to report that he had eradicated the fairy village here, it could very well escalate into the worst-case scenario.
It was a situation that the priest should be worried about.
“ Well, I think you should follow your own conscience, right? You can either sympathize with the villagers and make a false report or report according to your faith and duty. It’s up to you. However, it’s important not to regret your actions.”
“…You seem more like a priest than I do… explaining reason and showing the way… it’s not something I can easily do.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not my area of expertise. I’m just a mage, and I like to live my life selfishly.”
The priest agonized over it and ultimately chose not to report it.
Since the fairies have been recognized as a race, this problem must be dealt with by the fairies themselves. If their home country gets involved, it would certainly interfere with another country’s internal affairs.
A war would mean a lot of bloodsheds, which no one would want. The priest also wanted a peaceful world.
“Like… a sage from a story.”
As the grateful villagers surrounded the mage, the priest muttered to himself.
Little did he know that his impression at that moment was actually spot-on.
It was the priest’s first encounter with a [Great Sage], and he never would have dreamed that his initial reaction was accurate.
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