A sudden gale erupted outward from the center of the lake, and immediately after, the entire surface of the water began to emit a blinding light. Beneath that radiance, a highly profound magic circle suddenly unfolded.
“Huh? Huh?! What—what's happening?!”
The howling wind whipped Shulim's hair and clothes wildly, and the dazzling light made it difficult for her to open her eyes.
Splash!
The sound of breaking water echoed.
“The surface world! I'm back again~!”
A figure bathed in light leaped out from the water, appearing above the lake while uttering nonsensical words.
A moment later, the magic circle vanished, and the light dispersed.
Before Shulim stood a woman of stunning, otherworldly beauty. Her skin was as delicate as white porcelain, her eyes were as clear as emeralds, and hidden beneath a head of shining golden hair was a pair of long, pointed ears. She looked like an angel out of a fantasy—if one ignored the three pairs of six translucent, faintly glowing wings on her back.
“O lucky Chosen One, is it you who has summoned me?”
The blonde woman floated above the lake without her wings even flapping. She asked with an incredibly holy expression, her emerald-like eyes casting their gaze forward.
And then,
...
The blonde woman froze slightly.
Opposite her, the young girl was not amazed or reverent at her arrival as she had imagined. Instead, she had a face of sheer terror.
“M-M-Monster!!! A monster has appeared!!!”
“Huh?”
The blonde woman stood there, completely dumbfounded.
Shulim's face turned pale. Her young eyes were filled with panic as she scrambled backward on all fours.
Only when she backed up to the very edge of the rock with nowhere left to retreat did she raise her wooden stick, trembling all over as she pointed it at the woman hovering over the lake.
“D-D-Don't—don't come any closer!”
There was even a hint of tears in the young girl's voice.
“Wait, who are you calling a monster?!”
The blonde woman was furious, her fists clenching tightly.
She then put her left hand on her hip and pointed her right index finger straight at Shulim, huffing angrily:
“Listen up, you ignorant fool! I—”
She patted her chest vigorously and raised her chin.
“—this esteemed self is one of the oldest beings in this world, a kin of the great Earth Mother Goddess Traia, an original fairy, the Fairy Queen—Semilis Pan Genyin! Open your eyes and look closely! Show me some respect!”
“Eh? Fairy Queen...?”
A hint of confusion flickered in Shulim's teary eyes.
Semilis nodded vigorously. “Yes, yes! Exactly! The great Fairy Queen that people always talk about is indeed me!”
“What kind of monster is that?”
“Of course it's... Wait, it's not a monster at all!!!”
Semilis roared.
“Eek! Don't eat me! Magic Bullet! Magic Bullet! Magic Bullet! ...”
Shulim's small face paled with fright. She snatched up some pebbles from the ground and threw them frantically at Semilis.
Thwack!
Semilis's head jerked back slightly, and a clear red mark appeared on her forehead.
Immediately after, the veins on her temples bulged.
“Like I said—who is a monster here?! And stop throwing things already!”
Squawk! Squawk!
This mighty roar startled the birds in the forest, sending them flying in all directions.
It also successfully got Shulim to stop.
After a short while, Shulim studied Semilis's face carefully. Seeing that angelic face which looked no different from a human's, she realized that this person was completely different from the monsters described in storybooks.
“Huh... You're not a monster?”
Her small eyes were still filled with a trace of confusion.
Seeing that the girl had finally calmed down, Semilis huffed, “Of course not! To think you would mistake my noble, great self for one of those filthy monsters... Out of all the Chosen Ones throughout history, your sheer rudeness is truly unparalleled!”
“But, but...”
Shulim didn't quite understand Semilis's words.
“But humans don't have wings, and they can't fly in the air either.”
Semilis froze. The veins on her temples bulged once more as she frantically clutched her head and shrieked:
“Argh! What is wrong with you! Didn't I tell you I'm a fairy? A fairy! A fairy! Don't you even know what a fairy is?!”
“Nope, I don't.”
Shulim shook her head decisively.
“Ugh—”
Semilis stiffened in midair, a torrent of complaints dying in her throat.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down.
“Let me tell you, a fairy is...”
It took a full half hour for Semilis to explain the history and nature of fairies to Shulim.
So-called fairies were magical lifeforms, distinct from common sapient races like humans or beastkin. Created by the Earth Mother Goddess Traia, they were born from the springs of natural magic. They could innately cast magic, possessed endless life, and their most prominent feature was the translucent wings on their backs.
Furthermore, as the kin of the Earth Mother Goddess Traia, fairies primarily lived in the Heavenly Realm of Tiramsuin and were rarely seen in the earthly realm.
And Semilis was the very first fairy in the world, as well as the ruler of the fairy race—the Fairy Queen with three pairs of wings!
Aside from idling about in the Heavenly Realm as the ruler of the fairy race, she also frequently ran errands for the Earth Mother Goddess in both the heavens and the earthly realm as her apostle. Her status as an apostle was clearly recorded in detail across the various churches of the earthly realm, where she was universally revered as a divine messenger.
“So? Now you know what an incredible being I am, right? Feel free to worship me all you want~!”
Semilis raised her chin proudly, looking down at Shulim as she spoke.
However, she had clearly overestimated the mental capacity and worldview of a seven-year-old child like Shulim.
Even though Shulim now understood Semilis's identity, she was not on the same wavelength as the other party's pride and greatness at all. After all...
Divine messenger, queen, and whatnot... she didn't get it at all.
“Huh? I don't get it.”
The seven-year-old Shulim clearly didn't understand the concept of social politeness, so she honestly voiced her inner thoughts.
And because of that, her words dealt the heaviest blow.
As a fairy, she possessed the innate ability to see through lies.
...
Semilis squatted above the lake and drew circles on the water's surface, the entire fairy practically sinking into a state of deep depression.
“?”
Shulim tilted her head, not understanding what had suddenly happened to the other party.
“Argh! Forget it... Let's put the whole fairy thing aside for now!”
Semilis suddenly snapped out of her depression and jumped up, clutching her head and shouting.
Shulim was startled by the sudden outburst, but since she already knew the other party wasn't a man-eating monster, she was no longer afraid.
“Alright! Let's get this mission over with quickly so I can go out and enjoy myself for the first time in ages!”
Slapping her cheeks hard, Semilis cheered herself up.
Then, she looked toward Shulim. “Hey, you—”
Her voice came to a sudden halt.
Her emerald eyes carefully scrutinized Shulim.
Short silvery hair that looked like a galaxy, with a cowlick shaped like a tiny crescent moon standing proudly on top. Clear, crystal-like silver eyes reflected the light, though they still carried a hint of timidity.
Whoosh!
A flash of light gleamed on her wings, and in the next instant, she appeared directly in front of Shulim.
“Eeek!”
Shulim was startled by the face suddenly looming so close to hers and almost fell backward.
“Hmm, something is indeed strange.”
Semilis, completely oblivious to how inappropriate her behavior was, murmured to herself:
“I was too distracted earlier to notice, but now that I look at you, you're incredibly tiny. Are you a dwarf? But your appearance is a bit different... in fact, you look more like a human. Could you be a half-breed? No, that's not quite right either. Or are you a new sapient race? I've never heard of such a thing...”
Hearing Semilis rattle on with comments about her, Shulim raised her head in dissatisfaction, her cheeks puffing out.
“I'm a human! A human! I'm definitely not some new species!”
“Huh, liar! Humans aren't this small.”
Semilis looked completely disbelieving.
“Yes they are! Because I'm a kid!”
“Oh, right! You're a child.”
Semilis came to a sudden realization, and her eyes lit up once more.
“It's my first time seeing a human child as a Chosen One! You're so short and cute!”
Semilis buzzed around Shulim, even starting to poke and pinch her all over.
“Truly amazing. Has the earthly realm progressed this much? Even human children have started seeking legendary power.”
“Ngh, let go... Let go of me!”
Shulim struggled to break free from the hands pinching her cheeks and muttered unhappily, “I'm not short! I'm only seven years old, that's why I'm this height. In a few years, I'll grow tall too.”
“Wh—”
Semilis froze as if she had heard something completely unbelievable.
“Seven... Seven years old?!”
“Isn't that practically a baby?!”
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