Episode 43
When ordinary people had something precious to protect, they’d typically carry it close or lock it away in a safe deep within their home.
Or perhaps entrust it to a bank.
But the residents of the underworld never did such things.
Because they never knew when death might come.
Something carried on their person could be taken in an instant, and a safe hidden at home could be broken open just as easily.
There were no proper banks in the underworld.
So, if they had something so valuable they didn’t want it stolen even after their death, underworld dwellers resorted to all manner of bizarre, ingenious methods to ensure no one could find it.
For example, the method Cheshire used was relatively simple and straightforward, even by underworld standards.
She stored her important possessions in the fairy’s illusion realm, a place inaccessible to others.
The sacred relic, the Spear of Rubeus, was kept in such a realm.
Hata, on the other hand, would douse his treasured items with potions to alter their forms.
So, while Cheshire knew he transformed them with potions, she had no idea what he hid or where.
Mia, from what Cheshire had overheard, had once let slip while drinking that a carriage atop her shop’s roof was tied to her secret hiding place.
She’d probably changed it by now, having accidentally spilled the secret to Cheshire.
This was the underworld’s way—hiding things in places tied to oneself but impossible for others to access easily.
*And here I was, foolishly scouring the estate and castle.*
No matter how much she searched, there were no secret rooms or hidden caches to be found.
The only significant discovery had been the report on the sorceress Lichesia.
Even that didn’t seem like a particularly important document.
It felt like something Kierne had skimmed through and tucked away to keep out of sight.
*The most important things are surely hidden in the Black Forest.*
The Black Forest was a place only the Basilian family could freely enter.
With its sinister reputation, ordinary people didn’t dare approach, and the few who ventured in stuck strictly to designated paths.
It was the perfect place for Kierne to hide something.
Cheshire scooped up Hata and headed for the Black Forest.
Bright flowers and butterflies, incongruous with the dark woods, scattered around them.
Glimmering lights, like fireflies, illuminated the surroundings before slowly fading.
True to its name, the Black Forest was dim even in broad daylight, with sunlight barely penetrating the canopy.
The damp, eerie atmosphere of the forest could make anyone feel gloomy just standing there.
Amid the pitch-black woods, Cheshire, with her shining golden hair, stood out starkly as an alien presence.
“This forest gives me the creeps…” Hata muttered from her arms.
“Yeah. We don’t have much time, so let’s investigate and get out quick.”
Cheshire set Hata down at her feet.
Then, she slowly summoned her power.
Spreading her arms wide, hundreds of butterflies burst into the air at once.
The sight of the Black Forest filled with shimmering butterflies was breathtaking.
Perhaps never, since its creation, had the Black Forest glimmered so brilliantly.
The hundreds of butterflies darted in all directions.
They were searching for what Cheshire sought.
A faint glow trailed their flight paths.
Where the light pushed back the darkness, Cheshire spotted something strange.
Hata approached first to investigate.
With a yelp, the puppy’s fur stood on end.
“They must be the monsters that live in the Black Forest!”
Grotesque, writhing black shapes lurked in the forest’s shadows.
They pulsed with a malevolent aura, as if ready to lunge and tear someone apart.
Yet, for some reason, they didn’t attack Cheshire or Hata.
They merely drifted past, slow and indifferent, like trees or grass.
Cheshire closely observed a monster passing by her side.
The reason Kierne led his knights into the Black Forest was likely to hunt these creatures.
*Hunting such creepy things in a place this dark would drive even a sane person mad.*
No wonder Kierne seemed off after returning from the Black Forest.
Killing these monsters must take a toll on the mind.
*The air feels heavy too.*
Fortunately, being a fairy, Cheshire only found the smell unpleasant and was otherwise unaffected. Hata, a beastman, seemed fine too.
But a human lingering here too long might suffer hallucinations or hear voices.
As she observed the monsters, a butterfly fluttered back to her, bobbing excitedly.
It seemed to have found something.
Cheshire nodded as the butterfly relayed its location.
“Not too far. Let’s go.”
“Sure! Want Hata to carry you?”
Hata raised a front paw enthusiastically.
Then, belatedly, he realized he was a puppy, smaller than toddler Cheshire.
“…Oh, right. Hata’s a puppy right now.”
He meekly followed behind her.
Cheshire took the lead, scampering after the butterfly’s guidance.
Her steps slowed as an unexpected sight unfolded before her.
Hata’s eyes widened like full moons, and he gasped in awe.
“Wow…!”
A dazzling field of countless flowers bloomed vibrantly.
Unlike the rest of the forest, the trees here didn’t block the sky, allowing warm sunlight to pour down.
It was hard to believe that just beyond this sunlit boundary lay the grim forest.
At the center of the flowerbed, swaying with vivid blossoms…
…stood an empty coffin.
Cheshire hesitated for a moment before stepping through the flowers toward it.
Hata trailed behind her.
The coffin was strangely pristine.
Left out in the open like this, it should have been marred by dirt or wear, so it was likely preserved by magic.
Cheshire peered inside.
From a distance, it had seemed empty, but up close, she saw a bouquet of fresh pink roses lying beside a small object.
A pair of rings.
One for a man, one for a woman—likely wedding rings.
Seeing them, Cheshire realized whose coffin this must be.
It belonged to the late Countess Basilian.
She gazed at the rings and bouquet.
In a forest teeming with monsters, they were strikingly romantic objects.
As she stared, another butterfly fluttered over.
It circled her, signaling it had found something else.
The butterflies perched one by one on the trees surrounding the flowerbed.
As they melted into the bark, words written in light appeared on the dark trunks.
They’d been inscribed with magic and hidden.
Even in the Black Forest, where no one came, they’d been concealed again.
Truly the behavior of an underworld dweller.
“Hata, let’s split up and read.”
Dividing the area with Hata, she began reading the glowing words.
Cheshire’s face hardened as she read.
[A fairy’s illusion realm reflects their unique subconscious.
Is there truly no way to artificially create a fairy’s illusion realm?]
[Administering fairy blood to a male subject: failure.
Administering fairy blood to a female subject: temporary reaction observed.
This may be linked to the fact that fairies are exclusively female.
Further research required.]
[A fairy’s body is immortal. Why can humans not become immortal like fairies…?]
The texts were all records of experiments on fairies.
Cheshire let out a soft groan as she read feverishly.
“…Oh.”
The dates on the records were all similar.
They were from centuries ago.
Long before Cheshire was born.
Ancient accounts of experiments on fairies.
And the ones who conducted them…
[In the name of God.]
It was the Holy Empire.
