Chapter 186
Ishuel knew full well how absurd her judgment was.
To mistake Cheshire for a fairy just because a few aspects seemed similar was utterly ridiculous.
But it was an intuition that transcended logic.
Every sense in her body was shouting in unison.
That the fairy before her eyes was Cheshire Basilian.
While she stared in a daze, Cheshire moved nimbly, swinging the axe.
Stepping on flowers blooming in mid-air, she flitted here and there, her dress hem fluttering as the rabbit doll perched on her head flapped its ears along with it.
It was clearly a gruesome scene of demons being cleaved by the axe blade, yet it didn’t feel disgusting or horrific.
Because the demons being axed weren’t suffering.
The demons willingly turned into flower petals and vanished beneath the axe.
Some even let out cries that sounded almost joyful.
Each time the axe struck, pop, pop, light sounds burst forth, with petals and sparkles scattering, making it seem like a scene from a merry festival.
To feel the death of demons like a festival.
It was a truly bizarre description.
Yet anyone who witnessed this spectacle would have no choice but to describe it that way.
The demons’ deaths popping like balloons, a purification that was sacred yet exhilarating.
In the midst of this cheerful funeral, only one person was grieving.
“Cheshire!”
Ishuel unleashed magic toward the demons.
She didn’t want to leave Cheshire to bear all that burden alone.
Sorting out the relationships and revealing the truth could come after helping Cheshire first.
But Ishuel’s magic had no effect whatsoever.
It simply passed through the demons like an illusion.
She could do nothing but watch helplessly.
In frustration, she slammed her fist down on the chess piece right beside her.
Then the chess piece softened like cotton, enveloping Ishuel’s fist.
As if it didn’t want to hurt someone precious.
Ishuel squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again.
And whispered a soliloquy that no one could hear.
“Don’t cry, Cheshire….”
To her little sister, who showed not a single tear but was surely sobbing buckets inside.
She hadn’t thought to unfold the illusion realm.
She had simply resolved to protect the people precious to her.
No matter the cost.
The moment her firm resolve ignited, she felt something whoosh out from within her body.
Amid the overwhelming exhaustion, as the illusion realm unfolded, she realized.
‘This is my life force.’
With her fairy powers depleted, all that remained was her life force.
She understood now why the crown had warned her to choose carefully.
Because the crown prioritized Cheshire above all else.
Cheshire was a little scared too, just a tiny bit.
To unfold an illusion realm on this massive scale, and purify demons on top of it.
Even when she had her full fairy powers, purifying demons had made her faint.
So now, with her powers nearly gone, she couldn’t even guess how much life force it would consume.
‘If I’m unlucky, I might die right here.’
But she had no regrets.
Even if given the chance again, she would make the same choice.
Cheshire, who had entered the illusion realm, slowly opened her eyes.
The illusion realm, created by drawing lavishly on life force, was a bit different from before.
Everything that had been broken and shattered was now whole.
Things that hadn’t existed before newly appeared.
As Cheshire gazed at the serpent’s castle shimmering like a mirage beyond the horizon, the crown murmured.
“You really are just like her.”
The crown, back in rabbit doll form, climbed up Cheshire’s arm.
The rabbit doll, sprawled haphazardly atop her head with a flop, nagged at Cheshire incessantly.
“She too sacrificed herself for everyone.”
“But a queen must not forget those left behind.”
“Sacrifice does not bring happiness.”
It seemed the previous queen, her mother, had made a similar choice.
The rabbit doll clutched Cheshire’s hair and said.
“The longer you maintain the illusion realm, the unhappier you become.”
Meaning, since it drains life force, hurry up and finish quickly.
It definitely felt a little different from the usual illusion realm.
She had set the illusion realm to encompass the entire palace, yet none of the people who should have been pulled in were visible.
Only demons swarmed everywhere.
Cheshire swung the axe.
The sky melted away, revealing demons that she bound with man-eating flowers and purified with the axe.
She wanted nothing more than to handle them all at once, but that would truly exhaust her life force and kill her right there, so she used the man-eating flowers and axe.
Each time she saw a demon purified and vanishing from the axe strike, it felt like a needle piercing her heart one by one.
If Cheshire hadn’t appeared, perhaps they wouldn’t have become demons at all.
Even if confined to the lab, they might at least have died as fairies.
They wouldn’t have been disposed of like useless waste.
‘I’m sorry.’
Swallowing an apology that couldn’t be delivered, she purified all the demons.
After purifying the last demon, she gasped for breath.
Dizziness washed over her.
Her hand gripping the axe trembled faintly, but she gripped it tighter instead.
It was time to return to reality.
Cheshire swung the axe one last time, striking down into the empty air.
The illusion realm shattered.
Staring at the breaking fragments of the illusion realm, Cheshire’s eyes widened.
“…!”
She had thought she entered alone, but now she could see the forms of the people who had been trapped in the illusion realm.
All of them were looking at Cheshire, at Lichesia.
Meeting the gazes flying through the shards, Cheshire returned to reality.
Upon returning to reality, the rabbit doll transformed back into the crown.
Clutching the axe, Cheshire panted heavily.
“……”
Though countless people filled the banquet hall, everyone was silent as if their lips were glued shut.
They had all been trapped in Cheshire’s illusion realm, watching the purification.
Cheshire discreetly bit the inside of her cheek.
She had prepared herself for her hidden secret to be revealed from the moment she unfolded the illusion realm.
But she didn’t have the confidence to boldly check what kind of eyes Hailon and the Basilian men were looking at her with.
Forcing her body, which felt like it might collapse any moment, she stepped forward.
Dragging the axe across the banquet hall floor, she approached the Holy King’s front.
Sianor, still looking dazed as if not fully awakened from the illusion, stared at Cheshire with trembling eyes.
“Holy King Sianor Hilderd.”
Cheshire extended the axe straight toward him.
The holy knights who should have protected the Holy King couldn’t bring themselves to stop Cheshire.
More precisely, they seemed unsure what to do.
Because Cheshire Basilian had saved everyone here.
“As the Fairy Queen, I ask the Holy Empire.”
Swallowing the bitter, blood-tinged saliva rising up, she continued coldly.
“Do you acknowledge and atone for the sin of experimenting on fairies and other illusory species over the past centuries, and repeatedly discarding the failed creations as demons into the eastern Black Forest?”
Sianor, who had been staring blankly, belatedly flinched.
“F-Fairy Queen? What nonsense are you spouting.”
To his hastily blurted words, Cheshire let out a scoff.
Raising one corner of her mouth in a smirk, just like Kierne.
“How else should I prove that I’m the queen?”
“That!”
“When I’ve purified the demons your Holy Empire couldn’t handle, and I’m wearing the Fairy Queen’s crown.”
“……”
Sianor’s face turned ashen.
“If you can’t answer, then just.”
Cheshire waggled the axe and smiled radiantly.
“Die.”
