Chapter 17. Fairies and Humans (13)

“Ugh.”

My vita was on the verge of hitting the floor, and I felt depressed because I couldn’t see the child. I folded my wings and squatted, gazing into the distant view of the dimly lit landscape.

The paths were twisted here and there, and there were sections that went up and down on the slope, which confused my sense of direction. I thought I had climbed three floors, but in fact, I don’t know what floor I’m on. If I couldn’t move between floors using the move patares, I would never go back to the child.

The space itself was like a maze.

“Does Doom’s maze look like this?”

Even after I spat it out, I got goosebumps.

“No.”

I shook my head, shook my head, and got up.

When I was a drop of water, the huge fortress looking down from the top of the steeple was a wonderful fortress that exuded a dark and dignified feeling. When I flowed down the outer wall of the castle, I never imagined that the inside would be like this.

It would be impossible to look around everything in one day, and it was impossible to find the child.

“Shall I go back today…”

If I walked around further, I might fall and fall asleep on the pavement.

“Fortunately, there were no other fairies. It is strange that there is not a single fairy in this large space.”

I’ve never seen a fairy. I thought for a moment that I wasted my Vita by using movement and stealth Patares for nothing, but there was nothing wrong with being careful. I’ll have to keep using it until I’m sure there really aren’t other fairies here.

It was the time when I was about to go down using movement Patares after tapping the floor. In the distance, I saw a man munching on something and eating.

“Cookie?”

My eyes lit up. He was biting what was in his mouth as if he was about to die. I opened my eyes wider and observed what was in his hand.

Moist brown biscuits with dark brown grains embedded in them.

“But is that a chocolate cookie?”

Crazy. That’s mine. I’ll take it and share it with my human!

I flew away and wandered around the barrel, then jumped into the barrel for the moment the man pulled his hand away. I quickly grabbed a chocolate cookie I could hold in my hand and put on a mobile patares.

Down, down, down…

“Hah… Hah…”

I was barely able to stand in front of the child’s door. My breath hit the tip of my chin and my wings quivered, but it felt great. I have something to give as a gift when the child returns. I entered the door triumphantly like a mother beast hunting for prey.

“…”

And as soon as I entered, I dropped the cookie.

“Ha…ha. Huh.”

The bloody child was lying on the floor.

“…!”

The child, who had been lying on the floor and crying aloud, lifted his head as soon as he heard the small sound of the cookie hitting the floor.

“Ah.”

When I made that stupid sound without realizing it, I was already in the child’s hand.

“Uh.”

The boy took a deep breath and looked down at me with blood-red, bare eyes. Large teardrops fell from his drenched eyes and fell on my face.

Knock. Knock.

Unlike last time when I only saw the moisture of his tears, I could feel it very clearly now that I am wet from his tears.

This child might eat me this time.

“Don’t eat…”

I thought I said it for a second.

“Don’t eat, don’t eat, don’t eat.”

That’s what the kid said, not me.

The child didn’t eat me. He was just rubbing my wet cheeks, muttering over and over the words I had been taught, “don’t eat.”

“…”

I glanced at the corner where I had grown as grass, and it was torn.

…I should’ve just stayed in the room.

There was no way of knowing whether this kid was beaten to protect the grass. But whatever the reason, it was certain that I was the reason he was beaten until this happened.

I was the reason why he cried. The child suffered horribly from mental pain, not body pain. He was crying out of breath only because he thought that I had disappeared.

He never thought I’d be back. He thought I was gone.

“Ugh.”

He cried as he rubbed me against his scratchy, puffy cheeks. The child seemed to be trying to convince himself that I was real.

“Sorry.”

Reflecting on my impatience, I was discouraged.

“Sorry.”

Stuipid fairy. I should have checked in advance what this kid was thinking and before leaving to find him. I should’ve known how this kid behaves when I get out of this kid’s space. I should have taught him that I might be away but I’ll be back.

I should have gotten to know him before leaving.

Without asking, I did what I wanted. I did it because I wanted to know the child, but my mind went too far.

So I missed getting to know him truly.

With a sense of shame, I sincerely repented.

“Sorry.”

I won’t ever do that again.

Anything about you should be checked directly with you.

“Sorry.”

This time I wasn’t trying to teach him. When I kept saying ‘I’m sorry,’ he was copying me. There was a moment of laughter.

“Okay, you should be sorry for me too.”