A Journey Unwanted

[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: Heart Kingdom]

[Pulchritudo]

"Associated with the fairies? What does that mean exactly?"

Surprisingly, it was Robert who spoke up at Goiim’s declaration.

His question carried more than simple curiosity. He had remained standing throughout the conversation, but at the mention of the fairies, his suspicion briefly gave way to genuine interest.

Goiim turned her pale gaze toward him.

"Well, I only have a general idea of the events myself. I wasn’t present for them, so I can only tell you what I know from the information that reached me. It occurred within the fairies’ home—the Black Forest, or the Great Forest, depending on which name you prefer. The name hardly matters when the important part is what happened there."

She spoke without a change in tone.

"Apparently, the Fairy Queen incurred the wrath of a Goddess, and Albion assisted her in smiting that Goddess. Whatever else occurred between them was enough for the fairies to regard the white dragon very differently afterward."

"Goddess of the depths, sea, and freedom. The Goddess Arielle." Echidna’s voice cut into the conversation; the others immediately looked toward her.

She frowned when she noticed the attention, clearly irritated that everyone had turned their eyes toward her, but she did not retract what she had said.

"Her body was used as a vessel by that sorcerer, Koschei. I shifted through some of her memories."

There was a brief silence around the table.

Mikoto’s eyes moved toward Echidna.

He seemed to process the information for a moment before his expression shifted with recognition.

"I always wondered where that dirtbag got a body of a God to use." He folded his arms, his attention moving from Echidna toward Goiim as his eyes narrowed slightly. "So what, Albion helped her out once, and now he’s buddy-buddy with the fairies?"

Goiim gave a small nod.

"They view the white dragon as a savior and one of their own. From their perspective, he is not merely an outsider who happened to assist their Queen. His actions earned him a place among them. To attack him would therefore be to invite the wrath of Elfame."

Mikoto’s expression remained thoughtful for a moment.

"Hm."

Beside him, Shuten-dōji regarded the situation with a thoughtful expression. "Hm, your journey might be more complicated than you thought, Yuki." She sounded interested in how he intended to deal with a dragon protected by an entire population of fairies.

Mikoto glanced toward her.

"I’ve only seen one fairy before. Are they really that dangerous?" With his experience being limited to a single encounter, it left him without much of a frame of reference for what they were actually capable of.

Robert answered before Goiim could.

"More so tricky. They’re not necessarily dangerous in the same way something like a Deseruit Beast or a Spirit is dangerous. That’s not to say they should be underestimated. They possess all manner of jinxes and unique magicks, and many of those abilities aren’t particularly straightforward."

He paused briefly.

"You can understand what they’re doing and still have trouble dealing with it. That’s what makes them troublesome."

Gretel’s eyes shifted toward Robert; she had been listening quietly, but that explanation caught her attention.

"You seem rather well versed in fairies, Robert." There was curiosity in her expression. "More than someone who has merely heard a few stories about them. You sound like you’ve actually dealt with them before."

Robert’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly.

"I have... some experience with them." The answer was restrained, and he made no attempt to elaborate.

Gretel noticed, and so did everyone else, but she did not press him. Whatever his experience with the fairies had been, he clearly wasn’t willing to divulge more than that.

Mikoto, however, had already moved on to the part of the information that interested him more.

"What about their Queen? She any strong?" The question was directed toward the group as a whole.

There was silence for a moment; nobody immediately answered. That alone seemed to tell Mikoto something.

Goiim remained quiet; Robert did not appear to know, and Gretel certainly did not have an answer. Even Shuten-dōji seemed to be considering what little she knew rather than offering an immediate response.

Eventually, someone spoke.

"She’s equivalent to Deseruit Beast Progenitors like me." Echidna spoke up again, surprisingly willing to contribute.

She loosely gestured toward herself with one hand.

"At least, that’s the closest comparison I can make. She also functions in much the same way, having brought the various kinds of fairies into this realm."

Mikoto’s attention settled fully on her as Echidna continued.

"And apparently, she has access to divine-level spells." That last part made the information considerably more significant.

Mikoto’s eyes remained on Echidna.

"You met her?"

The Mother of Monsters shook her head.

"No." Her answer was immediate. "What I know comes from bits of information I learned when I first came to this realm. I didn’t meet her personally, and I didn’t learn these things from some direct conversation with her."

She lowered her hand.

"When I first arrived here, even the humans did not yet walk this star. There were already existences like her. Barring we Progenitors, these beings have existed here long before most ever made this place their home." Her gaze briefly drifted away. "So I know of her existence and what she represents, but I’ve never stood before her."

Mikoto absorbed the answer with no visible concern.

"Hm. That’s good to know." He mumbled the words casually.

It was barely more than an acknowledgment, but for Mikoto, that may as well have been a thank you.

"But how do we even get to the Great Forest?" Gretel questioned, bringing up a more important point. Her eyes moved between Goiim and the others at the table, her expression shifting slightly as the practical problem became impossible to ignore. Knowing where Albion was and knowing that the Great Forest existed were two very different things. They could not simply walk in that direction and expect the forest to welcome them. If the fairies were as protective of their territory as Robert had implied, getting there might prove to be the first obstacle they had to overcome.

"The teleportation devices here in Pulchritudo would get you to the Dominion of Oz," Goiim informed them, "and from there you could access an entrance to the forest. It is not particularly complicated in theory. The difficulty is actually reaching the forest once you arrive in Oz. The Great Forest is not exactly somewhere people wander into by accident."

"You need special access to those teleportation devices," Robert informed, his tone immediately cutting through. "They aren’t for public use. Most people can’t simply walk up to one, choose the Dominion of Oz as their destination, and expect the system to accommodate them. There are restrictions on who can use them and where they can be sent."

"I happen to have that access," Goiim stated.

Robert’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"And what?" he questioned, barely concealing his suspicion. "You shall help us for free now?"

"Of course," Goiim replied. There was something almost too smooth about the answer. "The item Mikoto and Gretel procured is most valuable. Information hardly seems a fair trade by comparison. You gave me something I wanted, and I am giving you something that you need. That seems considerably more balanced than pretending otherwise."

Her words were reasonable enough, but there was no sincerity behind them that anyone at the table could readily detect. Her expression remained exactly the same, pale eyes fixed calmly upon them, giving away nothing.

"Besides," Goiim continued, "my expertise may come in handy. There are places where simply knowing something is not enough. Sometimes you need someone who knows how to get you there."

"Expertise for what?" Gretel found herself questioning. She had been trying to understand Goiim ever since their arrangement began, and the answer only seemed to raise another question. Until now, Goiim had presented herself almost exclusively as an information broker. She knew things, she traded those things, and she asked for specific objects in return. That was the extent of what Gretel thought she understood about her.

"You’ve spent this entire time giving us information," Gretel continued, her eyes remaining on Goiim. "Now you’re talking about having the means to get there. What exactly are you offering us?"

"My Null Schema could grant you access to the Great Forest," Goiim informed. "The fairies have wards, you see. They are not merely defensive measures that keep unwanted people outside. They are designed to recognize what is permitted to enter and what is not. Even reaching one of the entrances does not necessarily mean you can pass through it." She paused for a moment. "My ability can account for that."

Gretel studied her.

"So you can get around the wards?"

"In a manner of speaking," Goiim answered. "I can make certain restrictions irrelevant. That should be sufficient for what you require."

The explanation was concise; Goiim never seemed interested in giving more information than she believed necessary.

"Though," she added, "if you would rather I not come, that shall be understandable. I have no desire to force my presence upon you. If you believe my involvement would complicate matters, you may proceed without me."

The offer sat between them for a moment.

Mikoto had been quiet throughout the exchange, listening without showing much interest in the details beyond what was immediately useful. He had already heard enough to understand the situation. They needed a way to the Great Forest. Goiim had access to the teleportation devices. She also possessed something capable of bypassing the fairies’ wards.

For him, that was enough.

"Do what you want," Mikoto stated uncaringly.

He raised himself from his seat, and Robert immediately turned his attention toward him.

Mikoto did not seem particularly concerned with whether anyone approved of his decision.

"I got something to take care of," he informed them. "I’ll find you at one of these teleportation devices."

Robert sent him a glance as if to ask whether he was actually being serious.

Mikoto noticed, but he simply ignored the man entirely.

There was no further explanation as he turned away from them and merely walked off, leaving the others with no choice but to watch him go.