Chapter 125: The World’s Blessing

That speck of mold-covered seed, barely the size of a fist, was more fascinating than me. You didn’t even glance this way.

Even if it’s a seed you’ve never seen before, you damned gardener brat.

Finally, the Fairy King’s gaze landed on me. His vibrant green eyes shone with interest.

“Indeed, the mermaid queen could see the future… I’ve seen it briefly before, but you’re quite an intriguing human. Tell me, human, what is your name?”

“Deon Hart… sir.”

I spoke in a near whisper, shooting a cautious glance at Hien, just in case.

He clearly hadn’t heard a thing. The Fairy King seemed to catch on, nodding his head.

“Hmm… very well, I’ll remember it.”

Please don’t. I’d rather you forget.

Regardless of my feelings, the Fairy King scrutinized me, then turned to the Demon King. His tone was much softer now as he addressed him.

“Demon King, why did you bring this human here? Was there something you needed him to hear?”

“The scenery here in the Abyss is the best.”

“…What?”

“I brought him here to help him find some peace of mind.”

“This isn’t a tourist spot!”

His voice rose again.

…Isn’t this a bad time to be arguing about that? I clearly heard the mermaid queen say something about the Demon King’s death. Why isn’t there any reaction?

‘Did I mishear something?’

I subtly looked up at the woman still holding my shoulder. As if sensing my gaze, she looked down and smiled gently as our eyes met.

I immediately looked away. There was an unsettling kindness in her eyes that made me uneasy.

His usual smooth, elegant voice came from behind me.

“The world seems to have it out for you, Demon King. This Hero is quite something.”

“Our entire race is an eyesore to the world anyway, so it can’t hate us more than it already does. Besides, seeing the future isn’t the same as prophecy, is it? The future you saw can change.”

“Perhaps… but the future I saw this time is rather unique… It would be a miracle if it could be changed.”

“I told you, the world is targeting you.”

These were the words of the leaders of two races. Even I knew they weren’t something to be dismissed.

Yet, the Demon King remained unfazed by the threatening words. His smooth face wore a nonchalant smile, devoid of any agitation.

“Shall I tell you something amusing?”

Carried on his usual light, relaxed tone, the Demon King’s unique aura began to fill the space.

Arms crossed, leaning casually, he flashed a playful grin and flicked his fingers, teasing the tense leaders.

“Do you know what humans call the power our demons wield?”

A chuckle echoed through the vast space.

His small but distinct laughter silenced everyone, including the leaders of the two races.

When no answer came, the Demon King himself provided the reply after a brief pause.

“‘Miracle’.”

“…….”

“…How arrogant.”

With a light click of his tongue at the silence, the Fairy King turned to me… wait, why are you looking at me?

“Human, you’ve injured your hand.”

“Yes… well…”

“Because the Demon King has banned magic, you haven’t been able to treat it properly, resorting to primitive methods. I shall heal it myself.”

“No, I’m alri—”

“Follow me.”

Yes, sir….

Ever since earlier, he seemed oddly interested in me. It seemed I had no choice. It felt like the injury was just an excuse to observe me more closely… or was it just my imagination?

Hesitantly watching the man’s retreating figure, I turned to the Demon King. He simply smiled and waved, seemingly oblivious to my plea for help.

“Go on. I’ll be here chatting with this mermaid.”

Damn it….

Clutching at a sliver of hope, I looked back at Hien, but….

‘He’s still at it.’

I gave up.

Leaving Hien, who looked ready to marry the seed, I obediently followed the Fairy King.

Despite it being night, the same as in the Demon King’s castle, the scenery here was remarkably beautiful.

The moon cast a veil of soft light, beneath which tall, blue trees reached upwards. Clearings filled with softly glowing flowers dotted the landscape, ensuring moonlight touched the ground even where the trees were dense.

‘No wonder the Demon King brought me here.’

This was the first time I’d seen such beautiful flowers in a place without sunlight. Why is Hien so fixated on that when he has these….

‘…Never mind.’

Perhaps it was because they were plants that could only grow in the fairy realm.

I tried to defend Hien in my mind as I walked. Thinking of him brought back memories of the bizarre plants in the Demon King’s castle, making me shudder for a moment before the surrounding scenery captivated me again.

I was so engrossed in the surroundings that my mind was completely blank.

My thoughts returned when the Fairy King, who had been walking silently, snapped his fingers to summon someone.

“Bring herbs for external wounds.”

“Are you injured, Your Majesty?”

My breath hitched. My heart nearly stopped.

The previously clear view was blocked by a dark shadow. A black figure, backlit by the moonlight making its face unseen, suddenly appeared before the Fairy King and bowed respectfully.

A secret… guard or errand runner… something like that?

I barely calmed my racing heart and slowly examined the newcomer.

‘His ears are pointed too. He’s the same race, so the ear shape must be a racial characteristic?’

Jaykar, the commander of the Demon King’s 1st Corps, also had pointed ears.

I pondered the connection between Jaykar and the fairy race before shaking my head.

‘Stop with the baseless speculation and focus on what’s happening here.’

Judging by the way he appeared, he must have jumped down from a tree.

The trees here are quite tall, yet he landed without a sound or injury. It’s clear that not just their appearance, but also their physical abilities set them apart from humans.

“Not for me, for the guest.”

“A guest… I understand.”

The figure glanced at me, then pushed off the ground between the trees a few times, leaping onto a high branch. He moved across the branches as if on stepping stones and vanished in an instant.

It was a movement that inspired awe.

“Could Jaykar do that…?”

“Jaykar…?”

Even if it was just a thought, I shouldn’t have said it out loud.

The Fairy King’s pointed ears twitched. He narrowed his eyes in disbelief, turning to me, before his expression hardened as he realized he had heard correctly.

He couldn’t possibly not know the name of the Demon King’s second-in-command, who also served as his acting representative. Even if he didn’t, he could probably guess that the person I was referring to was a demon.

Daring to compare someone to a demon in the fairy realm, where they weren’t exactly on friendly terms – how could he be feeling right now?

‘Damn it….’

The situation was clearly my fault. I was about to apologize when a sharp voice cut me off.

“Ah, you mean our kin corrupted by the Demon King’s demonic energy. It’s been a while since I heard that name. How is he doing?”

Oh wow, so there really was a connection!

As I’ve said before, the Demon King’s power doesn’t simply create demons out of thin air. It seems Jaykar is a demon who was originally a fairy, born with the Demon King’s power.

No wonder the Fairy King dislikes the Demon King….

‘And now he probably dislikes me too.’

He didn’t seem to have a pleasant personality, and I just made a mistake by touching on a sensitive subject….

Ignorance isn’t a good excuse.

Unable to bring myself to say he was doing well, nor to say he wasn’t, I hesitated for a long time. The Fairy King, who had been watching me silently, let out a soft sigh and held out his hand.

“…?”

“Your hand. I need to treat it.”

His softened voice was soothing, like talking to a child.

I reflexively placed my injured hand on his, then realized what I was doing and glanced around. The guy who went to get the herbs hadn’t come back yet, had he? Surely I wouldn’t have to stay like this until he returned.

Just then, I saw the Fairy King pick up a small box from under a nearby tree.

‘…He’s already been and gone.’

He was incredibly fast and silent.

I obediently let him take my hand. The bandage wrapped around my fingertips was removed, revealing a small wound.

“…You nearly severed your finger in half. It’s narrow, but the wound is deep.”

Hearing him say that made it sound like more than a small scratch…?

Feeling awkward, I gave a sheepish smile as the Fairy King opened the box, took out some herbs, and crushed them.

“You came here to find peace of mind, was it?”

That’s not it. That’s just an excuse the Demon King made up.

“While our territory isn’t exactly a tourist destination, it’s the first time a human has set foot here. Since you’re here, I’ll give you a special tour after your treatment, as a memento.”

Pardon? No, wait a minute, there’s really no need to go to all that trouble…!

As I recoiled, about to refuse, he applied the crushed herbs to my fingertip and pressed down. Startled by the sudden action, I froze.

Ah! It hurts… it… doesn’t hurt?

‘…Is this a dream?’

It was completely healed. I blinked, unable to grasp the situation.

I cautiously wiggled the finger where the herbs had been. It was as pristine as if I’d had it stitched up without a single scar. It was hard to believe I’d been injured at all.

…I want those herbs.

As if noticing the desire in my eyes, the Fairy King flicked his fingers in front of my face while I was staring blankly at the herb box.

“Deon Hart.”

“I apologize.”

“…What?”

Ah, so that’s the kind of face the demons make when they apologize out of the blue.

I learned a fact I didn’t need to know. I awkwardly avoided the Fairy King’s gaze.

“It’s nothing. By the way, you can just call me Deon.”

“…Alright, Deon. You seem uncomfortable with my kindness.”

He studied me with suspicion as he took my hand again and casually started removing the stitches on my other hand.

You knew that and still did it? You bad….

‘…Wait, he knows I’m uncomfortable, yet he still brought me to a secluded spot…’

Is he going to kill me…?!

No, but he just healed me. There’s no way he’d heal me just to kill me. What exactly is going on?

…Whatever it is, it’s best not to provoke him when we’re alone like this. I replied seriously.

“No, I’m not.”

“There’s no need to lie. Not only you, but the mermaid representative also seemed uneasy.”

That didn’t work.

As if retaliating, he removed the stitches and pressed the crushed herbs firmly onto the spot where a little blood was seeping out. The force made me flinch.

He tossed my now perfectly healed hand aside and reached for my other hand, the one with the bandage.

“My unprompted kindness makes you wary, doesn’t it?”

“…….”

“Hmm… where are the herbs for bones….”

He rummaged through the box and pulled out another herb. Chuckling softly, he smeared the crushed herbs on my fractured hand, which he had unwrapped without me even noticing. His flowing blonde hair swayed with his movements.

“You’re probably uncomfortable with me healing you like this. And you likely want to refuse my offer of a tour as well.”

You know me so well.

“In that case, you can simply tell me the reason.”

My hand felt wonderful. The nagging throbbing that had been bothering me was gone.

This time, he muttered, “Herbs for muscles,” as he searched through the box. His monotonous voice, disguised as casual speech, flowed out like asking if I’d had dinner.

“Because the world is watching you.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m not sure why the mermaid queen is being kind to you, but the sole reason I am is that.”

Looking back, that wasn’t really something to say while slathering muscle herbs all over my wrist.

–The world is watching you, closely.

Or so he said.

“As the leader of a race that most respects the will of the world, I have no choice but to show you kindness.”

…I thought my physical condition had been pretty decent lately, but it seems the problem has moved to my ears.

Yeah, no matter how I think about it, my ears must be failing me. There’s no other explanation for why I keep hearing nonsense. The world is watching who, now?

Forcing myself to remain calm, I carefully asked again.

“Could you… repeat that? I think I misheard you.”

This time, I focused and opened my ears wide, so I could hear properly.

Let’s just ignore the slight tremor in my voice.