Vol 1 Chapter 2 – The Fairy Princess Wants to Meet Him Once More【Vol 1: The Beastkin Hero Arc】

Princess of the Fairy Nation and Second Seat of the World Knights.

Eufaria Oberon had witnessed it.

Exactly one year ago, she had caught the moment the 【Obsidian Knight】 was speaking to his own magic sword.

It was during a banquet held in the land of the Elves—the Fairy Nation—which had just regained peace after one of the Eight Demon Generals directly under the Demon King had been destroyed.

When Eufaria realized that the star of the banquet, the man who had delivered the finishing blow to the Demon General, Allen Norsh, was nowhere to be seen, she went out under the moonlight to find him. The Fairy Capital, lush with flowers of all sizes and colors, was beautiful, but it was also a terrifyingly dangerous place.

With plants that ate people and flowers that induced hallucinations, the Fairy Nation was not kind to anyone outside the fairy race.

For Eufaria, who could hear the voices of plants, finding her colleague in the deep forest was an easy task.

Deep within the woods, illuminated by the moonlight, she found the 【Obsidian Knight】 settled on a mossy rock. Her relief was short-lived, however. Eufaria overheard him.

“Shaving away… my lifespan… like that… eventually, I’ll die—”

He was conversing with the sword he held.

Among 【Artifacts】, there are armaments possessed of a will that choose their own masters. Thus, there was nothing strange about him having a conversation with it.

She had only heard fragments of the troubling content. However, from those ominous snippets, Eufaria felt her heart begin to pound like a warning bell. Naturally, she confronted Allen.

“…What does that mean?”

“…What does what mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. Tell me everything.”

Her long, pointed ears twitched as she stared him down with her heterochromatic eyes. Allen let out a sigh.

“So you heard me.”

He gave a troubled smile and continued maintenance on the sword atop his lap.

“You know this sword was taken from that vampire-race Demon General we defeated before, right?”

“Mhm. One of the Artifacts. Even among those, it’s one of the seven powerful armaments—the 【Great Sin Armaments】.”

All World Knights are granted Artifacts on loan from the Holy Empire.

While the Continent of the Human Realm is currently divided into dozens of nations, in ancient times, a great power called the Exiga Empire unified the land. It supposedly boasted a level of civilization unimaginable today. It’s even said they ruled over the demon race as slaves, though the truth remains uncertain.

Most Artifacts are weapons manufactured by that ancient Exiga Empire. And among them, seven specific Artifacts harbor especially immense power.

That was the magic sword Allen possessed.

“Because the Great Sin Armaments are especially powerful even among Artifacts, they require a heavy price to use.”

“A price…”

Artifacts can be used only under various restrictions.

Eufaria looked down at the wooden baton at her waist. It looked like a short sword made of several twisted roots intertwined with thorns and flowers.

Her personal armament, the Artifact 【Tree Cannon Sword Mistilteinn】, required vast amounts of sunlight. Without exception, because Artifacts were powerful, they demanded various sacrifices from their users.

“…I heard you earlier. Is lifespan really the price? Then you shouldn’t use that sword anymore—”

“I won’t stop. That isn’t an option. I can’t defeat the Demon King without this.”

Staring quietly up at the moon, the Obsidian Knight spoke.

“Eufa, don’t tell the others, okay?”

“…No.”

“…Eufa.”

“Why didn’t you tell me until now?”

“If I told you all, you’d worry about me unnecessarily. As the First Seat of the World Knights, I have to be at the front lines at all times.”

“…Allen, don’t fight anymore.”

“…This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”

“Listen to me, Allen. Eufa will defeat the Demon King for you. The rest of the Eight Demon Generals, too—Eufa and the others will handle them. So Allen, please don’t fight anymore.”

“I can’t do that.”

“I promise. Just as Allen has protected Eufa so many times, this time Eufa will protect Allen. So… so please, stay alive.”

“…”

Faced with her teary eyes and her hands clasped as if in prayer, Allen looked terribly awkward. Likely because it was a promise he couldn’t keep.

The Demon King Gaivis was mighty.

Without Allen, the strongest hero, they likely couldn’t win. Allen knew this, too. He knew he was the only one who could fight.

(That’s why I have to get stronger and stronger… so Allen doesn’t have to borrow Asmodeus’s power anymore…)

The lives of the human race are short.

Within a few years of meeting him, Eufaria’s heart had been occupied by the Obsidian Knight. Eufaria would live for hundreds of years to come.

In that world of hundreds of years, the black-haired young man before her would not be there. Allen intended to make his short life even shorter for the sake of this world.

(If Allen uses his life for this world… then Eufa will use hers for Allen.)

“It’s a promise. Eufa will defeat the Demon King. So please… don’t use Asmodeus’s power.”

Deep within the forest of the Fairy Nation, where the pale moon shone.

What did the Obsidian Knight say in response to the promise the Fairy Princess made? Eufaria didn’t want to remember.

“—Your Highness. Princess Eufaria.”

Lost in the past, she suddenly realized her name was being called.

“What?”

Clad in a luxurious cape over a cute miniskirt, with a pure white mantle draped over her, the dreamily beautiful Fairy Princess shook her twin-tails as she busied herself researching in the archives of her tower—the 【Fairy Tower】.

Though it was called an archive, it looked far different from the typical image. A massive tree was planted in the center of the room, and numerous dots of light, like fireflies, floated through the air.

Ivy climbed the neatly arranged wooden bookshelves, creating a scene that didn’t feel like it was indoors at all.

“…Are you truly resigning from the 【World Knights】?”

“Please, reconsider.”

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying so much, but Eufaria closed the book she was reading and turned her gaze toward her subordinates.

Two fairy warriors, dressed like hunters with daggers at their waists and bows on their backs, were kneeling in supplication. They were her servants and guards.

“…I don’t care. I’ve already decided.”

Eufaria flatly refused her kin. When the two tried to say more, she cut them off with a gaze so chillingly cold it made them shudder.

“…More importantly, did you look into what I ordered?”

Eufaria had woken up several days before the beastkin hero, Leonhardt, regained consciousness. She already knew the full story of what had happened after they had been sent away.

“…Yes.”

“Good. Report.”

“Y-Yes. We inquired with the high officials of the Holy Empire—the Holy Spirit Ministry. It appears that one of the Eight Demon Generals Allen-sama captured previously, 【Zeros, the Demon General of Resurrections】, is currently being held at the Great Prison Island, Gehenna.”

“…Just as I thought.”

Gehenna, a frigid island covered in snow and ice year-round. The prison built there housed only criminals dangerous enough to destabilize entire nations.

“…What do you intend to do, knowing the location of that abominable user of forbidden necromancy?”

“I’m not telling you. Just remember this: from now on, Eufa isn’t returning to the Fairy Nation. I’m not just giving up my status as a hero. I’m throwing away my position as a Princess, too.”

“…Huh?”

Eufaria’s goal was simple.

She wanted to see the 【Obsidian Knight】 one more time.

For that single wish, Eufaria was prepared to discard her status, her honor—no, her very self.

“That’s all. You’re dismissed. Thank you.”

After thanking her subjects as a princess would, Eufaria stood from her chair, clutching a biography—the 【Legend of the Black Knight】, which detailed Allen Norsh’s adventures.

“W-Wait, Princess! Your wounds haven’t even healed, where are you going!?”

“E-Even if you truly resign, you should first visit the King of the Holy Empire, the leader of the Human Alliance—”

“There’s no need to greet that monster. And keep it quiet from the Holy Empire that Eufa has woken up for a while.”

As Eufaria turned to leave, one of her subordinates lowered their head and spoke heavily.

“…Eufaria-sama. I say this with the utmost respect, but please, do not come to regret this. The Elf King will be furious.”

Her footsteps stopped, and her small frame trembled.

Even as a hero representing her race, Eufaria showed clear fear. Her father, the Elf King, was that much of a trauma for her.

However, the princess turned back, her eyes wide.

“…Tell the King. Eufa is not a child anymore. Don’t think he can control everything forever.”

” “…!” “

In an instant, a wave of staggering murderous intent radiated from the small princess’s body, and the fairy warriors froze, forgetting even to breathe.

(…Allen. I will definitely bring you back to life. For that, Eufa thinks she might have to do a lot of bad things. So when we meet again, scold Eufa a lot. Get really angry at me.)

With eyes devoid of light and cheeks flushed, Eufaria hugged her chest—which was quite ample despite her height.

Just imagining it made her body quiver.

The sight of herself being scolded by Allen Norsh, being tormented in various ways under the guise of “discipline.”

The Princess of the Fairy Nation and absolute genius of magic was a total masochist. But only for the 【Obsidian Knight】. To everyone else, she was a total sadist.