Chapter 14 : Wisdom (2)

The Wisp’s office was a bizarre space: a large room with a towering ceiling, yet furnished with miniature furniture. It felt like a miniature exhibition.

The only objects of normal size were electronic devices lined up by the entrance, displayed at a height convenient for humans to use. They were clearly for human use.

To me, this strange place felt like Wisp’s own kingdom. Perhaps because he sat there with such an air of self-importance. Or maybe…

“Have a seat. If you can, that is.”

One corner of Wisp’s mouth curled upwards as he pushed a tiny chair towards me. I didn’t even glance at it, knowing it would be impossible for me to sit on it.

The fairy named Daddy, who brought me here, wasn’t offered a chair. He must have been treated this way all along. But they also didn’t offer him this useless chair. Because it was way too small for him to sit on.

I held the initiative in this conversation, yet he continued to provoke me with such a treatment.

I shouldn’t let it get to me. I just needed to find out how he was getting away with interacting with the demons. But before that…

“Why don’t you send these people outside?”

I gestured to the two humans standing quietly behind him. The two women wore ‘maid outfits’, probably catering to Wisp’s tastes.

I wanted to prevent his filth from splattering on others before I dug into his secrets. I didn’t know how shocked Daddy would be to find out that the fairy he contracted with had dealings with the same demons who attacked the city.

Wisp simply stared blankly into space.

“Ah, Khehehe.”

Then he let out a strange laugh.

“No need. They already know.”

Know? They knew that he was dealing with demons?

My suspicion was soon confirmed. Red flowers began blooming around him.

“Don’t glare at me like that. Most of them stay even after they find out. I even kindly explained everything to the new recruits before hiring them.”

I quickly looked at the two women, and they simply nodded. The same colored flowers bloomed next to their impassive faces, devoid of shame.

Forgetting my resolve to remain calm, I couldn’t help but express my emotions.

“You didn’t answer me downstairs just to toy with me?”

“It was to finish taking my profile picture, not to toy with you. I wouldn’t have called you here if that was my intention.”

“Alright, where are the others who opposed dealing with the demons? Did you kick them out?”

He chuckled, seemingly enjoying my questions.

“Kick them out? That’s a bit harsh. I terminated the existing contracts and made new ones. Non-disclosure agreements, instead of magical girl contracts. They seemed satisfied when I added a clause guaranteeing support for their lives even after returning to being ordinary humans.”

A fairy who transforms humans into magical girls has an unspoken rule: not to arbitrarily cancel a contract without the Queen’s permission.

Wisp spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world, but his actions were a violation of everything. And he knew it best.

A hand holding a teacup suddenly interrupted from behind. The teacup, sized for Wisp, was far too small for me. Yet inside, it held the familiar scent of my homeland, a scent I hadn’t smelled in a long time.

Wisp could freely come and go to the place I couldn’t return to. Why was he allowed passage while I was not? If I couldn’t enter because I was tainted, so should he.

As my growing anguish writhed and opened its jaws at me, Wisp, savoring the aroma, continued.

“I told you before. I’d take care of the idle magical girls. They all fought whenever called upon, disrupting their daily lives, so I wanted to repay them. I’m supporting them in everything they want to do, whether it’s dancing, singing, acting, or even playing musical instruments.”

“And you funded it by dealing with demons?”

“That’s only a part of it. I have enough capital even without dealing with them. I have over fifty humans contracted with me. The amount of money I make…”

“I understand that you make quite a bit, even without you telling me.”

I deliberately interrupted his boastful rambling.

I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Calm down. Don’t lose sight of my objective. If I needlessly provoke him, I won’t find out how he enters the demon realm. Besides, it’s the Queen’s job to punish Wisp, not mine. I just needed to find a way to safely contact the demons.

I soothed my throat, which felt parched, with the petal-scented tea. The scent of the place I would return to in a few days somehow didn’t suit me.

“How did you contact the demons? They abhor magical girls and fairies.”

“Hmm…It’s all about how you make them feel. Show her ‘that’.”

At Wisp’s words, the woman who served the tea retrieved something from the pile of electronic devices. She gently placed it on the table, but the size difference was so great that I worried if the table could bear the weight.

He said ‘that’, but the item itself wasn’t anything special.

“This is!”

It was just glucose candy, available anywhere. However, for us, who replenished our magic power with sugar, it was a tremendous source of energy. The downside was its addictive nature; once you tasted it, you craved it endlessly. Him taking this out meant…

“Yes. Glucose candy, effective for replenishing magic power for both us and the demons.”

“You…sold this…to the demons?”

I asked with a trembling voice, hoping it wasn’t true, but Wisp nodded. As his snickering grew louder, the red flowers bloomed fully.

I tried to use my power to split him into ‘Wisp’ and ‘Swamp’, but the two women had already transformed and thrust their weapons between my fingers. A staff and a modified knife. A few strands of my fur were cut, but I wasn’t injured.

Wisp watched this scene with narrowed eyes, his face contorted in what looked like ecstasy.

“You know, I had a thought when you infiltrated the demon realm as a scout. Something like, what really is good and evil?”

Insane. From the moment they invaded our world, the demons were defined as evil. It was the reason we came here.

“Have you seen how they live? They’re not that different from humans. They feel joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. They reproduce. The methods are slightly different, but the structure itself is the same.”

“So what? Are you feeling sympathy for them? What will you do if the demons, empowered by the candy, decide to destroy this place and invade the fairy realm?”

Wisp, who had been listening silently, jumped out of his chair and paced around me. The short fellow’s footsteps squelched as if he was walking in mud.

“I saw the announcement from the Association. I was so touched, thinking you had finally changed because you made a contract with a demon…But they glossed over the singular flow of magic. And now, seeing your attitude, I’m certain. You still hate demons, don’t you?”

“Of course! I’m supposed to hate the demons that devoured both humans and the fairies who came to protect them! Of course! You’re crazy. Insane.”

“Puhahahaha.”

Unable to contain his laughter, Wisp mocked me, tears welling in his eyes.

I couldn’t understand. Perhaps he had always been like this. And that’s why he’s someone I can’t accept.

“Oh, that was funny. You see, Amber, if they wanted to destroy this place, they should have done it a year ago when I first gave them the candy. See? Nothing’s happened except for some juvenile delinquents acting out.”

He’d been giving them candy for that long? Even if it were true, it wasn’t surprising. If they’d been saving it up for a single rebellion, they could be acting docile like now.

“Why should we hate demons in the first place? Did they invade the fairy realm?”

“Don’t spout nonsense.”

“No, I’m serious. In a way, I feel they’re more like us than humans are.”

How could they be similar? Their appearances, their ways of thinking, everything was different. Except for using magic, they had nothing in common.

“Ah, your face wasn’t like this when you saw the demon realm yourself.”

Wisp waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly.

“Go back. You keep looking at the clock, so I guess you didn’t get the answer you wanted.”

“I was looking at the clock?”

“You kept glancing at Daddy’s wrist.”

I looked up at Daddy, and he flinched, saying, “It’s 2:40.” Who asked?

“I hope we’ll be on the same page when we meet next time.”

Why was he giving me that wistful look as I was being pushed out by the two magical girls? Wisp, what do you want from me?

*

Outside the door, I realized I hadn’t gained any information. No, that wasn’t true. I learned that Wisp was dangerous and that the demons had been stockpiling glucose candy.

I decided to go back and organize my thoughts before meeting with Jangmi.