Chương 62: Chapter 5&6
Chapter 5: Welcome to the Fourth Fairy Warehouse
Gray Rock did not personally escort Tohka Yatogami to the Fourth Fairy Warehouse. As the commander of the Second Wing Corps, he had a duty to patrol the surrounding floating islands to guard against the Sixth Beast. With his mission at hand, he couldn't simply leave his post.
Instead, he arranged for Tohka to be taken by a small warship. After about an hour, she arrived at her destination, where the mission was completed. The Beastmen warriors who escorted her departed, returning to their fleet.
Standing at the island's edge, Tohka looked at the small floating island, which was home to the world's protagonists, yet her expression remained calm. The Fourth Fairy Warehouse's floating island was tiny, not even one percent of the size of other resource or residential islands. It lacked a number for this reason—its existence was a secret, known only to a few. The island served as a hidden sanctuary for the rare golden spirits, who were kept away from public knowledge.
Tohka, holding a map, made her way to the center of the island. She soon came across a small, dilapidated bridge, where two figures were waiting.
"Hello. You must be the golden spirit, Yatogami Tohka, as Gray Rock mentioned," the young man in military attire greeted politely. "I'm Willem Kmetsch, the military representative for the Fourth Fairy Warehouse. You can call me Willem. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Nygglatho, the representative of the Orland Trade Association," the tall, red-haired woman added with a smile. "You're one of us now. I hope we can get along well."
However, Tohka's response was less than friendly. She took a cautious step back and asked sharply, "Lizardman said this is where the golden spirits live. Why are there humans and ogres here?"
"And how do you know my name?"
"We're here to oversee and take care of the golden spirits," Nygglatho explained. "As for your name, Gray Rock, the senior officer, told us."
Tohka was suspicious. "That big lizard is still on the ship. How could he have told you my name?"
Nygglatho blinked, confused. "He didn't come in person, but he used a communication device to pass the information along to me. What's the problem?"
"What's a communication device?"
"Do you not remember anything? Gray Rock did warn us that you were in the later stages of personality collapse," Nygglatho sighed. "You can think of a communication device as a tool that allows people to talk over long distances."
Tohka still looked skeptical. "You're saying there's such a thing?"
Nygglatho nodded. "Yes, Gray Rock often uses it to send me information."
"Is that so?" Tohka said, her doubt still evident.
Willem leaned in and quietly asked, "Is personality collapse really that bad? She can't even remember what just happened?"
"It's severe, but not to this extent," Nygglatho sighed. "Maybe she just wasn't paying attention to begin with."
The two continued to talk, but Tohka, while aware of who they were, remained cautious. The Fairy Warehouse was managed by both the military and the Orland Trade Association, with Willem representing the military and Nygglatho representing the trade association.
The conversation paused when a blue-haired girl emerged from the nearby forest.
"Korori, what are you doing here?" Willem asked, surprised.
"No, everything's fine at home," the girl, Korori, responded. "We were just worried since you've been gone so long."
"We have a new member, but she's a bit stubborn and distrustful," Willem explained, glancing at Tohka. "Could you confirm that we're the real administrators of the Fairy Warehouse?"
Korori stepped forward, raising her hand. A bit of magical energy appeared around her, signaling her identity as a golden spirit. "I'm Korori Nota Sernioris. Like you, I'm a golden spirit."
"Ah, finally another golden spirit!" Tohka relaxed a little, realizing they were telling the truth.
"See? We've been saying that all along," Willem said, exasperated.
With the misunderstanding cleared up, Korori smiled and said, "Well, now that everything's settled, let's head back. It's almost evening, and dinner's waiting. The others are getting impatient."
"Dinner?" Tohka's eyes lit up at the mention of food, and her stomach growled loudly.
The group couldn't help but laugh at her swift change in demeanor. "Looks like our new member's already hungry. Well, you're in luck. Tonight's meal is quite special, and we even have dessert," Korori added proudly.
"Dessert?!" Tohka was excited.
Korori grinned. "Yes, it's something you won't find in any other fairy warehouse. You're lucky."
"Welcome to the Fourth Fairy Warehouse, Yatogami Tohka," Korori said with a smile, leading the way to dinner.
Chapter 6: A Night of Dark Winds and the Full Moon
The two managers of the Fourth Fairy Warehouse, Willem Kmetsch and Nygglatho, prepared a grand dinner to welcome Yatogami Tohka's arrival.
Even the golden spirits residing there shared in the feast, marking an unforgettable night. However, the new member, Tohka, appeared somewhat aloof. Throughout dinner, she remained silent, her focus entirely on eating, with no intention of socializing.
Considering that she might be in the final stages of personality collapse, the managers refrained from urging the other golden spirits to interact with her, fearing it might upset her.
The meal and welcome ceremony quickly ended, and night fell.
Inside her bedroom, Nephren, one of the three adult golden spirits staying at the warehouse, yawned and set down her detective novel. She had worked hard preparing for Tohka's arrival, which was the first time in over a century that a golden spirit from another warehouse had been taken in.
Golden spirits typically grew in the fairy pools scattered across various floating islands, and they would reside in the island where they were born. But for Tohka, the Fourth Fairy Warehouse had been her new home. It had taken considerable time and effort to clean a vacant room for her.
As Nephren prepared to turn off the light and go to sleep, she heard some faint noises from outside.
"Who could be out there at this hour?" she wondered, walking quietly to the door and peeking through the crack.
In the moonlight streaming through the window, she saw a figure with knee-length hair sneaking down the corridor, each step careful, as though trying not to wake anyone.
Though the back was unfamiliar, Nephren quickly recognized the person.
It was Yatogami Tohka, the new member of the Fourth Fairy Warehouse. What was she doing out of bed at this late hour, sneaking around?
Curiosity piqued, Nephren decided to follow her at a safe distance. Tohka walked past the bedrooms and headed to the far side of the building, where she opened the kitchen door.
Nephren, hidden in the shadows, observed silently.
"Suspicious..." she thought. "To sneak into the kitchen on her first night here. Something's definitely off."
Her mind raced, recalling the mystery novels and detective films she'd recently consumed. Nephren couldn't help but let her imagination run wild with fictional scenarios.
"Could she have a hidden agenda? Did some secret organization send her to destroy the Fourth Fairy Warehouse?" she wondered instinctively.
Her first reaction was that Tohka might be planning something malicious. But despite her imagination running wild, Nephren maintained her composure, reminding herself to stay rational.
To uncover the truth, Nephren approached the kitchen door as quietly as possible, eventually pushing it open.
Through the crack, she saw Tohka handling some ingredients. Nephren's suspicion grew stronger.
"Something's wrong..." she thought. But before she could act, Tohka turned around, catching her.
"Ah, you've found me," Tohka said, slowly revealing something from her hands.
Nephren tensed, preparing to defend herself, unsure of Tohka's intentions.
But then Tohka tossed her something in the dark.
"Here," she said.
Instinctively, Nephren grabbed it. It was a tomato. Half a tomato, to be precise. The other half was still in Tohka's hand, which she had already bitten into.
"Food's on me, but don't report me to Willem or Nygglatho," Tohka said, looking guilty.
"What...?" Nephren stammered.
"You're an accomplice now, aren't you?" Tohka teased, "You waited for everyone else to fall asleep, just like me, to sneak into the kitchen."
"It's not like that," Nephren replied quickly.
"Then what were you doing?" Tohka asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I thought you were..." Nephren started, then stopped herself. She had imagined the most ridiculous scenario, and now it seemed foolish to voice it.
She had assumed Tohka was up to something sinister, which seemed laughable now.
"Are you really sneaking food after such a big dinner?" Nephren asked.
"Well, not much," Tohka said innocently. "I only had ten bowls. I wanted more, but the pot was empty. So, I had to wait until breakfast, but... well, here I am."
"You could've just told Willem. There's plenty of food here. Don't be shy," Nephren sighed.
Tohka smiled sheepishly. "Got it."
Looking at the embarrassed Tohka, Nephren realized she wasn't so cold after all. Her stealthy trip to the kitchen was simply the result of not feeling full after the big dinner, and she didn't want to bother anyone.
"Well, that was silly," Nephren thought, shaking her head with a quiet smile.
Tình trạng nguồn điện hàng tuần
-- Xếp hạng
Quyền lực 
-- Đá
Quyền lực