Chapter 3

  To Earn A Keep (3)

  I, Johan, fifteen years old and an aspiring freeloader, found myself in an odd predicament. A suspicious fairy named Irari blocked my way while I was on a quest to fetch a Moon Flower for Ataria Delune, the Witch of Moonlight. Would I come out of this unfazed? Was she an enemy or an ally? And how the hell was I supposed to find this flower?

  "Ataria is the one, eh?" Irari mumbled, staring at me with a questioning look before letting out a sigh of defeat. "That damn delinquent."

  Wow, she had rough language for a fairy. I laughed inwardly before asking curiously, "Why exactly can't I go past the foothills?"

  "Are you that dumb? Or do you just lack even basic education?" she scowled, her tiny face close to mine. She purposefully distorted it to intimidate me, but in my opinion, she looked more adorable than scary. Cute looks aren't meant for scaring away predators, I suppose.

  No matter how wary a person was, a cute being could always make them let their guard down, I noted. But she was starting to get on my nerves.

  Raising both hands, I replied provocatively with a sly smile, "Oh no, great fairy of the forest, you actually discovered my true essence. It’s the latter. I, a foolish, puny human, lack the basic education you speak of."

  With my eyes half-open, I expected her to be fuming with rage. Instead, she looked like someone had dumped cold water on her in the dead of winter. Her wings started to lose their light as they slowly crumpled, her eyes lost focus, and her mouth trembled violently.

  "You had such a tough life, I didn’t know! Forgive me!" she cried out suddenly, falling to the ground and weeping like a heroine in an emotional play, her hands delicately covering her mouth in misery.

  I supposed she was still an emotional fairy, despite her rough language. I laughed to myself, which made me feel like the villain.

  ---

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  Meanwhile, inside Ataria's cottage...

  "Ahchoo!" Ataria sneezed, wondering who was bold enough to think of her so much.

  "I wonder if that kid has come across Irari by now. It would be a real shame if she disposed of him over his provocations," she muttered, waving her hand in the air.

  A transparent crystal ball popped out of the space where she was waving. The ball slowly rolled through the air with grace, landing beside Ataria’s palm.

  It’s good that I planted a surveillance spirit on him beforehand, she thought calmly.

  Her hands moved in slow, swirling motions around the crystal ball, hovering just above it but never making contact, as if an invisible force kept her away. A black vortex formed inside the ball, slowly revealing the scene as it unfolded around Johan.

  He’s still alive after meeting Irari? That’s good fortune, I suppose, Ataria mused as she maintained her surveillance magic.

  ---

  The little fairy hovered around Johan's head, her hands planted on her waist.

  "Look, puny human, I'll only explain this once, so try to keep up, okay?" Irari said, popping a stone slate into existence.

  She proceeded to draw two crude figures that supposedly represented humans—one was just an outline, while the other was meticulously detailed with chalk.

  "This section of the forest belongs to 'Puppeteer,' a high-ranking superior spirit. Though we are all subordinate to Ataria, our business is ours alone, and no one is allowed to interfere. What makes this more annoying is that young spirit brat, Puppeteer. He has a nasty habit of collecting marionettes... Yes, any questions?"

  In the midst of her explanation, Johan raised his hand. Seeing this, she asked if he had a question. Lowering his hand, he said, "Oh, great fairy of this forest, if his only business is collecting marionettes, why do I need to be afraid of him?"

  Clasping her hands in a prayer position, Irari raised her head toward the heavenly light. A thin streak of tears flowed from the corner of her eyes. "Oh, Great One, bless this foolish mortal so he may know the danger he lurks in."

  "What's all that drama for?" Johan grumbled under his breath before repeating, "Why do I need to be afraid of him?"

  Pointing her tiny index finger at his nose, Irari screamed, "He collects marionettes! Marionettes!"

  "And?" Johan asked, unfazed by her drama.

  "You are the marionette! Every human and living creature with a soul is a potential marionette! Can't you read the room?! If you enter the foothills right now, you will be engulfed by the fog and turned into a soulless doll!" she screamed, flapping both her hands in rapid succession.

  Johan’s face darkened upon hearing that. All that came out of his mouth was, "I see."

  After calming down a bit, Irari suggested, "We should go—"

  "When night falls," Johan stole Irari's words right from the tip of her tongue.

  Dropping her head in dejection, she mumbled, "Yeah, when night falls."

  She couldn't be pouting, right? Johan laughed to himself as he saw Irari avoiding confrontation.

  Wait! Why was I feeling so comfortable with her?! Even with her fragile looks, which could trigger anyone’s motherly instincts, this is still weird.