Chapter 33
“So, you want to hear a story about fairies?”
The wandering merchant asked Arzeletta again. Arzeletta nodded.
“If it’s about fairies, wouldn’t the priest serve you with that?”
The merchant cleared his throat unnecessarily and said. Hmm, as he cleared his throat, his huge barrel-shaped body shook, and the fake jewels hanging on his clothes jingled.
Fairy stories.
Fairies were known as the most evil and corrupted beings to the god of Impellias who ruled over the Ragnar territory.
The fairies cursed the land, causing a great famine. Tens of thousands of people died in that famine, and under the order of Impellias, the fairies were exterminated.
…Or so it was known.
As the merchant said, the priests of Impellias would tell detailed stories about the fairies whenever asked.
Mostly about how disgusting, cruel, irrational, and evil they were.
The law of Impellias painstakingly described the evil of the fairies, who coveted land that belonged only to rational and faithful humans, and cursed the land with famine in anger that humans ruled the land.
And stories about fairies could not be circulated outside the temple.
Only stories meant to curse and insult the fairies were allowed, but any stories that might provoke interest or curiosity were strictly forbidden.
But taboos were always nourishment for curiosity.
The forbidden curiosity, grown on strict taboos, became richly fleshed out.
The merchant was someone who traveled everywhere selling all sorts of things. His goods were mostly objects, but sometimes information, rumors, or unverifiable stories.
Arzeletta took a coin hidden in her bosom and placed it on the merchant’s palm. For Arzeletta, it was a large sum of money that she could only collect by skipping meals for several days.
The merchant, after quietly checking the silver coin, asked Arzeletta with a satisfied expression.
“…I can tell you a story or two. But it’s not something to tell others.”
It meant a secret. Arzeletta nodded.
“Alright, what kind of story do you want to hear?”
“I want to know why the fairy hunters hunt fairies.”
The merchant frowned. It was different from what he had expected—that she would ask about romantic legends concerning fairies.
He tilted his head suspiciously and loaded the remaining goods onto the donkey’s back. His hands busily folded the stall.
“Why are you curious about that?”
“Well, it’s just that… fairies are cursed beings, but it’s strange and… scary that they sell those fairies for a high price.”
Arzeletta lowered her pale green eyes and stammered.
“…But, do fairies really exist?”
The merchant twirled his curly mustache with his fingers. Now he was getting closer to the ‘virginal’ question he had been expecting.
As his guard lowered, the merchant felt the urge to tell the story. Even cruel stories were as captivating as romantic ones.
Having loaded his last cargo, the merchant sat down under a tree’s shade a little distance away. Arzeletta hurriedly followed him.
“They say the fairies were exterminated at the temple, but that’s not true. Some still remain. Very few, though. That’s why fairies are so expensive. The last fairy trade happened only two years ago.”
“…….”
“They say the price was enough to buy a whole palace. The fairy traded this time might really be the last fairy left on the continent.”
“…Why do people buy fairies?”
“Because they’re beautiful. They’re hunted for their beauty. And since fairies are now hard to come by, they’ve become even rarer. It’s quite strange.”
“…….”
“To exterminate them for being evil, then desire them for being precious. Isn’t that ironic?”
If they were properly bred, they wouldn’t be this rare. Like ducks or pigs.
At the merchant’s muttered words, Arzeletta felt goosebumps but nodded without showing it.
“Well, fairies can’t be bred by human will, so their numbers can’t increase indefinitely.”
“Then how do fairies… reproduce?”
“The fairies say that, in their way, they are simply born like wildflowers in a blessed place. There used to be a famous fairy forest in the Derden Mountains… but now it’s completely gone. Remember that great fire?”
Arzeletta nodded, hiding the trembling in her expression.
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