"We just wanted to provide a place for those homeless humans to live."
Seeing Kaa's massive hammer, Leah trembled from head to toe.
She was going to die.
She was absolutely going to die.
If Master Kaa swung that hammer even once, she'd surely be done for.
"Do you take me for a fool?"
Kaa stared at Leah.
Of course I do…
Leah thought to herself.
But looking at Kaa's expression, she knew there was no way to talk her way out of this.
Especially since that enormous hammer kept brushing past her ears. Even if it didn't hit her directly, just resting it on her shoulders would be enough to crush her ribs.
Death was right before her eyes.
After a moment of deliberation, Leah made her choice.
They're just fairies, after all. She decided to answer the Earth Clan's master, Kaa, honestly.
…
Seeing how late it had gotten, Lot and Morgan stopped waiting for Kaa's response.
Neither of them expected the little fairy Leah to bring back any food.
If she wasn't pounded into paste by Kaa tonight, it'd already be a miracle.
"Speaking of which, what rations do we have left?"
Lot asked Morgan.
"Let me see…" Morgan rummaged through her bag and pulled out a few meat pies. "Just these."
They were the famous meat pies from Lot's homeland in his previous life.
Normally, he loved eating them.
But now, imagining Leah possibly being hammered into meat paste by Kaa, neither of them had any appetite left.
They averted their gazes.
"Uh… I'm not really hungry."
Lot said to Morgan.
"Mm. Me neither."
Morgan nodded in agreement.
"So, let's just go to sleep."
Lot suggested.
"Mm."
Morgan nodded again.
She glanced around the interior of the house.
The craftsmanship of the Earth Clan's fairies was truly impressive. Even a hastily constructed dwelling like this was far from shoddy. The wooden furniture inside was fully furnished.
Especially the small bed made of cedar, covered with fur blankets and fabric it looked incredibly warm.
The bed was even designed with Lot's tall stature in mind, exceeding 2.2 meters in length. Even for him, lying down was effortless.
The two of them settled into bed, ready to rest.
But less than ten minutes later, a knock came at the door.
Thud, thud, thud…
"Who is it?" Lot asked irritably.
"Me."
The voice belonged to Kaa, the half-lame Earth Clan fairy Lot had tricked earlier.
[Well, this guy moves fast.]
Exchanging a glance with Morgan, Lot stood up and opened the door, revealing Kaa's furious face.
Oh, and he wasn't alone.
In his hand, he was dragging a certain little fairy Leah.
"Thank you. We've been deceived. These Wind Clan fairies dared to trick us, the Earth Clan."
Seeing Lot and Morgan, Kaa expressed his gratitude.
Meanwhile, Morgan had already cast a spell to prevent any other fairies from eavesdropping.
"Deceived? Come in and explain."
Lot adopted the posture of a listener and invited Kaa inside.
Once Kaa entered, Lot asked, "So, what exactly happened? Did your Earth Clan really know nothing about this?"
Hearing this, Kaa's expression grew even angrier.
He nodded vehemently. "Exactly! Our entire clan was kept in the dark!"
"We fairies need humans as a vital source of spiritual nourishment. We also rely on human creativity for innovation. We've always depended on humans. But now, the Wind Clan fairies want to redefine the relationship between humans and fairies or rather, they intend to farm humans!"
Kaa declared to Lot.
"The Wind Clan's leader plans to exploit us completely. I won't let them get away with this."
"From where I stand, things aren't so clear-cut. You shouldn't act recklessly."
Lot pretended to 'persuade' him.
But at this point, Kaa was beyond restraint.
He stood up and declared, "Regardless, I won't stay here any longer. I'm leaving now to find our clan's leader!"
With that, he stormed off.
Watching him leave, Morgan asked Lot, "What should we do next?"
"Of course, we ensure this Earth Clan fairy reaches his destination safely. If we don't protect him, he won't make it ten miles before being dragged back."
Lot grinned.
"True enough."
Morgan and Lot stretched their limbs.
It was time to move.
As for resting?
Where was the fun in that?
Especially when they were about to wage war against the fairy clans.
…
The Earth Clan's Kaa marched forward, his heart burning with betrayal.
Without informing any other fairies, he set off alone.
All he could think about was warning his clan's leader as soon as possible but he failed to realize that the surrounding villages were all Wind Clan territory.
The moment he was spotted, the fairies immediately alerted their village chief.
The chief knew something was wrong the instant she saw him.
There was no way an Earth Clan master would act like this unless something major had happened.
"Was it those two newcomers who caused this?"
She wondered.
After considering all possibilities, the only ones capable of such a thing were the two fairies who had arrived today.
No one else would dare.
"I knew it. These suspicious outsiders are nothing but trouble."
But right now, stopping Kaa was the priority.
She intended to intercept him.
At first, she considered mobilizing a large group.
But after a moment's thought, she decided against it.
This matter required discretion.
A quiet approach was best.
She was confident in her ability to capture Kaa alone.
With that in mind, she set off.
Using detection magecraft, she confirmed that Kaa had already put some distance between himself and the village.
It was time to give chase.
She took flight, relying on her magic to close the gap swiftly.
Or so she thought.
But the moment she spread her wings and flew about 400-500 meters
BAM!
She slammed into an invisible wall.
Splat!
The chief crashed to the ground.
As she lay there, two figures emerged from the darkness, their every step radiating arrogance.
Their hostility was palpable.
Squinting under the moonlight, the chief recognized them
The two 'fairies' from earlier.
"You two?!"
She still hadn't pieced it together.
Lot and Morgan exchanged amused glances before nodding.
"That's right. It's us."
As they spoke, to prevent any resistance, Lot lunged forward and drove his fist into the chief's body.
"GYAAAH !"
The chief screamed, her voice trembling.
"What… do you want?"
Morgan and Lot looked down at her, their grins downright predatory.
Utterly shameless, they crouched beside her.
Seeing this, the chief subtly moved a hand behind her back.
Even in this dire situation, she hadn't given up on fighting back.
But the moment her fingers twitched, Morgan chanted a spell
Paralyzing her completely.
"That Earth Clan master's mission to find his leader won't be interrupted by anyone."
Lot stated coldly.
At that moment, the chief realized something horrifying.
"You… you're not fairies?!"
She gasped.
"Correct. But no prize for you."
Lot smirked.
"What do you want?!"
Her hands began shaking uncontrollably.
Lot continued, his voice icy:
"You fairies want to farm humans. As a human myself, I will never allow it. I will crush every last one of you."
Whether human livestock and fairy livestock were morally equivalent didn't concern him.
He was human.
Only hypocrites sacrificed their own kind for outsiders.
Lot's goal was simple:
To lead those beside him…
And survive this era.
"Who… are you?!"
The chief demanded one last time.
"That's a secret."
Lot never left loose ends.