Chapter 35

"We fairies have no need for such fruit." Not long after Sampua said those words, Naell and Owly were then guided by the fairies.

As they walked, there were occasions where territorial monsters inhabiting the vast wilderness would turn their attention towards them.

Yet due to Sampua’s presence, most monsters would cower in fear, making it easier for Naell to deal with the rare few who were brave enough to attack; with the use of his snow magic tingling their thick skin, monsters would ultimately run away from the cold.

As both the winged tribe and the knights of the Autumn Kingdom would frequently roam the forest, the population of monsters in Lagupa would usually be few in numbers.

Yet since the fog had covered the forest’s entirety, roaming and going in the forest was stopped until that day.

'A coincidence, or bad writing?' Naell thought, as he knew that in the novel Arts and Magic, Volume 4’s villain was the one who discovered the golden apples. 

Coincidentally, had it not been for the fogging, the dungeon, which was "supposedly a random occurrence", would have surely been discovered much quicker as well.

Yet again, he knew the reason for the fogging was due to the fairies’ personality and that the golden apples were magical and sprouted randomly.

'So the dungeon in principle should be the same with the golden apples… but what if it’s not?' 

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Upon arriving, the place, even when the fog looked different, was still magical in Naell's eyes. 

Its vivid green leaves and strong brown trunks still looked normal even with its golden fruits hanging beneath its leaves.

Yet what was truly magical to Naell was the fact that he would later come home richer that day, and perhaps even later succeed at his newfound curiosity.

"Thank you, Princess Sampua for showing the way." Said Naell while bowing slightly. It wasn't apparent, but he was trembling with excitement.

His usual villainous appearance was gone, and what was visible was his genuine face of gratitude. 

As someone poor on Earth, Naell was quite thankful for what he had on Mundo, more so for that opportunity.

"It was nothing. What do you intend to do with it anyway? We could help you pluck---." Yet saying those words, Sampua was surprised by what Naell did afterwards.

With his mana, a combination of wind and snow enveloped its leaves as it plucked down all the golden apples one by one. It was then wrapped by snow, and teleported to his spatial ring.

At first, Sampa thought that Naell would destroy the tree, and was somewhat disappointed upon their arrival.

Like elves, fairies loved nature. One aspect of why they didn’t like other races was due to the fact that they would often destroy nature out of greed.

Yet as she witnessed Naell’s chosen process, she was shocked by how incredible his mana control was.

He was handling the plucking and transportation without damaging the tree, and not even the leaves were harmed in the process.

'Handling all the fruits with utmost care is harder than it looks.' Sampua thought amused at the scene.

She knew putting up a huge wave of fog required a large amount of mana and experience in using magic.

Yet what Naell did, required precise control of mana. She then added on, delighted and amused,

"You are interesting as well, just like your mom." 

Naell just smiled, thinking that if he’d say anything, Sampua might once again duel them like with the case of his mom.

After some time, all the fruits were gone, and the tree looked quite peaceful. The golden apples that made it mystical, had been plucked and stored neatly.

Yet Owly and the fairies' sentiments were different from Naell's perspective.

"What a shame, the golden apples were quite beautiful." Sampua was of course fine with Naell plucking down the golden apple for himself. For her, had it been someone else they might have damaged the poor tree.

The healthy broad trunks and vivid green leaves were more apparent at that moment. For Naell it was quite ironic for them to see it that way, therefore he replied,

"Truly some things are more beautiful, but it would be a mistake not to appreciate beauty hidden beneath beauty."

"..."

"The trees that bore the golden fruits were not special trees. Moreso, the time they'd lose their fruits, normal the trees would be." Added on Naell remembering bards around several taverns would sometimes sing the tune, and just like some other songs, it carried a hint of truth.

The trees after having its golden apples plucked down, would have a slim chance of bearing the golden fruits once more. Afterall, it is believed that the trees are selected randomly by celestials to bear these special apples.

"Thank you once again, Princess." Naell truthfully thanked Sampua for making their quest much easier. 

Of course in the novel, the fog was there, but it was not told how the fog was created. That was why having met them was one of the luckiest encounters one could ever dream of having.

Not to mention, Naell now found the fairies cute as they exuded the fantasy-like feel he often thought he would see in a fantasy world.

"Ahhh! It was not a big deal, son of Alicia, but how about a duel to commemorate our meeting~" 

"..."

Then again, fairies--- more like Sampua and her company’s cute appearances, would disappear due to their addiction to battles.

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After some hard bargaining, Naell had persuaded Sampua not to fight. Instead, he had promised her that someday, he would gladly visit the Land of Fairies located in the Continent of Summer.

Not to mention, the fairies were also persuaded into peace upon seeing the food that was brought by Naell.

Of course, Sampua had already dissipated the fog surrounding them but not the entirety of the forest as they were told,

"It is quite hard to do so, but after some days, the forest will definitely be back to normal, TEEHEE~"

"..."

Naell's smile was cracking as he realized why the fogging in the novel lasted for months.

'Days my butt.' 

The food was not extravagant, but it was delicious. They were well-made sandwiches from the inn Naell and Owly had previously stayed in, many nights ago in Taglagas.

Tuna sandwiches dressed in mayonnaise and cream cheese generously spread on the pieces of toast; a perfect amount of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers within it; and cups of hot coffee and chocolate warming their bellies as they ate.

Of course, Naell felt the need to have some extra cups and asked some earth fairies to make solid cups that he thoroughly washed with water magic.

Peacefully they ate, while Owly was quite dissatisfied for he was not that willing to share the food. 

Nevertheless, the smart bird knew he would have more food later on, and so simply he didn’t give a HOOT, and did not protest.

It was already noon when the fairies and Naell decided to part ways, but not before Sampua showed him another memory of her and Alicia.

They were vivid images of a garden-like place, different types of flowers bloomed near the clear blue river where fairies flew and played with their kin.

Naell even thought he felt that the trees were all giving a breeze of comfort as the wind was not too cold and most certainly did not give discomfort. Even the sunlight seemed just enough to warm their hearts.

Yet what made him sentimental all of a sudden, was the presence of a lady; pale skin that could be mistaken as radiating underneath the sun, silver hair that brightened her beauty, red eyes that were oddly not like his, and a sweet smile illuminating her charm.

She was talking to the golden fairy who was quite beautiful herself, but Naell did not know why he could not help but look at the other lady even more.

'Mother...'

All of them were surprised, even Naell when he felt tears dripping from his eyes. Seeing her made him quite nostalgic all of a sudden, yet he did not have any idea why.

"I'm sorry." Sampua could only apologize, realizing the boy was hurting still, from her death. 

Tears too were dripping from her golden eyes. The confident and barbaric golden fairy was like a child now, sobbing from her face.

She never did exactly know that her friend died before Naell told her. She had realized too late that it was rude of her to show him memories of them together.

"Please don't cry, Princess, I'm quite alright. Thank you for sharing your memories." Naell felt sorry for the golden fairy as she tried her best to wipe the tears from her eyes.

After some time she calmed down with her cheeks still reddened from her tears. She was now walking as she was not in the mood to fly.

Naell was of course still in deep thought after what happened. He could not surmise why his body was reacting to the old Naell's lingering emotions. 

'That was weird.'

With a puzzling thought, he bid them farewell and pushed aside those thoughts into the back of his mind.

*******

The sun was now beginning to set as the fairies flew away from Lagupa. One of the smaller fairies flew much closer to Sampua’s ear as she spoke,

“Princess, shouldn’t we tell them that we didn’t create the fog around the golden tree?”

”I’m sure it’ll be fine, teehee~”