"Freya, you coward!"
"Freya, you coward!"
"Freya, you coward!"
"Stay out of our flower field!"
Ahead, in a flower patch screened by dense branches and leaves, three winged fairies hovered in the air, loudly mocking the cowering figure beneath a tree.
"But the flower field... I... I found it first..."
A small fairy with blue-gray butterfly wings and tattered clothes huddled beneath the tree. She clutched a little basket tightly against her chest with both hands as she protested weakly.
"If we want it, it's ours!"
"A coward like you doesn't deserve this place!"
"Exactly!"
The three winged fairies laughed at her scornfully, apparently having the time of their lives.
"The flower field... I... I don't want it anymore..."
Freya's courage dwindled even further. She tucked in her wings and pressed her lips together before replying timidly. Trembling, she rose to her feet, intending to leave the flower field they had taken over and find somewhere else to gather things.
"You can't go that way. We discovered this forest!"
"Not that way either. We just drank from that river!"
"Right! Don't even think about leaving! You stole our things, so you have to leave the flower basket behind!"
The three little creatures, clearly enjoying themselves, maliciously blocked Freya's path in every direction. When they noticed how much their usual punching bag seemed to care about her little basket, they immediately swarmed her, intent on snatching away the fairy girl's meager harvest.
"No! I can't give this to you!"
But the instant the three fairies lunged forward and tried to seize the basket in her arms, the little white rabbit who normally endured everything without complaint unexpectedly stood her ground. She shoved the three winged fairies away and desperately wrestled her basket back.
"Anything but this... I can't give you this..."
The little fairy retreated beneath the tree, her lips pressed tightly together. Though her body shook with fear, she held her treasure firmly against her chest.
"Damn you!"
"Coward Freya!"
"Thief Freya!"
The three winged fairies had never seen the little white rabbit fight back before, and they flew into a rage. Each of them grabbed a pebble from nearby, channeled their Ether into it, and hurled it viciously at Freya.
Sharp cracks exploded beside her ears. Freya squeezed her eyes shut, trembling like a tiny butterfly about to be battered by a violent storm.
Whoosh!
At that critical instant, a pale golden sword beam tore through the air and spread out before Freya like flowing mercury. Amid a rapid series of metallic clangs, the incoming pebbles were sent flying back at several times their original speed, each one striking its owner.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
The three malicious winged fairies were immediately struck by agonizing pain. Like birds with broken wings, they screamed and crashed out of the air one after another, their delicate dresses and beautiful wings covered in dust.
Blood mixed with dirt and clung to their bodies, leaving the three vicious little bullies in a miserable state.
Before the three little creatures could even recover from the shock, however, a terrifying presence from within the dense forest locked their bodies in place. Every inch of exposed skin prickled as if pierced by needles, while their bones and muscles trembled beneath the unbearable pressure.
They could not move so much as a finger. Like butterflies trapped helplessly in a giant's palm, they could only stare as the monster wrapped in golden Pyra, resembling some colossal god, approached them step by step with a sword in hand.
"Were they bullying you?"
"Samael!"
The fairy girl beneath the tree was still huddled there with her wings tucked in, head lowered as she clutched her flower basket tightly. At the sound of that familiar voice, she instinctively looked up, and her dim amber eyes instantly lit up with brilliant color.
"Want me to get rid of them for you? I've never eaten a fairy before. I wonder how they taste compared to rabbit meat..."
The Ancient Serpent glanced at his empty left hand, then turned his dark serpentine pupils toward the three winged fairies lying helplessly among the fallen leaves. His expression was full of eager anticipation.
"Don't eat us!"
"Our meat is sour!"
"We weren't trying to bully Freya!"
"Right! We were just playing with her..."
The three winged fairies nearly died of fright. Their faces went deathly pale as they hurriedly tried to explain themselves.
Boom!
In the next instant, a chilling sword beam swept out, passing so close to their scalps that they could feel its icy bite. Several towering ancient trees behind them were instantly reduced to dust, crumbling apart inch by inch.
"Did I say you could speak?"
The gloomy whisper, combined with the violent tides of Ether surging around the man like writhing serpents and pythons, left the winged fairies struggling even to breathe. They immediately fell silent, frozen in place like wooden statues.
"Sa... Samael, they didn't mean it. Please let them go..."
Freya stood beneath the tree and summoned all her courage to plead with Samael, trembling as though she were the child who had done something wrong.
"Of course!"
The Ancient Serpent immediately crouched down and flicked a finger against the little girl's smooth forehead, both exasperated and amused.
Feeling that familiar affection and reassurance, Freya held her slightly aching forehead and gave him a shy smile, visibly relieved.
After comforting his little friend, Samael turned toward the three little troublemakers and gave a cold snort.
"For Freya's sake, you're lucky this time. Get lost!"
W-we're saved!
The three winged fairies felt as though they had narrowly escaped a tiger's jaws. As the oppressive force pinning them down gradually faded, their faces lit up with joy. Without hesitation, they scrambled out of the fallen leaves and tried to flee the forest, desperate to put as much distance as possible between themselves and this terrifying monster.
"Wait..."
The three culprits had barely gotten to their feet when the drawn-out whisper, like the voice of a demon echoing from Purgatory, made all three little creatures shudder violently.
"Where's the apology?"
At the gloomy reminder, the three little creatures immediately turned around. Sniffling and wiping away their tears, they repeatedly apologized to their victim.
Seeing the three fairies of her own kind crying in front of her, Freya immediately became flustered and hurriedly accepted their apologies.
Having obtained their victim's forgiveness, the rotten little fairies wanted nothing more than to leave at once.
"One more thing..."
But the drawn-out voice forced the three little fairies to halt again, their faces falling as they nervously waited for the demon to continue.
"If I ever catch you bullying Freya again, you won't be so lucky!"
Only after making the rotten fairies sweat for long enough did Samael leisurely deliver his warning.
The three terrified little fairies nodded frantically like chicks pecking at grain. Once they were finally released, they shot out of the dense forest as fast as they could, fleeing the nightmare-filled hell behind them.
"And you!"
But just as the three rotten fairies fled in panic, another flick, neither too hard nor too soft, landed on Freya's forehead.
"If someone bullies you, run if you can. If you can't, just give in for the moment and let me get revenge for you later. Why risk yourself over a stupid flower basket?"
Samael gave an irritated snort, but every word carried obvious concern and worry.
"Anything but this... I couldn't give them this..."
Freya lowered her little head even further. The girl who had always been so timid was, for some reason, stubbornly refusing to yield on this one point.
Just as Samael began to wonder why, the blue-haired girl pursed her lips and raised her head. Clutching the basket tightly in both hands, she looked seriously at the human before her, her amber eyes shining with an unusual brilliance.
"Because this is a gift for my friend!"
She opened the lid.
Inside were a jar of edible flower petals and three small bottles of crystal-clear honey nectar, their many colors blending into a brilliant glow reflected in Samael's eyes.
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