The Girl Raised by the Death God Holds the Sword of Darkness in Her Arms - Volume 6 - Chapter 2.1

Chapter Two: Blood and Conspiracy on the Wind

I

The White Forest, the North of the Empire

Far beyond the reach of the powers of man lay a world sealed in white. It was a world of rampant tyranny and commonplace cruelty, but hidden away in a corner of that world, one might stumble across a little log house. The snowy winds blew fiercely, seeming as though they would freeze even the darkness, but the faint light glimmering in the window was a beacon showing that here, there was some small comfort.

“It’s not like you to think so hard, Lassara.”

As Lassara sat back in her rocking chair, gazing deep into the flames of the hearth, the fairy Silky Breeze flitted in front of her face. Lassara tried to swat her away, but the fairy easily evaded her. She sighed. “Don’t talk to me like I’m another happy-go-lucky fairy.”

“Well, I’m sorry.” Silky Breeze crossed her arms firmly and puffed her cheeks out. “You wouldn’t know, seeing as how you’ve never met any other fairies, but there’s not another one out there who does as much thinking as me.”

It was true, Silky Breeze was the only fairy that Lassara had ever laid eyes on. All the same, the idea of meekly accepting the fairy at her word galled her. Lassara had once asked about the other fairies. According to Silky, they were painfully timid and cautious, and so would never go near anywhere with the slightest human presence. Why then, Lassara had asked, had Silky come to her, when she was a human?

Silky, with an ill-mannered air of superiority, had replied, “I’m no coward, and besides, you looked like an interesting sort of human.” In other words, Lassara had thought, Silky was a weirdo.

“All right, if you’re so pleased with yourself, I’ll ask: what in the hell are you thinking about?”

In response, Silky flashed her an alluring smile, then pirouetted neatly on the spot, her black dress flaring out spectacularly. Lassara stared at her, so unmoved she surprised even herself.

“And that’s what you’re thinking? I can’t make any sense of it.”

“What?! You didn’t understand?! It’s this! This here!” Silky grabbed at her skirts, which were drowning in ruffles, and spread them to show Lassara, who saw the fairy’s gaze grow as sharp as she had ever seen it in proportion to her irritation.

Silky shook her head in disappointment. “You must be getting old, Lassara.”

“I don’t need you telling me that!” Through the secret arts of the Longevity Principle, Lassara had lived two hundred and seventy-seven years and four months—more than three ordinary human lifetimes. She didn’t need the fairy reminding her what she knew far too well already.

“Now, what’s this about your dress?”

“Just now, that was a sign of senility, wasn’t it?” Silky sighed dramatically. Lassara narrowly managed to choke back the retort that rose to her lips. She wouldn’t get anything out of arguing with Silky. In lieu of a verbal response, she instead thrust her chin out to indicate to the fairy that she should continue.

“You haven’t seen this black dress before, have you?”

“I do not keep notes on every blasted thing you wear...but no, I have not,” Lassara admitted.

“This dress is what I’ve been losing sleep over in order to get it ready before Felix comes to see us again. Well? Seeing this, even you can’t say I never think, can you?” Silky wriggled her nose and stuck out her chin, before finally shooting Lassara a sidelong glance. Lassara, if she were honest, cared little and less. On top of that, the fairy spent most of the day asleep, so frankly Silky’s argument carried next to no weight whatsoever. If anything, Lassara had been a fool to seriously engage.

She sighed. “And now I have gone and wasted my time on trivialities. I am ashamed of myself.”

“This isn’t trivial! There’s nothing worth thinking about more than Felix!” Silky flew circles around Lassara, irritating as a fly, kicking out wherever she found an opening. Lassara lost the battle to her annoyance and raised her left hand. The Heavenly Orb Mage Circle tattooed there flashed once, and Silky was imprisoned inside a tiny jail cell.

Silky gaped for a moment, then grabbed the bars.

“That’s not fair! Pulling out magecraft just like that.”

“Quieten down a bit. With all this racket, I can’t hear myself think.”

“Hooey! My magecraft’ll smash your quack smells to smithereens!” As she fumed, Silky’s whole body glowed with pale light—the magecraft of the fae. While mages used the circle tattooed on the back of their hand as a catalyst for their powers, fairies did not necessarily require a catalyst. It was no struggle to see which casting method was superior, and yet contrary to Silky’s expectations, the jail did not fly apart. She flushed crimson, kicking furiously at the bars.

“Why won’t it break?!”

“I am a great mage,” Lassara pointed out, “and I can’t have you forgetting it. And in any case, it doesn’t matter how you pretty yourself up. The youngster won’t be back for some time.”

At this, Silky’s kicks stopped abruptly. “Why not? Why? Why? Why won’t he be coming?!”

“He’s in the middle of an idiotic war.”

“Huh? He’s in a war?! We’ve gotta go help him!”

“You must not.”

“No! I’m worried about him!”

“Even if you went, the help you could give him...” Before she could go any further, Lassara clamped her mouth shut. She could imagine all too well what a boon Silky’s magecraft would be to the empire.

One corner of Silky’s mouth curled, and she made a show of pushing back her bangs.

“Oh? What sort of help could I give him?” she inquired.

“You really are an impertinent fairy. How many times must I tell you? You put one toe out into the world, and they’ll make you their plaything. Or do you want to make yourself a clown?”

“And I told you, no lug of a human is gonna catch me.” Silky stuck her tongue out. Lassara, reflecting that she wasn’t made for parenting, found herself thinking back on another child.

Not to validate Silky’s shenanigans, but I do fear for the youngster. After all, he’s facing one of the Deep Folk... Heeding the indistinct fears she had been unable to shake, Lassara had sent a bird to the imperial capital to collect information. It had brought her back the news that Felix had left Olsted with an army. Pursuing this further, Lassara had learned that his opponent was Olivia Valedstorm, the Deep Folk girl they called the Death God. This time I will be unable to merely watch from afar, I suppose. I must rouse myself...

Lassara clicked her fingers and the cage imprisoning Silky vanished without a trace. For a split second, their eyes met. Then, fist raised, Silky charged at her. Lassara reached around behind the fairy then, catching one of her wings between thumb and forefinger, and leaned in toward her.

“A fairy can’t live without wings!” Silky raged. “Release me!”

“We’re going out.”

“Huh? By ‘out’...you mean we’re going to see Felix?!” Her face lit up with surprise and delight. Lassara gave her a serene nod.

“Just so. I’m not comfortable leaving you here alone.”

“Uh-huh, yep, I’ll take anything right now as long as I get to see Felix!” Lassara released the fairy, who shot away at once, leaving a trail of stardust as she flew loops around the room. But just as quickly, she pulled up short, looking at Lassara with worry in her eyes. “Lassara, do I look good in this dress? Do you think Felix will like it?”

Though Silky’s behavior might have left a lot to be desired, even Lassara couldn’t find anything to fault in her appearance—as a rule, therefore, she looked good in anything she put on. And in any case, black always set off a woman’s beauty. Lassara didn’t know Felix’s taste in women, but the one thing she did know was that he’d compliment Silky like a proper gentleman.

Seeing Silky’s worry deepen, Lassara felt an urge for mischief rise within her. She kept her evil smile to herself as she slowly and deliberately raised a hand to her cheek.

“There’s nothing wrong with black...” she said, “only, I think I’d go with white.”

“White? Hmm. Honestly, I’m not that big on white...” Silky twisted her hips from side to side to check her dress. It was all Lassara could do to keep a straight face.

“You don’t know? Then allow me to enlighten you. In the human world, it’s customary for the dress worn on one’s wedding day to be white. It symbolizes your purity to your betrothed.”

Silky’s face flushed before her eyes. “Wedding...with Felix...wedding...wedding...” The fairy went on muttering, her wings trembling like an injured butterfly until she plopped down on the table.

“What’s wrong?” Lassara asked. Silky didn’t reply. She tried waving her hand in front of the fairy’s face, but even that elicited no response.

Did I take the joke a bit far? she wondered. Still, the fairy was quiet at least, so, counting this as a win, Lassara started getting ready.