Chapter 55

Irritated, I said, "It's annoying," and Father let everyone except the birds inside and cast a large water barrier.

It is also dome-shaped, but unlike the one that envelops the one-eyed knight, it is not filled with water. It is made of a thin film of water.

The bird's attacks, whether they are slashes or tornadoes, only cause the film to ripple when they hit it. It seems to absorb the impact.

The branch leader, Kicks, and the others, who had been defending us from the attacks, were out of breath. They watched the one-eyed knight while being mindful of Father's presence.

"Mil, is that your father...?"

The branch leader looked at Father hesitantly and whispered.

"Yes, my father!"

When I answered, the branch leader and the others straightened up and tried to greet Father.

Unlike Mother, Father has no interest in the human world and does not intervene. He is neither an ally nor an enemy. He would only get a little upset if the lake where he lives was polluted.

I thought that it didn't matter if they didn't greet him, but then,

"Milfee!"

Kugaru returned a step late.

And with a large flame, Hylg Papa also appeared.

Like Kugaru, his skin was dark, and his muscular upper body was adorned only with tattoos and gold ornaments.

He was taller than the average adult human male, about the same height as my father. He had a strong, handsome face, but he still exuded a stifling atmosphere.

"What is this? A water barrier...? Hey, you! Water!"

Hylg Papa frowned at the water barrier surrounding us, and when he saw Father, his eyes widened dramatically.

"Watlast! Why are you here!"

Hylg Papa raised his voice.

The volume was so loud that my ears buzzed. The water barrier also shook from the inside.

Just as the water spirit is a threat to the snow spirit, the water spirit might be the nemesis of the fire spirit.

Kugaru has met Father a few times with me, but he was always tense and careful not to touch him by accident.

"Hylg..."

"Hey, what's this water barrier? Get rid of it quickly! It's depressing!"

"It's because of the wind..."

"The wind?"

Hylg Papa looked up suspiciously.

In the darkness, the bird was still there, persistently targeting us even after its attacks were absorbed.

"Is that a fairy of Hyrillis? What is it doing?"

"It's Hydelyn..."

"No, it's Hyrillis, I can feel it."

Hylg Papa, who seemed to know the wind spirit, contradicted Father's words.

"Is it targeting my son and... Milfee?"

The bird was only looking at me and Kugaru, even though it was blocked by the barrier.

Hylg Papa's brows furrowed deeply, looking displeased.

"What is it trying to do? Attacking a child!"

His anger boiled over, and he raised his voice.

"We don't know either."

"But it seems like we're hated."

Kugaru and I said this in turn.

While we were talking, the bird kept trying to break the water barrier, and my tail hid between my legs.

"I have no... interest in the reason..."

Father's voice, as he looked up at the bird, was as calm as a still lake, but it was a bit lower than usual and carried an ominous tone.

"I just..."

A wave formed in the water barrier, and a particularly large one attacked the bird. The wave enclosed the struggling bird and separated from the barrier, forming a sphere.

When Father dissolved the barrier, the spherical water cage slowly descended.

The bird was making a lot of noise inside, but almost no sound was leaking out.

"The fact that my child was attacked... is all I see..."

When Father extended his hand into the floating water cage, the water's shape immediately collapsed and fell to the ground, seeping into it.

However, the bird was still held by Father and could not move freely, just thrashing and raging.

When Father tightened his grip, the bird could no longer maintain its shape and split into six orbs of light.

One of them was still in Father's hand, but the other five scattered and tried to escape.

But Hylg Papa did not allow it.

He raised his hand and swung it lightly, and a long flame shot out, chasing the fairies as if it were alive.

It swallowed the five scattered lights one by one and evaporated them in an instant.

Looking down coldly at the yellow-green light struggling in his hand, Father said,

"Hydelyn... I cannot let this end here..."

The crushed orb of light turned into a gentle breeze and dissolved into the air.

"It's Hyrillis, not Hydelyn, I'm telling you!"

Even to the slightly intimidating Father, Hylg Papa spoke without hesitation.

Father tilted his head slightly.

"Since just now... what are you saying... The wind spirit is... Hydelyn."

"Yes, I know Hydelyn! But the wind spirit is not just her! The fairy that was sent here is from Hyrillis! I told you, I can feel it!"

"Hyrillis...?"

The conversation seemed to be not aligning, perhaps because they were incompatible, water and fire.

I looked back and forth between Father and Hylg Papa while worrying about the one-eyed knight, who was still being treated in the water.

Kugaru did the same, looking at the fathers in turn as they spoke.

"Watlast, you don't know Hyrillis?"

"I have not heard of it..."

Hylg Papa looked up dramatically at the sky, unlike Father, who hardly moved.

"I get it, Watlast! Your information about the wind spirit is from the time of Hydelyn! Hyrillis is Hydelyn's... grandchild!"

Hylg Papa did not use the term "grandchild."

This was probably because there was a difference in the concept of family between humans and spirits.

While human grandparents generally dote on their grandchildren, spirits are deeply involved only with their own children.

When spirits think of family, they think of only one child if they are a parent, and only one parent if they are a child.

As for grandchildren, they do not live together and hardly interact.

So while there is a concept of "a child of one's child," the idea of "one's own grandchild" is probably not as strong.

"Even Hydelyn's... grandchild has been born..."

Father did not seem particularly surprised.

"First of all, I don't think the kind-hearted Hydelyn would do such a cowardly thing. Attacking a child!"

Hylg Papa's anger flared up again in the middle of his speech.

"Hydelyn... did like children..."

Father continued in a flat tone.

"Then we should retaliate... against this Hyrillis."

"Follow me. I know Hyrillis, so I'll fly to her first."

"Father..."

While listening to their conversation, I was worried that they intended to defeat this wind spirit, Hyrillis.

I wasn't afraid that Father and Hylg Papa would be hurt. I've never seen them use their full power, but I know they are definitely strong.

I was worried about Hyrillis.

It might seem strange to feel sympathy for someone who attacked us, but the bird's behavior was strange, and the thought of being retaliated against by these two, who were so angry, made me shudder and cry.

Father looked down at me and said, "Leaving you behind... might be more dangerous," and picked me up with one hand.

It seemed that Hylg Papa also intended to take Kugaru with him.

There are many things I want to know, such as why we were attacked and how they knew Captain Sarell, so I don't mind going to Hyrillis. However, I am worried about the one-eyed knight and the others.

The fairy created by Hyrillis might not have been just that bird, and human assassins might take advantage of the darkness to attack again.

"Father, I'm worried about everyone..."

Even if I stayed here, I would only be a burden.

"Mil, don't worry about us. Go and talk to this wind spirit, Hyrillis, for us."

Kicks said, and the others surrounding the one-eyed knight nodded.

"But if we are attacked again..."

"Then... let's do this."

Father murmured, and with the hand not holding me, he turned his palm upward.

From the center, orbs of light, blue like water, appeared one after another. They were Father's fairies.

Unlike my fairy, they were larger and much calmer, which I envied.

There were probably a dozen of them. When they lined up horizontally, they transformed into a snake with pale blue scales.

It was over a meter long, thin but quite large.

"Protect them..."

Obedient to Father's command, the snake-like fairies slithered over to everyone.

Tina, who seemed to be afraid of snakes, took a small step back, but the fairy ignored her, climbed onto the water dome surrounding the one-eyed knight, and coiled up there.

"Let's go..."

White mist swirled around Father.

Hylg Papa and Kugaru had already disappeared, having moved first.

Father's body also turned into mist, and I was enveloped in it and disappeared.

"I'll be back soon!"

I left these words for everyone and flew off to Hyrillis.