The Protagonists Of The Novel Escaped – Chapter 40

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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The place where the Saintess Party met the peculiar fairy who had escaped from the fairies’ paradise was an unexplored region in the north called “The Valley of Frerasia.”

The ruins of a fallen kingdom.

A mysterious space always surrounded by thick fog.

Even after eons had passed, the fairies’ paradise remained mysterious.

This was because the Luinong were a race born by molding boundless mysteries into life forms.

The Luinong race, born from mystery, was proof that myths existed just by their existence.

“It would take at least two more months to reach the Valley of Frerasia….”

Although I had made bold promises to my father, I had no clear plan.

There was no way train tracks would be laid in an unexplored region completely excluded from civilization.

I stared at Rue and asked for help.

Rue puffed up her hair and showed a boastful appearance.

“Luinongs are great fairies! When four gather, they can open a gate to paradise!”

“Oh! So you can use magic?”

“How could I do that by myself? We just ask God earnestly and He grants it to us.”

“……”

If a little kid who wandered around sniffling like the neighborhood fool was innately proficient in magic, magicians who had studied magic for half their lives would commit suicide off the top of magic towers, unable to bear their sense of inferiority.

She couldn’t use magic.

Instead, she could use the mysterious power bestowed by the Creator.

Hmm.

It sounds impressive when put that way.

I seemed to recall hearing from a sage that the magic created by magicians was merely a power to imitate the mystery that had been lost for ages.

“But wait a minute… Did you say four?”

“……”

Rue turned her head to the side, seemingly embarrassed.

“There’s no way that’s going to happen. I’m going to throw away all these annoying jelly candies!”

“Eek! It’s not that there’s absolutely no way!”

I turned to throw the jelly candies piled in the office onto the rice paddy ridges.

At that, Rue desperately grabbed my collar with both hands outstretched.

Was it that difficult for her to talk about?

Although it was a moment when the fate of the jelly candies was at stake, she showed a hesitant appearance.

“I can send a ‘help signal’ to my friends in paradise!”

“…A help signal?”

What’s that?

It seems like she’s making fun of me.

Or a hastily made-up lie.

But Rue’s expression was quite serious, so I believed her.

“Ugh, wait a moment…!”

She frowned and pressed her temples hard with both hands.

It was a pose like children playing telepathy games in the neighborhood.

Hmm.

She definitely thinks I’m retarded.

Even skilled magicians express difficulty with long-distance telepathy magic, which requires a lot of preparation and effort to convey intentions to a distant counterpart.

Of course, such a stupid pose couldn’t possibly enable long-distance telepathy.

“Beep! Beep! Yaaaaaah!!”

Rue, squeezing her eyes shut, suddenly let out a strange cry.

Has she finally gone mad?

To think jelly candies were so vital that she would act this crazy…

I felt genuinely guilty for driving my precious partner, who had followed me like a shadow for so long, into a panic.

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Three days later,

Four tiny children suddenly knocked on the castle gate of the lord’s castle.

Girls with colorful hair, like Rue, were showing intense wariness.

The guards guarding the gate lowered their weapons with awkward reactions.

“Give Rue back right now! It’s no use denying it! We heard the help signal!”

“She must be captured, right? This is why we told her not to go outside!”

Without a doubt, the girls were definitely ‘Luinongs.’

Tiny stature.

Pointed ears.

Eyes shining like jewels.

And even the unique way of speaking that irritates people.

The guards, who recognized them as mysterious fairies, didn’t make a big deal out of the commotion.

Rue, who was watching her friends from afar, was the same.

“They’re Rue’s friends. Just let them pass.”

“Understood, Young Master Edan.”

The small girls clenched their tiny fists and looked around warily.

I sighed deeply and pulled the guards back.

“Pai! Tab! Even Naru and Rupa came!”

The girl with light green hair flowing down made “beep beep” sounds and ran to her friends.

At that, the Luinongs who had suddenly raided the Hohenberc Marquis Territory immediately brightened.

“Stupid Rue! Hello!”

“We were so worried…! Waaah!!”

A heartwarming scene unfolded as they reunited with a friend who had run away years ago.

They even hugged each other while shedding tears.

What a special friendship.

No, the Luinongs’ appearance was closer to family.

They must have rushed over, worried their friend who had suddenly left might be in trouble.

Even though Rue was an eccentric who had left paradise alone, the Luinongs still considered her a precious family member.

“Ahem. Sorry to interrupt this touching moment, but…”

“Human! It’s a human! A big human!”

As I carefully approached, a red-haired Luinong blocked the way like a hissing cat.

And she stretched out her fist at me.

“I heard humans are a bad race!”

“I heard they’re a race that catches disobedient Luinongs in nets!”

Befitting a race that had chosen a closed life by cutting off connections with the outside world, they overtly feared humans.

They must have cultivated their fears about the outside during their isolation.

Their jewel-like eyes were full of fear.

If a third party witnessed the situation, they would think I was a villain aiming to kidnap infants.

It was indeed fortunate that Ludmilla and Zebeline were absent.

“No! Edan is my closest partner! Edan and I are super famous in human society!”

Rue shouted with both hands outstretched.

And she began to talk about her experiences.

Daily life spent in the Hohenberc family.

And even her achievements against evil villains in the imperial capital.

The Luinongs showed interest in their childhood friend’s earnest appeal.

They even applauded when they heard the anecdote about how she had detected the evil Meiros by his stench and saved the beautiful princess.

“Rue, you’re amazing!”

“Did you really see a princess like in fairy tales?”

Their wariness faded.

Instead, bright admiration arose.

I immediately guided the Luinongs, who had visited the Hohenberc family, to the reception room.

The Luinongs who witnessed the dazzling scenery of the lord’s castle sparkled their eyes as if looking at a different world.

Although they showed wariness whenever new servants appeared, they followed Rue like chicks.

“Wow, what is this?!”

“Such a sweet smell…! It’s our first time smelling this!”

A chocolate cake topped with finely crushed cookies threatened their sight and smell.

The fairies who had been fidgeting on the sofa devoured the cake ravenously.

Their faces, full of wariness, melted as they seemed to feel the sweetness of the taste they were experiencing for the first time.

I heard some crucial information from Rue.

When they lived in the isolated valley village, they survived by eating clear dew and frozen icicles.

Therefore, to show them the wonders of the outside world, I tried to win their favor by serving chocolate cake, which Rue especially liked.

It was a simple method, but it worked like a bloody charm on the Luinongs.

“Want more? There’s plenty.”

“Really?!”

“Of course! You’re Rue’s friends, so I should do at least this much.”

“Rue’s partner seems like a good human, unlike his appearance!”

When the tiny children’s gluttonous tea time had ripened to some extent,

I carefully revealed my business to them.

“I’d like to visit your paradise hidden in the valley… Can you invite me?”

At that, the Luinongs with chocolate smeared all over their mouths blinked and tilted their heads.

It was a reaction as if they hadn’t expected it at all.

The fairies’ paradise is a different dimension that has declared eternal separation from the mortal world.

Of course, they wouldn’t readily accept it.

Hadn’t they hidden in the Valley of Frerasia to protect the mystery passed down from myths from the rapidly changing flow of time?

The Luinong race, which had rejected change until now, would naturally refuse the proposal of a human who was practically a stranger without hesitation.

“I’ll give you as many jelly candies as you want.”

“T-Those…! Aren’t those my jelly candies?!”

Ignoring Rue’s cry, I watched the Luinongs’ reactions.

Rustle-

I poured plenty of beautifully wrapped jelly candies onto the table.

At that, the Luinongs popped the jelly candies into their mouths.

The little ones who had been savoring the sweetness by rolling them around in their mouths soon began to widen their eyes like cats experiencing catnip for the first time.

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When I told them that I would visit the fairies’ magic land, Ludmilla and Zebeline showed reactions of being unable to contain their bewilderment.

The Red Dragon and the White Dragon, glancing at each other, opened their mouths simultaneously.

“You… You must have injured your head during battle. How pitiful.”

“You need to cultivate faith. If you believe in the Earth Mother, all illnesses will be cured.”

Even though it was a sincere statement, I received sympathy and pity from the princess and the saintess.

What the hell was lacking in my explanation?

How am I supposed to explain about the ‘fairies’ paradise’?

Following my father’s reaction, even Ludmilla and Zebeline treated me as if I belonged in an asylum.

Understandably, they would find it strange for a twenty-three-year-old to be talking about fairies’ magic land.

“It’s a human dressed in white from hair to clothes!”

“Rue says she’s a super high-ranking saintess!”

“But what’s a saintess…?”

The girls who had stuffed their pockets full of jelly candies approached stealthily like squirrels.

Then, they showed strong interest in Zebeline, dressed in pure white vestments.

They say children are especially interested in young and pretty women first.

Zebeline, faced with innocent admiration, smiled brightly and waved at the Luinongs.

Then, their attention was drawn towards the dignified appearance of Ludmilla.

“Auntie.”

“It’s an auntie.”

“Auntie!”

The Luinongs looked at Ludmilla and expressed their honest thoughts while giggling.

Who the hell was responsible for teaching these kids some manners?

Ludmilla, who had received an unpleasant insult, emitted a murderous pressure with a stiff expression.

At that, the Luinongs, acting like mischievous children, trembled and hid behind me.

“These little ones will open a passage connecting to paradise.”

“Then the magic land you mentioned…”

“It’s the fairies’ paradise where the Luinongs live.”

“This is absurd.”

Ludmilla and Zebeline, who had learned the whole story, showed bewildered reactions.

When the Luinongs gather, they can open a passage.

From now on, we plan to head to the fairies’ paradise through that passage.

The princess and the saintess, staring at the adorable girls, showed reluctant expressions.

It was because if they suddenly went missing like this, the imperial and holy knights would surely be turned upside down.

“Me! Then I’ll go!”

As Ludmilla and Zebeline were hesitating to answer,

The Third Imperial Princess, quietly eavesdropping on the conversation, intervened while waving her hands.

“Liza! This is not a matter to accept so readily.”

“A paradise full of tiny fairies… It sounds like it would be so much fun!”

Elizaveta was the person closest to Rue besides me.

Could she have a talent for childcare?

She boasted a motherly love unbecoming of a villainous princess in a romance fantasy.

Elizaveta, who had carefully cared for Rue like a girl who loves dolls, also showed goodwill towards the girls visiting the Marquis’ territory.

“Opening the passage is super simple.”

“You just have to sing a song while asking God in your heart!”

Pai Luinong.

Tab Luinong.

Naru Luinong.

Rupa Luinong.

The four girls reached out to each other.

The fairies facing each other in a circle held hands affectionately.

They began to sing in excited voices while spinning round and round.

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