A Journey Unwanted-Chapter 443 - 432: Talk of guests

[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: Quadling Country]

[Glinda's Castle]

The Good Witch was lightly humming to herself.

Her voice carried a melodic tone as she walked through the vast hallways of her castle, the sound drifting through the otherwise calm corridor. Her pace was unhurried, the rhythm of her steps sinking into the long red carpets that stretched across the polished floors.

The halls themselves were wide and tall, built with the same elegance that seemed to exist in the rest of the castle. Stone walls rose toward a high ceiling decorated with golden inlays, and the red carpets running along the center path gave the space a comfortable feeling.

A translucent screen hovered a few inches in front of the Good Witch as she walked. It floated slightly above eye level, moving smoothly through the air with her as if connected to her presence by invisible threads. The surface of the screen shimmered now and then as it continued to move.

Upon the surface of the screen, three figures could be seen.

Their guests.

The image showed the chamber where they had been seated moments ago. The armored man—Grimm—had already taken one of the chairs at the round table, sitting with the same relaxed posture he had maintained since entering the room. Across from him, the fairy hovered in the air, clearly in the middle of an argument with him, her small form drifting restlessly as she spoke.

Meanwhile, the Cowardly Lion stood near the back of the room. He looked like he had not yet decided whether he wanted to sit or bolt for the door. His mane twitched every few seconds as his eyes shifted nervously between Grimm and the fairy.

An odd trio.

Very odd.

Behind the Good Witch, another figure walked quietly.

Alexandria walked a few steps behind and to the side of her. Her posture remained straight, her gaze attentive as it settled on the floating screen.

For several seconds, she watched the image silently.

Then something caught her attention.

Her brow furrowed slightly.

"That fairy's mana…" Alexandria said slowly, her voice thoughtful. "It fluctuates strangely." She continued watching the screen as she spoke, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to make sense of the pattern she was sensing. "It's not unstable," she added after a moment. "But it rises and falls in irregular pulses. Almost like something is being held back, though not very cleanly."

The Good Witch smiled slightly at the observation.

"A keen eye, dear," Glinda said warmly without slowing her steps. Her gaze remained fixed on the floating screen as she spoke. "You're correct. Her mana signature is rather impressive." The witch lifted one hand slightly, her fingers making a small motion as if adjusting the clarity of the image before her. "The quantity alone is nothing to scoff at," she continued calmly. "Even among fairies, that level of raw mana would stand out."

Glinda tilted her head slightly.

"Yet she is clearly attempting to suppress it." Her smile became a touch more amused. "Rather sloppily, I might add."

The screen flickered briefly as the fairy on the other side shifted position again while arguing with Grimm.

"Still," Glinda went on thoughtfully, "the fact that she can produce that much mana even while restraining herself, that alone makes her quite interesting."

Alexandria remained focused on the screen.

Her eyes lingered on the fairy for a few seconds before she spoke again.

"It raises a question," she murmured. "Why would a fairy—especially one who appears to be this powerful—be here at all?" She glanced briefly toward Glinda. "The Great Forest is very far from Quadling Country. Fairies rarely travel this far from their homeland without a reason."

Glinda's humming returned for a moment before she answered.

"Well," the witch said lightly, "there has been some unrest in Elfame, according to the Book of Records."

Alexandria turned her head toward her immediately. "Unrest?"

Glinda nodded slightly.

"Yes. A conflict of sorts." Her tone remained casual. "It seems the Heart Kingdom has begun causing trouble again."

Alexandria frowned slightly at that. "Conflict with the fairies?"

"That appears to be the case."

The captain's expression tightened slightly as she considered that.

"That hardly sounds like a wise decision," Alexandria said after a moment. "The fairies may appear whimsical to outsiders, but they are not a people anyone should provoke lightly." Her eyes returned to the floating screen. "They're unpredictable." She paused. "And powerful in ways most kingdoms do not fully understand." Her gaze sharpened slightly. "So what would the Heart Kingdom even hope to gain by antagonizing them?"

Glinda gave a small, easy shrug as she continued walking.

"Who knows?" Her tone carried mild amusement. "The Heart Kingdom has always been ambitious." She lifted a hand and lazily gestured toward the floating screen. "Perhaps they want control." Another shrug. "Or perhaps they wish to study the fairies themselves." Her smile grew slightly playful. "Or maybe they simply want that beautiful tree the fairies guard so dearly."

Alexandria glanced at her again, confusion alight across her face.

"The tree?"

Glinda merely waved her hand dismissively.

"Ah, don't worry about it." Her attention returned fully to the floating screen. "In truth, it matters very little to me right now." The witch's eyes rested on the image of the fairy hovering above the table. "I'm far more interested in this little one." Her voice softened slightly with curiosity. "She's rather cute, isn't she?"

Glinda reached up and adjusted the brim of her hat thoughtfully.

"Perhaps I should keep her."

Alexandria looked at her.

"My lady," the guard captain said, her tone almost dry, "fairies are not pets."

Glinda laughed softly.

"Yes, yes. I know." She waved the thought away as if it had never been serious. "Besides," she added with a small smile, "I would rather not incur the wrath of the Fairy Queen over something so trivial."

Her gaze returned to the screen once more. The fairy on the image shifted again, clearly still mid-argument with Grimm.

Glinda studied her quietly.

"…Though it is curious," she murmured under her breath, her eyes narrowed slightly. "She hides her wings."

The words were spoken so quietly that Alexandria, walking beside her, did not hear them.

"But that man…" Alexandria said slowly, her attention remaining fixed on the translucent screen hovering before them. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the figure seated at the round table within the projected image. "He is the exact opposite of the fairy."

She paused, watching Grimm's still form.

"There is nothing there," she continued, her tone more thoughtful now than suspicious. "No mana at all. Not even the faintest trace. It is completely absent." Her brow creased slightly as she tried to make sense of what she was sensing. "Is that even possible for a human?"

Beside her, Glinda did not immediately answer. The Good Witch continued walking down the red-carpeted hallway at the same pace as before, her humming fading into thoughtful silence as she observed the image as well.

"Ordinarily," Glinda said at last, her voice gentle, "the leylines draw mana from every living thing connected to the world. It is a natural exchange—mana flows through life, and the world takes what it needs from that flow."

Her eyes remained on the screen as she spoke.

"They rarely take everything, however. The leylines tend to leave a fragment behind for the individual. Even the most ordinary person carries at least a trace amount." She lifted one hand slightly, the small shimmer of gold mana responding to the movement as the floating screen adjusted itself in the air. "The only time the leylines completely strip a living being of mana," Glinda continued calmly, "is when that individual dies."

Alexandria's gaze sharpened slightly at that.

Glinda continued.

"All beings possess mana," the witch said matter-of-factly. "Some only hold a tiny speck of it. Others possess a vast reservoir that shapes their very presence in the world. But it is always there."

Her eyes drifted briefly toward Grimm's image again.

"In all the realms," she added quietly, "the only creatures known to truly lack mana entirely were the dragons."

Alexandria's attention snapped back to the screen.

"Dragons?" she repeated.

Her gaze moved again over Grimm's armored figure, lingering as if the answer might somehow reveal itself through closer inspection.

"Is he somehow related to dragons?" she asked, though the question carried a note of doubt even as she voiced it. The idea sounded unlikely even to her own ears.

Glinda gave a small, thoughtful smile.

"It is possible." She folded one hand loosely behind her back as she walked. "In the neighboring realm there are individuals who carry the blood of dragons within them," the witch explained. "Some inherit pieces of that lineage, though the traits vary widely." Her eyes turned back to the screen. "This man may very well be one of them."

Alexandria fell silent for a moment, considering the possibility.

Her expression grew thoughtful.

"But dragons are highly resistant to magic," she said slowly, thinking through the implications. "At least Albion and Ddraig were, according to the records." Her gaze shifted toward Glinda now, concern threading into her voice. "If that man truly carries such a lineage, is it truly wise to be this relaxed about the situation, my lady?"

Glinda glanced at her, then she smiled gently.

"Worry not, dear." Her tone remained calm and reassuring. "Their resistance to magic was never absolute."

She continued walking, the red carpet soft beneath her steps.

"Even dragons have limits," she said lightly. "And besides…" Her smile turned slightly playful. "If he seeks trouble and I cannot handle him myself…" She turned her head toward Alexandria, her eyes bright with confidence. "…then I am quite certain that you would make short work of him."

Alexandria blinked.

Then, quite suddenly, she looked away.

"Y-you place far too much faith in me, my lady," the guard captain said quickly, clearing her throat as she tried to regain her composure. Her gaze shifted to the side, momentarily avoiding Glinda's face.

The witch's beauty had always had a way of unsettling her when she spoke so sincerely.

"But…" Alexandria continued after a moment, straightening slightly as her usual composure returned. "If that man does seek conflict within this castle, then I will do everything in my power to stop him. I will endeavor to do my very best."

Glinda chuckled softly.

"That," she said warmly, "is exactly why you are the best, dear." The sincerity in the compliment immediately colored Alexandria's expression with visible embarrassment.

The captain coughed quietly, her eyes shifting away again as they reached the end of the hallway.

They had stopped in front of a tall door.

Beyond it, their guests were waiting.

Glinda stepped forward.

"Well then," she said lightly, reaching out toward the handle. "Let us attend to our guests, hm?"

She pushed the door open.

As the door swung inward, the translucent screen hovering beside her dissolved instantly into motes of light that vanished into the air.

From within the room, a voice could already be heard mid-sentence.

"-oody nincompoop."

The high-pitched voice rang out clearly, the beginning of the sentence cut off by the moment the door had opened.