I Became the Academy's Disabled Student-Chapter 255: Spirits and Fairies? (1)

For now, the fairies decided to live together.

It’s not like I’m in such a dire situation that I can’t take care of about nine fairies.

It’s not just because I have the ability to do so, but also because I feel responsible.

I was the one who saved the fairies in the dungeon. I could have left them there, but I chose to bring them along. So, it’s my responsibility to take care of them.

It would be wrong to bring them all the way here and then just leave them to fend for themselves. Where should I send these homeless beings?

... I don’t know if this feeling is my personal emotion or if it’s something that has bloomed from the uncomfortable sense of dissonance.

But since I feel this way, I’m going to take responsibility.

Of course, there was the option to send them to the Taesan family, but...

“We want to stay by the King’s side.”

“That’s right! The people should be with the King!”

The fairies flat-out refused that option. They tied bits of cloth they picked up somewhere around their heads and gathered together, almost like a protest.

I couldn’t help but tap my forehead in resignation at the sight.

The King, the King, the King, King King King...

It wasn’t like I was hearing the sound of dogs barking outside my house, but I never expected to hear “King” in my lifetime.

[Is that ‘King’ really... certain? I’m still not so sure... ?]

“The King is the King.”

“And the knight is with you too.”

[...]

When I asked if it was certain, that was the answer I got.

A king is a king. It’s something you instinctively know, they say. If you say you don’t understand that, they claim the fairy knight standing next to me as proof.

The fairy knight... that would be Seo Yul.

I glanced at the fairies fluttering around beside him.

Their bodies were small. Proportionally, their arms and legs were relatively long, but overall, they were a bit bigger than my hand.

That’s typical for fairies. They’re small in stature and lack any significant combat ability. Their species’ unique trait is their affinity for magic, which most of them use to cultivate nature.

But unlike those typical fairies, fairy knights are as tall as humans and focused on combat ability.

Seo Yul, though still a child, would likely change once he grows up.

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The reason? To protect the fairy king... probably.

“A knight is a species born to protect the king. Of course, they’ll protect the people if they can, but ultimately, they are part of the king’s personal guard.”

Kali took the lead and recited the knowledge passed down through generations.

“There are those born as knights by nature, and others who are chosen by the king to become knights later on.”

“I also want to become the king’s knight, by effort!”

[No, I really don’t want to increase the number of knights.]

“Hmm?”

The fairy next to me, flapping her hands, widened her eyes. The other fairies also tilted their heads in confusion.

I shrugged my shoulders in response.

[I never thought of myself as a king, and I don’t even know how to make knights. Seo Yul... well, he was just a child born by chance. I don’t expect anything from him as a knight.]

There’s no purpose in a person’s birth. They aren’t created for a specific function.

Though the fairy knight species may have a purpose—to protect the king—this is something I don’t want to accept.

Even though Seo Yul’s birth was unintentional, more of a mistake than anything, I don’t want him to grow stronger and throw himself into battle to protect a king.

Maybe it’s my selfishness, but I’d rather he just lived happily, leaving the whole protection thing behind.

[Even if he’s a knight, I won’t force him to protect me. He wasn’t born for that purpose. Even if that’s his essence, I’ll never force it.]

After saying that, I lightly tapped my necklace.

By now, the fairies had all straightened their postures, their eyes shining brightly as they listened intently to my words.

[Hmm, it’s not about forcing him. I don’t know how to make knights, and I don’t need him to fight just to protect me.]

I awkwardly turned my head, feeling a little embarrassed.

I still couldn’t grasp the whole “king” or “people” talk, but those eyes... I wasn’t used to them.

“... Yes, we understand the king’s words well. But we want to help the king.”

Kali, who seemed to be the one doing the thinking for the group, spoke after a brief moment of contemplation. She was always the one to express their intentions, as she was the most vocal.

[Help... help?]

I chewed on my words for a moment. The fairies were all looking at me with eager faces, as if ready to take on anything.

... But I couldn’t really think of anything.

[Hmm... This mansion doesn’t need much management, but Ariel often takes care of it. Would you help when that happens?]

“Yes! Understood! Is there anything else...”

[Ah...]

More? There really wasn’t anything else...

[Ah, right. There’s a cultivation area for various materials in the grounds. Could you help with growing those materials?]

“Yes! Leave it to us!”

The fairies replied energetically. Their resolve was clear earlier, but now it was even more confident.

Fairies really are excellent at nurturing nature. Their affinity for magic, attributes, and spirits all make them perfect for it.

[Then, I’ll leave it to you. Don’t worry if you mess it up.]

“We’ll definitely help!”

The wings of the nine fairies fluttered energetically.

...

“Haha! So, the children all became farmers?”

[Yes... that’s how it happened.]

Elia chuckled as she heard the story.

“No wonder they were so eager. It’s because it’s the king’s orders~”

[Elia...]

“Aww~ Why? I was just calling you my king~?”

[Ugh...]

Elia’s mouth curved mischievously as she playfully grinned. Her eyes were also gleaming with a teasing glint.

At first, I blinked when she called me “king” and “queen,” but now, she had started enjoying teasing me with it...

The fairies had been living in the mansion for several days now.

During these days, nothing special had happened, but small changes in the mansion had caught the attention of the residents.

The fairies had been looking after the cultivation areas, just as I instructed.

To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations.

It felt like asking a child who wants to help their parents for anything, without any real task.

“King! The herbs grew today!”

[Hmm...?]

But just as I was about to dismiss my expectations, the fairies began growing the materials in the cultivation area with skill.

They adjusted the soil’s fertility and moisture, tuned the environment to suit the materials, and even infused vitality into them to accelerate growth and improve their quality...

It was as though they were seasoned experts, and when I asked them, they simply answered:

“You just help them grow well.”It felt like they were saying, “Why couldn’t you do this simple task?”

They really were exceptional at managing nature.

In addition, the fairies started doing household chores.

You might think, “How much could they possibly do with their small bodies?” but the fairies were proficient at it.

Fairies are naturally gifted with exceptional affinity for spirits. They are born with an affinity for all five elements and can handle lower-level spirits without a contract.

Even the fairies in the mansion were like that. They had controlled spirits freely while surviving amidst the monsters in the dungeon.

Watching them easily manage household chores with spirits made me feel a strange sense of admiration.

“That’s something I taught them.”

[Huh?]

“The fairies kept asking the queen! They asked about household chores, so I taught them a little, and they picked it up quickly.”

To my shock, it was Elia’s teaching.

I had never imagined that Elia had taught them. I stared with my mouth slightly open, and Elia laughed again.

It felt a bit awkward, like I was being teased, but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant, especially since she was happy.

“Leaves are starting to fall now. They were so green last time.”

[It’s almost winter now.]

“Yeah, it’s already winter.”

As I nodded in agreement with Elia’s musing, we continued walking. The leaves that had once been full of green were now mostly red.

Some had lost their strength and were falling off. The clothing of passersby had also become longer and thicker.

A lot had happened, but in the end, it didn’t feel like much time had passed.

[Huh?]

A soft sensation wrapped around my right hand. I felt something intertwining between my five fingers.

It was Elia’s hand. She smiled and gently held my hand up, shaking it.

“It’s a bit cold now, but it’s fine now.”

[It feels good to me too.]

“Hehe, ah~ In my hometown, we were so busy gathering crops around winter... Did you know? Even though farming has gotten easier with magical tools, there are still crops you can’t manage with them, so people still need to do it by hand?”

[I’ve heard that. Magical tools have limits, so eventually, people are needed.]

“Yeah, especially in my hometown, which is like a remote village. The importance of people was higher than magical tools there. A couple of years ago, my dad used magical tools wrong and...”

[Oh...]

...

Listening to Elia’s stories about her hometown, we soon arrived at our destination.

The destination was one of the natural parks inside Siyoram.

Siyoram’s natural parks are proper training grounds. With high-density magic and well-preserved natural environments, spirits sometimes appear there.

It’s an ideal place for spirit magicians to train, so I had made a reservation to visit right after returning from the dungeon.

The natural park, where we arrived, was a place for spirit ascension rituals, and unlike the places we had passed, it was filled with vibrant greenery.

We passed through the grassy area and entered a forest with trees popping up here and there.

“You all arrived on time, huh? Some were already preparing since the morning.”

[Hahaha...]

Inside, Professor Liana was waiting.

There was a bit of mist, but the sunlight filtering through the leaves made the forest cozy.

Professor Liana, who had been sitting on a stump with her eyes closed, opened them and gave me a teasing glance.

Of course, there was no real sense of annoyance. It was just playful behavior, but I felt grateful and apologetic toward her for helping me over the past few days.

Cough, cough.I carefully released my hand from Elia’s and moved forward. Reaching into the spatial pocket, I pulled out what I had prepared.

“Hmm?”

[Ta-da!]

Amidst the playfulness, I saw Professor Liana blink in surprise.

“A picnic basket?”

[Yes, I just made it this morning.]

Her gaze fixed on the picnic basket I was holding.

Smiling brightly, I laid down a mat on the ground and placed the basket on top.

Click.

“Wow, there’s a lot of different kinds?”

The lid of the picnic basket opened lightly, revealing sandwiches, which caused Elia to clap her hands in delight.

I puffed out my chest proudly as I explained.

[Professor Liana, you like sandwiches, right? Last time, when you were teaching me about magic, you gave me some sandwiches... So I made them.]

“Oh... that time.”

It was still fresh in my memory, the first year when I had just started learning magic.

I still remembered the sandwiches Professor Liana had given me at that time. At the time, I had no peace of mind, and due to my lost senses, I had only felt down while chewing the sandwiches.

But the gratitude still remained deep in my heart.

[It took me a bit longer to prepare this, but let’s eat together as a token of my appreciation!]

This was my way of returning the favor. The circumstances and the place were similar to back then.

Professor Liana probably didn’t notice, but the picnic basket and mat were exactly the same as those from that time.

[Here! A special gift!]

Professor Liana took the orange drink I handed her. It was still nice and cold.

“I’ll accept this as a reward.”

Professor Liana smiled brightly after inspecting the sandwich and drink.

Her joy was clear, and my face brightened as well.

While Elia and I waited, Professor Liana took a bite of the sandwich.

I nervously swallowed, wondering what she thought of it.

[How is it? Does it suit your taste?]

“Yes. It’s delicious.”

[Hehe, I’m glad you think so!]

The corners of my mouth naturally lifted. Professor Liana smiled and took another bite of the sandwich.

“We’ll take a break after finishing this, and then we’ll go in right away.”

[Yes!]

The same cheerful answer. I happily responded, and we took a brief meal break.

Seeing Elia and Professor Liana enjoying their food, I smiled and adjusted the potion I had tucked away in my pocket.

It was a potion made from the roots of the Fairy Tree.

‘At this point, it’s clear that I’m connected to the fairies in some way.’

I vividly remembered the strange vision I had when I drank the potion that Hong Yeonhwa had given me.

Though it was just speculation, the Fairy Tree might have had some influence on it.

So today, I planned to test it.

...I might collapse like last time, but I’ve grown now, so I should be able to overcome it.

“But the candy exchange tickets I gave you, you haven’t used them yet, right?”

[Huh?]

Professor Liana’s sudden comment made past memories flash through my mind.

▶Professor Liana: And I’m sorry for the morning (⑅◞‸◟) ▶Professor Liana: [Royal Candy Exchange Ticket]x10 ▶Me: It’s my fault. There’s no need for you to apologize. ▶Professor Liana: I’m really, really sorry! ?(T-T )ノ

That first lecture in my first year...

I still remember how embarrassed I was when I couldn’t even introduce myself properly.

The candy she gave me as an apology...

I had completely forgotten about that.

[Player Adjustment System: Affection]

Iha-Yul → Liana Bellus

●●●●●●●○○○ (78▷79/100)

"Affection" [Milk Cow] "Gratitude" "Kind Adult" "Soft" "Warmth" "Full"

Iha-Yul → Elia Slaid

●●●●●●●●○○ (84▷85/100)

"Affection" "Gratitude" "Milk Cow?" "Chick" "Kindness"