TJTPBFB 27

Chapter 27

“What Are We Fighting Against?”

“Nowadays, it’s a time of peace,” Fane began quietly,
“but during the Great War, the Fairy Stone was once occupied by the neighboring great power—the Kingdom of Nalia.

Our island has always been protected by the royal line,
living self-sufficiently, cut off from the rest of the world.
But when the invaders discovered our powers,
they enslaved us until the war ended.”

“Every day, we were forced to forge weapons,
chained so we couldn’t escape.
For fairies, losing the ability to fly means death—
so half of our kind perished during that time.
We were born afterward, so we only know the stories.”

“Fairies are born from stones too, right?”
Ruri asked, listening to Fane’s tale.

“Yes,” Fane nodded. “During the occupation, the island was devastated,
but by luck, a few fragments of gems remained.
We were born from those fragments.”

“I see…” Ruri murmured. “But I just thought of something—
if the fairies who guard the twelve months are here now,
what’s happening in your world over there?”

She looked curiously at the group of fairies.
If they guarded the twelve months, that must mean their world, too,
had a year divided into twelve months.

“For each month and each birthstone, there are many fairies—
and even among them, there are ranks.
We who are here now are the top-class fairies,
so probably the lower-ranked ones have moved up in our absence.”

“I see… But tell me something,” Ruri tilted her head,
“You all can use magic, right?
Then why didn’t you fight back?
Could the Kingdom of Nalia use magic too?
If you were forced to make weapons,
does that mean your magic didn’t work?”

She voiced her doubt openly.

“Well,” Lichia said softly,
“we don’t know much about what really happened back then…
but can someone who’s never fought before,
suddenly be told to kill—and actually do it?”

Ruri fell silent at her words.

“After that,” Zacro added, “the Queen of the neighboring Gem Kingdom
destroyed the Kingdom of Nalia and saved us.
For a few years after, we were governed by the Gem Kingdom,
until we gained independence.
Now, we’re sort of a vassal state.
Our king doesn’t complain—he owes them our freedom.”

“But,” Eme interjected with a bitter tone,
“I think the queen and our king made some kind of secret pact.
That’s why we still make things for the Gem Kingdom.
Even if we’re independent, we can’t say anything against them—
so in the end, we’re still like a vassal.”

Their expressions darkened with frustration.
War, Ruri thought, is the same everywhere—
whether on Earth or in another world.

Listening to the fairies’ oppressed history,
Ruri couldn’t help but think deeply.
Maybe her grandmother had made some kind of deal, too.

Hmm…

As she pondered, her gaze fell on the array of jewelry pieces spread across the table.

The next day was a holiday,
so Ruri decided to take Foss and the fairy troupe out.

“Staying cooped up here isn’t good for Foss,” she said cheerfully.
“Let’s go out and have a little fun.
Once we reach the park, it’s fine if you show yourselves.”

While Ruri prepared lunch,
Morga watched her curiously making sandwiches.

“If that’s the plan, we could play in the bamboo grove out back,” he suggested.

“What’s this?” asked Sumire, intrigued by what Ruri was making.

“Sandwiches,” Ruri replied. “I put in things everyone likes—
egg, tuna, ham, and tomato.
We’ll eat them for lunch when we get there.”

The fairies’ faces lit up in delight.

“Does it have mayonnaise?”

“Of course!” Ruri laughed at Lemon’s eager question.

“By the way,” Ruri asked as she packed the lunch,
“what did you mean earlier about playing in the bamboo grove?”

“To humans, it’s just an ordinary bamboo grove,” Eme explained,
“but for us—it’s a magical space.”

“Eh?!” Ruri gasped in surprise.