NOVEL WEB Ch36 - To a Certain Fairy Spring
36: To a Certain Fairy Spring
(From Fenrir’s perspective)
I ride on Grea’s back, holding El, as we head towards the troubled Fairy Spring. Since the Fairy Spring is narrow, it’s more convenient for me to remain in human form. El is holding a snow fairy in her arms.
“I hope we can quickly immerse them in the magic spring and they recover… Fairies don’t regain their strength unless they do that, right?”
“That’s right.”
I gently stroke El’s drooping beast ears to comfort her. Her soft fur is characteristic of the Fenrir clan. She seems to have perked up a little and even says, “It’s comforting to be close to you, Fenrir.” How adorable…!
I wonder if this beloved daughter of mine will ever come to know love. Remembering the prince’s behavior, a fleeting thought crosses my mind—it would be a pity, I feel a pang in my chest.
“We’re almost there.”
Grea, still carrying us, passes under an arch of wild roses. The scenery changes.
“It’s been terribly ravaged.”
El is speechless, trembling slightly. I sharpen my senses, scanning the entire snowy plain for any signs, and then reassure her, “It’s alright,” gently embracing her from behind to calm her. As her tension eases, I carry El down from Grea’s back. Grea also shifts into human form.
This Fairy Spring used to be a brilliant, deep blue. Now, it’s littered with gray debris. There are signs along the shore of a monster having struggled out of the water—the edge of the spring has been horribly destroyed. The flowers around it are also trampled, likely crushed in the monster’s attempt to escape.
“It must have been a beautiful place.”
El must be imagining how the spring once looked. Her brows furrow sadly.
“We’ll restore it first. Then we’ll think about the rest.”
I take note of the damaged state. For now, restoring the spring and the snow fairy takes priority.
With a cold breeze, I gather the floating debris to one side and freeze it. Fortunately, nothing unusual seems to be submerged in the deeper parts of the spring. Or perhaps, what was submerged has already fused with the monster.
“Come here, El. I’ll show you how.”
I squat down with El by the edge of the spring and raise my hand.
“‘—Winter’s Healing.’”
In an instant, the surface of the spring freezes over, then melts. The surface shimmers with iridescent light. The shattered pieces of ice sink into the spring, gradually restoring its magical power.
“You did it, Fenrir! …Fenrir?”
“…The recovery is greater than I expected. This spring now holds power comparable to the Fairy Spring where Oberon and Titania reside…”
“What!? D-Did I overdo it?”
I assure the flustered El that she did well. Yes, it’s very reassuring—immensely so. In these unsettling times, having someone close to me grow stronger is a welcome development.
My advantage now lies only in my extensive knowledge of many things…
<
The fairies dive into the spring. I thought it would take a whole night for them to recover, but they soon burst out, splashing water everywhere.
Grea and I watch in disbelief.
<
“I-I see. That’s good.”
Even the snow fairies seem shocked by how revitalized they feel. They twirl and test their agility. Wait, they’re moving too fast. One of them summons an ice sword and strikes a knightly pose. Hey… well, it’s good that my companions are growing stronger.
“Let’s also heal the plants around the spring.”
“Yeah. Hey, Fenrir.”
“What is it?”
“The spring was affected by some strange machine from another world, right? So, what if we sealed it off, like when we froze the surface earlier? We could leave gaps just small enough for the snow fairies to pass through. That way, large machines wouldn’t fall in, and it would reduce the risk.”
El’s creative thinking surprises me. She’s truly exceptional. She even sketches the idea on the ice, just like when she formed constellations.
“I’m convinced it was some kind of vacuum-like monster Michera encountered,” she explains, having noticed the scattered debris in the spring.
“I want to go with El’s idea.”
El nods happily, and we hold hands, sharing our thoughts while synchronizing our magic.
“‘—Winter’s Healing.’”
A snowflake magic circle appears at the center of the water, and the spring begins to freeze from that point. Ice bridges extend outward in six directions, and smaller bridges connect between them, forming a web-like structure—more like a snowflake than a spider’s web. The ice also freezes the edges of the spring, causing snow-colored flowers to bloom. Frost covers the damaged vines, restoring their vitality and allowing them to grow again.
“It’s done!”
<
The snow fairies dance around El as she raises her arms in triumph. Since we’re still holding hands, I end up in the same raised-arm pose, unintentionally celebrating as well.
“This is a bit embarrassing…”
“Oh, sorry, Fenrir. Ah! Your face is red! You’re… you’re acting… so human-like!”
“Human-like?”
“Oops. Was that rude…?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“It’s just that… the human form of Fenrir is so beautiful, it feels divine. But right now, you feel close, like someone I can relate to.”
Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I took on a human form. I’ve spent most of the last 300 years as a beast in the snowy mountains, sending a unicorn as my messenger to the kingdom. I might’ve forgotten how to make expressions during that time…
Taking a chance, I try smiling.
El blushes and trembles, while Grea starts praying seriously, and the snow fairies surround me in a dazzling display of diamond dust. What’s going on? Am I being appreciated…?
“Do you like this? I’ll make an effort to smile more often.”
“Wait, does that mean we’ll be seeing that smile frequently from now on? People’s hearts won’t be able to handle it…! I love it… no, I absolutely love it…!”
“I would gladly die and be reborn just to see you smile again, please smile more often!!”
“Grea’s intense… I kind of want to follow that example… maybe?”
“Please, by all means.”
“I didn’t say I was fully committed to that yet!”
“Ha!”
I can’t help but laugh at El and Grea’s amusing conversation. Without thinking, I cover my mouth—a habit from when I was a prince.
“We really love you.”
“I see. I enjoy spending time with you two as well.”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
The reactions of these young ones are so full of emotion and refreshing. Feeling even more motivated, I join them in protecting other Fairy Springs, freezing the waters to shield them. We managed to protect about a quarter of the springs.
El’s magic seemed bottomless, and Grea showed no signs of tiring as she ran. As El said, “The power of mental encouragement is amazing.”
If simply expressing my affection results in this, then I’ll make sure to convey it more often from now on.
When we return to our resting place, El buries herself in my fur, saying, “I’m so tired!” She soon drifts off to sleep, breathing softly as I drape my tail over her. Truly adorable.
Looking into the depths of the cave, blue letters float in the dim light. They describe the time of my succession. Ever since then, I’ve slowly forgotten human feelings, but being synchronized with El’s magic seems to be bringing those emotions back.
“You’ve done brilliantly again today, Lord Fenrir.”
“Ah, Grea, you too. Let’s do our best tomorrow.”
“Leave it to me!!!”
Seeing Grea all fired up, I tell her to go to sleep with a chuckle. El murmurs in her sleep, “Just like a kid before a field trip…”