Transmigrated into a Female-Oriented Card Game - C.328

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Before he could even recognize the growing clarity of the landscape, he heard a man’s straggling cry.

“You punk, Lydon! Why on earth are you so disobedient?! How many times do I have to tell you before you get it?!”

The voice sounded eerily familiar. So was the cheerful laughter that followed.

“Ahaha! Grandpa, what a funny expression! If you frown like that every day, won’t you become more and more ugly?”

“Is this the time for jokes?”

“Hmm, but I’m not joking.”

Cadel looked around slowly, listening to the two men’s loud conversation from the start. It was a forest, a plain forest with nothing out of the ordinary, but he could tell this was Lydon’s home, the Forest of Enchantment.

When he turned his gaze back to the forest, he saw a fluffy blond-haired fairy and a rugged-looking fairy with fierce eyes. It was Lydon and Mephis. Mephis looked just like he did in Cadel’s memory, but Lydon was different. Cadel moved closer to the two and saw Lydon’s face.

‘……He’s so damn cute.’

He was cute enough to make one say something outrageous. He was a couple of inches shorter than Lydon is now, and his frame was less developed. It was impossible to tell exactly how fast the fairy grew, but it was safe to assume that he was much younger than he was now.

His red eyes, full of curiosity and mischief, never stopped twinkling as he listened to the scary old man berate him. His lips, curled up at the corners like a cat’s, were constantly twitching, and Lydon’s face made it obvious that most of the nonsense that came out of his mouth could be heard.

“Isn’t it okay if I don’t go outside?”

“It’s not that you didn’t go out, it’s that you couldn’t. How can you be so brazen when you were caught red-handed?!”

“Whoa, that’s loud. My ears hurt, Grandpa!”

Lydon sulked so adorably that Cadel, watching, wanted to cover Lydon’s ears himself, but Mephis’s eyes didn’t seem to agree. The poor elder elf clutched the nape of his neck and squeezed his eyes shut tightly as if he’d already had enough of Lydon.

Taking a deep breath to control his rising blood pressure, he looked up at Lydon with eyes that had calmed slightly.

“I know what you’re expecting, but there’s nothing as joyful and beautiful out there as you imagine. There are only monstrously greedy humans and the invading lands they have created by destroying everything around them. Lord Hyron is trying to protect us from them, to protect this vibrant forest from them. Lydon, you must carry on his will.”

“…….”

“Don’t you love the Pinhai tribe?”

“……I love them.”

“Then you have to protect it. Don’t keep being so immature―.”

Lydon seemed to listen to Mephis’s advice patiently, but when the conversation seemed to drag on, he flapped his wings and took flight. Then he stuck his tongue out in front of Mephis, who was stunned.

“But I don’t love Grandpa’s nagging! You’re getting old, you’re always saying the same thing, and it’s not funny!”

He called out mockingly, dodging the outstretched hand and scurrying away. Watching him, Cadel followed Lydon, sneaking a glance at Mephis. Sure enough, Mephis was fuming with rage, his face red with anger.

‘Yes, parenting is hard. Just raising a child is hard, but the person you’re dealing with is Lydon. I fully understand that hardship.’

It was understandable that Melphis had become so belligerent, given his long years reining Lydon in. Cadel left Melphis with some dry words of consolation and turned his attention to Lydon, who was flying excitedly.

‘You’ve never stopped looking for fun.’

The life of a fairy was a long one, so it must have been a bittersweet feeling to have your life mortgaged at the height of your curiosity and to live with the knowledge that you would never leave the forest. It was a feeling he couldn’t even imagine for himself.

He remembered the first time he and Lydon walked out of the forest and laid eyes on the sea. The look of pure joy on his face was something he would never forget, even for himself.

‘Considering how much he loved it, I’m guessing he lived in the forest all his life before I came along. How much trouble would he have done in the forest? Of course, he would have caused a lot of trouble.’

Cadel wondered if this time he could see the sum total of Lydon’s mischief. Just as he was beginning to feel a sense of anticipation, Lydon stopped flying and landed softly. Cadel, who had come down with him, looked around.

‘……This place looks somewhat familiar, doesn’t it?’

A small lake in the center, a few old trees planted around it, and colorful wildflowers in front of it. It didn’t take long for Cadel to recognize it. This was where he’d first found the humanoid Lydon. It was where he’d taken Van, the man he’d kidnapped.

Cadel remembered hearing that this was Lydon’s hideout even back then. It seemed to be his favorite spot since he was a kid. As he looked at Lydon, wondering what he was doing here, Lydon stopped in his tracks, striding toward something. He stopped in front of a large bush. A bush that looked strangely out of place next to an old tree. Lydon reached his hand into it, unexpectedly.

“You can get out now!”

In his grasp, which soon slipped free, was a terrified little boy. An unexpected addition to the scene. Cadel, staring blankly at the scrawny child, quietly corrected his assumption.

‘You really live a life full of mischief, Lydon.’

“you, you’re not going to kill me……?”

The child who was dragged out had leaves glued all over his body and looked at Lydon, who looked at him curiously and then gave him a sour look.

“Why would I do that?”

“Evil fairies are living in this forest……. It is said that they kill everyone who enters this forest to take possession of expensive things.”

“Hmm, who said that?”

“My parents.”

“What stupid parents!”

“They, they’re not stupid!”

“Stupid!”

“That’s not true……!”

Stupid, no, stupid, no……. There were dozens of nonsensical spinning loops that drove Cadel crazy. Although Lydon was much bigger, he seemed to be of the same mental age as the child, otherwise, this conversation wouldn’t have taken place.

Still, it seemed to ease the child’s wariness of Lydon. The child, who had been trying to prove his parents’ wisdom, sighed wearily.

“My parents will be worried. I need to get out of here.”

“Okay, bye-bye.”

“……I don’t know the way around here.”

“Yeah, tough luck.”

The child seemed to think that since Lydon had assured him that Lydon would not harm him, he would obediently show him the way out of the forest. The unexpectedly firm goodbye revealed the child’s confusion. Hesitant, the child hurriedly grabbed Lydon’s arm as he turned to walk away.

“What?”

“Help me out. What if I run into another fairy while wandering around?”

“They’ll kill you because they have to take the expensive stuff.”

“N, no! I don’t want to die!”

Lydon was obviously upset that the child had framed the fairies. Cadel could tell by the way he didn’t soften his scowl as he watched the child squirm.

‘In times like that, you’d have to give him something sweet to appease him.’

The frightened child had no idea how to appease the fairy. After a long, frustrating struggle with Lydon’s cold demeanor, the child finally gave up and burst into tears. The wailing was the first sign of Lydon’s panic.

“Shut up……!”

He quickly shut the child’s mouth and glanced around. The Forest of Enchantment was no place for humans, and Cadel, having once set foot in it, knew it best. The fairies would not forgive an intruder, even if he was a child, even if his trespass was unintentional.

“If you keep crying, I’ll really let you die.”

“……!”

“Don’t be loud. Got it?”

The child nodded vigorously. Lydon watched him and slowly removed the hand covering his mouth. Instead of a cry, he heard a stifled sob. The child rubbed at the corners of his eyes, trying to keep from crying.

“……Good.”

Lydon squatted down in front of him, his demeanor more subdued, not the slightest hint of hostility in his steady gaze.

“What’s your name?”

“……Mino Elberan.”

“Why are you here?”

“You dragged me here! I was just trying to look around the area…….”

“No, you came into the forest. Because I can’t go outside.”

“……You can’t go out? Why?”

“Because I’m not human.”

As Lydon spoke, a vague melancholy crossed his face. Watching him, Cadel reached out and stroked Lydon’s head. Of course, he didn’t feel any of the familiar tactile sensations.

“So I can’t take you outside right away. Even if you go nearby, Grandpa Melphis will come after you.”

“Then, then I…….”

“Just a few more days. Once Grandpa’s guard is down, you’ll be able to sneak out late at night.”

“…….”

“Stay here while we wait. It’s the safest place to be. And…….”

Lydon said with a mischievous grin as he tugged Mino’s arm and sat down next to him.

“Tell me about the outside world. You have to tell me a lot because if it’s not interesting, I’ll ditch you.”

Whether it was simply survival instinct, or he enjoyed Lydon’s reaction to his stories, Mino didn’t know. Mino regaled Lydon, whose eyes sparkled with curiosity at the slightest anecdote, with countless stories of what he had seen and done.

At a young age, Mino said he had traveled quite a bit with his father, who was once a merchant. Lydon was delighted to imagine the outside world as Mino described it, and the sea was of particular interest to him.

“The sea is dazzlingly beautiful, isn’t it? I’ve heard that it’s salt water with a variety of life forms. It must smell fresher and sweeter than flowers. It must be, because it’s home to so much life!”

“Umm, dazzlingly beautiful, of course. But the sweet scent is…….”

“How beautiful is that? Tell me more!”

Unable to describe the fishy smell of the sea in front of that angelic face, Mino described its vibe, its colors, and the mysterious creatures that lived there. As he listened, Cadel realized where Lydon’s visions of the sea came from.

‘No wonder Lydon was so shocked.’

Cadel smiled slightly as he remembered Lydon’s pale face when he first smelled the ocean.

The days passed quickly. Lydon brought his share of food each time, shared it with Mino, and listened to his stories until he fell asleep. When Mino ran out of stories to tell, he’d repeat what he’d said before. It never seemed to get old, and Lydon always had a big smile on his face as he imagined the world.

After spending days and nights with Lydon, Mino would tell him stories like this.

“I wish you could go outside with me.”

“Huh……?”

“I’ve only been here a few days, but I can’t wait to get out. It’s stifling. I want to run around and play. Don’t you feel the same way?”

“That’s…….”

“Let’s sneak out too. If you ask my father, we can see the sea.”

For a brief moment, Cadel could see dozens of thoughts racing through Lydon’s head. He pursed his lips hesitantly and then spoke in a hushed voice.

“……I can’t live outside.”

“Is that so? So what about going out for a while? All you have to do is look at the sea and come back.”

Cadel didn’t know if something like that would be possible. Even when he was trying to persuade Hyron in the past, he’d said he’d let Cadel and Lydon go if it was just for a short outing. Of course, that might have been because he sensed that Cadel was trying to get Lydon out of the forest entirely.

Lydon must have thought that would be fine, too, as the corners of his eyes, which had been glumly lowered, slightly lifted.

“Should we? The sea……. I want to see the sea.”

“Yes! I’ll ask my father when we get out. You’re the nicest fairy I’ve ever met, so I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“You’ve never seen any other fairies.”

“Even so!”

They made a promise. They’d take advantage of Melphis’s lax watch and head out of the forest together. Lydon seemed excited as he and Mino made plans for their trip, saying it wouldn’t hurt to be away for a while.

But Cadel couldn’t help but admire their innocence. He knew the plan was doomed to failure. Lydon had never seen the outside world until he met Cadel. So Mino would never be able to take Lydon to the sea.

It didn’t take long to realize why.

“Lydon!”

“……Oh, it’s Aiden.”

“Why are you disappointed? You’d never look like that if you knew what news I had for you.”

That day, Lydon grabbed his share of food and made his way to the hideout. He tilted his head sharply as he turned to face his friend, Aiden, who stood in his way. Lydon’s attitude was that whatever news Aiden had for him, he wasn’t all that curious about, but he’d listen because Aiden would be a nuisance if Lydon ignored him, and Aiden was determined to change Lydon’s nonchalant demeanor and cut straight to the chase.

“A battle is about to break out.”

“Battle?”

“Humans are trying to get into the forest!”

“……What are you talking about?”

Aiden flapped his wings with glee, not even noticing the strangeness in Lydon’s quickly hardening expression.

“They said we kidnapped a human child. They’re getting ready to come in for revenge. I don’t know when they’re coming in, but they’ll all be dead……. Uh, hey! Lydon!”

Lydon dropped his food and took off before Aiden could finish his sentence. He didn’t give Aiden a chance to chase after him and sped back to the hideout, where Mino watched Lydon’s empty hands with a blank expression on his face.

“Didn’t you say you were going to get some food?”

“You have to leave.”

“Huh?”

“Now.”

“What’s the matter with you all of a sudden, Lydon……?”

Lydon strongly pulled Mino, who was rolling his eyes in confusion, and spoke urgently.

“Humans are trying to invade the forest. I think they’ve come looking for you.”

“What? My parents are here?”

Mino didn’t realize the seriousness of the situation. He simply laughed with delight at the thought of seeing his parents again. Lydon stared at his beaming face and crumpled into a frown. The hand on Mino’s shoulder tightened.

“You idiot! If any of them come in here, they’ll die!”

“Why, why should they die……? You didn’t kill me.”

“The other fairies are different, so get out of here. Go tell your parents to stay out of the forest……!”

Lydon’s impatiently pursed lips stopped. His stiff head turned to the sky, where he saw dozens, if not more, fairy warriors. They were flying in a swarm toward the entrance to the forest.

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