This story is told from the perspective of Kiri the fairy.
My name was Kiri.
And for the record, I was an incredibly important fairy!
But this situation was nothing short of a total humiliation.
I’d been so focused on watching the thieves and the Beast-ear Race with Alraune that I hadn’t noticed a third party sneaking up behind us. I’d heard that the cat-kin of the Beast-ear Race were natural-born thieves who excelled at stealth, and it turned out the rumors were true.
Still, mere beast-ears shouldn't have been a match for me, the renowned Great Fairy. Or so I had thought, until—
“I never heard anything about a cage made specifically for catching fairies!”
I had been shoved into a small container that looked exactly like a birdcage. Treating a noble fairy like me no better than a common bird—they certainly had some nerve.
Furthermore, this was no ordinary cage. It appeared to be a custom job that even my magic couldn't put a dent in. I couldn’t fathom why a bunch of beast-ears would possess such a rare Fairy Cage.
The cat-kin who kidnapped me proceeded deep into the forest. To my surprise, there was an entire Beast-ear Race settlement hidden within the trees.
Incensed, I glared at the cat-ear woman carrying my cage.
“Who gave you permission to live in this forest? This belongs to Alraune-sama and me! If you’re going to squat here, you’d better start paying rent!”
“What’s with this fairy-nyan? I put her in the Fairy Cage, so why is she still awake-nya...?”
“Hmph. Don't you dare lump me in with those common types. I'm not just some garden-variety flower fairy—I'm a Great Fairy!”
“This fairy is so noisy-nya... I wish she’d just be quiet-nya...”
It seemed the Mandrake had also been captured by these thief cats along with me. But it was strange. I’d never heard of mere beast-ears kidnapping fairies and Mandrakes before, especially when that carriage was loaded with Saint Nectar, which was currently skyrocketing in price.
“Thief cat, what do you plan to do with us?”
“The fairy will be presented to the Beast Ogre-sama-nya. The Mandrake is... a secret-nya.”
“Beast Ogre? You don't mean Beast Ogre Mantiger of the Demon King’s Army, do you?”
One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army was Beast King Marticoras. Rumor had it that his older brother, Beast Ogre Mantiger, was even more violent and cruel. Because of his treacherous nature, he had been passed over for the position of Heavenly King in favor of his younger brother.
Why was such a terrifying member of the Demon Race in this forest? I had heard from Alraune that the Demon King's Army was planning to attack the human capital; was that the reason? If so, they shouldn't have been relaxing in our forest—they should have hurried up and gone to attack a human city already!
As I thrashed around inside the Fairy Cage, the thief cat began to act strangely. For some reason, she suddenly started planting flowers in the Potted Mandrake.
“Hey, thief cat! What do you think you’re doing to our Mandrake?!”
“Nya-nya!? I—I just thought I’d make it part of the decor, so I’m just arranging flowers to make it look fancy-nya...”
“A Mandrake as interior decoration? You’re a weird one.”
She had stuffed so many flowers into the pot that the Mandrake at the base was completely hidden. If she was going to do that, there was no point in even bringing the Mandrake along.
“The preparations are perfect-nya. Now, let’s go to the Beast Ogre-sama’s place-nya.”
Clutching both me and the Mandrake, the thief cat moved toward a large tent at the very back of the settlement. The tent smelled even worse than the beast-ears did—the unmistakable, heavy scent of beastmen.
Inside, a wide variety of beastmen were waiting. There were dozens of Human Form members of the Demon Race with the faces of wolves, tigers, monkeys, and boars. At the far end of the tent, a large demon lounged arrogantly on a chair that resembled a throne.
The man had the build of a muscular human, but his face was that of a lion. His eyes were a deep ultramarine, his skin the color of fresh blood. Bat wings sprouted from his back, and a scorpion's stinger flickered at the end of his tail. He looked exactly like Beast King Marticoras. This lion-man was indeed the older brother, Beast Ogre Mantiger.
The thief cat bowed respectfully toward him.
“Beast Ogre Mantiger-sama, Katze has arrived-nya.”
So the thief cat's name was Katze. I felt like I’d heard that name somewhere before. I seemed to recall that the royalty of a beast-ear nation in the west had a name like that.
“Is that you, Katze? I assume you secured the Saint Nectar as ordered, didn’t you?!”
“Y—Yes-nya! I stole the Saint Nectar from the Tower City just as planned-nya!”
So she wasn't just a kidnapper; she was a Saint Nectar thief, too. I couldn't let that slide without giving her a piece of my mind!
“Hey! What do you mean you stole it? That Saint Nectar is Alraune-sama’s precious treasure!”
“...Katze, what is this fairy?”
Beast Ogre Mantiger fixed me with a murderous glare. His eyes contained a madness that made the surrounding beastmen and the thief cat tremble. But it didn't work on me. After all, I wasn't just any ordinary fairy!
“You’ve got some nerve, kidnapping the Great Fairy Kiri-sama. What do you plan to do with me?”
“What else? I’m gonna eat you, fairy.”
“Eh...?”
Eat a fairy? Me?
Beast Ogre Mantiger drained a large bottle of alcohol and then proceeded to crunch and shatter the glass between his teeth. I’d heard he would eat anything, but his lack of discrimination was unbelievable.
“Humans are tasty, but fairies are truly exquisite. A single one gives me the power of several hundred men. See, the more I eat, the stronger I get!”
What was he talking about? That was just like Alraune!
“It was worth receiving a specially-made Fairy Cage from His Excellency the Prime Minister. Once I eat you and gain even more power, my seat among the Four Heavenly Kings will be guaranteed.”
There was no doubt about it. This Beast Ogre had eaten my kind before.
“U—Unforgivable... You ate my companions, didn’t you!”
“Fairies are just useless things that do nothing but admire flowers in the forest. It’s more beneficial to the world if I consume you!”
I had heard that Beast King Marticoras and Beast Ogre Mantiger had destroyed human nations and slaughtered everyone to feed themselves. I’d thought they were terrifying, but as a fairy, I hadn’t felt it was my problem. But if they were laying hands on fairies, that changed everything.
If Lady Diana in the Goddess's Forest found out about this, she would be devastated. All fairies were my kin, my younger brothers and sisters. I would never forgive him!
While the Beast Ogre amused himself by watching me rage in the cage, the thief cat spoke up, rubbing her hands together.
“Beast Ogre-sama, I present to you this fairy, the Saint Nectar Barrel, and this floral arrangement for your decor-nya.”
“Decor? When did I ever say I wanted such a thing?!”
“This tent is far too desolate-nya. I thought it would make the room more lively... here, I’ll just leave it in the corner-nya.”
Katze placed the Potted Mandrake in a corner. She really was a cat—keeping a Mandrake indoors was sheer insanity. Its scream was powerful enough to make even a Great Fairy like me faint.
Beast Ogre Mantiger peered into the Saint Nectar Barrel and began to laugh.
“With this much Saint Nectar, I can recover from any wound instantly. My army will be invincible—His Excellency the Prime Minister will be pleased!”
“T—That’s good-nya. So, it’s a bit difficult to ask, but... I’ve brought everything I promised. Will you release the hostage now-nya?”
“Ha! There’s no way I’m releasing them for just this! Once we destroy the Capital of the Kingdom of Gardenia, I’ll release them as promised.”
So the thief cats were being coerced with a hostage. That explained why they were doing the beastmen's bidding, though it didn't excuse kidnapping me.
Beast Ogre Mantiger took a lick of the Saint Nectar and his cheeks flushed.
“This sweet, melting nectar is the absolute best! I can’t believe this is Alraune's Nectar.”
He began to gulp it down, clearly already addicted.
“My pathetic younger brother supposedly lost to some Alraune. To think there’s an Alraune out there producing such delicious nectar, and he still failed. How disgraceful.”
His subordinates burst into laughter. They clearly didn't realize it was the very same Alraune. I decided to offer them a warning.
“Hmph! Do you have any idea what will happen if you don't release me? The Alraune who defeated the Beast King is coming to save me!”
“Ha! Don’t be stupid! An Alraune is a plant; it can’t move! Unless you go deep into the forest where the Crimson Flower Princess lives, you’ll never see one!”
The beastmen laughed again. They understood nothing about Alraune.
“I’ll tell you something. My master, Alraune-sama, is unlike any other. She’s strong enough to defeat the Four Heavenly Kings or the Witch Queen herself!”
“No matter how strong she is, it’s not a problem if we never meet! Besides, if we do fight, I’ll win. With this much Saint Nectar, even a Heavenly King-level Alraune is no match for me!”
Laughing loudly, Beast Ogre Mantiger picked up my cage. He stared at me, licking his lips as he drooled.
“Now, it’s mealtime. I’ll eat you and become even stronger!”
“Are you an idiot? Who do you think is going to just sit here and let you eat them?”
Thanks to the thief cat and the Beast Ogre chatting, I’d had enough time. With my Spirit Magic, I could easily dismantle the cage.
Click.
The lock on the door swung open. There were multiple layers of Dark Magic locks on it, but for a fairy of my caliber, undoing them was child's play. I flew out of the cage and pointed a finger at the Beast Ogre.
“I’m not scared of you at all!”
“What?! How did you get out of that cage?!”
“I told you, I’m a special fairy—the Great Fairy Kiri! I’m going to beat you to a pulp!”
“...Hoho, for a fairy, you’re quite bold. Where does that confidence come from?”
The answer was simple. I was Alraune's fairy. Because I had marked Alraune's location earlier, I knew exactly where she was at all times.
And I knew that Alraune had just arrived at this very settlement!
“It’s too late to regret it now! My Alraune-sama is going to take you down in no time!”
And that was Kiri’s perspective.
Next time: Beast Ogre Mantiger, the man who wants to be a Heavenly King.