Once I successfully navigated the green pepper crisis thanks to Kuro, we settled in for tea—though it was more like a light luncheon.
The table was laden with vegetables and fruits grown in Til-san's field. We dipped freshly sliced vegetable sticks into dressing, and the crisp, garden-fresh flavors were truly delicious. Personally, I would have loved some meat to go with them, but since Raz-san and Til-san were strictly herbivores, I refrained from pulling anything out of my Magic Box and simply enjoyed the greens.
Our conversation as we ate centered on the two of them. I listened with a smile as they talked, struck by how close they were. From what I could gather, Til-san held Raz-san in incredibly high regard, frequently punctuating her stories with remarks about how amazing "Raz-sama" was.
"...By the way," I said, "Til-san is the second-generation Fairy King, and Raz-san was the first, right?"
"Yes indeed! Til is still no match for Raz-sama, but I’m doing my best as the Fairy King!"
"I think Til is doing a wonderful job," Raz-san added warmly.
"Out of curiosity, Raz-san, why did you step down?"
"Raz moved out of the Fairy Forest because Chrome-sama invited me to live together with her."
So there was a Fairy Village, and the one who looked after it was the Fairy King. I assumed she had simply passed her leadership duties to Til-san when she left to join Kuro's family.
"Wait, if Til-san’s field is here, does that mean you live nearby?" I asked.
"I do!"
"Then the Fairy Forest is close to Yugfressia?"
"It is! It’s in the southern forest of Yugfressia. There are also some children who moved to the Human Realm; they live in the woods near Rigforresia."
Given their innocent, carefree personalities, I had a hard time picturing the Fairy King as a formal monarch of a nation. They felt more like a village chief. As we talked further, I realized my hunch was correct; the role didn't involve much actual "work" and was more of a representative position for the community.
"Forgive my ignorance," I said, "but I don't really know the difference between a Fairy and a Spirit."
"Umm, well..." Til-san trailed off. "Lilliwood-sama mentioned something once. Let me think..."
"Oh, that's right!" Raz-san chimed in. "Raz heard it from Chrome-sama too. Er, it was something about... the body..."
The two of them tilted their heads in confusion, looking incredibly cute. I hadn't meant to stump them with a stray thought, so I was about to tell them not to worry about it when Til-san’s face suddenly lit up.
"...Oh! Lilie-sama is telling me now! Let’s see... 'The clear distinction is that a Spirit possesses a physical entity that serves as its main body, whereas a Fairy does not. Fairies are born when the weak magic power from various flowers and trees—sources not powerful enough to host a Spirit—accumulates in great quantities. Consequently, they share many ecological similarities.' ...Apparently!"
"I see," I replied.
It made sense. Spirits manifested from and inhabited plants with high magic power. Fairies were born from the collective, ambient magic of the natural world. Since Raz-san referred to herself as a "Flower Fairy" rather than the spirit of a specific bloom, it stood to reason she was born from the essence of many different flowers.
"Raz-san, you're a Flower Fairy, aren't you?"
"I am!"
"And Til-san is too?"
"Til is a Flower Fairy as well! Just like Raz-sama!"
"If you specify 'Flower,' I assume there are others?"
"Oh, yes! There are Tree Fairies, Earth Fairies... all sorts of kinds!"
Perhaps their shared origin was why they were such close friends. I was glad to have learned so much, but then I paused. Wait. If we were going by that definition of Spirits and Fairies... one person didn't quite fit.
"Til-san, can I ask one more thing?"
"Sure!"
"Most Spirits I know are linked to a specific plant, but Camellia-san calls herself the 'Grass Spirit.' I don’t recall her ever mentioning a specific type of grass."
"Ah, Camellia-san is a bit of a special case. Ordinarily, common grass doesn't have enough mana for a Spirit, but a mutation produced a patch of grass with immense magic power, and Camellia was born from that. She told me herself that she isn't anything fancy—just a spirit of ordinary weeds."
"I see. I didn't realize there were cases like that."
It was fascinating to hear about the exceptions. Then, a thought occurred to me: I wondered if there was a Spirit of the Blue Crystal Flower—a plant that meant so much to me—somewhere out there.
Serious-senpai: "...Hm. That seems to be the end of Tiltania’s segment. I wonder who’s next? The ones left are the Rose Princess, the Great Tree Princess, and Princess Ouka... Blossom’s already appeared in an interlude, so she seems like the strongest candidate, doesn't she?"