Hugo

Our travels through the Demon Continent continued eastward for several months, leaving the ogres and the orcs behind us (I could only hope I hadn't screwed up things by doing what I did). Myrilla suggested that we followed the borders of the Great Fairy Forest, so we also headed south a little.

The Forest? Oh, it was something alright. Just from the outside, I could tell that it was nothing like any forests I had ever been in. Thick purplish trees stood tall on a long line, covered by mist that nearly obscured the entire forest. There were also giant mushrooms interlaced amongst them, emitting suspicious purple smoke that quickly blended into the mist. If I had to guess, those mushrooms were emitting poison and the trees were soaked in it, turning them purple.

Just to confirm, I summoned my two fairies and asked them whether that really was the forest where they stayed.

"Umm, I dunno… I never really left it before so I don't know how it looks from the outside…" Water Fairy answered, with her head tilted and her hands wrapped under her chest. "But this feeling… yes, that's definitely fairy territory, Master Hugo!" She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, I agree with her, Master." Stone Sprite nodded. "To us, the Fairy Forest is another world entirely. The region where we live is called the Free Wilderness, where there is no fairy that rules over it. That's why we can answer your call."

"This… Wilderness." I stared at the forest before turning my body to face Earth Sprite, trying not to ogle her bikini body. "Can you take me through it?"

She shook her head. "No. Humans… shouldn't be in the forest for long. The other fairies—"

"They're all jerks who get jealous of us!" Water Fairy huffed, throwing a frown towards the forest.

"We can't protect you or your friends, Master." Earth Sprite spoke. "There are fairies far stronger and cleverer than us there. And if one of the Eldest noticed…" She shuddered, hugging her near naked body.

I walked up to her and patted her on the head. Her height only reached up to my chest now, thanks to my growth spurt. Back at Fiania, my face was in line for her chest.

"The Eldest? You mean… Titania?"

She nodded. "She and her four ministers. They're so old and powerful all of us are terrified of them. Reality bends under their wisdom. The Free Wilderness only exists because they're content with their own dominions."

"...I see. Then, we'll take the longer route. Don't you worry, alright?" I smiled at her.

She replied by giving me a tight, boob-filled hug.

I was lucky Felicia was back in the camp.

-------

Afterwards, I told the party what I knew from the fairies as we had our dinner around the bonfire.

To my surprise, Myrilla decided to speak up.

"The Minister of Summer. She's the one whom the Izurds made a deal with," she said with a serious look. "But do not worry. As long as you follow my instructions, everything will be fine. She is bound to her contract."

Well, let's just hope that's true.

"So, the village is inside her domain?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. In a place called Valley of Eternal Summer. And, before you ask, we cannot get there through the Great Fairy Forest. The two might be connected but she would not accept any visitors that came in from that route."

I sighed internally. Once again, we had no choice but to take the long route.

"Sheesh, you sure know a lot about the Izurds, Myrilla.'' I smiled. "I'm curious. How do you know them so well?"

A scowl appeared on her face. "... Haven't I told you? Us Nerthusians were the ones who introduced them to the Archfey."

"Were you there?" I asked further.

She shook her head. "I was. But I was just a child. I didn't know anything. I could only remember the day when the Demon Lord of Blades appeared in our city."

Suddenly, she paused, lowering her voice and averting her gaze before continuing.

"She was… terrifying. Her thoughts were filled with anger… sadness… hate… I had never read a mind so dark."

"...Wait. What does a Demon Lord have to do with the Izurds?"

She locked her gaze back to me. "The Demon Lord of Blades… is the chief of the Izurds. And Sherry's grandmother."

My heart skipped a beat.

Why in the world didn't she tell this sooner?!

--------

Quania, the Demon Lord of Blades.

Former Demon Lord to be exact. After her defeat at the hands of the Succubus and Incubus Demon Lord, she disappeared entirely from the continent, thus losing her right to the title.

She was said to be a really powerful swordswoman, who can use every strand of her hair as a sword. Thanks to her, the Izurd had defeated numerous other demon races and their Demon Lords back in their glory days.

And to think that she is Sherry's grandmother… Now I know where she got her freakish strength from.

And I will have to face her when I come over to fetch her granddaughter since apparently, she was the one who forbade her from leaving.

This won't be pretty. Not in the slightest.

---------

Several months had passed and we were now heading south. The village was now to that direction while the Great Fairy Forest was to our west. In short, we had made an upside down L turn at the northeastern corner of said forest.

The weather and landscape had changed considerably. The terrain now was filled with muddy soil, with all sorts of creatures that would suck you in if given the chance. The rain came day after day, unrelenting, unforgiving. Felicia said it was acidic as well, which would be bad for humans like me whose physiology could not adapt like the demons could. Thankfully, I could just erect a wind dome that protected us from it while at the same time, hardening the muddy soil we walked on. It was certainly good training for my mana endurance.

We saw a number of villages and towns on our trip, which I wouldn't describe since there were too many of them. Suffice to say that there were a lot more varied than human towns. One town was built inside a massive cave. Another was built on top of a massive bamboo platform lifted above a boiling swamp. And let's not forget that town resting on top of a giant buffalo!

We ended up buying what the locals called Scarabs to ride on — basically giant tamed bugs. Unlike horses, it could carry its passengers on almost any terrain. No need for a smooth ground like horses do. Myrilla rode one on her way to Arborea but she ended up leaving it in the city since there was only one of it and we couldn't all ride on top of it. And the scarab wouldn't like it if it had to move at slow speed. It would sooner or later go on a rampage before running away. So Myrilla just decided to leave it behind.

Oh, and of course, I regaled the tale of our journey to Marina. I figured she would want to hear it, knowing how she was. As for Erika… she probably wouldn't. So I didn't send nearly as many to her as I wanted.

I also sent some messages to Sherry, though, to be honest, I was conflicted in whether or not I should tell her about Felicia beforehand. If I told her earlier, she would definitely get angry. And without me being there to explain it in person, she might just turn that anger into something else — something that I wouldn’t want to happen to her. Suicide, for example.

Yes, Myrilla had told me about her mother — how she was apparently betrayed by her husband, resulting in her taking her own life. That was how Sherry got abandoned at the orphanage back at Aarom.

That was why she suggested that I hid it from her, despite her distaste for such an act.

There was one more thing that could happen though — something that my selfish heart would consider just as worse.

She in bed with another man.

She was already sixteen back then — already the age to start her own family. If I told her the truth, she might seek comfort in another, which would no doubt lead to sex sooner or later.

It would break my heart for that to happen.

I know. It’s selfish, and it’s stupid, especially since I have no problem with Felicia. But Sherry’s different. If there’s anyone who should take her virginity, it should be me and no one else.

That is my selfishness. And I’m willing to admit that.

I am no saint. I am just a pervert who got lucky with women.

--------------

After several more months of trekking through the Demon Continent, we finally arrived at our destination.

The Valley of Eternal Summer.

Inside this tiny path between two small mountains… was the village where Sherry had been waiting for me all this time.

I had told her about our arrival and how she should just stay in the village so that we wouldn’t miss each other.

Felicia had brought the idea of her just staying outside, to not draw the ire of the Demon Lord for two-timing her granddaughter. I quickly shot it down, saying bravely that I wouldn’t be a coward that hid the truth from Sherry and her family. And I imagined Myrilla wouldn’t be keen on that either.

I had trained a lot these past months, for more than half a year. I wouldn’t know if it would be enough to fight against a Demon Lord though. Yeah, remember the last time I tried going up against one?

...No, stop it. You’re doing it again, you idiot. You’re getting scared of an opponent that you perceive to be stronger than you. You’ve promised that you’ll never lose your composure again in such a situation.

And yet, even with such thoughts, the moment I imagined me going up against Sherry’s grandmother...

I couldn’t stop my tremors.

------

“Follow me. And ignore all the visions and noises you will hear.”

That was Myrilla’s only warning before we ventured in, leaving our scarabs behind.

The valley was filled with a thick, tall forest, and a really foggy one at that. For safety, we tied ropes to ourselves, forming a chain that should prevent any of us from getting lost. I offered to just blow the fog away but Myrilla said no, citing that it would anger the feys that lived inside the forest.

And so we went, with Myrilla leading the pack and me the furthest down the line. It didn't take long until the fog completely obstructed my sight, to the point that I could barely see Felicia who was walking in front of me. Thankfully, the ground was pretty easy to traverse so there was no fear of tripping.

"Ooh, what's this? A band of humans from the outside? Hey, let's play!"

"Play! Play!"

"Play!"

And there it was — the voices of the fairies. Didn't take long at all until they began to appear.

Ignore them. Don't answer them. And do not look at the floating orbs that are now surrounding us.

Only, one of them decided to hover near my left ear.

"Oh! I've heard! Are you the human our Lady spoke of? The one that cheated on the Izurd girl?"

My heart skipped a beat.

"That's not good!" The fairy giggled. "I heard she's really angry with you!"

W-what? How could they—

SNAP

The rope that bound me with Felicia — it was cut right in the middle.

As for Felicia, she, and the others in front of her, had disappeared.

Laughter rang from all directions — a youthful, playful laugh of a young woman. The fog intensified even more, to the point that I was now completely surrounded by white, with no forest to speak of.

I reacted immediately, casting a wind spell to dispel the fog.

Only to find that once the whiteness disappeared, I was somewhere else entirely.

I was in the middle of a sunny flower field.

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Sherry

"Hello, my dear sapling! Just wanna tell you that Hugo kid is making his way here now! Won't you do something about it, hmm? That trial thing you told me?"

That day, as Quania was sitting cross-legged inside her house, meditating, the Archfey manifested herself in front of her. Not in her full form, of course, as she wouldn't fit in the cramped place, but as her small fairy form.

"So, it's time." Quania replied, opening her eyes. "Fetch Sherry. She shall witness the entire thing."

"Of course!" The fairy giggled. "Ooh, this is going to be so much fun!"

The fairy disappeared and Quania stood up from her seat.

Her eyes traveled to the wall. There, a sword sat in its sheath, tied to the wall it was attached to.

With one sweep of her hair, she grabbed the sword and put it on her hands.

How long has it been? Since I had to use this sword…

But… for a human who cruelly betrayed my granddaughter's love… he deserves nothing less.

Sliding the sword into her belt, she departed.

It was time to give her judgment.

---------

Hugo

"So. You are Hugo Greenwood. The boy my granddaughter adored."

A figure stood on the fields, close enough that I could make out her face and features from where I stood.

She was… unsettling, to say the least. Her pitch black hair, reaching down to her ankles, was a mess of tangled strings, as if she had never known a comb in her life. A sword rested near her left hip. Even sheathed, I could feel an ominous presence coming from it.

And those scarlet eyes… they were bulging out of their sockets, staring at me like a wild beast would stare at its prey.

In short, she was exceedingly similar to Sadako*. Waay to close for my comfort.

And she was Sherry’s grandmother. The ex-Demon Lord.

“You are quite brave, coming here with that woman in tow.”

“Woman?”

“Sherry saw you. We all did. If you believe you can hide your treachery from us, think again.”

Ah, she must be talking about Felicia then.

“Look, it wasn’t my intention to hide Felicia’s existence from her. I just… wanted to tell the news to her face-to-face.”

What a weak excuse, Hugo. You think she’ll buy that?

“Oh? I’m sure you would. But, unfortunately, I have no plans in letting you see her.”

I gulped. This was exactly as I had feared.

“Begone human. Forget about her. She’ll live happily here, with her people. You already have the human woman. You don’t need her anymore.”

“...I do. I still need her.”

I looked at her straight in the eyes, despite how disturbing they were.

“I… owed her a lot. Forgiveness, most of it.” I chuckled. “I’m fine if, after listening to me, she decides to dump me and stays here with you. But, I refuse to leave without her lending her ears to me first.”

“She doesn’t need your empty forgiveness.” Her voice suddenly turned stern. “For there’s no forgiveness for what you had done. You have insulted her, not just in your words, but your actions as well. Oh Minister of Summer! Show this insolent human your vision!”

All of a sudden, a tornado of flowers appeared in mid-air. I quickly erected a barrier with my wind magic, though it didn’t seem to be necessary, since the tornado immediately died down the moment it appeared.

Revealing a massive, dark-skinned woman with fairy wings on her back.

Her size easily eclipsed mine. If I had to guess, she was as tall as the ogre chief I met back then.

She had a reddish bronze hair and scarlet dress that left little to the imagination. In a physic-defying way, even though she was floating mid-air with her legs bending upwards (she was hovering in a position similar to when you use the couch to sleep, with her hips at the lowest point and her legs raised slightly), I could not see up her short dress in the slightest. Only the tantalizing sun-kissed thighs teasing my sight to look further in.

She flipped her body 180 degrees, now gazing at me with her amber eyes as her bare feet raised themselves behind her. Smirking, she began to speak.

"Welcome, Breaker of Hearts! At last, the day of our meeting has come."

My eyes narrowed. The Archfey. The being the Izurds had made a contract with.

"Now, I will show you something I imagine you don't want your dear Sherry to know about."

She snapped her fingers.

And a vision instantly entered my mind.

It was a vision of… of me and Felicia… pleasuring each other in bed…

She was pleasuring my manhood while I was playing with her breasts.

And we groaned. And moaned. And spoke with labored breath as well.

And what we spoke — I spoke — was about Sherry. And how she was just an ugly gorilla compared to Felicia.

This fairy — she was mixing truth with slander! All those lewd things I did with her are true. But the gorilla part — that was all a big fat lie!

Anger boiled in my gut. That b*tch! She's giving Sherry the wrong idea! She must be heartbroken to see that!

Before I could say anything to her, however, she had disappeared in another tornado of flowers.

Laughing in the process.

I had no choice. I had to convince the angry grandma instead.

"That — that isn't true! I would never speak about her like that!" I shouted at the ex-Demon Lord. "She's really precious to me! You think I will ever badmouth her that way?!"

"Then, you copulating with that woman is a lie too?" Her eyes narrowed.

"N-no, that was true. But it wasn't copulation! I still never did it and I wanted Sherry to be my first!"

"How dare you?! You think that just because you don't penetrate her flower, you can do those things with another woman?!"

Suddenly, chills enveloped my entire body. My feet began to buckle. My hands began to shake.

Fear.

That was what I felt there.

Her aura—murderous and bloodthirsty—had flared intensely, to the point that I could barely breathe.

This was different even compared to that swordswoman's aura. This was made out of hostility and hate.

She despised me. She despised me with every bone in her body.

And somehow, I didn't faint from it. I still stood in place, gripping my staff tightly.

I knew what I wanted. I wanted Sherry.

And I was going to meet her, no matter who stood in my way.

-------

Sherry

Unbeknownst to Hugo, his conversation with Quania was being watched by Sherry.

In fact, the whole thing was being displayed to the village's sky, allowing every Izurd to watch.

Why? Because the fairy wanted to. Simple as that.

Quania didn't like it but she had no choice in the matter.

Sherry, however, was watching it not in the village, but on the flower fields as well.

She wasn't inside the flower fields that Hugo was at though. She was in a separate space entirely, courtesy of the Fey's reality bending magic.

And there, she watched. She watched as her childhood friend, now turned into a dashing young man, faced off against her grandmother.

Tears flew down her cheeks. Tears of anger and fury.

It was true. It was all true. He had cheated with that red-haired woman. He didn't even try to deny it.

Her fists clenched, so hard she was bleeding from it.

She didn't care anymore. The young man she saw before her — it was not her dear Hugo anymore!

-----------

The Archfey

"You! Let me out of here at once!"

Meanwhile, the rest of Hugo's party was also watching the proceedings. And just like Sherry, they were doing it on a different "layer" of the flower fields.

However, unlike Sherry, the fairy was also there with them, floating in mid-air as her eyes were locked on the image she had projected of Hugo's battle.

Oh, her guests had tried to attack her. Especially that angry redheaded woman who had sent shadows, bombs, and chemicals after her. Of course, none of their attacks could land. She could simply shift away to a different plane of existence to dodge them all.

Humans. Truly amusing creatures. Oh, and one elf too, I suppose.

Only the demoness stayed still. The Nerthusian knew better. She was clever enough to recognize that she stood no chance against her.

"What do you want?! You want to hurt him?! You want us to watch him die?!"

Oh, for Lady Titania's sake, this woman is loud.

She snapped her finger. And just like that, her voice disappeared.

"Mmmmmhhh!"

She had stuffed her mouth with a ball of flowers. That should do the trick.

Ignoring the choking and gasping for air noises she then made, she returned her attention back towards Hugo.

Now, you two! Fight! Fight with all your lives!

A childish, excitement-filled giggle escaped her lips.

If he surrendered, he would prove himself to be a coward. It would break that little girl's heart. If he didn't, he would die. And her heart would still be broken as well, just for a different reason.

Oh, she couldn't—she simply wouldn't wait to see Sherry's face once all of this were over! That look of despair—ooohhh, even the prettiest gem could not compare!

And then, she would harvest her heart. Create another tree right beside her grandmother's.

She could finally eat two fruits instead of one!

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A/N:

*Sadako, of course, refers to the spooky ghost woman from The Ring.