Chapter 411

411 Eternal Youth Fairies #1

“Yay, how about it? It really suits me, right?”

On the way back to the cottage.

Luna swung the silver necklace hanging around her neck in front of us. With a clinking metallic sound, Paranoi spoke up.

“It suits you wonderfully…! If only it weren’t Mars’ leash, it really is a beautiful necklace…! You are truly Lady Luna…!”

“…Haha, it’s just a temporary necklace, but once I receive the guild’s approval, I’ll be able to advance to Silver Tier like Hassan and Elpride!”

Luna looked extremely happy about her upcoming promotion. Despite the day’s many tiring tasks, the thought of going home and resting lifted her mood slightly.

It was a weekend evening.

With the commission finished, a barbecue in the yard seemed like a perfect idea for an after-party.

And so, we decided to do exactly that.

We bought a lot of food at the market and headed to the porch of the western gate’s cottage, where we roasted various things over the fire.

Sizzle-.

Is there anything more invigorating for a hungry and tired person than the smell and sound of roasting meat?

“Ah! Master of the house…! The meat is burning…! And pour me some grape juice in my cup…!”

“These pork ribs are expensive, and they taste amazing…! I must eat plenty to grow quickly…!”

Doris and Paranoi seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely at this rare outdoor dinner in the yard. Elpride felt the same.

“….”

She appeared to be ignoring the noisy nymphs as if they were annoying, but her eyes skillfully caught the meat roasting on the grill and transferred it to her plate.

And as the atmosphere grew warmer—

“What’s this? I came over because I had a good feeling, and look at the fun you’re having. See, sister. I said we wouldn’t have to worry about dinner tonight, didn’t I?”

“Indeed, Antiope. Your strange intuition is correct. We won’t starve, and tonight’s meal expenses are covered.”

Somehow, the Amazon Sisters, who were very busy, found their way to the garden as well. Hippolyte held a bottle of golden fruit wine.

“Hassan, what do you think of this one? Can you try a little and tell me how it tastes?”

“Terrible. Still, it pairs well with the meat.”

“That’s true. Then, consider this as the cost of joining in, and let’s have a little share ourselves.”

The yard, which wasn’t especially large, seemed about to burst with people roasting meat.

But this kind of carefree, noisy, and lively evening was something we hadn’t experienced in a long time, so it had its own charm.

As time passed—

The nymphs, who had started eating earlier, finished their meal first: Paranoi, Doris, and Ignoy.

“We will go out and spend some private time for the nymphs, then…!”

“A toy shop that honors nymphs has opened…! If we hurry, we might catch it before it closes…!”

“…”

“Ah! Ignoy, that’s the wrong direction…!”

The nymphs disappeared somewhere, supposedly to spend some special “nymph-only time.”

With no nymphs to take care of, both me, who was grilling the meat, and Luna, who was handling the children, felt slightly relieved and enjoyed the moment.

“There were no such feasts in Ideope.”

At that remark, Hippolyte turned to Luna while swirling the golden liquid in her wine glass.

“Noxdotty, who would’ve thought you’d be wearing a silver-tier necklace already? Congratulations are in order. This is quite a novel feeling.”

“Thank you! Hippolyte, you seem incredibly busy lately. You hardly show up!”

“Preparing for winter, I guess. The backlog of work has overwhelmed me. I don’t understand why, but whenever the year-end approaches, both the city hall and government offices procrastinate on their tasks and then rush through them.”

Hippolyte looked extremely busy preparing for winter. Meanwhile, Antiope, holding some odd cigar-like item in her mouth, added a comment.

“It’s because they aim to spend all remaining budget. If they leave any unused budget from the year, next year’s funding gets cut. I know well since I was once a civil servant.”

Anyway, it seemed everyone was busy preparing for winter. Though we are enjoying this relaxed time now, we’ll all be busy tomorrow in our own ways.

Hippolyte continued.

“So, Noxdotty. I’ve heard about what happened at Ideope. You were exiled from the tribe, weren’t you?”

“Grrr….”

Though Hippolyte didn’t seem to be teasing her, Luna blushed, unsure of how to respond, either embarrassingly or perhaps angrily.

“I wasn’t exiled! I, I graduated, that’s all!”

“Ha-ha, I see. So, you graduated from the tribe.”

“I am now Luna Noxdotty of the Small Yard Tribe. Everyone should know that…!”

The Small Yard Tribe, huh? Luna had apparently just created a new tribe on the spot.

Though its name was simple and a bit childish, it felt endearing in a way, like a secret family base.

Does the Small Yard Tribe include me, too?

While I was musing on this amusing thought, Hippolyte asked again.

“So, Noxdotty, what do you plan to do next? I heard about the re-registration at the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Well, I want to become famous, first. And I want to finish the nectar I’ve been working on. The last ingredient will surely be something extraordinary. Like, the tears of a Gold-tier monster!”

“Ah, the tears of a Gold-tier monster, huh? That makes sense.”

Hippolyte seemed curious about how Luna’s nectar was progressing. Just as she was about to say something more—

“Blah, I’m getting drunk. The tipsy feeling is making me dizzy…!”

It seemed she noticed Antiope staggering with a liquor bottle and a cigarette in hand.

“Antiope, I told you not to get drunk recklessly. A tidy demeanor brings a proper mindset. Acting so clumsy, how will you attract a decent man?”

“I don’t care—! Ah, why am I getting so drunk—? Lately, whenever I drink, I get tipsy easily. Could it be because of the new blessing I received from Hassan?”

Antiope’s new blessing must be referring to the “Deer Carrot Juice” I bought at a shop. Despite its bizarre name, it’s a powerful elixir that enhances the effects of various drugs.

So, this is why she’s getting drunk so easily? Thinking about it now, even blessings have their downsides sometimes.

Leaning back on the chair with her legs rested on two tables, Antiope exhaled smoke and added,

“If I can’t find a husband, I’ll just ask the great god Hassan-sama… What difference does it make if I have two wives, or three, or four?”

What?

All of a sudden, she threw an unexpected comment my way, surprising me. Other women also turned their gazes toward me. I felt like I was being treated as some sort of criminal and began fidgeting nervously.

“…”

“…”

Everyone fell silent.

The party had been enjoyable just moments before, but it suddenly felt like an inquiry session. The atmosphere was intense.

Swish, Tap—

At that moment, Elpride, who had been quietly reading a book in a corner, slammed her book shut loudly and said:

“Since we’re all gathered here, I think it’s a good time to settle some stories we haven’t had a chance to talk about—especially with the noisy nymphs absent.”

She muttered something I didn’t fully understand, but the sudden changes in the other women’s expressions added an interesting twist.

Clack-clack—

The women, excluding the tipsy Antiope—Luna and Hippolyte—dragged chairs over and sat opposite each other.

I wondered what they were up to when Luna spoke up first:

“Hassan, it would help if you could leave us alone for a bit. The story we’re about to discuss is something important for women only.”

Gooo—

A strange energy seemed to emanate from the women who sat cross-legged face-to-face.

I felt a heavy weight on my shoulders, sweat trickling down my back. My vision grew dizzy.

“Got it! If this is a women-only discussion, then there’s nothing I can do!”

I quickly slipped away.

*

Evening time.

Having eaten my fill and feeling rather content, I wandered around the streets.

Though I didn’t have any particular destination, I figured it would be like patrolling the slums of the West Gate area where I live, just to see if there were any issues around.

Patrolling was basically just stepping in to stop fights happening in back alleys. And right now, another altercation was unfolding right behind those alleys.

Hey, you little b*stard! Give me back my money! You said you had no money, yet you were drinking in the tavern?

So what if you k*ll me? Go ahead and k*ll me! Heh heh! I’ve enough for drinking but not for repaying you, boy.

Looks like everything’s fine. These kinds of issues are best left for the people involved to sort out.

The cold autumn weather must be getting to people because I barely saw any street vagrants tonight. The city even seemed a little desolate.

I have nothing to do anyway.

Since the women said they wanted a discussion, it’ll probably take about an hour or two.

Shall I go check up on Paranoi or the other nymphs?

Ignoy aside, both Paranoi and Doris are pretty strong in physical capabilities. Still, it worries me somewhat that the nymphs are out during this dark evening.

I decided to chase after them to act as their guardian. Of course, I don’t have any skills for tracking footsteps or anything, but…

Tracking the nymphs wasn’t that hard a task.

“Did you happen to see any nymphs?”

“You mean Doris and Paranoi? And another quiet nymph?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, they headed towards the streets near the South Gate. They said something about going to a newly opened toy shop.”

“There, the streets near the South Gate—.”

“The 33rd Street of the South Gate—.”

“Ah, the toy shop? Take this alley—.”

Following these leads, I arrived at a quiet street near the South Gate.

As dusk fell, only the glowing stone streetlights softly illuminated the road, and one shop in particular shone brilliantly amidst the dull corner of the road.

The shop’s interior lights spilled so brightly that they illuminated the entire street. The glass windows were so clean that the inside was clearly visible, displaying numerous dolls and a variety of other toys.

“Nabokov’s Toy Shop”

The sign above bore the neat handwriting similar to Hippolyte’s. The shop itself was so well-maintained that I hesitated to enter with my dirt-covered boots.

It must cater to high-ranking individuals or nobility.

In a world where survival already consumes most people’s resources, toys and dolls are extravagant luxuries.

Is this really the right shop?

While I stood perplexed outside the shop,

Aaah! That is such a wonderful item indeed…!

I recognized the familiar voice. I could wait outside, but standing there felt awkward, so I stepped inside.

Ding, ding—.

The impression of the shop as viewed from the display and the shop’s interior after stepping in through the bell-ringing door differed significantly.

The faint, aromatic scent of tea and the waxy smell of freshly carved wooden figures. The sparkling fake gemstones arranged here and there. The squeaky movements of the mechanical figurines.

My eyes, ears, and nose were busily processing the flood of information. No wonder the nymphs would love such a place.

Even I felt my heart race slightly at this toy shop. And for me, toy shops were also places filled with sad memories.

When I was little, I begged my mother to buy me a model truck displayed in a shop’s window.

My mother simply looked at the price and walked away.

I stood there for an hour waiting for her and later realized I had been abandoned.

My mother had been very strict with children who threw tantrums.

These days, it seems like a funny memory, but the fact that it remains such a vivid memory in my mind suggests that I must have been deeply shocked at the time.

“Hmm—.”

I suddenly felt amused by my lapse into nostalgia. This strange atmosphere in the toy store must have triggered my memories.

“Paranoi, are you inside?”

Aaah, Lord Hassan’s voice is heard…! This Paranoi is here…!

Her voice came from somewhere deep inside.

As I ventured further into the store searching for her, I couldn’t find her anywhere in the shop despite checking thoroughly.

“What the hell?”

Though it looked like just a thirty-pyeong space from the outside, it turned into an eerie maze once I stepped inside.

There were seemingly endless display cases.

The clinking sounds of the wooden figurines echoed.

Lord Hassan, this Paranoi is here…!

Somewhere in the labyrinth, her voice echoed. But when I moved toward it…

Swoosh—. Clack, clack—.

Someone revealed themselves with the sound of high heels clicking.

“Customer, are you looking for something…?”

Although she stood shorter than me, her figure was tall and elegant like Hippolyte.

Clad in black slacks and a blazer-like top, she looked like a capable career woman, and she was quite striking.

Her chest was impressively large.

Her short, pumpkin-hued hair framed her pointed, yet small, elfin ears.

I was startled.

“Are… Are you a nymph?”

“Are you so surprised to see a nymph? Is it your first time? No, that can’t be right, can it?”

[Author’s Note]

JJINDU! Asx! thegodenel! KuantcIceCream! Tante! PotatoServer! And the wonderful coupon sponsor Keeeeeeeeek! Thank you so much for the coupons…!!!

Many of you have also sent in manuscript coupon gifts…!!! Your comments and recommendations are always deeply appreciated…!!!

Before long, the Nymph Choir’s organization will be completed…!!!

In preparation for the first performance screening, a few lucky commenters, recommenders, and coupon donors will be selected through a lottery to receive an invitation into a dream visit…!!!

8-10 minutes

Eternal Youth Fairies