“The existence of Unlaws becoming public knowledge would only breed suspicion and paranoia. It’s better if their existence remains hidden. Living day-to-day wondering if your neighbor has strange powers would be exhausting.”
That’s why Knocker Cromwell’s goal was too much of a pipe dream and idealistic.
It would have caused far greater chaos beyond just the incidents individual Unlaws could create.
He must have understood that, and acted anyway.
The result was Norman and Cklares alone on the derailed train.
“I can’t say I don’t understand the feeling,”
But he couldn’t agree with it.
“- Ufufu.”
“…What is it?”
“No, it’s just rare to hear you make such an impassioned remark, Sensei.”
“…There are times for that too.”
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
It had been rather uncharacteristic of him.
“In any case, when we get back, I’ll have to report to my sister as well. I’m already dreading it.”
“Then I’ll just say it must have been troublesome for you. But – hey, Sensei.”
The fairy curved her lips in a slight smile.
Her two-toned eyes looked straight at Norman.
“- “
In an instant, all sound vanished from Norman’s world.
The only thing remaining was the fairy smiling beautifully.
A bewitching, otherworldly smile.
“If it really was that much trouble, why don’t we just run away and never go back to Balldlum?”
The fairy’s words flowed into his ears like pure sweetness.
“That city causes you so much trouble. Instead, why don’t we go somewhere, just the two of us alone? I wouldn’t mind that at all. If that’s what you want, Sensei, I have no hesitation about abandoning my current life.”
Ignoring the content, he felt an urge to unconditionally agree, lured in by her sultry, alluring voice.
That was the kind of existence Cklares Airystep was.
Not because she was an Unlaws, but simply because she was a fairy.
A trickster luring people into another world.
Her [Distortion Mode] Unlaws nature aside, she possessed an innate enchantment.
A sweet temptation. If he accepted, she would surely protect him from any calamity.
There were no Unlaws monsters with greater combat ability than Cklares.
Norman knew that well.
So he answered:
“I’ll pass.”
●
Cklares Airystep knew Norman would answer that way.
[Distortion Mode] Unlaws have a tendency to interfere with their surroundings, separate from their abilities.
They want to warp the environment and society around them to suit their own convenience.
Cklares was the same a year and a half ago.
As a student at Balldlum’s girls’ academy, she awakened her Unlaws powers and unleashed that mental influence.
As a result, she brought students and teachers alike completely under her control,
like puppets obeying her every word.
The place meant to nurture humans had become a fairy realm kneeling before its queen.
Or perhaps she had simply finally mastered her innate enchantment.
But being an academy where many noble and merchant children studied,
her potential reach was incalculable.
So she began to consider: What should she warp to her will? That’s when she met Norman.
From that point on, Cklares Airystep stopped warping anything other than Norman Hamish.
More precisely, she decided to direct her innate [Distortion Mode] desire solely onto him.
To warp someone else meant changing their fundamental nature.
Turning someone who wished for righteousness into someone craving wickedness. Someone who empathized with others’ sadness into someone who delighted in it. An ordinary human into a monster.
Turning the holder of four Unlaws collars into one who held just a single collar.
Norman Hamish was too stubborn, Cklares thought.
In the year and a half since they met,
this young man never changed, even remaining alongside the fairy Cklares as well as Teardrop, Demon Dog, and the Diamond Unlaws.
He treated Cklares like a troublesome student, even teaching her self-defense.
Norman had his bottom lines and priorities that Cklares could not alter.
It might be fun to make him prioritize her above all else.
But she also didn’t want him to change.
If he changed just from a bit of temptation, she would have lost interest in him from the start.
Fairies had no interest in toys that broke so easily.
They wanted to play with their toys forever.
Cklares had realized the initial train attack was an Unlaws incident.
Her ability’s effective range was a few dozen meters, meaning she had full awareness of the entire train from the beginning.
She knew the situation on each car, that a dwarf waited in the engine room, all of it.
She pretended ignorance and even invited Norman to play a game midway because she wanted to see what judgment and choices he would make.
Of course, she had protected him with all her might – that was undeniable.
But she also wanted to observe him.
A twisted love. A warped affection. A distorted ardor.
She was aware it was wrong.
That’s where Knocker Cromwell erred.
The issue of Unlaws rights was irrelevant.
They could do as they pleased.
But Unlaws must never think they are right to do so.
Selfishly warping the world around you on a whim.
There’s no justification for that.
If they tried to lay a hand on Norman, her beloved treasure – they would face the consequences.
–The [Faerie’s Hand] protects its treasures.
“Kukuku.”
She gazed intently at the young man before her, the treasure she had claimed, practically devouring him with her eyes.
No matter how she looked at him, he didn’t change, only shrugging nonchalantly.
“Then I won’t say anything more today.”
“Yeah, your temptations would just trouble me.”
“Oh, that’s not quite right, Sensei.”
In one fluid motion, her staff pressed against the center of his chest, pinning him.
“Ugh.”
That alone immobilized Norman,
with the perfect line through his body’s center of gravity pinned down – another technique he had taught her.
Pinning him down, Cklares stood and straddled Norman’s lap,
pressing her body against his.
At point-blank range, their breaths mingled, their gazes entwined.
The fairy smiled.
“I can make it so no sound reaches outside.”
She whispered sweetly, her melting voice languid.
Using her power to transmit directly to his eardrums –
reportedly a rather pleasurable sensation
that made the brain tingle deliciously.
“Conveniently, this private room has no glass in the door, so no one can see inside.”
“…In other words?”
“We still have some hours until Balldlum, right? Whatever we do, no one will know.”
Norman’s throat made a slight noise in response.
That reaction alone delighted her.
“Even if you can’t twist the way things are.”
But that’s a different matter altogether.
“Now, Sensei, make your choice.”
The air shimmered, stretching out from his back, with a faint hint of green swirling around him, enclosing him so he couldn’t escape. The fairy smiled.
With the usual smile, but with even more love and desire than ever before.
The fairy’s guardian lavishly adored his own treasure.
“Because your choice, Sensei, will bring me more joy than anything else.”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Interval 4
“Practically speaking, Fairy’s Aery Step is quite impressive. I’ve researched many Unlaws, and it certainly stands out among them.”
“Oh, looks like we’re in agreement. Exactly right—Cklares is incredible. Being called Sensei is almost embarrassing.”
The two boys nodded at each other, agreeing.
“But do you really think you’ve got the reins on that one?”
“That unrestrained nature is exactly what makes Cklares so charming.”
“Hm. Well, I’ll let your lovesick ramblings slide, but I do have one question.”
“The story about the train ride is private.”
“That’s irrelevant. What I want to know is about Knocker. He was an excellent Unlaw. He mainly handled assassinations of key figures who posed obstacles to [Cartesius], but…”
Jim tilted his head exaggeratedly, as if in thought.
“Without ability, the Fairy’s Aery Step shouldn’t be any different from a human physically, right? Are you telling me she beat a professional assassin in close combat?”
“It just means Cklares was that strong.”
“That seems like a bit of a stretch.”
Jim’s heavy, probing gaze suggested he wasn’t convinced.
“Just as a hypothetical… did Knocker really not say anything in the end?”
“He left no last words. I already told you, it was instant death—one thrust to the heart.”
“Hmmm. I see. Is that so?”
“…………”
“If his ability had still been active, I could believe it. But with both of them canceling each other out, it’s hard to see how Fairy’s Aery Step could win. Didn’t something special happen?”
“Sorry to disappoint, but sometimes reality is just dull. Nothing happened, and that’s the end of it.”
“Hmm… is that so.”
Jim nodded a few times.
“Anyway, it was a rough journey, wasn’t it, Norman?”
“And now, after that rough journey, I’m stuck dealing with this?”
“It can’t be helped. You were questioned in the capital, but after discussions at the [Cartesius] headquarters there, certain suspicions arose.”
That was—
“Knocker Cromwell. It’s believed he was connected to you.”
“…………What?”
“It’s not so strange, is it? Your passion for Unlaws is quite well-known.”
“…Were you even listening to my story?”
“I was listening, yes—but there’s the question of how much of it is the truth.”
“………..Ugh.”
With a sigh, the strength left Norman’s body.
With that statement, everything was lost.
The entire meaning of this interrogation was erased.
“The headquarters believes that you and the Miner conspired to hijack the train, but then your relationship broke down. That train carried many nobles and influential figures closely tied to Balldlum’s [Cartesius]. There were plenty of reasons to target it. Even in the name of human rights activism, it wouldn’t be strange for you to act.”
After all—
“You said it yourself. Your four aren’t monsters—they’re human.”
And with that, Jim spread his arms wide.
“Your story is over—but the main issue begins here.”
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