Chapter 275: Obtaining Twenty Feathers.

Dore was one of the five Sekern birds Shu Li had raised.

Ever since the birds had become independent, they'd been hunting for themselves in the Faerie Forest. When Shu Li left to gain experience on the continent, he'd told them they were free to do as they pleased and go wherever they wanted, provided they stayed away from humans and kept themselves safe.

When he'd accepted the assignment to collect twenty Sekern bird feathers, he could have taken the easy route and simply asked the birds he'd raised for some.

Unfortunately, they were roaming freely, and he had no way of finding them at short notice.

Besides, the Light Squad needed practical experience. Venturing into the Magical Beast Forest together would help them grow stronger.

What Shu Li hadn't expected was for Dore and the others to fly all the way from the Faerie Forest to the Magical Beast Forest just to pick a fight with the stupid bird.

But how had they known the stupid bird was in the Magical Beast Forest? And how had they managed to track it down so precisely?

Shu Li was completely baffled. He exchanged bewildered looks with the other Little Fairies.

Angel blinked and offered a reminder.

"It's the song."

The Brave Sperien was practically known to everyone. Every Little Fairy could sing it, especially the five cubs from Misina, who sang it constantly.

Naturally, after hearing it so many times, the five Sekern birds had learned the story of Sperien and the stupid bird.

Sekern birds were high-ranking magical beasts capable of speech and communication. Whenever Dore and the others went hunting in the Faerie Forest, they were bound to encounter members of their species visiting from the Magical Beast Forest.

A little conversation with those birds would have been enough to discover the stupid bird's real name.

Sekern birds had their own communities, so tracking down the stupid bird would have been easy for Dore.

With the Little Fairies away on their adventures, Dore had brought his brothers to the Magical Beast Forest alongside other Sekern birds, intending to challenge the stupid bird.

It all made perfect sense.

After hearing Angel's explanation, the other Little Fairies finally understood.

Hector and the other humans, meanwhile, had gained an entirely new appreciation for Sekern birds.

"Dore and the others are only fourth or fifth rank, while you're already eighth rank. Why are you still afraid of them?" Shu Li asked, giving the stupid bird a disdainful look.

Decklet felt terribly wronged. Tears immediately welled up in its eyes again.

"They're underage!"

Every magical beast species had special protections for its young.

In other words, juvenile Sekern birds were allowed to challenge adults, but adult Sekern birds weren't permitted to hurt juveniles.

When Dore and his brothers ganged up on the stupid bird, all it could do was defend itself. It couldn't fight back, and at appropriate moments, it was even expected to teach them combat techniques.

Although the stupid bird was an eighth-rank magical bird, vastly stronger than the five youngsters, being harassed for over a month had driven it to the end of its patience.

Just imagine!

After eating and drinking its fill, it would settle into its nest, looking forward to a wonderful sleep.

Then five young birds would come flying over, arrogantly challenging it and ruining its peaceful dreams.

How could anyone endure such torment?

As for why the stupid bird wanted Shu Li to rein in those five youngsters, the answer was simple.

The very first time they'd challenged it, they'd brought up what happened in the past.

Decklet regretted its actions bitterly.

If it had known that stealing fruit would cause so much trouble, it absolutely would never have—

Uh.

Actually, it would still steal the fruit.

Ahem.

The fruit grown by Fairies wasn't merely delicious. It could also increase a magical beast's strength.

Why pass up something so beneficial?

Besides, if it hadn't stolen fruit in the past, would its strength have increased so quickly?

Staring greedily at the Romi fruit in the Little Fairy's hand, Decklet asked ingratiatingly, "Well? What do you think? Can you do it?"

Shu Li raised his eyebrows and flashed a toothy smile.

"Sure. No problem."

"Really?" Decklet asked in delight.

"Of course," Shu Li assured it. "Once I return to the Faerie Forest, I'll make sure they behave."

As for when he would return, well, that was anyone's guess.

The five young birds were currently out enjoying their freedom. Even if he wanted to restrain them, he couldn't.

Decklet suspected nothing.

It obediently pressed itself flat against the ground, looking like a brave warrior preparing to meet its death.

"Go ahead! Pull them out! Just be gentle!"

Shu Li gave Angel a meaningful look.

Understanding immediately, Angel smiled sweetly and hopped onto the stupid bird's back.

"Don't worry. I'll heal you."

Light-element healing magic could ease its pain.

"I'll pull the feathers," Kumandi said.

He raised his magic staff and summoned wind elements, shaping them into invisible hands that wrapped around the feathers he'd selected.

Angel cast a light-element healing spell.

The instant a feather was plucked, holy healing light descended, perfectly synchronized with the action.

Decklet felt no pain whatsoever as twenty feathers were removed from its wings.

The invisible hands of wind carried the feathers over to Shu Li.

Looking at the half-meter-long feathers, Shu Li was thoroughly satisfied and tucked them into his storage pouch.

"Thank you for your help."

Keeping his promise, he handed the stupid bird two Romi fruits.

Decklet opened its enormous beak and eagerly swallowed them.

"Mmm! Delicious! Ahhh—"

There simply weren't enough!

They were gone before it had even had a chance to savor their flavor.

Still craving more, it gazed pitifully at the Little Fairy.

"C-Could I have another one?"

Shu Li folded his arms and gave it a sidelong glance.

"What do you think?"

What a shameless Sekern bird!

It had brought Chris's pursuit entirely upon itself. Even if it hadn't carried Shu Li away, it would inevitably have caused some other disaster.

Thoroughly disappointed, Decklet climbed out of the enormous crater and shook its wings.

It discovered that the Little Fairies had done a surprisingly good job removing its feathers.

Instead of plucking them all from one spot, they'd spread the extractions across both wings. Its flying speed would only be slightly affected.

"Didn't you have more questions for me?"

Hurry up and ask them already!

It wanted to return to its nest in the center of the forest and get some proper sleep.

Tonight had been absolutely miserable!

If only it hadn't stolen that cooing bird's nest.

Shu Li's expression turned serious.

"I want to ask you about Chris."

At the mention of Chris's name, Decklet instinctively shrank back.

"W-Why are you asking about him?"

Chris was practically every Sekern bird's worst nightmare.

If they had any choice in the matter, they'd never think about what had happened eighteen years ago again.

"Do you know where Chris went afterward?" Shu Li asked.

Although he'd already learned from the Entlin Association that Chris had traveled to the Land of Snow, he still hoped to obtain more information from the stupid bird.

For example, why had Chris gone to the Land of Snow? Had anyone accompanied him? What had he intended to do there?

The more details, the better.

Shu Li fired off several questions in succession, leaving Decklet thoroughly confused.

"Wait a moment! Let me sort this out."

It glanced at Falm, who was perched on a nearby branch, then cautiously edged farther away from the crater.

"After Chris spent more than a month terrorizing—Ahem! I mean, after he'd spent more than a month running around the forest, he encountered an adventuring party passing through the Magical Beast Forest on its way to the Land of Snow."

"An adventuring party?"

The Little Fairies were astonished.

"Chris went to the Land of Snow with that party?" Kumandi asked.

"Yes." Decklet nodded.

"Why?" Shu Li asked, puzzled. "They were complete strangers. Why would he have any reason to join them?"

"Because there was an adult Fairy he knew in the party!"

"An adult Fairy!"

All five Little Fairies exclaimed in unison.

There were quite a few Fairies, with a new generation born every ten years. Shu Li's generation had been exceptionally fortunate, producing twenty-five Little Fairies.

Other generations were considered lucky if they produced ten.

Sometimes, when fortune was particularly poor, only two cubs were born.

Fairies reached adulthood at one hundred years old, and naturally, the first thing they did upon becoming adults was venture onto the continent to gain experience.

Consequently, there were plenty of Fairies living among humans, disguised as members of human society.

It wasn't particularly surprising that Chris had encountered an adult Fairy in an adventuring party.

Once Shu Li had absorbed this information, he asked, "Do you know where in the Land of Snow they were going?"

He already had a suspicion, but he wanted a definite answer.

"The Snow Mountain Labyrinth, of course!"

Decklet stretched its wings.

"Every adventuring party that goes to the Land of Snow is there to explore the Snow Mountain Labyrinth. Hardly any of them make it out alive, though. Chris hasn't been seen for eighteen years. For all we know, he might have—"

Sensing the furious glares of the Little Fairies, Decklet hastily folded its wings and snapped its beak shut.

"Chris is definitely fine," Budno declared.

"Exactly. There was another adult Fairy in the party," Dixio agreed.

Fairies were stronger fighters than humans. They had more ways to protect themselves and carried more weapons and defensive equipment. Whatever happened, they wouldn't easily allow themselves to fall into danger.

Chris hadn't appeared for eighteen years because he must have ventured deep into the Snow Mountain Labyrinth.

The labyrinth had nine levels.

Humanity had spent more than a thousand years exploring it and had only managed to reach the seventh level.

Without a map, most adventurers entering the labyrinth probably couldn't even make it down to the second.

"Yes, yes! Of course he's still alive!" Decklet hurriedly agreed.

It had absolutely no desire to offend the Little Fairies and earn itself another beating.

Shu Li sighed, took out his notebook, and recorded this important piece of information.

"No more questions, right? If that's everything, I'd like to go back to my nest," Decklet ventured.

"Wait."

Shu Li stopped it, then turned toward Nasha, who had been standing quietly behind him.

"Why don't you ask it about your brother?"

Since the stupid bird had lived in the Magical Beast Forest for so many years, it must have encountered adventuring parties fairly often.

Perhaps it knew something about Nasha's brother.

Nasha clutched her magic staff nervously and walked over to Shu Li, raising her head to look up at the enormous Sekern bird.

"H-Hello. I'd like to know... Eight years ago, did a group of people wearing white armor pass through this forest?"

Her mother, the queen, had sent two separate groups of guards to escort Nasha and her brother out of the royal capital.

They were the strongest swordsmen in the Pedam Kingdom, dressed in white armor and helmets adorned with white feathers.

They would have been easy to recognize.

"There was also a boy with them who had black hair and purple eyes, just like me. He was about fifteen years old, half a head taller than I am now, and his features looked similar to mine..."

Nasha gazed hopefully at the enormous bird.

"Do you remember seeing anyone like that?"

By the light of the floating orb, Decklet carefully examined the human girl.

High-ranking magical beasts possessed extraordinary memories. Once they'd seen a person or object, they could remember it for hundreds of years.

"Hmm..."

Nasha waited anxiously as Decklet considered her question.

Finally, it spoke.

"I've never seen a group of guards wearing white armor..."

Nasha's hopes immediately crumbled, and tears glistened in her eyes.

"Oh, don't cry!" Decklet hurriedly said. "But I have seen the boy you're describing."

"Really?"

Nasha took a step forward and asked urgently, "How was he? Was he injured? Who was with him? Where did he go?"

Decklet wanted to cover its ears with its wings.

Why did every single one of them have so many questions?

"Stupid bird, hurry up and tell her!" Dixio urged impatiently. "And stop making us wait for the rest of your sentences!"

Terrified of the Little Fairies, Decklet told Nasha everything it knew without leaving out a single detail.

"There were only two big, strong swordsmen accompanying that boy. Both had suffered injuries of varying severity, but they were still incredibly powerful fighters. Even fifth-rank magical beasts were no match for them. As for the boy, his swordsmanship was fairly ordinary, but the sword he carried was unbelievably powerful. It pierced straight through the thick armor of a sixth-rank magical beast with ease."

A powerful sword!

Something stirred in Shu Li's mind.

He exchanged a glance with Nasha.

Could it be... the magical sword, the Sword of Itno?!