Chapter 761: Flick of Fate ( 761 )

Meanwhile...

Under the lone tree.

Javier stirred. His head shifted slightly against the trunk, eyes still heavy with sleep.

...Hmm? Who’s touching my nose?

A faint tickle brushed across his face again, pulling him from his drowsiness.

Then, a small voice.

Soft, almost like a whisper carried on the wind.

His eyelids lifted slowly, blurred vision sharpening as he blinked.

And there she was.

A small girl hovered in front of him, no taller than his forearm. Delicate wings shimmered faintly in the moonlight, beating gently to hold her aloft. Her glow was soft, like starlight wrapped in flesh.

Javier’s mind, still foggy, caught up to the sight.

A... fairy? In my estate?

He rubbed at his eyes, peeking again just to be sure.

She tilted her head, wings fluttering softly, scattering faint beads of glitter into the night air. Slowly, she floated closer until she was right in front of his face.

"Hello?" the small girl said, her voice high and cute.

Javier yawned, stretching lazily. His body shifted, shoulders rolling as he let out groggy sound, then he scratched his belly without a care.

"Hmm? A fairy?" he muttered, half-awake.

Her eyes brightened. "You... know fairy?"

Javier yawned again, barely opening his eyes. "Of course I know... do I look stupid?"

The fairy blinked at him, floating back.

"You... you can see me?" the fairy asked, eyes widening.

Javier cracked one eye open. "Huh? What kind of question is that? Of course I can see you."

Her wings fluttered faster, glitter scattering in the air. "Really? Really, really, really!?"

Javier let out another long yawn, stretching his arms above his head. He glanced sideways at Buddy, who was sitting nearby like a silent guard.

"Oi, Buddy," Javier muttered, pointing lazily at the glowing little figure.

"This fly is kinda annoying."

Buddy tilted his head, let out a short "Cuquawk," and stared at the fairy with his wide, unblinking eyes.

The fairy puffed up her cheeks, tiny fists on her hips.

"F-Fly!? I’m not a fly! I’m a fairy!"

"So? If you already know you’re a fairy, then stop asking stupid questions about whether I can see you. If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t be talking to you, you know?" Javier muttered, his tone flat.

The fairy’s smile widened. "Ah... then do you know what happens when people see us?"

Javier raised a brow, uninterested. "Hmm? What happens?"

"They die~" the fairy sang sweetly.

The air shifted at once.

Around them, the weight of mana thickened. The grass shivered, the stream’s flow stilled, and the lone tree’s branches trembled in silence.

Her eyes glowed crimson, and her tiny mouth curled into a chilling smile. The pressure in the air tripled, bearing down as though the very world rejected his presence.

Javier only glanced at her, his expression unchanged.

Half-lidded, lazy, almost bored.

Then, in a single motion, he lifted his hand and snatched her from the air.

The fairy yelped, her wings flapping wildly as Javier leaned back against the tree, his palm closing firmly around her small frame.

"Don’t play like that," he muttered, his tone low and unamused, as if scolding a child throwing a tantrum.

He rested his head back against the trunk again, keeping her firmly trapped in his grip, not even looking at her struggling form.

"Let me go!!" the fairy squeaked, squirming in his grip.

Javier sighed, lifting his hand so her tiny face was level with his own. His fingers held her firmly, just enough so she couldn’t flutter away.

He stared at her with half-lidded eyes, his voice flat.

"You don’t joke to people like that. You know Fairies are supposed to be loved by children, symbols of light and wonder. Yet here you are, trying to frighten people.. Even if you’re bored, you shouldn’t do things like that...scaring others."

The fairy froze, her eyes going wide. Then she let out a tiny squeak, her cheeks puffing red. "Eeeppp!!! I-I’m sorry!!!"

Her wings drooped, and the heavy pressure that had filled the grove vanished instantly.

"You shouldn’t be like that, you know?" Javier muttered as he opened his hand.

The little fairy darted free at once, fluttering back into the air. She circled him nervously, wings shimmering faintly as though embarrassed.

Javier leaned back against the tree again, waving his glass lazily.

"Back in my old world, a lot of stories talked about fairies bringing good things. That’s why they even called them fairy tales."

He smile faintly, eyes half-closed.

"There was the Tooth Fairy, leaving coins for kids who lost their teeth. Garden fairies, said to bring luck to homes with flowers. A little house fairies that would clean up your place at night if you treated them well. Even nature fairies, guarding rivers and forests."

He chuckled, taking another sip of wine.

"See? All good things. None of those stories were about fairies scaring people half to death."

"Yet all that were just tales," Javier continued, his eyes drifting up to the moon.

"They didn’t even exist in that world. But you... you’re real. So don’t do that. Especially not to the people of Armand."

His voice was calm, almost lazy, but carried weight.

"I-I’m sorry..." the fairy said softly, her wings slowing as she hovered in front of him, eyes downcast.

Javier let out a slow breath, swirling the wine in his glass.

"Back in my world, we had a saying... a boat gone astray can be turned back. But reckless actions? They’ll sink you before you even realize it."

His gaze narrowed slightly, though his posture never lost its ease.

"Every action we take has a price. And if you’re careless, it’s not only you who pays it, it’s everyone around you too."

Inside her mind, the little fairy puffed her cheeks.

Mou! I just wanted to play! And now I’m being scolded... by this young man of all people.

Her wings fluttered unevenly as she floated in small circles, sneaking little glances at him. Javier hadn’t moved much at all.

Still leaning lazily against the tree, one hand loosely holding his glass, eyes fixed on the stars as if she were no more unusual than the night breeze.

He’s so calm... it’s like he’s older than he looks.

Hmph! How annoying...

Her pout deepened, her cheeks still pink.

Even Francesca never scolded me like this...

Then, slowly, the fairy’s pout melted into a mischievous smirk.

Alright... if I can’t scare people, then I’ll just do this instead.

Her wings fluttered rapidly as she shot upward, circling once high above.

Let’s slap this young man hard!

With a sharp dive, she streaked down like a tiny arrow, her hand raised, ready to swing her slap straight into Javier’s face.

But before her palm could land, Javier’s fingers moved.

Flick.

The fairy spun mid-air, tumbling backward with a squeak as the light tap sent her off balance, wings flapping wildly to regain control.

Javier exhaled, eyes still half-closed.

"Don’t try it. You’ll only embarrass yourself."

( End Of Chapter )