Chapter 7

The Trial of the Fairy King and a Mysterious Dream In front of Stone Doras, Feoras looked at us with a straight face and his arms still crossed. “So you’re serious about this, then?” “Of course! My word’s my bond.” I desperately bit back a gloating chuckle. Whoops, can’t let that happen. If I don’t try to look well-behaved right now, they’re sure to get mad at me. But, I mean, come on! This was a trial to become the fairy king, you know. Like, isn’t it totally amazing that I got to participate? If I actually succeeded, I could end up being the fairies’ very first witch ruler! I imagined myself with a crown on my head and a heavy cloak hanging from my shoulders. Oh, I could already see Professor Finnelan and Diana and the rest of ’em bowing their heads to me! Meanwhile, I’d be standing tall and proud. Eh-heh! Eh-heh-heh-heh-heh. “…Hey, it’s pretty obvious what you’re thinking right now,” Amanda whispered in my ear. “Don’t forget the rest of us are here, too.” “I—I know that!” Seeing we weren’t taking this seriously enough, Feoras heaved his deepest sigh yet. For his part, Alan was still practically asleep on his sled. In a rage, Feoras mercilessly aimed a kick at his back. “And?” He coldly looked down at Alan, who gazed back at him blankly. “‘And’ what?” “What’re you after? I know you’re a lazy good-for-nothing who practically lives to cause trouble for others, but you’re not the type to stupidly suggest something without reason.” “Oh, you give me too much credit,” teased Alan. His lips curved slightly. “Or that’s what I’d like to say, but nothing gets by you, Feoras. You know me so well.” “Not by choice, I assure you.” “Witches, will you all lend me your ears?” For the first time, Alan’s eyes were actually open and alert. “To put it briefly, I hate annoying things.” Uh, yeah, we kinda noticed. “That’s why I thought I’d have you help with the trial.” Hmm? Help? Weren’t we gonna compete? “That’s just something to tell the other Cu Sith and Cait Sith. If I’d told them I wanted you to help, they definitely would’ve been against it.” “Say what?!” “Well, think about it. No one’s managed to succeed over the course of three hundred years. There’s no way we’d be able to do it on our own, right?” “…! Why, you— Don’t you have any pride as a king?!” “Not the sort I’d go to lots of trouble to protect.” “J-just a minute,” I interjected. “Hold up. What’s this about? What do you mean by ‘nobody’s been able to succeed’?” “…The record of the first fairy king dates back to three hundred years ago. They say there were no battles or fights when that king reigned on the hill, but since then, no one has ever successfully completed the trial to become the successor.” “Whaaaaaaaaaaa—?!” “See? Sounds hard, doesn’t it? There’s no way I’d be able to figure out how to do it.” “Figuring it out is exactly how someone becomes the fairy king!” “Yeah, but nah. Seriously, there’s no way.” “In that case, just bow out and concede to me!” “I don’t wanna do that, either, though.” The two of them continued to argue. (Well, it was honestly more like Feoras yelling at Alan.) And we just stood there, super-confused. “You’re so stubborn.” Alan folded his arms, hemming to himself. “For now, why don’t we decide who the fairy king will be after we’ve given it a shot? I mean, I don’t think it’s a good idea for the Cait Sith and Cu Sith to stay on bad terms. That’s why I came to attempt the trial in the first place.” “I have no intention of colluding with anyone!” “Yes, yes, I know. You give it your best, all by yourself, Feoras. I’m going to join forces with the witches. That’ll be easier anyway.” I stared at Alan in total disbelief. …Geez, he really was as lazy as they came! “I don’t really care whether I become king. But it’d be a real problem, Feoras, if you won and ruled us all. If nothing else, I intend to keep that from happening.” “…Enough. Let’s begin. Everyone, drink this.” Without us noticing, someone had prepared a glass pitcher on a small stone table in front of Stone Doras. It was filled to the brim with a pale-pink liquid. “What’s this?” “A concoction made from boiling the leaves from all thirteen sacred trees in holy water. If you drink it, it’s said the power of the fairy king will come to dwell in you.” As Feoras explained, he poured enough for all of us into small glasses. Hmm. When it came right down to it, Feoras was really good at looking after other people. When he handed me my glass, I sniffed at it. It had a curious aroma, as if all sorts of spices had been mixed together… Wait, I take that back. It’s starting to smell really weird. “Does this taste good?” “How should I know? It’s a special drink handed down from the first fairy king. This is the first time I’ve seen the real thing.” “…Blegh. So you’re telling me it’s over three hundred years old? Are you sure it isn’t rotten?” I pinched my nose, holding the glass as far away from me as I could. Feoras sighed before responding, but even that seemed to make him weary. “You’re just teeming with questions, aren’t you? Go on. You certainly don’t look dainty enough for it to upset your stomach. Just hurry up and drink it.” “You don’t have to say it like that!” Aren’t you supposed to be a chivalrous gentleman? Excuse me, but your true colors are showing! “All right, is everyone ready?” After checking to make sure each of us had a glass, Feoras placed a hand on his hip. “Cheers!” On his command, we all raised our glasses, then drained their questionable contents. …Wow! That’s bitter! They might have boiled the leaves for too long, because it was slimy, and… Blech, oh man, this stuff really doesn’t taste very good! It’s really nasty! “Urp.” I covered my mouth with my hand. Maybe it was because I’d chugged it, but I could feel the world starting to spin, and my thoughts started to get all mixed up, and my mind grew dimmer and dimmer… With my hand still clutching the empty glass, I passed out on the ground. …the matter? Are you all right? I thought I’d heard a voice as I opened my eyes. My surroundings were pitch-black, so I couldn’t see anybody, but I could definitely hear a woman whispering. No, wait. She was sniffling or crying, sounding terribly upset. I groped my way through the darkness to search for her, and before long, I saw a faint glow and someone sitting in the center of it. She was a girl about my age with long silver hair. Sifla? I guess it couldn’t have been her, could it? I mean, she was still only six. But…I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She looked like a grown-up version of Sifla—older, mature, and very pretty. On her lap, a cat mewed in pain, and she tried to soothe him, gently petting his head. She finally stopped crying. You two fought, didn’t you? As she spoke, she laid her other hand on the head of a big dog lying next to her. He lowered his scarred left eyelid and kept breathing weakly. I’ll take care of both of you. But promise me you won’t fight anymore, all right? Under the warmth of her hands, their fierce expressions softened, and she gazed down at them with a face as gentle and merciful as an angel’s. If you’re going to be with somebody, wouldn’t you rather smile together than hurt each other? When she murmured to them sadly, the cat and dog wordlessly snuggled closer to her. I just absently gazed at them, zoning out, forgetting to say anything. “…Akko. Aaaakko!” Someone was violently shaking me back and forth, and my eyes opened again. Uh… Huh? In front of me, I saw that beautiful girl— No, wait, it was just Sucy. “You really do have nerves of steel, huh, Akko? How can you fall asleep right now?” “Did you see that?!” “See what?” She knit her eyebrows together, perplexed. Was that a dream? There was a girl who looked a lot like Sifla. Who was she? Sitting up, I realized her amulet was glowing faintly on my wrist. …Why? “Oh, good. You’re the only one who wouldn’t wake up, Akko, and I didn’t know what we were going to do,” Lotte said with a sigh, relaxing her shoulders. “You mean everybody passed out?” “Yeah, but, like, just for a second. We didn’t conk out like you, Akko.” As Amanda teased me, Jasminka’s hand snaked out from beside her. “Want to eat thiiis?” “Huh?” “Sweets help with anemiaaa.” “Oh, sure. Thanks…” I ate the sugar-covered doughnut, sweet and yummy, and I could feel my head grow clearer and clearer. I finally took a look around us. Nothing had changed—nothing around us, not me. But Feoras was glaring and frowning at the table. “It looks like the trial’s underway,” said Amanda, grinning and pointing at it. I peeked over the Cait Sith’s shoulder to see letters glowing faintly on the table’s surface. Whoa, they hadn’t been there a minute ago. Oh, that’s the Luna Alphabet. It’s, um… What does this say? As I stood there puzzled, Feoras was appalled. “Isn’t reading the Luna Alphabet a necessary skill for witches?” “Look, I’m bad with ancient writing, all right?!” “Is there anything you’re good at besides being a chatterbox? You can’t even ride a broom.” Amanda snickered. “No broom, huh?” Alan’s sleepy eyes widened again. Suddenly self-conscious, I looked down and poked the tips of my index fingers together sheepishly. “I just haven’t practiced enough; that’s all.” “W-well, never mind that. It doesn’t matter now, does it?” I could always count on Lotte to chime in at times like these. “This is what it says: ‘The one who revives the sacred trees and makes stars fall from the heavens shall be ruler of the fairies.’” “That’s it? Piece of cake.” Amanda confidently thrust her wand up into the night sky. “Ea Lunag!” She cast an elementary spell, calling for some shooting stars. But not a peep escaped her wand. “Huh? That’s weird.” She retrieved her broom with a summoning spell and jumped onto it, soaring up into the sky. As she circled overhead, she shouted again, louder than before. “Ea Lunag!” But just like before, nothing happened. “What gives?! Is the magic super-weak here or something?!” “If it was, you wouldn’t be able to fly all over the place, would you?” Sucy’s levelheaded reply made Amanda blow her top. “Then why won’t the spell work?!” Irritated, she started to descend to the ground. “It’s probably because it isn’t the right answer.” Feoras shrugged. “Huh?” “If this could be resolved by some fledgling witch’s spell, somebody would’ve done that a long time ago. Come on—we aren’t that stupid. Whatever. Reviving the sacred trees comes first. At least, that’s what the writing says,” he maintained in his imperious way. Amanda bristled. “Then you try doing it. Can you do it? Huh?” “I’m thinking about it now.” Looking out of sorts, Feoras sat down right where he was and crossed his legs. Bracing his elbows on his inner thighs, he rested his chin on a paw and began tapping his lips. “You’ll never be able to do it. I mean, we can’t even use magic. That’s why I suggested we borrow their power to begin with,” Alan drawled, still lying down. The sight seemed only to further grate on Feoras’s nerves. “Shut up! I’m doing this on my own!” “Oh dear,” Alan said as he looked at me, but he really didn’t look troubled at all. As a matter of fact, he looked kind of entertained. Was this guy just messing with Feoras for his own amusement? In spite of myself, I burst out laughing. “Do you two really not get along?” “We aren’t friends. But we’ve lived together for a really long time. Hard to avoid getting attached.” It was so strange. Up until a minute ago, I’d thought Feoras was the one who had everything under control, but now Alan seemed more mature. “Feoras and I had lived with the previous Sifla since she was a child, when we were chosen as candidates for the kingships of the Cu Sith and Cait Sith. Apparently, it was an agreement between the first fairy king and the first Sifla… I wonder why they made such an odd promise.” He cocked his head. “Which do you suppose the first fairy king was? A Cu Sith or Cait Sith?” I asked. “…Cait Sith, obviously.” Naturally, the mumbled reply had come from Feoras. Alan shrugged. I had a feeling arguing required too much effort from him. “Maybe so.” “Well, the upshot’s that we’ve known the current Sifla since she was born. I learned that human babies are just so cute. Whenever Feoras and I fought, she would start crying right away, you know. So we had to all live together in harmony—at least superficially.” “But you’d like to stop faking it and actually get along with Feoras, wouldn’t you?” Lotte chuckled. Alan pretended not to hear by letting out an exaggerated yawn. The rest of us exchanged looks. Apparently, we all felt the same way. “Aw man. And here I thought I’d get the jump on you if you gave me half a chance and become the fairy king,” Amanda spit. But she smiled. Alan looked up to see our faces and gave a cheerful bark. “So you’ll work with me?” “We don’t have much of a choice. I mean, we came here to help Sifla.” “Thank you. Ah, all that talking was worth it. I’ve never spoken this much at once before.” “Feoras, were you listening? That’s how it’s gonna be!” I called out. He still had his back stubbornly turned toward us, but I could see he was really worked up. As he got to his feet, his tail was lashing. “Akko, if you and the others intend to side with Alan, that’s fine. Even if all of you pooled what little knowledge you have, nothing can possibly come of it.” Well, that was rude. “In that case, we’ll compete to see which of us can revive more sacred trees. We’ll deal with the stars after that!” he shouted. “Are you suuure you can do this all by yourself?” “I know I can! Don’t lump me in with Akko the Failure!” Oh, give me a break. There’s not even a hint of a gentleman there now. But we all smiled at one another. First, let’s get those sacred trees revived! …So, um, how do we do that?