[I am looking for the Lord.] The orb said.

"Oh? What do you want from the Lord?"

[I cannot tell that to anyone except the Lord. Do you know where he is?]

"I cannot tell that to anyone unless you first tell me what you want from the Lord. Think of me as a messenger. The Lord has many responsibilities and is busy with important tasks.

I will have to see if your task is important or not. So tell me, what do you want from the Lord?" he asked calmly, but in a demanding tone.

[I truly cannot tell you. It's very sensitive information, and if it gets to someone other than the Lord, it could be dangerous for our race.]

'The Lord is indeed supposed to protect the races from evil, but their internal matter doesn't matter to the Lord. However, if their entire race is in danger, that would mean that the threat could spread and endanger other races too.'

"What race do you belong to?" he asked after giving a deep thought about his decision.

[Fairy Land. I am a fairy.]

"....!"

[Now, please, take me to the Lord.]

"Go ahead. You are speaking with him."

[You... are the Lord?]

'She cannot see me nor hear my true voice. She can only sense me and her surroundings, but that doesn't mean I should reveal my identity as the Lord. It's not the time yet.'

"I am speaking on behalf of the Lord. He is listening to you from his space."

[If so, then I want proof that the Lord is listening to this conversation.]

"What kind of proof? You can't see or hear anything."

[Yes, but I can sense. If the Lord reveals his presence, I can surely sense it.]

"Are you sure about that? You might not be able to comprehend the Lord's presence."

[...] After a brief pause, the fairy said, [Maybe just a glimpse?]

'I will just waste more time if I keep asking her questions. Let's get over this quickly.'

Rudy emitted a fragment of his aura and said, "The Lord is here."

[Truly... he is so magnificent...]

"You have thirty seconds to say what you want. If the Lord doesn't find your request appealing, then you will be punished for wasting his time."

[My Lord! My name is Zia, and I am the youngest princess of the Fairyland. Our race is in danger, and we need your help. A warlock has been killing the fairies, and he has already killed most of the royal family.

I am one of the last remaining fairies with pure fairy blood, and I seek your aid to save us from the calamity that has ensued on us!]

'Warlock is a term used for the humans who kill a certain race using their own power and become their slayers. There is only one case I can think of that is similar to this.'

"When did the Warlock appear?"

[I am not privy to that information. But our strongest warriors were sent to the human world and never returned.]

'Yeah, they are talking about the Landlord I killed way back.'

"Rejoice, the Warlock has been eliminated."

[So fast?!]

"That was just a sample of the Lord's true power."

[I cannot thank you enough. I, and the rest of the Fairyland, are greatly indebted to you. If you ever decide to visit the Fairyland, please use this orb to contact us. We would also like you to come here so we can give our offerings to you.]

"The Lord said he would think about it."

[Thank you. I must leave and share the happy news with everyone. Please keep this orb with you. You will have to chant a spell to activate it. Please listen to the spell carefully, I will say it to deactivate the orb.]

The fairy chanted the spell, and the orb stopped glowing. It dropped to the ground and rolled at Rudy's feet.

"It's like a pearl." Rudy picked it up and inspected it properly before placing it in his pocket.

'Still, this matter was old. Does that mean the fairy has been looking for the Lord ever since then? But how did she know that the Lord was in the human world? Come to think of it, the fairy seemed stupid... no, more like naive.

She was easily convinced. The landlord has said the same thing. According to his story, the male and female fairies were stupid. Is this a common nature of the fairies? To be so kind, innocent, and naive?'

Rudy entered the house and saw Rebecca in the kitchen, facing her back to Rudy.

'I didn't make any noise when I entered, and mom didn't react. That means... this is a perfect chance to surprise her,'

Rudy stealthily entered the kitchen and hugged Rebecca from behind. Turned out Rebecca was washing the knife, so when Rudy hugged her, Rebecca tried to stab him, but Rudy stopped her by saying:

"It's me."

"Oh, come on! Don't pull such stunts! What if I had stabbed you?!"

"Nothing would have happened. And you know it. In fact, I am amazed by the speed of your reaction."

"Don't do something like this ever again, got it?!"

"Can't promise. Hugging a girl from behind when she is busy in the kitchen is the best feeling ever. Have you ever dreamed of something like this?" he asked while rubbing his cheek against Rebecca's cheek.

"I haven't. Now, let me go."

"You are lying. I bet you have dreamed of this moment."

"Let me go."

Rudy turned Rebecca around and locked her in a position.

"Do you still want me to let you go?" He licked his lips and moved his face close to kiss Rebecca.

But Rebecca turned her face to the side and said, "Lucy said in the morning that she would be arriving late, so I am getting everything ready for dinner."

Rudy raised his brow and said, "You were supposed to kiss me and make out with me."

Rudy tried to kiss her again, but she turned her face to the side.

"We are mother and son right now. So stop it."

"..." He moved his face to Rebecca's ears and whispered, "You can't run away now, Rebecca."