The Baby Fairy Is A Villain [EN]: Chapter 19

Standing on the chessboard, Count Ludin looked around in bewilderment.

“Is this a dream…?”

Even if it was a dream, it was truly bizarre.

Chess pieces floated in the air.

A headless teddy bear waddled around.

Broken toy soldiers marched in a line, and dolls with torn limbs and cotton stuffing struggled atop sweet pastries and candies.

Amidst the chaotic mess, butterflies of mysterious colors fluttered gracefully.

Gazing blankly at the butterflies, he took a step forward.

Thud—he stepped on something.

Looking down, Count Ludin realized he had stepped on an overturned cake.

An unidentified red liquid oozed from the sticky cake.

“Ugh.”

A wave of inexplicable nausea washed over him, and he covered his mouth. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a music box.

A music box floated around his head teasingly, with a fairy doll spinning and dancing on top.

The fairy doll with broken wings had a face made of flowers, making it utterly grotesque.

The music box played a cheerful tune with unpleasant dissonance, painfully piercing his eardrums.

The more he listened to the music, the more his head ached as if it would split open.

The Count panted like a dog.

He wanted to wake up from this dream immediately.

But the nightmare was just beginning.

“Hello.”

He widened his eyes at the clear voice.

Flowers began to grow from the chessboard floor.

All kinds of flowers bloomed, tangled with thorny bushes.

And a woman appeared as if blooming from the scattering petals.

Her dazzling blonde hair fluttered in the wind, and her red eyes sparkled like roses holding the morning dew.

As she appeared, the scent of flowers filled the air.

The overwhelming fragrance of the flowers took his breath away.

Count Ludin stared at the woman, mesmerized.

He couldn’t find the words to describe her beauty in any language he knew.

Having been completely captivated by the woman, Count Ludin belatedly noticed something strange.

She was holding an axe.

An axe with a blade so blue it looked ominous, unfitting for her fair and delicate hands.

In that moment, Count Ludin realized the woman’s identity.

Cold sweat trickled down his spine.

His heart pounded fiercely.

Count Ludin stammered.

“Y-You… Enchantress…?”

Smiling like a flower, the Enchantress Liesel greeted him.

“Welcome to my phantasm [a fairy’s unique fantasy realm], Count.”

Then, caressing the axe, she whispered.

“Shall we start by cutting off a finger?”

***

Sitting on a pile of flowers, Cheshire looked down arrogantly.

The sight of Count Ludin scurrying around on the chessboard made her laugh.

As she laughed out loud, Count Ludin’s desperate running became even faster.

But it was all in vain.

This place created by Cheshire was a ‘phantasm’.

A special fantasy realm unique to fairies.

The phantasm was expressed differently by each fairy, but most took the form of nature, such as forests, fields, or lakes.

However, Cheshire’s phantasm was unique.

Was it because she was the daughter of a mad fairy?

Cheshire’s phantasm, with its twisted power, was filled with bizarre things, befitting her reputation as an enchantress.

In particular, there were many toys and snacks that children would like, but all of them were broken.

Still, Cheshire liked her phantasm.

A realm that moved solely by Cheshire’s will.

Therefore, she could freely change her appearance in this place as well.

‘Feels good to be an adult for once, doesn’t it?’

It felt so refreshing to move her long limbs, stretched out instead of her short arms and legs.

The long and free tongue was also excellent.

Enjoying the feeling of being back as the Enchantress Liesel, Cheshire flicked her finger.

Then, the chess pieces floating in the air landed on the chessboard with a thud.

Count Ludin was surrounded by chess pieces as big as himself, unable to move.

Surrounded by the chess pieces, he was helplessly dragged in front of Cheshire.

Count Ludin immediately prostrated himself on the floor.

“P-Please spare me! I have rabbit-like children and a fox-like wife!”

Cheshire tilted her head at his plea, banging his head on the floor.

“I have a snake-like brother and father, too?”

“Yes?”

Count Ludin was flustered, then suddenly realized and asked.

“But why… did you come to me…?”

It was a natural question to have.

The Enchantress had completely disappeared from the public eye lately.

News had been cut off, and everyone was wondering if she was dead or alive.

Then, out of the blue, she suddenly came to Count Ludin, who had no connection to her, and imprisoned him in her phantasm.

It was enough for him to have doubts.

Looking down at the bewildered Count Ludin, Cheshire caressed the axe handle.

“Count.”

“Yes…?”

“What do you think when you accidentally crush an ant you stepped on?”

“I don’t think anything.”

“That’s right, that’s how it is. That’s why I want to kill you.”

Cheshire giggled and said.

“It means I don’t need a reason.”

She lightly swung the axe.

The axe blade struck the pile of flowers she was sitting on with a thud.

Then, something like pink paint flowed down.

“Kuaaak!”

Count Ludin screamed as if he had been struck by the axe himself.

He was now shedding tears.

He was trembling so much that he looked like he would wet his pants any minute.

“Please spare me! Please spare me! I’ll do anything. I’ll give you all the money or whatever you want!”

Cheshire pondered for a moment, leaving the desperately pleading Count Ludin.

She was wondering whether to kill him quickly or slowly.

Each had its own advantages and disadvantages, making it difficult to decide.

From among the flowers, thorny bushes wriggled out, announcing their presence.

The flowers in the phantasm were all illusions, but the thorny bushes hidden among them were Cheshire’s beloved pets.

The thorny bushes tapped Cheshire’s hand.

They seemed to want something to eat, as they had been bored for a long time.

“Hmm… Is it flower food again?”

As she muttered lightly, Count Ludin rubbed his palms together and cried out to be spared.

It was so noisy that she felt like she should cut off his tongue first, not his fingers.

She definitely wanted to cut off his tongue, since he had a history of saying harsh things to the Basilian brothers.

She was about to raise the axe high.

Cheshire stopped her hand.

The wave of power felt from outside the phantasm.

It was a power she had experienced once before.

Cheshire immediately jumped off the pile of flowers and swung the axe.

The moment the axe blade struck the air.

The phantasm shattered like glass, scattering into flower petals and disappearing.

Cheshire, who had returned to being a small baby amidst the flower petals, landed on the floor.

The space revealed as the phantasm dissipated was Count Ludin’s study.

Count Ludin, who had not yet fully regained his senses, was writhing on the sofa, muttering to be spared.

“Cough, please, spare me… Keueok…”

Cheshire hurriedly stuck the butterfly on her forehead.

Then, she ran with her short legs and hid behind another sofa in the study.

It was when she peeked out her head.

The sound of the lock clicking open was heard.

Following that, the door creaked open.

The sound of shoe heels hitting the marble floor of the study was leisurely.

The relaxed footsteps stopped in front of Count Ludin, who was struggling on the sofa.

‘Eek!’

Cheshire screamed silently.

She had guessed it from the moment she felt the wave of power within the phantasm, but…

‘It’s Kieren?’