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678. Fake Fairy

I needed to remove the summoning collars from the Third Legion. But not just them, from Aliq and Ultis too. Also, Taburas, Aemula, and Bertrugil.

To do that, I needed someone else’s help. Because I was not capable of doing that. While I was relatively decent at manipulating space magic, I mostly did what I did from pure instinct. And I didn’t trust myself to be able to remove the summoning collars from anyone… at least, without doing some damage to them as well.

So I turned to the only person I knew who could help me. The one who was responsible for creating the network responsible for connecting all the summoning collars to the Demon King.

Here he was, floating in my [Prison Of Isolation], surrounded by a pool of corruption. A Fairy that was about the size of my head, protected by a barrier that was nigh impenetrable.

It took him a moment to even realize I was there. And when I did, I greeted him with a smile.

“Hello, Hartia—”

But in response, he screamed and pointed my way.

“You… die!”

I blinked as I watched a vortex begin to open up in space… about a dozen feet to my left. Hartia paused, staring in shock as his attack failed to reach me. The corruption and distortion that surrounded him stopped him from even landing an attack my way. It intercepted his space magic, tangling the strands of mana, until he couldn’t manipulate the world like it was a straight plane.

The Fairy cursed as I just chuckled.

“You shouldn’t do that.”

I pointed at him, opening my claws in his direction like I was about to crush him. The corruption around him began to coalesce in the shape of my claw, and I gave him a dangerous look.

“If you try to attack me one more time, I will kill you.”

“Oh?”

Hartia sneered at me. He spread his arms wide, and I raised a brow, hearing what he had to say.

“You can’t kill me. Why else did you trap me in this forsaken prison? I assure you, when I get out—”

But before he could finish, I sighed and used my brand new [Corruption Mastery] to grab him with the distortion, pinning him against the walls of this pocket prison.

“I’m not going to waste anymore time.”

I spoke simply as he groaned.

“Urk—”

I flew forward, staring down at him as he forced his head to look up against the pressure of the corruption pressing against him. He gritted his teeth, and I came to a halt right before him.

“I couldn’t kill you earlier because I didn’t have my [Claw Of Corruption] to bypass your [Fractal Barrier]. But now, I do.”

“You’re—”

Hartia coughed as he spoke.

“You’re lying.”

My eyes glinted dangerously as I tilted my head. Using [Corruption Mastery], I focused all the corruption in the room to crushing him. He began to scream as I saw flakes from his [Fractal Barrier] break off.

With [Corruption Mastery] alone, I couldn’t kill him. Even if I could hurt him now. So it sufficed as a threat. But thanks to my Class advancement, I could now use all my Grand Skills again, and I could finish him off with [Claw Of Corruption].

That had been what I was planning to do in the first place anyway. So even if our conversation ended with that outcome, I wouldn’t be too upset. I would just need to figure out another way to get what I wanted right now.

And Hartia gasped out.

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“Fine— I’ll hear you out!”

I alleviated the corruption crushing him ever so slightly— enough for him to catch his breath and peel himself off the wall. I drew back as I eyed him dubiously. I didn’t fully believe him. There was no way he had any intentions of helping me out this easily.

It was very likely this was a ploy of his to try and escape. So I was going to remain skeptical of anything he had to say.

“So what do you want?”

Harris asked, shooting me a glare. He was still surrounded by the corruption, but I could see through the distortion just fine.

“I want you to remove the summoning collars from everyone in the Third Legion.”

I explained my intentions simply. Hartia narrowed his eyes at me.

“And why should I do that?”

It was a simple response. An expected response. He scoffed as he shook his head.

“You’re the Enemy. I have no reason to help you, or any of those damn traitors.”

“Just because you don’t see a reason to help me, doesn’t mean there isn’t one.”

I countered as I gestured at him.

“And besides, you’re a Fairy, aren’t you? You have no reason to aid Regnorex. He’s the Demon King, not the Fairy Queen.”

Harris’s brows snapped together at that. He snarled at me.

“I am not a Fairy. And even if I was, I would rather die than serve that… that…”

He tried to work his jaw. But he stopped himself. He couldn’t bring himself to insult the Fairy Queen. I watched as he averted his gaze, before I placed a hand on my chin.

I recalled what I saw of his Grand Skill. It was a pocket space that carried the apparitions of many dead Fairies there. One of them had even been Level 200.

It was a strange Grand Skill. Powerful. And when I considered its name…

I couldn’t help but wonder why he hated the Fairy Queen.

“Why do you reject your heritage, Hartia?”

I asked curiously, peering into the Fairy. He snarled at me once again.

“Why shouldn’t I reject it? They rejected me first. They exiled me for something that was not my fault.”

He paused as a grim look crossed his face. He wore a morose expression. And I could almost feel what he felt.

“No— they didn’t exile me. They tried to kill me. I only survived because of my own strength.”

Hartia’s eyes flickered when he spoke. I frowned at that. I knew there was history there. So I wasn’t going to let it go.

If I could understand him, I knew I would be able to convince him to help me.

“But why does that mean you owe your allegiance to Regnorex?”

I asked insistently. And Hartia snapped at me.

“Because he gave me a place to go when nobody else would. When I had nothing, he offered me power. When I was afraid, he gave me safety.”

Hartia’s gaze grew soft as he spoke. When I heard that, I couldn’t help but be skeptical of his account. I didn’t think he was speaking from a reliable perspective, considering that he was hurting from something else.

I knew just how much different the world could be perceived compared to reality when I was hurting. So I reached out with a hand and spoke confidently, meeting Hartia’s gaze.

“But you’re wrong. Regnorex does not have the best intentions of you in mind. Neither do I, of course. But if you were to die here, he wouldn’t care.”

“And why wouldn’t he care about me? I’m one of his most loyal subjects!”

Hartia exclaimed, raising his chin. I shrugged back at him.

“I mean, why would he care about you? He cares about Demons, and you’re not a Demon. You’re a Fairy.”

The Fairy paused. He gritted his teeth, before lashing out with a hand.

“I said— stop calling me that!”

I blinked, watching as a piece of space broke off and shot my way. It was like a shard of glass, and it shone with a brilliant light. But it didn’t reach me. Due to the corruption in the room, it veered off course and struck the wall.

I rolled my eyes as Hartia cursed.

“But it’s the truth. You know it, and I know it.”

I spoke simply, shaking my head.

“And if you want safety, you can find safety without Regnorex.”

I tapped a finger on my chin and continued.

“In fact, I would argue that you being with Regnorex is the opposite of being safe. After all, he’s about to wage war with the Mortal Realm. And also, he stationed you here with the Third Legion to fend off wild Primordial and Primeval Demons. You could have died— you would have died if I am not offering to spare you!”

Hartia pursed his lips when he heard that. But then he looked like he was about to protest. And I cut him off.

“I don’t know what happened between you and the Fairy Queen. But I know what’s it like to be an outcast to your own kind too. So please, let me help you.”

I pleaded with him as his eyes went wide. Hartia stared at me, almost unable to speak. A small teardrop slid down his cheek, and he placed a hand on his chest.

“What… what is this?”

And he looked up at me accusingly.

“What are you doing to me?”

I closed my eyes as I felt the exact same feelings he felt, while letting him feel what I felt

“[Truth Divination].”

I explained the Skill to him simply.

“Neither of us can lie right now. So tell me, why do you hate your queen?”

It was my trump card. And Hartia just stared at me in sheer disbelief.