Lindyss wiped the blood off of her sacrificial knife before stowing it into her pocket. The pendant hanging from her neck was glowing with a soft yellow light. Occasionally, a screaming face would flash on the pendant’s surface before disappearing. She rubbed it in between her thumb and forefinger before nodding to herself. “Finally done,” she said and yawned as she exited the dungeon. Shouts and curses spewed from outside as she approached the entrance. She glanced at the shattered window before exiting through the open doors. Outside, four armored figures were defending two bush-sized mushrooms from a gorilla with wings. Lindyss hesitated on the steps of the dungeon and scratched her head while looking for Tafel, but the demon was nowhere to be found. She cleared her throat. “What’s going on?”

“Ah! You’re finally out!” the gorilla said as it flapped its wings and flew into the air above Lindyss’. It shrank and took on the form of a fairy before falling onto the cursed elf’s head. Erin sprawled out her arms and legs while exhaling. She wrapped herself up in Lindyss’ hair and hissed at Lindyss’ approaching hand. “Don’t you dare smack me! I earned this.”

“What do you mean?” Lindyss asked, her hand pausing inches away from Erin.

“These six people were fighting with Tafel,” Erin said with a smug smile. “But Tafel teleported away, and then they wanted to enter the dungeon, so I stopped them. I did well, didn’t I? These people are super famous too. They’re the Fangs of Capitis, the strongest human adventurer party.”

“Six people?” Lindyss asked, counting the armored figures. They were standing motionless with their weapons aimed at her.

“I turned two of them into mushrooms,” Erin said with a nod. Her head drooped to one side as she sighed. “They’re going to change back soon. I’m almost out of mana.”

“Mushrooms,” Lindyss said with a blank expression. “I see. You didn’t turn me into a mushroom when we fought.”

“The requirements for you were too high,” Erin said with a snort. “Like turning a blade of grass into a dragon.”

“Oh.” Lindyss nodded. “Then they’re weaker than me?”

“Of course!” Erin puffed her chest out. “I’m the strongest fairy to ever exist. My best friend has to be just as incredible!”

“Oi,” Lindyss said, her expression darkening. “When did I become your best friend?” She turned her gaze onto the Fangs of Capitis. “Be honest. Is there something about me that attracts fairies? Maybe my hair reminds them of their birthflowers? Or is it my eyes?”

“Who, who are you?” Charlotte asked. “You’re definitely not from around here!” Layers upon layers of barriers wrapped around the Fangs as Charlotte gripped her pendant and shattered it. “We’re not looking for a fight.”

Lindyss blinked and tilted her head up, meeting Erin’s eyes. “The little girl’s scared of me,” she said with a faint smile on her lips. “How cute.”

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Erin shuddered upon seeing Lindyss’ smile. “Hey,” she said. “You’re making a really scary face right now. I bet children will cry if they see you.”

Lindyss wet her lips with her tongue before narrowing her eyes at the Fangs. “It’s a shame we didn’t meet them earlier. I wouldn’t have had to go through so many dungeons if I had their souls,” she said. “And I just finished the necklace too.” A sigh escaped from her mouth as she shook her head. “What a waste.”

“Look out!” Erin shouted at the same time a banging noise resounded. A bullet flew through the air, shooting towards Lindyss’ forehead. Erin bit her lower lip and jumped off of Lindyss’ head, hovering in front of the elf’s face while crossing her arms in front of her chest, creating a blue shield of mana in front of her body. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the bullet, but after a few seconds passed, nothing had happened. Erin slowly opened one eye before dropping her arms to the side, the blue shield dissolving. A hand made of shadows was in front of her, holding onto the bullet. The fairy queen turned around and shivered at Lindyss’ glowering expression. Erin swallowed. “A-are you alright?”

“You’re an idiot,” Lindyss said, grabbing and placing Erin onto her head. “Why’d you do that?”

Erin stuck her tongue out. “I didn’t want to see you get shot, dummy!” She sighed as the two mushrooms by the Fangs reverted back into armored figures. “And I’m really out of mana now.”

Another bullet flew through the air, but like the first one, a hand made of shadows reached out and stopped it. Lindyss snorted at the Fangs as the ones with the whip and the axes charged at her. “I wasn’t going to hurt you,” she said. “But now I changed my mind.” She stomped her foot, and hundreds of black, translucent tendrils rose out of the Fangs of Capitis’ shadows, wrapping around their bodies. Charlotte let out a short scream as the tendrils dragged her into her own shadow like a giant squid dragging a boat into the sea. Another five shouts were cut off as the rest of the Fangs disappeared as well.

Erin stared at the space they had just occupied. “Uh…”

Lindyss dusted off her hands. Two bullets dropped to the ground as the shadowy hands holding them up disappeared. “What?”

“What happened to them?”

Lindyss raised an eyebrow. “What happened to who?”

“To them. The Fangs.”

“I don’t know any Fangs,” Lindyss said. She patted the fairy’s head with her finger. “Are you sure you’re alright? Maybe you’re hallucinating after losing to Tafel in cards so many times.”

“Don’t play dumb with me!”

Lindyss yawned. “So what was the question?” she asked as she looked around. She spoke before Erin could respond. “And Tafel’s not here, so we’ll have to fly back to the capital by ourselves. Darn.” A pair of translucent purple wings sprouted out of her back as she sighed.

“What. Happened. To. The. Fangs?” Erin asked tugging on Lindyss’ hair.

Lindyss scowled, but she didn’t swat the fairy away. “Their shadows ate them, didn’t you see?”

“I saw! Wh—”

“Then why are you asking?”

Erin’s nostrils flared. “You always do this! Would it kill you to be direct for once?”

Lindyss fell silent and rubbed her chin. She turned her head to the side. “Is that a dragon?”

Erin snorted. “You think you can distract me like that again? You can’t fool me more than once!”

“Whatever,” Lindyss said and rolled her eyes. She changed course and flew towards the black dot in the sky. “Grimmy! I know you can hear me!”

Erin squinted at the black dot before her eyes widened to the size of saucers. “What are you doing!?” she shouted and tugged on Lindyss’ hair. “That’s a cursed dragon! We’re going to die!”

“He’s Grimmy, my bestest friend,” Lindyss said with a smile. “Didn’t you say you wanted to meet him to show him why he should back off that position?”