Kai, who found himself swallowing saliva unknowingly, met Will’s gaze with a rather absurd expression. He grinned at the Emperor and said, “Enjoy your meal, young man. Isn’t it the age to enjoy not only stones but also tasty food?”
After saying that, Will chuckled and entered Berdura Castle with Princess Stella.

Damn.

Kai tried to just leave with the pie and all. However,

“Knight Lois! I thought you might be busy, so I brought it out. I put it in the basket, so take it and enjoy. I made plenty, so share it with your colleagues.”

Rian rushed out and handed Kai the basket. He casually accepted it. The surface of the basket, filled with food not made long ago, was still warm.

Yeah. I can ask him later what they talked about.

Will is someone who has no secrets from me; he will surely tell me everything truthfully.

After quickly compromising with reality, Kai held the basket and hopped onto Ben’s back. Meanwhile, Stella and Will were not visible as they entered the castle.

Whether it’s Will, Crot, or anyone else, there seems to be a growing sense of discomfort despite not having done anything wrong.

“What do you mean by ‘tell me everything’?”

Stella brought up the main topic as soon as Will sat across from her. The ground fairies, just as curious as Stella, gathered around her and sat closely.

However, due to an inexplicable chill, the ground fairies had no choice but to look at Will with wary eyes, huddled together in a circle.
Stella became more cautious of Will due to the unusual behavior of the ground fairies. Whatever was happening, the vague anxiety the ground fairies felt was also strongly conveyed to her.

However, Will, as he did when he visited last time, remained relaxed and composed. Sipping the tea Mila had provided slowly, he looked at Stella intently and asked.

“Princess, when did you start seeing them?”

Will’s gaze now moved towards the ground fairies, who were sticking close to Stella.

At the direct question, Stella’s heart thumped! The sound reverberated as if it were sinking. Startled, the ground fairies, more than before, huddled closely around Stella.

Suppressing the desire to hide the ground fairies in her embrace, Stella calmly inquired with a composed voice. Struggling not to tremble, her expression involuntarily stiffened.

“Them… you say?”

Stella pretended not to know for now. Will had never acted rudely, threatened her, or even looked at her with a harsh gaze.

However, for some reason, she kept becoming more cautious of him, and the desire to hide the existence of the ground fairies from him grew stronger.

“I mean those little ones sticking close to you, Princess.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Well, if you want to keep it a secret from me, there’s nothing I can do. But those little ones are visible to my eyes too. The ones sitting next to the princess right now are all four of them. They look so cute that one might want to steal them.”

“We’re not beings that can be stolen!”

“Who do you think you are to steal us?”

“Get lost!”

When Will spoke a word, the three ground fairies all shouted, guarding against him.

“Quiet down, I can’t hear you.”

Othon blocked their way, staring at Will with a cold gaze. Ark, Esta, and Iber stayed behind, forming a line and peeking their faces out.

Reluctantly, Stella had to admit that Othon was the bravest and the best fighter among them. Now it was clear that she had to protect them openly.

Stella placed the four ground fairies on her lap, enclosing them protectively with her hands. The four fairies, crouching behind Stella’s hands, were looking at Will.

The small bodies of the ground fairies, sitting close and gripping my fingers tightly, felt tense.

Kai could also see the ground fairies. However, these little ones had never been wary or afraid of Kai. This was strange.

“So, what do you want to say?”

“Well, first of all, those little fellows.”

“They are ground fairies. Not ‘those little fellows.'”
“I understand. Ground fairies. I hope those little ones don’t cause harm to anyone. Especially, if anyone harms even a bit of Emperor’s Majesty, I will not only erase all the ground fairies but also the entire Verdura Castle. Of course, it includes the people inside the castle.”

“No, that’s not true. Ground fairies never harm or hurt anyone.”

Although Stella shouted in frustration, Will continued to stare at the ground fairies with an unreadable expression.

“Well, we’ll have to see about that. But, Princess, you should also remember. Not everything is visible. Who knows what they might be hiding behind such a cute appearance.”