abcnovels
Book 6
Book 6: Chapter 213
Erin raised an eyebrow before turning her head towards Lindyss. “You’re just going to sit here?” the fairy queen asked in a whisper from the cursed elf’s shoulder. “Didn’t you have important things to do?”
Lindyss grunted and leaned back in her rocking chair. Instead of holding knitting needles or a glass of unknown beverage, the cursed elf’s arms were crossed over her chest. She swept her gaze over the endless sea of bugs covering the region. They weren’t moving, all of them resting in the same position, completely silent. Similar to spiders, they were conserving their energy by remaining still.
Erin blinked at the cursed elf before turning her head to the side where the dragons and phoenixes were having a barbeque. It was a segregated barbeque, with the dragons and phoenixes refusing to mingle. It was a silent one too, and most of the beasts weren’t even eating. They were gathered into two groups with a pile of roasted bugs between them, staring at one another while occasionally glancing at the swarm of insects off to the side. Although none of the gathered groups showed any signs of aggressive behaviors, the tension was so thick Erin found it difficult to leave Lindyss’ shoulder.
A large motion drew the cursed elf’s attention, and she turned her head to the side. Gronion had stood up and was staring right at her. Before she could figure out what the beetle wanted, a ripple appeared in the air between herself and the bug, and a portal ripped its way into existence. Vur stepped through the portal, and after surveying the area, he waved behind himself. Tafel, Mary, and the human lords along with their subordinates came out of the portal as well.
Vur waved at the cursed elf and walked over to her side. “Hi, Auntie.”
Lindyss nodded at Vur. “You defeated the hand?” she asked. “You made sure Kim Hajun paid, right? What’d you charge him?”
Vur blinked. He had forgotten to collect his payment since the severed hand had distracted him after he rang the Bell of Triumph. “His soul,” Vur said and frowned as he turned his head to look behind himself at the people still coming out of the portal. “But it looks like he ran away.”
“Let him go,” Lindyss said, causing Vur to relax his leg muscles. “He’ll be happier in ignorance.”
“Okay,” Vur said. He looked at the three neat groups of bugs, birds, and dragons. Then, he gave Lindyss a thumbs-up. “Thanks. Good job.” He tapped his root bracelet. “Give her a reward. She likes knitting, alcohol, and skeletons.”
Lindyss’ root bracelet flashed amber, and she raised an eyebrow as a pair of glossy, blue knitting needles appeared in her palm. “At least you know how to show appreciation,” the cursed elf said as she raised the needles up and eyed them. “Interesting.” She shrugged to herself and put the needles into her pocket.
“But you didn’t do anything,” Erin said, her voice louder now that Vur was here to diffuse the tension between the three groups. “All you did was take out a chair and sit down.”
Vur turned his head towards Lindyss, and the cursed elf nodded. She gestured towards the neat groups. “See?” she asked. “If you’re good enough at managing places, an aura of management will appear around you, and without actively doing anything, people will naturally organize themselves in your presence.”
“Oh,” Vur said. It made sense. If his mere presence as a dragon was enough to scare people stiff, why couldn’t Auntie’s presence make people want to labor for her? “So, they won’t fight each other now?”
“Yep,” Lindyss said. “Make sure you personally tell it to them though. I would’ve told them, but they wouldn’t be convinced by my words.”
“Okay,” Vur said, nodding his head. “I’ll go do that.” As he headed towards the mass of insects, Vur couldn’t help but admire his aunt’s aura of management. After Lindyss showed up, all he had to do was tell them not to fight, and everything would be solved.
Erin stared at the back of Vur’s head as he said something to Tafel before waving and heading to Gronion. Then, the fairy queen narrowed her eyes at the cursed elf’s face. “Aura of management?”
“Speak like the person you want to be, not the person you are,” Lindyss said with a straight face.
Erin’s brow furrowed as she mumbled the words Lindyss had just spoken. “Are you telling me I should create fake abilities and present them as real?”
“If that’s how you interpreted my words, sure,” the cursed elf said.josei
Erin scratched her head before turning her attention back onto Vur. He was talking to Gronion, the large beetle replying with chittering sounds. As for whether or not the two really understood each other, it was hard for the fairy queen to tell. A furrow appeared on the fairy queen’s brow, and she turned her head back towards the cursed elf. “You sat on your butt all day, but you got rewarded with a soul and a fancy pair of knitting needles.”
Lindyss raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?” she asked. “And? What’s your point?”
“Can you teach me how to do that?” Erin asked. “What’s the secret?”
“The secret is having a dragon who treats you as an aunt,” Lindyss said. Her eyes landed on the orichalcum box Mary was holding. Hints of dark-red aura leaked out of the slits, and Mary shook the box upon noticing the reddish mist. Lindyss nodded her head. With one Oebu Sin in a box, and another Oebu Sin tamed by Vur, there was only one remaining. Whether it would show up or not was a mystery, but she didn’t really care. The towers were nice and all, but she preferred the way the moon and stars looked on Erde.